Just a heads up. Russell's informed me that he's borrowing video equipment from Peter Cowles and will be recording this Saturday's meeting of the WhipCity Wordsmiths for possible showing on cable TV.
First of all, if you want to promote and talk about any of your books, here's an excellent opportunity to put it out there. If you're making any author appearances, mention them. Feel free to use this opportunity to promote what you're doing. Awareness makes sales possible!
We're going to talk about first lines. If you've written a favorite first line in a book, bring it and read it aloud and we'll discuss if it makes us want to read the book.
I'll talk a little about Articulture. We have a fantastic line-up of authors this year- the majority of them Wordsmiths. I'll find out how many authors I can have since we're going to be allowed to utilize more rooms this year. The Artworks board meeting is the second Thursday in February.
Looking forward to seeing as many of you as can attend.
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Saturday, January 26, 2019
RE: Private Group Facebook Page Created
Just a note to let everyone know that Kelly has created a private group in facebook for the WhipCity Wordsmiths. What this means is that all current members have been invited, if we're friends with you on facebook. If you haven't received an invite to join the group it's because we're not connected on facebook in any way, so find her or me and friend us so we can invite you.
Only members of the group who have been approved by Kelly and me via the simple application process (or another means-such as our having contacted you personally) are allowed access to the group. It is not a public group. It is just for us so we don't get spam postings and ads. Unfortunately, this means that you cannot invite your friends to join. They have to apply for membership first and be approved, and then friend either Kelly or me on facebook. They can contact us through this blog's contact button or via email at kmbuffum.gmail.com or sebuffum415@gmail.com so we can send them the application.
This protects all of us from random people showing up and interfering in the group.
The public has access to this blog, but only members can post on it. I encourage all of you to post news you want to share with the public here- book events, announcements of new releases, awards you may win, etc. You can also post thoughts on writing here, encouragements for writers, and so forth.
I just wanted to clarify this for everyone, and for those members who we aren't connected with on facebook yet so everyone knows what's what.
The private facebook group has seen a lot of activity this week since it's creation. I'm really happy members are using it- and that the same energy we generate when gathered together at Blue Umbrella Books radiates and flows through the posts. It has truly been inspiring! (I've been motivated to tackle that NaNo novel that's been lying on the dining room floor for nearly 2 months, and to write a brand new ghost story this week!)
Keep it going!
Only members of the group who have been approved by Kelly and me via the simple application process (or another means-such as our having contacted you personally) are allowed access to the group. It is not a public group. It is just for us so we don't get spam postings and ads. Unfortunately, this means that you cannot invite your friends to join. They have to apply for membership first and be approved, and then friend either Kelly or me on facebook. They can contact us through this blog's contact button or via email at kmbuffum.gmail.com or sebuffum415@gmail.com so we can send them the application.
This protects all of us from random people showing up and interfering in the group.
The public has access to this blog, but only members can post on it. I encourage all of you to post news you want to share with the public here- book events, announcements of new releases, awards you may win, etc. You can also post thoughts on writing here, encouragements for writers, and so forth.
I just wanted to clarify this for everyone, and for those members who we aren't connected with on facebook yet so everyone knows what's what.
The private facebook group has seen a lot of activity this week since it's creation. I'm really happy members are using it- and that the same energy we generate when gathered together at Blue Umbrella Books radiates and flows through the posts. It has truly been inspiring! (I've been motivated to tackle that NaNo novel that's been lying on the dining room floor for nearly 2 months, and to write a brand new ghost story this week!)
Keep it going!
Thursday, January 17, 2019
Nice Write-Up in The Republican
I'm a writer and an author as you all know, but I'm also an artist who just got back into drawing in pen & ink last September (after not drawing much at all for 18 years) for Art Drop Day. I decided I could handle working on small projects, so mostly limit my work to 5x7 Bristol board. Small drawings. I like animals and birds, so have mostly stuck to drawing them. I don't draw people well at all (but I took a stab at drawing Edgar Allan Poe for this coming Saturday's (Jan 19th) Poe's Birthday Party and Ghost Stories Live! (6PM) readings of Poe's work. I also like landscapes but they often have more detail in them which can fatigue my hand (I have rheumatoid arthritis as well as osteoarthritis. Fatigue is a constant plague, as well as cramping muscles, joint pain, and tendinitis.)
