Bridges DelPonte's Blog, page 5

Cool Lit Gifts, Great Local Businesses, and a Partridge in a Pear Tree…

My sister, Dolores, is a doyen at finding unique Christmas gifts, especially those that support local small businesses and worthy causes. This year, she gifted me with whimsical wood coasters painted using “punny” book titles, like “Tequila Mockingbird” and “Moby Drink”, from Oliverstuff (https://www.cuttingboredom.com or @oliverstuff).  All the fun coasters are made with reclaimed wood in a little San Diego workshop and include a faux San Diego Library book borrowing or circulation card with your order. 

She also gave me Novel Teas, tea bags with fun literary quotes on each tag, from Boston-based Bag Ladies Teas (http://bagladiestea.com/). The retailer added this line of teas after being inspired by her siblings who are deeply involved with education and literacy, including collecting books for children without access to reading materials and participating in the AmericaReads program (https://americareads.as.ucsb.edu/). Besides who doesn’t need a good cup of tea and some literary inspiration after a hard day trying to bang out a good story?

The frosting on the cake was a beautiful scarf from Portland, Oregon-based Storiarts (https://www.storiarts.com) with initial text from The Hound of the Baskervilles, my favorite Sherlock Holmes paranormal mystery. As a kid, I enjoyed reading Sherlock Holmes mysteries and shared my parents’ love for TV mysteries broadcast on the PBS Series: Masterpiece Mystery. I still remember fondly Jeremy Brett’s Sherlock Holmes, David Suchet’s Poirot, and Joan Hickson’s Miss Marple in that series.(Although I must admit that Benedict Cumberbatch in the contemporary updating of the Holmes’ mysteries, Sherlock, is a master class in character acting.) These early introductions to mysteries definitely kindled my interest in writing my own mystery novel, Deadly Sacrifices, A Marguerite Montez Mystery, and several short stories with mystery elements published in anthologies.

More importantly, aside from an awesome scarf for future book festivals and readings, Storiarts donates a portion of every purchase to a global nonprofit organization, LitWorld, (https://www.litworld.org/). LitWorld promotes global literacy and supports a love of writing and creativity for children in the U.S. and across the globe. The funds from this partnership have sponsored a wide range of community efforts, including the delivery of food, books, tech resources, and writing supplies, and the sponsorship of in-person and virtual reading programs. So, cool lit gifts, supporting local folks, and some great causes to boot.

BTW–I’m not affiliated nor compensated in any way by these businesses or organizations.  For years, I wrote local business profiles for GoLoJax, a neighborhood group that promoted small businesses. I’m all about bolstering local creatives and passing along holiday gift love and good causes that you might want to share with the working authors in your own life. Wishing you a great New Year’s and a happy and healthy writing in 2022!

Community Matters!

During these turbulent COVID times, I moved into a new community in SW FL—about four plus hours away from my Orlando home base and writing community—just in time for a global pandemic. With societal lockdowns and health concerns, it was very difficult to meet new people or connect with fellow writers or other community groups in 2020. I spent time unpacking and settling into my new home, edited Friends Like These which is currently on submission to publishers, and began to write a new women’s fiction novel. But like most people, 2020 was a time of isolation.

This past year, I’ve been triple vaxxed and am cautiously inching back toward normalcy in reaching out to local writing and service organizations. Thankfully, virtual meetings have helped me stay in touch with the Citrus Crime Writers, the Central Florida chapter of Sisters in Crime, Inc. (SinC). I continue to attend CCW’s monthly meetings and enjoy posting news items on their channels as their social media coordinator. I also was able to connect with fellow writers in the Women’s Fiction Writers Association on both its Facebook page and in a monthly Zoom critique circle on my current writing project. I’ve even joined and attended a few in-person meetings with the Gulf Coast Writers Association in Fort Myers.

Recently, I’ve been applying my writing skills for Beyond Ourselves, a local community service organization, publishing an article about the group in the Charlotte Sun and drafting letters and materials for their upcoming Share the Love for the Kids Home Tour, planned for Feb. 5, 2022, from 10:00 am-4:00 pm, benefiting children’s charities in Charlotte County. And I’m sitting on a local historic preservation advisory board for the city.

At year’s end, I’m grateful for a wonderful life, good health, and a growing sense of community in my little slice of coastal paradise. Wishing everyone a joyous holiday season and a happy and healthy 2022!

Write-In for the Win!

