Connie Spittler presented her video, Grandmothers Speak, to the regional meeting of the Alumni of the Sacred Heart in Denver, Colorado. The video was followed by her talk on "Telling your Stories, Writing Them Down." Connie then led an open session that invited anecdotes form the audience to complete the afternoon.
Her story, "One Scarlet Penstemon," was selected for the anthology, Plains, Deserts, Canyons, Mountains: Women Write the Southwest. A Story Circle Network project, the University of Texas Press will publish this collection of memoir, essays and creative non-fiction that illuminates the diversity of landscapes and environments of the region, as well as the extraordinary range of women's voices and understanding of the land.
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Ed Kolstro's Cemetery Island, Margaret and Thomas Hawkins are a typical harried big city couple in desperate need of a vacation. Sometimes, vacations just don't turn out the way you hoped they would. Anyone who loves nature, dogs, Longfellow, or Native American legend and lore will surely like this book.
Marilyn Pate received an e-mail from Chicken Soup for the Military Wife's Soul. She is thrilled that her submission is in the final 140. A cut to 101 stories will be done by December with an April 2005 release. Think good thoughts for Marilyn.
Fran Lenso's essay, "My New Life," is being published in the September/October issue of Coping with Cancer magazine. The magazine is found in waiting rooms of hospitals and doctor's offices all over the country.
Jane Candia Coleman's novel, Matchless, has been chosen as runner-up for the Will Award given by Women Writing the West. This is Jane's second Willa (runner up), the first being her memoir Mountain Time, in 2002.
Mark Reps', first book, One Summer in Flyoverland, was published in August by Publish America. He is excited to report the sales are good at his various book signings.
Diane M. Vanover's story, "Gallery of Love," appears in the newly released Chicken Soup to Inspire a Woman's Soul. Diane's story celebrates the wisdom, fun and freedom of midlife.
Patricia Linder's Row, Row, Row Your Boat has gone to war. A young Marine, home on leave from Iraq, borrowed his mother's copy to take back to his Marine buddies, making this author not only proud, but very humble. Row, Row is also making thr rounds of the neighborhoods in Sussex, England. In August, it was chosen for an audio book.
The Lady and the Tiger tells of the dangerous and life-threatening evernts in Taiwan, Republic of China during the late seventies. Linder and her husband, Rear Admiral James Linder, represented the United States when the Carter Administration ceased diplomatic relations with Taiwan and normalized with comunist China. The Linders were the targets of the ensuing riots. This memoir tells of the author's experiences in an unfamiliar culture, surrounded by political and military demands. It's available form AuthorHouse.com and Amazon.com. For a signed copy, contact Pat at 520-825-8335.
Two memoir pieces by Mary
lyn Chapman were accepted by Good Old Days Specials magazine. Yesterday Memorial Day appeared in their May, 2004 issue. My Hayday, slated for publication next summer, is a glimpse of an old-fashioned thrashing day from the viewpoint of an eight-year-old.