Welcome back, Writers. It was a beautiful evening despite having endured a Tropical Storm that brought a lot of wind and rain our way. Water woes seemed to take the headlines as the windstorm portion had minimal impact. A few trees were uprooted, and some power lines fell, but the water wreaked havoc on our streets and low-lying properties. At this time, our group of writers has reported minor damage. Stay prepared and stay safe. Another one is brewing in the Atlantic.
Nine of our stalwarts were on hand, plus two newbies, Kristen Kennedy and Joe Custodi, joined us for the first time. Both came prepared to share some of their work with us. Very nice work it was.
Rod read an excerpt from The Write Stuff penned by Doug Sahlin. Doug is a member of our group and writes the Yale Larsson Mystery Novels, available on Amazon. This article, Promoting Your Book on Social Media, contains many helpful suggestions and ideas for getting your work noticed by using Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Thank you, Doug.
We opened the reading portion of this evening. Rod deviated from the usual format of ‘first to arrive is first to read.’ Kristen was an early arrival and had not experienced the reading portion of the meeting. Rod allowed experienced readers to show the way before introducing the newcomers. For that reason, Bruce Haedrich opened with an announcement. After a few weeks of writing, Bruce stopped working on his newest Dan Marin mystery. His latest project is taking the form of an essay, similar to his previous work, Gaia. Bruce will attempt to explore the reasons for and history of fallen empires and compare the circumstances to what is happening today.
War and Infidelity takes place in the war-torn England of the 1940s. Don Westerfield spins a yarn in which a couple falls in love amid the chaos of war and searches for time to be together. A nurse and pilot from the midwestern United States meet again in London. Although they knew each other in the States, they were not lovers. Due to the stresses and demands of their duties, they find little time to be alone. Then, the nurse’s husband, a renowned surgeon, is sent to London. Oh, what is about to happen?
Danny Spurlock tells a tale he is constructing for younger readers about mythical beings that adults tend not to see. Gnomes may well inhabit our gardens. Stealthy creatures who can seem to appear and disappear at will. A young gardener, Liam, is perplexed by a pair of Gnomes who play tricks on him. Young Liam sets out to determine how to rid his garden of these pesky creatures. With the sage advice of a slightly older girl, Rose, he finds a solution. Pink Flamingos frighten Gnomes. Putting an inflated pool toy resembling a Pink Flamingo in the center of his garden does the trick. The Gnomes beg him to remove it. But he will not, and they flee into the woods. Problem solved–or is it?
Returning to Paris, Richard Cope continues with his story of Sarah Covington. At a party in Paris, Sarah meets Sir Winston, a gentleman who knows too much about her. Sarah’s past and past addictions catch up with her as she finds herself with as much cocaine as she can have. This may not be the best time to reintroduce her nemesis, as she has a concert within a day.
Chapter Seven of Strategic Deception follows Grace’s attempt to find Vitally. Ursula Wong sends us on a journey into the dark world of high-tech espionage in Eastern Asia as an American software designer attempts to track down a programmer who has changed her software into a tool capable of bringing down society. A nefarious distributor has purchased the rights to her design but plans to implement the changes and sell it to the world.
In her first reading, Kristen Kennedy brings us to Sicily when a major earthquake shakes the island. Seventeen-year-old Eva and her boyfriend, Vico, plan to run away together. The quake changes their plans. A Mafia recruiter from Messina and a Ship’s Captain play a role in separating the pregnant Eva from Vico. She is alone aboard the ship with the Captain and his crew. Will we find out what happens next meeting?
In his first reading, Joe Custodi tells us of a husband and wife who each buy a lottery ticket and use the same numbers. They win! Each has an equal share of the jackpot. What happens in this household as the wife shouts, We Won, Oh Lord, We Won.
Well, folks, we’ve been blessed with cliffhangers, and I can’t wait to see what happens next. So, join us at the firehouse at 6:00 PM on August 21st and see for yourself. But until then, READ, READ, and READ SOME MORE. Then, KEEP ON WRITING.
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