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Membership Chair Marian Powell authored The remarkable story of Solon Borglum in the print and online versions of "Days Past" in the Prescott Daily Courier on December 9. She provides a fascinating look at the sculptor of the Bucky O'Neill statue on the Gurley Street side of the Prescott Courthouse plaza. 

Earlier this year, Marian announced the publication of her short story, Neither Cain nor Abel,in an anthology, Fall and Rise - post-apocalyptic stories challenging the paradigm: "survivival of the fittest" . . . , edited by Ahmed A. Khan (Whortleberry Press, March 2007). The publisher's hook reads: "There have been anthologies of post-apocalyptic fiction ,but none such as this one. When it comes to post-apocalyptic survival, the paradigm is the usual "survival of the fittest." "Fittest" is taken to mean the meanest, the most unethical, the most selfish. Is it possible to survive apocalypse without giving up one's ethics? The stories in this anthology pose answers to this question from different angles."

PWP Librarian Chris Hoy (manuscript) and our April 2008 PWP speaker, Walt Anderson (illustrations), have pooled their time and talent to create a newly-published children's book, THE ELK IN THE ATTIC.

Bridget Reynolds contributed the book design, spouse and PWP PR Chair Leslie Hoy edited the story, and Elisabeth and Melissa Ruffner, owners of Primrose Press (and a PWP member and supporter, respectively) published the book. Wendy Elgen, owner of Classic Prescott Printing, printed a first run of 2,000 copies.

The book is available in select stores in Prescott and can also be purchased in the lobby of the Elks Opera House. All proceeds from book sales will be used to restore the Elks Opera House.

Buy The Elk in the Attic online!

Author Chris Hoy

* The PWP Board had a sneak peek at the book 3 days before publication - it's a beauty!

Freelancer Kathleen Ewing's article Is Your Office Prepared? appeared in the November 14 issue of Jerry Simmon's newsletter Tips for Writers. Her articles Delivering the Goods and The Idea Factory were recently purchased for publication in Dan Case's free newsletter Writing for DOLLARS!

Not long ago, Kathleen wrote a successful grant for $20,000 from the Del Webb Foundation for a nonprofit she works for. Kathleen reminds us that "a lot of fledgling writers never think of grants as an income source."

Check out Kathleen's page at Jerry Simmons' new start-up online writer's community, Nothing Binding (Jerry spoke to PWP on marketing in Spring 2006.) Several PWP members have listings  there, so take a peek. It's a great marketing and networking tool.

Kathleen's first 2007 publication success, The Complimentary Copy = Goldmine, appeared in the Funds for Writers newsletter and website in January. You can sign up for this great resource newsletter online.  Another feature, Get Out Now, appears in the Jan/Feb 2007 Hobby Farms Magazine.

Congratulations, Kathleen, and thanks for the tips!

Bill Smith's latest poem, The Enchantress, was published online at Electric Scotland and "it celebrates 40 years of marriage. I thought that the wife was going to cry when she read it. She said that nobody ever wrote anything for her before." Read Bill's poem  and you'll see why his wife was teary-eyed.

He has seven other poems at Electric Scotland, including The Soldiers, also posted in the Army ROTC and Air Force ROTC offices at ERAU. Bill says to click on "Poetry and Stories" then scroll to the bottom of the page. His poetry book, THE MELANCHOLY SPY: AND OTHER WORKS, is available from Authorhouse.

Bill is also a contributing writer for The Encyclopedia for International Security Studies, to be published in 2009. His entry is titled Intelligence: Intelligence and Espionage, and the publisher is CQ Press, a subsidiary of the Congressional Quarterly. He's featured in a past issue of the Embry-Riddle University newspaper in the story Safety Officer Receives Recognition for Security Article.

Elisabeth Ruffner wrote the foreword for the just-published Gold, Greed and Glory: The Territorial History of Prescott and the Verde Valley 1864-1912 by Kate Ruland-Thorne, available at Publish America. Kate lives in Colorado and recently joined PWP (thanks to Elisabeth for recommending us!)

