Here's hoping 2011 brings all good things to AAG members, their friends, and families. Good writing!
Regards,
Bob Mustin
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Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
NEXT AAG&A BOARD MEETING
The next meeting of the Appalachian Authors Guild & Associaties is scheduled for Tuesday, August 24, 2010 at 1 p.m. at the office of the Cumberland Plateau Planning Commission in Lebanon, Virginia. Linda Lane, Executive Director of the Virginia Writers Club, will be speaking with regard to possible AAG&A's affiliation, as a chapter of the VWC. All AAG&A members are encouraged to attend.
Remember Me With Love, by Mary Ann Artrip
The advantage to reading big-name, well-publicized writers is that you know (more or less) what you’re getting in advance. The advantage to reading a little known writer is the delightful surprise of discovering something eminently readable, perhaps even memorable. I think we writers live and die by the old Billy Joe Shaver couplet, “I’m just an old chunk of coal/but I’m gonna be a diamond someday.” The author of this book has already pressed her chunk of coal to a twinkle, judging by this enjoyable read.
At a recent writer’s organization board meeting, Artrip, winner of a 2007 IPPY award, held this book up and asked me if I’d like to read it. I said, “Sure.” And the book charmed me. She bills it as a mystery/romance, and that’s true – it’s a bit of both. How would I have cast it? Maybe in a genre as a latter-day Charlotte Brontë. Her protagonist, Kate Spencer, a hard-working woman meets rich bigwig, Jon Ames, and after the expected romantic foreplay, they become a couple – after a fashion. But there’s a lover’s triangle afoot here – something I was hardly prepared for. And there’s a murder, a courtroom battle, and something of a happy ending.
The author writes fluidly; her prose is smart, her dialogue snappy, and she knows how to pace a complicated story. Perhaps the characters don’t resonate in quite the way one might expect of edgy, modern fictional inventions, but the tone here is Gatsby, it’s Jane Eyre – a romantic melodrama from another era - so the characterizations are forgiven.
My only concern is that, given the style, I wish she had pushed her narrator a bit more to the forefront. But she was clearly taking chances here – chances that might flummox a few readers. Still, taking chances makes life interesting. The story works and, despite this not being a book I’d have picked off a bookstore shelf, I’m glad I read it.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Review by Bob Mustin
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Tidings Newsletter
AAG&A Tidings - 3
AAG Board News
AAG Board meetings are open so Guild members are encouraged to attend at any time to offer ideas and suggestions or simply to sit in and listen.
For a year or so Board meetings have been held in the conference room of the Cumberland Plateau Planning Commission in Lebanon, VA. One item discussed at the last couple of meetings was perhaps having future bi-monthly or quarterly Board/membership meetings in different areas of the region. Perhaps in a private meeting room at a restaurant where those who wish might enjoy a good meal.
AAG has a “Fan Page” on Facebook – we have about 150 fans already. All posts on Facebook are also picked up on My Space and Twitter. If you are not on Facebook, check it out.
AAG Blog
The Appalachian Authors Blog created by Jack Rose is attracting readers. Check out the articles, reviews and comments at:
http://appalachianauthors.wordpress. com/
All members are encouraged to post comments, book reviews, ideas for the Guild or information about a writing related activity you’ve been involved in on the blog. Exchange between members is one of the Guild’s reasons for existence.
And it’s easy to incorporate links to the blog (and your own website or work) in your email signatures. Nothing elaborate is required, just a simple invitation and the web or blog address your correspondent can go to and find out more.
Excerpt from History of the Virginia Writers Club, Inc. By Samuel T.Schroetter, Jr.
The Virginia Writers Club, founded in 1918, is an interesting and flourishing association of published writers in various fields for the promotion of good writing, or, in the words of the Club’s early bylaws, “to provide a means of exchanging ideas and stimulating the art and craft of professional writing.” At its meetings, emphasis is on good programs, pleasant hospitality, and stimulating fellowship.
... Perhaps the greatest attraction, value, and potential of the Club is bringing together writers of various sorts - - poets, fiction writers, essayists, scholars, journalists, editors, and a scattering of specialty, technical, and publicity writers. Writers in different disciplines and from different localities get to know each other, to compare, exchange, and share experiences; well-known authors meet their most devoted and understanding admirers, reviewers, and promoters; fledgling and flagging craftsmen meet and learn from expert practitioners, through programs and conversation. A poetry society, a historical association, an organization of women, black, Christian or Jewish writers, a purely local group does have the advantage of focus, but a more general writers’ club has that of breadth and interchange. ... end excerpt
Writing Tips
Tip number one:
You’ve finished the manuscript. You’ve revised. You’ve had the manuscript critiqued. You’ve revised again. You’ve set the manuscript aside without looking at it for a month or two. Now what?
Reread the manuscript. Pay close attention to the zinger. Zinger? A zinger is an ending with ZING. The ending should leave the reader with something to think about. A surprise element, a situation to ponder, feelings of laughter or tenderness to provoke the reader to think about the story beyond reading the last word should be present. So reread the ending. Have your critique group members reread the ending, also.
Ask the critique members how the ending left them feeling? Were they laughing? Crying? Surprised? Thinking about the characters after reading the last line? Take your cue from those who read your manuscript. If they correctly predicted the ending, if they were not provoked to think about the story after reading it, you need to rewrite with ZING.
Tip number two:
If you don’t belong to a critique group, join one. If one doesn’t exist in your area, form one or join a group online. A critique group will get your manuscript polished much faster than you can on your own—and with more shine.
Nancy Allen Longtime AAG member
AAG&A Tidings - 2
Now Where’s That Meeting?
You receive an email notification of a writers’ meeting, event, or market you want to remember. So you type it into a notepad file and save it on your computer. Maybe you scrawl a note on a scrap of paper and it immediately gets buried in that snowbank of papers on your desktop. Been there too many times to remember.
Our fellow AAG member Rose Klix has come to the rescue! Rose has compiled a calendar of markets, writers’ group meetings, , conferences, and writing advice websites.
Add http://www.roseklix.com/ to your bookmarks, then click on the Write Time link, and you’ll always have ready access to the information you might need.
Here is a sample of the links Rose provides her readers.
http://artsmagazine.info/ http://www. mainstreetrag.com/ http://www.advancedfictionwritin g.com/ http://www. storysensei.blogspot.com/ http://www.amarketingexpert.co m/
June 17-18, 2011
3rd Annual Appalachian Heritage Writers Symposium Southwest Virginia Community College
And on that note, a belated, hats off to Guild Member/Author Colonel Charles Dahnmon Whitt, who received a formal Citation from the Commonwealth of Kentucky for his writing achievements. Congratulations CD, my friend.
It’s time to think about paying your AAG membership dues for 2011. Some authors who are receiving this information apparently overlooked payment of their dues for 2010. If you haven’t paid for 2010, just be sure to send in your 2011 dues of $30 which will include the first-year membership dues in VWC.
Finally almost all communication between the Guild and members will be via email. So please be sure to keep us posted with regard to preferred email and email address changes.
Good writing to one and all.
Jack (J Russell) Rose, President Appalachian Authors Guild A Chapter of the Virginia Writers Club russrose1045@yahoo.com
The form below may be used to renew membership.
Appalachian Authors Guild P.O. Box 803 Abingdon, VA 24212
2011 Membership Dues Name _________________________________________________
Street _________________ City _________ State___ zip ______
Amount enclosed $ _____________ Check# _________
Date __________________________
Make check for $30.00 payable to AAG and mail to address above. (covers AAG and 1st year VWC dues)
Thank you for renewing your membership
Prez (cont’d)
Is this a new address?
