Happy NEW YEAR Wordsmiths!

Kelly and I want to wish each and everyone one of you a Happy, Healthy, Prosperous, and Productive 2019! Happy New Year!

January 2019 Meeting Set

The WhipCity Wordsmiths will meet on Saturday, January 12th, 2019 at 3PM-5PM at Blue Umbrella Books, 2 Main Street, downtown Westfield, MA. Bring a brief, favorite piece of your own work with you to share and discuss with the group.

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!

Kelly and I would like to wish you all Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and all the Joy of the Season!

The Forgotten Christmas Novella is now on my autor blog

When I revamped the three original larger Christmas anthologies, splitting them into three stand alone novellas and four small holiday story anthologies, somehow Christmas at Frothingham's was overlooked. For the past two years it never even occurred to me that this novella was missing from the collection...but watching a movie set in a department store on the Turner Classic Movie channel the other night reminded me that I had written a Christmas story set in a large downtown department story (think Steigers or Forbes & Wallace in Springfield back in the day, or G. Fox in Hartford- where I actually worked as a store detective when not at the stores in Enfield and Holyoke, when I was fresh out of college). Anyway, I found the story, not perfectly edited, but still very readable, on a USB, so...if you'd like to read Christmas at Frothingham's you can do so at susanbuffum.blogspot.com It may take a little while to load. Give yourself some time to read it. In its original form it's 33 8.5x11 pages long!

I Am so Hopeless at facebook Events!

I had a lot of trouble trying to create simple facebook event for the WhipCity Wordsmiths meeting this coming Sunday that Kelly finally pushed me out of my chair and took over, finishing in less than three minutes. The rule of thumb in this house is Mom doesn't touch the remote, doesn't want to touch the remote, and has no interest in it other than as an object I have to occasionally dust or pick up off the floor when a cat knocks it off the coffee table. I also don't do much other than write and create my books on my computer. What all that other stuff on it is...well, it's really not a major concern of mine. I can post a picture on facebook and edit a post if there's a word not spelled correctly, but beyond that, well, I don't have much in the way of interest in technology. I kind of liked rotary dial phones back in the day because it gave me more opportunity to slam down the receiver and walk away from the phone before someone answered. I still like to write letters on paper, with a pen, that I put into an envelope, have to find an address in an address book  to write on the envelope, and to stick a stamp on the front and place it in the mailbox for the nearly obsolete mailman to pick up and carry away to the post office where its stamp is cancelled, it's sorted and sent on its merry way to someone else's mailbox so they can open their mailbox and find something other than advertising and bills.

Can you tell I just signed, wrote out, addressed, and mailed Christmas cards? Only one person is getting an annual Christmas letter and that is Kelly's kindergarten teacher. This year I typed it and added pictures...rather high tech for me but it was a big year for Kelly that we wanted to share with her former teacher.

The Wordsmiths meeting and Celebration of Good Cheer and Friendship is Sunday, December 16th at 1:30PM at Blue Umbrella Books with refreshments courtesy of Susan, Kelly, and Rhonda to include several kinds of cookies, ginger ale, water, hot chocolate and hot cider. We'll review the group members various accomplishments in 2018 and look ahead to 2019. Join us if able.

Wordsmith Rhonda Boulette at Westfield Farmer's Market Saturday December 7th

Children's author Rhonda Boulette, a WhipCity Wordsmith since the group's beginnings, will be at the Westfield Farmer's Market at the Church of Atonement on Saturday, December 7th.The church is on the corner of Pleasant and Court Streets in downtown Westfield just past the Athenaeum on the left, same side of the street as the Women's Club but one short block west.
  Artistic, crafty Rhonda will have some of her hand-painted repurposed items for sale, as well as copies of her Wolfgang Loses His Whistle storybook with sweet illustrations. We've watched this book evolve in the group and given Rhonda encouragement and support along her path to getting this book into print.
   If you can, drop by the Farmer's Market to say Hello to Rhonda this Saturday!

137 Books by WhipCity Wordsmith Authors in the Gallery!

Kelly and I have purchased many of the Wordsmiths' books, some before there was even a WhipCity Wordsmiths group. She and I have supported local authors since emerging into the writing world in May of 2015. To date, we have 137 Wordsmiths' novels, anthologies, novellas, picture books, poetry books, and more pictured in the Book Gallery, many of them with a click-the-pic link to a retail site where people can buy your book or some of your fellow Wordsmiths' books.

I encourage you to refer friends, family, coworkers, acquaintances, and those you meet at book events to check out the blog site, meet the authors via their bios, and check out their amazing body of work! It's free advertising for you!

Together, we are a talented powerhouse of authors/writers. Let's not keep this a secret just between us!

Updates

New member Joseph Seal's bio and books have been added to the Authors page and Book Gallery Page.

Claudia Turner's bio and book have previously been added.

And, yes, I tracked down a few more of Glen Ebisch's books to put pictures with titles.

As many book images as possible have been linked to a retail site so anyone you refer to the blog can visit the gallery and click on your book (-s) and find a way to purchase it.

Reminder- many of you are also authors on the blog. Feel free to post. Promote your book, give us your news, tell us what you're reading or working on...Kelly and I just ask that you keep it courteous and straightforward. Thanks!

December Meeting Set- A Little Different!

