FEBRUARY 18, 2016

MEMBERS PRESENT:

Sharon Palmeri, Beverly Stanislawski, Sharon Buckman, George Miga, Mary Lu Cowley, Paul Mulligan, Gail Galvan, Marjorie Peterson, Dave Wilgus, Mary Ellen Beecher, Amy Brailey, Ruthann Graczyk, Donna Eckelbarger, Adam Sedia, Sharon Dorelli, Suzie Stueben, Luniel Morrow, Jackie Huppenthal, Marilyn Kessler, Hardarshan Valia

GUESTS PRESENT:

Caren Von See

OLD BUSINESS:

A vote of approval for the February 4, 2016 minutes was first given by MARY ELLEN BEECHER and seconded by GEORGE MIGA.

NEW BUSINESS:

SHARON PALMERI announced that there would be a slight change in our meeting days for March. The March 3^rd meeting would be the regular time, the first Thursday of the month.  The second meeting will be on March 24^th, the fourth Thursday since the library had no vacant rooms for us on March 17th.  Sharon also shared handouts to the members on Self-Critique Guidelines for Fiction, Non-Fiction and Memoir writers, as well as a handout on suggestions for authors and critiquers.  She also mentioned that members should periodically check the WOH Facebook public page for special events or any upcoming contests.

SHARON PALMERI received an e-mail from the daughter of KATHERINE FLOTZ our treasurer, had surgery that day and it was discovered that she has cancer.  She is presently at the University of Chicago and will go to St. Anthony’s rehab in Crown Point.  Sharon asked that members pray for her speedy recovery.

LITERARY NEWS:

GAIL GALVAN, one of our members who has written and published approximately 14 books since 1999, was our speaker for the evening.  Gail first mentioned how she managed to get so many of her books published and how inexpensive the process is now, especially if the author formats his or her own book. 

MARJORIE PETERSON, who has also self-published her books, added that if one does not want to use a Create Space ISBN number, she suggested that individual ISPN numbers could be purchased through Bowker.com.

SHARON PALMERI asked the members if they would be interested in submitting a short story for a book of short stories to be submitted by Write On Hoosiers.  Sharon and Beverly Stanislawski would select and proof entries, which would then be submitted to Gail Galvan for layout and publishing.  Most all of the members thought they would like to participate. Sharon questioned if members wished to change the title of the book to something other than Hoosier Horizon.  If members have an idea for a new name, they are to submit it through e-mail, or bring ideas to the March 3^rd meeting.  

READINGS:

GEORGE MIGA read four pages of his newest novel, The Spin Doctor.  The first three pages began with the prologue.  It told of a Russian built helicopter landing with Dr. Foud Al-Assaf as the only passenger and being met by four bearded men dressed in fatigues and a visitor named Al-Qadar, known as the most dangerous terrorist in the world.  The purpose of the meeting was to be a discussion on how to kidnap a former American President.

ADAM SEDIA read several pages of his legal writing on an “Appellate Brief.”  In the brief he discussed the process of an appeal and stated that it was not, as a number of people believe, the do-over of a trial but the request to a higher court to correct an error in what the trial court did.  He wrote that an appeal is a right, the court of appeals has to hear all appeals, but the Supreme Court can choose what cases it hears in order to set policy.

BEVERLY STANISLAWSKI  read her three page short story entitled, “The Decision.”  The story began with Stefan standing on a bridge leading out of an Italian town.  He stood remembering how he received the terrible scar on his face from a gunshot during his days as an army volunteer.  After leaving the bridge, he went into a café where he met a beautiful woman named Maria.  After having a wonderful time talking with her he left the café, determined not to allow himself to fall in love and get hurt by what he felt was his ugly appearance.

PAUL MULLIGAN brought his four-page short story entitled, “Close to Home.”  This short story is the second of a series of short stories about consultant Adam Newberry and his lack of self-control around beautiful women.  In this story, he has another affair with a woman living down the street from him and again he is feeling very guilty.  He tries to decide whether to tell his wife.

AMY BRAILEY continued with Chapter 2 of her novel, Jon Everett and the Hall of History.  After being assigned a trip to the History Museum to learn about George Washington due to his misbehavior in class, Jon talks to his friends about how unhappy he is saying, “doesn’t he realize the only reason I even come to school is to play basketball.”

DONNA ECKELBARGER read two pages of her children's book draft entitled, Spinner-Ella.  This story, written for young children, is about an absentminded spider who had made herself a cozy web in the corner of an office where she ate and slept all day long.  When she came upon an eight-legged bug that talked to her she was shocked.  To keep from being eaten the talking bug fixed her a delicious meal; toward the end of the story Spinner-Ella discovered she was a long lost sister.

SHARON DORELLI brought her nine-stanza poem entitled “Gates.”  This beautiful, and sad, poem tells about the life of a female dog living in a gated environment where she is forced to have puppies, nurse them and love them, only to have them taken away from her in the end.

JACKIE HUPPENTHAL began with a copy of a story taken from the archives of Dear Abbey.  She later decided to send a letter to Dear Abbey concerning something she had been told over a year before by her cousin.   

The meeting was adjourned at 8:15 P.M.

Respectfully submitted:

SHARON BUCKMAN