Hello friends and fellow writers
For several months, I have been helping as a judge in Florida Writers Royal Palm Literary Awards competition. The contest judges assign scores using a rubric that focuses on attributes such as characterization, plot, description, dialogue, and others. Reading and scoring the entries present a learning experience for me, and I grow in my own writing. I am frequently impressed by the high quality of writers that submit both fiction and nonfiction to this highly praised competition.
Jefferson County here in West Virginia has several opportunities for writers to gather together to share and improve their writing. This past spring I organized a group that now meets weekly at the beautiful Charles Town Library. We submit work for comments via email and meet every week to discuss. My own writing has been inspired. It has been gratifying to see progress in our members' writing as well. We follow the motto: Writers Helping Writers.
On this page you see an anthology: Ghost Stories of Shepherdstown. Great news: Vol II is now in the works. My story title is "Connection." The setting switches from a modern day woman whose office is in historic McMurran Hall on the Shepherd University campus to a dying soldier from the Battle of Shepherdstown, a small, but bloody Confederate victory on Sept. 20, 1863. Much research was involved in getting the details just right. The town hall, which was later named McMurran Hall, was unfinished in 1863, but still served as a hospital for wounded soldiers, most from the Battle of Antietam across the Potomac in Maryland.
My Highlights Foundation Workshop/Retreat last August exceeded my expectations ten-fold. It was terrific! I received help on my character-driven, soft sci-fi story called Trapped on Ockor from author and writing teacher Nicole Valentine. Her suggestions were spot-on, and I will be revising throughout this year. Additional help came from author Crystal Allen who conducted "character interviews" with all of the seventeen participants. I found I was able to fall into the head of my character Erayee and discovered several things about her wishes that I, her creator, had not known. It was a valuable exercise in rounding out characters in my novel. The campus at Boyd's Mill in the Poconos is beautiful. An extra plus: I stayed in the cabin dedicated to the prolific and talented author, Jane Yolen. Very inspiring!
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As many of you know, I am now living near Shepherdstown, WV, a beautiful, historic town on the Potomac. Softcover print copies of my historical fiction ghost story BEYOND THE STONE EAGLE GATE are available at the Four Seasons Bookstore in Shepherdstown, WV. Digital and print copies can be obtained on Amazon or by order from other stores such as Barnes & Noble.
My middle grade story THE WHISPERING CHIMNEY had its debut Nov. 28, 2019. Print copies are available at the Four Seasons Bookstore, et al. Ebooks and print copies can be ordered On-Line. In this story eleven-year-old Bethany discovers a mysterious stone chimney on a ridge behind her family's rented farm. What happens there opens her eyes to both the past and the present. The question is: can crossing back in time kill her? |
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Four Seasons Bookstore's anthology of ghost stories was released October 2020. My submission "The Water's Edge" was included.
For my fellow writers: I am now available for editing help. See my Contact page for more information.
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Jeremiah Lucky and the Guardian Angel
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Review of The Whispering Chimney
A story of love and courage, The Whispering Chimney enthralled me from the first page until the last. Set amidst the well-described beauty of rural West Virginia, eleven-year-old Bethany discovers the ghosts of a bygone era still walk along the hills. This window on the past becomes clearer, and draws the reader deep into struggles once endured. Recommended for young readers as an interwoven tale of the long-past and challenging present. Sharon Keller Johnson author of Milky Way Rising and Lure of the Grove. |
Review
A tale of betrayal and courage, told with eloquence and beauty, BEYOND THE STONE EAGLE GATE traces the footsteps of David, a runaway orphan, to his ultimate victory over treacherous circumstances in rural 1893 Tennessee. Nancy Stewart, author of BEULAH LAND. |