SUMMER VACATION
Jim, Wendy and Jason joined me for a Meeting on Wednesday, in spite of the hot temperatures.
I read first, a ‘Honey’ story entitled “The Birthday Gift”, about Honey taking me for lunch at the seniors’ center on my 62nd birthday and my realization that in comparison to the majority there, I really wasn’t very old at all.
Jim read Chapter 31 in Book II of “The Coventry Ghosts”. Sara, the ghost kitten meets with the living agent, Charles. They are working together trying to find Jason. Sara tells Charles the Ghastly Committee believes the Umbra are hiding Jason. They both suspect Jason is in Honywuan because there is no evidence of any ghosts in that country. Charles reports that to Launi, and she says they must get some people in there. Good plot development regarding ghost essences being stolen by Jason.
Jason (our Jason and not the character in Jim’s book) read the first chapter in a new work he has started. He read us a terrifying account of a father with some supernatural powers fleeing evil forces with his two young daughters. Trying to stop the three from falling over a snowy cliff, he’s hanging onto the girls with both his hands, so can’t use his powers to fend off the savage wolf-like beasts attacking them. He has to decide if all three will die, or if he will let go of one daughter in order to save himself and the other daughter. Nail-biting tension in this beginning right from the start. It’s just an awesome way to start a novel.
Jason also brought along a print-on-demand hard copy of his novel “Provoked”, which is available at Amazon, (by Jason Vance). The book is nicely put together and even the font used on the cover was evocative of the scary unknown.
Jim said another agent has asked to see the entire manuscript for The Coventry Ghosts, Book I. The odds are looking good that some agent will eventually want to represent him since they keep asking to see the whole book. Keep your fingers crossed for him.
Wendy has recovered from the cold she had two weeks ago. Ellie had phoned to say she couldn’t make it to the Meeting. Hope she’s okay. Lorelie had planned to attend but then had to care for her mother again. No word from anyone else.
Since I’m having surgery July 31st (right knee replacement) I won’t schedule another Meeting until I have recovered sufficiently. I will let everyone know by the end of August what’s happening. Hopefully we can resume Meeting in September. So have fun for the rest of the summer. Be sure to do some writing. And rest assured I will miss everyone until we meet again. Happy writing until then!
LISA A. HATTON
Author
Published eBooks available at Kobo Books:
FIRE: http://kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=9780991739615
LOVE FOUND: http://kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=9780991739608
Friday, July 19, 2013
Friday, July 5, 2013
THE REVIEW
SUMMER SCRIBES
Five of us Rams were together on Wednesday for an awesome Meeting. Lorelie, Jim, Jason, and Ellie joined me here in spite of the heat wave over the previous few days. Jim gave me a package of sugarless candy and Lorelie brought a big canister of mixed, unsalted nuts. Thank you both so much.
I read first, a ‘Honey’ story titled “Heaven And Hell”, pertaining to the recent breakdown of our central air conditioner.
Ellie read next, a rewrite of her children’s story about squirrels, with environmental themes and a storyline that will also show bullying. She hopes to show how different coloured squirrels can learn to get along without hurting each other or their environment.
Lorelie read to us her first draft of a story she’s writing based on personal experience. It starts when she receives a phone call from her elderly mother living with her husband in the Smoky Hills of Kentucky. She tells Lorelie about an independent caregiver who was looking after them, and even writing cheques and borrowing from them to buy a new tractor. And that is the beginning of a mind-boggling true story that absolutely needs to be told.
Jim read Chapter 30 of Book II of ‘Coventry Ghosts’. It shows Jason feeling like a prisoner himself being forced to do Yoon Lee’s bidding instead of being able to find and communicate with his own ghostly parents. He decides to build a new ghost collector computer that had programming that could delete parts of a ghost that tried to move through the computer on its own. He was trying to outsmart the Umbra ghosts in his computer so he would have more freedom to do as he pleased.
