ATHLETES WE’RE NOT!
In spite of the Olympics, six of us showed up for the meeting on Wednesday.
Margaret read her next chapter in “Coffin & Dye”. At home the next morning with a hangover, Coffin realizes he left the Rolls at Mossity Manor. He took a taxi to retrieve it, but couldn’t find the Rolls. He found his way to the kitchen and explained his predicament to the cook who had seen the ghosts he’d only imagined. She told him he parked at the side entrance, not the front. He retrieved the Rolls but then got stuck in the mud. A shepherd pulled him out with a tractor but that tore off the bumper, which would take 2 weeks to fix. He tells Dye that four ghosts in the back seat had frightened him and he’d gone into the ditch. Dye accepted the explanation.
Jason read us Chapter 5. Greg looks out his window every morning and sees Jodie leaving for her morning run. He longs to be with her. Dave tells him he’s a stalker, why doesn’t he just go with her instead? Then Dave tells him Jodie’s been seeing Sean at school. Greg misses his former closeness with Jodie. How could he possibly give her the pendant when she seems to just ignore him. He feels a strange presence and hears a voice whispering, “Save us. Go to her.” His mother comes into the room and he hides the pendant and decoys his mother with Dave’s Playboy magazines. This chapter started with a good set-up of scene, giving it a mysterious setting. And the scene swayed back and forth from ephemeral to reality. It was well done.
Jim read Chapter 1 of “Coventry Ghost”. Patty is the new cleaning lady at the Wired Monk, and it was her daughter, Leanne, who was killed in front of the coffee shop the year before. She brings her younger daughter, Olivia, with her after midnight to help with the cleaning. The two daughters share a telepathic bond, even though Leanne had died. The dead daughter’s ghost appears to both Patty and Olivia at the Wired Monk. Jim gave us an excellent, vivid description of the ghost’s appearance.
Marilyn has been sending out some writing. One piece went to Today’s Senior Newsmagazine so keep your eyes open for it. And another piece, “Deaf P.O.V.”, she sent to Eclectica, and it has been accepted. Way to go, Marilyn!
Jim says Exlectica has asked if they can include his short story, “Janina”, in an anthology they are putting together. Congrats!
Bob didn’t read anything at the meeting as he was so tired he was falling asleep and consequently left early. Well, he said he was tired and it wasn’t our writing that induced the slumber. Hope he’s recovered. Anne Berrie finally joined us again after her convalescence from back surgery. She proudly showed us the scar down her spine, a gold medal for overcoming pain. Gemma wasn’t able attend due to serious back pain. Hope she’s recovering, too. And I was still trying to recover from an awful cold. So there you go. The sun comes out, Spring is almost sprung, and some of us just want to keep hibernating. You do know the time changes to Daylight Savings on March 14th? That’s just three weeks from tomorrow.
Next meeting will be Wednesday, March 3rd at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Hope to see you then. Good health and happy writing to everyone in the meantime.
Lisa
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
THE REVIEW
GO RAMS GO!
The Ram’s Head Team is off and running, all of us wanting our own gold medal for surviving the 2010 Winter Olympics here on home turf. Bob asked if we were going to take a break from meeting while the games are on, but no one was so inclined. After all, we’re artists, and certainly not to be outdone by the mere physical exploits of others. Meeting as usual next week, Wednesday, February 17th, at my place at 7:00 p.m.
At last week’s meeting, Margaret brought several copies of the February issue of Today’s Senior Newsmagazine. It included an article by Margaret about one teacher’s note to her at Valentine’s one year. Also in this issue is a sort of apology to Gemma for printing a poem that only differed from one of hers they had printed by one or two words. Gemma had complained to them, but their apology did not include her name.
I handed out copies of B.C. Book World that Bryon had collected from the ferry when he went to the Island. This issue included a lengthy article about electronic publishing rights of authors being violated outrageously these days. It’s an article anybody signing with a book publisher, especially an American one, should be aware of.
