Jina Bacarr October Featured Author
October 23, 2023 by marianne h donley in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Featured Author, Featured Author of the Month tagged as Boldwood Books, Featured Author of the Month, historical romance, Jina Bacarr, New relaase, Sisters at war
About Jina Bacarr
I discovered early on that I inherited the gift of the gab from my large Irish family when I penned a story about a princess who ran away to Paris with her pet turtle Lulu. I was twelve.
I grew up listening to their wild, outlandish tales and it was those early years of storytelling that led to my love of history and traveling.
I enjoy writing to classical music with a hot cup of java by my side. I adore dark chocolate truffles, vintage anything, the smell of bread baking and rainy days in museums. I’ve always loved walking through history—from Pompeii to Verdun to Old Paris. The voices of the past speak to me through carriages with cracked leather seats, stiff ivory-colored crinolines, and worn satin slippers. I’ve always wondered what it was like to walk in those slippers when they were new.
You can follow Jina on social media:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest
Goodreads
Bookbub
Jina also has a column here on the 11th of every month: Jina’s Book Chat.
Jina’s newest novel, Sisters at War, is available now.
A Few of Jina’s Other Books
Discovering Authors, Old & New
October 22, 2023 by Veronica Jorge in category Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as Pearl S. Buck, Pearl S. Buck Historic House, Perkasie PA, The Good Earth, Veronica Jorge
Pearl S. Buck has always been one of my favorite authors. Most know her 1931 novel, The Good Earth, and film of the same name, for which she won the Pulitzer Prize in 1932. And in 1938, she was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature for her depictions of China, where she lived with her missionary parents.
A prolific author, she wrote more than forty novels, over twenty works of non-fiction, an astounding bibliography of short stories, and stories for children. Even a cookbook!
And while she’s famous to us today, her male contemporaries were anything but supportive, often disparaging her writing skills. This prompted her to write other works under the pen-name, John Sedges, which were well received and lauded. Thus, proving her point that the hostility was against her as a woman, and had nothing to do with her literary abilities.
So, this past summer, I treated myself to a visit to the Pearl S. Buck Historic House in Perkasie, PA.
I wanted to learn more about this author. Instead, I discovered a remarkable woman whom I admired all the more. She was an accomplished pianist. She wrote about and worked tirelessly for women’s rights, civil rights, and for the education and improvement of women’s and children’s lives all over the world. She was also one of the first to write about and champion the cause of the handicapped, chronicling her own personal experience in The Child Who Never Grew, a heart-breaking memoir of her daughter’s rare developmental disorder, originally published in 1950. (Reprint, 2017, ISBN 978-1504047968).
Her foundation continues to advocate for all of these causes today.
And just when I thought the trip couldn’t get any better, I learned that the Pearl S. Buck Historic House also offers writing courses and has its own press center to help authors self-publish.
In keeping with Buck’s work toward empowering women, I purchased the following two books in the gift shop.
A Rose in a Ditch, by Julie Henning, (Pearl S. Buck Writing Center Press, 2019, ISBN 978-1-704786-438), who writes about her life in South Korea and being rescued and then raised in the U.S. by Pearl Buck as her own daughter.
And, Where the Stork Flies, by Linda C. Wisniewski, (Sand Hill Review Press, 2021, ISBN 978-1-949534-16-0). Struggling with relationship issues with her husband and her daughter, a librarian encounters a time portal and a Polish peasant fleeing her own unhappy marriage. Together, with a little magic help, they get their lives back on track.
And guess what? Turns out Wisniewski and I have several writer friends in common. How great is that!
I wish you all new and inspiring learnings and discoveries in your reading and writing journeys.
Veronica Jorge
See you next time on November 22nd!
Jina Bacarr October Featured Author
October 14, 2023 by Jina Bacarr in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Featured Author, Featured Author of the Month tagged as Boldwood Books, Featured Author of the Month, historical romance, Jina Bacarr, New relaase, Sisters at war
About Jina Bacarr
I discovered early on that I inherited the gift of the gab from my large Irish family when I penned a story about a princess who ran away to Paris with her pet turtle Lulu. I was twelve.
I grew up listening to their wild, outlandish tales and it was those early years of storytelling that led to my love of history and traveling.
I enjoy writing to classical music with a hot cup of java by my side. I adore dark chocolate truffles, vintage anything, the smell of bread baking and rainy days in museums. I’ve always loved walking through history—from Pompeii to Verdun to Old Paris. The voices of the past speak to me through carriages with cracked leather seats, stiff ivory-colored crinolines, and worn satin slippers. I’ve always wondered what it was like to walk in those slippers when they were new.
You can follow Jina on social media:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest
Goodreads
Bookbub
Jina also has a column here on the 11th of every month: Jina’s Book Chat.
