Mar. 7, 2006 12:00 AM
On Sunday night, Clive Cussler and his family gathered in front of the adobe fireplace in the den of his Paradise Valley home to watch the Oscars. His daughters Teri and Dayna had flown in from Colorado and California and whipped up some tacos, guacamole, salsa and margaritas.
Although the author hasn't seen most of the nominated movies (he has been too busy writing his next two books including his first Western novel), it was his way of winding down after he spent Sunday afternoon being honored for his artistic achievements.
His award, presented by the Phoenix chapter of Childhelp USA, was a clay sculpture of a boy and girl reading a book on a park bench. It now sits on his desk with the other Cussler memorabilia. Many of his awards line the walls of his office bathroom.
The author was also given a director's chair that chapter President Terri Leveton and her committee had made for the author. His book Sahara was made into a movie starring Matthew McConaughey, who was named one of People magazine's sexiest men alive.
The back of the chair was inscribed with the same dedication that appears in Cussler's new children's book The Adventures of Vin Fiz. The dedication thanks several family members.
Clive wasn't the only member of his family to get a special gift. His 2½-year-old granddaughter Lauren hopped on stage to open a present made just for her, a child-size director's chair.
Cussler also donated 600 signed copies of his books to Childhelp.
After the lunch, the adventure author, whom his publishers call Clive the Mighty, and his kids affectionately call Big Daddy (not only because he's one of the most successful authors in the world, but because he's 6 feet 2), sat and signed books for many of the 250 guests, who each received a copy of Vin Fiz.
The new book for young readers adds a broad streak of magic to the action adventure formula of Cussler's adult bestsellers. It's the lighthearted tale of 10-year-old twins who find a machine that can make toys life-size. They set off to see the world in their replica of the plane Vin Fiz, which is named after a Wright brothers' plane.
The book hit the shelves last week and was No. 4 on the bestseller list within 24 hours.
Cussler and his family were honored at Sunday's fund-raiser along with philanthropists Jim and Carol Hebets and Sen. Jon and Caryll Kyl and their families at Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa.
link . . High-flying author: Paradise Valley resident Clive Cussler, the best-selling author of adventure novels, has made a seamless move into the world of children's books. His first such offering, The Adventures of Vin Fiz, debuted at No. 4 on the New York Times list of children's books.
"I feel pretty good," Cussler said Monday. "Nobody expected it to do that well right out of the gate."
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