Bob hadn’t written anything, but mentioned a book he had read, a biography of Roald Dahl who wrote “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. He said it was an excellent story, and we told him he has to write a book report.
Margaret read her next chapter, where Coffin drives the Rolls to the writers’ meeting at Mossity Manor. Lord Mossity introduced him as Lord Coffin, just back from Safari in Africa. Coffin tells Lord Mossity he saw ten ghosts heading to the kitchen, and then the cook says she saw them too, which upsets Coffin because he had only fabricated seeing them. Still upset, he left by the back door, in a hurry to catch a bus, completely forgetting the Rolls.
As Margaret’s first book is in the process of being published, she told us her publisher asked if she would be willing to do book signings at Chapters. Margaret isn’t at all sure she would care to do that. But if called upon, I’m sure some of the rest of us would go out to support her.
Jason read Chapter 4 of his urban fantasy. Greg and the others are still in the dark living room, listening as Gran talks about the afterlife, and the existence of hardship on the next plane. She also talks about the 2000 year old journal, and about her coming death. She tells Greg to give Jodie the pendant and to start their pre-ordained odyssey. There was a really great build up of tension and mystery here.
Jim has started another novel connected with the www.coffeeshopauthor.com writing contest. He is sponsored by The Wired Monk where he goes to write in Cloverdale. Taking the challenge a step further, employees and patrons at the shop have signed on to allow Jim to use them as characters in the story. Consequently, they want to read his latest chapter every time they see him. Talk about incentive! His novel is called “The Coventry Ghost” and he read the prologue. We see a teenage girl outside the coffee shop hit by a car and die. She keeps trying to reclaim her damaged body, but isn’t successful. Not wanting to leave, she becomes a stranded ghost. The prologue was well done and grabbed our attention right from the start. Will love to hear how all this develops.
Had an email from John Ireland, who is now working again as a journalist in Raratonga, Cook Islands, while his wife is still in New Zealand. I think this is for the next 7 months or so. John did say he hopes to be back in the Lower Mainland come October, but didn’t say if that would be for a visit or permanently. He did hope to make it to a meeting and it would be great to see his face again after the past few years.
About two weeks ago, Bob and I both caught sight of a letter to the editor in the Vancouver Sun that was signed by Nathaniel, so I emailed him. He is still in Victoria, and belongs to a writers’ society there for critiquing, but said he misses us over here. He is still doing rewrites of his latest novel (I think that’s the one of settlers coming from Scotland to the Red River in the early 1800s). And he said to say hi to everyone.
And last but not least, I finally tracked down Michael. My emails and phone calls weren’t reaching him, and his blog and been abandoned, so I did some sleuthing and finally obtained a phone number for him and called. We had a lovely chat, catching up on the past year or so. Michael has signed with an agent in New York who is interested in a number of his novels, and made comments about working with someone on a movie. This is all fascinating news. If he can arrange a ride next week, he hopes to come to our next meeting and it would be awesome to see him again.
As for me, a lot of my time is being taken up with medical appointments now that I am on track for double knee replacements, and this Review is the only writing I’ve done. This medial journey is all the result of a car accident 31 ½ years ago. Maybe I should cave in and do the autobiographical novel, now that it might have a happier ending.
Tomorrow is the opening of the Olympics. Are you going to be writing, or watching the athletes? As I said, next meeting is next week, Wednesday, Feb. 17th, 7:00 p.m., here at my place, in spite of the games. GO RAMS GO!
Lisa
The Ram’s Head Team is off and running, all of us wanting our own gold medal for surviving the 2010 Winter Olympics here on home turf. Bob asked if we were going to take a break from meeting while the games are on, but no one was so inclined. After all, we’re artists, and certainly not to be outdone by the mere physical exploits of others. Meeting as usual next week, Wednesday, February 17th, at my place at 7:00 p.m.