Jason didn’t read anything, but we all had a long discussion on self-publishing versus seeking an agent or publisher. The agent who had requested Jim’s full manuscript for “Coventry Ghosts, Book I”, later sent a rejection to Jim. I’m thinking of looking for a Canadian publisher for my ‘Honey’ stories as Margaret Moffatt thinks the collection would make a good gift book as the stories are humorous and the book would be a slimmer volume than a novel.
Lorelie has a great story to tell, but has difficulty finding time alone to write now that her mother is living with her.
Margaret F. was unable to attend the Meeting as her husband had been in hospital again. Hope he’s recovering his health now.
Wendy had hoped to attend, but came down with a nasty cold. And it was her birthday! Hope she's feeling better now!
I’ve just finished reading Michael Hiebert’s book, “Dream With Little Angels”. After a slow start, it later gained momentum and the tension in the story kept me swiping the pages over on my eReader, wanting to know what would happen next. Set in Alabama, it is told in first person by eleven year old Abe, the son of the investigating female cop when two young girls go missing, and development of his character is brilliant. When his mother tells him not to be racist, he starts questioning the status quo and wants to know why their minister at church talked more about the missing white girl than the missing black girl. He asked if God was racist. It was a refreshing perspective to see life through his eyes as the mystery is solved and it was a great read. Well done, Michael!
The next Meeting will be Wednesday, July 17th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. I look forward to seeing you and sincerely hope our air conditioning is repaired by then. I go for my next surgery July 31st, so the Meeting on the 17th will probably be the last one until September. Happy writing!
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
Published ebooks available at Kobo Books:
FIRE: http://www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=9780991739615
LOVE FOUND: http://www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=9780991739608
Five of us Rams were together on Wednesday for an awesome Meeting. Lorelie, Jim, Jason, and Ellie joined me here in spite of the heat wave over the previous few days. Jim gave me a package of sugarless candy and Lorelie brought a big canister of mixed, unsalted nuts. Thank you both so much.
I read first, a ‘Honey’ story titled “Heaven And Hell”, pertaining to the recent breakdown of our central air conditioner.
Ellie read next, a rewrite of her children’s story about squirrels, with environmental themes and a storyline that will also show bullying. She hopes to show how different coloured squirrels can learn to get along without hurting each other or their environment.
Lorelie read to us her first draft of a story she’s writing based on personal experience. It starts when she receives a phone call from her elderly mother living with her husband in the Smoky Hills of Kentucky. She tells Lorelie about an independent caregiver who was looking after them, and even writing cheques and borrowing from them to buy a new tractor. And that is the beginning of a mind-boggling true story that absolutely needs to be told.
Jim read Chapter 30 of Book II of ‘Coventry Ghosts’. It shows Jason feeling like a prisoner himself being forced to do Yoon Lee’s bidding instead of being able to find and communicate with his own ghostly parents. He decides to build a new ghost collector computer that had programming that could delete parts of a ghost that tried to move through the computer on its own. He was trying to outsmart the Umbra ghosts in his computer so he would have more freedom to do as he pleased.
Jason didn’t read anything, but we all had a long discussion on self-publishing versus seeking an agent or publisher. The agent who had requested Jim’s full manuscript for “Coventry Ghosts, Book I”, later sent a rejection to Jim. I’m thinking of looking for a Canadian publisher for my ‘Honey’ stories as Margaret Moffatt thinks the collection would make a good gift book as the stories are humorous and the book would be a slimmer volume than a novel.
Lorelie has a great story to tell, but has difficulty finding time alone to write now that her mother is living with her.
Margaret F. was unable to attend the Meeting as her husband had been in hospital again. Hope he’s recovering his health now.
Wendy had hoped to attend, but came down with a nasty cold. And it was her birthday! Hope she's feeling better now!
