tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71514149552412551042024-03-05T17:08:39.643-08:00Machines Can't Eat Thissandy sanchezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13531175628723600234noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151414955241255104.post-33359344897945579702012-01-18T11:41:00.000-08:002012-01-18T11:41:44.622-08:00Long time no hearSo I haven't been on this blog site for nearly two months: busy hectic holiday season. Trip to NM this month. Anyway I see no one visits or comments so probably time to pack up and leave cyber space altogether but I felt like I should at least make the effort to get the word out about my last book:<br />
The Secret of A Long Journey is due for release by Floricanto Press (<a href="http://www.floricantopress.com/">www.floricantopress.com</a> ) in April (two years since I signed a contract with them on March 31, 2010 but I'm learning that is standard). Anyway there is a review online at:<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.pubwages.com/35/review-of-the-secret-of-a-long-journey-by-sandra-schwayder-sanchez">http:www.pubwages.com/35/review-of-the-secret-of-a-long-journey-by-sandra-schwayder-sanchez</a> and space for comments thereon. Yes I know there is no C in shwayder but I carefully recreated the link as sent to me. If you are here reading this and click on the link, please leave a comment. Thanks. Sandysandy sanchezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13531175628723600234noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151414955241255104.post-23076723489705416262011-11-26T07:41:00.000-08:002011-11-26T07:41:32.551-08:00Kardashian, Miss Piggy, Justin BieberGotcha! I'm doing a little experiment: listing names that a lot of people are apparently searching online to see how many will stumble upon my blog. If you just stumbled on my blog and have the time and inclination to scroll down to see beautiful photos of the Rocky Mtns, read reviews of good books and some blog posts that have nothing to do with celebrities, please post a comment and let me know what you think.sandy sanchezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13531175628723600234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151414955241255104.post-77471178390848452322011-11-23T14:26:00.000-08:002011-11-23T14:26:48.464-08:00The Lost Art of Reading by David UlinI highly recommend this little book, a long very entertaining and enlightening essay. If you read it, let me know when you come across the story about the author signed blank book that someone bought for a thousand dollars and we can share some ironic laughter. Meantime, a second edition of my first novel, The Nun published by Plain View Press twenty years ago will be coming out soon (<a href="http://www.plainviewpress.com/">www.plainviewpress.com) </a>roughly the same time as the first edition of my last novel The Secret of A Long Journey (<a href="http://www.floricantopress.com/">www.floricantopress.com</a> ). . . that makes for an interesting full circle. Somebody scream.sandy sanchezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13531175628723600234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151414955241255104.post-89856678104635172372011-11-10T07:45:00.000-08:002011-11-10T07:45:06.662-08:00Prosperity v. PosteritySo I've said that wessex collective (<a href="http://www.thewessexcollective.com/">www.thewessexcollective.com</a> ) is more interested in posterity than prosperity and that is why we'll discount books substantially and donate books to causes we support to get the books in the hands of serious readers who might otherwise miss them. We know our audience is a small one, people who actually WANT to be challenged (I once had a mss. rejected because it was too "challenging" and a story criticised because it "used characters to make a point" imagine that!) . . . but we want to get the work we considered important enough to devote our time and energy to creating, publishing and promoting out to readers who will appreciate it because we understand how important the great books we read were to us. So, all that by way of introducing some remarks about POSTERITY I recently rec'd in an email from my friend and favorite writer, Ita Willen. She said:<br />
"listen our deafening silence problems are not new. I've been reading a lot of biographies. CHOPIN had a hard time getting anyone to listen, as a performer he seemed weak with his barely audible music, selling sheet music was hard too, waltzes were in vogue, he survived by giving piano lessons. GEORGE SAND her soap opera novels found favor but she ruined Chopin's life and destroyed her kids lives too. LORD BYRON independently wealthy, got attention for his work through his scandalous behavior, a total degenerate. SHELLY Independently wealthy, his work was not recognized until after his death. . . Abandoned a young pregnant wife and two small children to run off with Mary. The wife committed suicide by drowning. RIMBAUD'S entire fame rest on 500 copies self published, couldn't afford to pay the printer and the stash wasn't even found til 50 years later, long after he died. And we all know about poor VAN GOGH who couldn't sell a painting to save his life. So the loud silence doesn't bother me a bit. I once saw a cartoon in The New Yorker: two men at a cocktail party. Says one: "Why should I do anything for posterity? What has posterity ever done for me?" That is when I completely gave up trying to create anything for the unborn. And yet it occurs to me now that posterity HAS done something for me. It's given me Chopin, Sand, Byron, Shelley and Van Gogh."sandy sanchezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13531175628723600234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151414955241255104.post-38309107384732364562011-11-09T15:10:00.000-08:002011-11-09T15:10:25.516-08:0011-9-11 at Brainard Lake area<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjBwdOz-Eqr3jtRhHCcNDNmvwJkaptDAXRkd62ycuMlNd0ykhnrTzq5ZSBllqa8QmJuMtpDRw2GahFFEVug9fLJKLpJet51cedE5Sn7F7GQJ0H44BpVAYu2S9QjEg6wOp1uI4g03NC4A/s1600/winter11-11j.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjBwdOz-Eqr3jtRhHCcNDNmvwJkaptDAXRkd62ycuMlNd0ykhnrTzq5ZSBllqa8QmJuMtpDRw2GahFFEVug9fLJKLpJet51cedE5Sn7F7GQJ0H44BpVAYu2S9QjEg6wOp1uI4g03NC4A/s320/winter11-11j.