Anyway, Danny Nason discovered that I was the one who drew the black squirrel silhouette that was put on numerous products at Conner's Inc. in 2000-2007 and is still sold online today at theblacksquirrel.com by former Conner's owner George Reichert. I have a variety of The Black Squirrel items around my house from my years of working there including a tote bag I still use for button club meetings. I met with George and we had lunch in early November after my black squirrel prints debuted at PumpkinFest in mid-October. He okayed connecting my BicycleCity Black Squirrels realistic black squirrel art prints with his trademarked The Black Squirrel t-shirts, sweatshirts, caps, and other items he sells on the internet. Danny hooked me up with The Republican reporter Hope Tremblay in December. I wasn't able to get to ArtWalk on the 21st of December to meet her when my black squirrel prints were displayed at Rosewood, the former site of Conner's Inc and for sale at Fast Feet a few doors down.
Hope contacted me by Messenger and I sent her my email address so she could send me interview questions to answer. I got the email, answered the questions and emailed them back to her. A couple weeks later, on December 23rd, Hope met me at Blue Umbrella Books where I was attending a book event for Rhonda's new book. Hope snapped some pictures with her cellphone and said she didn't know when the article would appear, to just watch for it.
I didn't think I was that interesting a person. A local murder snagged the headlines early this week. Then, on Wednesday, I was rushing around preparing some things for the Blue Umbrella's Poe's Birthday Party event and Ghost Stories Live! that night. I've been a cast ember of GSL! since October 2016, writing and reading new ghost stories. I happened to walk down the hall and saw the mail truck at the mailbox by the road. The mailman was sitting in the truck writing something. Once he wrote a warning that a dog up the street was jumping at cars and running loose, so I figured he was leaving a note about the dog again.
A short time later I went out to get the mail and fund the note which read, 'Susan, nice article in the paper today. Congrats!' I'd brought the newspaper in earlier after running errands, so hurried back into the house where I found myself pictured on the front page of The Republican Plus. I quickly skimmed through that page, basically noting it was accurate, all except the spelling of my last name which is a common mistake since there are, apparently, Buffams in the hilltowns, but we're Buffums. It said, at the bottom, continued on page 20. I flipped through the pages until I realized page 20 was the back cover page, flipped over to it and found the entire back page was a continuation of the article with additional pictures! It was way more than I had expected it to be! And very well written. I was quoted accurately also.
So, on the way to work, not knowing if my brother and sister would see the article, I stopped by Andy's Variety and purchased the six copies they had left. The woman behind the counter whom I've spoken to when stopping in to pick up a Westfield newspaper or something we need, asked if there was something bad that had happened (I assume she meant a death in the family). I said, "No. I'm in the paper today so want to get some extra copies for family members who don't get the paper." She looked at me, then flipped through the top copy until she found my picture. She said, "Yup, there you are!" She hadn't read the paper yet and seemed disappointed I was buying all they had left. I paid the $6 and went off to work.
Of course my co-workers have been the beneficiaries of many of my books since 2015 and art prints since September 2018. I had to show them the article because I don't think any of them really comprehend that I have another life outside of being a medical secretary. Even one of the doctors I've worked for since 2007 seemed surprised and somewhat baffled about my being in the newspaper. I walked by him about ten minutes later where he was standing near a co-worker's station really studying two squirrels and the fox kit prints she has pinned up there. (He had a black squirrel print...but I think he thought I'd just done one or two- not a dozen and a half squirrels and now at least that many animals and birds!) A couple of my co-workers read the article and seem to think I'm someone else now...like they don't know how to treat me. Well, I'm still the same co-worker they've worked with right along. I haven't changed any, but their perception of me has evidently changed.
