Bridges DelPonte's Blog, page 6

Help Simbi Promote Global Literacy!

As authors and readers, reading is so important to us. Yet there are millions of people who cannot read or lack access to books. My husband’s employer, Galvanize, participated in a holiday read-a-thon with Simbi in December 2020. It was an awesome experience to narrate books from Simbi’s library for global learners!! Simbi’s mission is to promote reading for the public good with educators and underserved communities.

Through its charitable arm, Simbi Foundation, Simbi has partnered with the UN Refugee Agency, and publishers, like MacMillan and National Geographic, and authors worldwide to reach out to over 3.5 million children and teens. Some young readers live in remote locations or in refugee settlements with little to no access to print books. We can all help promote global literacy in two ways—as an author or a book narrator for Simbi.

Simbi is the only reading platform that uniquely empowers kids to make a difference with the power of their own voice. Simbi combines learners’ and volunteer narrations with the text of a story to create an audiovisual book that other kids can read along to globally. Simbi carries books from Early Emergent Readers all the way up to grade 12, but the majority of Simbi’s library consists of materials for grades 2-5.

For authors:  Children, middle grade and YA authors you can donate a free license to the Simbi platform while retaining your rights to your works. You can send a watermarked copy of your work to Simbi using this link for their content review and approval: https://form.asana.com/?k=_4CZ-9rjJPeIPwGaiCfxLA&d=1116562775386739. If approved, you’ll be distributing your content to Simbi’s school partners as well as underserved and refugee communities.

For narrators: You can also narrate books for children to read along with from Simbi’s vast global library of books on Simbi’s easy to use recording platform. Their platform let’s you read each page and you can delete and correct those recordings as you go. Every week, Simbi sends a report on all of the children who read your narrated books that week.

My illustrator, Michelle Bakay, and I donated The Little Dusties: The Roar of the Silver Dragon to Simbi. Here’s a link to our narrated book on the Simbi platform: https://read.simbi.io/listenin/Pn51To6f2Q?utm_source=simbi-webapp&utm_medium=copy-url.

A great way to promote global literacy and support the power of reading from the comfort of your own home!

Link to Simbi Community: https://simbi.io

Link to Simbi Foundation: https://simbifoundation.org

YouTube Simbi Explainer Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29tGGrnM-4I

Farewell to a Great Lady

Prolific author. Colorado cowgirl. Westie lover. Car enthusiast. Roller derby queen. Beauty pageant judge. Spiritual thinker. Loving mom. Supportive friend. Multi-talented author, Ruth Riddell, passed away last week at age 89, surrounded by loved ones, in her native Colorado. Ruth wrote a wide range of middle grade, romance, young adult, and adult fiction both in novel and short story forms through traditional and independent publishing.

At age fourteen, she wrote her first novel and used different pen names throughout her long writing career. When asked when she knew she wanted to be a writer, Ruth said, “It was always a dream but I didn’t come from a literary family. Books were never a part of my childhood experience and when it came time to think about what I wanted to do with the rest of my life, my parents encouraged me to choose something practical. I did, but I never gave up the search or the dream.”

Initially, she published her first middle grade sports-oriented novels, Face Off at Center Ice (Steck-Vaughn 1973) and Red-Hot Wheels (Perfection Form Company 1980), under her pen names, J.S. Riddell and Jacqueline S. Riddell. Avalon Books then published her two romance novels, Orchids for Hillary (1978) and Summer of Pearls (1979), under her pen name, Shannon Sayer. Publisher Atheneum subsequently released three more of her middle grade/young adult novels, Haunted Journey (1987), Shadow Witch (1989), and Ice Warrior (1992), under her pen name, Ruth Riddell. Ruth also embraced independent publishing with three novels with Western themes; A Small Courage (2014), Destiny’s Dance (2014), and Whistlewind (2017), and an earlier cookbook, Chicken – How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways… – Chicken Over 300 Ways From Mom’s Kitchen (1991).

Her family and friends hope to publish some of her remaining completed works in the future. Her feisty, passionate spirit and love of writing inspired many and will live on as she passes on to her next chapter. Farewell dear Ruth….

Third Time’s A Charm?

My latest novel is a Boston-based dramedy about three women friends without children who face challenges to their health, career, family, and love lives with heart, humor and warmth as they enter their forties. It is my third novel, but my first novel for which I’m working with a literary agent. My previous two novels, a legal mystery, Deadly Sacrifices, A Marguerite Montez Mystery, and a fantasy novel, Bridles of Poseidon,  were self-published.

The temporary title of this new novel, Friends Like These, will likely be changed before any final publication. I spitballed a bunch of different titles with friends and my literary agent which was a fun process. It has been a long road, but I’m very excited that my third novel is finally on submission to major publishers of women’s fiction. It’s a great development and a big step forward in my writing life.

I feel like this phase is the part of the roller coaster ride when the car wheels are clacking, slowly climbing up the first hill. You can see the crest of the hill and you’re holding your breath in anticipation of what’s on the other side. I’m hoping for a happy thrill ride and that the third time’s indeed a charm in selling my work to an amazing publisher. I will keep you in the loop as I go through this process for the very first time!  