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>sandy sanchezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13531175628723600234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151414955241255104.post-16798092256708845802011-11-09T07:51:00.000-08:002011-11-09T07:51:34.800-08:00<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Lucky Shot<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">By Sarah Leamy<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Published byStrategic Book Group<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">ISBN # 978-1-61204-684-6<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">After reviewing Sarah Leamy’s book <i>When No One is Looking</i></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> for bookpleasures last spring I was very eager to read her new book,<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><i>Lucky Shot, a Novel of Sex, Death and Photography.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I was not disappointed. It is said that a picture is a worth a thousand words and in this novel, the protagonist is a photographer (click). Leamy’s prose is lean, almost stacatto at times, and creates a series of pictures in the mind’s eye of readers. What another writer might need thousands of words to describe, she can describe vividly in far fewer words. Reading her fiction is like viewing a film, you hear the voices, see the facial expressions and body language and feel each character. The style swings along in an easy, engaging rythym, and as a reader I feel like I’m dancing along with the characters to my favorite music.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">An important theme in this novel is the right of patients to make end of life decisions and of course the importance of making sure there is someone to implement the patient’s desires if and when the patient can no longer express those desires. The author handles this situation in a loving but matter of fact tone, that does not seek to overdramatize (because she knows that is not necessary) this most serious and inevitable part of life: its end.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Just like Joey in <i>When No One is Looking</i></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">, Lucky Phillips in <i>Lucky Shot</i></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> has difficult childhood memories to deal with in order to live joyfully, and just like Joey, Lucky manages to do exactly that.These characters emerge from difficult journeys triumphant and ready to face the next phase of their lives and the reader emerges feeling privileged to have been invited along on the journey and eager to continue the next phase of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not surprisingly, I am really looking forward to reading the sequel to this book, <i>Lucky Find, Looking for Family in Far Off Places</i></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>wherein Lucky will search for the sister he didn’t even know he had. Lucky Find is due out in 2012 and you can read more about it and author Sarah Leamy at: <a href="http://www.sleam.com/">www.sleam.com</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I think perhaps the author creates her characters as a lens to learn about life herself. In any case, the reader is enlightened as well as entertained by these insightful shots of people showing vulnerability, fear, love, generosity and joy.<o:p></o:p></span></div><!--EndFragment-->sandy sanchezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13531175628723600234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151414955241255104.post-69437196902286593952011-11-06T09:19:00.000-08:002011-11-06T09:19:37.119-08:00Another blog<a href="http://www.badassbrooklynfosterdog.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">www.badassbrooklynfosterdog.blogspot.com</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> check it out!</span>sandy sanchezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13531175628723600234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151414955241255104.post-33549969026076490432011-11-03T11:01:00.001-07:002011-11-03T11:01:57.278-07:00Healing MuseCheck out latest blog @: <a href="http://www.healingmusecafe.blogspot.com/">www.healingmusecafe.blogspot.com</a> and find out how to purchase the latest issue of this really admirable literary journal.sandy sanchezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13531175628723600234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151414955241255104.post-13177834241816812752011-11-02T13:58:00.001-07:002011-11-02T13:58:37.225-07:00another beautiful poemcheck it out on Mary Saracino's blog: Motherrootsandy sanchezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13531175628723600234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151414955241255104.post-10563990115855963502011-10-27T18:23:00.000-07:002011-10-27T18:23:07.691-07:00Review of Lessons From the Mountain by Mary McDonough<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Lessons From The Mountain: What I Learned From Erin Walton<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">By Mary McDonough<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Kensington Publishing Corp.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">ISBN 978-0-7582-6366-7<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The memoir begins with the voice of a woman of strength and wisdom and maintains that tone throughout. After she gives credit where credit is due (parents and siblings) the author flashes back and tracks forward to tell us about the long hard journey she took to ultimately acquire that strength and wisdom. Included among the positive influences that helped her get through the difficulties of being a child star were members of her television Walton family as well as her own real family. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For some reason during childhood she suffered from an overwhelming feeling of inadequacy and any slight pounded her esteem</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">deeper into the ground. She recounts the story of an obsessive compulsive second grade teacher at her Catholic school and the reader has to wonder what such a person was doing teaching seven year old children. Later she refers back to some inappropriate sexual touching that she endured as a child from neighbors and was too afraid to speak up. Throughout her childhood, adolescence and early adulthood she was afraid to speak up whether the complaint was relatively trivial (sitting in a hot car in winter clothes to shoot a “winter” scene on a hot day) or serious (an actual assault on a movie set during her post Walton career). But, when she finally realized she had to speak up not only to protect herself from serious health risks</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">but to warn other women who might be persuaded to take serious health risks, she came out with the fierceness and determination that long repressed feelings can engender. