John Gilstrap's Booms and Bangs 101 - Author Event

When it comes to movies, many people wonder if what they see on the big screen can happen in real life, or if it is just Hollywood magic. To answer that ooh so ever common question, Author John Gilstrap was able to put all curiosities to rest. No! The movie industry does like to create things that are not plausible in the real world, but that does not stop us from enjoying the next action flick rolling out in the theaters this year.

John Gilstrap has two current series, his Jonathan Grave Thrillers and his Victoria Emerson series. He also has thirty years of experience as a firefighter, EMT, safety engineer and hazardous materials specialist (and no, we didn't actually get to blow anything up, though it was not for a lack of trying). So, as you can imagine...if you did not attend this author event...we had a great time learning about the basics of projectile ballistics, fire behavior, how explosives work, and how the human body functions.

These are a few of the topics that were discussed: What is the difference between a full metal jacket bullet versus a hollow point? What do the different sizes of a bullet do to the human body when they are shot? (a .22 caliber, .50 caliber, etc.) Does the shooter or the victim feel more of an impact when a gun is fired? How does fire and heat spread? Where is the "best" location on the human body to be shot? Do people get hit by the actual bullet more or less than the debris caused by the bullet? What is the difference between a single action and a double action gun? And so much more!

Mr. Gilstrap used props, a slideshow, and wonderful stories in order to give our readers a memorable afternoon and tidbits for the attending writers. All of his books were for sale during the event, including the latest Jonathan Graves release entitled Harm's Way. If you were not able to attend, we do have a number of signed copies available to be purchased at our shop.

Author John Gilstrap giving his presentation.

John Gilstrap talking with shop's owner, Deb.

John signing books for a reader.

This was our final author event of the summer, since our next will not be until the end of September when the fall winds begin to blow in. Thank you to all of our readers who made this author event what it was, and a special THANKS to Mr. John Gilstrap for coming up to our shop, and helping us to say farewell to summer with a real BANG!

Thanks to Barb Fellencer for taking the images you see in this post. Until next time!

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