_______
TIDINGS
From the Prez
Happy Autumn to all. There’s good news to report with this issue of Tidings. First of all, it’s official – AAGA is now The Appalachian Authors Guild, A Chapter of the Virginia Writers Club.
The historic and prestigious Virginia Writers Club extended an invitation to the Guild to become a chapter of VWC back in August. The Board of AAGA unanimously accepted the invitation. We feel this is an awesome opportunity for our members and an excellent opportunity to showcase our region’s culture, history and authors to a much larger audience. Also, the Board voted to propose hosting of the VWC meeting in September of 2011. Stay tuned for further developments, look for mail from the VWC and check out their website.
The AAG Board approved a $5.00 dues increase, our first since the Guild’s inception, and decided to pay each member’s first year dues to VWC. Look for and respond to your VWC membership application information in the near future.
David Henderson of Travel Host magazine of Northeast Tennessee & Southwest Virginia, met with the AAG Board on Tuesday the 28th of September. Travel Host publishes 300-350 word articles of interest regarding area events, locations and people. As such, Mr. Henderson asked for our help in soliciting fresh, new, interesting articles for publication. When the selected article is published, the author will be compensated – generally in the amount of $100. Any authors interested in submitting writing to Travel Host, should let me know. I will provide contact information and details.
For those of you who’ve been a member of AAGA for a while, you may recall we had a project whereby we scheduled authors to “meet-the-people” at Piccadilly Cafeterias in Bristol and Kingsport. I am pleased to announce that we have decided to revive the Piccadilly project thanks to the efforts and input from members Rodney Smith and Teresa Still. If you want to be included please email me (russrose1045@yahoo.com).
The Board of AAG will have follow-up meetings with a couple of website design professionals in the near future, in hopes of getting our website updated and improved. More details on that will follow.
Thanks again to all who participated in this year’s Virginia Highlands Festival. Twenty one authors met the public, made or renewed friendships and sold more than 250 books as well.
Planning for the annual Appalachian Heritage Writers Symposium, held at Southwest Virginia Community College in Richlands, is well under way. Darrell Fleming, Chairman of the planning committee announced a real coup. The keynote speaker for the June 2011 Symposium will be award winning and nationally known author Lee Smith.
We want to welcome all new members to the Guild and we want to recognize special achievements, etc. So, if you’ve got a new book, new baby, new husband (or wife) let me know. And certainly if you’ve received any type of awards or commendation, please let me know.
October 2010 AAG Newsletter
Appalachian Authors Guild P. O. Box 803 Abingdon, VA 24212 http://appalachianauthors.wor dpress.com/
http://www.virginiawritersclub. org/
Jack Rose, President
russrose1045@yahoo.com
Newsletter Editor: Sylvia Nickels mscribe@aol.com
Asst. Editor: Mary Ann Artrip
maartrip@mounet.com
and contributing members ______________________
Mission Statement
The mission of the Appalachian Authors Guild and Associates is to support and promote literary art throughout the Appalachian region, to encourage writers and authors to both preserve and build upon the literary history and heritage of the Appalachian region and to provide opportunities for readers to experience the joy of meeting our people, visiting our beautiful region and understanding the wealth of our culture through literary art.
AAG Board News
AAG Board meetings are open so Guild members are encouraged to attend at any time to offer ideas and suggestions or simply to sit in and listen.
For a year or so Board meetings have been held in the conference room of the Cumberland Plateau Planning Commission in Lebanon, VA. One item discussed at the last couple of meetings was perhaps having future bi-monthly or quarterly Board/membership meetings in different areas of the region. Perhaps in a private meeting room at a restaurant where those who wish might enjoy a good meal.
AAG has a “Fan Page” on Facebook – we have about 150 fans already. All posts on Facebook are also picked up on My Space and Twitter. If you are not on Facebook, check it out.
AAG Blog
The Appalachian Authors Blog created by Jack Rose is attracting readers. Check out the articles, reviews and comments at:
http://appalachianauthors.wordpress. com/
All members are encouraged to post comments, book reviews, ideas for the Guild or information about a writing related activity you’ve been involved in on the blog. Exchange between members is one of the Guild’s reasons for existence.
And it’s easy to incorporate links to the blog (and your own website or work) in your email signatures. Nothing elaborate is required, just a simple invitation and the web or blog address your correspondent can go to and find out more.
Excerpt from History of the Virginia Writers Club, Inc. By Samuel T.Schroetter, Jr.
The Virginia Writers Club, founded in 1918, is an interesting and flourishing association of published writers in various fields for the promotion of good writing, or, in the words of the Club’s early bylaws, “to provide a means of exchanging ideas and stimulating the art and craft of professional writing.” At its meetings, emphasis is on good programs, pleasant hospitality, and stimulating fellowship.
... Perhaps the greatest attraction, value, and potential of the Club is bringing together writers of various sorts - - poets, fiction writers, essayists, scholars, journalists, editors, and a scattering of specialty, technical, and publicity writers. Writers in different disciplines and from different localities get to know each other, to compare, exchange, and share experiences; well-known authors meet their most devoted and understanding admirers, reviewers, and promoters; fledgling and flagging craftsmen meet and learn from expert practitioners, through programs and conversation. A poetry society, a historical association, an organization of women, black, Christian or Jewish writers, a purely local group does have the advantage of focus, but a more general writers’ club has that of breadth and interchange. ... end excerpt
Writing Tips
Tip number one:
You’ve finished the manuscript. You’ve revised. You’ve had the manuscript critiqued. You’ve revised again. You’ve set the manuscript aside without looking at it for a month or two. Now what?
Reread the manuscript. Pay close attention to the zinger. Zinger? A zinger is an ending with ZING. The ending should leave the reader with something to think about. A surprise element, a situation to ponder, feelings of laughter or tenderness to provoke the reader to think about the story beyond reading the last word should be present. So reread the ending. Have your critique group members reread the ending, also.
Ask the critique members how the ending left them feeling? Were they laughing? Crying? Surprised? Thinking about the characters after reading the last line? Take your cue from those who read your manuscript. If they correctly predicted the ending, if they were not provoked to think about the story after reading it, you need to rewrite with ZING.
Tip number two:
If you don’t belong to a critique group, join one. If one doesn’t exist in your area, form one or join a group online. A critique group will get your manuscript polished much faster than you can on your own—and with more shine.
Nancy Allen Longtime AAG member
AAG&A Tidings - 2
Now Where’s That Meeting?
You receive an email notification of a writers’ meeting, event, or market you want to remember. So you type it into a notepad file and save it on your computer. Maybe you scrawl a note on a scrap of paper and it immediately gets buried in that snowbank of papers on your desktop. Been there too many times to remember.
Our fellow AAG member Rose Klix has come to the rescue! Rose has compiled a calendar of markets, writers’ group meetings, , conferences, and writing advice websites.
Add http://www.roseklix.com/ to your bookmarks, then click on the Write Time link, and you’ll always have ready access to the information you might need.
Here is a sample of the links Rose provides her readers.
http://artsmagazine.info/ http://www. mainstreetrag.com/ http://www.advancedfictionwritin g.com/ http://www. storysensei.blogspot.com/ http://www.amarketingexpert.co m/
June 17-18, 2011
3rd Annual Appalachian Heritage Writers Symposium Southwest Virginia Community College
And on that note, a belated, hats off to Guild Member/Author Colonel Charles Dahnmon Whitt, who received a formal Citation from the Commonwealth of Kentucky for his writing achievements. Congratulations CD, my friend.
It’s time to think about paying your AAG membership dues for 2011. Some authors who are receiving this information apparently overlooked payment of their dues for 2010. If you haven’t paid for 2010, just be sure to send in your 2011 dues of $30 which will include the first-year membership dues in VWC.
