A respite from the chaos

During the last few weeks, I've been a bit frazzled. We have a brand-new beautiful grandson who, along with his parents and two sisters, has stolen our hearts and planted them three hours away. We've started renting a place closer to them and listed our home on the market. We're downsizing like crazy, cleaning out closets, cupboards, the garage, the shed and giving away what we no longer need. We place unwanted items out by the road where they're scooped up for free, sometimes before we even walk down the driveway. Oodles of books have ended up at the Tunkhannock Library. Clothing and household donations went to the Salvation Army or Interfaith Friends, as did many of the vinyl records I couldn't sell on eBay. It's a long, tedious process, this downsizing. Each day brings its chore list. I dutifully check off finished tasks, but I'll admit I don't take much satisfaction in it. There's always more to be done, and it leaves little time to write or even think about writing. 

In the midst of this, I gladly set aside chunks of time to plan, prepare, and thoroughly enjoy the Readers Meeting Writers program at Tunkhannock Middle School. I'm ever so glad I did.

Thanks to Erica Rogler, Margie Young, Hildy Morgan, Sara Ergott, and the good folks at the Wyoming Cultural Center at the Dietrich Theater, the debut of the three-week long program was well-received by students, faculty, and administration alike. 

But let's talk about those students! They were enthusiastic and engaged for all three two-hour after school sessions. They asked questions galore and offered opinions and ideas about topics ranging from bullying to being a hero. They spoke fondly of the story line and the characters in Risking Exposure, and voiced the same need for a sequel that I've heard from many other readers. All our activities, whether doing jumping jacks or making propaganda posters, were well-received. When asked how they thought the program might be improved for next year, they unanimously voted for more - more days, more chance to write their own work, more activities, more discussion, more, more, more! Wow. 

Such impressive young people. They treated one another with respect, listening, encouraging, waiting their turn with hands raised. There was none of the eye rolling and snide remarks often associated with kids that age. They showed sensitivity when discussing difficult topics, and remarkable insights into human nature's darkness and light. Those kids are a credit to their families, their school, and their community. They give me great hope for the future. 

I thank them for giving me those hours of respite in the midst of the endless chore lists and chaos of our upcoming move. I'll get back to work on the sequel soon, I promise.

Rotary and Polio

I had the opportunity to speak at another Rotary Club luncheon last Thursday, this one in Tunkhannock. Rotary Clubs have been quite gracious in extending invitations for me to speak because 1) they need a speaker once a week and I'm local and cheap (the cost of a lunch); and 2) because the main character in Risking Exposure contracts polio, I include some information about polio in my presentation.

So what, you may ask, does Rotary have to do with polio? Plenty, it turns out.

In the early 1950s, over 16,000 paralytic polio cases and 1800 deaths from polio were reported each year in the US alone. After the vaccine was introduced in the US in 1955, incidence declined sharply - less than 1000 cases in 1962 and below 100 cases per year after that.

Rotary International has taken this success to the rest of the world, becoming involved in the worldwide fight against polio since 1979. In the late 1980's, Rotary's End Polio Now campaign joined forces with the World Health Organization, the CDC, Unicef, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to purchase and distribute vaccines. By 2014, only 3 countries (Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan) remain polio-endemic, down from more than 125 countries in 1988. A truly remarkable achievement.

Rotary is committed to eradicating polio in our lifetime. I'm proud to support them however I can. And I'm honored to be their guest speaker whenever my schedule allows.

Brainstorm to treasure

In a couple weeks, I'll be one of the speakers at Keystone College's Young Authors Day. My audience will be 50+ students grades 3-12 and their teachers from various schools around northeastern PA. The presentation topic for my 40 minutes of fame? Whatever I choose.
Now don't get me wrong. I like having choices. I'm not a fan of being told what to do, especially in the creative realm. But choosing one topic to engage creative kids with such a wide range of ages is daunting, to say the least.

I asked my daughter Katie, an exceptionally creative and insightful first-grade teacher, to brainstorm with me. What we came up with was the concept that both non-fiction and fiction writers have to do research as part of their creative process. I could focus my presentation on showing the research I'd done for Risking Exposure (and am still doing for the sequel.)

