August 2nd, 2023

Welcome back. Golly, this summer heat is keeping me indoors. Writers up north spend the winters indoors writing or move south to write in the splendor of our Florida winters. Those of us who live year-round in Florida spend our winters enjoying the great outdoors and writing during the hot summer weather. Well, at least I do. How about you?

Eight of us were available tonight at the Firehouse. To open the meeting, Rod read an article written by Cory Van’t Haaff about writing contests. Included in the report was a warning about “Scams” incorporated in a few of the competitions. While it is normal for fees to enter a piece, it offsets the costs, creates a cash pool for prizes, and provides an honorarium for the judges. Unfortunately, some unethical contests simply pocket the money without judging the entries. “You are a Winner!” says the email, “For only $49.95, you can purchase the anthology in which your story is published.” The truth is every entry is considered a winner, and the scam is to get you to purchase a book at a grossly inflated price. We encourage writers to enter contests, but be sure it is a legitimate competition. Not all contests offer prize money, and many do give you a chance to get your work published. Some offer editing help. Be careful of those who charge outrageous fees for the service. Do your homework, and check with your local writer’s group to see if any of the authors in it have experience with the contest in question. Good Luck!

 

We had plenty of time to listen to four of our writers read their latest work. Ernie Ovitz led off with another chapter of his dystopian short story, The Watchtower, featuring Commander Michael Adam West. Bearding the beast, West enters the new One World Trade Center at the invitation of Lee Ming, the niece of Master Woo, his ally in New York. Ernie’s descriptions of the view and appointments of the building make the reader feel as if they are really present at the site. Tension vibrates throughout the story, but my heart beats faster in this setting as the reading progresses.

 

Don Westerfield took the podium with two poems. Falling Leaves and Flight Of Fancy. Don’s mastery of words is phenomenal. As he reads, the listener feels the emotion of an aging person’s view of life. The analogy of a tree shedding its leaves in autumn burns an image in their mind so natural one can’t help but realize the poet’s thoughts. For those who have flown alone in a small aircraft, especially in the pre-dusk hours of the evening, Don’s description puts us in that little airplane watching a sunset as only seen from that perspective.

Sentenced to Life Without Parole in a Maximum Security Prison, Richard Cope’s antagonist vows to escape. Little does he know that opportunity arrives courtesy of Mother Nature. A storm builds above the mountain and rushes toward the old prison. Winds swirl and spin, developing into a devastating tornado. It crashes onto the granite walls with force strong enough to decapitate buildings and dislodge stones the size of small cars. The once impenetrable walls are breached in minutes, and the inmates see a chance for freedom. Richard’s description of the storm and devastation allows the reader to feel as if they’ve experienced the horrors of such an event.

From the fertile mind of Bruce Hadrich comes a story entitled, The Girl in the Red Shirt. A Vietnam veteran wounded and nursed back to health falls in love with his nurse. Upon return to his home in Chicago, they plan to marry. While walking on a city street, the couple is accosted by members of a biker gang. They intend to rob the couple, but the nurse, Jesse Plotnic, is a beautiful woman wearing a bright red shirt, and the gang members decide to take her for their pleasure. The veteran fights to save her, and the gang leader hits Jesse with a billy club. Jesse is dead. The veteran vows revenge after the police have little evidence to prove the leader, Big John, committed the crime. On a cold rainy night in October, his chance comes. Does he or doesn’t he?

 Each time I leave a meeting, I’m filled with the desire to write even more than I usually am. I often go home, sit at the computer and knock out a few sentences simply because I can’t keep myself from writing something. I am honored to associate with talented people who inspire me. Tonight I’m pleased to receive a copy of Dennis Cathcart’s latest book, Koulèv, Adventures of an American Snake Hunter: Book Two. Thank you, Dennis. I thoroughly enjoyed Book One and look forward to reading more.  

Well, that’s about all for this time. We heard some great work and had excellent feedback from the group for our authors. Stay safe. If you’re in the heat, drink plenty of fluids, and don’t overdo the physical exercise. Above all, read and KEEP ON WRITING!

July 19th, 2023

Here we are again. It’s already the second Wednesday in July. We’re already past the halfway mark for this year. It’s still hot, and we are facing August and September, the two hottest months of the year in Florida. That is a great incentive to stay cool indoors and write! Our firehouse meeting room is comfortably air-conditioned. Our next meeting is on August 2nd at 6:30 PM at the Nokomis Firehouse. We hope you can join us. Our summer attendance is smaller, which gives us more time to discuss the readings and topics of interest.