Anyway- we're all adjusting today to this awareness of my other life and all the things I am involved with outside of work that I don't really say much about at work. The medical assistant in the suite where I work has always gotten copies of my books (she loves them and shares them with her daughter) and my art. She has all the prints I've given her hung up in her small office/work space. It's a mini gallery. When she feels stressed she looks at the pictures and calms down. I go in there to do the same thing. Other co-workers go into that room and study the pictures then come out to where I work and ask, "Where do you find the time to write and draw so much?"
Writing and drawing are my stress relievers after work, and my hobby. Writing and drawing make me happy. So, I suppose it's also my therapy. I don't watch TV. I occasionally read a book. However, the majority of my time outside of work is spent doing what I love doing best. I'm either writing or drawing every night and on weekends between errands and household chores. My coworkers talk about TV shows they watch all night. I've never been able to watch TV like my parents, sister and brother do. I have something inside of me that says it's a waste of time, that I can be doing something constructive with my time, creating something. I probably drive my husband crazy. He's a TV watcher. Kelly is always reading or writing, or now she's also drawing. She's drawn a Jeep for a co-worker to cheer him up, a line car (trolley line repair vehicle), a mail truck, a trolley car, and just before bed tonight she said she'd like to draw a cement mixer next. I'm not surprised- Hard Hat Harry was one of her favorite videos when she was little. She's always loved big trucks and construction vehicles. her drawings are very technical and precise, like the good engineer she is who loved drafting in high school.
I have never viewed myself as being anyone or anything except me. I have always been able to write and draw. I envy people who can dance, sing, or play a musical instrument. Those are things I cannot do. People who can dance, sing, and play music are like gods to me. They are the people I admire.
Anyway...back to the point. Hope hit all the bases of my life in a single well-written article. I was happy to see that she included the WhipCity Wordsmiths, too. The group is one of the things in my life that I am most proud of. I am a quiet, introverted person by nature. I was painfully shy when I was young, and have always tended to be a follower or a loner, not a leader. I was extremely anxious and panicky about starting a writers/authors group when Bill Westerlind asked. I'm still a little nervous every time we gather together, but all of you have made it easier for me because we all contribute when we meet. I never imagined it would become what this group is...a welcoming, comfortable place for everyone who writes!
Thank you, Hope Tremblay for the great article. And thank you Wordsmiths for your faith in me and your support as I continue to write, but also branch out back into art.
Anyway, Danny Nason discovered that I was the one who drew the black squirrel silhouette that was put on numerous products at Conner's Inc. in 2000-2007 and is still sold online today at theblacksquirrel.com by former Conner's owner George Reichert. I have a variety of The Black Squirrel items around my house from my years of working there including a tote bag I still use for button club meetings. I met with George and we had lunch in early November after my black squirrel prints debuted at PumpkinFest in mid-October. He okayed connecting my BicycleCity Black Squirrels realistic black squirrel art prints with his trademarked The Black Squirrel t-shirts, sweatshirts, caps, and other items he sells on the internet. Danny hooked me up with The Republican reporter Hope Tremblay in December. I wasn't able to get to ArtWalk on the 21st of December to meet her when my black squirrel prints were displayed at Rosewood, the former site of Conner's Inc and for sale at Fast Feet a few doors down.
Hope contacted me by Messenger and I sent her my email address so she could send me interview questions to answer. I got the email, answered the questions and emailed them back to her. A couple weeks later, on December 23rd, Hope met me at Blue Umbrella Books where I was attending a book event for Rhonda's new book. Hope snapped some pictures with her cellphone and said she didn't know when the article would appear, to just watch for it.
I didn't think I was that interesting a person. A local murder snagged the headlines early this week. Then, on Wednesday, I was rushing around preparing some things for the Blue Umbrella's Poe's Birthday Party event and Ghost Stories Live! that night. I've been a cast ember of GSL! since October 2016, writing and reading new ghost stories. I happened to walk down the hall and saw the mail truck at the mailbox by the road. The mailman was sitting in the truck writing something. Once he wrote a warning that a dog up the street was jumping at cars and running loose, so I figured he was leaving a note about the dog again.
