A rain-soaked day for sure, capped off by a tornado, made me expect a low turnout for our meeting. But, writers are a dedicated bunch–eleven of us showed up despite the weather. As usual, we opened with a discussion about things that affect our writing. Our group is here to promote authorship, not censor or discuss the subject matter. Some government agencies and elected officials seek to determine what books and written material are appropriate for citizens to read. Books banned in some areas include classics and even religious texts in a direct assault on the constitution of our country. I support the right of parents to determine what their children may or may not read, but I cannot help others decide what I, or my children, can read or write. Enough said.
We moved on to the reading and help portion of the meeting. Leading off this evening was Ernie Ovitz. Reading from Imperium, the Thirteenth Apostle, Book 3, Chapter 17 of his trilogy, Ernie described a meeting of Christian Bishops in Caesarea. The historical meeting established immense changes in the early Christian influence within the Roman World. There was a lot of feedback from the group. It is challenging to incorporate such an essential role in world history into a novel, and Ernie works hard to make it work. We hope some of the comments will help ease his burden.
When John Hearon began to read, he picked up where he left off at the last meeting. John informed us how some of the group’s suggestions found their way into his previous section. Using those suggestions, he has modified more of this chapter. Reading from I Wasn’t Always a Hero, John tells us of a stranger in the Irish Pub frequented by Mick and his cohorts who creates a stir with his “out of place” dress and manners. But he makes Mick an offer that stirs a curiosity within. Will he follow up? The stranger’s words are threatening and promising at the same time. Suggestions from the group included taking a careful look at the length of the book’s chapters. John seemed to like the idea.
As are many writers, Peter Frickel is a letter writer and has been since childhood. Almost ready for publication is a collection of letters written by and to Peter. He prefaced his reading by expressing the thrill of receiving or posting a letter. How it makes one anxious to see what’s inside the sealed envelope is matched only by the feeling of finality one has when a note is taken by the postman from the mailbox, knowing it is final, it can’t be recalled or changed. Then, a letter he once wrote to friends in Africa upon searching for their daughter in the Congo. It was a time of war. The daughter, a Nun teacher, was hunted by insurrectionists and in great danger. Peter’s letter describes the scenes of death and murder perpetrated by and on “boy soldiers” during the conflict. His description of mothers searching for their ten, eleven, etc., year-old sons among the hundreds of bodies filling the roadside ditches is traumatic and heart-rending. Look for the work on Amazon soon.
Ponce De Leon searched Florida for the Fountain of Youth for years. It’s unclear as to if he found it. Ian Schagen has an idea about that. Fleeing from the police, Professor William Catnip, a cybernetics instructor at a University in West Florida, stole an airboat and was racing across the Everglades. Unfamiliar as to the properties of an airboat, he struck a stump deep in uncharted waters. Darkness quickly approached as he stumbled through knee-deep water into a grove of cypress trees, encasing a second grove of strange plants. A glowing light within the forest of weird plants drew him to it. Interrupted by a monster alligator, fully 13 feet in length, intent on making a meal of the stumbling man, he fired several shots to stop the gator’s charge. The noise frightened the beast. It turned toward the ball of light with strange results. As it neared the ethereal glow, the gator shrunk in size. By the time it turned away and raced back past the Professor, it was a mere infant only 10 or 12 inches in length. Using his phone, the man took a selfie. His beard was no longer white but a healthy brown, and he felt the stirring of his lost libido. Had he found The Fountain of Youth? Look for Ian to publish a collection of short stories to find out.
The Girl in the Red Shirt, Bruce Haedrich’s Noir short story, will soon be available in a collection he plans to publish. An Army Ranger wounded in Vietnam falls in love with his nurse. When the leader of a street gang kills her in Chicago, the Ranger sets out on a mission of revenge. Does he succeed? Will he complete his dark task?
Rick Baily writes from the heart, and music helps him focus. Influenced by Bob Dylan, his work A Hard Rain is Gonna Fall takes a bizarre turn as the protagonist in his story is a street lamp beside a bus stop. One of a series of stories about light that begins with fire and progresses through time. The lamp watches as life goes on beneath its glow. A beautiful woman waits for a bus and becomes a favorite of our watcher. Her life changes as she grows and changes. A car crash, a Samaritan, and friends help her change from a beautiful woman into a beautiful human. Rick, your work deserves to be read; we hope you can publish it soon.
We’ve enjoyed Don Westerfield’s poetry and prose for years. Today’s works are as mighty and full of inspiration as always. Tonight’s reading of Metaphor of Life strikes deep in our hearts as Don compares life to an actor’s time on stage. Not to be outdone, his The Last Parade strikes a chord in every person’s life with a finality present in its predicted suspense, “Closer, closer the marchers come.”
We ran out of time tonight, and James Kelly graciously acquiesced to reading first at the next meeting. Thank you, James.
Until the next time, April 6th, 2022, right here at the Nokomis Fire House, please KEEP ON WRITING!
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