The concept of “show don’t tell” is drilled into us from the first day we begin learning the craft of writing. And, as we grow and improve our storytelling abilities, it becomes an integral part of the process. But there are many ways to “show” character traits, beliefs, desires and ideals.
As strange as it may sound, one such way is through food and drinks.
Image courtesy of Pixabay
Let’s say you have a character who thrives on cold pizza and soda. That alone tells me loads about this character, whether male or female. #1 – They don’t like to cook, or don’t know how. #2 – They are not a health nut. #3 – They are always in a hurry and needing to grab something on the go.
Just that one food scenario says a lot.
In stark contrast, if you have a character who enjoys gourmet meals either at home or out, it is going to let the reader know something specific about him/her. Most likely, they are refined and possibly came from money. There are thousands of examples but you get the idea.
In my newest book, “Ghostly Interference,” my male character’s mother, Charlotte, is vegetarian. One of the meals she cooked was squash stuffed with rice and drizzled with cashew sauce. That showed her earthiness, but also creativity. Have you ever made cashew sauce? It’s not an easy process for sure. I had one reader who messaged me and said they actually tried making this dish and it turned out quite delicious. 🙂
The protagonist in my current WIP, is a rancher who operates a horse sanctuary. Of course, he is a big beef eater. Nothing else would fit him. But in contrast, the love interest in the story is a vegetarian. An unlikely combination, it will create some humorous moments between them. The contrast also gives me the opportunity to reveal more about each. Why did she decide to become vegetarian?
And it works with every character. What they eat or drink can show the reader more character depth and detail without having to tell them a thing.
What about coffee drinkers? The type of coffee you order may reveal more about your personality than you think.
Image courtesy of Pixabay
Research found that the black coffee drinkers were straight up, straightforward and no-nonsense individuals. The double decaf, soy, extra-foamy folks tend to be more obsessive, controlling, and detail-oriented. The latte drinkers tend to be neurotic and people-pleasers, while the instant coffee drinkers had a greater likelihood of being procrastinators. Finally, those individuals who order sweet drinks are the overgrown kids who retained the taste buds and sensibilities of children, while being young at heart. Interesting, huh?
Let’s talk about alcohol. Our character’s go-to drink can be just as much of a statement as the outfit he/she chooses to wear. Something about their alcohol preference (or strong aversion to) alludes to a deeper connection to their character, personality, and behavior. The go-to drink for my protagonist in my current WIP is whiskey. He is a man’s man. She likes wine. So, what does that say about each of them?
Image Courtesy of Pixabay
The wine drinker is the one who asks the kinds of questions that cause you to choke on your drink a little. Expect this group to add spice to the conversation when needed—but be ready for anything with them. We rely on their social prowess for as long as we have the wine lovers, but we all know the compatibility between wine and sleepiness. Most wine drinkers tend to go to bed early. We could go into great detail between white and red wine drinkers, but I’ll leave that up to you in creating your character. Wine drinkers are considered more intellectual types as opposed to beer drinkers who are in it for the party.
We really have two categories for beer drinkers: the traditionalists and the craft beer drinkers. The line can be blurred at times between the two, but more often than not, we’re talking about entirely different people here.
Starting with the traditionalists. These are our stubborn ones. They simply do not care about your double-IPA, fruit-infused beer; give them their mass-produced, generic beer, and leave them the hell alone. This group isn’t swayed by conformity; instead, they’re driven by loyalty. They’ve been drinking the same old beer for 20-plus years now, and they’re not changing for anyone.
The diehard craft beer people have one plan and one plan only every weekend: go to a brewery. A flight of beer brings tears to their eyes. The real craft beer drinkers have a knack for detail. In 2020, they’re the new wine snobs. Out with tweed coats and in with scruffy beards and flannels.
Then we have the whiskey, vodka, tequila, and gin drinkers. Whiskey drinkers tend to know their way around alcohol and have a respectable tolerance for it. With vodka, it’s less about what your favorite alcohol says about you and more about your preferred cocktail that makes the real statement. Tequila drinkers are plain and straightforward, in that they all love to party. The saying, “I’m here for a good time, not a long time” fits. Gin drinkers love the fact that you can’t get a read on them, and they’re honestly probably just drinking gin to confuse you even more. This group’s usual label is the “intellectual” tag.