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The book includes photos of this beautiful girl who grew into a beautiful woman and one photo in particular is both striking and heartrending: a photo of a lean, fit and lovely teen age girl on one page and on the facing page the drawing she made of herself at that time. She called the drawing “hog body” and apparently thought of her body in that derogatory way.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">There had to be some sad and heavy psychology at work to make her think of herself that way when she viewed that lovely girl in the mirror. The fact that she later got silicone breast implants is therefore not surprising. After the implants, she developed Lupus and, against the advice of Doctors who should have known better, decided to have the implants removed thereby finding out that they had ruptured and sent silicone leaking into her body as well as the fetus she was carrying. When she later took on Dow Corning she was doing it for herself, her daughter and all the women who might make different decisions regarding breast implants given accurate information. The malleable, shy child actor has developed into a film director and producer herself as well as an activist and a teacher who gives workshops to help young women develop a positive self image. She makes it clear throughout the book that she was always grateful for what she was given (the good fortune of being chosen to be part of the Waltons family and develop lifelong friendships with many fine people) and that she felt a responsibility to give back. She has given back a great deal and this book is a gift to women everywhere in all walks of life and all ages. There are a myriad of wise life lessons in this book. I learned some important lessons reading it. Thankyou Mary McDonough!</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><!--EndFragment-->sandy sanchezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13531175628723600234noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151414955241255104.post-38646437259513654712011-10-27T18:19:00.000-07:002011-10-27T18:19:35.656-07:00Review of Ruth by Marlene S. Lewis (in the UK)<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><b><i><u>Ruth<o:p></o:p></u></i></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">By Marlene S. Lewis<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Troubador Publishing Ltd.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">ISBN 978-1-84876-623-5<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">At 327 pages </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Ruth</span></i></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> would be too long were it merely a love story with an interesting twist. However, this story of a young woman from her first sexual awakening to a new beginning in middle age is also the story of colonial racism in Australia in the fifties and the consequences of this racism that are passed on from one generation to the next. In addition to this major theme there are sub themes of classicism and sexism that come up in the stories of subsidiary characters Ruth encounters on her journey.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I’ve been known to say that while non-fiction makes us aware of social problems, fiction has more power to make us care about social problems. I should amend that to say that it is the stories of individuals more than statistics that create empathy and a passion to change what is wrong in our societies. So whether a story is fictional or real is not the issue here but whether it is compelling enough to inspire readers to want to do something about the injustices of racism, classicism, sexism as we recognize them around us in addition to helping us recognize them in the first place.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Ruth</span></i></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, Marlene S. Lewis tells a fictional story that feels absolutely real and as a reader I feel like I could hear the voices of Ruth, Lindsay, Tommy, Joyce, Aggie, Stephanie, Ali, Lachlan, Josh and others as if I’d known them. The author has mastered the craft of creating</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">characters with the particular idiosyncracies that make them believable individuals, each and every one. She makes us know them, care about them, hear and respond to what they have to say. There is the usual disclaimer at the beginning that the book is a work of fiction and any resemblance of the characters to real people is purely coincidental. I would add that such resemblance is due to the author’s gifts of observation and insight. The style is matter of fact. Because the facts themselves are dramatic the author has no need to overdramatize events, she simply tells them and we are moved, sometimes shocked, at the simple recitation of the realistically imagined facts. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Because the book depicts so many realistic instances of important universal social issues, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Ruth</span></i></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> is a book I highly recommend to bookclubs who are looking for spirited discussion of the social dynamics that affect us all, everywhere at some time and all the time somewhere.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><!--EndFragment-->sandy sanchezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13531175628723600234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151414955241255104.post-84671944376026720842011-10-24T11:47:00.000-07:002011-10-24T11:47:01.454-07:00Hi CaraIf you love these beautful mtns check out this site:<br />
<a href="http://girlstrektoo.com/blog/category/girls-hike-too">http://girlstrektoo.com/blog/category/girls-hike-too</a><br />
<br />
