Writers Explore the Real World and Create New Ones

Jose Vasquez

Jose Vasquez was the winner of the first Writers’ Block writing contest with his entry about the first snow of the year. The wonderful surprise for me in our interview was to learn he has done quite a bit of writing, including music composition and lyrics, and he can sing.

And the man is a ham. Something I never knew about him, but then I haven’t known him all that long. When he learned he'd won the contest he was in San Francisco getting ready to perform at an open mike night.

Jose and his siblings grew up in an environment where learning and applying what you learned was a way of life. He wrote in a recent blog about the Paths that influence and sustain him. It was a reminder of what is important, like his connection to family. Jose and other family members spent the last several months being present for their aging and ailing father, J.D. Vasquez, a well known and well respected educator who passed away at home surrounded by those who loved him most.

Jose had written a chap book about his dad’s life, a wonderful memorial to J.D. and a gift to the family that will be treasured.

Jose also read his wonderful children’s story, The King Who Wanted to be a Jester. As with most children's literature, it is a charming story with a strong message.

Although retired, he spends much of his time writing a blog for Barnabas Institute, the Center for Christian Community, in Santa Fe, and supporting its initiatives. According to the website, The Barnabas Institute is a nondenominational ministry of encouragement that provides inspiration and practical help for people who want to live Christian lives. Jose can be reached by e-mail at c4cc@comcast.com.

Mark Tierno, my call-in guest has created a monumental 13-book epic sci-fi/fantasy novel. Maldene sweeps across the galaxy full of bizarre characters, an evil being whose motives are unfathomable, and a world where the one thing you can expect is the unexpected.

Tierno uses his physics and math background to lend credibility to the strange environment he has created and uses his skill with words to bring to life a myriad of characters.

From the Maldene website: Picture a planet, giant Earth-swallowing sphere, swaddled green with the color of life, the glare of its giant blue star glistening off its atmosphere in colorful, almost aurora-like, bursts of light. Picture three moons in an eternal cosmic dance around this large orb, the smallest colored the blue of Earth’s sky, the next the green of deepest seas, and the largest the yellow of your own home star. Picture the swoop and whirl of these satellites as they leave no part of that orb with a moonless night, yet also none with the multiple romance of more than one. Picture a planet all filled with magic, mystery, and utter strangeness. 

Picture Maldene.

Tune in Tuesday, Feb. 14, for a visit with Tome on the Range manager, Michael Siewert. We’ll be exploring books, books, books, maybe a few about romance, sweethearts and Valentine’s Day.

Also on the air with me will be call-in guest Anne Hosansky. Anne has a new book out entitled Ten Women of Valor, about Biblical heroines from a feminist view. The women speak in their own voices about how they managed to triumph in a male-dominated world. Ranging from Sarah to Esther the women confide feelings of ambition, passion and sibling rivalry — and emerge as women coping with many of the same issues faced by women today. Anne has also written Turning Toward Tomorrow, Victories Over Loss and Widow’s Walk, One Woman's Spiritual and Emotional Journey To A New Life.

A columnist, an author and a bookseller went into a bar…

On KFUN, live in the studio.

Well, they didn’t go into a bar, but they were guests on Writers’ Block. Two of my favorite people joined me this last Tuesday to talk about writing and books: Art Trujillo and Nancy Colalillo.

Art is a witty fellow and a wonderful commentator on life, language and current events. He talked about his column in the Optic, Work of Art, how he comes up with his column ideas, and the frustration of not being perfect as a copy editor. Well, he didn’t say it quite that way, but he did mention that perhaps criticism can be a bit irksome.

As a bit of a critic himself when it comes to grammar and punctuation, he recognizes constructive criticism when it comes from others and takes it with good grace… mostly. It’s too bad we didn’t get around to talking about his other passion, photography. Watch out when you see him coming with a camera in hand, he’s likely to take a shot of you and post it on Facebook.

