OUR PREVIOUS/MOST RECENT MEETING
Information about our most recent
meetings is available via a link on the “Welcome” page. (To the left)
Visit the “Programs” page (to the
left) to learn about our next meeting and other writer related events.
W now post current and most recent
columns from our President, our Editor/Web-master, and any member or guest who
wishes to contribute to ensure everyone sees them.
(Newest is at the top)
FROM OUR PRESIDENT
So the pandemic
just won’t go away. The only positive
thing is that it has caused us all to slow down and has given us time to think
(and write.) Here are a few unrelated
thoughts that have floated through my mind during this break in the
action:
I’ve written
about this previously, but I have to say, once again, how I admire those of you
who write fiction! From your
creative brains all sorts of characters and situations come alive. On top of that, you have to keep track of
each while moving the story along. My
book was nonfiction, and I still had trouble keeping track of everything!
Another thought
is a repeat of what Dave asked for a few months ago: Send us some fodder for
this newsletter (since there’s more room now that we don’t have Minutes of
the Last Meeting – actually, no meetings at all!) Hate to be a Debbie Downer, but I don’t see
us meeting until there’s a vaccine – which is probably a year or so away. I’m trying to stay positive, but sometimes
wonder if we’ll ever meet again, since most of us are older and the virus tends
not to be kind to seniors.
One more thought
(that’s a little more positive): Years ago, we set up a formal critiquing
program. Several members signed up to
critique the work of others, but very few actually submitted writings, and so
the program gradually faded away. But
we’ve always had members who informally exchange material to be
reviewed/edited/critiqued. Since we now
have more time on our hands, perhaps we can once again fire up the old program
or, at least, expand what some of you are currently doing. (I still possess a copy of our old formal
rules.)
And, as if the
pandemic wasn’t enough, we now have racial tension exploding on top of it.
Stay safe - and Rest In Peace George Floyd (and others),
Jim
FROM THE EDITOR/WEB-MASTER
I had an e-mail
from one of our members mentioning that Golden Corral was open and wondering
when we would meet again. Part of the
answer might be found in Jim Parry’s column.
The number of cases seems to be increasing at an alarming rate as of
late, so the idea of gathering as a group may not be in the best interests of
the health and safety of our members.
Most of us qualify as senior citizens, a group more susceptible to and
at greater risk from the virus. Even
with our meeting location open, could we have a real honest meeting? Would everyone fit into the meeting room with
current social distancing requirements?
Like the rest of
you, I want this pandemic stuff to be over with so we can get back to some
semblance of normal. But when we do meet again, I want it to be
when we can be reasonably sure that everyone in attendance is safe and that we
can hold the type of meeting we are used to.
Several months
ago I expanded our roster so we could include additional information about each
of our members. We (I) made a small
start at it, and for some at least have tried to list what it is that person
writes. I’d also like to include other
skills and abilities, especially those that could be of aid to our fellow
members. Do you edit? Can you format for e-book publishing? Could you paint or draw
cover art or provide illustrations for a book? How about skills in cover and interior
design? Are you adept with social media,
the internet, or other on-line functions?
Would you be willing to help your fellow SASP members in these areas,
whether or not you would charge for your services?
Anyway, I don’t
want to add or include such information completely at random, even though I do
have some idea of what skills some of you might have. Therefore, it would benefit all of us if you
were to pass along to me those skills and abilities you might want to have
listed. Again, these would go on the
expanded portion of the roster which is shared only between members. If you would want the information sent out
over a wider area, let me know and we can include in the newsletter and on the
web-site.
As Jim mentioned,
I can still use inputs for the newsletter.
Book reviews are great, as are excerpts from your work, opinion pieces,
your thoughts on the current situation, news about your writing life, and
thoughts on the current situation.
Ideally submissions should be no more than 300 to 350 words or so. That’s basically one full column, such as at
the left on this page.
As Jim also
mentioned, let’s revive our critiquing program.
As editor, I’d be willing to list those with books they want to have
read and critiqued, and as well, list any members looking to read and critique
the work of others.
Finally, if you
have time, check out your Member Web-Page on our web-site. I believe most could use some
improvement. Is your bio up to
date? How about information about your
books? Do you have a new one that isn’t
listed yet? Do you have an author head
shot with your Member Web-Page, or would you like a different or new one? Send me the information, the photos, and the
book information and I’ll get the page updated for you.
On a completely
unrelated note, I finally put gas in my truck earlier this month. If I remember correctly, the last time I
drove it, the needle was still riding slightly above the “F.”
FROM OUR PRESIDENT
(Previous)
Looks like, once
again, we ain’t gonna meet. But someday…
During this break
in the action, I got to thinking: At my
age I’ve seen a thing or two (Sounds like a Farmers Insurance commercial?) so
I’ve been jotting down experiences as they float through my brain. The list consists of interesting (read:
weird) events in which I have been involved over the years, hoping that, in
this way, the grandkids would know a little more about their Grandy – sort of
another memoir, a follow-up to my celebrated Book All the Teachers.
Long chapters are
currently being written regarding these incidents, but those are for another
time. This newsletter has room for only
a few events with a brief description of each.
So, for your entertainment pleasure since there’s not much else to do
during this pandemic, here they are! (in no particular
order – well, sorta chronological order):
When in fourth
grade, my best friend and I noticed that we had left a Hula Hoop in his
backyard. That led to an epiphany (which
I later traded for an accordion): I ran
home to retrieve my set of darts, ran back, and we
began to lob the darts at the Hula Hoop.
We had just invented Lawn Darts! - but
were too inexperienced and/or dumb to apply for a patent.
In 1966 our
college garage band was invited to play at the famous Coulee City Friday Night
Dance. (We got the gig only because our
audition tape was actually a copy of the Yardbirds’ For Your Love album.)
