March WordFest: Stories of strong women in memoir & historical fiction
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WordFest meets on Tuesday, March 10, 6:00-8:00 pm, at the Cassava Coffeehouse, 1333 Broadway in Longview.
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In her memoir This Particular Happiness: A Childless Love Story, (Forest Avenue Press, 2019) Jackie Shannon Hollis explores the challenge at the heart of her marriage, examining her reasons for wanting a child and her husband’s reasons for not wanting one. Together, they navigate their shared future, a journey of love that follows the path from how we are raised to who we are to become.
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Elaine Cockrell will be reading from her second historical fiction novel, Broken Promises, the story of an orphaned child from the Depression through World War II and into the early 1950s. It begins in Alberta, Canada, when four-year-old Maida and her two-year-old sister Peg are sent to Eastern Oregon to live with the Ward family. Her father promises Maida he will come to get her as soon as he can find work. In the meantime, he agrees to send the Wards money for his daughters’ care. When both promises are broken, Maida and Peg are separated from each other as the young girls are given away to anyone who will take them.
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More information about the March WordFest here.
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Shameless Self-Promotion Dept.
My publisher has released the cover art for my next novel, As If Death Summoned, a story about the AIDS epidemic and bringing oneself back from the dead. It will be released on World AIDS Day, Dec. 1, 2020, by Amble Press, an imprint of Bywater Books.
(Don't worry. I'll let you know when it's available.)
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Congrats to Laura Baird!
Laura has been named one of 111 writers and authors worldwide to be included in the Who’s Who of Emerging Writers 2020, due for release on May 1. While continuing to work as a dental hygienist for twenty years, Laura has written fifteen romances, as well as poetry and short stories. The authors were selected by a panel of editors and publishers.
You can watch Laura’s recent Book Chat interview here.
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Bring bestselling mystery author Lyndsay Faye to your Book Club
If you belong to a book group in Cowlitz County, you have a rare opportunity to have Lyndsay Faye attend one of your meetings.
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A graduate of R.A. Long High School, Lyndsay is helping friend and former teacher Jim LeMonds raise money for charitable organizations as part of his upcoming 70@70 ride.* Jim and riding partner Bob Horness turn 70 this summer. To celebrate, they will attempt to ride 70 miles of trail near Mount St. Helens in a single day.
Here’s how it works - Your group submits a bid to Jim for an appearance by Lyndsay the next time she is in the local area. She will meet with the winning group to talk about writing or discuss one of her books, as you choose. Lyndsay is a double-Edgar Award nominee and has published seven books, most recently The Paragon Hotel.
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For more information or to submit a bid for your group, contact Jim at 360.430.4416 or seattle0@hotmail.com.
*The five causes are (1) Friends of the Castle Rock Library; (2) the Clatskanie Senior Center; (3) Pancreatic Cancer Action Network; (4) Leukemia Research Foundation; and (5) Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation.
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Send your literary news for April to alan@alan-rose.com.
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Free, 8-week series
on writing fiction and memoirs
Once again, the Longview Public Library and WordFest are partnering to offer this series, beginning March 30, in the library's MJO Room.
For the first time, this series will be offered in the evening, on Mondays, 6:00-7:30 pm.
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The classes will be led by Alan Rose, exploring elements of effective storytelling, including characters, plot, dialogue, setting, and style.
The classes are free but registration is required by contacting Elizabeth Partridge, Adult Services Librarian, at 360-442-5321 or at elizabeth.partridge@ci.longview.wa.us.
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Book Chat interview with local romance author Laura Baird
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Laura Baird, author of 15 romance novels, discusses her book, The Soldier’s Final Mission, and the continuing popularity of romance literature.
You can watch the interview here.
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Vikki J. Carter produces the Authors of the Pacific Northwest podcast interviews with writers, editors and publishers in the Northwest at www.squishpen.com
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Episode 82: Katherine Keith: (https://www.katherinekeith.com) Wilderness athlete & Iditarod racer Katherine Keith discusses her book, Epic Solitude: Survival and a Quest for Meaning in the Far North.
Episode 83: Amber Cowie: (http://www.ambercowie.com) British Columbia mystery writer Amber Cowie discusses her second novel, Raven Lane.
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Book Review:
One Long River of Song by Brian Doyle
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Playing with words and wonder
There are times in life when just the right book comes at just the right moment. After recently reading about A Very Stable Genius and then the Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake (aka The Big One), this collection of essays by the late and much loved Oregon writer Brian Doyle was a refreshing re-centering breath of fresh air, humanity and sanity.
You can read the full review here.
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Why We Write: Brian Doyle
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"I don’t know why I write, exactly. Catharsis, the itch to make something shapely and permanent, the attempt to stare God in the eye, the attempt to connect deeply to other men and women, because I can’t help myself, because there is something elevating in art, because I feel myself at my best when I am writing well. Because because because…"
Brian Doyle
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Photo-reflections:
A Season of Anticipation
(There are four of them.)
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Any moment now...
I notice again as if for the first time
one season turning toward the next
with everything about to happen.
Tim Nolan
"Seasoned"
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Find more news, reviews, interviews, and photo-reflections at www.alan-rose.com. and feel welcome to contact me at alan@alan-rose.com.
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