What I like about Art’s column - which according to his son Stan in Denmark has been read by people in every state in the U.S.A. - is his honesty, humor and ability to hone in on the very subjects people want to read about. He is often topical, sometimes nostalgic and always on target. As a home-grown Las Vegan he remembers vividly what happened years ago. Admittedly these memories don’t always jibe with his family’s memories, but as Art said, they are his memories and when he shares them with us, it makes us all smile.

Art should think about collecting his columns into a book. I know people would buy a collection of essays that recalls the Las Vegas of yesteryear from the perspective of someone who watched the town grow up. Thanks, Art, for taking time to be on the show with me.

Nancy was as always informative. She talked about World Book Night, a fantastic opportunity to share the love of reading. People who are selected to be part of the book give away will have 30 books to give to people who are light readers.

There is a world of discovery in books. On World Book Night, April 23, those doors of discovery will open all over Las Vegas and all over the US. The expectation is that 50,000 books will be given away.

The deadline to sign up is looming – Feb. 6, so click on World Book Night and apply to be a distributor.

Nancy also talked about the Feb. 19 salon at Tome on the Range, a discussion of Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Psyche.

The Tome website blurb reads: “Is mental illness the latest Western export, a new form of imperialism?  Journalist Ethan Watters investigates how others' embrace of Western ideas of mental health and illness impacts local cultures and indigenous methods for coping.”

You can go to the Tome website to read reviews of the book. The conversation will be facilitated by Nancy.

My call-in guest was Cindy Cromer, the author of Desperate Measures, a suspense novel set in St. Kitts. A perfect vacation turns into a fast-paced race to find out who is disrupting the lives of Caitlin and her family with deadly intent. Cindy has had favorable reviews and is working on the next installment.

Cindy said her challenge with the second book is to create something entirely fresh and new and yet keep the threads of the Desperate Measures storyline.

I’m sure she can do it. Her enthusiasm for writing was evident in our interview. It is obvious she has a passion for creating interesting and realistic characters.

From her publisher’s website: “Cindy Huefner Cromer, formally a New Jersey resident, now resides in Stuart, Florida, with her husband, son, and daughter. Cindy works as a laboratory scientist and executive. As the president of a laboratory network, she has written numerous laboratory procedures and research documents. Driven by a passion for suspense and mystery novels, she dreamed of becoming a writer. Her dream turned into reality with the release of her debut suspense novel, Desperate Measures. She is currently working on her second novel, Desperate Deceptions. Plots are in place for her third and fourth books.

So that’s a wrap for Tuesday, Jan. 31. My very best intention is to get my website updated from week to week with a summary of that week’s program. That doesn’t always happen. I have great guests and hope listeners will enjoy hearing about writers and how they create the books we love to read.

Next week tune in to learn about the winner of my first writing challenge. Jose Vasquez will be there to read his story and talk about writing. My call-in guest is a writer who says when he is in the zone he can write 12,000 words a day. I can tell you folks, that is NOT an easy thing to do. Mark Tierno has written a massive work of science fiction. I haven’t read Maldene, but I am intrigued. Tune in Feb. 6 to find out more.

Writers’ Block streams live at 8:45 a.m., MST Tuesdays on KFUN.

On the air with Cindy Charlton

Cindy Charlton is working on a book and developing her professional speaking and writing career. She has multiple talents and is a mom watching two sons grow up faster than she may be ready for.

She had always loved writing, but did not blossom as a writer until tragedy beat her thoroughly about the head and shoulders. Cindy suffered an illness that left her with prosthetic legs and minus one arm below the elbow. Two years later her husband died following a two-year battle with cancer. She said she had no choice but to be a survivor. Cindy is working to build her writing platform and her speaking career while remaining dedicated to being a mom. She has an indomitable spirit. She is funny, thoughtful and passionate. In her interview she read from an essay about her illness and her husband’s passing, and talks about why being a survivor is for her a must, not an option.