Finally almost all communication between the Guild and members will be via email. So please be sure to keep us posted with regard to preferred email and email address changes.
Good writing to one and all.
Jack (J Russell) Rose, President Appalachian Authors Guild A Chapter of the Virginia Writers Club russrose1045@yahoo.com
The form below may be used to renew membership.
Appalachian Authors Guild P.O. Box 803 Abingdon, VA 24212
2011 Membership Dues Name _________________________________________________
Street _________________ City _________ State___ zip ______
Amount enclosed $ _____________ Check# _________
Date __________________________
Make check for $30.00 payable to AAG and mail to address above. (covers AAG and 1st year VWC dues)
Thank you for renewing your membership
Prez (cont’d)
Is this a new address?
_______
TIDINGS
From the Prez
Happy Autumn to all. There’s good news to report with this issue of Tidings. First of all, it’s official – AAGA is now The Appalachian Authors Guild, A Chapter of the Virginia Writers Club.
The historic and prestigious Virginia Writers Club extended an invitation to the Guild to become a chapter of VWC back in August. The Board of AAGA unanimously accepted the invitation. We feel this is an awesome opportunity for our members and an excellent opportunity to showcase our region’s culture, history and authors to a much larger audience. Also, the Board voted to propose hosting of the VWC meeting in September of 2011. Stay tuned for further developments, look for mail from the VWC and check out their website.
The AAG Board approved a $5.00 dues increase, our first since the Guild’s inception, and decided to pay each member’s first year dues to VWC. Look for and respond to your VWC membership application information in the near future.
David Henderson of Travel Host magazine of Northeast Tennessee & Southwest Virginia, met with the AAG Board on Tuesday the 28th of September. Travel Host publishes 300-350 word articles of interest regarding area events, locations and people. As such, Mr. Henderson asked for our help in soliciting fresh, new, interesting articles for publication. When the selected article is published, the author will be compensated – generally in the amount of $100. Any authors interested in submitting writing to Travel Host, should let me know. I will provide contact information and details.
For those of you who’ve been a member of AAGA for a while, you may recall we had a project whereby we scheduled authors to “meet-the-people” at Piccadilly Cafeterias in Bristol and Kingsport. I am pleased to announce that we have decided to revive the Piccadilly project thanks to the efforts and input from members Rodney Smith and Teresa Still. If you want to be included please email me (russrose1045@yahoo.com).
The Board of AAG will have follow-up meetings with a couple of website design professionals in the near future, in hopes of getting our website updated and improved. More details on that will follow.
Thanks again to all who participated in this year’s Virginia Highlands Festival. Twenty one authors met the public, made or renewed friendships and sold more than 250 books as well.
Planning for the annual Appalachian Heritage Writers Symposium, held at Southwest Virginia Community College in Richlands, is well under way. Darrell Fleming, Chairman of the planning committee announced a real coup. The keynote speaker for the June 2011 Symposium will be award winning and nationally known author Lee Smith.
We want to welcome all new members to the Guild and we want to recognize special achievements, etc. So, if you’ve got a new book, new baby, new husband (or wife) let me know. And certainly if you’ve received any type of awards or commendation, please let me know.
October 2010 AAG Newsletter
Appalachian Authors Guild P. O. Box 803 Abingdon, VA 24212 http://appalachianauthors.wor dpress.com/
http://www.virginiawritersclub. org/
Jack Rose, President
russrose1045@yahoo.com
Newsletter Editor: Sylvia Nickels mscribe@aol.com
Asst. Editor: Mary Ann Artrip
maartrip@mounet.com
and contributing members ______________________
Mission Statement
The mission of the Appalachian Authors Guild and Associates is to support and promote literary art throughout the Appalachian region, to encourage writers and authors to both preserve and build upon the literary history and heritage of the Appalachian region and to provide opportunities for readers to experience the joy of meeting our people, visiting our beautiful region and understanding the wealth of our culture through literary art.
TIDINGS - o
TIDINGS
October 2010 AAG Newsletter
Appalachian Authors Guild
P. O. Box 803
Abingdon, VA 24212
http://appalachianauthors.wordpress.com/
http://www.virginiawritersclub.org/
Jack Rose, President
russrose1045@yahoo.com
Newsletter Editor:
Sylvia Nickels mscribe@aol.com
Asst. Editor: Mary Ann Artrip
maartrip@mounet.com
and contributing members
______________________
Mission Statement
The mission of the Appalachian Authors Guild and Associates is to support and promote literary art throughout the Appalachian region, to encourage writers and authors to both preserve and build upon the literary history and heritage of the Appalachian region and to provide opportunities for readers to experience the joy of meeting our people, visiting our beautiful region and understanding the wealth of our culture through literary art.
From the Prez
Happy Autumn to all. There’s good news to report with this issue of Tidings.
First of all, it’s official – AAGA is now The Appalachian Authors Guild, A Chapter of the Virginia Writers Club.
The historic and prestigious Virginia Writers Club extended an invitation to the Guild to become a chapter of VWC back in August. The Board of AAGA unanimously accepted the invitation. We feel this is an awesome opportunity for our members and an excellent opportunity to showcase our region’s culture, history and authors to a much larger audience. Also, the Board voted to propose hosting of the VWC meeting in September of 2011. Stay tuned for further developments, look for mail from the VWC and check out their website.
The AAG Board approved a $5.00 dues increase, our first since the Guild’s inception, and decided to pay each member’s first year dues to VWC. Look for and respond to your VWC membership application information in the near future.
David Henderson of Travel Host magazine of Northeast Tennessee & Southwest Virginia, met with the AAG Board on Tuesday the 28th of September. Travel Host publishes 300-350 word articles of interest regarding area events, locations and people. As such, Mr. Henderson asked for our help in soliciting fresh, new, interesting articles for publication. When the selected article is published, the author will be compensated – generally in the amount of $100. Any authors interested in submitting writing to Travel Host, should let me know. I will provide contact information and details.
For those of you who’ve been a member of AAGA for a while, you may recall we had a project whereby we scheduled authors to “meet-the-people” at Piccadilly Cafeterias in Bristol and Kingsport. I am pleased to announce that we have decided to revive the Piccadilly project thanks to the efforts and input from members Rodney Smith and Teresa Still. If you want to be included please email me (russrose1045@yahoo.com).
The Board of AAG will have follow-up meetings with a couple of website design professionals in the near future, in hopes of getting our website updated and improved. More details on that will follow.
Thanks again to all who participated in this year’s Virginia Highlands Festival. Twenty one authors met the public, made or renewed friendships and sold more than 250 books as well.
Planning for the annual Appalachian Heritage Writers Symposium, held at Southwest Virginia Community College in Richlands, is well under way. Darrell Fleming, Chairman of the planning committee announced a real coup. The keynote speaker for the June 2011 Symposium will be award winning and nationally known author Lee Smith.
We want to welcome all new members to the Guild and we want to recognize special achievements, etc. So, if you’ve got a new book, new baby, new husband (or wife) let me know. And certainly if you’ve received any type of awards or commendation, please let me know.
Now Where’s That Meeting?
You receive an email notification of a writers’ meeting, event, or market you want to remember. So you type it into a notepad file and save it on your computer. Maybe you scrawl a note on a scrap of paper and it immediately gets buried in that snowbank of papers on your desktop. Been there too many times to remember.
Our fellow AAG member Rose Klix has come to the rescue! Rose has compiled a calendar of markets, writers’ group meetings, , conferences, and writing advice websites.
Add http://www.roseklix.com/ to your bookmarks, then click on the Write Time link, and you’ll always have ready access to the information you might need.
