Category: Uncategorized
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Quick Escape
Come to think of it,don’t we all need a quick escape? Our friends Chris and Christie have three boys. Brennan and Marshall were in middle and high school and Connor was an infant when we began regular weekend trips to coastal Alabama. Our first trip was prompted by an exchange-student program that Brennan’s school participated…
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HOUNDED Wins Gold in 2025 FAPA Contest
The 2025 Annual Florida Authors and Publishers Association (FAPA) President’s Book Awards recognized Hounded as a gold medal winner in the Middle-Grade (Children/Young Adult) Fiction Category. Hounded, a contemporary coming-of-age novel inspired by the legendary Irish warrior Cú Chulainn, is illustrated by William E. Green III. The FAPA President’s Book Awards Program recognizes book publishing…
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Willowy Mysteries of Regeneration and Inspiration
With supple branches and silvery-green leaves that dance in the wind, the willow evokes femininity, magic, and healing. While there are more than 300 species of willow (Salix), the most common image is the weeping willow (Salix babylonica). The one represented by Saille, however, is the white willow (Salix alba), so named because its pale…
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Got a Book Inside You?
What Are the Odds of Getting It Published? Writer and friend Deborah Garafano found the “Odds of Getting Published” by Dean Talbot an interesting read. Originally published on February 2, 2023, some of the statistics reported in the article may have changed, but the odds of an author getting his or her work traditionally published…
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Ben Franklin Meets Godzilla
Come to think of it, Ben Franklin had it right. “By failing to prepare,” he said, “you are preparing to fail.” How do you know that summer has arrived in Southwest Florida? Snowbirds fly north. Daytime temperatures creep into the 90s. Afternoon thunderstorms dump an inch or two of rain. And eyes turn to the…
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Strong and Mysterious, the Alder Facilitates Transition
In the Celtic Tree Calendar, the Alder (or Fearn) Moon spans mid-March to mid-April. Coinciding with the spring equinox, the Alder Moon symbolizes balance and transition. The Alder month, called fairin by the Celts and fearnóg in Modern Irish, is represented by the third consonant in the ogham alphabet and comes from the Proto-Celtic **wernā.…
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Hounded into a Story
As published in the Gazette, a publication of the Gulf Coast Writers Association, January 2025 Imagine a Celtic Karate Kid in a Percy Jackson adventure. The result is Hounded, a contemporary coming-of-age novel inspired by the legendary Irish warrior, hero, and demigod Cú Chulainn [koo KULL-an]. Written for a middle-grade audience, Hounded tells the story…
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Taking the creative route after a career in non-fiction
BY CINDY PIERCEcpierce@Ioridaweekly.comOriginally published May 25, 2022 On her LinkedIn profile, Patti M. Walsh describes herself as “a thrill-seeker since her first runaway and a storyteller since her first fib.” It was only after she and her husband retired to Fort Myers two years ago, however, that she launched her “encore career” as a creative…
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Hounded Chapter 1, Passing the Ball
With a sluggish April sun burnishing his forehead and a damp wind smacking his lanky body, Tony kicked the dirt around his feet, bungling even imaginary attempts to chip, push, and dribble a ball down the pitch before shooting a game-winning goal. When the dust settled, however, there was no ball, no goal, and no…
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Nothing is Permanent; Everything Changes
By Kathleen M. Yengst, Guest Contributor Come to think of it, What if nothing is permanent? American dictionaries lack words to adequately describe Antarctica. It must be experienced. When I booked my trip in May 2024, I knew it was a pilgrimage I needed to do alone. It was meant to be a celebration of…