Congratulations to Marlene Baird, whose short story Negotiations (about a dying man negotiating with God), took second place in the recent Society of Southwestern Authors contest, replete with monetary prize and publication in Storyteller, the Society's magazine.

And another big cheer to Willma Gore, who won FIRST place in the SSA contest for her short story, Peligro!  She's also pleased to report her newest book, LONG DISTANCE GRANDPARENTING, is available at Quill Books. E-mail Willma for more info about PWP member discounts.

Read It Here News news!

November RIH has a slew of PWP member contributors:

Publication of Abbey Carpenter's Driving While Mexican inspired her to say, "I would not have submitted something for publication in RIH had it not been for PWP.  After Art Merrill spoke to our group, I thought, 'I can try that.'  It worked!  Thank you."  

Gene Twaronite authored the quirky Have an environmentalist for lunch: what's the carb exchange for people meat? and Candace McNulty another of her excellent water chronicles, The Charismatic Tale of SB1575. Editor Art Merrill has features in each month's issue, too, and encourages PWP members to keep submitting article queries!

The October print and online issues of Read It Here/ReadItNews features by Art Merrill and Candace McNulty: Got a Garand? It's Christmas!  & When Godzilla Wants to Move In Next Door .

The September issue of Read It Here features contributions from several PWP members -   Editor Art Merrill: Yes, Virginia, there is scuba diving in Arizona, Scuba with saguaros and Is it a crime to commit a crime to prove how easy it is to commit a crime?; Candace McNulty: Safe Yield II: So how do we get there?; Kate Robinson: The airstrip that wouldn't fly is try, trying again; Susan McElheran: two book reviews; and PWP member Erica Ryberg is the paper's publisher - congratulations to all on a great issue!

Here's where to get your copy of Read It Here

Kudos to Mad Woman Poet Mary Bragg - she was one of three readers at Poets' Corner in the Sedona Arts Center on September 7. She also read a selection of her poetry at the Wildlife Symposium event at Sharlot Hall Museum on September 29. She has a poem Beyond the Hedge in Lady Mathers' Poet Corner column in the July Monsoon. Read it on Sec 1:19 (22 of 64). Lady Mathers was the host of our September PWP meeting.  Poets Dee Hamilton, Susan McElheran, Susan DeFreitas joined Mary Bragg for a hands-on poetry workshop at the Prescott Public Library in mid-October.

Mary Bragg and Susan McElheran are pictured with the MAD Women Poets Anthology The Woman Beside You on page 15 of the July issue of Yavapai magazine. Susan also has some new book reviews in recent issues of ReadItNow!

Nancy Owen Nelson, Susan McElheran, and Mary Bragg were among the MadWomen Poets who read for the Granite Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation in February 2007. The group read again at a March 2007 benefit for Lena Dove, who lost all her personal effects as well as all her writing in a fire. Authors Mary Sojourner , Susan Lang, and Laraine Herring also read at the benefit, held in the St. Michael's Ballroom.

Connie Johnson Kramer was interviewed at the 6th Edition of the Prescott Book Festival on Sepember 15 and featured in a September 18 Prescott Daily Courier article. She coauthored her first book, FARM KIDS, A 1950s WISCONSIN MEMOIR, with her sister, Dianne, highlighting their Norwegian heritage with humorous vignettes.

Connie spoke on Preserving Our Memories at the Prescott Valley Historical Society in March and appeared at the PWP Literary Open Mic in August.

Cheers !

A big yip to Old Man Coyote, also known as Richard W. Kimball, whose recently publishedPOD book, called THE BOOK OF QUETZALCOATL: MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF THE FEATHERED SERPENT, is now available either as a paperback or download.

He won first place for his poem "Raising The Sun" in the Spirituality category of the 14th Annual Whipple Voices Writing Festival at the VA Hospital in June 2007. He published two books in 2006 with Instant Publisher - COYOTE ZEN and ENGLISH CAPTIVES IN MEXICO.