I’ve just finished reading Michael Hiebert’s book, “Dream With Little Angels”. After a slow start, it later gained momentum and the tension in the story kept me swiping the pages over on my eReader, wanting to know what would happen next. Set in Alabama, it is told in first person by eleven year old Abe, the son of the investigating female cop when two young girls go missing, and development of his character is brilliant. When his mother tells him not to be racist, he starts questioning the status quo and wants to know why their minister at church talked more about the missing white girl than the missing black girl. He asked if God was racist. It was a refreshing perspective to see life through his eyes as the mystery is solved and it was a great read. Well done, Michael!
The next Meeting will be Wednesday, July 17th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. I look forward to seeing you and sincerely hope our air conditioning is repaired by then. I go for my next surgery July 31st, so the Meeting on the 17th will probably be the last one until September. Happy writing!
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
Published ebooks available at Kobo Books:
FIRE: http://www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=9780991739615
LOVE FOUND: http://www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=9780991739608
Saturday, June 22, 2013
THE REVIEW
GOOD NEWS REVIEW!
Wendy, Jim, Jason and Margaret F. joined me Wednesday for a Meeting. Lorelie had planned to attend but was again caring for her mother. Ellie was over at Tofino on the Island.
I read my latest ‘Honey’ story, “Mechanically Challenged”, about car trouble on one of our trips to the cabin and the saga about getting the car fixed.
Margaret read from her journal about probing the murder investigation of the “Babes In The Wood”. This was from her point of view and gave us an intimate look at what she was thinking and the questions she asked and all that were still unanswered. We agreed this was the voice to use for her whole book as it not only gave us the facts and/or lack of fact, but also engaged us far more than an academic analysis would do.
Wendy read a new poem she had written from the prompt “I dare you”. The poem tells of her younger self in the 1960s, giving in to peer pressure to try mescaline, an hallucinogenic drug used supposedly for greater self-awareness. The ‘trip’ was an induced high that was also very terrifying for her.
Jim read Chapter 29 from “Coventry Ghosts, Book II”. We see Olivia and her boyfriend, Shen, at Olivia’s with her mother, and the ghost kitten, Sara. They are talking about Jason, the villain stealing ghost essences, and how things are changing in Ghostdom. Shen says he wants to be a ghost too, but not very soon.
There is lots of writing news to report this time. My news was that my story “The Blob At Green Lake”, which I submitted to a contest in February 2012, was bought by Summit Studios for inclusion in their anthology “Never Light A Match In The Outhouse: Funny Stories From Cottage Country”. Instead of a rejection letter, I was able to pass around an acceptance letter and contract. Since this is one of my ‘Honey’ stories, I first made sure I would still own copyright so I can include it in my own collection. I’ve had a number of short stories published, but this is the first time I’ll be paid for one, other than something I’ve self-published.
Margaret F., after winning 1st place in the memoir category for “Unforgiving” in a contest she entered, was going to Bellingham this weekend to receive the award for it at the Chuckanut Writers’ Conference.
Jason has been slaving away to get his book “Provoked” self-published with Amazon. He said the eBook should have been available this week, and the print-on-demand would be available very soon. He found it a lot of work to do all the formatting for eBook publication, especially with all his diagrams for chapter headings. Our congratulations to him for persevering!
And Jim called me last night with some awesome news! A well-known New York literary agent has requested the whole manuscript for “Coventry Ghosts – Book I”, now that Jim has done a rewrite and re-classified the novel as mid-grade. He had previously queried the same agent two years earlier with the manuscript noted as young adult. Patience and perseverance pay off!
We had some discussion about self-promotion to sell our books but all of us are feeling out of our league. None of us are technical experts and have trouble knowing how to promote online. Selling in person is hard to do, especially if you don’t have hard copy to sell in the first place. We love to write, but the actual selling we find difficult.
Margaret and Jason were talking about volunteering this year at the Surrey International Writers’ Conference, rather than paying to attend.
The next Meeting will be Wednesday, July 3rd at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Write on, Fellow Rams, write on!!!