Cara is another Colorado author I had the pleasure of meeting at the Aurora Public Library "Meet the Authors" event yesterday. Oh that photo with the headstone: there are historic cemeteries above Central City that were absolutely glorious with fall colors and from there it is possible to 4 wheel all the way to James Peak. Interesting area up there. Enjoy this beautiful day!sandy sanchezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13531175628723600234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151414955241255104.post-77711750446326860762011-10-04T17:50:00.000-07:002011-10-04T17:50:26.353-07:00Last Beautiful days of Autumn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3GbL6R66ERfi5Ye95Vxr3SYvRhVaC-bxIxILZP44kpBmH_3KYK2BY1-2pOt61YCabfp5rj5r_nm7Q6ZE05kkkTzYTpxJmCTvUIsxs37jDpQVaEuXyDi4XAYcce8YVhNtn1vGlSkpHQ/s1600/10-4-2011-4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3GbL6R66ERfi5Ye95Vxr3SYvRhVaC-bxIxILZP44kpBmH_3KYK2BY1-2pOt61YCabfp5rj5r_nm7Q6ZE05kkkTzYTpxJmCTvUIsxs37jDpQVaEuXyDi4XAYcce8YVhNtn1vGlSkpHQ/s320/10-4-2011-4.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dtkSq8sPzDoHcuAZzUc-qx0VMHWjYOYMeomq1-X2oQ49yYdTda2kg9A72XZlL0qR8OIrLB06BW5Q5v2W1xFXfXaWqdk0xdf5QTY6SmugJp5NerxF5OWH1_rYQfXo7JTe84m83J6jqQ/s1600/10-4-2011-5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dtkSq8sPzDoHcuAZzUc-qx0VMHWjYOYMeomq1-X2oQ49yYdTda2kg9A72XZlL0qR8OIrLB06BW5Q5v2W1xFXfXaWqdk0xdf5QTY6SmugJp5NerxF5OWH1_rYQfXo7JTe84m83J6jqQ/s320/10-4-2011-5.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg57WE8_Va9mxqIpLUUD9DTq5g01YBzt6lp6K4ypQOIeWbLErDN1ind7TCrujxIaypjjUy_xfmuupSJdnDPt5t4_4Hj8nL-zpy28mlunBAUABMGpoFC6J4a5InhNwe9G16N-UOYKRe77g/s1600/10-4-2011-8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg57WE8_Va9mxqIpLUUD9DTq5g01YBzt6lp6K4ypQOIeWbLErDN1ind7TCrujxIaypjjUy_xfmuupSJdnDPt5t4_4Hj8nL-zpy28mlunBAUABMGpoFC6J4a5InhNwe9G16N-UOYKRe77g/s320/10-4-2011-8.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8KPJZbSYOhQhrhDNZPY5xQHDUIeytjyWUENRTaEe38-yf5o2ELM72kuctNaQFHmss1qnV3ngLXILhgzGq67-bcqNmZVrNd-jKB_aDzYPA8qHe6SyQjT2cL_7xAifLu05B-wxACxyyQg/s1600/cemetery2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8KPJZbSYOhQhrhDNZPY5xQHDUIeytjyWUENRTaEe38-yf5o2ELM72kuctNaQFHmss1qnV3ngLXILhgzGq67-bcqNmZVrNd-jKB_aDzYPA8qHe6SyQjT2cL_7xAifLu05B-wxACxyyQg/s320/cemetery2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>We are actually expecting snow soon in the high country. Meantime, finished my fall foliage foto frenzy today in a cemetery (fitting).sandy sanchezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13531175628723600234noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151414955241255104.post-20922810337119967742011-09-25T16:11:00.000-07:002011-09-25T16:11:05.681-07:00Glorious Fall Day in Colorado reminds me of Lothlorien<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3zTE8kHX7m8z3a-Yu2cX5Ckwje1kPv7ktqOcE9zyVdh9Fr2rOZaTay-pid8aAM4nAHMkxq5BDeTxJKdSERe7Wk2Hqf2v-adLsOLjSWthB2Fk_w5HjZBWat4gV1I-9SIbQf5rInkKI9w/s1600/GloriousFallDayC.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3zTE8kHX7m8z3a-Yu2cX5Ckwje1kPv7ktqOcE9zyVdh9Fr2rOZaTay-pid8aAM4nAHMkxq5BDeTxJKdSERe7Wk2Hqf2v-adLsOLjSWthB2Fk_w5HjZBWat4gV1I-9SIbQf5rInkKI9w/s320/GloriousFallDayC.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAmqLCPJj6t8sAAINpYLJLqSVu0xei1KU9cwKjqmUpjEZC8u6X5cRX5PD3eEM29oL-WtbWV-i-S61NLrs4g-J8mGBNyZaOXXqB6Zord-NO14Uy2m5EROQbPHF_-B2J9yJNCxZhL6ss_A/s1600/GloriousFallDayF.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAmqLCPJj6t8sAAINpYLJLqSVu0xei1KU9cwKjqmUpjEZC8u6X5cRX5PD3eEM29oL-WtbWV-i-S61NLrs4g-J8mGBNyZaOXXqB6Zord-NO14Uy2m5EROQbPHF_-B2J9yJNCxZhL6ss_A/s320/GloriousFallDayF.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>sandy sanchezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13531175628723600234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151414955241255104.post-52593629245338622822011-09-21T18:21:00.000-07:002011-09-21T18:21:39.747-07:00More pictures worth a thousand words<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgur1la3ZNFbQJlyEPxK3_P8XE2ViGk1zhUsyTA916Oh5x_MgoVmxQq_hK8YYbqZ4Yy7n4vqXh3SUPYawzaMU4gvsqyupVYdl-GSL2APcXHrkubPdiIq6KX-32W6NjtBbfVzcdjRtuVDg/s1600/BettyLake2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgur1la3ZNFbQJlyEPxK3_P8XE2ViGk1zhUsyTA916Oh5x_MgoVmxQq_hK8YYbqZ4Yy7n4vqXh3SUPYawzaMU4gvsqyupVYdl-GSL2APcXHrkubPdiIq6KX-32W6NjtBbfVzcdjRtuVDg/s320/BettyLake2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrqH2NCHbWaOCiBHe9W7Otq2OzyJ9HVi1Y0f51jLd36b27rTu9wCnicuebFDSV9WsBcxOJA01GXjI7p3V2vmsZIZM8u2XtKOC_lCpqqP4fx0gAv9ZE5XSNOsMl0Bn4yKv5gzO2PIcRdA/s1600/DorothyLake.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrqH2NCHbWaOCiBHe9W7Otq2OzyJ9HVi1Y0f51jLd36b27rTu9wCnicuebFDSV9WsBcxOJA01GXjI7p3V2vmsZIZM8u2XtKOC_lCpqqP4fx0gAv9ZE5XSNOsMl0Bn4yKv5gzO2PIcRdA/s320/DorothyLake.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>sandy sanchezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13531175628723600234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151414955241255104.post-52450857978032335542011-09-21T17:05:00.000-07:002011-09-21T17:05:46.564-07:00I GUESS YOU COULD SAY I LIKE TO GET HIGH<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBDXzukJKh0uxtDRSNy60tuZgDCImnCjiV3DX5M9-gbfSo7jzysiRPBeRuFs325KnPcC2aPYSbGQadMe4bF-SNUejXO3M73Z8c5xJDqevkgR2M4ZW0l4TgKJ04f6i00O2BJX5byHXEw/s1600/NiwotRidgeClouds.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBDXzukJKh0uxtDRSNy60tuZgDCImnCjiV3DX5M9-gbfSo7jzysiRPBeRuFs325KnPcC2aPYSbGQadMe4bF-SNUejXO3M73Z8c5xJDqevkgR2M4ZW0l4TgKJ04f6i00O2BJX5byHXEw/s320/NiwotRidgeClouds.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTpp1WEMPsTYUGlT68cSMBNn8EPuhTlBs-DSXyalXgeR7P6jVUZyiy1PwZrOmyXIGxfOcSqbk49zWFSIX_Pi-TjIew4GQSTxVp_n9IiL5KiYUXkyBru5kNdPWFNNiYfXf3Yo0xBFK3w/s1600/OverlookingBoulderWatershed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTpp1WEMPsTYUGlT68cSMBNn8EPuhTlBs-DSXyalXgeR7P6jVUZyiy1PwZrOmyXIGxfOcSqbk49zWFSIX_Pi-TjIew4GQSTxVp_n9IiL5KiYUXkyBru5kNdPWFNNiYfXf3Yo0xBFK3w/s320/OverlookingBoulderWatershed.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVBUHWKmG4u8Imx7ot_7tM9JdXFuVOo9KTP7ltO7_dQa2mE9IRFH6iMgkeoCkqVRnWukuPUyE_-paDAmGoi68kUXWV0hmBg_BU8E20vzJMZw09nfvh6H6t3ixD0tmNYAD_N5dNH71Ew/s1600/PawneePassHiked.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVBUHWKmG4u8Imx7ot_7tM9JdXFuVOo9KTP7ltO7_dQa2mE9IRFH6iMgkeoCkqVRnWukuPUyE_-paDAmGoi68kUXWV0hmBg_BU8E20vzJMZw09nfvh6H6t3ixD0tmNYAD_N5dNH71Ew/s320/PawneePassHiked.