 

To open the meeting, Rod read some excerpts from an article written by Morgan Gist MacDonald. The report listed five things you might need to know before finishing your book. You might want to look it up if you’re ready to complete a manuscript. It might help to read it before beginning your story.

It’s published! Bruce Haedrich presented each of us in attendance with a copy of Gaia, The Living Planet. Thank you, Bruce!

 

Ernie Ovitz opened the reading portion of our meeting with a continuation of the third in a series of short stories set in the dystopian future of the United States, The Watchtower. Commander Michael Adam West prepares to beard his foe, the FBI Agent who wishes to arrest him, in the Watchtower. Aided by Mr. Woo, he wears his tailored uniform of AAA quality instead of the dirty clothing of a homeless man he’s been wearing as a disguise. He recalls the past as he thinks of his ally Admiral Tom Scott, who took him from the political morass of the Pentagon and transferred West to Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado. What will happen? Is this the end of our valiant hero? Stay tuned for more thrilling adventures same time, same station, next meeting.

 

With maturity comes wisdom and experience. A poet ofttimes uses both to tell their story. Don Westerfield is a master of his art. Harking back to the days of shaft mining coal in The Coal Miner, hard men do a hard job in the earth’s bowels for near-slavery wages. They enter the stairway to hell each day, greeted by a sign, Welcome to Purgatory. --- An opening line, “Where did you go?” sets off Don’s Lament of Youth. Men and women have long asked this question as they search for their youth. An entreating plaintiff of “Come back, come back” drifts on the breeze, only to be ignored by time.

 

Things that go bump in the night may have elicited a shudder of fright from all of us. Gary Conkol tells of one such experience at two o’clock A.M. noise snatched him from a sound sleep. The thought of taking a firearm with him crossed his mind. No, he thought, I don’t own one. Marching to the kitchen, the sound is louder from the dining room. What kind of criminal makes that much noise? Oh, the title of this little story is, The Night I Shot the Robot Vacuum.

 

Bruce Haedrich read the last chapter of his short story, The Searchers. A young woman, Marcie has spent years searching for her birth mother. She met the man of her dreams, who encouraged her throughout the process. An obituary in a local paper takes her to a memorial service for a woman she did not know but whose name had appeared in several searches over the years. The only attendees at the service were the young woman and six older ladies seated in the front pew. When the service ended, the women approached Marcie. What did Marcie find out? Wait for Bruce’s collection of short stories entitled The Girl In The Red Shirt to become available.

 

Short stories are excellent vehicles. A lifetime can pass in the few pages that comprise a short story. Richard Cope tells such a tale in his story, The Girl With The Ball. Lucy Kingston suffers abuse from her peers, especially The girl with the ball. Now a patient at The Cloisters, she listens as a Psychiatrist speaks to a theater of people as she lies drugged and immobile before them. “What is the mind?” he asks, “Is it simply the brain, or is it something we can isolate within the brain?” The teaching lesson is a precursor to Lucy being subjected to ECT (Electro Convulsive Therapy), or, as we may call it, Shock Treatment.

 

Anne Moore is working on crafting an invitation for women turning seventy to enroll in her project of allowing women with life experiences to share their wisdom with others, especially younger women. Anne’s project is entitled 70@70.

 

James Kelly closed the evening’s reading session with a chapter from his current work, Tremain. It’s 1893, and Tremain is nineteen years old and on a mission to visit the Lakota people of his tribe. Having been raised by a Calvary Officer and his wife, Tremain is encouraged to stay in contact with his people, especially his Grandfather. At the trading post, he encounters a girl nearly his age. Smitten at first sight, a condition noticed immediately by his white mother, the boy stumbles through an introduction. Beth Tyler has a white father and a Lakota mother. She is also the most beautiful girl Tremain has ever seen. Look for Jim’s books if you like historical fiction, especially American Military History.

 

Well, that about sums it up for this time. We’ll meet again on August 2^nd at the Firehouse in Nokomis. Until then, stay safe and cool, and above all, KEEP ON WRITING!

 

July 5th, 2023

First, I apologize for not getting the last post out on time. No excuse; I screwed up and didn’t press the “PUBLISH” button. My bad. It’s now published.

