Newly released! The last in the Quinn Trilogy, No Promise for Tomorrow by Thomas E. Simmons!

In 1917, when all the world was waiting with bated breath to see if the United States would come the rescue of Europe, Lt. Ansel Quinn is assigned to the French Army Headquarters in Paris as a neutral observer. This sets off an unimaginable chain of events affecting his new wife, Isabel, in international intrigue, and a family’s struggles across the twenty short years between the end of World War I, a period that includes the influenza epidemic, the roaring twenties, prohibition, the great depression, and the start of World War II.

 

Thomas E. Simmons grew up in Gulfport, Mississippi, attended Marion Military Institute, the U. S. Naval Academy, the University of Southern Mississippi, and the University of Alabama. Tom was once the commercial captain of a seventy-foot sailing vessel, has been a pilot since the age of sixteen, (3000 plus hours in the air), has flown professionally, and participated in air shows flying aerobatics in open-cockpit bi-planes. In the late 1950s, he served as an artillery officer in Korea. He is the author of The Man Called Brown Condor, Forgotten Heroes of World War II: Personal Accounts of Ordinary Soldiers Land, Sea and Air, Escape from Archangel, By Accident of Birth, The Last Quinn Standing, and the last of the Quinn Trilogy, No Promise for Tomorrow. He has also written numerous magazine articles, an example of which, “Growing Up with Mr. Faulkner,” was published in The Oxford American, a literary magazine founded by John Grisham.

  

Bracha Goetz’s Searching for God in the Garbage is #3 on Frupping’s 8 Books Every Woman in their Thirties Should Read!

Bracha Goetz’s Searching for God in the Garbage is #3 on Frupping’s 8 Books Every Woman in their Thirties Should Read! https://fupping.com/taegan/2018/10/20/8-books-every-woman-in-their-30s-should-read/


Bracha Goetz is the author of 37 books to help children’s souls shine: http://www.amazon.com/author/spiritualkidsbooks-brachagoetz and the new memoir for adults only, Searching for God in the Garbage

Grand event and those to come for Rochelle Wisoff-Fields!

Rochelle Wisoff-Fields sold out of her new companion coffee table book for the Havah Gitterman series, A Stone for the Journey. A compilation of excerpts and stores behind the characters, places, and events surrounding Please Say Kaddish For Me, From Silt and Ashes, and As One Must, One Can, it makes the stories come alive, giving you insight and visualization.

Her second interview with Dr. Paul Reeves on Impact Radio will air Monday, Oct 29th at 11:00 Eastern Time. http://www.impactradiousa.com

“ANOREXIA (Bracha Goetz Story)” on 24 Today!

Brach Goetz, author of Searching for God in the Garbage, opens up about her struggle with anorexia and how she overcame it with Tom Whitesel on 24 Today!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q23pGWLEyM&feature=em-uploademail

Bracha Goetz, author of 37 books to help children’s souls shine:

http://www.amazon.com/author/spiritualkidsbooks-brachagoetz

and the new memoir for adults only, Searching for God in the Garbage

 

Frupping’s Gift Ideas: 16+ Gift Ideas Starting with ‘S’!! Searching for God in the Garbage by Bracha Goetz!

Frupping’s Gift Ideas: 16+ Gift Ideas Starting with ‘S’!! Searching for God in the Garbage

Perhaps you have a friend named Sam and you want to get them a gift beginning with an S? Here are 16+ awesome gifts that begin with the letter S. https://fupping.com/benskute/2018/10/13/gift-ideas-16-gifts-that-start-with-the-letter-s/

#1 Searching for God in the Garbage Searching for God in the Garbage by Bracha Goetz is a great and unique gift because it is a candid new memoir that chronicles how to overcome food addictions joyfully – and spiritually.

Two opportunities to meet Jennifer Johnson, author of The Kingdom Child, and the family who inspired the book!

The Allen Family

Wednesday, November 14th 4:30 pm-6:30 pm Barnes & Noble Location: 16535 Southwest Freeway, Sugar Land Texas 77479

Join us for pumpkin spiced lattes and a book signing event, featuring The Kingdom Child. Come meet both the Allen family and author Jennifer Johnson for this heart-felt event.

***

Tuesday, December 4th @ 7pm Windsor Valley United Methodist Church Location: 6011 W. Orem Drive, Houston Texas 77085

Book signing event and hear the heart-felt faith story shared by the Allen family.