I highly recommend becoming a follower of her blog, A Survivor’s Handbook. Below is the beginning of her December blog, Choose Happiness. Keep reading, especially if you’re looking for something that will make you stop and think about all the reasons to be happy in your life, despite bumps in the road.

From The Survivor’s Handbook: “’Happiness runs in a circular motion…you can be happy if you let yourself be.’ These are lyrics to a song I used to sing when I was a child. The tune was simple and easy to harmonize with, which was why I liked it.  But as I think about this song, I begin to realize that although the tune is simple, the lyrics are profound.” Read more… 

Become a follower. You will find inspiration, something to make you smile and much you can relate to.

 

One of Cindy’s essays has been accepted for Chicken Soup for the Soul which comes out in March. She will be back on the air soon to talk about that and other writing projects.

Tome winners on the air

There is no better evidence of a hopeful future than young folks flexing their creative muscles. Writers’ Block on a recent Tuesday featured winners of a Tome on the Range writing contest. In the studio were Melinda Garcia and Emilia Lovato, both 9^th graders from Mora High School, and Julienne Risimaah, a 3^rd grader from North Star in Las Vegas. Also taking turns at the microphone were Nancy Colalillo from the bookstore and Paul Bunker from Mora High School.

The contest was based on illustrations from The Chronicles of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg, a book strung together with oddly titled drawings that are haunting and ever-so-slightly dark. The challenge was to write something in less than 250 words that told the story of one of the illustrations.  

Thirty-nine students took up the challenge, the bulk of them from Mora High School, largely because English teacher Paul Bunker made the contest a class assignment. He was gratified but not surprised by the quality of work that ended up on his desk.

The stories are wonderful and quite imaginative, each taking an entirely different direction based on the illustration selected. The stories were judged largely on creativity and attention to theme.

Melinda Garcia showed a remarkable understanding of pacing as a means of building drama. Her clever take on The Seven Chairs keeps the reader’s attention and climaxes with a surprise ending. In Oscar and Alphonse Emilia Lovato demonstrates a grasp of how dialogue can move a story forward and make the reader want more. By writing about healing and renewal, Julienne Rirsimaah reflects the hopeful nature of childhood in her tale of The Seven Chairs.

The fourth winner, Camille Sammeth, a 9^th grader from Santa Fe High School, was unable to be in the studio. Her story, Mr. Linden’s Library will be read on the air, Tuesday, Jan. 17. This story is an arresting tale about allowing willfulness to get in the way of sound judgment (and good manners!). Wonderfully written and cleverly executed.

All of these stories may be read at www.vandermeerbooks.com by following these links. Melinda Garcia, Emilia Lovato, Julienne Rirsimaah, and Camille Sammeth.

Writers Block, December 27 on KFUN

Tune in on Tuesday, 8:45 a.m., MST KFUN for Writers' Block

Veronica Golos, my in-studio guest on Tuesday, Dec. 27, carries about her a spirit of peace. Her calming essence banks a fiery passion that comes through in her book of verse, Vocabulary of Silence (Red Hen Press), which recently won the New Mexico Book Award for Poetry. 

Veronica said the poems aren’t a commentary on war or peace or anything but her own reaction to a world experience viewed from a distance. She began writing in response to media photographs taken of abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. The images left a mark on her heart and brought out a desire to explore from a personal perspective what was happening a world away.

The book’s title perhaps reflects a thread that runs through all the poems. Brutality is not a silent event. It is noisy and vicious, soulless in a way only mindless violence can be. In that surfeit of screaming carnage the voices of the innocent or the wounded go unheard. The cacophony of war can be measured in decibels of shattered hopes, broken bodies and lives lost. This truth comes across in Veronica’s carefully crafted poems.

The poetry is deep and wide. Veronica expresses painful realities that are soul shaking and tear making. I was deeply moved by the selections she chose to read on the air. The meaning of her words became crystal and reflective, delicate crystal that shatters in the heart, and reflective prose that challenges the intellect.

