More Writers and Book Festivals in Wisconsin

The Tenth Annual Spring Writers Festival at UW-Milwaukee
March 9-11

http://www4.uwm.edu/SCE/conference.cfm?id=561

Write Camp4 Milwaukee at Mercy Hill Church
May 19

http://www.writecampmilwaukee.com/


Southeast Wisconsin Festival of Books at UW-Waukesha
June 15-15

http://sewibookfest.com/

Two Upcoming Conferences

Power of the Pen - Fox Valley Tech, Oshkosh Campus

The Oshkosh Area Writer's Club announces:

The 8th annual "Power of the Pen" will be held Saturdays, March 10 and 17, at a new location: Oshkosh Riverside Campus.

Sessions include Adventures with a Short Story, Character Development, Unearthing the Poem, Writing for Kids, Microfiction, and others. Classes are $16.29 each or $5.20 for those 62 and over.

For more information, or to register, visit Fox Valley Technical College or e-mail thull@fvtc.edu for a brochure.

Fox Valley Technical College
2320 Industrial Drive
Neenah, Wisconsin
phone: 920-720-6800
website: www.fvtc.edu/neenah


Geek Kon - Madison

1-17-2012 Pre-Registration and Hotel Reservations

 

Don't forget to pre-register for Geek.Kon.2012 on September 7-9! Online pre-registration is only $20 until March 15, so be sure to take advantage and register now. While you're at it, make sure to book your hotel room at the Madison Marriott West so you won't have to leave all weekend!

Waters of the Dancing Sky, a love story

"There is a land of the living and a land of the dead, and the bridge is love - the only survival, the only meaning." Thornton Wilder

About the Book: Sometimes you must tiptoe across that bridge linking this world with the next. Sometimes, it is the only way to put the twisted pieces of one's life back together again.

Beth Calhoun is a middle-aged woman haunted by a tragic past - the drowning death of her young mother, the shame of having no father. Escaping from an abusive marriage, she retreats to her family's wilderness island home on Rainy Lake along the Minnesota/Ontario international border. Here she embarks upon a journey of self-discovery that flows through a series of wilderness adventures, past and present. As she delves into her mother's old diaries, she discovers long-held family secrets including the identity of her mysterious father. Spirits of the past emerge as she struggles through a complex web of emotions and shifting relationships. Can she forgive and put the past behind her? Can she learn to trust and to love again?

Waters of the Dancing Sky is an inspirational love story, an intriguing blend of fact and fantasy that weaves an appreciation of nature and local Ojibwe culture into mankind's eternal search for meaning.

About the Author: Janet Kay lives and writes on a lake in the North Woods of Wascott, Wisconsin. Drawn to nature since she was a child, she sees it wonders as a source of renewal, reflection, and connection with something greater than oneself. Her lifelong passions include creative writing, photography, travel, and spending time with family.

Waters of the Dancing Sky is her debut novel. It has earned excellent reviews and a 5-star rating on Amazon.com. It is available for $16.95 through her publisher, Llumina Press, via her website; Amazon.com; Barnes & Noble; Ingram; Baker & Taylor; and many bookstores. E-books are also available for $5.95 through Smashwords, Kindle, Nook, Apple, Diesel, Sony, and Kobo.

For more information, check out her website. It includes her blog, Janet Kay's Journey, a photo gallery, and opportunities to enter her promotional contest.

She is currently working on her next novel, tentatively titled Amelia 1868. It will be set in the antique country town of Walnut, Iowa and the old western ghost town of Virginia City, Montana. A sequel to Waters is also in the works, based upon numerous requests from readers.

What Others Are Saying About the Book:

"An elegantly told story filled with twists and turns, pain and tenderness, conflict and resolution. Touched by spirits of Native Americans long passed from this world, emboldened by the majesty of the North Woods, this is a story about the universality of life - a book about the magic of the human spirit and the often wisp-like will of the humann mind. Highly recommended reading for lovers of life everywhere." Don Bacue, Executive Editor, International Features Syndicate

"All great storytelling is about love, death, and birth. This book transported me into Beth's world, making me feel its mysterious magic and stark reality. Not since Tolkien's Trilogy have I fallen into a book so completely." Gary Hetts, Member of St. Croix Writers, Solon Springs, WI

"The hero seeking light in the fog of an unsettled past, in the swirl of a disturbing present, and finding courage to embrace the unknown future...all elements of a true mythic story. Waters of the Dancing Sky is a soul journey that unfolds like a plot of a Hallmark Channel movie." Frank Zufall, Spooner Advocate

"...a true communion of place, character, and plot. Waters of the Dancing Sky is a complete vision, one with reverberating depths and serious surprises." Laura Kasischke, author of The Life Before Her Eyes

POETRY FESTIVAL IN MADISON SUNDAY AFTERNOONS!

I HOPE SOME OF YOU CAN JOIN ME FOR THIS TERRIFIC SERIES OF READINGS FEATURING THE BEST POETRY IN MADISON AND SURROUNDING AREAS. IT'S FREE!

James P. Roberts


2012 WINTER FESTIVAL OF POETRY
SPONSORED BY THE WISCONSIN FELLOWSHIP OF POETS
HOSTED BY JAMES P. ROBERTS
SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 2:00 - 3:30 P.M.

AVOL'S BOOKSTORE 315 GORHAM STREET, MADISON

JANUARY 22: Shoshauna Shy, Andy Gricevich, Jacki Martindale, Andrea Potos, Steve Tomasko, Gay

Davidson-Zielske.