 

4 out of 4 stars review of Cry For Rain by Melineh Petrosian by Online Book Club!

4 out of 4 stars review of Cry For Rain by Melineh Petrosian by Online Book Club!

Cry for Rain by Melineh Petrosian is a deeply moving memoir, the true story of the author’s life as she grew up as a minority in an Armenian Christian family in the tumultuous environment of Iran from the late 60’s through early 80’s. The political and religious upheaval of the country mirrored the state of protagonist Ariana’s home where she and her siblings suffered abuse at the hands of their mentally unstable mother. They lived in a perpetual state of fear of Mom’s next rampage. Her unpredictable anger stole their childhoods, leaving them no safe place to find shelter. The unrest at home was as disturbing as the turmoil of the country. How can a young girl escape, or even survive, such adversity and hardship?

My least favorite part of this book was the fact that it is a true story. Honestly, it was hard to read about the cruelty Ariana faced not only at home but also at school and even by the doctor! She faced fear of kidnappings and bombings on the outside and beatings while at home. She had brief respites from the fear when Papa was home, but most of the time he was away trying to earn money for the family to survive. Ariana suffered much loss—friends, family members, and dreams. I was angry that Papa was aware of the vicious behavior of his wife yet took no action to protect his children. Whether he felt powerless to change the situation or prideful to avoid disgrace, there is no excuse.

Thankfully, there are many reasons to give praise to Cry for Rain. Before reading this book, I had little to no knowledge of the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Through Ariana’s story, I learned about this piece of history—the Shah’s dictatorship, the SAVAK’s practices of torture and execution, and the shift to an Islamic Republic ruled by Khomeini. In addition, I learned about Armenian traditions related to weddings and Christmas. For example, it is tradition for a male family member to block the door and insist on payment to allow the bride to leave her family’s home.

In addition to the opportunity to expand my knowledge of history and culture, I appreciated the author’s writing style. Petrosian’s love for poetry is evidenced in her writing as she masterfully weaves similes and metaphors into the narrative. “Mom is a quiet storm brewing” and “her eyes [are] cutting daggers” as well as “dark voids of hate” are a few examples. Beyond that, the editing of the book is practically flawless. I found only one missing period in the entire book. I would only suggest adding a table of contents and removing blank pages between chapters which were present in the pdf version I read. I hope the author decides to write a sequel to document how she moves forward, how she finds the strength to forgive, and how God redeems her past.

In conclusion, I heartily award 4 out of 4 stars to Petrosian’s Cry for Rain. It’s a story not easily forgotten that raises thought-provoking questions such as “What is freedom?”. If you are sensitive to domestic violence or terrorism, you may want to pass on this one. However, I recommend it to anyone who is interested in Armenian culture, Iranian history, or anyone who enjoys stories of overcoming adversity and finding hope. This story will raise awareness of childhood abuse, increase your empathy, and elicit gratitude for the blessings you enjoy.

Cry For Rain  www.OnlineBookClub.org
View: on Bookshelves

Outstanding review for The Antiquities Dealer by Ed Protzel — The Book Review Crew — Authors on the Air! 

Outstanding review for The Antiquities Dealer (available on Kindle now; print November 5th) by Ed Protzel — The Book Review Crew — Authors on the Air — October 4, 2018 — Facebook. Tune in for the live interview on Authors on the Air, Wed. December 12th @ 4:30 pm Central.

Authors on the Air

Compelling Hosts.  Fascinating Guests. Intelligent Commentary. Broadcasting to a Worldwide Audience. Authors On The Air Global Radio Network is an international digital media corporation comprised of radio talk shows, podcasts, book reviews and anthology publishing. There are 3 million listeners in 40 countries and 1 + million social media friends. Podcasts. ​https://www.blogtalkradio.com/authorsontheair https://soundcloud.com/authorsontheair

​Book Review Crew

September 30 at 9:18 AM ·

The Antiquities Dealer
Ed Protzel
Mystery, thriller, suspense
300 pages

David Greenberg, owner of an Antiquity Gallery in St. Louis, receives a call from Miriam Solomon. She was the love of his life who moved to Israel with his best friend, Solly, 20 years ago, without any explanation. Solly has committed suicide, and Miriam needs David’s help to find the last existing nail from Jesus’ crucifixion to pursue Solly’s important scientific research, which she insists will benefit mankind.

This is a fast-paced, action-packed story that is a real page turner. Intrigue and suspense abound from the start, and the author never lets up right to the finish line. An interesting and informative look at Israel, and the factions of Jews/Muslims/Christians contribute to the storyline. Very well written, I highly recommend this book.