Thanks to all of the members of Citrus Crime Writers for inviting me to host a fun virtual write-in on Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021, from 2:00-3:00 pm. I led two fifteen-minute writing sprints for members. Sherry Morris blew us away with her high word counts with Martha Geaney and Jen Walsh right behind her. Our resident podcaster for WZRD Radio and self-described nerd, Bess Carnan, and Jen Walsh also shared their fun experiences with NaNo Orlando, including their virtual participation in “Writing Around Disney” write-in this week.

Aside from kick-starting our writing, the session provided a wonderful opportunity to share information about useful craft tools and events. For those considering software programs to aid their writing, several CCW members indicated good success with Scrivener, originally intended for use with Apple Computers, but now accessible on a wide range of platforms.

CCW members noted that there is a steep learning curve with Scrivener that they felt paid off in the end for moving around content or locating key plot elements and clues in one’s writing projects. They indicated that the program can be helpful for both “pantsers” and plotters”. Some options for learning about how to use Scrivener are listed below:

For advice on Scrivener, check out Gwenhernandez.com. Her site offers free articles,  free classes and paid private instruction. Gwen is also the author of Scrivener for Dummies.For online classes, Charlotte Hunter, recommended The Loft Scrivener Class 101 with instructor, Nicole Kronzer. The website, Loft.org, offers different writing classes with registration fees.

Charlotte Hunter and Martha Geaney also advised members about checking out a new software program that helps “plotter” authors outline their writing projects, aptly named Plottr. To round out our meeting, I pulled the winner in our drawing for a $25 Amazon gift card out of a fedora hat—Bess Carnan—congrats to Bess!

A great event with truly motivated writers. Have a great Thanksgiving everyone…gobble, gobble!!

Get Your NaNoWriMo On!

Last year, I checked out NaNoWriMo–National Novel Writing Month–and managed to write 30,000 words on one of my writing projects. It’s a great way to kick start your writing, even if you don’t plan to crank out 50,000 plus words.

In honor of NaNoWriMo, my friends at Citrus Crime Writers (CCW – Central Florida Chapter of Sisters in Crime, Inc.) have asked me to lead a write-in at their November monthly meeting. So I’ll be joining CCW members for a virtual write-in on Sunday, November 14, 1:30-3:00 pm! We’ll socialize and hold a business meeting from 1:30-2:00, then convene a write in from 2:00-3:00.

Stay in touch with your fellow writers and get some writing done, all from the comfort of home. And have a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card when we draw a name from all of those present for the write in!!

If you are a CCW member, please watch your e-mail for a link to the Zoom meeting. If you’re not a member but want to attend, please email us at citruscrimewriters@gmail.com!  See you on Sunday!!

P.S. Check out more of the details about the meeting at any of these links:

SinC Nat’l Chapter Blog – https://www.sistersincrime.org/blogpost/1475420/381605/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/citruscrimewriters

CCW WordPress Website – https://citruscrimewriters.wordpress.com/

The Power of Books at Powell’s

Any writer’s visit to Portland will inevitably lead to Powell’s City of Books, one of the oldest and largest independent bookstores in the country. Started in Portland in 1971, it houses millions of new, used and rare books with thousands of different book sections. Like a lot of indie booksellers, Powell’s has survived the ups and downs of the bookselling business, including the COVID pandemic. In March 2020, Powell’s closed all of its locations and laid off most of its unionized workforce due to COVID. Since April 2021, three of its stores have reopened with lingering disagreements with its employees’ union over its rehiring practices. (For more see Powell’s, union remain at odds over bookstore’s rehiring practices).

Despite the pandemic and this controversy, Powell’s flagship store on West Burnside Street in Portland was abuzz with customers when I visited, even in the middle of the day and in the middle of the week. The store is enormous and you could easily get lost without a color-coded map…and maybe even a compass… to help you explore it. There was no way I could take in the whole Powell’s experience in a few hours. But I really enjoyed browsing its shelves and its expansive offerings of quirky note cards and book bags along with unique Portland-based products, like local bitters and sea salts. And only in Portland would the action figures at Powell’s be Biden, AOC, and Mueller! Even if you don’t have the opportunity to visit Powell’s, please check out your local independent bookstore–they can surely use your support during these tough times.

Getting Back to Writer Square?

Maybe it’s the dog days of August, but I’ve been somewhat unmotivated about my writing the past couple of weeks. It could be a bad case of novel post-partum—I’ve delivered my baby—Friends Like These—and now it’s on submission and I’m in a holding pattern, hoping a publisher likes my novel enough to buy it. But it’s been hard to get geared up for another long haul of writing my next book.