I know there are tons more alcohols and foods we could explore, but the purpose of this post is to look at how we can use them to give our characters multi-dimensional layers.
It is really fascinating, and simply another tool to help us “show” the readers who our characters are and what makes them tick without telling them.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and some of the ways you have used food and drink to show your characters’ personalities.
Wow! It’s almost time for this fabulous Writers’ Conference to kickoff and it promises to be one for the books! Literally!
What better way to enhance your writing skills, interact with other authors, find new books to read, play games, win prizes and all from the comfort of your home!!
Five years ago, when Nonnie Jules, created this conference. there were few, if any, virtual conferences taking place. We were all still enjoying getting out and attending physical events. But now, in the midst of this pandemic, virtual conferences are the new normal. I say this just to demonstrate the innovative thinking of our fearless leader!
The RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB is an international book club dedicated to reading and giving honest reviews. But it is SO much more. It is a community of writers who develop friendships, encourage each other, uplift each other, and support each other in so many ways.
This conference is one of the highlights of the year for this community!
Want to know the benefits of attending this conference? I can’t say it any better than Nonnie.
You’re a writer. You realize that there is a lot for you to learn to become a great writer…heck, even a good writer. You’ve heard about writers’ conferences but you’ve no time to attend, you’ve no money to spare, and most of them are just too darned far. You’ve heard that they are wonderful, though, and you’d really like to see what they’re all about, so, what do you do?
Well, there is such a thing as a virtual writing conference, and below I’m going to share with you some of the benefits of attending an RRBC writers’ conference & book expo.
*A virtual conference allows you to attend from the comfort of any place of your choosing (living room, bedroom, bathroom, your car trunk, Starbucks, etc…). Writers’ conferences and book expos come a dime a dozen as we say down South. I mean…just like churches and liquor stores, there’s practically one on every corner. But, with the busy lives that we lead, we often find it difficult to get away to visit or participate in one, so the next best thing is to find one online. No need to worry about the cost of travel fare (car, bus or plane), no need to worry about hotel accommodations (you get to sleep at home), or, the cost of eating away from home…you get all that you need, when you need it, right where you are. #BENEFIT
*Resources you will use forever. When you attend a virtual writers’ conference, you have the ability to revisit much of the information that is shared because it is all online. The sessions and workshops presented at an RRBC writers’ conference, are all created with the purpose of educating attendees. Our sessions and workshops are on carefully selected topics that we know authors need in order to grow in their writing careers. The handouts that you receive (virtually), are invaluable along your journey as a writer. No matter the format utilized to present these sessions, attendees leave our sessions and workshops enlightened and with a renewed sense of having learned something that will make them a better writer and stronger marketer for their books. #BENEFIT
*Payment Plans. Have you priced writers’ conferences and book expos lately? Well, I have and who can afford them without skipping a mortgage payment? Geez! There again lies the beauty of a virtual conference (at least an RRBC one). Not only are the prices lower than any others we’ve found, but, we also have payment plans to make it easier to afford an author booth to promote your books, a vendor booth to introduce and sell your wares, and all the sessions and workshops your amazing brain can handle! #BENEFIT
*Community. The RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB popped onto the scene over 7 years ago and has offered to writers something never heard of before: a community of support that truly cares about the success of its members, and a community of like-minded individuals who care about the success of their fellow members just as much as they care about their own. There’s no competition here. We’re all trying to get to the same place, and we’re gladly sharing the load so that we all get there quicker! This community (or family as we like to call it), is there through the good times and the bad; there to lift you up when you’re feeling low and need the encouragement to write another page; there with advice on how to handle certain situations involving your writing, tips on how you should write, what literary services you should utilize, and so much more. We purchase, read and review each other’s books, we give our honest opinions on those books, we promote one another via our blogs and social media forums, and during the conference, we all get to commune to further our careers and friendships even more. #BENEFIT
*Friendships. Many RRBC members are surprised at the bonds of friendship they form once they immerse themselves within the club. The World Wide Web is known to be a cesspool of ‘crazies’, stalkers and any other negative label that you can attach to someone who you should be wary of on the net. But, not so in RRBC. Now, don’t get me wrong, there are some that I’m sure you should be leery of, but, I can assure you they are not within the realm of our core members…the professionals who work hard to protect and maintain their reputations as authors. We are a global organization with members around the world, which means, when you find those to call ‘friend’, you’re never without a place to rest your head along your travels. #BENEFIT
*Find great new books. Since the inception of RRBC, we hear on a daily basis how readers were introduced to amazing books they might never have found had it not been for RRBC. The traditionally published have their work plastered all over the place, and sometimes, our Indie awesomeness is a little hidden…you have to dig deep to find it. That’s not the case within RRBC. We have amazing talent in our midst and their books speak for them. If you’re looking for great reads, look no further than our catalog. The conference & expo is THE place for our members to introduce their latest work and you don’t want to miss out on any of it! #BENEFIT
***
So, there you have it… the most important benefits of attending a virtual writers’ conference & book expo hosted by RRBC. What you will walk away with will far outweigh the pennies you will spend to take part in it. And, because 2020 is our year of being judged on the skill with which we write, we hope that all our members care enough about their writing and their reputations as writers, to take part in this awesome event, which can only serve to further their writing growth.
