Brenda Kay Ledford Featured in The Laurel of Asheville

 

Brenda Kay Ledford's book, "The Singing Convention," is featured in "The Laurel of Asheville," August, 2021 issue.

Her  book is available at the Shelton House Museum; Waynesville, NC and The Beal Center; Hayesville,  NC.

Awesome Open Mic 7 30 21

Reminding people that I'm still here and to give people an idea of what another kind of Open Mic Night is like. I hope to have a much bigger crowd next time.

Have you taken an online writing course?

If you have not taken an online writing course, I suggest you read this post on the NCWN blog. 

http://www.ncwriters.org/whitecross/2021/07/27/pandemic-jones/

Jeremy B. Jones,  a professor at Western Carolina University and author of Bearwallow: A Personal History of a Mountain Homeland (Blair, 2014), was interviewed by Gretchen Thomas. She asked him about teaching online during the pandemic and asked for good advice for writers. As writers, we all have judged ourselves on whether our work was accepted or rejected. I like Jones' comment on this and found it to be my philosophy as well.

What do you think?

If you have taken an online course, please tell us about it. You can email or leave a comment below. 

We have been asked to do a poetry online course. Would you be interested? Catherine Carter would be the instructor.

Your Correct Email Address

 To all members of NCWN-West,

Please be sure you update your email address with the Network if you have made a change recently or if you have recently renewed your membership. 

Some complain that they do not get reminders to renew membership, and I find that often the emails I send are not opened or delivered due to a wrong email address. 

To get the full benefit of your membership in both NCWN and NCWN-West, we need your current email address. 

Visit charles@ncwriters.org or Deonna@ncwriters.org to be sure your membership is up to date and your information is all correct.

Don't be left out

Some of you who have been members for a long time are no longer on the list I receive from NCWN because you have not renewed. If you are not on the list, you will not receive emails from Netwest nor the Network.

I am deleting old membership lists so only the latest lists will be in my computer and only those people will get the news about events that are local as well as those that are statewide.

If you subscribe to this site, you can see most of what is offered each month. Take a minute to do that.

See you on Zoom for Writers Night Out in August when our guest will be Kanute Rarey, storyteller, writer, and man of many talents. Members will be sent the link to attend.

Glenda Beall

Program Coordinator for NCWN-West

glendabeall@msn.com

gcbmountaingirl@gmail.com 

 

Carroll S. Taylor to be Featured Reader at Mountain Wordsmiths

Mountain Wordsmiths’ host, Carroll S. Taylor, will be the featured reader for the group on Thursday morning, July 22, at 10:30 a.m.

This event, sponsored by North Carolina Writers’ Network-West, is being held via Zoom because of COVID concerns. We hope to meet again in person in the Fall of 2021; however, we are happy that not only local writers are attending our meetings but writers outside our state are also joining us.

Carroll S. Taylor

Carroll Taylor grew up on a dirt road in rural West Central Georgia. A graduate of Tift College (Mercer University), she holds graduate degrees in French, English, and Educational Leadership. She retired after teaching for over forty years. 

She is the author of two young adult novels, Chinaberry Summer and Chinaberry Summer: On the Other Side. Her books emphasize generational storytelling and her love for reptiles and amphibians. Her children’s book, Feannag the Crow, introduces young readers to the joy of making new friends. Her poem, “Final Wishes,” is included in a newly released anthology, Poems to Lift You Up and Make You Smile. Her poetry has also appeared in The Reach of Song published by the Georgia Poetry Society and in the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International's online gallery.

She and her husband live in Hiawassee, Georgia, and she’s always finding adventures, whether it’s standing on Prime Meridian, studying in Oxford, watching alligators in the Okefenokee Swamp, or hoping to be photobombed by Nessie while sailing on Loch Ness.

Taylor is a member of  North Carolina Writers’ Network-West and the Georgia Poetry Society. Readers may find her journal blog at chinaberrysummer.com and follow her at Facebook/chinaberrysummer.

Mountain Wordsmiths meets on the fourth Thursday of each month. We welcome those who were regulars at Coffee with the Poets and Writers which met at Moss Memorial Library prior to COVID-19 restrictions. 