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>sandy sanchezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13531175628723600234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151414955241255104.post-20973057647965640372011-09-21T14:41:00.000-07:002011-09-21T14:41:58.882-07:00Donations to help victims of domestic violence<a href="http://www.writersout.com/user/354">www.writersout.com/user/354</a> is my page on a site called Writers Out. I could not have created the page without the gracious assistance of Inbal Gould. My novel <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Stillbird</span>, which is a myth-like treatment of a multi-generational cycle of violence against women is no longer available as a trade paperback book but it can be downloaded from my writersout page for $5. For every 10 downloads of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Stillbird</span> I intend to donate $25 to a local shelter that offers shelter and other kinds of assistance to battered women and also has space for them to bring their pets (many women are afraid to leave an abusive situation if it means leaving a beloved family pet behind to face abuse). They are called A Rising Hope. I just recently learned about them from one of my daughters who received an email about an upcoming fundraiser.sandy sanchezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13531175628723600234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151414955241255104.post-86670500534214396072011-08-26T07:25:00.000-07:002011-08-26T07:25:37.558-07:00And another wonderful woman author: Marisel Vera<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">I recently wrote and wanted to share this review of Marisel's book <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">If I Bring You Roses</span></span> published by Grand Central Publishing ISBN 978-0-446-57153-1</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><u>If I Bring You Roses</u></i><span style="font-style: normal;"> is more than a love story powerfully and insightfully told. It is also a story about how class and ethnic discrimination impact relationships between men and women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The message is important; the writing is masterful. The entire novel is written in third person narrative but the narrative voice changes with the perspective of the completely believable and engaging characters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Part One, the author uses exquisitely poetic and rythmnic language to tell the story of a simple Puerto Rican country girl, Felicidad Hidalgo and leads the reader into the growing girl’s pure and loving heart so we not only observe but experience the anxieties, and the yearnings in her life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the next part she tells the story from the perspective of the more psychologically complex Anibal Acevedo, a young Puerto Rican man who has come to the U.S mainland with big dreams only to be disappointed, exploited and disrespected in the workplace. The author then moves into an authentic male voice that allows the reader to understand the conflicts in the heart and mind of a man who uses sexual conquest to assuage the pain he feels over his inability to become the man he dreamed of being. Subsidiary characters are rendered with the same authenticity and detail as the two primary characters so every interaction rings true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Using vivid descriptions of places and events and very real dialogue, the author immerses the reader in the Puerto Rican culture both on the island and in the Chicago neighborhood where Felicidad moves to be with Anibal. We see these two within the contexts of their families and communities and we see how these families and communities sometimes guide, sometimes complicate and sometimes assist the two young people who must learn to navigate not only the cold, unfamiliar terrain of Chicago but the frighteningly unfamiliar terrain of a constantly changing future. In the end both of them are guided by their essentially good hearts into a future that the reader has hope will be a rewarding one.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I highly recommend this book to readers interested in<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>romance grounded in reality, in Latina culture, in civil and human rights for all people regardless of gender, race or ethnicity and to readers who are just interested in reading a really good, engrossing book. I also think it would make an excellent addition to reading lists for college classes in Womens’ Studies, Latina studies and classes in Latin American literature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><!--EndFragment--> sandy sanchezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13531175628723600234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151414955241255104.post-85476678223261017352011-08-25T06:23:00.000-07:002011-08-26T07:36:29.813-07:00INTRODUCING WESSEX AUTHOR GLORIA DEVIDAS KIRCHHEIMER<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">I love this piece by Gloria DeVidas Kirchheimer, a writer who lives on the upper west side of NYC who discovered our Wessex table at the Small Press Book Fair in NY one December a few years ago (in fact I shared a table there with Linda LeBlanc). Gloria submitted the first couple of chapters of Amalie in Orbit and I was impatient to receive the rest of this wonderfully witty novel about a 40something newly widowed woman entering the workforce and reshaping her life. Anyway, here is Gloria talking about her process: why and how she writes her wonderful stories:</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">When I’m not writing I feel half alive. I go through every-day motions like a zombie. Something is missing.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Nothing equals the excitement of plunging into a story and not knowing where it’s going. I write in order to find out what’s happening, what the story all about. It’s a process of discovery.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">There’s fear as well as exhilaration. Will I be able to solve the problems? Will I measure up? I’m my own judge. Not yet my own dispassionate critic. That comes later. What is this fear? Performance anxiety? But no one is looking over my shoulder except me. Each time I begin a new story it’s as though I’ve never written anything before. My confidence is zero. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Writing has to be fun. And in order to have fun you have to squelch the fear and jump in, take risks joyfully. You can always revise the piece later—you <i>must</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> revise. Knowing that, you have the freedom to make mistakes, to digress all you want. Later is the time for cleaning up.