Last year’s event was amazing and it was our 4th year putting it on. With the past few years under our belt, can you imagine the things that we’re going to do this year? I don’t think you can!
Everything about this event is geared towards your success. If you haven’t registeredyet, we invite you to do so today. Don’t be the lone wolf standing on the sidelines of this wonderful event, wishing after the fact that you had been part of it. Jump right on board our rocket to the stars. We certainly have enough room for ya!
There you have it! There’s still time to jump in and participate in any of the workshops that interest you!
PLEASE NOTE: the conference site will go offline at some point over the weekend, but will re-open on Monday at 10 AM CT, in the event that you get an error msg saying the site is private when you visit.
BOOK BLURB:Driven to despair by a shared loss, Americans John Webster and Tyler Montgomery try to self-medicate by embarking on a mission of goodwill to earthquake-ravaged Haiti. The reconstruction of an orphanage transforms into a nightmarish hunt after a young girl is kidnapped.
Unequipped, culturally illiterate, and alone, the pair are forced into alliances with shifty characters, as they delve deeper into the treacherous underbelly of the human trafficking world. Can they survive long enough to keep their promise to the child’s mother?
AUTHOR BIO: Mark combines his unique experiences and imagination to create his stories and characters. Raised on a farm, Mark Bierman enjoys the great outdoors. He began writing a bit later in life, relying on his unique experiences as a Private Investigator and Correctional Officer to create tales of adventure.
Thank you for dropping in to support this author today along the 4WillsPub “THANK YOU, HOSTS” Blog Tour! To follow along with the rest of the tour as we show appreciation of these bloggers for all their support in supporting our books, please visit the main tour page for this event! There’s another book and author on tour today, so do get by to support them, as well! Remember, you could win a (5) Day Blog Tour of your own to promote any of your books by simply leaving a comment below!
I am thrilled to host Wanda Fischer today and let her share a new book release!
GIVEAWAYS: During this tour, the author is giving away (1) $10 Amazon Gift Card, (2) $5 Amazon Gift Cards, (2) e-book copies of EMPTY SEATS & (1) copy of the author’s acclaimed “SINGING ALONG WITH THE RADIO” CD which features many prominent folk music singers (a $15 value)! For your chance to win, all you have to do is leave a comment below as well as leaving a comment on the author’s 4WillsPub tour page. GOOD LUCK!
When I was writing my novel, one of the more difficult choices was to decide to whom I should dedicate the book.
The obvious choices, of course, are my husband and children, who supported me through the process, who put up with my baseball obsession, who heard me dole out countless advice to a slew of Red Sox managers (“Don’t take that guy out! He’s doing great!” “Why are you leaving him in? He’s terrible!” “How many pitches has he thrown? HOW MANY???”), who knew I stayed up too late watching games, and all that.
But if you look at the dedication, I didn’t mention my family. This is not to slight their contributions at all; instead, I think they understood when they saw the novel was in memory of five people in professional baseball who meant a great deal to me: Jack Lanzillotti, Dick Radatz, Bill Monbouquette, Kirby Puckett and Harmon Killebrew.
I’ll tell you why, first by addressing the people you may know, because they played Major League Baseball on the field.