Richard is currently working on a book about his travels around the Southwest, tentatively called COYOTE TRACKS. He appeared on the PWP Publishing Panel at the January 2007 meeting.

Congratulations to David M. Quinn! On October 6, 2007 the Arizona Book Publishing Association presented their 2007 Arizona Book Awards. In the category of Best First Book, the Association gave Honorable Mention (2nd Place) to Quinn's historical novel, IT MAY BE FOREVER - AN IRISH REBEL ON THE AMERICAN FRONTIER.

Quinn was featured in an October 31 article in Prescott e-News online. The article containsa link to the PWP Web site, as well as other useful/interesting sites. He's also featured as the author of the month (September) at Authors Across America. You'll find a handsome picture of him on the home page.
Then click on "Author Spotlight."

It May Be Foreverwas designated a finalist by the National Indie Excellence 2007 Book Awards in February 2007, and Quinn had a busy St. Patrick's month itinerary. He headed for the Los Angeles Irish Fair and Music Festival in Pomona, CA and the Celtic Fest. Also,the new pub/restaurant Celtic Crossings at Prescott's Gateway Mall is carrying his book in their gift shop!


Quinn's novel was also named a finalist in 2006 in the historical fiction category by USABookNews.com. Their citation reads "A beautifully written historical novel filled with excellent research and characters! Highly recommended!"

Quinn said that his post-publication 2006 book tour "was great. It included Chicago, Cincinnati, Boston, New York, Ireland, Manchester, England, Cleveland, Rapid City, Milwaukee, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles." He appeared in Phoenix at the October 2006 Arizona Irish Festival in Phoenix and in Tempe in November 2006, as well as reading at Hastings Bookstore (Prescott) in early November.

Quinn's novel was also named a finalist in 2006 in the historical fiction category by USABookNews.com. Their citation reads "A beautifully written historical novel filled with excellent research and characters! Highly recommended!"

Read a January 2007 review of IT MAY BE FOREVER in the Joplin, Missouri Independent.

You're an inspiration, David - the luck o' the Irish to ya!

Ernest Giglio recently starred as Morrie in "Tuesdays with Morrie," a Blue Rose Theater production at Sharlot Hall Museum based on the popular nonfiction book and play by Mitch Albom.

The semi-retired college professor is also theauthor of six books, including the popular HERE'S LOOKING AT YOU: HOLLYWOOD, FILM & POLITICS (Peter Lang Publisher, 2000, 2005.)

Ernest was a reader at the August 2007 PWP Literary Open Mic.

The August issue of Writing For Dollars carries Willma Gore's article, Strangers, A Writer's Greatest Resource.  This is an on-line marketing and information source for writers.  She also reports: "My SS column has not been published regularly in Sedona.Biz, however, this week's issue brings another column on the front page (with a jump) under the title Greeting The Dreaded Monsoon.

"The Sept. 2007 issue of The Dollar Stretcher arrived Saturday.  It carries my article, New Income From Ordinary Skills.  It features a Sedona friend who sits animals and houses, prepares meals temporarily for shut-ins, etc.--and makes a living at it. "

Another big hand for Willma!

E-PWP Editor and Webmaster Kate Robinson's latest feature appeared in the September issue of ReadItNow, Prescott's monthly news magazine:The airstrip that wouldn't fly is try, trying again discusses the proposed Michael A. Perkins Airpark in Chino Valley.

2007 has been a poetry year for Kate - she won a slot in the Arizona State Poetry Society (ASPS) October members' contest for her poem, Blues Devil, written during the 7-minute creative challenge at the September PWP meeting hosted by Lady Mathers. May mail brought a certificate and check for her poem Love is Not a Fairy Tale from the ASPS April contest. The poems appear in the Summer and Winter 2007 edition of Sandcutters, the ASPS journal.