 

Permian basin Writer’s Conference

A Note from the Chair

After almost a year of planning, I’m so excited the workshop is almost here! Get ready for an intense weekend of learning, networking and fun!

Here are a few tips to make your conference experience even better:

  • The classrooms can be chilly—you might want to bring a shawl or a sweater
  • Even if you don’t know anyone—even if you’re an introvert—try to meet others in the atrium and the workshops. They may be as shy as you, and you could make a friend/writing contact! Easy ice-breaker: ‘So, what do you write?’
  • If you’re pitching, you’ll want to dress professionally, but be sure you’re comfortable. Especially your footwear.
  • The workshop is put on by The Bookies. If you’re lost, or have a question, just look for the turquoise ‘Event Sponsor’ ribbon on our badges. We’re here to help!
  • There will be books for sale, by both the workshop presenters and craft books, made available by Barnes & Noble. Please support both! NOTE: In regard to the presenter’s books,  we can only take cash, and checks – no credit cards.
  • Be sure to make our Meet ‘n Greet Saturday, downtown at our host hotel, the Doubletree. Just ask us if you need directions. There will be a no-host bar and appetizers. It’s a chance to rub shoulders with the presenters, agents, organizers and other writers. You won’t want to miss this!
  • If you live in the local area, be sure to check out the Bookies flyer in your registration bag. We are a supportive group of writers with lots of knowledge, and membership just may take your writing to the next level!
  • We’ve been cognizant of food allergies in planning the menu. There should be something everyone will be able to eat. Don’t miss the snacks!
  • Your feedback is essential to improving the Writers Workshop, so we’ve made it easy for you to provide it. Simply go to:  permianbasinwritersworkshop.org/2018-feedback and answer a few simple questions.

Don’t forget, if there’s anything we can do to make your conference experience better, simply flag down a Bookie.

Laura Drake
PBWW Chair

WELCOME!

Schedule

Saturday Oct. 13th

8:15 – 9:00
Registration & Continental Breakfast provided
9:00 – Noon
Margie Lawson Workshop
Noon – 1:00
Lunch Provided
1:00 – 5:00
Margie Lawson Workshop
2:30
Snack provided

5:30 – 7:30
Meet & Greet for all instructors, agents and registrants at the Doubletree, downtown Midland. Come mingle and talk writing!

Sunday Oct. 14th

.

7:30 – 8:15 Continental Breakfast Provided
8:15 – 9:30 Session 1  (4 workshops)
  • What if Your Dialog Wasn’t Terrible? – Stephen Graham Jones
  • How to Launch Your Writing Career Quickly – David Farland
  • To Publish or Not to Publish – B. Alan Buorgeoi
  • Pushing Your Character – Reavis Wortham
9:45 – 11:00 Session 2 (4 workshops)
  • And Now We Come to The End – Stephen Graham Jones
  • World Building – David Farland
  • Coming Up with and Expanding Story Ideas – Kristen Martin
  • Memoir – a Two-Way Mirror – Donna Johnson
11:15 – 12:30 Session 3 (2 workshops and agent panel)
  • Make Your Words Count – Reavis Wortham
  • How to Use Web-Based Books to Build Business – Arlene Gale
  • Agent Panel
    • Jeanie Loiacono
    • Kimberly Jago
    • Nicole Payne
12:30 – 1:15 Lunch Provided
1:15 – 2:30 Session 4 (4 workshops)
  • Build a Character-Build a Book/part 1 – Christie Craig
  • Legal Issues for Authors – Manning Wolfe
  • Stop Dreading Outlining – Kristen Martin
  • Humor in Personal Narrative – Donna Johnson
2:00 Snack Provided
2:45 – 4:00 Session 5 (4 workshops)
  • Build a Character-Build a Book/part 2 – Christie Craig
  • How To Book –  Arlene Gale
  • Marketing Renegade Style – B. Alan Buorgeois
  • Writing a Thriller – Manning Wolfe

Speaker Spotlight:  Donna Johnson
You may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
You may find yourself in another part of the world
You may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
You may find yourself in a beautiful house with a beautiful wife
You may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?