JANUARY 29: Margaret Benbow, Steve Fortney, Paraska Tolan, Judith Zukerman, Tom Boswell, Brenda

Lempp.

FEBRUARY 5: Lynn Patrick Smith, F.J. Bergmann, Naomi Extra, Fabu, Bill Rodriguez, Alice D'Alessio.

FEBRUARY 12: Susan Elbe, Robin Chapman, Tim Walsh, Morgan Harlow, Geoff Collins, Lori Lipsky.

FEBRUARY 19: Wendy Vardaman, Martha Kaplan, Derrick Harriell, Sara Parrell, Mark Lilleleht, Sandy Stark.

FEBRUARY 26: Katrin Talbot, Miriam Hall, Chuck Cantrell, Kimberly Blanchette, Stacia Star, Paul Terranova.

MARCH 4: Brent Christianson, Peg Sherry, Jeri McCormick, Lisa Cihlar, Richard Roe, Mark Kliewer.

MARCH 11: Nancy Jesse, Marilyn Annucci, Catherine Jagoe, Rusty Russell, Mary Linton, Lenore Coberly.

FreeQuincy Radio Theater

A Smoking Great Read

Empire in Pine, Book Two

The Red Fury by Naomi Musch

c. October, 2011 Desert Breeze

ISBN 97812162520919

Price $6.99 ebook

Nearly a generation after The Green Veil, set in the great north woods of Wisconsin in the lumber era, Naomi’s second story in the series, The Red Fury, ramps up the tension and tosses decorum to the wind in the hustling 1870s Midwest.

Lainey Kade found true love once, but after her fiancé’s death, can’t seem to hold onto another engagement. After a second humiliating breakup she’s ready to leave town and reinvent herself. Adventure comes in the form of a lengthy business/pleasure trip with her brother and cousins when her father sends them to Chicago with sight-seeing around the state and cities expected.

In this time when nightmares still haunt those affected by the recent Civil War, a pair of young veterans roam the area, looking for adventure and a means to quell the grief at the loss of their parents. Kelly and Zane Beaumont live fast and furiously; Zane always on the edge as a card playing, pleasure-seeking high-roller and his younger brother Kelly his sidekick. The six young people meet briefly in Chicago, then again on the train north. They decide to travel together when they realize how well they get along. Lainey, definitely not looking for romance, pretends to be married to her cousin. She doesn’t fool the sharp-eyed Zane for long, however. Her adventuresome unconventional spirit attracts him, but he buries any feelings deep, especially when it’s obvious Kelly has fallen for her hard.

While staying in Green Bay, Lainey sketches. Her drawings present an opportunity for livelihood, which she seizes, much to the horror of her family. Lainey is insistent, however, and they reluctantly let her stay, deciding to reveal that she has inherited a piece of property in nearby Peshtigo. When she invites the brothers to check out the area, they decide to stop traveling and find work and stay in the growing lumber town. Zane and Kelly act as benevolent watchdogs and even accompany Lainey on a visit home for a wedding.

Lainey, Zane, and Kelly work hard at their respective jobs, tiptoeing around their feelings and in Zane’s case, his demons. Kelly dreams of a future with Lainey, while she holds only platonic feelings for him and fights her admiration for the haunted Zane. A terrible accident, a horrific fire that gives rise to the title of the book, and the aftermath of devastation show them how precious life and faith are.

Naomi’s attention to detail, scene and setting are pitch-perfect true to era. I felt the flames and terror of the great fire of 1871, the same night as the Great Chicago fire. I loved Lainey’s spirit, mourned and rejoiced with them all as they realized dreams, loved, fought for life and independence, and breathed the smoke of history. Another winner for those who revel in the drama of the past.

Vicki Roder

Vicki Roder is a Wisconsin born and bred author who lives in the middle of the state with her husband, three dogs, two cats and a skink. They have three grown sons.

I first met Vicki when we were on a panel together at the spring Wisconsin Writers Association conference. We got to know each other better when we connected for another magazine I edit for Written World.

Vicki is very creative and can put word puzzles together, as well as articles, children’s stories and novels for adults.

A story about her childhood was included in A Cup of Comfort for Adoptive Families.

About her books, Vicki says:

The Dream House began as a re-occurring dream, so now I keep a notebook, flashlight, and pen beside the bed. You never know when an idea will present itself.  My sister, Tammy told me to write the reoccurring dream down and it became a novel.  Read the story of a kidney donation between my sister and I, featured in Chicken Soup for the Coffee Lover's Soul.   

My second novel, a mystery thriller entitled Bolt Action, Champagne Books, April 2010. Can gun hording, Harley riding Detective Leslie Bolt conquer her past and capture "The State Quarter Killer" before her sister is the next victim?  

  
My mystery for middle grade readers entitled The Curse of King Ramessess II has been contracted by Wild Child Publishing. Rumors of a mummified King, haunting the Bradford Museum surface. Mia and Jody stow away in the museum and a girl version of a Abbott and Costello investigation unfolds in the heart-racing, eventful night.

My inspirational book, It’s Not You – It’s Them is now available from Dancing With Bear Publishing.

 
Vicki has been published in Canadian Kids Magazine, Wisconsin Regional Writers’ (now Wisconsin Writers Association) Journal, Guide Magazine, Pockets Magazine, The Highground, The Little Lutheran, The Little Christian, FarmLife Magazine, and One Way Street.  

Way to go, Vicki!

Find out more at:

www.victoriaroder.com

You can't change the past, but you can choose your future.