LISA A. HATTON
Author
Published eBooks available at Kobo Books:
FIRE: http://kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=9780991739615
LOVE FOUND: http://kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=9780991739608
Wendy, Jim, Jason and Margaret F. joined me Wednesday for a Meeting. Lorelie had planned to attend but was again caring for her mother. Ellie was over at Tofino on the Island.
I read my latest ‘Honey’ story, “Mechanically Challenged”, about car trouble on one of our trips to the cabin and the saga about getting the car fixed.
Margaret read from her journal about probing the murder investigation of the “Babes In The Wood”. This was from her point of view and gave us an intimate look at what she was thinking and the questions she asked and all that were still unanswered. We agreed this was the voice to use for her whole book as it not only gave us the facts and/or lack of fact, but also engaged us far more than an academic analysis would do.
Wendy read a new poem she had written from the prompt “I dare you”. The poem tells of her younger self in the 1960s, giving in to peer pressure to try mescaline, an hallucinogenic drug used supposedly for greater self-awareness. The ‘trip’ was an induced high that was also very terrifying for her.
Jim read Chapter 29 from “Coventry Ghosts, Book II”. We see Olivia and her boyfriend, Shen, at Olivia’s with her mother, and the ghost kitten, Sara. They are talking about Jason, the villain stealing ghost essences, and how things are changing in Ghostdom. Shen says he wants to be a ghost too, but not very soon.
There is lots of writing news to report this time. My news was that my story “The Blob At Green Lake”, which I submitted to a contest in February 2012, was bought by Summit Studios for inclusion in their anthology “Never Light A Match In The Outhouse: Funny Stories From Cottage Country”. Instead of a rejection letter, I was able to pass around an acceptance letter and contract. Since this is one of my ‘Honey’ stories, I first made sure I would still own copyright so I can include it in my own collection. I’ve had a number of short stories published, but this is the first time I’ll be paid for one, other than something I’ve self-published.
Margaret F., after winning 1st place in the memoir category for “Unforgiving” in a contest she entered, was going to Bellingham this weekend to receive the award for it at the Chuckanut Writers’ Conference.
Jason has been slaving away to get his book “Provoked” self-published with Amazon. He said the eBook should have been available this week, and the print-on-demand would be available very soon. He found it a lot of work to do all the formatting for eBook publication, especially with all his diagrams for chapter headings. Our congratulations to him for persevering!
And Jim called me last night with some awesome news! A well-known New York literary agent has requested the whole manuscript for “Coventry Ghosts – Book I”, now that Jim has done a rewrite and re-classified the novel as mid-grade. He had previously queried the same agent two years earlier with the manuscript noted as young adult. Patience and perseverance pay off!
We had some discussion about self-promotion to sell our books but all of us are feeling out of our league. None of us are technical experts and have trouble knowing how to promote online. Selling in person is hard to do, especially if you don’t have hard copy to sell in the first place. We love to write, but the actual selling we find difficult.
Margaret and Jason were talking about volunteering this year at the Surrey International Writers’ Conference, rather than paying to attend.
The next Meeting will be Wednesday, July 3rd at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Write on, Fellow Rams, write on!!!
LISA A. HATTON
Author
Published eBooks available at Kobo Books:
FIRE: http://kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=9780991739615
LOVE FOUND: http://kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=9780991739608
Friday, June 7, 2013
THE REVIEW
SOLO PERFORMANCE
It was just me and my homemade banana bread here for a Ram’s Head Meeting on Wednesday. Three others had said they were coming, but alas, it was not to be. Even Honey went out for the evening in pursuit of Karaoke companions. I am writing a Review because it does have an audience worldwide that views the blog after the first and third Wednesdays of every month. I think it’s important to show the Ram’s Head Writer’s still exist.
Valiantly, I read my latest ‘Honey’ story to the banana bread, which responded with only a silent, fragrant aroma.
