Sent: Sunday, August 27, 2006 11:06 AM
Subject: The Ram's Head Review

Hi fellow Authors,
 
Six of us had a wonderful meeting here Thursday night.  Susan was back from Nfld.  Ann attended for the first time since she moved to White Rock.  And Jean attended for the first time ever.  Ann brought us some butter tarts and Susan brought ice cream and fresh picked blackberries.  So we had lots of food for the body as well as the soul.  What could be better than that for starving authors?
 
Susan hadn't done any writing through the summer, but told us of an 11 year old who read her novel, "Forty-Eight Degrees", and gave her lots of valuable feedback.  She also showed us both a travel bug and a geo coin, items used by people who are geocacheing, an activity featured in her novel.
 
Bob rewrote his article "Growing Up In Vancouver" and it is now entirely in first person from the point of view of the child, not the adult looking back.  At the end he has included some notes that tell what became of the friends he mentioned as his playmates.
 
Ann read an article she plans to submit to the Seniors Newsmagazine.  It's called "Returning To University The Second Time Around", which tells of her own return to school at age 65, trying to regain mental clarity after treatments for lukemia.  She tells us of how she's enjoyed the experience and how much better she feels about life and living.  Ann is also going to be interviewed by a paper in White Rock about her experience returning to school.  She is off to Australia to visit her daughter and grandchildren from the middle of Sept. to the middle of October.  We hope to hear lots of stories when she gets back.
 
Ellie had a tickle in her throat from her allergies and found it too difficult to read, so will be first to read next week.
 
Jean bravely read to us part of a short story she is working on that tells of an 8 year old girl an a beach in Jersey.  She becomes separated from her family and in her panic recalls her father's anger, and a one-time experience inside a Salvation Army church on her street.  We felt the story setting up for something sinister to happen, and Jean admitted that something dark was pending.  But we wouldn't let her tell us as we want to hear it in her story.
 
I had nothing to read but did have some news.  A lady by the name of Margaret Moffatt has expressed a desire to join our group and will do so after she gets settled into her new home in Aldergrove at the end of this month.  She told me she has been published since the age of 14 and is a current member as well as past president of the Canadian Authors Association, Vancouver.   So we look forward to Margaret joining us and participating in our group setting.  Always love to listen to other writers.
 
Ann told me she thoroughly enjoys getting The Review and learning what people are working on and also hearing the personal tidbits.  That's good to know.  At least this way I can brag I wrote something every week.  Right?
 
So the next meeting will be hear at my place, Thursday, August 31st at 7:00 p.m.  Look forward to seeing you then.
 
Lisa