A short time later I went out to get the mail and fund the note which read, 'Susan, nice article in the paper today. Congrats!' I'd brought the newspaper in earlier after running errands, so hurried back into the house where I found myself pictured on the front page of The Republican Plus. I quickly skimmed through that page, basically noting it was accurate, all except the spelling of my last name which is a common mistake since there are, apparently, Buffams in the hilltowns, but we're Buffums. It said, at the bottom, continued on page 20. I flipped through the pages until I realized page 20 was the back cover page, flipped over to it and found the entire back page was a continuation of the article with additional pictures! It was way more than I had expected it to be! And very well written. I was quoted accurately also.
So, on the way to work, not knowing if my brother and sister would see the article, I stopped by Andy's Variety and purchased the six copies they had left. The woman behind the counter whom I've spoken to when stopping in to pick up a Westfield newspaper or something we need, asked if there was something bad that had happened (I assume she meant a death in the family). I said, "No. I'm in the paper today so want to get some extra copies for family members who don't get the paper." She looked at me, then flipped through the top copy until she found my picture. She said, "Yup, there you are!" She hadn't read the paper yet and seemed disappointed I was buying all they had left. I paid the $6 and went off to work.
Of course my co-workers have been the beneficiaries of many of my books since 2015 and art prints since September 2018. I had to show them the article because I don't think any of them really comprehend that I have another life outside of being a medical secretary. Even one of the doctors I've worked for since 2007 seemed surprised and somewhat baffled about my being in the newspaper. I walked by him about ten minutes later where he was standing near a co-worker's station really studying two squirrels and the fox kit prints she has pinned up there. (He had a black squirrel print...but I think he thought I'd just done one or two- not a dozen and a half squirrels and now at least that many animals and birds!) A couple of my co-workers read the article and seem to think I'm someone else now...like they don't know how to treat me. Well, I'm still the same co-worker they've worked with right along. I haven't changed any, but their perception of me has evidently changed.
Anyway- we're all adjusting today to this awareness of my other life and all the things I am involved with outside of work that I don't really say much about at work. The medical assistant in the suite where I work has always gotten copies of my books (she loves them and shares them with her daughter) and my art. She has all the prints I've given her hung up in her small office/work space. It's a mini gallery. When she feels stressed she looks at the pictures and calms down. I go in there to do the same thing. Other co-workers go into that room and study the pictures then come out to where I work and ask, "Where do you find the time to write and draw so much?"
Writing and drawing are my stress relievers after work, and my hobby. Writing and drawing make me happy. So, I suppose it's also my therapy. I don't watch TV. I occasionally read a book. However, the majority of my time outside of work is spent doing what I love doing best. I'm either writing or drawing every night and on weekends between errands and household chores. My coworkers talk about TV shows they watch all night. I've never been able to watch TV like my parents, sister and brother do. I have something inside of me that says it's a waste of time, that I can be doing something constructive with my time, creating something. I probably drive my husband crazy. He's a TV watcher. Kelly is always reading or writing, or now she's also drawing. She's drawn a Jeep for a co-worker to cheer him up, a line car (trolley line repair vehicle), a mail truck, a trolley car, and just before bed tonight she said she'd like to draw a cement mixer next. I'm not surprised- Hard Hat Harry was one of her favorite videos when she was little. She's always loved big trucks and construction vehicles. her drawings are very technical and precise, like the good engineer she is who loved drafting in high school.
I have never viewed myself as being anyone or anything except me. I have always been able to write and draw. I envy people who can dance, sing, or play a musical instrument. Those are things I cannot do. People who can dance, sing, and play music are like gods to me. They are the people I admire.
Anyway...back to the point. Hope hit all the bases of my life in a single well-written article. I was happy to see that she included the WhipCity Wordsmiths, too. The group is one of the things in my life that I am most proud of. I am a quiet, introverted person by nature. I was painfully shy when I was young, and have always tended to be a follower or a loner, not a leader. I was extremely anxious and panicky about starting a writers/authors group when Bill Westerlind asked. I'm still a little nervous every time we gather together, but all of you have made it easier for me because we all contribute when we meet. I never imagined it would become what this group is...a welcoming, comfortable place for everyone who writes!