Blue Umbrella Books is open on Sundays during December. It's quieter downtown with more convenient parking on Sundays, so, I've booked the meeting for Sunday, December 16th, at 1:30PM-3:30PM. That way there's also some daylight remaining when we head home!

I'm making some cookies and brownies and will bring water and soda. Since we're a diverse group, we'll call this our Celebration of Good Cheer and Friendship to Close Out the Year.

 Hope to see as many of you as can make it!

Four Stars for Talk To Me ...

I read Talk To Me by Sonia Ellis back in early November, just about a full year after I purchased the book from Sonia at the Art & Authors Show in October 2017.

Sorry it took so long Sonia!

Children’s books are not a regular part of my literary repertoire but I like to read everything by local authors. This is a really fun story, targeted at 4th-6th graders, that presents some very adult issues about honestly and integrity to some very young adults. In addition to the social issues, the book introduces science, technology, engineering and math as equally important elements of the story.

My full review is on Goodreads. Wonderful story ... I am mailing the book to one of my Good reads friends to share with her daughter!

    

Warm Welcome to our New Wordsmiths!

I just want to take a moment to welcome our two new WhipCity Wordsmiths- Claudia Turner and Joseph Seal. Both authors joined this month. Kelly and I are happy to have them in the group.

Claudia is the author of Scars and Stripes Forever, a modern day thriller set against the backdrop of the JFK assassination. I met her at PumpkinFest in downtown Westfield in October, but unfortunately didn't have an opportunity to speak with her at length, however, I did buy a copy of her book. Bill Westerlind provided her the Wordsmiths info and she contacted me. She attended the November 17th meeting.

I met our other new Wordsmith, Joseph Seal, when he held an author event at Blue Umbrella Books to promote and discuss his first book, a novella entitled The 100-Year Wind in which an evil Shaman seeks revenge on his village by cursing it with a deadly 100-year wind. Joseph is also an artist and did the artwork for the cover and interior of his book. He is a young man with a passion for writing and creating magnificent stories.

I'm glad to see the group growing and transforming with every meeting into the type of group I wanted it to be- a friendly enclave of writers, authors and others who share a passion for the written word and are willing to support one another, share their knowledge, instruct, critique and beta read for one another, and help one another grow as writers. The group is like a battery writers and authors can plug into to recharge their batteries. I know that's how I feel at the end of every meeting- reenergized and ready to write!

Welcome Claudia! Welcome Joseph!

Kelly will be adding info to the Author bio and book gallery pages for Joseph when she has a spare moment.

The Kept Woman ... WOW!

I woke up this Friday morning determined to tackle my backlog of book reviews. I finished my review of Karin Slaughter's The Kept Woman. Oh my ... this thing is dark and illicit, absolutely zero sunlight in this story of a murder in an abandon construction site with ties to big money, professional athletes and gang rape. Certainly not for the faint of heart! My review can be found on Goodreads.

Next review... Talk To Me by Westfield author Sonia K. Ellis.

Current reading ... The Scions of Atlantis by Claudia Turner. I am up to page 74 ... Claudia's weave of the current divisive political climate in the nation, USA intelligence agencies and a retro 1960's hippe-esque social activist movement is as captivating and intriguing as the mention of legitimate third parties to stand up against Democratic and Republican Party domination (and corruption???). Brings back pleasant nostalgic feelings of growing up in the 1960s and the enthusiasm of positive change in the air! 

Oh the backlog of books!

Books. Books. Books!

I love reading books and enjoy sharing my thoughts and opinions about them on Goodreads.

The thing is, as soon as I finish one book, the next book has such a strong pull on me that the review of the previous read gets delayed, and delayed, and delayed .... until the reviews pile up and my thoughts about each book fade, losing some of my detailed impressions and emotional attachments.

This stresses me out!

I recently finished The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter, a dark, raw and gritty story set in the seedy underbelly of Atlanta, a relentlessly intense narrative that easily earned my four star rating. Instead of immediately crafting my thoughts about the story and posting my review, I put the book aside and jumped right into The Scions of Atlantis, Claudia Turner's follow up to her debut novel Scars and Stripes Forever.  Thank you Claudia for allowing me the opportunity to read your manuscript ... riveting so far!

So, my docket of book reviews to be written and posted include:

The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter
Talk To Me by Sonia K. Ellis
The Assignment by Lindsay Stenico
Perfect Little World by Kevin Wilson
The Long and Faraway Gone by Lou Berney

I know the ratings. I know the stories. I just need to get writing. Perhaps the Thanksgiving weekend is the perfect time!

BTW ..,. Happy Thanksgiving!
   

November Meeting Summary

The WhipCity Wordsmiths met on Saturday, November 17th with eight members present- Susan Buffum, Melissa Volker, Glen Ebisch, Claudia Turner (new member), Lindsay Stenico, Bill Westerlind, Russell Atwood, and Sue Foley. Kelly was in Washington, D.C. on vacation. Rhonda was at the Westfield Farmer's Market and sent her regrets.

(I always feel weird writing I this and I that, so excuse me- I am referring to myself in the third person throughout!)

Susan introduced and welcomed new WhipCity Wordsmith, local author Claudia Turner. Claudia was at PumpkinFest with her book Scars and Stripes Forever. Claudia has a sequel written that will be published soon.

