Welcome back.
This week we have news, our own Bruce Haedrich published the 8th
book in his Dan Marin mystery series, it's entitled Finding
Chloe. He tells us it's three stories in one book, imagine, three
Dan Marin mysteries in one book, a real bargain. Look for it on
Amazon.
At our last meeting I challenged our group to write a little piece
about wine. Easy right, 500 words or less, first draft stuff, quick and simple.
Well, five of us responded, I had to, it was my challenge.
Doug responded with an enticing tale of a French femme fatale
serving her wine/food critic lover a romantic meal in her apartment. The twist
at the end was typical Doug.
Kathleen gave us another twist on wine when she rolled out a rollicking
verse wherein Tinker Bell meets… well you have to hear her read it to truly
enjoy the piece.
Tim captured the essence of a twisted classic with his Twas the Night Before Christmas in Nokomis.
Who knew Santa enjoyed more than milk and cookies.
Debbie brought us a suspenseful tale of Wine Girl. A mysterious visitor leaves a bottle of wine on the kitchen counter as a welcoming gift. She also brings terror to summer visitors in a
lonely cabin with a history and a reputation for the gruesome. If you find a welcoming bottle of
vino at your next rental…
My entry was much less exciting as it explored the use of wine
among today’s society and throughout history.
We entered the reading portion of the evening with a tale written
by Bruce. It was read by Peter who gave it a most tantalizing tone. In Tribute to Robert Guest, a music instructor who
had a profound influence on Bruce’s life, the piece chronicled a young man’s
performance in a piano competition in university. While his friends watched, he enraptured the audience with a performance of a short piece by Franz Liszt. The
thunderous applause gave proof he’d won the competition. However, the encore
brought a reaction beyond any received for any previous performance. Look for Bruce’s book in the
future.
Peter read a short excerpt of his work and explained his thought processes in producing
such a stimulating piece. Getting to peer into a creative mind
leaves us in awe. Understanding the premise and following another’s train of
thought is, at best, confounding. Especially as he delves into a character’s
inner struggle as to abort or bear a child.
In Guts, Ed’s depiction of
a teen, a remembrance of his youth, participating in a cross-country race and, due to the heckling of his friends, resolves to not finish last for once in his life. His descriptions of elation in passing other runners, the surge
of power, the feeling of speed, and the devastation of will experienced when a slow-moving
train interrupts the race leaves the reader with a palpitating heart while gasping
for air.
With Ian’s return
from his summer hiatus, he brought a beautiful piece of mystery and wonder from a visit to Utah’s Arches National Park. An old Indian presents a hiker with a small stone
disc engraved with symbols of unknown origin. The hiker discounts the talisman
but continues his hike. Soon, he slips away from the crowd of tourists and finds himself in a
secluded part of The Devil’s Garden. There, in his isolation, he discovers an
arch not marked on the map he carries. As he gazes in wonder through the arch,
he witnesses the dance of a solitary shaman and watches in awe as the moon
falls, growing larger with each passing moment. Upon reporting his vision to
the park rangers, they return with him to the site and find a solid rock wall where he'd encountered an arch only moments earlier. "It will be an arch someday, thousands of years from now," the ranger explains, "but only after the wind and rain wear it away over the centuries." The talisman, is gone, lost to the
ages and only he…
We look forward
to seeing you soon at a meeting. The first and third Wednesday of each month,
barring a holiday falling on these days, we meet and chat at 6:00 PM. We begin
the meeting at 6:30 PM. Please come, join us if you enjoy writing, reading, or listening to talented people discuss a myriad of subjects.
Until then, keep
writing!
Rod
No comments:
Post a Comment