Thank you, Hope Tremblay for the great article. And thank you Wordsmiths for your faith in me and your support as I continue to write, but also branch out back into art.
Sunday, January 13, 2019
January 19th Meeting Notes
The WhipCity Wordsmiths met on a bone-chilling Saturday, January 19th at Blue Umbrella Books, our home base. Twelve members were in attendance and three authors joined our meeting as guests and then were welcomed as new members. It is good to see our group growing and thriving! Gingerbread men and bottled water were provided for members enjoyment.
Quick introductions were made so our new members could get an idea of who we are and what we write, and we could meet them as well.
Russell Atwood provided us information on the upcoming Poe's 201th Birthday Bash at Blue Umbrella Books on Saturday, January 19th. There will be a Ghost Stories Live! event at 6PM with regular cast members reading Poe short stories and poems. Susan has done several pen & ink drawings and made prints of a hissing black cat, a full raven, and a raven profile that are available in the shop and will also be available during the events that day. Glass artist Hugh Nagger will be working his magic with glass rods and a torch from noon until 5PM. DJ Sean Martin will be spinning gothic tunes and Poe readings in the morning.
Mimi Caban Ross (excuse me if I have the names backwards!) and husband Mike ventured down from the hilltowns to join us today. She read to us a letter that she wrote pretending to be her 8-year old self writing to her future adult self, offering older self her best advice as an eight-year old. She wrote the letter in crayon. It was a sweet letter full of the innocence and wisdom of a child with a limited idea of what it is like to be an adult, with a few cautions and observations. It made me think back to when I was eight years old...what would I advise my older self from back then?
Our youngest author, Ayden Rogalski, at 10-years of age is in the best position t write a letter as his eight-year old self to his future adult self. It would be interesting to hear what he would advise himself at this point in his life. Ayden is working on two new books at this time. One is on homesteading and the other is a children's mystery. (after the meeting Tanya, his mother posted on facebook that Ayden was energized and inspired by today's meeting and now has another 2 books in his writing queue- one a science book, the other another children's book!)
Tenzie talked about her vampire novels and her difficulty formatting a book for KDP. Kelly offered to assist her with learning how to format for self-publication.
The topic of marketing and self promotion of our independently published works was brought up again. When an author works full time and has many other obligations it's difficult to get out into the community and surrounding states to have book signings, meet & greets, and attend other events where one can promote ones books. This led me to thinking that as a director of Artworks of Westfield I may be able to ask for their help hosting a WhipCity Wordsmiths Meet & Greet the Authors event where as many of us as are able to attend can have a table to display our books, etc. and talk about what we write and why we write. During the course of the event authors who would like to give brief talks could be scheduled to speak, like they do at the Springfield Library events. We can do something like that here, and try to get young writers, middle school writers, high school and college writers involved with a contest for each age group judged by WhipCity Wordsmith authors.
Judith has been working on a Christmas book she started awhile ago. It was good to see her at a meeting again as we've missed her.
Gerald McFarland spoke about his experience with Levellers Press in Amherst. Rhonda published her new children's book using Bridgeport Bindery in Agawam. Both have had positive experiences with these companies.
Geri is putting together some vignettes to self publish.
Lindsay is working on several projects and is dabbling in the paranormal, a new genre for her.
We talked a bit about stepping outside of the genres we are comfortable working in and trying something different. Susan did this recently with The Worth of a Woman. No magic, no special powers, no ghosts, vampires, werewolves, or happy endings. It was an emotionally wrenching experience she's not all that anxious to repeat!
There was a lot of energy flowing during the meeting with everyone participating and having something to offer the group. The time passed way too quickly!
The meeting adjourned about 4:15PM as several members had other obligations, or distances to travel. Several members lingered in the shop to chat and browse.
See you on February 2nd!!
Quick introductions were made so our new members could get an idea of who we are and what we write, and we could meet them as well.
