WritingI've always written. Mostly for work, but also for myself... in my journal, the occasional article for a newspaper, a haiku. It wasn't until retirement that I could try my hand at writing as a regular practice. It's a wonderful source of pleasure and exploration.
A new effort for me? Poetry. I joined a local poetry reading group, yes, here in little Union, Washington! Here's one I wrote during the pandemic.
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I started writing my first novel in the winter of 2015. It was published in 2018 and began the second novel shortly thereafter. They are both available on Amazon as a Kindle or in paperback. See a descriptions below. The third one was a little different, written in fits and starts between January 2017 and December 2020, each chapter in response to a prompt from my Writers' Group. It was edited and completed during 2021. And hurray! The fourth one just came out, House of Solace.
I hope you enjoy all four of them! A story of six New Yorkers who retire to an old house at the far eastern end of Long Island. A house waiting to embrace them. They share the fun of being together as they grow closer, take up new pursuits, and discover the house has a secret. Their friendship, and the house, offer them joys and comforts as they find their way through aging, grief and the mystery the house holds. I hope the way this unfolds in the books provides a gentle means to consider how grief is a part of all of our lives and can can lead us on a path forward.
You can get a free preview here: https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B0CNZSF64Q&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_WE3HWT43D4J1JSHVH3DE Despite enduring predictions in the science fiction literature, the actual occurrence surprised everyone. Surprise wasn’t even a big enough word. Shocked, terrified and panicked would be more like it. One by one, people began to disappear—without a sound, in the blink of an eye. One minute someone would be there and the next instant not. In every city around the globe. Every country, every continent. Ultimately, the few souls left on earth began the struggle to discover how they would live. One of those who did was Emily Anders. Age 15. Living alone in southwestern Oregon. This is how the story begins. With Emily’s survival. What follows is an exploration of the path her life takes as she manages the realities of a changed existence.
Here's the link to the book: www.amazon.com/Unexpected-Event-Dawn-Hanson-Smart/dp/B09PHJV8DW/ref=sr_1_8?crid=2O7FOBXKTZ2JG&keywords=unexpected+event&qid=1643312773&s=books&sprefix=unexpected%2520event%2Cstripbooks%2C123&sr=1-8 Adrienne Martin abandons her bus tour and finds herself stranded in a country town in Portugal. She stays — and not just for a vacation. Despite the nagging questions about why and why there, her visit lengthens. Should she sell her house in New Jersey? Take this new path? As she walks the streets and hillsides of her adopted home, Adrienne makes new friends, relishes new foods, takes on new projects, and discovers an unfamiliar sense of courage to pursue a changed life. An unexpected relationship uncovers a Spanish Civil War mystery. It also triggers a struggle as Adrienne seeks to balance the opportunity for a second chance with her emerging independence.
Get a free preview here: https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B08X1V31NL&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_6YV81W9D0NH5EXQ9XT5W The idea for Crossing Time in Pine Creek came from a dream. It is set in the 1950s in the mountains of North Carolina, about a teenage boy searching for the answer to a Civil War puzzle. Needless to say, I am not a teenage boy, nor did I grow up in North Carolina. In fact, I had never been there until a trip in 2016 to 'make real' the place I was trying to describe. My knowledge of the Civil War went no further than what I learned in school, so I did a good amount of research in order to create a credible story. What an adventure!
Get a free preview here: https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B07RBQQ8QB&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_O0LeDbG999SGS |
More about writing...
I have been fortunate to find a writers group near home and have been a faithful attender for four years. The Hood Canal Writers Group meets twice a month, on Zoom during COVID and when the weather makes it impossible to get together. Each of us brings something to read aloud and gets feedback from the others. We can bring whatever we like, but at the end of each meeting we pick a "prompt" out of a box and use it to stimulate our creative juices for the next session. A few recent ones? Why the Moon Changed Shape. Quilting. Salmon Season. A Sense of Fun. Road Trips. I am continually amazed at the different directions the cues take each writer. We had a great time putting together and publishing our first anthology in 2017, with each chapter based on a different prompt. Here's one of my contributions to the chapter titled "Six Feet Under". We are thrilled our second anthology, In the Hood, published in 2022, has been a huge hit as every piece has something to do with Hood Canal, where we all live. Here's one of mine from that collection, Sounds of Summer. Another anthology is in the works... hopefully to be published later this year.
A supportive writers group can make all the difference in persisting with your writing. And in improving it. I have gained so much through my participation and so enjoyed listening to other authors read. I encourage anyone writing to find a group where you can explore the craft and learn from others. There also are hundreds of writers' blogs online. I can't begin to list them. They provide a wonderful source of help and inspiration.
I have been fortunate to find a writers group near home and have been a faithful attender for four years. The Hood Canal Writers Group meets twice a month, on Zoom during COVID and when the weather makes it impossible to get together. Each of us brings something to read aloud and gets feedback from the others. We can bring whatever we like, but at the end of each meeting we pick a "prompt" out of a box and use it to stimulate our creative juices for the next session. A few recent ones? Why the Moon Changed Shape. Quilting. Salmon Season. A Sense of Fun. Road Trips. I am continually amazed at the different directions the cues take each writer. We had a great time putting together and publishing our first anthology in 2017, with each chapter based on a different prompt. Here's one of my contributions to the chapter titled "Six Feet Under". We are thrilled our second anthology, In the Hood, published in 2022, has been a huge hit as every piece has something to do with Hood Canal, where we all live. Here's one of mine from that collection, Sounds of Summer. Another anthology is in the works... hopefully to be published later this year.
A supportive writers group can make all the difference in persisting with your writing. And in improving it. I have gained so much through my participation and so enjoyed listening to other authors read. I encourage anyone writing to find a group where you can explore the craft and learn from others. There also are hundreds of writers' blogs online. I can't begin to list them. They provide a wonderful source of help and inspiration.