Dr. Anne B Jones - Author

GOLD THUNDER

While she was working on her thriller, Jones was persuaded to take a break and write a memoir for a former NASCAR Champion. “My husband Sidney is from Cochran , Ga. and Cochranites keep up with their friends. Before we moved to High Falls , we were attending a small church where his friend, Atlanta Motor Speedway Chaplain Rev. Bill Brannon (from Cochran), is pastor. As wonderful as Bill’s sermons can be, that morning my thoughts were more on my novel. As we were about to leave, Sidney nudged me and pointed to a slight, unassuming man in the back row.

   “That’s Rex White!” he announced with the reverence I might have reserved for a president. “If you want to write a book, he’s the man you should write about.” That said, he took me by the arm and led me to the former NASCAR Champion and the beginning of a book on racing was born.” Perhaps because of the influence of being in church, Gold Thunder’s Preface begins “In the 1950s, Chevrolet racing fans prayed for a savior and Varoom, Rex White answered!”

   Because of the time spent together in writing Gold Thunder, Anne, Sidney and Rex became close friends.  “He’s like a member of our family. We have had experiences with him we would never have enjoyed otherwise and met many interesting people involved in motorsports. By the time we finished the book, we had built a tremendous writing momentum and a firm friendship. We were so happy with what we’d done we decided to write another book.”

ALL AROUND THE TRACK

The second book in the racing series, All Around the Track, has stories from a wide assortment of people involved in racing, from drivers, to members of pit crews to broadcasters. “Rex and I collaborated on the book and Sidney suggested people to include. Rex knew everyone already and they admired him, so getting interviews was easy. Some of the most fascinating were Atlanta Motor Speedway’s Ed Clark, track sensation Joey Logano, and David Pearson.”

Brave at Heart: The Life and Lens of Walter Victor

While working on All Around the Track, Jones was approached by Tony Van Victor, whose father, Walter Victor, spent over forty years as Atlanta Braves photographer. He would not rest until she agreed to write about his Dad. Walter’s story, illustrated with his pictures and with a Foreword by Furman Bisher, became Brave at Heart.

Walter Victor, official photographer of the Atlanta Braves, shares memories of the storied franchise through nearly 150 photos from the days of Hank Aaron, Phil Niekro, and Dale Murphy to the record-setting run of fourteen National League division championships with Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Chipper Jones and manager Bobby Cox. From Victor's photography and the words of Anne and Sidney Jones, the book offers a snapshot of Victor's life as a a child of  immigrant parents who gained his photographer's eye as a decorated  soldier in World War II and later used it to capture cherished plays, players a and moments from Braves history.