2021 River Swing Event and Auction

The 18th annual River Swing event takes place September 18, 2021 at River Circle Farm in Franklin Tennessee from 6:00 pm to 10:00pm. It is not to late to purchase event tickets. The annual event and auction raise a third of the operating funds that enable the Harpeth Conservancy to carry out its mission of protecting Tennessee’s rivers and clean water.

The auction is accessed in person for attendees and on-line as well. So even if you are unable to attend the event you can participate in the auction. The auction is scheduled to be open online by September 12th. To sign up for the online auction and get the internet link go to https://harpethconservancy.org/river-swing/ between September 12th and 18th.

To celebrate the publication of my new book, Stories from Applewood, my wife and I have contributed three items for the auction. If you are a lover of great wines, you will not want to miss the opportunity to bid on two first-growth wines from our private collection.

• A 1994 bottle of Chateau Margaux: This Premier Grand Cru Classe is one of Bordeaux's most famous wine estates. The 1994 is a classic, long lived Bordeaux—consistently rated excellent to superb.

• A 1995 bottle of Chateau Angelus: The most highly desired wine out of the St. Emilion region of Bordeaux—a Premier Grand Cur Classe.

Each of the wines come with a copy of my new book, Stores from Applewood Manor. And you can also bid on two prepaid nights at Applewood Manor. The historic Manor (Circa 1912) is Asheville North Carolina’s premier luxury bed and breakfast inn. The auction is a wonderful way to support the Harpeth Conservancy’s mission to restore and protect clean water and healthy ecosystems of Tennessee rivers while taking advantage of some super bargains—so happy bidding!

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Ask your independent bookstore about the latest book by Tom Collins, Stories from Applewood Manor—Explore Asheville, North Carolina’s History. Mysteries, Ghosts, and Tall Tales. For signed copies of books by Tom Collins, go to TomCollinsAuthor.com. Ebook and print editions are also available on Amazon, Google Play, Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and other bookstores. Audio editions are available on Amazon, iTunes and directly from Audible.com.

Eight Books

Since retiring from the commercial world, I have published eight books. Six are mysteries—the Mark Rollins Adventures series. One, my latest, is a series of short stories, Stories from Applewood Manor, that explore the unique city Asheville North Carolina and its 100 year old bed and breakfast inn, the Applewood Manor. And another is the management guidebook, The Language of Excellence filled with practical, easy to understand advice for creating a team in pursuit of excellence—a team that understands that excellence must be earned through the eyes of those they serve and can only be maintained through constant innovation.

Recently, Katherine Davis posted about the guidebook on LinkedIn and told the story of the mirrors I issued to all members of the Juris, Inc. team:

“While in Seattle Washington at Pike Place Market, I stopped at a kiosk of a woodworker who made mirrors on a wooden stand. That is when I arranged to purchase the mirrors--one for every employee including new hires with instructions to position the mirror so that you could see yourself talking on the phone and the message that people can hear your smile over the phone. The unspoken message was that they could tell when you were not smiling."

Juris, Inc. no longer exist. It was purchased by LexisNexis® in 2007. What was remarkable is how many former Juris, Inc. team members, who have moved on to other companies, responded that they still have their mirror and still have it on their desk next to the phone.

Of all my books, I still consider The Language of Excellence to be the most important. The Language of Excellence is a powerful training tool—one that makes doing and saying the right things, making the right decisions and avoiding the wrong ones, a habit.

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For signed copies of books by Tom Collins, go to TomCollinsAuthor.com. Unsigned print and eBook editions are available on Amazon, Google Play, Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and other online bookstores. Audio editions are available on Amazon, iTunes and directly from Audible.com. Check out the latest book by Tom Collins, Stories from Applewood Manor, that explores Asheville, North Carolina’s History, Mysteries, Ghosts, and Tall Tales.  
Published by I-65 North, Inc.

More Stories

Even after publishing the book, Stories from Applewood Manor, I have continued to write and post new stories in the series. You can read them on Applewood Manor’s website. Two recent stories exposed more of the supernatural side of Western North Carolina. One is about the long unsolved Brown Mountain Mystery, and the second is a late night encounter at the cemetery in the Valley of the Cross. If you like the tall tales from Applewood’s Rocking Chair Porch, you will enjoy reading Ruinous Wish. And there are several new stories about things to do in Asheville while staying at Applewood Manor.

If you enjoy the stories let me know.

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For signed copies of books by Tom Collins, go to TomCollinsAuthor.com. Unsigned print and eBook editions are available on Amazon, Google Play, Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and other online bookstores. Audio editions are available on Amazon, iTunes and directly from Audible.com. Check out the latest book by Tom Collins, Stories from Applewood Manor, that explores Asheville, North Carolina’s History, Mysteries, Ghosts, and Tall Tales.  
Published by I-65 North, Inc.