Those wishing to attend Mountain Wordsmiths may contact Carroll Taylor at vibiaperpetua@gmail.com to receive the Zoom link. Anyone who wishes to participate in Open Mic may sign up upon entering the meeting, and we welcome those who would simply like to listen to the beauty of wordsmithing.

Jackson County (virtual) Open Mic night July 30th

The Jackson County branch of NCWN-West, in partnership with City Lights Bookstore, will host the  monthly Open Mic night via Zoom on Friday, July 30th.  The link will open at 7:00 p.m., but the reading will probably start after 7:15.  For the link, please e-mail Jackson County reps Matt Nelson (mattnelson.poet01@gmail.com), Catherine Carter (ccarter@email.wcu.edu), or City Lights Bookstore in Sylva (more@citylightsnc.com).  We hope to see some of you there and hear your new work! 

FESTIVAL ON THE SQUARE 2021

Carroll S. Taylor and Hugh Taylor

In spite of a rainy day Friday, Carroll and Hugh Taylor and I put up our tent, tables and chairs to create a booth at the annual Festival on the Square. 

This delightful event is sponsored by the Clay County Historical and Arts Council in Clay County North Carolina. Over 70 artists and crafters set up their booths around and on the historic square that surrounds the old Courthouse which has been renovated and is now a convention center with the name, The Beal Center. 

NCWN-West has been a part of this festival for years and this year has been one of the most successful for our authors and for Netwest. We gave away brochures and sold lots of books on both days.

Carroll Taylor was kept busy talking to those interested in her young adult novels and Feannag, the Crow, her picture book. Echoes Across the Blue Ridge was popular with the out of state visitors. Tourists wanted to take home this book from the mountains. Brenda Kay Ledford found visitors interested in her new picture book, The Singing Convention.

The small town of Hayesville, NC hosts thousands of guests as the folks from Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama and surrounding states vacation here in this scenic area. A young couple from California dropped by, extremely interested in our booth.

People signed up for our giveaways every two hours and asked to be put on our mailing lists. 

Appreciation goes out to Bob Grove,  Brenda Kay Ledford, Jim Davis, and Anne Wheeler for staffing the booth along with Glenda Beall and Carroll on Saturday.

On Sunday, a new member, Raven Chiong enjoyed meeting fellow members and talking with anyone interested in writing. She also used this opportunity to purchase books.

Joan Howard was another member who worked in the booth and was there when the big rain came. Joan is a supportive member of Netwest and volunteers to help when she is needed. She is a poet whose poems I recommend.

Caesar Campana, a member for only a year, helped with taking down the booth. His wife, Monica, sat at a book table. Check out his Amazon page to learn more about this novelist.

In spite of the on again and off again showers both days, the writers did not fold their tent and leave. When table cloths were soaked, they were removed and books were put back on the bare tables. 

This event is wonderful for networking with others. We met the new owners of Curiosity Books in Murphy, NC. They want writers to come by and talk with them. They are interested in books by local writers. 

All booths were directed to stay open until 4:00 PM Sunday. When the time came to break it all down, Hugh and Caesar made short order of folding the tent and chairs and loading it all in Hugh's truck. 

 

Carroll and Hugh endured rain showers but saved the books and brochures.

This event would not have happened without Carroll Taylor and the support of her husband Hugh. Carroll's novels sold well and her bright display drew attention to our booth. She is very good at meeting people and discussing NCWN-West. 

This event serves several purposes for writers. It shows we are a strong active part of the community and we welcome new people. Because we are open to the public, beginning writers and those who are a little hesitant to join a writers' group find they are comfortable with our members. That is very important when speaking to novice writers. I am sure we will have new members after this weekend.

Often out of state visitors discover NCWN at this festival and find that they can join even if they don't live in North Carolina. Our brochures, designed by Meagan Lucas, are filled with information, and they were in the hands of everyone who stopped to speak at our booth.

See photos of the booth and the people who managed it this weekend.

Brenda Kay Ledford and Carroll Taylor ready to meet festival-goers

Our poster, Books by Local Authors, 
drew attention from the passersby

 

Caesar Campana and Raven Chiong work the Sunday afternoon shift

Photos by Glenda Beall, Carroll Taylor and Raven Chiong.