Margaret Moffatt has two articles in the June issue of Today’s Senior Newsmagazine. One is “The Mirror”, telling the history of this item which started as a very valuable belonging and is now fairly commonplace. The other article is “Williams Lake, The Cariboo”, giving the history of that area.
Michael Hiebert and Margaret Florczak have both received recognition for their writing: Michael with good reviews of “Dream With Little Angels”, and Margaret with an award for her self-published teenaged autobiography “Unforgiven”. Congratulations to both!
Ellie said she’s been writing, but was going to the Orpheum Wednesday. Jason is still involved in his son’s ball hockey, but says he should be here at the next Meeting. Wendy was going to attend, but fell ill. Jim was going to attend, but thought it was still Tuesday. Lorelie was going to attend, but had to care for her mother. Those are the Rams I’ve heard from. Hope everyone is doing fine and still writing.
I am scheduling the next Meeting for Wednesday, June 19th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Hope you can attend and I’ll try to save some banana bread!
LISA A. HATTON
Author
Published eBooks available at Kobo Books:
FIRE: http://kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=9780991739615
LOVE FOUND: http://kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=9780991739608
It was just me and my homemade banana bread here for a Ram’s Head Meeting on Wednesday. Three others had said they were coming, but alas, it was not to be. Even Honey went out for the evening in pursuit of Karaoke companions. I am writing a Review because it does have an audience worldwide that views the blog after the first and third Wednesdays of every month. I think it’s important to show the Ram’s Head Writer’s still exist.
Valiantly, I read my latest ‘Honey’ story to the banana bread, which responded with only a silent, fragrant aroma.
Margaret Moffatt has two articles in the June issue of Today’s Senior Newsmagazine. One is “The Mirror”, telling the history of this item which started as a very valuable belonging and is now fairly commonplace. The other article is “Williams Lake, The Cariboo”, giving the history of that area.
Michael Hiebert and Margaret Florczak have both received recognition for their writing: Michael with good reviews of “Dream With Little Angels”, and Margaret with an award for her self-published teenaged autobiography “Unforgiven”. Congratulations to both!
Ellie said she’s been writing, but was going to the Orpheum Wednesday. Jason is still involved in his son’s ball hockey, but says he should be here at the next Meeting. Wendy was going to attend, but fell ill. Jim was going to attend, but thought it was still Tuesday. Lorelie was going to attend, but had to care for her mother. Those are the Rams I’ve heard from. Hope everyone is doing fine and still writing.
I am scheduling the next Meeting for Wednesday, June 19th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Hope you can attend and I’ll try to save some banana bread!
LISA A. HATTON
Author
Published eBooks available at Kobo Books:
FIRE: http://kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=9780991739615
LOVE FOUND: http://kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=9780991739608
Sunday, May 5, 2013
THE REVIEW
LADIES ONLY
Wendy and Ellie joined me Wednesday for a cozy Meeting with just the three of us ladies present. Sadly, Jim is struggling with health issues re his kidneys again, and we all wish him the very best of health very soon. And Jason is still busy with his son’s ball hockey Wednesday evenings, as well as getting his web site up and running in anticipation of author fame when he publishes his novel. Self-promotion can be such a chore. Haven’t heard from anyone else.
I read first, another one of my ‘Honey’ stories. This was called “Five Star Day” and was about Honey being retired for a month and needing to go to his cabin at Green Lake in search of some purpose to his life besides spending hours testing all the used pens he’s collected through the years.
Ellie read a story she started writing for young children. She had personalized two grey squirrels, not native to B.C. One was pushy and rather mean to another red squirrel, who was a native of the area and was concerned about the destruction the grey squirrel was causing to the environment to build his gym. Ellie said she was hoping to show the effects of bullying in her story.
Wendy read a sad poem about the passing of her daughter’s much loved dog at the age of fourteen. In the poem, Wendy seems to be giving the dog’s spirit permission to leave this world after giving so much joy to those who loved it.