Susan talked a little about NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. Kelly is again a Western MA Municipal Leader. There is another ML, Jackie who is also here in Westfield, and Kayla in Greenfield. All three MLs are hosting write-ins and keeping western MA writers motivated and writing. Susan reached 50,000 words on day 6 and then bogged down due to distractions, vacation, being swamped at work, but hopes to finish her novel by November 30th. Kelly is on track with her novel at this time.

Susan had been a vendor at a church holiday bazaar in Agawam from 9AM to 2PM just prior to the meeting and related a story about what transpired at her table ten minutes before the bazaar ended. n elderly couple came to her table to look at her books. They asked her if she had written all those books and she said she had. The gentleman (who had to be in his eighties) then looked at her and stated, "I've never met a real live author before." He then seemed to get flustered and tongue-tied.SheI stretched out her hand and said, "Let me shake your hand." They shook hands and she said, "Now you have not only met a real live author, you've also shaken hands with one." They then talked about cats and squirrels (Susan had mentioned that she was also an artist.) She had a few unmounted black squirrel art prints that had been in the bottom of a bin of decorative items she'd brought for her table so she let them choose the print they liked best. They were delighted and went away excited and happy to have met an author. It was a sweet experience.

Susan asked Melissa Volker to talk a bit about her just released YA novel How the Light Gets In. Susan had been asked to beta read the novel and been happy to do so. The book is about a seventeen year old young man who has anxiety and is bullied at school to the point where his anxiety has caused him to see the world around him cracking and breaking away in chunks. He finds escape in his art. Within his art he discovers a "broken" girl and they explore his art and talk, a kindred spirit sort of relationship developing between them. The book follows Wyatt's path toward recovery from the bullying and relief from his anxiety-related visual hallucinations of the world cracking and falling away. The support of his family and close friends helps him- he is one of the fortunate ones who has a strong and supportive safety net, whereas other young people do not have a support system and fall away. It's a powerful novel and should be mandatory reading in high school. Anxiety is epidemic in today's teenagers and young adults, and bullying continues despite schools trying to curb it.

Bill Westerlind asked what it's like for an author to write something completely outside their normal, familiar genres. Melissa described how she had to world build, and then create a fantastical beast reference companion book to her magical Moya books The Thirteenth Moon and the The A'chiad. An idea that had seemed simple rapidly grew complex as she had to invent magical characters and spells, and realms beyond the 'real' world Moya and Fritz live in.

Susan talked briefly about The Worth of a Woman, her new novel, which is a total departure from her usual writing style and genres of paranormal, supernatural, holiday, light romance, fantasy, and magical realism. The new novel takes place in a dystopian not too distant future when males have regained total dominance over females, using them primarily for their own pleasure, discarding them like unwanted dogs when tired of them, or simply killing them and buying another. Jade is bought at auction at age 15 and is expected to obey her owner/master, catering to his every whim and desire. But Jade is unlike the meek, complaint females men enjoy. She bristles at being dominated and resists. She wants something more from life than serving a man. This of course leads to punishments and confrontations as Archer struggles to gain the upper hand over her, but Jade remains true to her own self. Gradually Archer and Jade's relationship changes in small increments as he realizes that his expectations for her are never going to be met, that she will never be meek and compliant. She is sent away to learn the healing arts from Old Rose so she can be useful to the members of his compound as territorial skirmishes are occurring more frequently. Before she is fully trained, Old Rose is killed and immediately, men go after Jade. When her younger sister and Archer's younger brother are attacked, Jade does what she feels she has to do, she kills three men to save Lem, Pearl and herself from certain torture and death. This is cause for execution in the world they live in, a female deliberately killing three men. Things change, Archer and Giant come for her, and to find Pearl and Lem who should have returned to the compound. Jade's homecoming to the compound is less than friendly. The men resent her and feel she has weakened Archer, their leader with her continuing resistance to submitting to him. But Jade, in her own way, is loyal to Archer. When the son of the man who had wanted to purchase her for his own use, the man Archer killed in the auction hall, approaches Archer for help (after ordering Archer's murder and the elimination of Jade) it places Archer and Jade in a precarious position. Jade suffers horribly at Mann's hands, but finds it within herself to save Archer and other men from his compound...it's a raw, disturbing novel full of violence as Jade stands her ground and remains true to herself and her beliefs. She is the catalyst for change but at a steep cost. The book was emotionally wrenching to write and had to be done in three sections with long breaks between them.

Glen Ebisch spoke about what led him to write Dearest David, his recent historical fiction novel. His usual genre is mystery. Sometimes authors need to do something different to challenge themselves- they get too cozy writing the same genre over and over again.

Sue Foley then talked about the difficulty she's having getting something written. She has a tendency to be a perfection and begins to nitpick her work before it's even written. The group talked about taking a leap of faith in oneself and just writing something, even a few sentences. Sue also doesn't have a lot of time to write, so we suggested writing breaks once a day where she sits down with a cup of tea or coffee and a pad and pen and just writes a few thoughts or sentences. The next day she can tinker with the sentences or add a few more. Writing is a discipline. A writer has to dedicate time to the craft. It cant be forced, but it can be nurtured. It's something one has to self-train for. Find a quiet place, a scenic view, a place with no distractions and devote ten to fifteen minutes a day to writing something, anything. Susan suggested instead of writing a story she try writing brief vignettes about her extended family. If each s written on a separate piece of paper Sue can later sort them and put them in some kind of order to create a series of vignettes that flow from one to the next.