So I sat down this week to work on my Power Point. In it, I likened the process of research to a dig for buried treasure. We use different tools for the various surfaces we encounter, pick axes for rock (secondary research sources), shovels for loose dirt (primary sources.) When we uncover a gem, we hold it in our palm, turn it this way and that, examine it with a magnifying glass to clarify its tiniest details. Only then do we determine its worth, whether we should toss it aside or place it in a silk-lined box for all time.

Hopefully, the kids will be inspired to set off on their own digs and research topics of interest to them.

Help our libraries!

This past Wednesday, I was The Author at the Susquehanna County Library Association's annual Author Luncheon. What an honor to speak in front of 60 attendees! The event is a fundraiser for the Library, and Susan Stone, Head Librarian, told me that library fundraising is becoming more commonplace than ever before. Even within the luncheon there was fundraising - a sale of 50/50 tickets, and silent auction for some lovely prints, flowering bulbs, jewelry, and a favorite among the attendees, a 'books and bubbly' basket. I am pleased to think that my presentation may have helped the library raise a few dollars.

What a shame it has come to that. Between deep state funding cuts (thank you, Tom Corbett), consumer demand and need for costly technology, and increased operating expenses for maintenance and heat, our public libraries have trouble balancing their budgets. And yet on a fundamental level, our very existence as a free nation depends on free exchange of ideas. Those ideas are cataloged and stored in our public libraries, and are accessible without charge to anyone who asks. It seems our Public Libraries joins our Public Schools as institutions present in virtually every community in America, providing free access to information vital to our continuity as a prosperous nation and doing so with ever-dwindling funds.

On a recent History Channel show, I learned that Ben Franklin 'invented' and established the world's first free Public Library. One commentator expressed a belief that the free Public Library was actually Franklin's greatest contribution to mankind. Long may our libraries remain free and public.

Self-promotion with the help of others

I'm getting around, but only because of the help of others.
Ms. Mary Jo Walsh, the Principal at Fell Charter School contacted me a few weeks ago. She'd seen an article about me/my book in the newspaper. She invited me to speak to her students about the process of researching and writing. So this past week, I had the opportunity to talk with about 40 inquisitive 7th and 8th graders at Fell Charter. They were finishing a unit on Holocaust literature and were familiar with the basics of the Nazi era and its propaganda. As a class, the 8th graders are reading The Book Thief, and they are obviously really into it. One student even asked me if I visited Himmelstrasse while I was in Munich! (That's where Liesl, the protagonist of The Book Thief, lives.)

Ms. Walsh's purpose for my presentation was to introduce the students to 'someone who has done it.' My own purpose was to let them know that I dreamed it and I did it, so if they dream it, they can do it too. During the presentation, I gave them each four different colored sticky notes to jot down their ideas - 1) for the main character, 2) for the setting, 3) for what the character wants, 4) for what problem he/she has to overcome in order to get it. 
Hopefully I gave them encouragement to follow some of their own ideas into creation of a story.

A couple weeks ago, my friend Brenda Davis told me that she'd attended a WWII exhibit at the Everhart Museum in Scranton. While there, she'd spoken about my book and my presentation to an Everhart employee. So this past week, I followed up and spoke with Stefanie Colarusso who coordinates programs at the Everhart. She has arranged for me to present my research as part of their D-Day Community Day activities on May 31st. So, thank you to Brenda for being my PR gal!

And then my friend Eleanor Kane invited me to participate in the Grand Re-opening of the Factoryville Public Library. I'll be doing a book signing and have some of my primary materials on display on Friday April 18th from 6:30-8:30 during their Grand Re-opening reception. Cool, huh?

A school visit

One of the most delightful aspects of being published is the opportunity to share my book, my research, and/or my interest in writing. This Friday, April 4th, I'll have that opportunity again. I've been asked to speak with 7th and 8th graders at Fell Charter School about the writing process and how to research. Of course, I said yes!

 I've got an activity planned, and I'll bring some of my primary research materials. Because of the target age group and the more general content of writing and researching (rather than specifically about researching and writing my book), my power point will be a bit different than the one I've used for my other venues. So I'm creating a new version of the basic presentation, tweaking the content as appropriate. I hope to be able to use it with other schools in the near future.

