Good News
With what is going on in the world, we all like to hear good news. Well here is some good writing news.

Whispering Angel Books has accepted two of my poems: Tabula Rasa(clean slate) and Child of My Child
 in their anthology, Littlest Blessings. It was released in September.

Also I have re-released my Y/A historical fiction novella, The Wampum Exchange. It is available as a print book on Amazon.com, B& N and other sites. It has a new cover.

Grandma was offered a job.
A funny thing happened to me while I was promoting my book, The Wampum Exchange. I did a book signing at Harbes Family Farms in Mattituck, Long Island. My novella centers on life in 1650, Southold, New York. I came in costume and talked about how people farmed and made almost everything they needed. I showed drawings of homes, shells and wampum.
Daniel, a twelve-year-old boy, has a chance meeting with a Native American youngster and their lives change in an interesting way. We learn how farming for both communities was so important and how different they lived in other ways.
The owner read my book and offered me a job as a Long Island historian, explaining to school children how people lived back then. It has been both fun and rewarding working with children again. The Living History Corn Maze offers a short history of four famous people who lived here on the East End of the Island.
What a great way to learn history!

Wampum Exchange Interview by Debbie Roppolo

http://t.co/kqHDxVZe

 

Debbie Ropollo's Amelia is featured here. Her two books about this amazing child are well worth reading.

Rosemary

Debbie has  few questions for me:

                                                                                                                         
1: What is the working title of your book?

The Wampum Exchange

 

2: Where did the idea come from for the book

 

While I was researching my first book, 101 Glimpses of the North Fork and Islands, I came across the fact that my town was the first English settlement in New York, That was all I needed to whet my appetite to delve into more history.

 

3: What genre does your book fall under?

 

It is a Y/A historical novella of historical fiction. 4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

 

I don't have any children or adults that I have in mind. 5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

 

This story is about how seventeenth century Daniel meets a challenge of doing the right thing and accepting the consequences, much like a child of today.

 

6: Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? I hope to have my e-book out very soon--self-published.

 

7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? About a year and a half.

 

8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? The Light in the Forest from years ago might be similar.

 

9: Who or what inspired you to write this book? I have always been fascinated by the past and here where I live, I walk by so much early history that I felt compelled to write a fictional story about it.

 

10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

My portrayal of how people lived back then would appeal to many especially because they made almost everything they ate or used. How different it is today! Thanks! Deb View Conversation on Facebook · Reply to this email to message Debbie Roppolo. This message was sent to noonon30@gmail.com. If you don't want to receive these emails from Facebook in the future, please unsubscribe. Facebook, Inc., Attention: Department 415, PO Box 10005, Palo Alto, CA 94303

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Good News
With what is going on in the world, it is refreshing to hear some good news for a change. I have some good writing news. My novella, The Wampum Exchange, is being re-released on Amazon.com and B&N and other sites. Here is a review of my book by Monica at the-readathon@q.com.
The Wampum Exchange by Rosemary McKinley

 "Long Island author, Rosemary McKinley has written a young adult historical novella, The Wampum Exchange, set in 1650, Southold, New
York. A twelve-year-old boy has a chance meeting with a Native American
boy and their worlds connect in a most interesting way. The tale is told
through their daily lives, giving the reader a glimpse into life in
America. Middle grade readers, as well as adults would enjoy reading
this story."

This is a short, fun little story about life in 1650 in Southold, New York. It looks like Ms. McKinley put a lot of time into researching life in that area and in that time period, and it shows in this story. There are some fun facts about the time period woven into the storyline, and I think it's a great way to teach children history. They are learning and they don't know it! I didn't know much about the wampum and so it was fun for me to learn as well. The story is written in a very simple style, but that makes it easy to read. The characters are fairly well developed, and the setting is well described. There are some really good descriptions in the story.

I enjoyed reading this story and will most likely read it to my kids. I have it in e-reader format, so it's not one I can just hand over to them to read. It will be a good time to talk about life during that time period and discuss our country's history, which I definitely enjoy doing. This would be a really good story for elementary school children to read in class, or have read to them. You get a fun story and history included! Of course, it is historical fiction, but it's based on as much fact as Ms. McKinley could find. I liked this story and recommend it, especially to teachers and younger readers.

Rating: G Clean!

Recommendation: Third grade and up.  This would be a great silent read or read-aloud book.

Posted by Monica at 1:36 PM

Whispering Angel Books has accepted two of my poems and these are included in their newest anthology, Littlest Blessings. I have another story, "Max" in another anthology of theirs, Nurturing Paws.