In the May issue of Today’s Senior Newsmagazine, another three articles by Margaret Moffatt have been published. One is about the history of Soda Creek in the Cariboo and another is about Big Lake/Beaver Valley. The third is a history about “The Loo”. Every time Margaret sends articles, she thinks they will be published one at a time, but not so. She thinks perhaps the paper has space that needs filling.
Next Meeting will be here at my place on Wednesday, May 15th at 7:00 p.m. Hope to see you then, after all the sunshine has inspired the writer in you.
Lisa
Wendy and Ellie joined me Wednesday for a cozy Meeting with just the three of us ladies present. Sadly, Jim is struggling with health issues re his kidneys again, and we all wish him the very best of health very soon. And Jason is still busy with his son’s ball hockey Wednesday evenings, as well as getting his web site up and running in anticipation of author fame when he publishes his novel. Self-promotion can be such a chore. Haven’t heard from anyone else.
I read first, another one of my ‘Honey’ stories. This was called “Five Star Day” and was about Honey being retired for a month and needing to go to his cabin at Green Lake in search of some purpose to his life besides spending hours testing all the used pens he’s collected through the years.
Ellie read a story she started writing for young children. She had personalized two grey squirrels, not native to B.C. One was pushy and rather mean to another red squirrel, who was a native of the area and was concerned about the destruction the grey squirrel was causing to the environment to build his gym. Ellie said she was hoping to show the effects of bullying in her story.
Wendy read a sad poem about the passing of her daughter’s much loved dog at the age of fourteen. In the poem, Wendy seems to be giving the dog’s spirit permission to leave this world after giving so much joy to those who loved it.
In the May issue of Today’s Senior Newsmagazine, another three articles by Margaret Moffatt have been published. One is about the history of Soda Creek in the Cariboo and another is about Big Lake/Beaver Valley. The third is a history about “The Loo”. Every time Margaret sends articles, she thinks they will be published one at a time, but not so. She thinks perhaps the paper has space that needs filling.
Next Meeting will be here at my place on Wednesday, May 15th at 7:00 p.m. Hope to see you then, after all the sunshine has inspired the writer in you.
Lisa
Sunday, April 7, 2013
THE REVIEW
PUBLISHED AUTHORS
Last Wednesday, Ellie, Wendy and Jim joined me for the last Meeting before my surgery. There won’t be another Meeting now until probably the third Wednesday in May while I will be recovering.
On Easter weekend, I picked up a copy of Today’s Senior Newsmagazine for April, and right away spotted Wendy’s story, “Nightmares”. Then I spotted Gemma’s story “Rosemary”. I also saw the story “Clinton, The Cariboo”, which I had assumed was Margaret Moffatt’s, but was missing her byline. She later told me it was her article. So that means three Rams were all featured in the April issue. Way to go!!!
Ellie read first. She had found the second page to her poem “Rhythm By A Nature Path” and read the whole version to us. Her words equate the motion of nature to music and tell of the healing and soothing that synchronicity bestows on the audience.
Wendy brought several poems written by her son Scott and read them to us. The first was “The Last Resort” where the author is pleading with someone for help because they are his last resort. It was very sad. The second poem was “Two Ways To Tomorrow”, which speaks of choices and consequences and warns about choosing the wrong path to move forward. The third poem was an expectantly hopeful look at the emergence of spring on a neighbourhood street.
I read my story “Sandy The Sailor”, which I had written ten years earlier, and which I’m thinking of entering in the Candadian Writer’s Journal contest. The story is about a young woman whose sister committed suicide after learning she was infected with HIV. The surviving sister takes over her younger sibling’s role as an exotic dancer and exacts revenge on the man she knew was responsible for her sister’s fate. This is a mystery and Jim said he found the suspense lasted all the way through.
Jim read Ch. 28 in Coventry Ghosts, Book 2. Here we see Olivia walking home from the coffee shop with her boyfriend, Shen, who is smitten with both her and the whole idea of communicating with ghosts and learning about Ghostdom. Jim’s news about his romance novel is that the publisher has since rejected it, but did say they would be very interested in seeing his next romance novel. Which is good news, because Jim is currently writing another one!