Here is a sample of the links Rose provides her readers.
http://artsmagazine.info/
http://www. mainstreetrag.com/
http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/
http://www. storysensei.blogspot.com/
http://www.amarketingexpert.com/
June 17-18, 2011
3rd Annual
Appalachian Heritage Writers Symposium
Southwest Virginia Community College
Prez (cont’d)
And on that note, a belated, hats off to Guild Member/Author Colonel Charles Dahnmon Whitt, who received a formal Citation from the Commonwealth of Kentucky for his writing achievements. Congratulations CD, my friend.
It’s time to think about paying your AAG membership dues for 2011. Some authors who are receiving this information apparently overlooked payment of their dues for 2010. If you haven’t paid for 2010, just be sure to send in your 2011 dues of $30 which will include the first-year membership dues in VWC.
Finally almost all communication between the Guild and members will be via email. So please be sure to keep us posted with regard to preferred email and email address changes.
Good writing to one and all.
Jack (J Russell) Rose, President
Appalachian Authors Guild
A Chapter of the Virginia Writers Club
russrose1045@yahoo.com
The form below may be used to renew membership.
Appalachian Authors Guild
P.O. Box 803
Abingdon, VA 24212
2011 Membership Dues
Name
Street City State zip
Amount enclosed $ Check#
Date
Make check for $30.00 payable to AAG and mail to address above. (covers AAG and 1st year VWC dues)
Thank you for renewing your membership
Is this a new address?
AAG Board News
AAG Board meetings are open so Guild members are encouraged to attend at any time to offer ideas and suggestions or simply to sit in and listen.
For a year or so Board meetings have been held in the conference room of the Cumberland Plateau Planning Commission in Lebanon, VA. One item discussed at the last couple of meetings was perhaps having future bi-monthly or quarterly Board/membership meetings in different areas of the region. Perhaps in a private meeting room at a restaurant where those who wish might enjoy a good meal.
AAG has a “Fan Page” on Facebook – we have about 150 fans already. All posts on Facebook are also picked up on My Space and Twitter. If you are not on Facebook, check it out.
AAG Blog
The Appalachian Authors Blog created by Jack Rose is attracting readers. Check out the articles, reviews and comments at:
http://appalachianauthors.wordpress.com/
All members are encouraged to post comments, book reviews, ideas for the Guild or information about a writing related activity you’ve been involved in on the blog. Exchange between members is one of the Guild’s reasons for existence.
And it’s easy to incorporate links to the blog (and your own website or work) in your email signatures. Nothing elaborate is required, just a simple invitation and the web or blog address your correspondent can go to and find out more.
Excerpt from
History of the Virginia Writers Club, Inc.
By Samuel T.Schroetter, Jr.
The Virginia Writers Club, founded in 1918, is an interesting and flourishing association of published writers in various fields for the promotion of good writing, or, in the words of the Club’s early bylaws, “to provide a means of exchanging ideas and stimulating the art and craft of professional writing.” At its meetings, emphasis is on good programs, pleasant hospitality, and stimulating fellowship.
...
Perhaps the greatest attraction, value, and potential of the Club is bringing together writers of various sorts - - poets, fiction writers, essayists, scholars, journalists, editors, and a scattering of specialty, technical, and publicity writers. Writers in different disciplines and from different localities get to know each other, to compare, exchange, and share experiences; well-known authors meet their most devoted and understanding admirers, reviewers, and promoters; fledgling and flagging craftsmen meet and learn from expert practitioners, through programs and conversation. A poetry society, a historical association, an organization of women, black, Christian or Jewish writers, a purely local group does have the advantage of focus, but a more general writers’ club has that of breadth and interchange.
...
end excerpt
Writing Tips
Tip number one:
You’ve finished the manuscript. You’ve revised. You’ve had the manuscript critiqued. You’ve revised again. You’ve set the manuscript aside without looking at it for a month or two. Now what?
Reread the manuscript. Pay close attention to the zinger. Zinger? A zinger is an ending with ZING. The ending should leave the reader with something to think about. A surprise element, a situation to ponder, feelings of laughter or tenderness to provoke the reader to think about the story beyond reading the last word should be present. So reread the ending. Have your critique group members reread the ending, also.
Ask the critique members how the ending left them feeling? Were they laughing? Crying? Surprised? Thinking about the characters after reading the last line? Take your cue from those who read your manuscript. If they correctly predicted the ending, if they were not provoked to think about the story after reading it, you need to rewrite with ZING.
Tip number two:
If you don’t belong to a critique group, join one. If one doesn’t exist in your area, form one or join a group online. A critique group will get your manuscript polished much faster than you can on your own—and with more shine.
Nancy Allen
Longtime AAG member
October 2010 AAG Newsletter
Appalachian Authors Guild
P. O. Box 803
Abingdon, VA 24212
http://appalachianauthors.wordpress.com/
http://www.virginiawritersclub.org/
Jack Rose, President
russrose1045@yahoo.com
Newsletter Editor:
Sylvia Nickels mscribe@aol.com
Asst. Editor: Mary Ann Artrip
maartrip@mounet.com
and contributing members
______________________
Mission Statement
The mission of the Appalachian Authors Guild and Associates is to support and promote literary art throughout the Appalachian region, to encourage writers and authors to both preserve and build upon the literary history and heritage of the Appalachian region and to provide opportunities for readers to experience the joy of meeting our people, visiting our beautiful region and understanding the wealth of our culture through literary art.
From the Prez
Happy Autumn to all. There’s good news to report with this issue of Tidings.
First of all, it’s official – AAGA is now The Appalachian Authors Guild, A Chapter of the Virginia Writers Club.
The historic and prestigious Virginia Writers Club extended an invitation to the Guild to become a chapter of VWC back in August. The Board of AAGA unanimously accepted the invitation. We feel this is an awesome opportunity for our members and an excellent opportunity to showcase our region’s culture, history and authors to a much larger audience. Also, the Board voted to propose hosting of the VWC meeting in September of 2011. Stay tuned for further developments, look for mail from the VWC and check out their website.
The AAG Board approved a $5.00 dues increase, our first since the Guild’s inception, and decided to pay each member’s first year dues to VWC. Look for and respond to your VWC membership application information in the near future.
David Henderson of Travel Host magazine of Northeast Tennessee & Southwest Virginia, met with the AAG Board on Tuesday the 28th of September. Travel Host publishes 300-350 word articles of interest regarding area events, locations and people. As such, Mr. Henderson asked for our help in soliciting fresh, new, interesting articles for publication. When the selected article is published, the author will be compensated – generally in the amount of $100. Any authors interested in submitting writing to Travel Host, should let me know. I will provide contact information and details.
For those of you who’ve been a member of AAGA for a while, you may recall we had a project whereby we scheduled authors to “meet-the-people” at Piccadilly Cafeterias in Bristol and Kingsport. I am pleased to announce that we have decided to revive the Piccadilly project thanks to the efforts and input from members Rodney Smith and Teresa Still. If you want to be included please email me (russrose1045@yahoo.com).
The Board of AAG will have follow-up meetings with a couple of website design professionals in the near future, in hopes of getting our website updated and improved. More details on that will follow.
Thanks again to all who participated in this year’s Virginia Highlands Festival. Twenty one authors met the public, made or renewed friendships and sold more than 250 books as well.
Planning for the annual Appalachian Heritage Writers Symposium, held at Southwest Virginia Community College in Richlands, is well under way. Darrell Fleming, Chairman of the planning committee announced a real coup. The keynote speaker for the June 2011 Symposium will be award winning and nationally known author Lee Smith.
We want to welcome all new members to the Guild and we want to recognize special achievements, etc. So, if you’ve got a new book, new baby, new husband (or wife) let me know. And certainly if you’ve received any type of awards or commendation, please let me know.