Life certainly does surprise us many times.
Here is one of my poems that says something about that:

Rosemary McKinley

 

The Sea of Life

A person can plan

But the currents of life take

Their own turns and paths

Like enormous curling, pulsing, waves

To the smallest trickles of

Frosted tipped, baby bubbles

Sometimes these tiniest, half ripples

Affect us more

Than the grandiose movements

Of the ebb tide

Published in Lucidity, Vol.21---Winter 2006

Poets Arts Magazine  September 20, 2011

 

 

 

Tolerance

Over the last 20 years I have acquired several friends who are not Christians. When I was growing up, I went to parochial school and looked upon the children who went to the local public schools as "publicans". I did not think that they were good or bad just different than "us". When it was time to choose a college, I wanted to attend a Catholic girls' school. I know my parents were happy about it because they had strict rules. I questioned my choice then especially when I saw what was going on around me in the late 60's.

Years ago, I began to realize that whatever religion you choose or follow does not necessarily make you a better person. I have Protestant friends who never criticize others. They just don't; they are kind. I have Jewish friends who sat with me and listened as I spoke through my tears when my mother was dying. Actually, they became my friends because of our bonding. My fellow Catholic friends also showed great empathy for my situation. All of them supported me when my elderly Dad became ill and needed care. I suppose that I have learned that some people are good souls regardless of their religion. I wish world leaders and fanatics would take heed. Religion should not be used as an excuse to hurt others. No sacred writings teach that, only some humans choose to promote that.

Posted 5 days ago by dreamlady

The End of an Era

Clearing out the family home after my Dad passed away was very emotional for me and my siblings. At times it seemed as if we were obliterating the family's existence. All those happy memories and sounds from the 1950's and 60's came crashing down on me when I was there.  Looking through the pictures and at my Dad's cherished possessions was difficult and also cathartic. I had not thought much about the family celebrations for some time. Then it hit me that we had a wealth of memories and good times saved in our pictures. The festivities were many and rich in food and laughter. A good thing to remember.
I separated all of the pictures by family and gave them to each sibling. What a great way to keep our family alive!
Now that the home is sold, I am not sad any longer. I will always have those funny and not-so funny remembrances to keep me comforted. The house needs another family to call its home. That is important now. Besides, I have written plenty of stories  about life in the quieter and gentler times of the 1950's on 12 Perkins Court. I will not forget them. These, along with the pictures are part of my family's legacy. and what a beautiful one it is.

Sole female on a work crew

My husband, brothers, brother-in-law and I have been improving my Dad's house. There is a lot of physical work to do such as painting, removing ceilings, discarding and lugging wood and junk to the curb and the town dump. Landscaping tasks, such as moving dirt from one place to the other, seeding and moving plants are also part of the detail. All of this work has to be done.
I have been part of the crew since the beginning. I lift what I can and drag the rest. I usually don't like to do any type of gardening but the more helping hands, the better. I definitely get my hands dirty and the bending and pulling makes me stiff the next day. But I am a help. That is the most important result of all of this physical work. We are accomplishing our goal.
I also keep the coffee pot filled and the sandwiches coming. We have to eat so we can continue to work. It feels good to be a  partner to the rest of the crew.

A Man of a few words whose legacy speaks volumes

My Dad passed away on Jan 26, peacefully and on his own terms. He had just returned from  a short hospital stay. He lived a quiet life and an ordinary one as far as people saw. What most people did not see was his devotion to caring for my mother for twenty years and his community work. He never talked about it nor complained about anything. That was my father.
However, he was an active member in the Knights of Columbus, attaining his Fourth degree status. He was President of the Holy Name Society, always helping to raise money for causes in not so glamorous ways. Many years he stood outside supermarkets selling chances for AHRC.  He volunteered as a helper at Bingo every Friday night for years. He was an umpire for the local little league before they were paid for 16 years. In retirement, he was a fifteen year, active volunteer in Glen Cove at the INN. Yes, I would say that my Dad was a community minded person who worked tirelessly for others while rearing five children and in retirement.
Yes, his family will miss him but his life's work is something to be proud of.
Last but not least, he was a public school graduate and WWII veteran who never missed Mass. He did not proclaim his faith but he lived it in quiet ways. What better legacy could he leave?

The Mundane

I don't know for sure how I thought becoming a writer would change my life. I might have been under the impression that there would be a special place I would go and not have to cook, clean, and take out the garbage. Was I wrong! I remember reading that Walter Mosley writes every day in between carpooling, helping with homework and doing all of the every day tasks that we all of have to do. His advice to new writers was that you should write every day and not use your life as an excuse not to. My writing thoughts are usually swirling around in my mind and as soon as I can I write them in my notebook so I won't forget them.
I follow his advice except when I am not near my computer. Thankfully that is not very often.