Dick Radatz was a reliever for the Red Sox in the 1960s. His nickname was “The Monster,” because he was a huge guy for the time—6’6” tall, 230 lbs, and an imposing presence on the mound. He dominated legendary Yankee Mickey Mantle to the point that Mantle hated facing off against him. Although Radatz never made it to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, the Red Sox inducted him into their team’s hall of fame, and he was ecstatic about it. After his MLB career was over, he did charity work for the Jimmy Fund, which is the Red Sox main charity. He died at the age of 67 after falling down a flight of stairs. Those of us who watched him pitch—and also who talked to him at Fenway Park—appreciated his sense of humor and kindness. He was always available to “us kids,” and I have his autograph in my cherished “little red autograph book.”
Bill Monbouquette was one of the Red Sox’s “native sons,” born in the Boston suburb of Medford. Known as Monbo to Red Sox fans, he pitched when the Red Sox had little to cheer about. And yet, when it was “Monbo Day,” the crowds at Fenway grew slightly because fans knew they’d get a great game from a scrappy local kid who’d give it his all from the mound. Monbo pitched two no-hitters in a Red Sox uniform.
Many years later, when he coached the Oneonta Tigers, a low-A minor league team (of the same NY-Penn League that my characters play in), then based on Oneonta, New York, I watched as one of Monbo’s proteges pitched a no-hitter against the Tri-City Valley Cats (affiliated with the Houston Astros) in Troy, New York. I went to the edge of the dugout and yelled for “MONBO!!”
“Wha’dya want?” he asked, poking his head out.
“Congrats on the no-hitter,” I replied. “And the kid’s wearing YOUR old number, 27.”
“How do you know that?” he asked.
“I’m old-school Red Sox.”
“You must be, if you remember that.”
“Not only that—I have pictures! And old yearbooks!”
“Why’d you want to keep stuff like that?”
“Because I remember…”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah…”
Then he looked up and gave me the biggest grin I’d ever seen from him.
Monbo passed away in 2015 after battling leukemia; he was 78. I was glad he had the chance to see the Red Sox win the World Series in both 2004 and 2013.
I met Harmon Killebrew many times when he played for the Minnesota Twins. My friends and I always went to Fenway Park early so that we could see both teams take batting practice. The Twins had some of the nicest guys on their team. Harmon and Rod Carew were two of the friendliest. They made a point of talking to us kids before baseball games.
In 2009, I went to Cooperstown for Jim Rice’s Hall of Fame induction. Harmon, once known as “The Killer,” was signing autographs along Main Street. I stopped to talk to him and told him he was one of my favorite players.
“So why are you wearing a Red Sox jersey?”
“I can be a Red Sox fan and still like Twins players. In fact, I love Kirby Puckett, too!”
“I’m so mad at Kirby!”
“Why?”
“Because he went and died before me! He was supposed to sing at my funeral!”
“Oh…Okay…Well, did you get someone else to sing at your funeral? I have a CD made by MLB players called ‘Oh Say, Can You Sing?’ Ozzie Smith is a great singer on that CD.”
“Nah, I don’t want a National League singer. I have someone lined up.”
“Really? Who?”
“Mudcat. Mudcat Grant. Ever heard of him?”
“Of course. That’s great. What do you want him to sing?”
“You ever heard that song, ‘What a Wonderful World?’”
“You mean, ‘I see trees of green, red roses, too…?’”
“Yes, that’s the one! That’s what I want him to sing!”
We kept on chatting for about ten more minutes about baseball and other things. I told him I’d made a CD and gave him a copy. I kept calling him “Mr. Killebrew.” He kept correcting me, asking me to call him “Harmon.” I just couldn’t. He was so much of an icon to me. When I go to the Hall of Fame, I start by visiting his plaque.
Wanda Fischer and Harmon Killebrewat the 2009 Hall of Fame induction ceremony
Kirby Puckett has the distinction of having had a dog in my household named after him. That’s an honor in my house, and my dog Kirby was one of the best I’ve ever had. Kirby’s in the Baseball Hall of Fame, and my dachshund Kirby is definitely in the Dachshund Hall of Fame.
My late grandmother’s name is Puckett, and I can’t help but think that, way back, somewhere, Kirby and I are related. Can’t prove it, but can’t dis-prove it, either.