Now Where’s That Meeting?
You receive an email notification of a writers’ meeting, event, or market you want to remember. So you type it into a notepad file and save it on your computer. Maybe you scrawl a note on a scrap of paper and it immediately gets buried in that snowbank of papers on your desktop. Been there too many times to remember.
Our fellow AAG member Rose Klix has come to the rescue! Rose has compiled a calendar of markets, writers’ group meetings, , conferences, and writing advice websites.
Add http://www.roseklix.com/ to your bookmarks, then click on the Write Time link, and you’ll always have ready access to the information you might need.
Here is a sample of the links Rose provides her readers.
http://artsmagazine.info/
http://www. mainstreetrag.com/
http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/
http://www. storysensei.blogspot.com/
http://www.amarketingexpert.com/
June 17-18, 2011
3rd Annual
Appalachian Heritage Writers Symposium
Southwest Virginia Community College
Prez (cont’d)
And on that note, a belated, hats off to Guild Member/Author Colonel Charles Dahnmon Whitt, who received a formal Citation from the Commonwealth of Kentucky for his writing achievements. Congratulations CD, my friend.
It’s time to think about paying your AAG membership dues for 2011. Some authors who are receiving this information apparently overlooked payment of their dues for 2010. If you haven’t paid for 2010, just be sure to send in your 2011 dues of $30 which will include the first-year membership dues in VWC.
Finally almost all communication between the Guild and members will be via email. So please be sure to keep us posted with regard to preferred email and email address changes.
Good writing to one and all.
Jack (J Russell) Rose, President
Appalachian Authors Guild
A Chapter of the Virginia Writers Club
russrose1045@yahoo.com
The form below may be used to renew membership.
Appalachian Authors Guild
P.O. Box 803
Abingdon, VA 24212
2011 Membership Dues
Name
Street City State zip
Amount enclosed $ Check#
Date
Make check for $30.00 payable to AAG and mail to address above. (covers AAG and 1st year VWC dues)
Thank you for renewing your membership
Is this a new address?
AAG Board News
AAG Board meetings are open so Guild members are encouraged to attend at any time to offer ideas and suggestions or simply to sit in and listen.
For a year or so Board meetings have been held in the conference room of the Cumberland Plateau Planning Commission in Lebanon, VA. One item discussed at the last couple of meetings was perhaps having future bi-monthly or quarterly Board/membership meetings in different areas of the region. Perhaps in a private meeting room at a restaurant where those who wish might enjoy a good meal.
AAG has a “Fan Page” on Facebook – we have about 150 fans already. All posts on Facebook are also picked up on My Space and Twitter. If you are not on Facebook, check it out.
AAG Blog
The Appalachian Authors Blog created by Jack Rose is attracting readers. Check out the articles, reviews and comments at:
http://appalachianauthors.wordpress.com/
All members are encouraged to post comments, book reviews, ideas for the Guild or information about a writing related activity you’ve been involved in on the blog. Exchange between members is one of the Guild’s reasons for existence.
And it’s easy to incorporate links to the blog (and your own website or work) in your email signatures. Nothing elaborate is required, just a simple invitation and the web or blog address your correspondent can go to and find out more.
Excerpt from
History of the Virginia Writers Club, Inc.
By Samuel T.Schroetter, Jr.
The Virginia Writers Club, founded in 1918, is an interesting and flourishing association of published writers in various fields for the promotion of good writing, or, in the words of the Club’s early bylaws, “to provide a means of exchanging ideas and stimulating the art and craft of professional writing.” At its meetings, emphasis is on good programs, pleasant hospitality, and stimulating fellowship.
...
Perhaps the greatest attraction, value, and potential of the Club is bringing together writers of various sorts - - poets, fiction writers, essayists, scholars, journalists, editors, and a scattering of specialty, technical, and publicity writers. Writers in different disciplines and from different localities get to know each other, to compare, exchange, and share experiences; well-known authors meet their most devoted and understanding admirers, reviewers, and promoters; fledgling and flagging craftsmen meet and learn from expert practitioners, through programs and conversation. A poetry society, a historical association, an organization of women, black, Christian or Jewish writers, a purely local group does have the advantage of focus, but a more general writers’ club has that of breadth and interchange.
...
end excerpt
Writing Tips
Tip number one:
You’ve finished the manuscript. You’ve revised. You’ve had the manuscript critiqued. You’ve revised again. You’ve set the manuscript aside without looking at it for a month or two. Now what?
Reread the manuscript. Pay close attention to the zinger. Zinger? A zinger is an ending with ZING. The ending should leave the reader with something to think about. A surprise element, a situation to ponder, feelings of laughter or tenderness to provoke the reader to think about the story beyond reading the last word should be present. So reread the ending. Have your critique group members reread the ending, also.
Ask the critique members how the ending left them feeling? Were they laughing? Crying? Surprised? Thinking about the characters after reading the last line? Take your cue from those who read your manuscript. If they correctly predicted the ending, if they were not provoked to think about the story after reading it, you need to rewrite with ZING.
Tip number two:
If you don’t belong to a critique group, join one. If one doesn’t exist in your area, form one or join a group online. A critique group will get your manuscript polished much faster than you can on your own—and with more shine.
Nancy Allen
Longtime AAG member
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Who Reads You?
Michael Cunningham, author of The Hours, has a lot to say in this op-ed piece about the nature of writing and who we are - or should be - writing our books to.
Michael Cunningham, Op-Ed Contributor - Found in Translation - NYTimes.com
Let’s take as an example one of the most famous lines in literature: “Call me Ishmael.” That, as I suspect you know, is the opening sentence of Herman Melville’s “Moby-Dick.” We still recognize that line, after more than 150 years.
NY Times
Bob Mustin
Michael Cunningham, Op-Ed Contributor - Found in Translation - NYTimes.com
Let’s take as an example one of the most famous lines in literature: “Call me Ishmael.” That, as I suspect you know, is the opening sentence of Herman Melville’s “Moby-Dick.” We still recognize that line, after more than 150 years.
NY Times
Bob Mustin
Sunday, August 29, 2010
NEXT AAG&A BOARD MEETING
The next board meeting for the Appalachain Authors Guild & Associates is scheduled for Tuesday, September 28 at 1 p.m. The meeting will be at the Cumberland Plateau Planning Commission office in Lebanon, Virginia. Board meetings are open to all AAG&A members and they are encouraged to attend.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Journey Through My Mind
There's almost nothing that I can think of, to compare with the feel of seeing your first book in print. Such is the case for Author Rodney Smith.
Journey Through My Mind is a story of Frontier life in the 19th Century as recorded by young Benjamin, the oldest child of a Kansas prairie family, in his personal journal.
The journal is found years later and read by his granddaughter, Sarah.
If I had to think of one word to describe this story, it would be wholesome. "Journey" details the struggles of a Christian family in dealing with the hardships of frontier life - the bitter winters, the scorching summer heat, and the killer dust storms.
"Journey" is a story not unlike the "Little House on the Prairie" books - but this is a story which merits retelling. In this first effort by Rodney Smith, the reader is transported to pioneer times where we get a pretty accurate picture of the early days and of the people who had the grit and fortitude to make a home in the hostile environment of the American Western Frontier.
I highly recommend Journey Through My Mind, and eagerly await Rodney Smith's next offering.
Journey Through My Mind is Available from LULU Press - http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/journey-through-my-mind/11774567?productTrackingContext=product_view/recently_viewed/left/1
or by contacting the author via this blog or the Appalachian Authors Guild (www.appalachianaga.com).
Journey Through My Mind is a story of Frontier life in the 19th Century as recorded by young Benjamin, the oldest child of a Kansas prairie family, in his personal journal.