Glenda Beall and Raven Chiong

Dr. Bill Everett Featured at Writers' Night Out, July 9 ZOOM

NCWN-West presents
Bill Everett
Writer, Woodworker & Former Ethics Professor

Writers' Night Out via Zoom

July 9, 7 pm
Reading & Discussion + Open Mic

With a Yale Divinity School BD and a Harvard PhD, William Johnson Everett taught ethics in theological seminaries and graduate schools for over 30 years. During that time, he published seven books and many articles in English and German on ethical issues in religion and society. His teaching took him to Milwaukee, Atlanta, and Boston as well as Germany, India, and South Africa. In 2001 he turned to literary fiction, poetry, and woodworking.

This fall Everett’s “expository memoir” Making My Way in Ethics, Worship, and Wood is forthcoming. He frames the book around the cultural contexts that have shaped his life. In Red Clay, Blood River (2008), Everett put his inter-continental experience into a wide-ranging historical novel about connections between America’s “Trail of Tears” and South Africa’s “Great Trek.” The book is written from an ecological standpoint, in which Earth is the narrator. Everett’s poetry collection is Turnings: Poems of Transformation (2013). Both his ethics and his poetry explore the ways we give shape and meaning to our thoughts, feelings, and actions within the mysterious powers of creativity and love that undergird our existence. He also co-authored with his friend John de Gruchy, Sawdust and Soul: A Conversation about Woodworking and Spirituality. For more of his writing, you can follow Everett's blog, www.WilliamEverett.com.

Everett also creates furniture for worship settings, focusing on round communion tables that symbolize circle dynamics of reconciliation. Visit www.WisdomsTable.net for more information and to see photos of his work and also the textiles and mosaics of his wife Sylvia, who uses these media to explore spiritual, religious, and feminist themes. He and Sylvia live in Waynesville, NC.  

Zoom Link & Open Mic
3-4 minute maximum of poetry or prose (2 poems only, please)

For the Zoom link, please email Glenda Beall.  To sign up for Open Mic, please send Glenda an email with a sentence she can use to introduce you. glendabeall@msn.com

Writers' Night Out is on the second Friday of every month.

We will continue via Zoom for now. 
 

 Some time in 2021, we hope to continue in person at our new location:

The Ridges Resort on Lake Chatuge 
so please check your email.

 

But don't wait, join the fun and camaraderie on Zoom! 

Upcoming guests:
Aug 13: Kanute Rarey
September 10: Michael Diebert
Oct 8: John Clarke (from England!)

Jackson branch Open Mic--trying again!

After technical difficulties derailed us last month, the virtual edition of the Jackson County branch's monthly Open Mic is now scheduled for this coming Friday, July 2nd.  The link will open at 7:00 pm, and the event will begin at 7:30.  Participants are invited to read their work for a supportive and friendly audience; there may be a time limit on readings, but that depends largely on how many readers we have.  For the Zoom link, please contact City Lights Bookstore in Sylva, NC, Jackson County reps Matt Nelson at mattnelson.poet01@gmail.com and Catherine Carter at ccarter@email.wcu.edu.  If Catherine's link has problems, Matt will be standing by with a secondary link to host from his location.

We can't offer snacks in the virtual environment, alas, but on the bright side you have complete choice of snack in your own homes.  Come out and say hello!

NEWS FROM NETWEST

NOW HEAR THIS:

Carroll Taylor will staff an NCWN-West booth at the Festival on the Square in Hayesville, NC on July 9,10, 11.

This is a large festival that brings thousands of people to our historic and beautiful town. Members who want to bring a few books to sell can contact Carroll for instructions. The number of titles will be limited due to a shortage of space. If you plan to come for the weekend and spend both days at the booth, be sure to let Carroll know. You can reach her by phone: 1 706-896-7363 or email: vibiaperpetua@gmail.com. The space in the booth will be limited. 

More News from NCWN-West

We are excited to have William Elliott, a man of wood and words, as our guest on July, 9,  7:00 PM for Writers' Night Out on Zoom. Mark your calendars now. This is a man of varied talents and abilities, a writer and poet and educator and man who works with his hands.