Connecting through multiple media

I don't know about the proverbial butterfly effect, you know, the one in which a butterfly flaps its wings in Brazil which in turn creates a tornado in Texas. A bit overly dramatic for my taste. But what I do know is that consistent effort eventually brings a result. All I've got to say is - thank God I'm not shy. 


I began the week Monday with an interview on WVIA radio's Art Scene program with the gracious Erika Funke. I'd never been in a broadcasting booth before (okay, maybe on a tour when I was a Girl Scout sometime in the last century. That doesn't count.) After a quick sound check, Erika and I sat opposite one another separated only by over-sized microphones. In a friendly, gentle conversational tone, we began to talk about my book, my research, and my upcoming presentation at the Dietrich. I left there not remembering much of what I said, but knowing it had been a good interview. It's archived here as the February 27th broadcast. Warning: I say "Absolutely" far too often.

Wednesday's Wyoming County Press Examiner featured an article about my upcoming presentation at the Dietrich. In the next couple of days, I received an invitation to present to 7th and 8th grade students at a local school about writing and research. Then by email, I was asked by a middle-school-student who loves to write to participate in a "Career Interview," not about being a physical therapist, but about being a writer.

So, radio and newspaper, scheduling presentations and discussing writing careers. Fascinating.


And great fun.

A week of connections

I had the good fortune of participating in two author events this past week. On Tuesday evening, I met with a dozen or so teens at the Library Express in Scranton's Steamtown Mall. They are the Teen Action Board, a group of 12-18-year-olds who enjoy stories - reading them, creating them, and acting them out. They're even creating their own Mystery Murder Theater. So this smart and interesting group listened to my shpiel about how I came up with my story idea, how I researched it, etc. There were some great questions and some interesting discussion, mostly about the way that our own experiences and interests shape what we write about.

Then yesterday, I had a book signing at the same location. A number of old friends and fellow writers came by, a fantastic show of support which I deeply appreciate. Some folks who wandered in to the Library Express stopped by to look at the display of my research materials. That gave me a great chance to share photos of Munich, reprints of Nazi propaganda, my 1930s camera, and the other materials I used to immerse myself in the book's time and place while I wrote.

My favorite moments are when someone who doesn't know me wanders over to the display (often drawn by the incredible book cover by Michael Rausch), picks up a copy of Risking Exposure, and reads the blurb on the back. I watch their expression go from mild interest to a half-smile, usually accompanied by the raised eyebrows or the 'humh' that defines curiosity. It's a wonderful moment of connection. I look forward to getting more of those.

The presentation at the Abington Community Library went well!

 A hearty thank you to the library and Laura Gardoski, the Children's Librarian, for arranging my presentation.

  We had a wonderful exchange of ideas and some interesting discussions.

  After the presentation, participants had a chance to look at materials, including copies of photos, my 1936 camera, and a 1938 Sears-Roebuck catalog.

A couple days later, one participant called to tell me about another venue I may be interested in, and one of my beta-readers and Writers Group members dropped my name to a writers' conference organizer as a possible presenter.

So I'm branching out, slowly but surely. I'm ever so grateful for the chance to share what I've learned and to connect with readers.

The big prep

For the last couple of weeks, I've been prepping my presentation called "Writing a novel: A personal journey." I'll deliver it for the first time this Tuesday January 19th at the Abington Community Library at 6:30, so stop in if you can!

In creating the presentation, I've had a chance to revisit, as the title says, my personal journey while writing Risking Exposure. My learning curve was very steep. When I began, I knew little about pre-war Germany, polio, propaganda, or how to write a novel. I didn't own a film-based camera, didn't know what clothes were worn in that era, or how an average home was furnished. I spoke little German, didn't understand the structural organization of Hitler Youth, and had never heard of the procession which takes center stage at the end of the book. I've come a long way, and I'm delighted to share what I've learned.

 But I can't see where I'm going by looking behind me. I've been jotting notes and dictating ideas for my next story, even while I'm organizing this presentation.

  
So here I am, looking forward to this presentation and the two that follow, March 9th at the Wyoming County Cultural Center at the Dietrich Theater, and May 21st for the Susquehanna Library Association. I hope to meet some folks and encourage them to be brave enough to undergo their own exploratory journey of research and writing. And I'm also looking forward to the time when I can research and write something new.