The journal is found years later and read by his granddaughter, Sarah.
If I had to think of one word to describe this story, it would be wholesome. "Journey" details the struggles of a Christian family in dealing with the hardships of frontier life - the bitter winters, the scorching summer heat, and the killer dust storms.
"Journey" is a story not unlike the "Little House on the Prairie" books - but this is a story which merits retelling. In this first effort by Rodney Smith, the reader is transported to pioneer times where we get a pretty accurate picture of the early days and of the people who had the grit and fortitude to make a home in the hostile environment of the American Western Frontier.
I highly recommend Journey Through My Mind, and eagerly await Rodney Smith's next offering.
Journey Through My Mind is Available from LULU Press - http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/journey-through-my-mind/11774567?productTrackingContext=product_view/recently_viewed/left/1
or by contacting the author via this blog or the Appalachian Authors Guild (www.appalachianaga.com).
Friday, July 30, 2010
NEXT AAG&A BOARD MEETING
The next meeting of the Appalachian Authors Guild & Associaties is scheduled for Tuesday, August 24, 2010 at 1 p.m. at the office of the Cumberland Plateau Planning Commission in Lebanon, Virginia. Linda Lane, Executive Director of the Virginia Writers Club, will be speaking with regard to possible AAG&A's affiliation, as a chapter of the VWC. All AAG&A members are encouraged to attend.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Dr. Lin Stepp
Our new friend and Appalachian author Dr. Lin Stepp will be greeting readers and signing her books at Books A Million in Kingsport, Saturday June 12, from 1 to 3 p.m. If you have the opportunity to meet Lin, I assure you it will be memorable. Please remember to support all our Appalachian authors and to recommend them to others.
www.linstepp.com
www.linstepp.com
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Blue Plum Festival
The weekend of June 4-6, 2010 several AAG&A authors will be signing and selling their books at the Blue Plum Festival in Johnson City, TN. Blue Plum is an annual event in Johnson City with activities for the whole family. Make plans for a fun weekend in Northeast TN and stop by to greet the authors. The Blue Plum website gives details of the festival.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
WAKE THE TOWN AND TELL THE PEOPLE
There's A New Addition At The Artrip Household
The mind of the fiction writer is sometimes an unsettled thing. It conjures up snippets of whimsy, touches of chicanery, shadows in dark corners. Gears shift and wheels turn with midnight musings. Brain boogers at three a.m. whisper, "What if...?"
"Parsnips & Princes" A Short Story Collection is my memorial to such an exquisite madness.
Available at www.maryannartrip.com
Next AAG&A Board Meeting
The Appalachian Authors Guild & Associates next board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 29, 2010 at 1 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Cumberland Plateau Planning Commission office in Lebanon, VA. All members are encouraged to attend.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Advice?
I'm soliciting opinions: Jack, you, and I think, Mary Ann and Sylvia have read my story, "A Place of Belonging" - - I know the Epilogue was an attempt at a "feel-good" ending, but I'm wondering if you think the book would lose any of its impact were I to leave off the Epilogue. Also I'm thinking of changing the title, which I've never liked. My working title during the writing process was "The Good Road." Do any of you think that would be an appropriate title?
The Epilogue ties up loose ends and continues Banks' habit of helping and/or rescuing women and girls, but I'm thinking it shouldn't be tied up so neatly. The working title emphasizes the road trip, which takes up about half the book, and serves as a metaphor for Banks, Ginger, and Mattie and their attempts to make something good of their difficult lives. But I'm undecided on whether that reference would properly encapsulate the book - - or does it matter?
Anyway, those are my thoughts as I re-write. Comments?
The Epilogue ties up loose ends and continues Banks' habit of helping and/or rescuing women and girls, but I'm thinking it shouldn't be tied up so neatly. The working title emphasizes the road trip, which takes up about half the book, and serves as a metaphor for Banks, Ginger, and Mattie and their attempts to make something good of their difficult lives. But I'm undecided on whether that reference would properly encapsulate the book - - or does it matter?
Anyway, those are my thoughts as I re-write. Comments?
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Proposed AAGA Creative Activities For The Future
This is a list of proposed future activities for AAGA, intended both to attract new members and to improve members' writing skills and self-editing capabilities. If you have any questions or comments, please contact one of your board members
Writing Contests:
Writing Workshops:
Critique Groups:
Book Reviews:
Others –Publishing in books and Magazines/Agents/Editors/Marketing/Editorial Services
Writing Contests:
- Listing of contests to sponsor/times held
- Submittal formats
- Screening Committees
- Judging
- Awards and Presentations
Writing Workshops:
- Categories and Combinations (Poetry, Fiction, N/F separate or together?)
- General Creative Writing Workshop
- Grammar
- Sentence/paragraph structure
- Other creative writing aspects
- Essay, Poem, Story, Novel structure and components
- How-To-Critique Workshop
- How noted writers write
- Peer Critiques
- How to comment in groups
- Successes
- Aspects to improve
Critique Groups:
- Putting critique skills into use
- Group dynamics
- Size of critique groups
- Preparation for critique meetings
- Effective locales for AAGA members
Book Reviews:
- What reviews are for
- How to accomplish a review
- Theory
- Components
Others –Publishing in books and Magazines/Agents/Editors/Marketing/Editorial Services
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Next AAG&A Board Meeting
The Appalachian Authors Guild & Associates next scheduled board meeting is Tuesday, May 18, 2010 at 1 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Cumberland Plateau Planning Commission office in Lebanon, VA. All members are encouraged to attend.
Monday, March 29, 2010
A New Novella
This is part experiment, part announcement. I have a novella up on Kindle, The Blue Bicycle. Novellas are hard to market to the industry - particularly ones written from differing points of view. So I'm hoping you'll check it out- you can download a sample for free, and if you like that, the rest is yours for $6.95.
You may not have a Kindle - I'm betting most who read this haven't yet taken the plunge - but you can download the Kindle software for free to your desktop or laptop.
Any comments on the text, or on Kindle as a format for fiction, would be appreciated[caption id="attachment_159" align="alignleft" width="193" caption="The Blue Bike"]
[/caption]
You may not have a Kindle - I'm betting most who read this haven't yet taken the plunge - but you can download the Kindle software for free to your desktop or laptop.
Any comments on the text, or on Kindle as a format for fiction, would be appreciated[caption id="attachment_159" align="alignleft" width="193" caption="The Blue Bike"]
[/caption]
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Tidings - March 2010
The latest issue of our newsletter Tidings is available for perusing - check on the latest activities of the AAGA.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Have you written a book?
The Appalachian Authors Guild wants to reach out to young authors - Zach Arrington, son of Guild Member Richard Arrington wrote the following to us:"I am 8 years old, I wrote a book called My School. My daddy also wrote 7 books and I like reading them."
Way to go, Zach.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Blowing my own horn!
[gallery]
Just received my copies of The Mystery of the Green Mist, an anthology of short mystery stories published by L&L Dreamspell Publishers. My own mystery story, Reservoir of Death is included in the volume. Both paperback and Kindle editions of The Mystery of the Green Mist are available from Amazon. It may also be ordered from your favorite brick-and-mortar bookstore.
Sylvia Nickels, the ramblinscribe
Just received my copies of The Mystery of the Green Mist, an anthology of short mystery stories published by L&L Dreamspell Publishers. My own mystery story, Reservoir of Death is included in the volume. Both paperback and Kindle editions of The Mystery of the Green Mist are available from Amazon. It may also be ordered from your favorite brick-and-mortar bookstore.
Sylvia Nickels, the ramblinscribe
Have you written a book? Tell us about it.