Russell Atwood provided us information on the upcoming Poe's 201th Birthday Bash at Blue Umbrella Books on Saturday, January 19th. There will be a Ghost Stories Live! event at 6PM with regular cast members reading Poe short stories and poems. Susan has done several pen & ink drawings and made prints of a hissing black cat, a full raven, and a raven profile that are available in the shop and will also be available during the events that day. Glass artist Hugh Nagger will be working his magic with glass rods and a torch from noon until 5PM. DJ Sean Martin will be spinning gothic tunes and Poe readings in the morning.
Mimi Caban Ross (excuse me if I have the names backwards!) and husband Mike ventured down from the hilltowns to join us today. She read to us a letter that she wrote pretending to be her 8-year old self writing to her future adult self, offering older self her best advice as an eight-year old. She wrote the letter in crayon. It was a sweet letter full of the innocence and wisdom of a child with a limited idea of what it is like to be an adult, with a few cautions and observations. It made me think back to when I was eight years old...what would I advise my older self from back then?
Our youngest author, Ayden Rogalski, at 10-years of age is in the best position t write a letter as his eight-year old self to his future adult self. It would be interesting to hear what he would advise himself at this point in his life. Ayden is working on two new books at this time. One is on homesteading and the other is a children's mystery. (after the meeting Tanya, his mother posted on facebook that Ayden was energized and inspired by today's meeting and now has another 2 books in his writing queue- one a science book, the other another children's book!)
Tenzie talked about her vampire novels and her difficulty formatting a book for KDP. Kelly offered to assist her with learning how to format for self-publication.
The topic of marketing and self promotion of our independently published works was brought up again. When an author works full time and has many other obligations it's difficult to get out into the community and surrounding states to have book signings, meet & greets, and attend other events where one can promote ones books. This led me to thinking that as a director of Artworks of Westfield I may be able to ask for their help hosting a WhipCity Wordsmiths Meet & Greet the Authors event where as many of us as are able to attend can have a table to display our books, etc. and talk about what we write and why we write. During the course of the event authors who would like to give brief talks could be scheduled to speak, like they do at the Springfield Library events. We can do something like that here, and try to get young writers, middle school writers, high school and college writers involved with a contest for each age group judged by WhipCity Wordsmith authors.
Judith has been working on a Christmas book she started awhile ago. It was good to see her at a meeting again as we've missed her.
Gerald McFarland spoke about his experience with Levellers Press in Amherst. Rhonda published her new children's book using Bridgeport Bindery in Agawam. Both have had positive experiences with these companies.
Geri is putting together some vignettes to self publish.
Lindsay is working on several projects and is dabbling in the paranormal, a new genre for her.
We talked a bit about stepping outside of the genres we are comfortable working in and trying something different. Susan did this recently with The Worth of a Woman. No magic, no special powers, no ghosts, vampires, werewolves, or happy endings. It was an emotionally wrenching experience she's not all that anxious to repeat!
There was a lot of energy flowing during the meeting with everyone participating and having something to offer the group. The time passed way too quickly!
The meeting adjourned about 4:15PM as several members had other obligations, or distances to travel. Several members lingered in the shop to chat and browse.
See you on February 2nd!!
We Now Have a Facebook Group!
Hi Everyone,
As of this morning we now have a Facebook group! The group has private settings, so only other members will see your posts. You can share writing samples, ask for editing or technical help, and share your news/events/facebook and web pages, etc. We encourage members to share others news/events on their own pages to help spread the word (free marketing!).
When you request to join, you'll be asked what you write to prove you are not a spammer or robot. Don't be intimidated by this! You don't have to go into detail. We've added a bunch of you to start (everyone we could find quickly this morning, sorry if we missed you), so you'll get to skip the question.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/whipcitywordsmiths/
As of this morning we now have a Facebook group! The group has private settings, so only other members will see your posts. You can share writing samples, ask for editing or technical help, and share your news/events/facebook and web pages, etc. We encourage members to share others news/events on their own pages to help spread the word (free marketing!).
When you request to join, you'll be asked what you write to prove you are not a spammer or robot. Don't be intimidated by this! You don't have to go into detail. We've added a bunch of you to start (everyone we could find quickly this morning, sorry if we missed you), so you'll get to skip the question.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/whipcitywordsmiths/
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