I always admired the way Kirby played the game. Every time he came to bat, it was with a smile on his face. He loved baseball; he loved being on that field. He hadn’t started playing baseball until he was past Little League age, and never played on anything except asphalt and hard-dirt fields in Detroit until he was a teenager. As the youngest of nine children, he lived with his family in Detroit’s projects, rarely having luxuries in his life.
He was also a fireplug of a player—stocky, short and stoic—always thinking the game could be won, whether or not his team was down by ten runs with two down in the bottom of the ninth inning. His ability to get up to the plate and keep a game going, or to haul in a tough line drive in center field to end a game were legendary.
I always visit his plaque when I go to Cooperstown as well. I talk to him and tell him I hope he’s found peace. Kirby had to leave the game when his body was still young, but his eyesight failed him after he was diagnosed with glaucoma. He had several rounds of surgery, but nothing seemed to help. I remember his tear-filled retirement ceremony in Minnesota in 1996. It was a sad day for baseball.
He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001 during the first time of his eligibility. He died in March 2006 following a stroke. He was only 46 when he left this earth.
Finally, let me tell you about the extraordinary Jack Lanzillotti.
Jack was part of the team working at Fenway Park to produce every baseball game every day.
When Fenway Park lost its long-time public address announcer Carl Beane due to a car accident in 2012, they had no one to be in the in-park announcer. I decided to try out for the position. But first, the Red Sox had a “guest in the chair” program, for which I also applied.
On August 5, 2012, I served as Fenway Park’s public address announcer, seated above the game, telling people at the game things such as who was batting, who the Dunkin Donuts person of the day was, who the National Anthem singer was, etc. Now, even though I had 30 years’ experience in radio at the time, when I took the elevator to Fenway’s third floor, I kept asking myself, “What have you done?”
Then I met Jack.
Jack was the producer. My producer. He gave me a script. When I do radio, I don’t work from a script. I have to decide what to say spontaneously. Jack told me he’d point to the lines in the script when it was time for me to say the appropriate thing. He also showed me how to work the antique (and I mean antique) microphone (“you have to press the button before you talk”).
“Jack,” I said, “this is so easy. I work in public radio, and I have to do everything myself—log in the CDs, clean the studio, answer the phone, everything.”
“Oh, no,” he shook his head, “we try to make things as easy as possible. If there’s anything you need, let me know.”
That was Jack. Incredibly talented and helpful. He had already won an Emmy for a short video he’d done with Jacoby Ellsbury on how to steal a base.
An EMMY.
The last time I’d done anything even close to this was when I was the PA announcer for a Babe Ruth game in Schenectady, New York. But thanks to Jack, everything went smoothly. I only made one minor mistake, and Jack showed me how to correct it.
Talent and kindness. And he was young.
A couple of years later, I was checking the Boston Globe online. I saw that someone who had worked for the Red Sox was walking near Copley Square with his fiancée, and both had been killed by an unlicensed driver who mowed them down with an SUV. The guy’s name was Jack Lanzillotti.
Jack Lanzillotti.
Oh, no!
I called the Red Sox, and, indeed, it was their Jack, and his fiancée as well. Both of them gone in a second.
I went to his wake, even though it was a six-hour drive, round trip, and I had to work the next day. I stood in line for a couple of hours as well because so many people came to pay their respects. It turned out his mother worked at the same medical school my husband had attended many years ago.
At a Red Sox event about six months later, someone else whom I met during that August day told me Jack really respected my work as the PA announcer. He respected my work? I was bowled over by his talent, despite his youth, his kindness, his expertise, and his acceptance of a woman who could have been his grandmother, as he escorted me to the chair and explained everything to me.
I think of these five people every day, and what they contributed not only to baseball, but to my personal life. May everyone be as fortunate as I have been in encountering people such as these.
Book Blurb
What Little Leaguer doesn’t dream of walking from the dugout onto a Major League baseball field, facing his long-time idol and striking his out? Empty Seats follows three different minor-league baseball pitchers as they follow their dreams to climb the ladder from minor- to major-league ball, while facing challenges along the way—not always on the baseball diamond. This coming-of-age novel takes on success and failure in unexpected ways. One reviewer calls this book “a tragic version of ‘The Sandlot.’”