Susan had been asked at the holiday bazaar if she ever gave talks or did programs with middle school children. The woman's info was gathered and passed along to Melissa at the meeting because she is interested in doing that kind of thing and more in tune with middle-school to high school aged kids. This is a good demonstration of how the WhipCity Wordsmiths work for and with one another, sharing information, passing along contact info,

Despite only seven members in attendance the meeting was lively, spirited and flowed with the energy that authors and writers need to keep their creative batteries at full charge.

Lex Volker took several pictures of the group during the meeting which were posted on facebook on Susan's page and also on her Susan Buffum Author page.

The bookstore calendar will be checked this coming Saturday to see if there are any openings available. Blue Umbrella is open on Sundays from this Sunday until Christmas, so a Sunday afternoon meeting may be possible instead of trying to find time on a busy Saturday as Christmas rapidly approaches.

A Little Crowing Tonight

I was scrolling through my usually boring/irritating email this evening when I chanced upon an email in regards to the Best Book Awards. I remembered entering a couple of books in various categories in that contest, so opened the email.

What a nice surprise it was to learn that I am now an Award-Winning Finalist in the Fiction: Anthologies category of the 2018 Best Book Awards sponsored by American Book Fest for The Hanging Man and Other Stories, which some of you may remember is also the book I doodled the cover art for during my lunch break at work! That original drawing is now owned by a local collector of the macabre and horror- lucky him!!

Anyway- I'm very happy to take the step up to Finalist after being shortlisted in 2016 for Black King Takes White Queen for the OZMA Award, and shortlisted for Out for the PARANORMAL Award in 2017. Three placements for three different books in 3 years isn't bad for a local author who self-publishes her work.

Okay...I'll admit this right up front, I ordered the stickers to put on the books...why not!

November Meeting

The WhipCity Wordsmiths will meet on Saturday, November 17th at 3PM at Blue Umbrella Books, 2 Main Street, Westfield, MA.

Here's the Story I wrote for Ghost Stories Live! This Year

Ghost Stories Live! takes place Saturday evening, October 27th at 6PM at Blue Umbrella Books, 2 Main Street, Westfield, MA across from the gazebo on the green. This is my 3rd or 4th Halloween with GSL!. This year I'll be reading a new ghost story. Award winning author Dave Zeltserman will be reading a story- I don't have the details on that. And JeanMarie Lariviere will be reading Poe's The Mask of the Red Death. And there'll be sharing of real live ghost stories, too.

As usual, I write multiple stories to prepare for this event, then choose one. This is the one I'll be reading. I'm sharing it here because the weather is supposed to be bad so I thought I'd entertain the Wordsmiths with a spooky story on a stormy night!

What You Do Can Come Back to Haunt You by Susan Buffum (2018)

They say that what you do comes back to haunt you.

It started with a parade of ants across the kitchen floor in the dead of winter. I’d never seen ants in the house, except in the late spring and early summer when they’d found their way inside looking for food.  There were never ants in the winter, only sluggish ladybugs and beetles that had found a way into the attic in the final warm days of fall and had made their way down through cracks and vent openings, lured by the warmth downstairs. But, ants? The sheer amount and variety of them was enough to make my flesh crawl.

I tried stepping on them, swatting them with rolled magazines, scooping them up on newspaper to throw back outside, but the crazy thing was, they didn’t die. They kept darting across the floors, crawling up the cabinets, meandering over the counters by the hundreds. I couldn’t even sweep them into the trash can.

And then I noticed the flies on the window. No, not just one window, but every single window in the house. I tried to swat them with a rolled up newspaper, but it seemed to have no effect on them. They flew all around the room, silent, no buzzing of wings. I frowned, puzzled and frustrated, not understanding what was going on.

I thought about calling Charlie, but he hated being bothered at work. I knew he had a big meeting with his boss today in regards to a promotion, so I certainly didn’t want to disturb him if that meeting was presently going on.  I would have to handle this crazy invasion of insects on my own.

And then something struck my cheek. I looked down at my shirt and saw a bee walking around near a button. I hate bees. Instinctively, I made a quick brushing gesture to urge it off of me, but my hand seemed to pass right through it. It flickered like an old film strip image then reappeared as if my hand had merely gone through the projected image. How weird, not to mention troubling, was that?

I looked around to see if maybe Charlie had set up some sort of video system that was projecting all these holographic insects throughout the house, but I didn’t see anything unusual. However, something near the fireplace caught my eye. I made my way over there, black dots flitting through the shafts of sunlight on silent wings all around me. Mosquitoes, a horsefly.

I made an involuntary sound of shock and disgust as I realized what it was writhing over the hearth and in front of the wood pile. Earthworms. Nothing is creepier to me than an earthworm. Nothing could be more horrifying to me than finding a writhing mass of worms in my living room! Or so I thought.

I backed away from the glistening mass of worms and yelped as a small brown rabbit hopped past the coffee table. Looking around, I spotted a number of squirrels, chipmunks, and even a possum—a few in the dining room, some running up and down the staircase, others casually strolling from room to room. “Get out of my house!” I shouted, feeling a rush of panic and adrenalin surge through me. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what was happening, what was going on this morning.