Here’s hoping everyone had a nice Independence Day and is safe. I hope the explosions in your neighborhood didn’t keep you awake too late, nor did they traumatize your pets. Years ago, a neighbor launched a fireworks display to rival the municipal show. When the evening ended, he cleaned up the debris and put it in his garbage can. Unfortunately, the must have been some unexploded shells included in his discard. At approximately 2:30 AM, at least one of the shells ignited. Because the trash can was tightly sealed, the Fire Marshal concluded, “Several unexploded bombs were activated.” The resulting explosion blew out windows in the neighbor’s home, cracked a few in my house, and deposited the remains of his trashcan in his swimming pool after descending through the screen roof of his pool cage. The sound of the explosion was audible over a mile away. His dog hid under the bed every time he heard the trash can lid open or close until the day the poor animal died.

Seven hardy souls attended the meeting this evening. After a pre-meeting discussion of bizarre experiences involving aircraft (Several of our members are retired from careers that included flight, military, and commercial.)  Six of us presented a bit of reading for the group to assess.

Taking a break from the history of Constantine’s reign over Rome, Ernie Ovitz read the second part of his story set in a dystopian future. This is the third episode of a developing tale, The Watchtower, following Michael Adam West, a former military intelligence analyst and number one on the FBI’s most wanted list. Commander West wrote an unpublished novel about how the Chinese could take over America. Only one copy of the book was purported to exist. It was submitted to the intelligence community as required by his profession. Barred from publication, a copy somehow found its way into the hands of the Chinese government. Using it as a template, the Chinese government prevailed and conquered the United States. Now, the FBI is under the control of the Chinese as they seek Commander West, who may hold the key to driving out the conquering forces. Tension and suspense abound in every paragraph.

 

A September Spring is what Don Westerfield titled his short story about a retired author reuniting with a former love. An avalanche trapped the author’s wife under tons of snow and debris. Her ski partner died, but she was saved. Unfortunately, the accident revealed a lover’s tryst, and the wife was left brain-damaged from lack of oxygen. A young nurse was hired to attend to the needs of the disabled woman. Over time the woman regained her motor skills but not her memory. Her mentality was that of a juvenile, and her comprehension was severely limited. Over time the author and the nurse fell in love. The wife discovered them in a compromising situation, and her limited mental capacity couldn’t handle it. The author sent the nurse away. After ten years, the wife died of natural causes, and the author was alone. The nurse returns. What could possibly happen?

 

Bruce Haedrich has published his latest book, Gaia. We wish him all the best and hope it creates a bigger stir than his work, The Battery. Bruce has resumed work on an unpublished piece with the working title, The Girl With the Red Shirt. In this chapter called The Searchers, Marcie searches for her birth parents. At her university, she joins a group with the same goal. She met a young man in the group. His name was Jason. His charm and wit won her over, and they became a couple, eventually marrying. When a son was born, Marcie thought her life was complete. But was it? An obituary in the local paper caught her attention…

 

A poet, a writer of talent, and now a songwriter, Richard Cope read the lyrics of The Delta Blues. As usual, his blues are brought on by a woman. In When the New Wears Off, he tells of disappointment and abandonment. Have you ever contemplated a hole? In The Hole Story, Richard does just that. Is a hole a void, or is it filled with wonder?

 

A Chest of Drawers is almost unnoticed most of the time, but catching the eye of a poet like Scott Anderson can make a difference; a green drawer holds items of spring; an orange drawer may contain memories of summer; does the yellow drawer speak of autumn; what does the gray drawer hold; could it be the remnants of winter? How different do we see things through the eyes of a poet?

 

Do circumstances demand you to be a Lady or a Gentleman at times? In Rod Digruttolo’s story, Jessie and Sam, the virtues of a retiree living next door to a voluptuous young woman are tested. Retrieving a newspaper from the driveway, Jesse suffers a wardrobe malfunction with Sam standing beside her. Does Sam respond as a gentleman should? Use your imagination.

 

As Peter McNally was in attendance this evening, we welcome him and understand he has been busy taking care of his mother, who is ill. Our best wishes are with you, and we hope you can get back to your writing as circumstances permit. Thank you for your presence.

It’s about time to call it a day, remember, read, read, and read some more, then KEEP ON WRITING!