This occasion saw our drummer (me) tumble off a six-foot riser, our lead
guitarist break several strings, a few audio problems – and our bassist never
did show. The mayor paid us, but asked
us never to return.
While driving
down Division Street one day, I noticed a young man in a striped referee shirt
wrestling with another young man in the parking lot of the old Footlocker (which
is now Fred’s Ding and Dent Center.)
I pulled into the lot, jumped out, and was told by the referee that the
young man he was hanging onto had stolen some shoes. While the referee ran back inside to phone
the police I was left holding onto the perp.
He eventually was able to free himself from my grasp, but another Good
Samaritan helped me chase and tackle the shoplifter a half-block away. After we did all the hard work, the cops
finally showed up.
Well, Dave has
informed me, “That’s enough of a space-filler.
They aren’t that bored.” So, I’ll end it here.
Stay well and keep writing (memoirs, maybe?),
Jim
FROM THE DESK OF
VICE-PRESIDENT SUE
ELLER (Previous)
Hello, SASP members. Finding speakers in the current COVID-19 world
has been out of the realm of reality. Since that’s not an option, and since trying
to get someone in the area to submit a video has been without success so far,
I’ve decided to share some of the information that’s out there on the internet.
I have attended web-based free sessions put on by the ALLi folks and found them
to be useful. As with any speaker, podcast, or other
resource, I would advise you to take what information you find useful and leave
the rest.
There are a lot
of people of questionable character out there who prey on self-published
authors. There are even more people who
want to help us succeed. The two ladies
involved in this podcast have donated a lot of time to help fellow independent
authors. They also offer books and
services which cost money, as most business people do.
I hope you enjoy
the information presented here. The link
will take you to the ALLi website, which also contains additional free
information.
In this
month's #AskALLi Advanced Salon, Orna Ross and Joanna Penn talk about the
tools, software, and services they use that are the most advantageous for
independent authors—from writing to formatting to planning, sales tracking,
accounting, and more.
The post The Most Useful Tools, Software, and Services for Independent
Authors, with Orna Ross and Joanna Penn: Advanced Self-Publishing Podcast
appeared first on Alliance of Independent Authors: Self-Publishing Advice Center.
About the Hosts:
Joanna
Penn is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author, as well
as writing non-fiction for authors. She is also a professional speaker and
entrepreneur, voted as one of The Guardian UK Top 100 creative professionals
2013. She spent 13 years as a business
IT consultant in large corporations across the globe before becoming a
full-time author-entrepreneur in September 2011. For more information about Joanna, visit her
website at:
Orna
Ross launched the Alliance of Independent Authors at the London Book Fair
in 2012. Her work for ALLi has seen her named as one of The Bookseller’s “100
top people in publishing”. She also publishes poetry, fiction and nonfiction,
and is greatly excited by the democratising, empowering potential of
author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website at: http://www.ornaross.com
Sue Eller
POSITIVE THINGS (Previous)
As bad as this
pandemic is, there are a few positive things I’ve noticed. One is that with
fewer people running around in their cars, our air has gotten cleaner. And
being an animal lover, I’m happy to see wild animals are more
free and have more space to roam around. These are good things and I
hope we take these lessons to heart after things return to normal.
Wearing masks, it
seems, has become a political issue. To me, it’s a health issue. Since I can’t
get my seasonal allergy shots right now, because the clinic where I go is shut
down until further notice, I’ve discovered that when I wear a mask outdoors, I
don’t have any hay fever or asthma.
Usually, this is the worst time of year for me. One mask that has been helpful
to me is the one I purchased right after Mount St. Helen’s erupted 40 years
ago! The other mask that I use was made and sent to me by fellow SASP author
Joyce Caudel. She also made one for Bob. Thanks, Joyce!
Another positive
thing is that my mini thumb piano finally arrived after six weeks. It traveled
by mail for almost one month through China. Finally it arrived in California.
Then for some reason it was sent to Indiana, then to Nevada, then Spokane. The
outer packaging was quite tattered, but the piano inside was okay. So now I’m
learning how to play it by looking at tutorials online.
Will sign off for now. Miss our meetings and I miss you all!
Stay healthy!
Esther J. Hildahl
FROM THE EDITOR/WEB-MASTER (Previous)
How many of you have
seen the social media blurb that says, “I do my best editing right after I hit
‘send?’” I ask because as I sit to write
this month’s note, I see, “because off changes…” instead of “because of
changes…” That was the opening phrase
of last month’s column. I appreciate the
fact that no one contacted me to complain or point it out, but then I wonder if
anyone even noticed. Mistakes slip by
and we don’t notice, nor apparently does anyone else. To me, it’s a great reason to have as many
sets of eyes as possible go over our work.
The chances of catching a small error like that get better with each
additional person that takes a look at it.
I’d like to
extend my thanks to everyone who has sent material to be included in both last month’s
and this month’s issues of SASP NEWS. It
would be great if we continued this trend.
After all, we are writers!
In regards to the
current health and social situation, I’d say we are on the back stretch, about
ready to enter the final turn. Maybe we
are already into the turn. We have a
ways to go, but we are getting closer to the finish line and a return to some
semblance of normalcy. I just hope that
society as a whole doesn’t rush things and trip before reaching the finish
line. I don’t think any of us would want
to go through all this again. And
honestly, I’m not speaking about the health implications, only the social distancing, “stay at home” aspects of it. The sooner that ends, and ends for sure, the
sooner we can resume meeting in person.
I don’t know
about anyone else, but I’m still measuring fuel economy “weeks per
gallon?” I last bought gas in February,
and as we approach the end of May, I still haven’t needed to get gas.
Spokane
Authors & Self-Publishers
Page revised 06/28/2020
DAM
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