Jina’s newest novel, Sisters at War, is available now.
A Few of Jina’s Other Books
Tonight
October 13, 2023 by Bethlehem Writers Group in category From a Cabin in the Woods by Members of Bethlehem Writers Group tagged as Diane Sismour, loss, poem, tonight
Tonight
by diane sismour
tonight wasn’t to end this way.
i imagined her saying, no.
to turn away a life together, but she hadn’t.
we celebrate with champagne; the bubbles make her happy.
light as air, she calls her soul, springing to the music.
her red dress flares as a tulip, cupping her body.
tonight wasn’t to end this way.
skinny dipping in the neighbor’s hot tub. snowflakes melting
above us, her skin glistening whiter than the crystals,
shimmering in the streetlight at my touch.
tonight wasn’t to end this way.
her skin soft next to mine, paler than the moon waning above.
her soft snores vibrate my heart as a violin stroked gently.
tonight wasn’t to end this way.
singing a melody meant for our child. a hand on her still small belly, her scent a blend of ocean and oils smoothed over her limbs warm and tan.
tonight wasn’t to end this way
her robe covers translucent skin, stretched and thin. stomach
bulging, tight and still. no kicks, no movement, monitors
peeping, wires attached to places I kissed this morning.
tonight wasn’t to end this way
if only she had said, no, to hear me say goodbye.
Books from BWG
Books from Diane Sismour
Why Attending a Writer’s Conference is a Good Idea
October 12, 2023 by Denise M. Colby in category The Writing Journey by Denise ColbyI’m at the airport flying home from the Faith, Hope, Love Writers Conference in Phoenix, Arizona and I’m just over the moon with how much I enjoyed attending this event. And why I’m shouting from the rooftops that attending a writer’s conference is a good idea.
Reasons to attend a writer’s conference
I believe there are seasons in our writing journey. There are also many different types of writers conferences. So it’s important to discern which ones are the right ones to attend by looking at cost vs what you need to get out of a conference. For me, there were several reasons this was the right conference at this time.
Meet Your Writing Community
First, this writing group is the most aligned with my genre and industry. I’ve been a part of the FHL writing community for over ten years. We are an online group, and so the idea of meeting my people in person was very appealing. This included a member from my critique group. We have been emailing each other for two years weekly, so getting a chance to interact in person was so much fun. Not only do we know each other’s writing very well, and could give encouragement with the pitches we made and throughout the sessions (“this is a great thing to apply to your book!”), we both felt we had a writing buddy to hang out with during the conference.
I also know several other writers attending from other memberships, and it was so much fun to see them again and give them a hug. I actually had someone at this conference from all the different writing groups I belong to, so that was a lot of fun.
Be Encouraged
Writing can be a very isolating experience and being able to interact with other writers who struggle with the same feelings as I do was very refreshing.
After taking a few months off of writing, I was really unsure about my writing future. I hoped that a focused weekend away from the distractions of home would help me discern my next steps. And I wasn’t wrong. Within the first few moments of registration I was in a conversation with another attendee and after hearing their story, I felt encouraged. And throughout the entire weekend it was the same story over and over again.
Expand Your Writing Craft
Being inspired with new techniques. Besides fellowship, the craft sessions are helpful in learning additional tips and tools for your everyday learning and hearing updates related to the industry from publishers.
Pitching at a Writer’s Conference is Great Experience
I am at this stage of my writing career. Challenging myself to pitch in order to gain experience, glean feedback, and possibily move to the next step is crucial. I received some good feedback that helps me know my next steps. This information was invaluable for me as I make a gameplan for the rest of the year.
Time to regroup
My home is full of laughter and fun busyness. It’s also difficult to carve out a quiet space to focus and hear God’s direction in my writing life. This weekend gave me the space I needed to be encouraged. I received ideas of next steps, and flushed out a game plan. I’m so excited to know what I’m working on next and with new goals to work towards.
Now The Real Work Begins
Now the real work begins. But that’s okay. I have a new quote I’m using right now to help me. My word this year is change. I recently read this quote and a light bulb went off in my brain. It’s perfect for what I’m trying to do. These next steps in writing will be challenging. But after this conference I feel ready to embrace the challenge knowing it needs to be this way if I’m going to move on to the next level.
If it doesn’t challenge you, it will not change you.
If you haven’t attended a conference, consider finding one in your area to participate in. Look at what the genre’s are, the speakers and the topics being presented. Do they interest you? Will there be industry professionals and others there who you can learn from? Then take a leap and have a great time!
Denise Colby loves to write about her word of the year and share quotes that include that specific word in them. Each word builds a new layer in her writing journey (and her life). In 2022, her word was Work. This year, her word is change.
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