Once in a Life Time, Talking Heads

Deepening the Narrative: Making meaning in memoir
By Donna M. Johnson
We tell ourselves stories in order to live. Joan Didion opened her essay entitled The White Album with this line, this thought. Read on and you’ll discover that what she means, in part, is that we tell ourselves stories in order to understand what we’ve lived. Memoir or personal narrative exists to ask the big questions: who am I, what shaped me and how is it shaping me still. Or, as the old Talking Heads’ song asks—My god, how did I get here.

Too many of us try to answer with lock step accounts of historical events. We think of memoir as a simple (and simplistic) recounting of what happened. At its best, memoir goes far beyond that. It seeks to capture the imprint the outside world makes on the internal world of the individual. The writer Vivian Gornick divides memoir into two parts, the situation and the story. The situation is essentially what happened, the story is the meaning you bring to what happened. It’s the insight you have into the situation, the connection and resonance between an event or a set of events and the rest of your life.

The true art of memoir navigates between the external world of events and the internal world of meaning. Memoir contains two I’s, the I who existed in the past and the I who remembers the past. The narrator is always this second I, the one with enough distance from the past to put it into context. You tell the story from your current perspective rather than from the perspective of your five-year-old self. This more experienced voice functions as the reliable narrator. From this perspective the writer can move beyond situation and create a sense of inquiry that allows her or him to approach the real story.

We’ve all heard the cliché, Show Don’t Tell. It comes from the world of fiction and it’s drilled into us from our first creative writing class. It’s a good rule of thumb in fiction where story is woven from a series of connecting scenes and interpretation of meaning is left up to the reader. Personal narrative involves a more complex storytelling. Memoir writers must show and tell. (See Phillip Lopate’s To Show and to Tell: The Craft of Literary Nonfiction.) We show the reader what happened through scene. We tell the reader why these scenes are important through reflection. Meaning is often explicit.

Some work relies heavily on reflection while other work emphasizes scene. The trick is to not linger so long or so close up in scene that moving into meaning-making becomes awkward. One way to move from scene to reflection is to bring in outside sources. In her moving memoir The Long Goodbye, Meghan O’Rourke moves between recounting her grief at losing her mother to cancer and examining the literature of death and loss. She goes beyond the facts of what happened and begins to question and make sense of her experience by placing it within a more universal context.

Our stories are larger and deeper than the events of our histories. We sense this intuitively. That’s why it’s hard to summon an answer when friends ask what our books are really about. The story, the real meaning of our lives, can’t be summed up in plot points. It resists summary. The beauty and strength of memoir is that it provides a literary form that enables us to approach the mystery of how we came to be who we are.

The facts are just the beginning.
Donna M. Johnson is the author of Holy Ghost Girl, a memoir critically acclaimed by the New York Times, O Magazine, Texas Monthly, Beliefnet, NPR’s Interfaith Voices, People and many other publications. Donna’s work has been collected in several anthologies including Beyond Belief. She has written about religion, family and culture for Psychology Today, Shambhala Sun, Huffington Post, The Rumpus, the Dallas Morning News, the Austin American Statesman and other publications. She lives in Austin where she teaches writing workshops and is currently at work on a project that combines investigative journalism with personal narrative.

AGENT’S CORNER

Nicole Payne

Literary Agent at Golden Wheat Literary

Nicole Payne joined the Golden Wheat Literary team in 2016, having interned there prior. With an education in biology and forensic science, that’s maybe why she now uses her background to investigate for new books. It must be in her DNA.

She is primarily interested in young adult, new adult and adult fiction, leaning more towards the following genres: literary fiction, speculative fiction, romance, romantic comedy, mysteries, contemporary, suspense, and thriller. However, if the writing and story are amazing, she’s quick to snatch up exceptions. All she desires is a book that will take her on an adventure in its pages, whether it be a physical, spiritual or emotional one.

The Permian Basin Writers Workshop is brought to you by:

Bookies meetings are informal and low-key, but informative and purposeful. Typically, we have a guest speaker with tips on some aspect of writing or publishing. Dress is casual, with no admission charge.
Other member benefits include:
* Monthly newsletter
* Annual Writers Workshop
* Social media support
* Shared marketing opportunities
* Feedback from pros
* Industry connections
* Website                       
* Fun social events
All this and more, for just $35 a year. To learn more, visit our website, or visit a meeting.

Thank You For Support

Permian Basin Writers’ Workshop is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and is brought to you by the Permian Basin Bookies in collaboration Midland College. Financial support has been provided by the following generous patrons. Please contact us if you would like to provide financial support.

Abell-Hanger Foundation logo
Rea Charitable Trust logo
FMH Foundation logo