"David and Max"by Gary Provost and Gail Provost Stockwell

Gail and Gary

GAIL PROVOST STOCKWELL was always in love with the arts. She is a former art teacher, storyteller and songwriter, and co-founder of BACKSTAGE, a community theatre group, in which she also acted, directed and produced. Later, as The Fairy Tale Lady, she hosted a mini-TV series for children - "Me, My Elf, and I."

With her late husband, Gary Provost, Gail (aka Nushka) co-authored three award-winning novels for children about a fictional New England family. Good If It Goes, a National Jewish Book Award winner, was inspired by Gail’s oldest son Scotty, and his experience as a thirteen-year old Jewish boy, living in a non-Jewish community. The second collaboration, inspired by Gail’s musically talented son, Randy, resulted in Popcorn, a novel starring David’s younger brother, Markie. David and Max, inspired by Gail’s grandparents, was published in 1988.

In the early 80s, Gail produced week-end writing seminars for Gary to teach around the country, and in 1987, she and Gary established the WRITERS RETREAT WORKSHOP (WRW), the renown ten-day workshop for writers of fiction and narrative nonfiction. (USA WEEKEND designated WRW as the writing “vacation that can change your life.”) After the tragic loss of her husband in 1995, Gail devoted herself to continuing Gary ’s legacy. Now, after more than twenty years producing and directing writing-related programs, she has passed the torch to “the next generation” to return to her own creative, artistic and spiritual roots.

Born in the south — Augusta, Georgia —and raised in the north — Roselle, New Jersey, Gail may have been destined for both worlds. She now lives with her law professor husband, Lance, sometimes in Tulsa, Oklahoma and sometimes in Lancaster, Massachusetts. Gail loves beautiful scenery, fairy tales, and shooting hoops with Scotty and his precious children—Ruby and Sage.

GARY PROVOST, a Bostonian, was born in poverty November 14, 1944 (two days after Gail was born, coincidentally.) He was the youngest of nine children—a seventh son of a seventh son! After graduating from high school in 1962, Gary hitch-hiked around the country and began a succession of thirty-five jobs which “didn’t pay much, but gave me a lot to write about and would some day be glamorous on the back of a dust jacket.”

Known for his warmth, wit and wisdom, Gary Provost was extraordinarily prolific and versatile. He did it all: from wholesome award-winning novels for children (including the three with Gail) to best-selling gritty true crimes (including Fatal Dosage, which was made into the CBS TV film, Fatal Judgment). He was even one of seven finalists in the national search to replace Ann Landers at the Chicago Sun-Times. Throughout his career as columnist, author, instructor, humorist, biographer, editor, book doctor, ghostwriter, lecturer, writing coach, consultant to corporations, collaborator, and in-demand speaker at writing conferences nationwide, Gary was known as “The Writer’s Writer.”

Until his untimely death at the age of fifty when he suffered a sudden heart attack, Gary Provost was a popular speaker at writing conferences around the country and was considered the leading and most beloved writing instructor in the United States. His final work of nonfiction — Bogart: In Search of My Father (with actor Humphrey Bogart’s son Steve)—and his final work of fiction, the comic mystery novel, Baffled In Boston, were published shortly after his death.

Gary loved to ride his bike, roller skate, shoot some hoops, and watch lots of movies.