Another poem, Revision, appeared in the Spring issue of Journey, the online journal of SCBWI -AZ. And a third, An Infant's Prayer, was recently published in Miracles of Motherhood: Prayers and Poems for a New Mother (Center Street/Hachette, March 2007), a June Cotner anthology.

Elaine Jordan writes: "Among the pile of rejection slips in today's mail came the August issue of Underwired, a magazine for women published in Kentucky. They used an essay of mine. I should give ePWP a cut of the profits--$100. I find that resource invaluable!"

Thanks, Elaine. May we all write and prosper!

Lady Mathers has been doing a monthly Poet's Corner Column in Monsoon Magazine since February. The August column is on page 19. Lady says, "It's self- explanatory and the poem was really amazing for a 12-year old." Lady hosted our September program and networking, and brought local poets Dan Seaman and Jody Drake to read with her.

Thank you, Lady, Dan and Jody for a magical evening!

Arlene Eisenbise has an article about The Hassayampa Trio on page 8 of the August issue of Monsoon magazine. Denny Garr, leader of the trio and bass player, is Arlene's husband.
 



Congratulations!

John J. Rust has a passel of Harry Potter fan fics posted on fanfiction.net! "This is what happens when you cram a lot of days off together,"John says. 

Rust, a KYCA AM sports announcer, former PWP VP, book reviewer, and author of EPSILON, had a segment on the "Tri-City Sports Round-Up" show about the passing of author David Halberstam on April 28.  Halberstam wrote one of Rust's favorite books, "Summer of '49," which chronicles the Yankees/Red Sox pennent race of 1949.  His death is a blow to both the literary and sports world.

Tri-City Sports Round-Up airs 9-10 Saturday morning on The News, 1490 AM. 

John appeared at Chino Valley's Heritage Middle School Career Day on February 16. He reports that he's "finishing up my manuscript PARALLEL WARS and shopping another manuscript - X-CREATURE - around to publishers." In the meantime he has "something new to entertain the masses" - an alternative timeline available at OtherTimeLines - go to the page titled bin Laden Killed, Event Number 1597. 

 Way to go, John!

Kathryn Wilkens is now Historian and President of the Inland Empire branch of the California Writers Club.  PWP member Willma Gore reports that she gets the I.E. club newsletter Fresh Ink and read Kathryn's excellent editorial in the July issue.


Kathyrn's latest publication, Get Cozy with Your Dictionary is online at Ink Byte. This article was previously published in ByLine magazine.

Cheers!

PWP Newsletter editor Susan Lanning has published her second novel, recently released by iUniverse. THE DANESBORO LINE, a romantic suspense with a touch of sci-fi, can be ordered online through iUniverse, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. It's also available as an Adobe e-book on iUniverse, DriveThruHorror, and other locations.  

Susan and her first novel, mystery thriller HARPER'S BLUFF, were featured in PWP member Karen DeSpain's authors' column in the April 2007 issue of Yavapai Magazine, along with Wickenburg freelancer Becky Coffield, our February PWP speaker.  Susan read a riveting action scene from HARPER'S BLUFF at the October 2006 PWP Members' Soapbox readings. Earlier this spring, PWP Secretary Elaine Jordan's Prescott Valley book group read and discussed HARPER'S BLUFF.


Doin' the publication dance for ya, Susan!

Congratulations to Evelyn Seranne,  whose article The Mystery Writer's Crash Course - Creating a Convincing Killer, appeared in the May/June issue of Writers' Journal. And the newsletter Maine in Print has accepted Naming Names, a feature about finding the perfect name for your fictional characters.

Two thumbs up to author Dorothy Cora Moore (Dot Moore)! Bobby D of KLBM/KBKR Radio in LaGrande, Oregon interviewed her in late July. She had a telephone interview about her novel in early June on Ron's Morning Show at WLTH Radio in Gary, Indiana, not far from Chicago, and was interviewed by Scooter McGee on CBS Affiliate KFKA Radio in Northern Colorado in May.