Amazon has a forum for folks to shamelessly promote themselves and their writing. Since I truly believe that imitation is the truest form of flattery, let's try this and see how it works.
I've written several books, but I'd like to tell you about what I consider my best work - Looking Down on the Moon.
Looking has been called a “love story,” but it’s more than that. Yes there are elements of love in the book – nothing gratuitous, I assure you. There are many different kinds of love in addition to romantic love. They’re all included in this story: romantic, brotherly love, love of fellowman, love of God.
I say Looking Down on the Moon is a multi-generational family saga spanning the time period from pre-World War II to the present. The story takes place in Houston, Northern New Mexico and in the country of Mexico. The main character Dolores is a person born to a family of wealth and privilege, but grows up in a home without love. She also learns about prejudice at a very early age – when she is too young to understand why the color of her skin makes her different. Life’s lessons can be hard on young sensitive children.
One internet reviewer says this book will make you laugh, make you cry, could break your heart and it could even make you a little mad… (I’m not sure about that one.)
Looking Down is available at Amazon.com for $27.00 (Retail Price). However, you can get an autographed copy from me for $14.95 plus $2.50 shipping.
J Russell Rose
http://www.amazon.com/Looking-Down-Moon-Russell-Rose/dp/1435727975/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268758247&sr=1-3#noop
I've written several books, but I'd like to tell you about what I consider my best work - Looking Down on the Moon.
Looking has been called a “love story,” but it’s more than that. Yes there are elements of love in the book – nothing gratuitous, I assure you. There are many different kinds of love in addition to romantic love. They’re all included in this story: romantic, brotherly love, love of fellowman, love of God.
I say Looking Down on the Moon is a multi-generational family saga spanning the time period from pre-World War II to the present. The story takes place in Houston, Northern New Mexico and in the country of Mexico. The main character Dolores is a person born to a family of wealth and privilege, but grows up in a home without love. She also learns about prejudice at a very early age – when she is too young to understand why the color of her skin makes her different. Life’s lessons can be hard on young sensitive children.
One internet reviewer says this book will make you laugh, make you cry, could break your heart and it could even make you a little mad… (I’m not sure about that one.)
Looking Down is available at Amazon.com for $27.00 (Retail Price). However, you can get an autographed copy from me for $14.95 plus $2.50 shipping.
J Russell Rose
http://www.amazon.com/Looking-Down-Moon-Russell-Rose/dp/1435727975/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268758247&sr=1-3#noop
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Review Of In Search Of Himself by J. Russell Rose
Review Of In Search Of Himself by J. Russell Rose
Let me first note that I am not a reader of fiction ordinarily, and that I find most criticism of any kind to be, as Rilke noted, either “partisan views or clever quibblings”. J. Russell Rose has written a fine book. In Search Of Himself is the story of new beginnings- of a second chance for a writer to rediscover his Appalachian roots and his own spirit after years of self abuse and madness. Rose paints characters that are engaging and sticks to straight forward story telling (reminiscent of the inspired fiction of Sherwood Anderson).
In Search Of Himself also explores Appalachia as a lost culture. It may be a book best read slowly; much like the old time radio installments of the 1940’s that I remember my Father speaking about listening to in a West Virginia hollow, one should enjoy a chapter or two at a time.
-T. Byron Kelly
3/2/2010
Appalachian Authors Guild Member
Author of Project End of Days-Selected Poems
& New Selected Poems
Let me first note that I am not a reader of fiction ordinarily, and that I find most criticism of any kind to be, as Rilke noted, either “partisan views or clever quibblings”. J. Russell Rose has written a fine book. In Search Of Himself is the story of new beginnings- of a second chance for a writer to rediscover his Appalachian roots and his own spirit after years of self abuse and madness. Rose paints characters that are engaging and sticks to straight forward story telling (reminiscent of the inspired fiction of Sherwood Anderson).
In Search Of Himself also explores Appalachia as a lost culture. It may be a book best read slowly; much like the old time radio installments of the 1940’s that I remember my Father speaking about listening to in a West Virginia hollow, one should enjoy a chapter or two at a time.
-T. Byron Kelly
3/2/2010
Appalachian Authors Guild Member
Author of Project End of Days-Selected Poems
& New Selected Poems
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Appalachian Heritage Writers Symposium
Appalachian Heritage Writers Symposium
Registration is open for the second annual Appalachian Heritage Writers Symposium to be held June 18 and 19 at Southwest Virginia Community College and writing contest entries are now being accepted, according to announcement from the symposium planning committee, which met Tuesday, February 23, at the Appalachian Arts Center.
Produced by SWCC, the Arts Center, and the regional Appalachian Authors Guild and Associates, this year’s event is expected to equal or surpass the debut writer’s conference sponsored by the three entities last June. Some 100 participants are expected from a five-state area.
Peggy Poe Stern, a prolific author from Boone, NC, with 12 novels and two non-fiction books to her credit, will be the keynote speaker and will also present a workshop on fiction writing. Other workshops with noted speakers will cover a wide variety of topics of interest to writers.
Registration forms are available at http://appheritagewritersym.wordpress.com to be completed and mailed to Robyn Raines, Appalachian Art Center, Southwest Virginia Community College along with the symposium fee payable to Appalachian Art Center. The fee for the two-day conference, including all food and events, will be $50.00 if postmarked by April 30, 2010 and $60.00 after that date.
Registration is open for the second annual Appalachian Heritage Writers Symposium to be held June 18 and 19 at Southwest Virginia Community College and writing contest entries are now being accepted, according to announcement from the symposium planning committee, which met Tuesday, February 23, at the Appalachian Arts Center.
Produced by SWCC, the Arts Center, and the regional Appalachian Authors Guild and Associates, this year’s event is expected to equal or surpass the debut writer’s conference sponsored by the three entities last June. Some 100 participants are expected from a five-state area.
Peggy Poe Stern, a prolific author from Boone, NC, with 12 novels and two non-fiction books to her credit, will be the keynote speaker and will also present a workshop on fiction writing. Other workshops with noted speakers will cover a wide variety of topics of interest to writers.
Registration forms are available at http://appheritagewritersym.wordpress.com to be completed and mailed to Robyn Raines, Appalachian Art Center, Southwest Virginia Community College along with the symposium fee payable to Appalachian Art Center. The fee for the two-day conference, including all food and events, will be $50.00 if postmarked by April 30, 2010 and $60.00 after that date.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
FAMILY, FRIENDS AND WAR HEROES by Darrell R. Fleming
A Review of:
FAMILY, FRIENDS AND WAR HEROES
by Darrell R. Fleming
When I first read this book a different picture emerged. I was caught up in the heroism of the mother and her family of six children left to "keep the home fires burning" while the father of the household went off to fight in World War II.
On this, the second reading, a whole new picture unfolds. This is a historian's delight because of the diary kept by William Truman Fleming, the author's father. It is an account or log of the excitement, the danger, the friendships, the fear, and the boredom of a young man's life during World War II aboard a U. S. Navy destroyer, USS Hopping, DE 155/APD 51, while fighting a fierce enemy in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
In this book, Darrell Fleming, the author shows a superb command of language usage as well as storytelling talent. It is difficult to write history in such a way that it informs but is not pedantic. Rather than boring the reader, Mr. Fleming entertains and enlightens.
The book is diligently researched and shows a devotion to making it authentic in every detail. The many pictures and records copied into the manuscript should make this book of archival value for World War II historical records of any place which seeks authentic data.
The pride and patriotism of the author colors every page in such a way that one comes away from the reading with a desire to go out and salute the flag. He writes of a time when Americans loved America so much that they were willing to serve and sacrifice for a homeland endowed from on high with a new birth of freedom for all within its borders.