(Winner of the 2019 New Apple Award and 2019 Independent Publishing Award)
Author Bio
Following a successful 40-year career in public relations/marketing/media relations, Wanda Adams Fischer parlayed her love for baseball into her first novel, Empty Seats. She began writing poetry and short stories when she was in the second grade in her hometown of Weymouth, Massachusetts and has continued to write for more than six decades. In addition to her “day” job, she has been a folk music DJ on public radio for more than 40 years, including more than 37 at WAMC-FM, the Albany, New York-based National Public Radio affiliate. In 2019, Folk Alliance International inducted her into their Folk D-J Hall of Fame. A singer/songwriter in her own right, she’s produced one CD, “Singing Along with the Radio.” She’s also a competitive tennis player and has captained several United States Tennis Association senior teams that have secured berths at sectional and national events. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Northeastern University in Boston. She lives in Schenectady, NY, with her husband of 47 years, Bill, a retired family physician, whom she met at a coffeehouse in Boston in 1966; they have two grown children and six grandchildren.
Thank you for supporting this author and her tour. To follow along with the rest of the tour, please drop in on the author’s 4WillsPub tour page. If you’d like to schedule your own 4WillsPub blog tour to promote your book(s), you may do so by clicking HERE.
Today, I am happy to showcase an amazing member of the RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB, Balroop Singh!
Understanding Poetry
I don’t remember when I started liking poetry. Probably I was born with it or was fascinated by the lyrics of Mother Nature.
When I walk down my memory lane, one image looms large and that is how much effort one of our English professors put into explaining the poetry of Tennyson and Wordsworth. While the latter was relatively easier to understand, the former much more complex and obviously we didn’t like the one who was more challenging.
Real challenges came my way when ‘Paradise Lost,’ an epic poem by John Milton was not taught in the class (or if it was, I must be mentally absent) and even when it was discussed, it didn’t evoke any interest!
While prose can be an effortless reading unless it is stream of consciousness writing, poetry can become quite boring if we are not familiar with its techniques and tones. Despite the tests and trails, I continued to like poetry and slowly discovered that it is a genre par excellence. It can say a lot through literary techniques, which only an admirer of Literature can understand. I still struggle to understand some subtle messages conveyed through poetry.
My mind hurtles back once again; my interactions with teenagers get refreshed, all their expressions, yawns and glances stand before me, bringing those lovely memories of hate-love relationship we had with poetry; when we would try to convince each other why poetry is good or bad and how we could understand it better.
I am not an expert but I have figured out a few ways to understand poetry:
All readers have their own approach and interpretation but how imagery is used defines a poem. Can you read between those special words to fathom their depth?
It is better to read slowly. Stop and ponder over at the word that seems simple but abstruse.
Be curious. Inquisitiveness and interest are two important elements that lead to our understanding of a poem.
Poetry can’t be scanned and understood like prose as the former demands concentration, attention and gentle reading.
If you read a poem in a hurry, you would miss the real meaning. Many times words are used as metaphors.
You have to be familiar with most common literary techniques like simile, metaphor, hyperbole, personification, alliteration and assonance.
Imaginative flights of poets can’t be predicted, we have to fly with them to figure out their proficiencies.
Critical analysis of a poem reveals the nuances of its theme, undertones and other signals, which remain hidden to a scanner.
Some poems are ambiguous. Probably they relate to the poet’s past or buried memory, which he wouldn’t like to reveal but gives a vent to his emotions through writing.
Ambiguous ideas in a poem provide a food for thought and chisel your creative skills.
Who has the time and the inclination to read and re-read a poem in this fast-paced world? Only poetry lovers do!
Thank you so much for dropping by to support Balroop! We hope that you will take your support even further by picking up a copy of her book. We ask that you also please ‘LIKE’ this page, leave a comment and share it on social media before leaving. To follow along with the rest of her tour, please drop by the RRBC “SPOTLIGHT” Author forum. Would you like this kind of support? Join Us at RRBC!
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What Peggy has to say about RWISA!
Have you written that book or short story you want the whole world to know about? Are you looking for a great way to promote your creative endeavors? Perhaps you’re seeking to add some prestige to your body of work! If this sounds like you, we invite you to come on over to RAVE WRITERS – INT’L SOCIETY OF AUTHORS, otherwise known as RWISA.