A Bell Buried Deep, (Story Line Press) an earlier work by Veronica, was the co-winner of the 16th Annual Nicholas Roerich Poetry Prize and nominated for a 2004 Pushcart Prize by Edward Hirsch.

From a review of A Bell Buried Deep, by Alicia Ostriker, poet and author of Stealing the Language and Dancing at the Devil’s Party: “A Bell Buried Deep is a confluence of three sacred  streams: the sensuous body which is ours and the world’s, the passion for justice which craves to undo the oppressions and cruelties we inherit from the past, and the spiritual imagination that is able to generate hope.  Veronica Golos knows that history is only myth by another name, and that it repeats itself until we change it.  Her poetry is lucid, alive, with the specifics of intellectual and emotional experience, and resonant as a bell.”

Victoria’s work has also appeared in My Land is Me, 3 Poets 4 Peace, The Master’s Hand, Threaded Lives and Pomegranate Seeds: An Anthology of Greek-American Poetry.

All of these books may be purchased by request from Tome on the Range in Las Vegas, N.M., at Moby Dickens in Taos, N.M. and from veronicagolos.wordpress.com.

More about Veronica Golos from her online bio: “Golos has taught poetry and multi-genre writing for Poets & Writers, Poets House, and the 92nd St Y/Makor and the New York City Public Libraries. Her courses included Breakin’ the Rules!, poetry for teens and pre-teens; Creative Writing & the Use of Years, memoir for seniors;  I Am More Than This, a workshop for Holocaust survivors at the Nassau County Holocaust Museum. She was Poet in Residence at Sacred Heart Academy in Greenwich, Connecticut, in 2005, at the Nassau Museum of Art, and Yaxche School in Taos, New Mexico. She has lectured on Teaching Poetry to Children at Columbia University’s Teacher’s College and Colorado State College.”

Celia Hayes, my call-in guest from Texas, rescued me on Tuesday when Veronica was delayed. We had a wonderful discussion about her books, writing in general and the challenge and rewards of writing historical novels. Celia is a dedicated researcher and has self-published several books, including a trilogy about German immigrants who settled in the Fredericksburg area.

From Celia’s website: “Adelsverein: The Gathering (book 1), The Sowing (book 2), and The Harvesting (book 3): “This trilogy is a saga of family and community loyalties, and the challenge of building a new life on the hostile frontier... Texas is a place most Americans think they know very well, thanks to more than a century of storytelling and myths. But there is another Texas story, even more dramatic for being all but unknown; the story of pioneers who also came in search of land and opportunity and for freedom from rule by aristocrats and princes.”

It was obvious in our interview that Celia is thoroughly engaged in her work, dedicating up to two years from start up of a concept to publication. That time is spent gathering details and creating family histories that when blended in the mix of story telling come together in interesting and informative ways. Celia's attention to detail has garnered her praise and encouragement, but ultimately it is the work that makes the difference.

“I have a spread sheet,” she said in the interview. “It covers a variety of topics and tracks timelines. Everything has to come together.”

The writing life is more than an idea; it’s dedication to the intricacies of plot, action, character development and tension that creates a worthwhile story. In the historical novel the writer isn’t creating a new world, she or he is recreating an era, an emotion, a sense of time and place. Detail is crucial.

Celia, retired from the Air Force, said in her author bio that she knocked around the corporate world for a while, and then got hooked on blogging, which led to writing historical novels about the Wild (or not-so-wild) West.

Celia may be reached at clyahayes@yahoo.com. To purchase her books go to www.celiahayes.com/Catalog.htm. Her print books may be purchased by order through Tome on the Range in Las Vegas, N.M., at online booksellers and from the author.

Memoir and Historical Suspense on Tap for Tuesday

It’s safe to say that programming for Writers’ Block isn’t thematic. This week I’ll be featuring a writer whose memoir touches on subjects that remind us of what it was like being a kid and a fiction writer with a flair for historical suspense.