Jason did email me to say he is currently unavailable Wednesday evenings as his son’s ball hockey has their practices then. He is getting very close to self-publishing through Amazon. Behind his back, we did discuss his amazing accomplishments with his novel since he joined the group.
My surgery is tentatively scheduled as day surgery on Tuesday, April 9th and recovery may take a month. As soon as I am able, I will schedule our next Meeting of The Rams and let everyone know. In the meantime, be inspired by your Muse so you have stories to share when we do get together again. Happy Writing!
Lisa
Last Wednesday, Ellie, Wendy and Jim joined me for the last Meeting before my surgery. There won’t be another Meeting now until probably the third Wednesday in May while I will be recovering.
On Easter weekend, I picked up a copy of Today’s Senior Newsmagazine for April, and right away spotted Wendy’s story, “Nightmares”. Then I spotted Gemma’s story “Rosemary”. I also saw the story “Clinton, The Cariboo”, which I had assumed was Margaret Moffatt’s, but was missing her byline. She later told me it was her article. So that means three Rams were all featured in the April issue. Way to go!!!
Ellie read first. She had found the second page to her poem “Rhythm By A Nature Path” and read the whole version to us. Her words equate the motion of nature to music and tell of the healing and soothing that synchronicity bestows on the audience.
Wendy brought several poems written by her son Scott and read them to us. The first was “The Last Resort” where the author is pleading with someone for help because they are his last resort. It was very sad. The second poem was “Two Ways To Tomorrow”, which speaks of choices and consequences and warns about choosing the wrong path to move forward. The third poem was an expectantly hopeful look at the emergence of spring on a neighbourhood street.
I read my story “Sandy The Sailor”, which I had written ten years earlier, and which I’m thinking of entering in the Candadian Writer’s Journal contest. The story is about a young woman whose sister committed suicide after learning she was infected with HIV. The surviving sister takes over her younger sibling’s role as an exotic dancer and exacts revenge on the man she knew was responsible for her sister’s fate. This is a mystery and Jim said he found the suspense lasted all the way through.
Jim read Ch. 28 in Coventry Ghosts, Book 2. Here we see Olivia walking home from the coffee shop with her boyfriend, Shen, who is smitten with both her and the whole idea of communicating with ghosts and learning about Ghostdom. Jim’s news about his romance novel is that the publisher has since rejected it, but did say they would be very interested in seeing his next romance novel. Which is good news, because Jim is currently writing another one!
Jason did email me to say he is currently unavailable Wednesday evenings as his son’s ball hockey has their practices then. He is getting very close to self-publishing through Amazon. Behind his back, we did discuss his amazing accomplishments with his novel since he joined the group.
My surgery is tentatively scheduled as day surgery on Tuesday, April 9th and recovery may take a month. As soon as I am able, I will schedule our next Meeting of The Rams and let everyone know. In the meantime, be inspired by your Muse so you have stories to share when we do get together again. Happy Writing!
Lisa
Sunday, March 24, 2013
THE REVIEW
FIRST DAY OF SPRING!
It was the first day of Spring when six of us met on Wednesday. We shared a lot of laughs.
Wendy read first, a poem entitled “Pour Me A Cup”. The writer asks for a different beverage to go with different aspects of life, and at the end of life simply asks for a cup of kindness. Loved this poem.
Ron read a chapter in his novel “Stalwart Peasant” about his ancestors who immigrated to Canada from Hungary in the early part of the 20th century. He tells us about the recruiting agent who enticed immigrants with tales of how wonderful life was in Canada, and who told Joseph he was confident he could get Visas for Joseph’s two oldest sons who were of military age and consequently prevented from leaving by the government. We all enjoyed the rich account of history here.