At RWISA, we invite to membership only the very best writers the Indie community has to offer.
If your work is exemplary and speaks for itself, stop by the RWISA website today at RaveWriters.wordpress.comand find out how you can submit your sample of writing for consideration.
We’re an exclusive bunch but we’d love to have you join us!
NOTE: If you’re looking to improve your writing while taking another route to membership into RWISA, while you’re at the site, visit RWISA UNIVERSITY!
Now, we’d like to give you a chance at some of this awesome promotion for yourself!
Have you written that book or short story you want the whole world to know about? Are you looking for a great way to promote your creative endeavors? Perhaps you’re seeking to add some prestige to your body of work! If this sounds like you, we invite you to come on over to RAVE WRITERS – INT’L SOCIETY OF AUTHORS, otherwise known as RWISA.
At RWISA, we invite and accept into membership only the very best writers the Indie community has to offer.
If your work is exemplary and speaks for itself, stop by the RWISA website today at RaveWriters.wordpress.com and find out how you can submit your sample of writing for consideration.
We’re an exclusive bunch but we’d love to have you join us!
NOTE: If you’re looking to improve your writing while taking another route to membership into RWISA, while you’re at the site, visit RWISA UNIVERSITY!
Thanks for dropping by and don’t forget to leave us a comment and a “LIKE” below!
Today I’m traveling. Well, not literally, but RWISA author, Heather Kindt, has featured me in an interview on her blog site today. I’d be thrilled if you’d stop by and leave a comment!
I am thrilled to be the first host of the first #RRBC SPOTLIGHT AUTHOR Blog tour of 2020! Congratulations to Forrest Stepnowski for landing in this hot seat!
Take it away, Forrest!
Writer’s Q&A
When did you start writing and what inspired you to write?
Answer: I began writing when I was twelve-years-old after experiencing one of the most depressing times of my life. The summer of 1987, I attempted toend my life. I struggled with a great many things, such as identity and traumatic stress caused by events that occurred during my earlier childhood. Events I do not talk about very often, but one day I will put them pen to paper, as they say. Anyways, during the fall of 1987 I was lucky to have an incredible English Teacher by the name of Mrs. Carr. Now our school was not the prettiest or fanciest, but we were lucky to have passionate instructors who truly loved teaching.
Mrs. Carr commented on my writing style during a 1:1 session. She asked me if I ever thought of becoming a writer when I grew up and I fell off my chair laughing at her. She had a great sense of humor generally, however, she made it clear she was being quite sincere. She said she saw great potential in my writing style and with everything I had gone through in my life, she felt it would be quite therapeutic for me. In an effort to appease her, I said I would think about. I will admit I was quite resistant to writing, as we were in an impoverished East San Diego region called “El Barrio Logan.” The school was in the middle of the barrio where is was riddled with drugs and gangs. Anything artistic was not considered exactly “normal” in this part of town.
The day after Mrs. Carr and I had our conversation, she decided to spring on the class what she called a “pop writers challenge.” Even though it was not much of a contest, she would present these “challenges” with passion and great hype. The challenge that day was to write a poem about our past summer vacation. She implored us to make it lyrical. I remember her words to this day, “I want you to tell me a story through your poem… I want to laugh with you if it was a funny event… I want to cry with you and feel your pain if it was a sad event.” She liked playing music during these challenges and for that day’s challenge she played “Moonlight Sonata”. To be honest, the first couple of minutes of the challenge I froze. My summer was filled with a rollercoaster of emotions as I stated earlier. I let the music take me into my emotions and that day I wrote my first poem titled “Freeze”.
My teacher liked to showcase our work to the class, so the following day Mrs. Carr did her usual impassioned speech on how impressed she was with each and everyone one of us but stated a few of the authors from yesterday’s challenged that stood out. The poetic works that were shared were ranged from romantic, well as romantic as a 12-year-old could be, to the extremely humorous. The last poetic works she shared was “Freeze” however she did not disclose the author to the class. She said, “after I read this poem, I will leave it up to the author whether or not they want to share their identity.” She tearfully read my poem, as if she was in my soul and was feeling the pain I endured. My peers were in awe, making comments like “I want to give them a hug whoever they are” and “That poem should be published.” After the tears shed from my peers and continued statements I slowly stood up. This is how this author was born.