I fled upstairs past a squirrel that just sat on its haunches and stared at me. I think my foot went right through him, since he didn’t move to get out of my way. It reminded me of the squirrel I’d hit on Jameson Point Road. It had sat in the road just like that, staring me down. I’d been going a little too fast, hadn’t had time to react and had run it over.

I had run over a few chipmunks, a few other squirrels, and once, at dusk, a rabbit that had appeared out of nowhere. I hated it when I ran something over. It was physically wrenching to me to kill anything really, but sometimes it just happened. Squirrels darted into the road and then couldn’t seem to decide what to do, which way to go. By the time they formed a plan, it was too late. They were flattened on the pavement.

The worse thing I had ever killed on the road was…no. I was not going to think about that!

This was ridiculous. Ladybugs, beetles, flies, ants, worms…and now a butterfly sitting on the frame of the mirror in the bedroom.  A robin perched on the headboard of the bed. That reminded me of the time when a robin had flown across the street, not high enough to avoid a collision with the windshield of my car. I could still see its startled black eye staring at me through the glass speckled with its blood as the airstream had lifted it off the windshield wipers, sliding it up the windshield and then over the roof of the car.

My rational mind was struggling to come up with an explanation for what I was seeing, for what was happening in the house and rapidly failing at its task. There was no rational explanation for these insects and animals to be here like this. These could not be the ghosts of every bug and creature that I had ever stomped on, swatted, crushed with a magazine or newspaper, run over in the street accidentally. How could it be that? But I couldn’t think of any other explanation.

And then spiders began dropping from the ceiling. I fled the room in horror. As much as I was afraid of worms and bees and flies, spiders terrified me even more.

I ran down the hallway and into the den, flinging the door shut behind me…and there he was, the man in the royal blue track suit. I skidded to a halt just a few feet into the room. He was seated in the chair at the computer table. Slowly, he swiveled toward me, giving me a gruesome grin as he awkwardly pushed himself up and out of the chair, he in his muddy, blood-stained attire. I could see the impression of my car’s tires running diagonally across his upper body and his legs. “No,” I said.  His face was surprisingly undamaged, but there was something wrong with it. I had thrown my jacket over his head that night so as not to have to look at him as I’d dragged him into the woods at the side of the road, hauling him to the edge of the ravine, and then using my feet to shove him over the edge so that his body rolled down into the ferns and low-lying brush below. I’d snatched my jacket off his head just before his limp, heavy body had flopped over the edge. “No!” I cried as he silently shambled nearer.

Reaching behind me, I blindly searched for the door knob. A shiny black beetle scuttled from between his lips. He grinned again and more insects—beetles, ants, flies, and squirming, disgusting maggots tumbled from his mouth, falling to the floor. I managed to find the door knob, twist it, and pull the door open a few inches. I was in the way. I had to step toward this horrible apparition in order to get the door open wide enough to escape the room. His dead white hand, the bloodless flesh abraded down to bare bone in places, reached for me. I thought he’d be like everything else in the house that I’d seen, that his hand would pass right through me, but it didn’t. I actually felt the brush of his cold flesh against my hand. “Susan,” he said in a sibilant voice, a snakelike hissing of the consonants of my name. “Ssssusssan.”

I screamed, shaking his hand off. “Stay away from me! Get back!” I walked backwards out into the hallway.

“Ssussssan…why?”

Why? I had been seventeen-years old, driving home from a friend’s house. Her parents had gone away for the weekend. There had been a party, beer and boys. I had stayed far later than I’d said I would. I knew my parents were going to be furious and would ground me. I was trying to get home. I was dizzy from the beer, trying hard to steer a straight path and not cross the double lines. I’d come around a corner, taking it too wide, over correcting, and he’d been right there in front of me. All I’d see was the bright blue of his track suit before I’d been jolted by the thud of striking him, knocking him down, the sway and thump as the tires had rolled over him.

I’d slammed on the brakes, jumped out of the car, and there he’d been, lying in the road. I’d thrown up and nearly fallen over, feeling sick, suddenly sober and scared. It was dark, a car could have come along at any moment, although none had passed me yet. I hadn’t been able to look at him. I’d removed my jacket and thrown it over his head, then crouched down and wrapped it quickly around his head. He’d groaned a little. “I’ll just move you off the road,” I’d said.

I’d struggled and strained to lift his upper body. He was limp and heavy. I tugged and heaved, getting him into the woods. I was just going to leave him there, but then I thought that the police would find him, that they’d find evidence on him linking him to my Dad’s car. Adrenalin gave me the strength to haul him deeper into the woods, to the edge of the ravine I knew was there. Colter Brook ran through the ravine. I’d hike there a lot when I was younger, but now it was posted No Trespassing. Kids hung out at Starbucks or Panera now.

I’d dropped him at the edge of the ravine, tugged my jacket from around his head, then sat on the ground and used both feet to shove him over the edge, listening to the crashing of his body as it had rolled down the embankment and settled into the ferns and brush below.

I’d gotten home without further incident, thrown my jacket in the washer, woken my father, shaking and crying, telling him that I’d struck a deer on the road and damaged his car. I’d told him that the deer had leapt off into the woods, but I thought it would die of its injuries. He’d shaken his head, told me accidents happened with wildlife all the time, asked me if I was hurt, and then sent me to bed, telling me he’d call to report the accident to the insurance in the morning. He’d take care of it.