Ellie started reading her poem “Rhythm By A Nature Path”. We were all enjoying the sensual flow of words describing nature, when she came to an abrupt halt. She hadn’t brought the second page of her poem so couldn’t finish reading it to us. Too funny.
Jason read Ch. 33, “Hell” from his novel. This chapter tells about Damianos, and how as a child he lost his family to the angoros, and how he still yearns to save his little sister. But his memories are jarred by the roar and flames from the dragon, who tells him he has failed. We were surprised to see the softer side of Damianos in this chapter.
I read next, another Honey story called “Malfunction”. I tell of an episode here at our house where we had a massive electrical failure due to a failed ground wire connector buried outside that Honey had trouble finding. When I read of him running around the yard stabbing the lawn with a pitch fork to find the metal plate covering, we all started laughing and I couldn’t continue reading. Thankfully, Wendy finished reading the story for me. I guess that was the true test of writing humour, that everybody laughed. I intend to call this collection of stories “Honey Signed The Waiver”, but Honey wants to know if the waiver is valid if he signed it before I wrote the story?
Jim read Ch. 27, where Launi, the CSIS agent, requests a demonstration by the ghost caterers so that her own staff would feel comfortable with the situation. The ghosts recruited were young and boisterous. A staff member in the physical world complained about being chased around the mansion by fine porcelain and a corn broom. Very funny.
Our next Meeting will be Wednesday, April 3rd at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Look forward to seeing you then. This will be the last Meeting before I have surgery April 9th. Hopefully I will recover quickly and we can resume meeting in May. I’ll keep everyone posted.
Take care and don’t let that sun peeking through stop you from writing!
Lisa
It was the first day of Spring when six of us met on Wednesday. We shared a lot of laughs.
Wendy read first, a poem entitled “Pour Me A Cup”. The writer asks for a different beverage to go with different aspects of life, and at the end of life simply asks for a cup of kindness. Loved this poem.
Ron read a chapter in his novel “Stalwart Peasant” about his ancestors who immigrated to Canada from Hungary in the early part of the 20th century. He tells us about the recruiting agent who enticed immigrants with tales of how wonderful life was in Canada, and who told Joseph he was confident he could get Visas for Joseph’s two oldest sons who were of military age and consequently prevented from leaving by the government. We all enjoyed the rich account of history here.
Ellie started reading her poem “Rhythm By A Nature Path”. We were all enjoying the sensual flow of words describing nature, when she came to an abrupt halt. She hadn’t brought the second page of her poem so couldn’t finish reading it to us. Too funny.
Jason read Ch. 33, “Hell” from his novel. This chapter tells about Damianos, and how as a child he lost his family to the angoros, and how he still yearns to save his little sister. But his memories are jarred by the roar and flames from the dragon, who tells him he has failed. We were surprised to see the softer side of Damianos in this chapter.
I read next, another Honey story called “Malfunction”. I tell of an episode here at our house where we had a massive electrical failure due to a failed ground wire connector buried outside that Honey had trouble finding. When I read of him running around the yard stabbing the lawn with a pitch fork to find the metal plate covering, we all started laughing and I couldn’t continue reading. Thankfully, Wendy finished reading the story for me. I guess that was the true test of writing humour, that everybody laughed. I intend to call this collection of stories “Honey Signed The Waiver”, but Honey wants to know if the waiver is valid if he signed it before I wrote the story?
Jim read Ch. 27, where Launi, the CSIS agent, requests a demonstration by the ghost caterers so that her own staff would feel comfortable with the situation. The ghosts recruited were young and boisterous. A staff member in the physical world complained about being chased around the mansion by fine porcelain and a corn broom. Very funny.
Our next Meeting will be Wednesday, April 3rd at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Look forward to seeing you then. This will be the last Meeting before I have surgery April 9th. Hopefully I will recover quickly and we can resume meeting in May. I’ll keep everyone posted.
Take care and don’t let that sun peeking through stop you from writing!
Lisa
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