Life on the High ©s

This past Sunday, I presented Piracy on the High ©s: Copyright Basics for Authors to the Florida Gulf Coast chapter of Sisters in Crime via Zoom. (for educational purposes only, not intended as legal advice) I spent many years as a law professor and taught intellectual property, cyberlaw, and business law courses to law students, Master’s candidates, and undergrads. It’s great when I can help educate my fellow authors on issues so important to their writing careers.

In this webinar, my educational talk helped unravel the mysteries of the basics of copyright and address issues of copyright infringement, plagiarism, and book piracy for authors. The webinar also considered key defenses to claims of copyright infringement and copyright registration of creative works. The attendees had a lot of good questions which made for a nice interactive session.

If you want to learn more about copyright, these resources may be helpful to you.

Check out registration process and copyright basics

U.S. Copyright Office http://www.copyright.gov/

More copyright information

Cornell University, Copyright Information Center
Video tutorials: https://copyright.cornell.edu/

Find a properly licensed FL attorney—Certification in Intellectual Property

The Florida Bar – Find a Lawyer: https://www.floridabar.org/

A great opportunity to learn more about protecting our rights to our literary works. Thanks to the board of the Florida Gulf Coast chapter for inviting me to present on this important topic. Once the chapter posts the video link on YouTube, I’ll pass it along.

Hitting Readfest Main Stage

Hey all. There’s one more group reading at the SW Florida Reading Festival, but this time it’s on the festival main stage! I’ll be reading an excerpt from my Boston-based mystery, Deadly Sacrifices, for Noir at the Bar, on March 12, from 7:00-8:00 p.m. on the virtual main stage. (https://eventhub.shop/readfest/mainhall/5fdbb2f97d52b72b5457f4d4 – The Noir at the Bar video program will be automatically displayed on the program page at 7:00 PM tomorrow. Noir at the Bar can also be accessed by clicking the “Main Hall” button on the Festival’s schedule for Friday, March 12th: https://eventhub.shop/readfest/schedule.

Along with other FL Sisters in Crime, Inc. (SinC) authors, the session will feature short excerpts from crime fiction with a darker side in self-produced videos–with fedoras and adult beverages encouraged.

Check it out at readfest.org and enjoy this fun promo trailer!

Noir at the Bar – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tmZv6WVOqU

If you miss it, the Florida Gulf Coast chapter of Sisters in Crime, Inc. (SinC) is planning to post the session on its YouTube channel after the Friday night premiere at the reading festival. Hope you enjoy it.

Happy First Reading Festivus!

Very excited about my first book festival reading at the SW Florida Reading Festival at 9:00 p.m. tonight, March 9, for Bedtime Stories – Tales of Mystery, Murder and Mayhem. (link below) Bedtime Stories is a nightly author reading of chilling tales for readers to enjoy…and maybe lose a bit of sleep over. I’ll be reading my published paranormal mystery short story, Clair de Lune, published in Mother Goose is Dead: Modern Stories of Myths, Fables, and Fairy Tales (Caliburn Press) I’ve added some fun sound effects to enhance the story-telling.

Here’s a quick blurb on the story: Lawyers don’t make house calls. But Attorney Quentin Dumphy always made an exception for the wealthy recluse, Patrick Sean Horrigan. When Horrigan demands that Dumphy burn a rotting sea chest under the next blue moon without opening it, Dumphy assumes he’d make some easy money fulfilling this bizarre request. Yet a $50,000 check to destroy a moldy box makes Dumphy wonder why the payment is so high. Will Dumphy give into his curiosity, guilt, or greed before carrying out this strange ritual?

My twenty-minute video recording of Clair de Lune will be presented on Florida Gulf Coast Sisters in Crime (SinC) chapter’s YouTube channel.  If you miss it tonight, you can visit the channel after the premiere to watch it at your convenience. Many thanks to Lisa Malice, Theresa Michael, and the other chapter members for their hard work in selecting, organizing, and editing the videos. Thanks for checking it out and feel free to leave a comment here or on the chapter’s YouTube channel.

Those Scary Bedtime Stories

The FL Gulf Coast Sisters in Crime chapter has selected my short story, Clair de Lune, for Bedtime Stories – Tales of Mystery, Murder and Mayhem, for the SW FL Reading Festival. It’s a nightly author reading of chilling tales for readers to enjoy…and maybe lose a bit of sleep over. My video recording of my short story, Clair de Lune, will be presented on March 9th at 9:00 p.m. at readfest.org and on the chapter’s YouTube channel.

Claire de Lune, a paranormal mystery story, was originally published in Mother Goose is Dead: Modern Stories of Myths, Fables and Fairy Tales. A wealthy client asks an attorney Quentin Dumphy to burn a rotting sea chest under the next blue moon without opening it. Dumphy assumes he’d make some easy money fulfilling this bizarre client request. Yet a $50,000 check to destroy a moldy box and unsettling news of an Amber alert for a missing baby make Dumphy wonder if the price has become too high. Will Dumphy give into his curiosity, guilt, or greed when carrying out Horrigan’s potentially lethal request?