And now, as I backed further along the hallway, it all played again through my mind like a vivid film loop. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” I cried, throwing my hands out to try to stop him, but he kept lurching toward me on his damaged legs. “Stay back!”

I’d reached the stairs and turned to run down them, but I felt a shove in the small of my back. I screamed as I went flying forward and then downward, crashing onto the stairs, thudding down them, landing in a broken heap at the foot of them. My thoughts were chaotic, stumbling in those final moments of my life, but I thought I heard a voice outside my head say, “What you do, it will come back and haunt you.”

October Meeting

The October meeting of the WhipCity Wordsmiths will be Saturday, October 20th, at 3PM-5Pm at Blue Umbrella Books, 2 Main Street, Westfield, MA.

Just a note, I came down with a nasty upper respiratory virus this weekend- it actually started with fatigue and muscle aches on Friday. John and Kelly have both had it. If I am unable to host the meeting I will send an email letting you know it's been cancelled.

PumpkinFest 2018

Saturday, October 13th, Rhonda Boulette and Susan Buffum will be on the sidewalk on Elm Street outside MamaCakes and Park Square Realty selling books and art during PumpkinFest 2018. A third author, Claudia Turner, will also be on Elm Street outside Rosewood between Santandar Bank and Two Rivers Burritos. Come down and say hello to us if you have a chance. There will be artists in the lot next to Vintage Blended Marketplace also. And buskers! Art, Literature, and Music all hosted by Artworks of Westfield for this segment of the festivities.

There will be a lot more going on downtown than just art, authors, and musicians as Westfield on Weekends hosts the second PumpkinFest. Follow the scarecrow trail to restaurants and local small businesses, view antique and vintage cars and chat with their owners, pick a pumpkin, carve and decorate it then enter it in competition, visited the haunted gaslight alleyway behind Blue Umbrella Books, drop into the Broad Street Fire Station and take a tour, watch the Witches dance, enjoy more music on the stage...lots to see and do this Saturday from noon until 6PM from Broad Street to Franklin Street as Westfield celebrates PumpkinFest!

Lost in a Beehive!

I was skeptical at first as some Goodread reviewers labeled this one as YA. It really isn't! I am so happy I got past my doubt and dove right in ... I haven't read a book this fast in ages!

The story begins in 1965 when Gloria is just sixteen in one of those terrible institutions that existed to "cure" the mental illness of homosexuality and follows her tumultuous life for the next twelve years when she finally experiences true self discovery and love.

I was emotionally invested from the get go, fully engaged with Gloria Ricci. This is the writing and story telling that makes my heart sing!

My full review can be found in Goodreads!

Upcoming Events

Just a quick list of upcoming events:

Sunday, September 30th, Leverett Town Library, 75 Montague Road, Leverett, MA, author Gerald W. McFarland will be discussing his new book, T.T. Mann, Ace Detective at 3PM

Saturday, October 13th, PumpkinFest in downtown Westfield, MA. Deadline is quickly approaching to reserve table space for authors and artists on the Elm Street block extending from Fast Feet on the corner of Elm & School Streets up to empty lot just past Vintage Blended Marketplace. Rhonda Boulette, Bear Paw Ridge storybooks and Susan Buffum have reserved spaces and will be in attendance from noon until 6PM. Susan will be featuring her anthology of ghost stories, The Hanging Man and Other Stories and 2018 novel The Clockmaker's Son. Susan's also been dabbling in pen & ink art, black squirrels in particular. Contact cheryl.crowe@comcast.net for information. This part of PumpkinFest is sponsored by Artworks of Westfield.

Saturday October 20th, WhipCity Wordsmiths meeting at Blue Umbrella Books, 2 Main Street, downtown Westfield MA across from the gazebo on the green, 3PM-5PM. Open to members and the curious with a passion for the written word. Join a group of talented local authors and writers as we meet to discuss ongoing and new projects, share information about upcoming events and the craft of writing, share stories of our adventures in the world of publishing and self-publishing, etc. Informal group, no mandatory attendance. Drop-in authors/writers always welcome.

Saturday, October 27th, Ghost Stories Live! hosted by author Russell Atwood at Blue Umbrella Books, 2 Main Street, Westfield, MA across from the big white gazebo. Susan Buffum will be reading a new ghost story. Russell will read something classic. There will be another guest reader as well! Join us if you dare!

Saturday, November 17th, Agawam Congregational Church, Main Street, Agawam MA, 9AM-2PM, author Susan Buffum will be featuring her 3 holiday novellas, A Major Production, The Red Velvet Suit and The Winter Solstice Ball, plus 4 holiday story collections, Christmases Past, Christmas Present, Christmas Inspirations, and Christmas with the Family at the Holiday Bazaar.

Saturday, November 24th, Shop Small Saturday at Blue Umbrella Books, 2 Main Street, Westfield, MA. Susan Buffum will be among the pop-up vendors at the bookshop with her holiday books and a few others on the day after Black Friday when consumers are encouraged to shop small businesses in their and surrounding communities.

Lack of character development left me wanting!

My streak of great books came to an end with The Captives by Debra Jo Immergut. The story line is fantastic but the shallow development of the characters and their relationships left me wanting so much more. My full review can be found on Goodreads.