Not being of a military turn of mind, I still left this book with a feeling that dedicated and brilliant commanders can lead men to perform dramatic and heroic deeds without once thinking of self. The commander of the USS Hopping, DE 155/APD 51 was just such a commander and the men serving under him did him and America proud.
I salute the author and all those brave young men who sailed with William Truman Fleming and fought to insure that we today can salute the flag and proudly say "God Bless the USA."
If you haven't read this book and love authentic history then you would do well to get a copy.
Adda Leah Davis, Author
Darrell Fleming can be contacted at: www.darrellfleming.net.
Adda Leah Davis can be contacted at: www.goldenharvestcreations.com
FAMILY, FRIENDS AND WAR HEROES
by Darrell R. Fleming
When I first read this book a different picture emerged. I was caught up in the heroism of the mother and her family of six children left to "keep the home fires burning" while the father of the household went off to fight in World War II.
On this, the second reading, a whole new picture unfolds. This is a historian's delight because of the diary kept by William Truman Fleming, the author's father. It is an account or log of the excitement, the danger, the friendships, the fear, and the boredom of a young man's life during World War II aboard a U. S. Navy destroyer, USS Hopping, DE 155/APD 51, while fighting a fierce enemy in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
In this book, Darrell Fleming, the author shows a superb command of language usage as well as storytelling talent. It is difficult to write history in such a way that it informs but is not pedantic. Rather than boring the reader, Mr. Fleming entertains and enlightens.
The book is diligently researched and shows a devotion to making it authentic in every detail. The many pictures and records copied into the manuscript should make this book of archival value for World War II historical records of any place which seeks authentic data.
The pride and patriotism of the author colors every page in such a way that one comes away from the reading with a desire to go out and salute the flag. He writes of a time when Americans loved America so much that they were willing to serve and sacrifice for a homeland endowed from on high with a new birth of freedom for all within its borders.
Not being of a military turn of mind, I still left this book with a feeling that dedicated and brilliant commanders can lead men to perform dramatic and heroic deeds without once thinking of self. The commander of the USS Hopping, DE 155/APD 51 was just such a commander and the men serving under him did him and America proud.
I salute the author and all those brave young men who sailed with William Truman Fleming and fought to insure that we today can salute the flag and proudly say "God Bless the USA."
If you haven't read this book and love authentic history then you would do well to get a copy.
Adda Leah Davis, Author
Darrell Fleming can be contacted at: www.darrellfleming.net.
Adda Leah Davis can be contacted at: www.goldenharvestcreations.com
FAMILY, FRIENDS AND WAR HEROES by Darrell R. Fleming
A Review of:
When I first read this book a different picture emerged. At the first reading I was caught up in the heroism of the mother and her family of six children left to “keep the home fires burning” while the father of the household went off to fight in World War II.
On this, the second reading, a whole new picture unfolds. This is a historian’s delight because of the diary kept by William Truman Fleming, the author’s father. This diary is a daily account or log of the excitement, the danger, the friendships, the fear, and the boredom of a young man’s life during a war.
This man’s life was aboard a ship; the USS Hopping, DE 155 which carried supplies wherever needed whether on the Atlantic Ocean or the Pacific.
In this book Darrell Fleming, the author shows a superb command of language usage as well as storytelling talent. It is difficult to write history in such a way that it informs but is not pedantic. Rather than boring the reader Mr. Fleming entertains and enlightens.
The book is diligently researched and shows a devotion to making it authentic in every detail. The many pictures and records copied into the manuscript should make this book of archival value for World War II historical records of any place who seeks authentic data.
The pride and patriotism of the author colors every page in such a way that one comes away from the reading with a desire to go out and salute the flag. He writes of a time when Americans loved America so much that they were willing to serve and sacrifice for a homeland endowed from on high with a new birth of freedom for all within its borders.
Not being of a military turn of mind I still left this book with a feeling that dedicated and brilliant commanders can lead men to perform dramatic and heroic deeds without once thinking of self. The commander of the USS Hopping, DE 155 was just such a commander and the men serving under him did him and America proud.
I salute the author and all those brave young men who sailed with William Truman Fleming and fought to insure that we today can salute the flag and bravely say “God Bless the USA.
If you haven’t read this book and love authentic history then you would do well to get a copy.
Adda Leah Davis
Adda Leah Davis is the author of several popular books. Her website is www.goldenharvestcreations.com
When I first read this book a different picture emerged. At the first reading I was caught up in the heroism of the mother and her family of six children left to “keep the home fires burning” while the father of the household went off to fight in World War II.
On this, the second reading, a whole new picture unfolds. This is a historian’s delight because of the diary kept by William Truman Fleming, the author’s father. This diary is a daily account or log of the excitement, the danger, the friendships, the fear, and the boredom of a young man’s life during a war.
This man’s life was aboard a ship; the USS Hopping, DE 155 which carried supplies wherever needed whether on the Atlantic Ocean or the Pacific.
In this book Darrell Fleming, the author shows a superb command of language usage as well as storytelling talent. It is difficult to write history in such a way that it informs but is not pedantic. Rather than boring the reader Mr. Fleming entertains and enlightens.
The book is diligently researched and shows a devotion to making it authentic in every detail. The many pictures and records copied into the manuscript should make this book of archival value for World War II historical records of any place who seeks authentic data.
The pride and patriotism of the author colors every page in such a way that one comes away from the reading with a desire to go out and salute the flag. He writes of a time when Americans loved America so much that they were willing to serve and sacrifice for a homeland endowed from on high with a new birth of freedom for all within its borders.
Not being of a military turn of mind I still left this book with a feeling that dedicated and brilliant commanders can lead men to perform dramatic and heroic deeds without once thinking of self. The commander of the USS Hopping, DE 155 was just such a commander and the men serving under him did him and America proud.
I salute the author and all those brave young men who sailed with William Truman Fleming and fought to insure that we today can salute the flag and bravely say “God Bless the USA.
If you haven’t read this book and love authentic history then you would do well to get a copy.
Adda Leah Davis
Adda Leah Davis is the author of several popular books. Her website is www.goldenharvestcreations.com
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Reviews - Good and Bad
If you ask someone to review your work, you should be prepared for whatever the reviewer has to say about the book. Not only the good - if there is any, but also the negative. If you are too "thin-skinned" as one writer friend of mine suggested, then perhaps you shouldn't ask for a review in the first place. If all you want is a "pat-on-the-back" or someone to tell you what a wonderful book you've written, ask your mom, sister or brother. But that's not what a review is all about.
Earlier today, I posted something which I labeled an "excerpt" from a review of my book Missing by Bob Mustin. In so doing, I have been unfair to him, not only for the excellent work he did and the amount of time he spent in reviewing this book, but moreover because of the suggestions he made for improving the work.
Mr. Mustin took great exception with my post and I have apologized to him for posting selected parts of the review. To anyone who may have read the Post, I apologize to you as well. Should you care to see the entire review, let me know.
Bob does an excellent and thorough job - he takes reviewing very seriously. I recommend his work to any writer who is looking for an honest appraisal of his or her work.
Jack (J Russell)Rose
Earlier today, I posted something which I labeled an "excerpt" from a review of my book Missing by Bob Mustin. In so doing, I have been unfair to him, not only for the excellent work he did and the amount of time he spent in reviewing this book, but moreover because of the suggestions he made for improving the work.
Mr. Mustin took great exception with my post and I have apologized to him for posting selected parts of the review. To anyone who may have read the Post, I apologize to you as well. Should you care to see the entire review, let me know.
Bob does an excellent and thorough job - he takes reviewing very seriously. I recommend his work to any writer who is looking for an honest appraisal of his or her work.
Jack (J Russell)Rose
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