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">How to start? My work is almost always based on real people. I may know them well or maybe I just spotted them on the street and something struck me in passing. A little spark goes off in my head, the spark of possibility. The notion of “what if . . .?” Taking what I see and know and moving into an imagined—but plausible-- situation.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Sometimes, before I’ve actually begun to write, a line will pop into my head. My first impulse is to reject it. No, this is crazy, what a wild notion. But that’s how I wrote my story, “Goodbye, Evil Eye” (in <i>Goodbye, Evil Eye: Short Stories</i><span style="font-style: normal;">). The line was: “It is not common knowledge that a woman sailed with Christopher Columbus.” And that was the start button for me. Don’t ask me where that line came from. If we’re lucky and receptive, these charmed moments come to us. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">You never know what is going to show up in your story. Before you realize it, you’ve written a scene based on an event that occurred ten years ago in the workplace, a scene you haven’t thought about consciously. Who would have imagined that my job in a nonprofit organization would have yielded so much fodder for a story, “First, Do No Harm” (<i>Antioch Review</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, Fall 2010).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">Writers are ruthless and I’m no exception. I have little compunction about using my parents, sibling, husband, and children in my fiction even though sometimes I feel guilty. The parents are dead, the spouse supremely understanding, the children—there I have tread lightly. And with friends, you hope they either won’t recognize themselves or better yet, won’t read your work. I once wrote a story about my mother (“Food of Love,” in <i>Goodbye, Evil Eye: Short Stories</i><span style="font-style: normal;">.) It was first published in an obscure California literary magazine called </span><i>Shmate</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, literally, “rag” in Yiddish. Who could have imagined that a distant cousin living there, a continent away, would find the magazine, read it and call my mother to say she read a story in it that was all about her. My mother called me to ask about it saying she wanted to read it. Uh oh! It’s true that it was fiction but very thinly disguised. There was my mom with all her quirks and exasperating behavior, the friction between us in print for all to see. I told her I didn’t think she would be interested. A feeble excuse. I was truly terrified. I gave her the magazine and agonized for a couple of days. She would be so hurt, so angry at me that she would disown me, her own daughter. How could I do such a thing to her, etc. etc. Her reaction? Sheer delight. “It’s all about </span><i>me</i><span style="font-style: normal;">,” she said happily. Then she suggested that I write her biography. But that’s a whole other story.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">Nothing equals the joy of being in the middle of writing fiction—nothing, except maybe a swim in the ocean. I want to immerse myself, play, splash around. That’s how I’ll find out what I’m doing.<o:p></o:p></div><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">So, why do you write? and how do you approach your characters and create their stories?</span><br />
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sandy sanchezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13531175628723600234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151414955241255104.post-82143698361013108372011-08-17T13:13:00.000-07:002011-08-17T13:13:19.105-07:00And speaking of Colorado Women AuthorsI am privileged to know several of our state's finest. I'm listing their names and links below. Meanwhile ladies your websites are far superior to what I've put together here so I am simply going to introduce you to each other and to any readers who might stumble into my quirky little corner of cyberspace and I invite you to use the comment section below to say more about yourselves and your work. For my part, I admire all of you!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">PAT BERTRAM</span></span>: I have not actually met Pat in person but we've corresponded since I reviewed her book <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Light Bringer</span></span> for <a href="http://www.bookpleasures.com/">www.bookpleasures.com</a> and at my request she and I exchanged books. As much as I enjoyed <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Light Bringer, </span></span> I liked <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Daughter Am I </span> </span>even more (what's not to love about a young woman driving a car full of geriatric mobsters in search of information about the grandparents she never knew?). Her quirky mountain characters also share some of my own political views so that was cool. Check out Pat's site @ <a href="http://patbertram.com/">http://patbertram.com</a><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">MARGARET GUTHRIE</span>: I had the pleasure of meeting Margaret in Estes Park a few years ago when the library bookclub invited me to come discuss my book <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Stillbird</span></span>. She asked me to look at her mss. & I was much impressed with a beautifully written book about forgiveness, a subject that very much interests me. I recommended it to my partner in this business of publishing independence, Peter agreed and we published <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">The Return</span></span> shortly thereafter. Now I'm excited to report that a literary agency in Prague is interested in it. You can read about her and The Return on our site: <a href="http://www.thewessexcollective.com/">www.thewessexcollective.com</a><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666;">LINDA LeBLANC</span>: After reviewing Beyond the Summit for the Boulder Daily Camera I was curious to meet the author, find out how she came to write so well about climbing Everest. Had she done it? Turns out Linda was a guide to groups going as far as base camp and established a series of huts along the way. She took an interest in the lives of the Sherpas who earned their scant livings doing very tough work and her book delves into the culture, and the changes caused by tourism with insight and sensitivity. Check out her sites: <a href="http://www.beyondthesummit-novel.com/">www.beyondthesummit-novel.com</a> <br />