At last week’s meeting, Margaret brought several copies of the February issue of Today’s Senior Newsmagazine. It included an article by Margaret about one teacher’s note to her at Valentine’s one year. Also in this issue is a sort of apology to Gemma for printing a poem that only differed from one of hers they had printed by one or two words. Gemma had complained to them, but their apology did not include her name.
I handed out copies of B.C. Book World that Bryon had collected from the ferry when he went to the Island. This issue included a lengthy article about electronic publishing rights of authors being violated outrageously these days. It’s an article anybody signing with a book publisher, especially an American one, should be aware of.
Bob hadn’t written anything, but mentioned a book he had read, a biography of Roald Dahl who wrote “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. He said it was an excellent story, and we told him he has to write a book report.
Margaret read her next chapter, where Coffin drives the Rolls to the writers’ meeting at Mossity Manor. Lord Mossity introduced him as Lord Coffin, just back from Safari in Africa. Coffin tells Lord Mossity he saw ten ghosts heading to the kitchen, and then the cook says she saw them too, which upsets Coffin because he had only fabricated seeing them. Still upset, he left by the back door, in a hurry to catch a bus, completely forgetting the Rolls.
As Margaret’s first book is in the process of being published, she told us her publisher asked if she would be willing to do book signings at Chapters. Margaret isn’t at all sure she would care to do that. But if called upon, I’m sure some of the rest of us would go out to support her.
Jason read Chapter 4 of his urban fantasy. Greg and the others are still in the dark living room, listening as Gran talks about the afterlife, and the existence of hardship on the next plane. She also talks about the 2000 year old journal, and about her coming death. She tells Greg to give Jodie the pendant and to start their pre-ordained odyssey. There was a really great build up of tension and mystery here.
Jim has started another novel connected with the www.coffeeshopauthor.com writing contest. He is sponsored by The Wired Monk where he goes to write in Cloverdale. Taking the challenge a step further, employees and patrons at the shop have signed on to allow Jim to use them as characters in the story. Consequently, they want to read his latest chapter every time they see him. Talk about incentive! His novel is called “The Coventry Ghost” and he read the prologue. We see a teenage girl outside the coffee shop hit by a car and die. She keeps trying to reclaim her damaged body, but isn’t successful. Not wanting to leave, she becomes a stranded ghost. The prologue was well done and grabbed our attention right from the start. Will love to hear how all this develops.
Had an email from John Ireland, who is now working again as a journalist in Raratonga, Cook Islands, while his wife is still in New Zealand. I think this is for the next 7 months or so. John did say he hopes to be back in the Lower Mainland come October, but didn’t say if that would be for a visit or permanently. He did hope to make it to a meeting and it would be great to see his face again after the past few years.
About two weeks ago, Bob and I both caught sight of a letter to the editor in the Vancouver Sun that was signed by Nathaniel, so I emailed him. He is still in Victoria, and belongs to a writers’ society there for critiquing, but said he misses us over here. He is still doing rewrites of his latest novel (I think that’s the one of settlers coming from Scotland to the Red River in the early 1800s). And he said to say hi to everyone.
And last but not least, I finally tracked down Michael. My emails and phone calls weren’t reaching him, and his blog and been abandoned, so I did some sleuthing and finally obtained a phone number for him and called. We had a lovely chat, catching up on the past year or so. Michael has signed with an agent in New York who is interested in a number of his novels, and made comments about working with someone on a movie. This is all fascinating news. If he can arrange a ride next week, he hopes to come to our next meeting and it would be awesome to see him again.
As for me, a lot of my time is being taken up with medical appointments now that I am on track for double knee replacements, and this Review is the only writing I’ve done. This medial journey is all the result of a car accident 31 ½ years ago. Maybe I should cave in and do the autobiographical novel, now that it might have a happier ending.
Tomorrow is the opening of the Olympics. Are you going to be writing, or watching the athletes? As I said, next meeting is next week, Wednesday, Feb. 17th, 7:00 p.m., here at my place, in spite of the games. GO RAMS GO!
Lisa
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