"In my teaching career, I authored eight books and numerous articles in social ethics and religion. After over thirty years of academic work — in Germany, India, and South Africa as well as in the United States — I wanted to turn my hand to writing that was more poetic and expressive. I also wanted a more viable balance between my work with words and my work with wood, especially furniture for worship settings."

 I suggest you travel around his website  http://williameverett.com/  and learn more about him so you can ask questions the night he appears on Writers' Night Out. He and I will have a conversation and he will read some of his work. You will find it most interesting, I'm sure.

If you don't receive the link to join us before July 5, please email me at, glendabeall@msn.com and I will send you the invitation. 

Interview with P.C. Zick (Patricia Zick) multi-genre author

 

Recently, the prolific author, P.C. Zick was our guest on Writer’s Night Out. She agreed to an interview for our Netwest Writers site. Thank you so much, Pat, for this interview. We know you are a busy person and our readers will learn that, too, when they read this post.

GCB: Your bio says you have a home in Tallahassee, Florida. Are you from Florida originally?

PCZ: Anyone who hears me speak can tell after about five seconds that I was not raised in the south because I’ve never lost my Michigan nasal twang. I was born and raised in a small Michigan town but moved to north Florida forty years ago.

GCB: You have a series of books set in Florida. Will you tell us about them?  

PCZ: I have three books in my Florida Fiction series. They are a series because they address the same themes about Florida’s environment, wildlife (both human and animal), and impacts of development upon the landscape. Setting plays a huge role in all my novels as I use it to move plot, set mood, and characterize the folks populating the fiction. All three books contain elements of my life as a journalist, feature writer, and public relations director for Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission as I used research done for assignments as the seed for the plots in these novels.

GCB: When did you begin spending your summers here in Western NC? Why did you choose this area? Which books did you write that are inspired by this region?

PCZ: We bought our cabin in 2015 in the Peachtree area outside Murphy, NC. Around the same time, I was under obligation to write a Christmas romance for a multi-author boxset. I hadn’t chosen a setting yet, but when I sat on my front porch overlooking the surrounding mountains, setting chose me. I loved the community of people I created for that book so much I continued to write three more sweet romances set in the fictional town of Laurel, NC, in western NC. These four books make up my Smoky Mountain Romance series.

GCB: Have you always been a writer or wanted to be a writer, or did you come to writing later in life?

PCZ: A little bit of both. I’ve always wanted to be a writer, but I wasn’t able to admit it to anyone until my late forties when my first book was published.

GCB: You wear many writerly hats, Pat. You write and publish in many genres. Do you recommend writers be more diverse in their writing? What are the advantages?

PCZ: I believe it’s a personal decision, neither right nor wrong. For me, I diversify to keep me from being bored. Other authors have great success with either keeping to one genre, writing to market, or using different pen names for each genre. It’s more difficult to create a “brand” for marketing when writing such diversified books.

 GCB: You have published romantic fiction, contemporary fiction, and creative nonfiction as well as short stories, articles, columns, and essays.  You are a busy writer. Do you ever feel you have to take a break from writing? If so, what do you do with your time?

PCZ: My writing takes a break from me at times, but I do not adhere to the concept of “writer’s block.” If I’m on deadline, I force myself to write using various techniques such as leaving my routine and writing space to do something different. When not on deadline and writing not coming easily, I read voraciously, watch movies, and even some reality TV. But I’m still a writer as I read, watch, and listen carefully for dialogue, plot devices, and literary techniques. It’s all prewriting!

GCB: You also are known for helping other writers. In what ways do you pass on your knowledge about writing?

PCZ: So many people from teachers to editors to other writers have assisted me along the way in my career that I feel I have a responsibility to help others. I encourage others to contact me via my website, email, Facebook, Twitter, or phone. I meet folks for coffee or talk on the phone and answer questions. I also have an editing business and help beginning writers take a rough draft through to publication.

That’s why when COVID hit, I decided to pull together all my knowledge on writing and publishing into one reference book, The Author’s Journey: A Road Map for Writers – From Draft to Published Book. It can be used by beginning writers and more experienced writers both as a handy reference. If I don’t answer the question, I provide an extensive bibliography for further information.