and about a new work in progress: <a href="http://www.caseyrenaissancefair.com/">www.caseyrenaissancefair.com</a><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">MARY SARACINO: </span>I met Mary when we were both invited to participate in the Englewood Library "Meet the Author" event (which Linda told me about). I was there with <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Three Novellas</span></span> and Mary was there with her exquisite novel, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">The Singing of Swans</span></span>. I don't think I sold any books but the event was worthwhile because of this rewarding friendship. Check out these links:<br />
<a href="http://www.marysaracino.com/">www.marysaracino.com</a> , <a href="http://marysaracino.blogspot.com/">http://marysaracino.blogspot.com</a> ,<br />
<a href="http://www.redroom.com/author/mary-saracino">www.redroom.com/author/mary-saracino</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.redroom.com/author/mary-saracino">, </a></span><a href="http://www.pearlsong.com/newsroom/marysaracino/htm"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.pearlsong.com/newsroom/marysaracino/htm">www.pearlsong.com/newsroom/marysaracino/htm</a>, <a href="http://authorsden.com/marysaracino"></a><br />
<a href="http://authorsden.com/marysaracino">http://authorsden.com/marysaracino</a><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">JACKIE ST. JOAN</span>: I first met Jackie St. Joan when I represented Russell Means in her courtroom after the first of several Columbus Day protests. We were delighted to get a good judge! St. Joan is not only a good judge but a dedicated advocate for women's rights and a leader in the movement to help victims of domestic violence. Her novel <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">My Sisters Made of Light</span></span> is a poetically written novel about honor crimes against women in Pakistan and when you buy this book you do two things: get yourself a good book and contribute to a good cause as she donates 50% of all proceeds to an organization building a shelter for women and children in Pakistan. Check out these links:<br />
<a href="http://jacquelinestjoan.com/">jacquelinestjoan.com</a> and <a href="http://mysistersmadeoflight.com/">mysistersmadeoflight.com</a><br />
&U can find my review of Sisters on <a href="http://www.pagereaders.com/">www.pagereaders.com</a> (scroll down a LOT).<br />
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ITA WILLEN: last but by no means least, I met Ita in the 9th grade where I gravitated toward the new student with a violin case in one hand and a pile of books in the crook of her arm. Ita was the person who inspired me to start writing in the first place although I knew I'd never be as good as she was and is. Years later, she was the inspiration for me to suggest starting The Wessex Collective to Peter Burnham back in 2005. Although her first book, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; text-decoration: underline;">The Grubbag</span></span> was published by Random House in 1972, she didn't follow the path her editor wished to dictate and was later turned down when she offered her memoir <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; text-decoration: underline;">The Gift</span></span> for publication. Yes I wanted to publish my novel <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; text-decoration: underline;">Stillbird</span></span> and Peter wanted to publish his novel <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; text-decoration: underline;">Envious Shadows</span></span> both of which were scheduled for publication in Mumbai (in both English and Marathi) before Pushpa Prakashan, Ltd. went under, but he also wanted to publish the works of his mentor Wm. Davey (deceased in 1999) and I wanted to publish the works of my role model, Ita Willen and without the inspiration of these two fine authors we would not have gone to all the trouble of starting and maintaining the collective. She continues to be a role model to me in all aspects of life today. Ita is also on our wessex site. Look for her collection of short stories, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; text-decoration: underline;">Triple Vision</span></span>, later this year.sandy sanchezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13531175628723600234noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151414955241255104.post-74206784496564409232011-08-16T12:11:00.000-07:002011-08-16T12:11:29.999-07:00And speaking of . . .Speaking of Paul Johnson, he was the writer who introduced me to the work of<br />
Sonora Babb. Sonora Babb wrote a fine novel, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; text-decoration: underline;">Whose Names Are Unknown,</span> about migrant farm workers during the depression. In fact she worked for the Farm Security Administration and had first hand knowledge of the plight of her characters. She wrote the novel in the 1930s but Random House who paid her to come to NY to finish it for them decided against publishing it after the huge success of John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath . . they didn't want to "flood the market" with the two books on the same theme. It should be noted that Ms. Babb had shared her notes with Mr. Steinbeck when he came out to California as a reporter. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Whose Names Are Unknown</span></span> was finally published by University of Oklahoma Press in 2003 (so she just had to wait sixty some years). She did publish other work but considered this one her best. She died in 2006 at the age of 98 after seeing what she considered her best book finally published. I reviewed Names for the Boulder Daily Camera and the book editor at the time planned to write an article about the author (who grew up in Eastern Colorado) but he left before this plan materialized and the new book editor didn't see fit to run the review of Ms. Babb's extraordinary book. I recommend it whenever and wherever I can. If you liked Tillie Olson's <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Yonnondio</span></span> you will certainly like <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Whose Names Are Unknown</span></span>.sandy sanchezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13531175628723600234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151414955241255104.post-51831424555468981512011-08-16T11:40:00.000-07:002011-08-16T11:40:28.498-07:00Train of Thought that begins with Cancer, works through disappointment and ends with the memory of a priceless rewardWe got the news that a cousin and dear friend was going to have surgery for colon cancer. Then we got the news that the colon tumor was removed but they found spots on the liver and chemo would be necessary. When I went to the PO the next day, worried about our cousin, I found one of those glossy brochures that usually advertise something I don't need or can't afford and end up in the PO recycling bin but this time my eye caught the word "cancer" in the upper left hand corner and I figured a donation to cancer research would be a way to garner some good karma for our cousin. When I opened the brochure I came face to face with the man who was my oncologist back in the mid nineties and a friend of my Dad's. He had died at the age of 92 and the brochure was a tribute to his life. Although I knew he worked with the a cancer research center I didn't realize he had founded it. I wrote my check in his memory to the research center with a little prayer asking my old Doc to inspire my cousin's doctors with all the knowledge they'd need to save our cousin's life as he had saved mine all those years ago.<br />
<br />
Thinking about cancer reminded me of one of the priceless rewards of starting and working with The Wessex Collective. Shortly after Peter Burnham and I had decided to get this indie publishing endeavor going we heard from poet Laurel Speer, a friend of Peter's, asking if we'd take a look at a mss. by another friend, Paul Johnson. Paul was dying of an aggressive cancer detected too late and wanted to see his last novel published before he died. I was really relieved that The Marble Orchard was a really good book, a book we'd've been proud to publish regardless of the author's circumstances. We worked hard to get Marble Orchard out in time for Paul to hold it in his hand. We were pleased that he was pleased and I had the memorable pleasure of visiting Paul and his wonderful wife Fran in Las Vegas, NM. You have to admire a man who faces imminent death with such courage and humor. . . . and creative determination. Paul was so pleased to see Marble Orchard out there he decided to add one more novel to the opus he'd leave behind. City of Kings is a suspense novel but also a love song to his wife. Paul lived about a year longer than anyone including his doctors expected while he finished City of Kings and after he was satisfied with the editing he informed his Doctor he was ready to go, stop the treatments and about a week later he passed on content with what he'd accomplished.<br />
<br />
I have often felt discouraged about my failure to garner sufficient recognition for the extremely worthy authors we've been privileged to publish and after such high hopes for this endeavor I have often felt I've let them down. But then I remember that Paul bravely faced painful chemo treatments (so painful it hurt his fingers to type) to finish one last book, a labor of love for his wife and he could do this with the faith that the book would be published by Wessex. The contribution Peter and I made to this last effort is a source of satisfaction and I am thinking I should have some faith also and not give up yet. Even as I write this a copy of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">City of Kings</span></span> along with <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Night Voices</span></span> by Helen Hudson, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Envious Shadows</span></span> by Peter Burnham, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">The Return</span></span> by Margaret Guthrie and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Little Bluestem</span></span> by Brian Backstrand has been delivered to the A.R.T Dialog Literary Agency in Prague and we look forward to seeing these works translated and made available to readers in the Czech Republic. <br />
<br />
As I've mentioned in earlier blogs, proceeds from the sales of our ebooks availble at:<br />
<a href="https://secure.digitalcontentcenter.com/shop/627321/products">https://secure.digitalcontentcenter.com/shop/627321/products</a> will be donated to various causes. You can guess where proceeds from sales of City of Kings and/or The Marble Orchard will be sent.sandy sanchezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13531175628723600234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151414955241255104.post-72722171190818096162011-08-01T07:40:00.000-07:002011-08-01T07:40:18.377-07:00and another cool link!<a href="http://www.pagereaders.com/">www.pagereaders.com</a> <br />
<br />
check it out for reviews and author interviews.sandy sanchezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13531175628723600234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151414955241255104.post-74615933090851429422011-07-31T13:38:00.000-07:002011-08-26T16:58:26.251-07:00and more cool sites now I know how to do thisPlease check out Komal Mansoor's excellent review of Ita Willen's book <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Gift</span> on her blog @:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://komzreviews.blogspot.com/">http://komzreviews.blogspot.com</a><br />
<br />
and if you'd like to watch a cool documentary film go to:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.hulu.com/studio/cinema-guild">http://www.hulu.com/studio/cinema-guild </a><br />
and look for the film titled SPRAYMASTERS<br />
<br />
Manny Kirchheimer who made this doc about grafitti artists is married to Wessex Collective author Gloria DeVida Kircheimer (Amalie in Orbit). What a talented couple!sandy sanchezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13531175628723600234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151414955241255104.post-27671400292411912792011-07-31T09:05:00.000-07:002011-07-31T09:05:29.355-07:00almost forgot<a href="http://www.thewessexcollective.com/">www.thewessexcollective.com </a><br />
<br />
Visit our site to read about our 18 titles by 11 authors. And soon we'll be adding three more books to that list. sandy sanchezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13531175628723600234noreply@blogger.com0