Esther Royer Ayers, author of Rolling
Down Black Stockings, and Richard E.
Kelly, author of Growing Up In Mama's
Club, will present a lively interaction
entitled "Two Remarkable Stories
of Growing up in Cults told with
Compassion and Humor" at the 2009
Tucson Festival of Books, Sunday,
March 15 at 4:00pm. Esther grew up
Old Order Mennonite and Richard
grew up Jehovah's Witness, two very
unique and secretive groups, yet
they share surprising and shocking
commonalities. A book signing will
follow their hour-long presentation.
Vera Marie Badertscher has started
a blog, "A Traveler's Library," which
talks about books that inform and
enrich travel. "I talk occasionally
about movies, as well. I am inviting
all my SSA friends to take a look at
http://atravelerslibrary.com and leave
a comment or suggest a book or movie,
come back often, list me on their RSS
feed."
John Borchardt signed a contract with
a British publisher to write a book
with the working title Accelerating
Innovation Through Effective Laboratory
Management. "One advantage of
working with overseas publishers
is that they have different holidays
than we do. The contact came by email
on Thanksgiving Day giving me
one more thing to be thankful for."
He continues his magazine article
writing and had the cover story in the
re-launched Lab Management Magazine
inaugural issue in July. His article
on the North American mammoth,
"Suddenly extinct!" appeared in the
October 5 issue of USA Weekend. His
article "7 Steps on Surviving a Tough
Economy" was posted on The Writer
website (www.writermag.com/wrt/
default.aspx?c=a&id=3928) in August.
He also had articles published in the
November, August and July issues
of Contract Management. His article
"Robots of the Sea" appeared in the
July issue of Mechanical Engineering.
Richard W. Coan's new book,
Masculine, Feminine, and Fully Human:
Developmental Paths Through the Adult
Years, is "in print at last."
About the book: How do men and
women differ psychologically? Should
men strive to realize all their masculine
potentials? Should women seek to
realize all their feminine potentials?
Should everyone seek androgyny, a
balanced realization of both masculine
and feminine sides?
Most writers have oversimplified
the issue by treating masculinity and
femininity as just two dimensions or as
opposite ends of one grand dimension.
Yet we are really dealing with at least a
dozen distinguishable traits, and each
is represented by traditional heroic and
divine figures in major mythologies.
Each trait is manifested in both male
and female mythic figures, and it
can be cultivated by both men and
women. Every individual should seek
to develop a balanced combination of
these traits, but we do not all need to
follow the same path.
You can order this book directly from
the publisher at www.authorhouse.
com or through the book order hotline
at 888-280-7715.
Fran Marian, author of The Rug Broker
(Red Hills Press 2006), announces
publication of a sequel: The Chinese
Silk (Red Hills Press, Nov. 2008).
Philadelphia Oriental rug gallery
owner Nora Reardon continues her
adventures in Turkey's rural rug
weaving villages while reaching out
to her alienated son Tom. But when
Nora finds a hidden prayer rug in
Tom's room, she reacts with fear and
prejudice, seeing Islam as another
tactic Tom has chosen to distance
himself from her. It takes the power
of a centuries-old Chinese silk rug to
prove that love between a parent and
child can withstand even time itself.
Sheryl L. Nelms had a total of eightyfive
poems published in 2008 in Meridia
Anthology of Contemporary Poetry;
The Pegasus Review; Silver Wings; The
Best American Poetry Anthology; Xaver
Review; and many others. She had two
Who's Who listings and took 1st place
in the Trinity Writers Workshop Babe
Ruth Rejection Contest and Honorable
Mention in the Writer's Digest 77th
Annual Contest in the Non-rhyming
Poem Category. "Not too bad for a
slow year."
Marilyn Anne Pate has signed a
contract with Wyatt-MacKenzie
Publishing to produce her book
Everyday Evil. "After so many years
of rejection letters it was unusual to
write a note to the second publisher
who also wanted the book! Both houses
were at the September conference and
I thank SSA for helping me arrive at
this point in my writing career. The
book is scheduled for a September '09
release."
"I also have been asked to be part
of a four member panel discussing
'Writing Historical Fiction' at the
Tucson Book Festival in mid-March, at
the University. My book, Mary Geroge,
Her Book, is based on part of my pioneer
grandmother's life in Arizona and New
Mexico."
Connie Spittler's essay, "The Nest,"
won the 2008 Rachel Carson Sense
of Wonder Contest, sponsored by the
Environmental Protection Agency.
Her nature essay involved a small girl
and a quail family, with a line of Emily
Dickinson added for flavor. Designed
to increase environmental stewardship
and public awareness, submission
content had to be intergenerational. To
read Connie's essay, go to essay section
of www.epa.gov/aging/resources/
thesenseofwonder/index.htm.
Or Google: Rachel Carson Sense of
Wonder Contest 2008. While you're
there, check out the other genres of
the contest that included poetry and
photography.
With the publication of another of
Connie's essay, "Lint," in the anthology,
The Art of Living, A Guide to Being
Human, she's become an internationally
published author. The book, released in
October by Editorial Kairos, Barcelona,
Spain, has Spanish and English versions
and is in distribution around the world.
Connie remains in awe of the other
writers in the anthology, including
The Dalai Lama, Mikhail Gorbachev,
Deepak Chopra, Desmond Tutu, John
Berger, Jean Shinoda Bolen and other
well known personages from around
the world.
Ann Staadt, of Fort Wayne, IN, has
just received the author's copies of
her seventh novel, Hollystone Hearts:
Glenna. This modern romance, set in
England, is the first novel in a trilogy.
Hollystone Hearts: Moira, should follow
in the next year and the publication of
Hollystone Hearts: Finn, will complete
the set. "These stories have been fun
to write and I've especially enjoyed
creating the characters." See Ann's web
site at www.AnnStaadt.com.
Whether you're traditionally published with Random House, POD with iUniverse, e-published with Amazon, or a totally independent self-publisher, the objective of all marketing is the same: get your name and your work known and sold.
Don't let the fear of rejection paralyze your intentions. Our March 15th
Forum features Maralys Wills, creative-writing teacher and author of twelve
books in many genres, sharing from her own experience the does and don'ts
of getting published. Damn the Rejections, Full Speed Ahead offers practical
advice for getting your work polished—and your queries noticed by agents
and editors.
