Writers' Groups   April14, 2013

Writing has taught me so much more than learning to become an author. I have met the most remarkable people who are generous with their advice as well as their praise. And, much of what these strangers have given me is confidence to continue. You see, it seems that most of us are in the same boat. We write because we want to and because we enjoy it but selling and promoting our books is the difficult part.It is ongoing and time consuming.
Today I went to a book fair at Martha Clara Vineyards hosted by the Long Island Authors Group. It was wonderful to see so many authors and talk about their motivations and books. I think that it would be a good organization to join.
My own experience with writers groups has been favorable. It is just that the East End of Long Island is far from most of the meetings. I have joined several small groups over the years. One I left when I moved here. Another that was begun out here years ago disbanded because many of the writers became ill or uninterested. Then, a writing friend that I met at one of the meetings, started one with me. We meet infrequently because of commitments but we are still going to keep going..
Sharing our work in a trusted atmosphere is a good way to get feedback necessary to continue with our writing.

Speaking of people who are generous with their help, I want to point out this site -- http://askdavid.com. 
David will be promoting my book, The Wampum Exchange, soon.

Rosemary McKinley began writing to both entertain and inspire others. Her book, 101 Glimpses of the North Fork and Islands was released in 2009 by History Press. Her short stories, essays and poems have been published online by the Visiting Nurse Association of Long Island and in Lucidity, LI Sounds, Clarity, canvasli.com, Peconic Bay Shopper, Fate Magazine, Examination Anthology, Wormwood Press, Newsday, and The Poet’s Arts.

Her Y/A historical novella, The Wampum Exchange, can be found on Amazon.com and B&N.

http://askdavid.com

Youngest Member of the Family

This is the second time I became a nanny for a grandchild. I offered to do this and I am realizing that many of my friends are doing the same for their grandchildren. Grandpa is supporting the decision and is helping out as much as he can, as well. This task requires an hour and a half drive and a 2 day stay for about eight months. Is it all worth it? Yes, it is.
As far as my writing goes, it will still be there. I do have a project in the works but I have put it on the back burner for now. Many have told me that I am making a sacrifice. Yet every time I hold this infant, I am thrilled that I have the time, health and will to do this. We are bonding as we walk to and from my friend's  home. We also have fun reading books and playing together. Of course at this age I am reading and the baby is looking at the pictures and smiling at the attention. I can say with conviction that it is all worth it. I will look back at the time I spent with her as a cherished part of my life as a grandmother. 

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