October 16, 2019

We began our meeting with thirteen members present. Peter and Barbara Frickel sent their regrets as Peter was recovering from the flu. We hope they are both well and that they will be with us at our next meeting on Tuesday, November 6th. Ed Ellis arrived early and said Don Westerfield was in Tampa and not able to come, but Don surprised us by stopping in for the meeting on his way home. Rod DiGruttolo phoned in his regrets that he had pressing family duties. Ernie Ovitz filled in for Rod as the group’s co-leader. We got right into the reading. 

Ed Ellis brought Barb Marvin as a guest. Barb is a regular with the Englewood Authors Group. Barb is a mystery writer with four published books. Her books are set in our area. She read the first chapter of her new mystery, Defenseless. It began with a dark night on Fruitville Road. The dark night matched the driver’s mood and thoughts. By the time the driver reached the destination, and the trunk popped open, we were hooked. We told Barb she needs to come back and let us know what happens next. She said she would, and we hope she will. 

Ed Ellis read a philosophical piece telling of a time that he became lost in thought, looking at a great wall of mirrors at Logan Airport and missed his flight. He reassured us that he was able to catch the next flight and he was richer from his experience. 

Jeffery Kutcher read from his biographical novel about the life of his friend Amaury, a refugee from Communist Cuba. Jeffery’s chapter looked back on the life of Amaury’s father, Nury, an early recruit and future general in Castro’s cause. Jeffery’s portrayal of life under the brutal and corrupt dictatorship of the Batista regime makes clear why Amaury’s father would be drawn to Castro. At the end of the chapter Nury finds Castro in the rugged Sierra Maestra mountains and is accepted into his band. 

Bruce Haedrich read from his personal memoir. We Danced the Skys. His chapter discusses the Wright Brother’s deadly mistake in airplane design, placing the up and down control surfaces forward instead at the rear of the plane. Bruce’s passion for flight and teaching the technical details stimulated a lively discussion. What is the most effective balance between detail and overview? We look forward to hearing more as Bruce pursues his story. 

Scott Anderson, our passionate poet, had us laughing with his dry poetic humor. The “Non-Binary Driver” got the laughter started when a cop pulls over a driver to find that neither he nor she was driving the car. “They” the sole occupant protested that neither he nor she was behind the wheel. His recollection of a Georgia Battlefield Park, Cheatham Hill, reflected on two young people enjoying each other's company on that hallowed site. The humorous tickle remained, and Scott continued with “The Mall,” “Billboard,” and “On Being Happily Married.” His marriage advice was simple as he confessed that “It’s all my fault.” 

Mary Shaffer chose to read from a piece by author/writer Bret Anthony Johnson, “Even in the Gathering Darkness.” The piece reflected upon environmental concerns. A lively discussion followed as some members confessed that they did not share the piece’s gloomy environmental perspective. We acknowledged that differences of opinion were present, and talked about our group’s commitment to helping writers with their writing regardless of their political opinions. The good news is that we agreed that it was important to the group to keep our meetings friendly and welcoming to our motto, “Writers Helping Writers.” 

Don Westerfield shared some memories of his hometown, Terra Haute, Indiana. He read two poems by Max Ehrmann, Terra Haute’s own, the second being his famous “Desiderata.” 

Jim Kelly read from his historical novel, Turning Point, chronicling the life of Winfield Scott Hancock, Union General in the Civil War, and Democratic candidate for President of the United States. In his chapter, Jim reads the moving story of Hancock’s relinquishment of command. The general had suffered serious wounds during the battle of Gettysburg and their lingering effects causing him to reach the tough decision to let go at the very moment the end of the war was in sight. Jim says that he is close to having his multi-part work ready for publication and hopes to have proofs to show in the near future. 

Ernie Ovitz wrapped the readings up with a continuation of his dystopian short story, “The Rock.” As the story continues the fourth member of the riding party meeting at the rock, Marvin, shares his inside knowledge of the government’s plan to banish cash from the system, by turning the Social Security Credit Index, SSCI, card, and their bank account card into one controlling national card. Those that fail to meet government conduct standards, with low social credit scores, will be punished and even denied use of a card. Undesirables, such as Christians will be banned. No card, no job, no money, you can starve as far as the government is concerned. The program and the persecution will be rolled out in Chicago. However, corruption is at work, the Chicago north and south side gangs are joining forces to buy blank government cards to sell. Marvin and his motorcycle club, The Pale Riders, are the go-betweens. Next time the story’s conclusion. 

Best wishes, and keep on writing.

Oh, by the way;
Check out Maris Soule's blog on Hometown Authors

With so many books being published nowadays, how do you promote y9ou books (or yourself)? That is the question Hometown Authors asked me.
For my answer, check out today's blog on their site: 
https://hometownauthors.com/book-marketing-tips/get-noticed/

Feel free to leave a comment or idea, but no laughing at what my husband did. OK?

Maris
Soulem@aol.com