I’m sporadically hacking away on a first draft of a new novel and rewriting some short materials for an upcoming community event as well as a writers’ workshop. So I haven’t stopped writing. Yet I’m not really in the writing flow at the moment.

Hey fellow writers—what do you find helps you to get back on track with your writing and to get back to Writer Square? A writers’ conference? A writing retreat? A temporary break from writing? Thanks for any suggestions.

Love That Little Free Library!

Most of us share books we love with family and friends. But how about people we don’t know in our community?  I stumbled upon a Little Free Library in an adjacent neighborhood after a morning bike ride. It was beautifully crafted with bamboo supports and a thatched roof and painted in a tiki-style box…so Florida! The sharing library was nestled in green shrubbery in a small rotary in a cul-de-sac. The makers used a plastic door with a black latch to protect the shared books from the elements. Like any local author, I decided to return and bring back a free book, my mystery, Deadly Sacrifices, A Marguerite Montez Mystery, for that cute library. A fun way to promote book-sharing in my local community.

There is also a site, https://littlefreelibrary.org/ that promotes reading and book-sharing through registration of a Little Free Library. You can even use the site to search a map and find local free libraries in your area.   And they also give out awards to stewards of these little library gems who advance local reading and a sense of kindness and community with their book-sharing. Check it out—I think you’ll really find it a fun and informative site. Better yet, cruise your own neighborhood and find a Little Free Library that needs your support!!

We’re Baaaaack!

Thanks to the Gulf Coast Writers Association (GCWA) Board, members, and guests in Fort Myers for inviting me to make an educational presentation on Copyright or Copy Wrong? The Basics of Copyright for Authors. (for educational purposes only, not intended as legal advice)

It was their first in-person meeting since Spring 2020’s COVID shutdowns so the room was abuzz with activity. So nice to meet fellow writers in SW Florida. A number of GCWA members also attended the session via Zoom. A special thanks to Christie Zarria for helping make the technical challenges of a hybrid session go so smoothly.

In my presentation, we discussed the basics of copyright protections, copyright registration, and infringement of creative works. We also considered key defenses to claims of copyright infringement, such as public domain and fair use, and other copyright resources for authors. There were lots of great questions from the GWCA members which made it a fun learning experience for all of us to learn more about protecting our literary works.

And at the end, I didn’t have to hold any office hours or grade any exams—what a relief!!

Check out the GWCA website for more info about its current and upcoming events – https://gulfwriters.org.

Inching Back to Normalcy

It seems we’re finally starting to inch our way back to normalcy as more people get vaccinated and COVID rates continue to fall in many locations. I’m glad to see that some local writer groups are feeling ready for in-person meetings while continuing to include Zoom options for those who prefer to participate online. This hybrid format is a great way to keep writers in touch. It’s also helped me be able to continue as a Sisters in Crime (SinC) member of the Citrus Crime Writers in Orlando and the Florida Gulf Coast chapter in Tampa after my move to southwest Florida. I wouldn’t be able to drive these distances for these SinC chapter meetings, but now I can still participate online.

This Saturday, June 26, from 10:00-noon, I’m doing a live educational presentation to the Gulf Coast Writers Association (GCWA) on Copyright or Copy Wrong? The Basics of Copyright for Authors. GCWA members can also attend using Zoom.

For all the details check out, https://gulfwriters.org/home-new/. Hope to see you on Saturday!

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Patience Is My Least Favorite Virtue…

My novel, Friends Like These, is on submission right now to potential publishers. My agent has given me some positive feedback about editor reviews of it. I’m anxiously awaiting any scrap of news about a formal offer for the novel. Although I’ve published short stories with small press anthologies and self-published 3 books, I have not had a novel go through a traditional publisher’s process. The waiting is both exciting and unnerving about what comes next.

That’s why I’m really looking forward to hearing from our guest speaker at this month’s Citrus Crime Writers (CCW) meeting on June 13, 2021, at 2:00 p.m. Our Ask the Expert session will feature award-winning writer and Chicago book coach, Mia P. Manansala, author of the newly-released culinary cozy mystery, Arsenic and Adobo (Penguin Random House – May 4, 2021), the first book in the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery Series. Mia (she/her) will present on the joys and challenges of “Being a Debut Author.” To learn more about Mia, check out her website: https://www.miapmanansala.com/.

I’m looking forward to learning from her first-hand experiences. If you’re a writer, her presentation might be of interest to you, too. CCW Members–please check your email for a link to the Zoom meeting. If you’re not a member, but want to attend, please email CCW at citruscrimewriters@gmail.com. Hope to see you on Sunday!!