My in-studio guest will be David Perez, author of WOW!, a memoir about growing up in the South Bronx in the 1960s.

From the book’s website:

It’s the South Bronx of the 1960s, a neighborhood teetering on change. The young Puerto Rican boy is living in the housing projects, about to be transferred to Catholic school, where he’s already attended catechism and asked if God “popped out of nowhere.” So begins Pérez’s delightful and engaging “memoirito,” a novella-like tale that follows David trying his best to be “cool” in a neighborhood where being smart in school isn’t something to brag about.

Perez, who now lives in Taos, N.M., is an experienced public speaker, actor, writer, and editor. According to his web bio, he has done activist journalism and feature writing. “Our aim (at Workers World newspaper) was to promote and defend the rights of the working class and all people of color, to talk about Marxism and capitalism and the need for revolution.”

He supports and writes about the arts, cultural awareness and enlightenment and subjects close to his heart.

My call in guest is Mary Schwaner who writes under the pen name of Bailey Bristol. She published her first book in February and just released her second book, Devil’s Dime, which is the first in the Samaritan Files trilogy. It’s a late 1800s tale of suspense with a romantic twist. 

From Schwaner’s web bio:

Coloratura Soprano/Artistic Director/Programmer/Author: Granddaughter of a concert violinist, Mary began her musical career in elementary school with the family string quartet, but gave up the violin to study opera at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. There she performed many leading roles for the School of Music opera department before completing her Master’s Degree in 1971. The following year she represented Nebraska in the Regional Metropolitan Opera Auditions in Minneapolis.

Tune in on Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 8:45 a.m. (MST) to hear more from these talented authors. The program streams online at http://www.kfunonline.com.

 

Tuesday's Guests: Ron Wooten-Green and Anne Hosansky

Snowy Day in Las Vegas, NM

It’s a little late to get this message out, but here it is anyway. Assuming the snow doesn’t prevent me getting up the hill, I’ll be on KFUN tomorrow with Writers’ Block. It may end up that both my guests call in. Ron Wooten-Green, author of When the Dying Speak and A Fine Line of Distinction, In Search of Roots, will be in the studio if he can get there, and Anne Hosansky, author of Turning Toward Tomorrow, Widow’s Walk and Ten Women of Valor, will be calling in from New York state.

A little of this and a little of that

How is Writer’s Block doing? I guess the audience is the judge of that. I’d like to get feed back, good or bad. The only way we improve in life is to listen to constructive criticism. What I enjoy is talking to people who are passionate about what they do. I just picked up Anika Nailah’s book, Free, from Tome on the Range Sunday afternoon. It is full of short stories about what it means to be free. I’ve just started reading and find it intriguing. The stories are like quick punches that stop just short of your nose, a little startling and certainly thought provoking. I like Anika’s style of writing and the way she leaves you wondering what happens next. 

Tome on the Range is sponsoring a writing contest for youth. I haven’t talked to Nancy about this but maybe we can read the winners’ work on the air or get them on the air and let them read their work. 

If you are a writer and are interested in being on Writers’ Block please contact me at fsvandermeer@gmail.com. I want to talk to authors, poets, and essayists. 

Why a program about writing? Because reading is the most effective way to learn, and you can’t have books, articles and stories without writers. I also want to encourage people to write who never expect nor want anyone else to read what they write. Writing through whatever is affecting you is another way of dealing with life’s ups and downs.

Tune in every Tuesday morning at around 8:45 a.m., MST for Writers’ Block. And don’t forget you can listen online at www.kfunonline.com.

Writing Challenge 

Once a month beginning tomorrow I’ll be giving a writing prompt to listeners. The challenge is to write a short story, poem, essay or article using the phrase as the first line. You’ll have two weeks from the day the prompt is given to submit your work. E-mail it to fsvandermeer@gmail.com or mail it to Sharon Vander Meer, PO Box 187, Las Vegas, NM 87701. 

Submissions must be type-written and can be no more than 750 words.