Dot's also listed at Nothing Binding, Jerry Simmons's writers community and appeared on the PWP publishing panel at the January 2007 meeting. Her novel, THE ATLANTEANS, received a five-star review in 2006 by Kathleen Youmans in ForeWord Magazine Clarion, a magazine highly regarded in the industry and used by librarians and booksellers to purchase books. Dot and her book are also featured in the November 2006 issue of Yavapai Magazine. See her four-star reader review at Amazon!

Blogger Julie Woodman's daily ramblings on Walking Prescott were voted a local favorite mid-May in an online survey by the Courier. Unfortunately, that link is no longer good, but you can still catch her podcast interview by Prescott Arts Beat!

Julie covered the April PWP Meeting featuring author Kris Neri on humor (she kindly allowed us to use photos from that meeting on the PWP home page), the May 5 Blogfest sponsored by Coyote Radio at the Raven Cafe, and many other quirky and delightful subjects in May . Julie reports her blog has been linked by at least 15 local and international blogs, including Walktopia and LazyArtistsLounge, and My Year of Getting Published, a New Zealand travel freelancer's blog. And she has regular conversations with several. Julie explained the nuts and bolts of blogs at the August 2006 Members Networking meeting. Do visit Julie's articulate and colorful blog, Walking Prescott.

Congratulations - we see why other bloggers are impressed!

Lotsa laughs to PWP Librarian and fly fisherman Chris Hoy, whose essay Lords of the Flies appeared recently on the front page of ReadItNews. He put his humor writing skills to good use in July when he emceed the Life's A Gas Benefit Concert & Not So Silent Auction fundraiser for a pal with big medical bills, and in September as emceat the Wildlife Symposium at Sharlot Hall Museum.

His author profile appeared in the mid-May issue of TIPS for WRITERS, the free weekly eNewsletter from Jerry Simmons at WritersReaders.com, a marketing expert and author who spoke to PWP last year. A writer from England emailed Chris and they've enjoyed corresponding. You can join Jerry's online writers community at Nothing Binding.

The first PWP member announcement of 2007 came from Chris, who declared he is now an elk! Find out who, what, why, where, when and how in the article Wapiti Dreams and in a cartoon by local artist Lou Sleeves, featured in the December 31 online issue and the January print issue of Read It Here.

President of the Prescott Citizens Water Advocacy Group, Chris and wife Leslie Perry Hoy (past vice-president of CWAG) are the 2007 PWP librarian and PR Chair, respectively. They moderated a discussion of the water issues facing the Verde Valley in collaboration with Sedona Water Wise Alliance at the Well Red Coyote Bookstore in Sedona on April 29. Chris also appeared on the Channel 13 program I Believe on February 25 & 26. PWP member Nancy Owen Nelson is associate producer of the program and PWP member Elisabeth Ruffner is the program's host.

Congrats!

Cheers to Collette Ward, who published a short story last year on Literary Mama, a literary magazine "for the maternally inclined." She has some cool agent requests for partials of her novel manuscript, FROGS IN MY UNDERPANTS.

Collette was a reader at the August 2007 PWP Literary Open Mic.

Our fingers are crossed!

Multi-talented Sedona author Gene Garrison is busy promoting her new book, THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT CAVE CREEK — IT'S THE PEOPLE. Marshall Trimble, Official Arizona State Historian, Southwest Studies Coordinator at Scottsdale Community College, Scottsdale, Arizona, recently left a 5-star review of the book at her publisher's website!

She participated in the Fountain Hills Book Fair in March 2007, displaying four of her books there: From Thunder To Breakfast, Widowhood Happens, Javelina! Have-uh-WHAT?, and, of course,There's Something About CAVE CREEK. She also participated in publicity for the LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books in April 2007. She's didn't attend in person, "but the publicity is great, and preparing for it is strenuous," she says.