GCB: That is a wonderful book for any writer, but especially new writers. I recommend it to my students.

GCB: We always want to know the writer’s method of writing and publishing. Do you have certain times of day you write? Do you write every day?

PCZ: When I’m in the throes of writing a novel, I write every day after I clear my desk of emails and social media marketing. Even if I only spend a few minutes on the book, I consider it something. It might be research or tweaking what I wrote the day before, but I feel it’s crucial to keep at it, so time isn’t wasted going back and trying to remember what has happened previously. I consider everything I put to paper a form of writing, so in that way, I’m constantly stretching and practicing my craft. I even handwrite cards I send via snail mail to cheer folks or share news in a creative way.

GCB: Where are your books sold, Pat? Can we find them locally or where can we order them?

PCZ: My books are all available on Amazon in both eBook and paperback. Some are available for wider distribution with other major online retailers. Also, most of my books are now available on Audible. Folks can search “PC Zick” on Amazon and other retailers. Just click on my name and it takes you to my retail page. Also, visit pczick.com and all my books and their purchase sites are listed along with access to my editing website, The Manuscript Doctor.

GCB: Thank you so much for being with us, Pat. We always enjoy learning more about our members of NCWN-West and we look forward to hearing more from you on Mountain Wordsmiths with Carroll Taylor, Thursday, June 24.

PCZ: Thank you, Glenda. Your support of local writers is greatly appreciated. I’m looking forward to Mountain Wordsmiths on June 24 where I will read from my current work in progress, The Grateful Fates.

Big News from NCWN-West member, Bob Brooks

 Dear Writers:

With glee, I share the press release announcing the publication (actually the ebook only at the moment) of my espionage novel Clean Copy.  Many of you have participated in the honing of this work, a first novel I began over twenty years ago.  Some may recall that the bad guys were originally from Japan.  Time marches on.

Press Release Clean Copy

Local Author Releases Fourth Novel

Pisgah Forest, NC resident Bob Brooks has released his fourth novel Clean Copy on 15 June 2021.  Published by Next Chapter Publishing, London, U.K. as a digital book to be followed by print and audible versions, Clean Copy is a fiction work spanning several genres, including thriller, espionage, and science fiction. 

“This is a tale for the reader who likes action and adventure,” said Brooks.  “In my short promotion pitch for Clean Copy, I capture this notion: The science of brain-recording and modification sparks international espionage, kidnapping, and murder.  And salvation by a robot.

Clean Copy is highly topical, dealing with the theft of technology by China, a topic in the daily news.  In this fictional treatment, the technology leads to modification of human behavior, an achievement that could transform society and transform military capabilities. 

 “The challenge was to capture this cerebral threat in a personal tale of interest to my readers,” Brooks said.  “I made this a story of Peter Valois, who leads a comfortable life as a scientist on a hot project recording brains in a San Diego company.  Staying on the straight and narrow has given him a comfortable life until his druggie teenage son forces risk-taking.  Especially when a ruthless but alluring spy Antoinette Marino uses the son for blackmail.”

Brooks has been writing since college and seriously in retirement.  His short stories in the science fiction, fantasy, and mystery categories have appeared in printed and ezine formats, including Bewildering Stories, Aurora Wolf, Quantum Muse, and The Great Smokies Review. 

Leo Publishing published his first novel, a fantasy entitled Justi the Gifted, in 2015, and this was followed in 2017 by The Clown Forest Murders (Black Opal Books), a mystery co-authored with A.C. Brooks.  

The third novel The Gifted Spawn (Escarpment Press) appeared in 2021.  He is a member of The Appalachian Roundtable, The Blueridge Writers Group, and NC Writers Network.  He is a judge for the Eric M. Hoffer Awards for small and independent published books and served as judge for Brevard Little Theater’s play competition.  His website is www.brooks-authors.com.

Brooks’ novels are available in paperback and electronic versions from booksellers.  Paperbacks can be ordered from your local bookstore.

 

Take a look:

Digital book Amazon Clean Copy

http://mybook.to/cleancopy