September 15th Meeting Notes

The September meeting of the WhipCity Wordsmiths took place today at Blue Umbrella Books at 2 Main Street in downtown Westfield, which is our official home base. Authors/writers Iris Alderson, Russell Atwood, Rhonda Boulette, Susan Buffum, Andrew Curran, Gerald McFarland, Lynnmarie May, Joseph Vass, Bill Westerlind, and Heidi Parker Colonna were in attendance for this lively and informative first get together after taking July and August off. Gerald, Iris, and Heidi are new members who were warmly welcomed. The Wordsmiths have now been officially meeting for one year with continued growth and enthusiasm.

Member news was welcomed with Gerald speaking about his new book, T.T. Mann, Ace Detective, just published by Levellers Press. Rhonda is continuing to work on her picture storybook for the children in Haiti. Heidi is working on a middle grade book. Susan just self-published her new novel, The Worth of a Woman, which is available today n Amazon. Lynnmarie continues to hone her plays and enter them in contests. Joseph is interested in getting his personal memoir published. Iris is a Christian writer with numerous articles published, and one book. Andrew has made significant progress in writing his novel with 200 pages written. He hopes to finish the writing process soon. Bill has written several book reviews recently, catching up on some reading this summer.

Gerald spoke about his publishing experiences with a SW publisher for his novels set in New Mexico and his newest book published locally in Amherst by Levellers Press. He is a retired history professor who wrote and published three non-fiction books while teaching, then branched into fiction. He was helpful and encouraging, sharing information with Joseph.

Bill spoke about Artworks of Westfield and how the nonprofit group supports the arts in Westfield including authors, artists, photographers, and musicians. He talked about the upcoming PumpkinFest on Saturday, October 13th, where Artworks has been assigned space for authors and artists along Elm Street. Anyone interested in a 10x10 space (you must provided your tent, table, and chairs) on that day, the set-up time beginning at 7AM, the event running from Noon until 6PM, can contact Cheryl Crowe at cheryl.crowe@comcast.net for information. A $20 fee is charged for each space and payable to Artworks of Westfield. Payment can be mailed to Cheryl Crowe, 40 New Broadway Street, Westfield, MA 01085. Susan and Rhonda have signed up.

Heidi offered some websites with reading/critiquing services available for authors. Author Mentor Match is for YA and MG authors. Manuscript Wishlist is for all authors. Both can be Googled for additional information and contact info.

Bill also spoke briefly about the Articulture event held in Westfield, usually in April during which authors, artists, and musicians participate to show their stuff. Additional information will be made available to the group in early 2019. Susan is a director on the board. Bill leads the group.

Two hours flew past as members met in pairs or small groups to discuss various subjects and receive advice and suggestions from the more seasoned authors/writers. It was nice to see new members jumping right in and being helpful. That is what this group is all about- supporting one another and socializing, sharing our knowledge and experience with one another and helping one another grow as writers and authors.

I had a lengthy conversation with Andrew about his work in progress. I'm looking forward to reading his novel when he's finished with it. He had shared notes on the project with me last year and the concept sounded intriguing. I was thrilled to hear that he's made so much progress non the novel. At nineteen, he's already a promising young author with a unique voice revealing his intelligence and passion for the written word.

We also discussed the importance of proofreading and editing your word, and then allowing beta readers to read the word for all important feedback, and then finding a seasoned proofreader and editor whose eyes can save you from the dreaded typos, grammar issues, verb tense conflicts, continuity issues....the things we as the authors/writers become blind to because we are too invested in the characters and their story to notice the small stuff, whether we read the work five or six times or not. Take the time and trouble to have it read and looked over by someone who is trained for that. It's well worth the investment. As it was mentioned, a submission that has a typo or other error on the first or second page will be tossed aside. That's the cold, hard, bitter truth of publishing. Rise above the rest and shine like the star you are.

We also discussed rejections- how you can wallpaper a mansion with rejection slips. It's one of the most discouraging aspects of being a writer. Publishers have their pet authors (the lucky ones), the rest of us have to scramble to be noticed.

The meeting adjourned at 5:03PM. We'd like to thank author/book store owner Russell Atwood for being a wonderful, attentive host. He had two tables and plenty of chairs set up for us upon arrival which was greatly appreciated. He also ran down to the basement for some copies of Gerald's books.

I need to look at the October calendar. PumpkinFest is the 13th so downtown will be hopping and Russell has activities planned for that day. I want to try to book a date where those of you who have been able to attend can have an opportunity to join us. I'll post the date here and  also email it once I have it set.

Great meeting! I thoroughly enjoyed being with all of you and am looking forward to October!

Another great read!

I am on a roll ... another outstanding story! Little Disasters takes place in NYC on the hottest day of the year in mid-July. A year ago Michael and Rebecca Gould met Jennifer Sayles and Paul Fenniger at the hospital in Park Slope. A relationship develops that quickly escalates from friendship to an illicit affair that forever alters the trajectory of these two NYC couples.

Told through the voices of Rebecca, Michael, Paul and Jenny, I found myself hopelessly addicted to their story.

I highly recommend this book! My full review can be found on Goodreads.com

Dark. Devious. Disturbing. Deviant … DELICIOUS!

I listened to author Tara Isabella Burton's interview on NPR during my commute home from work one day. I was intrigued ... listening to an author talk about their work adds context to the story. I added Social Creature to my voluminous "To Read" list.

When my book club buddy from eastern Ma suggested Social Creature as our next read, my response was a resounding YES!

