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.
Sunday, October 14, 2018
Thursday, October 11, 2018
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!
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!
Sunday, October 7, 2018
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!
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!
Saturday, September 29, 2018
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.
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.
Sunday, September 23, 2018
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.
Saturday, September 15, 2018
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!
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
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
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