Gene also signed books at the Sedona Community Center in January and at the Cave Creek Museum in February 2007. She held a booksigning and discussion in December 2006 at the Well Red Coyote Bookstore. She also signed books in the Desert Foothills Library during Cave Creek's Wild West Days in November. Historian Bev Brooks gave a talk about the town's history, and interviewed Gene about about her 27-year residence in Cave Creek, and of course, about her book.

Gene also has pages at Jerry Simmons's Nothing Binding writers' community and Author's Den.

Hooray for you, Gene!

Congratulations to Jon Fulghum, who taught a spring semester class at YavapaiCollege based on the content of his just-published book, EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GARAGE & YARD SALES. Check out his brand-new website.

Best news of all, John and his book are featured in the May edition of YAVAPAI Magazine!

PWP member and Prescott Public Access Channel 13 host Elisabeth Ruffner interviewedTom Cantlon, President of the Mad Linguist and the Courier's former progressive columnist on May 6 and May 7.  PWP member Nancy Owen Nelson is the program's associate producer. An award-winning Prescott historian, she writes a monthly history page for YAVAPAI Magazine and presented a paper for the Grand Canyon Symposium in January 2007. Elisabeth is also the host for the Wednesday edition of KYCA Talks. Tune in to 1490 AM at 9 a.m. for a lively discussion about Prescott's colorful history. You can call in your questions or comments at 541-1016 during the show.

A significant collaboration with the Smithsonian kicked off in Prescott in November 2006. Elisabeth gave a history slide lecture at the Hassayampa Inn as part of this program on Saturday, November 11. Congratulations!

Congratulations to Nancy Owen Nelson, whose poem Coyote Love Music appears in theanthology What Wildness is This: Women Write About the Southwest (University of Texas Press, March 2007).

Nancy is also the editor of of Private Voices, Public Lives: Women Speak on the Literary Life and The Lizard Speaks: Essays on the Writings of Frederick Manfred. She is Assistant Director of the Hassayampa Institute for Creative Writing.

Agnes Franz, the author of SMIRK~ Over 1450 Smiles for Your Face (Authorhouse, December 2005), is back on our radar again! See her cool new Web site, SmirkBooks, and don't forget to check out her impressive bio and news pages. She reported in late March that Brian at radio KGCB 90.3 FM is stretching a brief interview with her over several days and quoted some funny selections from SMIRK. AND, Agnes was also interviewed by the lovely Sandy Moss in mid-March on KPPV / KQNA, 106.7 FM.

Agnes had numerous live and televised speaking engagements for her books, SMIRK and HISTORIC PRESCOTT, in 2006. She's also sporadically running an ad for SMIRK on an internet business newsletter, OfficeUsers.org, and will give us feedback on how that works. PWP discovered in early 2006 that HISTORIC PRESCOTT was on the Southwest Books of the Year - Best Reading 2004 list!

Congratulations!

Welcome and a great big cheer to Kelsey Olesen, a freshman at Prescott High School! Kelsey hopes to study photography and journalism, and is currently writing a young adult series, THE MURLAS TRILOGY. Kelsey and her work were featured on the front page of the January 31 Prescott Daily Courier.

You go, girl!

In Memoriam

Writer and PWP member Diana Houston passed away in Phoenix on January 2, 2007. Diana held a PhD in nursing and served on a medical research team at NASA. She loved working for the agency, and friends say she treasured photgraphs of herself with astronauts and other colleagues. Diana began writing during her career at NASA and published some scientific articles; her recent work included a literary novel.

Diana served as PWP Treasurer, appeared with PWP President Tom A. Wright on Prescott Access Channel 13 to promote the group, and handled registration for the Lawrence Block workshop at the Prescott Book Festival in 2005. Despite the challenges of chronic pain caused by an auto accident and the psychological pain of her daughter's early death, she always "did whatever she did thoroughly and superbly."  She mentioned to a writer friend that she loved birds, but was unable to pursue birding as a hobby due to her disability.

We at PWP wish you wings to fly!

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Photo of Diana Houston ©2007, by Susan Lanning.