I love this story although most folks on Goodreads HATE it ... clearly I am an outlier on this one but it is a familiar place for me. Often times I hate the titles the majority craves and love the books the majority banish to the land of one and two star ratings.

Social Creature is a dark psychological thriller with deeply flawed and interminably unlikable characters set in NYC. I loved it!

My review can be found on Goodreads!  

Exhibit Alexandra ... WOW!

A former librarian of the Westfield Athenaeum and fellow member of Goodreads recommended this book to me. Boom ... delicious!

Art imitates life imitates art ... an intriguing story about identity and pursuing your dreams and passions, all the while still trying to play it safe; a hand in both worlds that seem to be mutually exclusive for some, especially those suffering from psychological disability.

My review of this debut novel is available on Goodreads. I highly recommend this book!

Gerald Announces Book Launch/Reading Dates

Gerald McFarland has announced two book launch/reading dates for his new novel, T.T. Mann, Ace Detective.

The first date is Saturday, September 29, 2018 at 3PM at Jones Library in Amherst, MA

The second date is Sunday, September 30, 2018 at 3PM at Leverett Library, Leverett, MA

As anyone who has done a book launch and reading knows, the support of ones friends and fellow authors is much appreciated!

If anyone wants to go to one or the other and wants to ride along with me, let me know. I can take three people comfortably with me, four if one doesn't mind riding in the middle in the back seat and squashing up.

September Meeting Date Set

I contacted Blue Umbrella Books today and spoke to Joyce, booking the September Wordsmiths meeting. The meeting date is Saturday, September 15, 2018 at 2 Main Street, Westfield, MA from 3PM until 5PM. We'll catch up after taking the summer off.

Assignment: Bring your best piece of advice or writing tip to this meeting. They'll be collected and put on the blog. I'll also list them in a document titled WhipCity Wordsmiths Writing Best Tips and Advice, or something like that, and send it to everyone. If you're unable to attend, email me your bit of advice or tip and I'll see that it's included.

See you on the 15th! I will try to schedule the October meeting for an alternate Saturday so those of you who have scheduling conflicts have an opportunity to join us.

A backlog of books!

Books, books and more books! I have a gigantic backlog of books to read and three books that I've read but still need to review, including Lindsay Stenico's debut novel The Assignment.

I am always challenged with writing book reviews on many fronts. First and foremost, each book is an author's personal creation so, right or wrong, I always consider the author's feelings when crafting my review. I understand that reviews are essentially elaborate op-ed pieces but still, criticism can be painful ... or am I just projecting my own fears of criticism? Is there a psychologist in the house?

Second, as I read more and more books and gain exposure to some outstanding authors, my standards have escalated over the years to the point where I have extremely high expectations. What was a FIVE STAR read just two years ago may only be a THREE STAR read today because the bar keeps on rising!

Third, I HATE poor editing and LOATHE typos. Yes yes this may be very judgemental and perhaps petty but for me these are fundamental flaws. I can remember a few of my reviews where I asked, "Where was the editor when this mess was published?"

For me, a great book is tightly edited with sirenical language and a well developed back story that engages and captivates me with such intensity and tenacity that I think about the characters and their situation as if they are real. A five star book makes me sad to finish it because the characters leave my life!

I've read just under thirty books so far this year and just five have been of five star caliber. In 2017, I read 28 books in total and the average rating was just over 3.4 stars.

I am curious how authors view book reviews and the folks who write them!

   

Florid Language of the 1860's

About a month or so ago I found a book titled Burt's Illustrated Connecicut Valley Guide, published in 1867 sitting on the shelf in Blue Umbrella. Of course, being rather passionate about the 1860-1910 era the book had to come home with me.

This morning, while killing time waiting for John to come home from grocery shopping, I grabbed the book off the end table, plopped down on the couch and started reading aloud from it to Revere (yes, the cat) who was in the front window, and Kelly, who was in her room.

The volume begins with an apology from the editor's. Imagine that! Here is the first line of that apology-
 "In presenting this book to the public, it has been the aim of the Editor to awaken an increased interest in New England's fairest and loveliest regions, and to assist the seeker of pleasure to obtain a more perfect knowledge of the grandeur and beauty of Connecticut Valley scenery and that bordering on it."
and then he goes on to write, and I kid you not, this is verbatim from the same paragraph-
"He has aimed to discard glittering generalities for solid substance, stopping by the way only long enough to point out the piquant condiments that each may flavor to his own taste."

Oh, and I love this paragraph to death!
"An occasional anecdote and reminiscence, many of them never before in print, have been culled from the way-side and are here presented, to enliven and relieve the monotony of description, as too much of a good thing is apt to weary the best of tastes."

The apology concludes with this paragraph-
"The Guide is at your service, Reader, and it is hoped you will find in it a help to your enjoyment of a tour through the Connecticut Valley, where it is confidently believed you can find increased health and a pleasant life-long remembrance."

At first I thought, what pompous language...but then I remembered that this was written in 1867 when we didn't have television, social media, or even radio. People spoke to one another, and people read. This was their form of entertainment. Yes, the language is florid and not what we're used to in today's world of abbreviations, acronyms and emojis- we try to communicate in the least possible amount of words or key strokes. We've dumbed down our manner of communication, and even executives cannot write a coherent, literate email.

Have we progressed? I don't think so.