Excerpts from “Journey to the Rainbow’s End” by Forrest Robert Stepnowski
The Embrace
You are the warmth of my embrace, and the endless rhythm of my heart,
The whisper of the wind and the song of endless dreams realized,
How fortunate am I, when I’ve always thought I was one of those unfortunate souls?
You are the angel I have always dreamed of, but always thought never existed,
The sparkle of the heavens and the dance of a falling star,
When did I become the lucky one, to be captured by your light and love?
You are my life, my love, and my laughter during the endless darkness that tries to consume me,
The shield of the knight in shining armor when the dragons and demons appear to be on the attack,
How you make me feel just by your glance and the caress of your touch?
You are the beauty that I never could imagine in my deepest fantasies,
The mystery discovered and the joy of the sunshine upon
the cascading waterfall and the rainbows end,
How incredible I feel when I look at you and know that I am home?
You are the warmth of my embrace, and the endless rhythm of my heart,
The whisper of the wind and the song of endless dreams realized
How fortunate am I, when I’ve always thought I was one of those unfortunate souls?
Unfortunate soul, I am no more.
Freeze (written in 1987)
Feeling sorry for myself,
Freeze.
Seeing death as a way out,
Freeze.
Showing scars in memory,
Freeze.
Feeling sharp steel against my flesh,
Freeze.
Drops of red coloration fall upon the ground,
Freeze.
Life is flying past thy eyes,
Freeze.
Horrible memories come into mind,
Freeze.
Life is healing,
Think.
Loved ones are near,
Care.
Good memories appear,
Care.
Love is in my mind,
Care.
Drops of red fade away,
Care.
I am alive,
Love.
The ice has melted…
Journey to the Rainbow’s End: A Drag Queen’s Odyssey (Available on Kindle and Paperback)
About Forrest Robert Stepnowski
Forrest Robert Stepnowski is an advocate, writer, social worker, and performance artist in the Pacific Northwest. He has been writing poetic works and prose for most of his life. He realized how important it would be to share his work with others, who may have tread similar paths of self-hate, self-deprecation, and self-loathing, in the hopes that they find they weren’t alone. Helping others who have been deemed as “different” because of varying sexual orientations or identities to realize that they are not deviants nor are the “against human nature” has always been of grave importance to him. He wants this group of beautiful people to know they are part of a collective, on an island where being different is embraced and accepted.
It is my pleasure to turn my blog site over to them today to talk about The Enigma Beyond!
Imagine what happens when technology outruns our humanity? Humans have turned over their decision making to Artificial Intelligence driven supercomputers. Or, was it simply confiscated? Next generation computers are not just tracking our movements, or answering questions. Now they are delivering manufactured choices to each person through their ever-pervasive personal devices. The seduction of mankind is eminent unless our champions can stop them.
Jacob, Petra, Quip, EZ, Julie, and Juan, the current heads of the R-Group, are in for the winner-take-all fight. They use their programming, technology advancement, communications, and encryption to help their own next generation youth. They are poised to take on one of their most complex adversaries, AI enhanced supercomputers run by greedy, powerful technological geniuses. The training for the new members of the R-Group is live, in the form of a real world cyber assault crisis. ICABOD, the R-Group’s own customized supercomputer, is their best weapon in this battle.
With corporate self-discipline gone and the power of US Congressional oversight crippled, the dominance of the technical oligopolies has risen to a position where they dictate their terms. Not satisfied to dominate commerce, they feel they are better decision points for running the planet.
MAG, the consortium of global technology predators, have united to bring their insidious plans to fruition, capitalizing on using humans’ desire for the easy and effortless lifestyles, even as it steals their freedoms. For freedom oriented groups caught in the cyber crosshairs, time has already run out. The social media noise has been weaponized and blinds humanity to what is actually happening. MAG uses social media to seize control of politics, healthcare, finances, and defense systems.
Award winning authors, Breakfield and Burkey, take readers into the depths of humanity’s newest menace in their 11th book in The Enigma Series. We are on a one way trip to keeping or giving up our most precious human quality, the freedom to choose. No one saw it coming when they built computers to ease their work and improve life. Where are the guardrails to protect humans from giving up too much? Can humanity take back control? See how fast you can determine who wins in the AI Wars.
Writing and Music 
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