Here’s a fun video promo to see who else will be reading their short story during the festival. Thanks to Lisa Malice, Teresa Michael, and the rest of the FL Gulf Coast team for all of their hard work and feedback on my short story!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u50LV6dT1mY

Readers Rule!

Bridges DelPonte, Noir at the Bar

The last couple of weeks, I’ve had great fun working with the Florida Gulf Coast chapter of Sisters in Crime, Inc., on the upcoming SW Florida Reading Festival.  As part of the festival, the chapter will be hosting a wide range of virtual activities for readers and authors to enjoy. I was selected to participate in the Noir at the Bar session featured on March 12 from 7:00-8:00 p.m. on the virtual main stage. Authors read from crime fiction with a darker side than cozies and traditional amateur sleuth fiction in self-produced videos. Chapter president, Lisa Malice, recommended that we have fun with the video session, perhaps enjoying a favorite adult beverage and wearing a fedora. Thanks to Lisa and the other committee members for their hard work in organizing us

For my video, I read a five-minute excerpt from my first mystery novel, Deadly Sacrifices, A Marguerite “Monty” Montez Mystery. My mystery introduces prosecutor Monty, who’s investigating her first murder case, a soccer mom killed in a suburban Boston church. When a homeless man is charged with the crime, Monty endangers her life digging up evidence showing police nabbed the wrong man. She also confronts disturbing leads in a childhood friend’s unsolved murder in her close-knit Portuguese community. I’m half way through the sequel, tentatively entitled Deadly Encounters.

Be sure to check out this virtual festival on your cell phones or laptops. You don’t need any special software and the festival is free—just visit readfest.org! Thanks to the Lee County Library System and its sponsors for the event. I hope readers will enjoy this small sip from my mystery!

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Adding Realism to Mysteries

Aside from my women’s fiction, I’ve had a lifelong love of mysteries. As kids we watched a lot of mystery shows and movies and really enjoyed the Masterpiece Mystery series on PBS–with Sherlock Holmes (first with the inimical Jeremy Brett and David Burke, and now Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman), Miss Marple (Joan Hickson), and Hercule Poirot (Sir David Suchet) as favorites. My mother was incredible at guessing whodunit very quickly in these shows, much to my father’s bafflement. We played the classic board game, Clue, quite a bit as a family, too. Prof. Plum with the candle stick in the library…..

In 2016, I started my own Marguerite “Monty” Montez mystery series. A local soccer mom is bludgeoned to death in her suburban parish chapel outside of Boston. In her first homicide case, prosecutor Monty endangers her life and budding career digging up evidence that shows the police nabbed the wrong man for this murder in Deadly Sacrifices.  A sometime Portuguese fados (blues) singer at local clubs and events, Monty uncovers disturbing memories and fresh leads about the long unsolved murder of a childhood friend in her close-knit Portuguese community that hamper her efforts to crack her first homicide case. Her dauntless search for the killer takes the reader on a wild thrill ride from a simple murder for insurance scheme to the shadowy world of domestic political extremists and the secretive designs of a senatorial candidate during a heated election year.  Monty brings her razor-sharp legal mind, colossal stubborn streak and offbeat humor to her first investigation as well as her steely determination to follow unsettling leads in her friend’s unsolved murder. I’m about halfway through the second book in the series, tentatively entitled Deadly Encounters.

For the past two plus years, I’ve been fortunate to be able to connect with other mystery writers with the Citrus Crime Writers, a Central Florida chapter of Sisters in Crime, Inc., and have begun to cross-promote chapter activities with the Florida Gulf Coast chapter of SinC, based in Tampa. Check out these organizations if you want to learn more about mystery writing and to connect with other local authors. Here are some cool upcoming virtual events from these organizations that will help bring real world forensic tips to mystery writers in January 2021.

Firearms Forensics – https://citruscrimewriters.wordpress.com/2020/12/21/ready-aim-firearms/

Death and Cold Case Investigations – https://wordpress.com/post/citruscrimewriters.wordpress.com/540

A Tale of Two 2020s

Bridges DelPonte

“It was the worst of times, it was the best of times.” Dickens got this year right. Both great and awful things happened this year. From the stresses of COVID and political and social strife to positive life changes and home moves, 2020 has whipsawed me at every turn. I’m thankful to be happy and healthy and have nearby family support during this challenging year. As 2020 comes to a close, I’m trying to keep my focus on some of the good things that happened in my life as a writer. So here are some positives that I’m grateful for in a year of so many negatives.

After more than 20 years of searching, I had the opportunity to work with my agent, Kelli Martin, Wendy Sherman Associates, on substantive revisions to my women’s fiction novel, tentatively titled “Babeless Babes“. I’ve always had to go it alone in my authoring past so it’s been great to receive feedback from a seasoned pro.

After over 31 years in legal education, I turned my attention this past fall to my dream of writing on a full-time basis. I’m currently writing a sequel to “Babeless Babes“. I haven’t settled on a draft title yet, but I’ll keep noodling on it.

Although I relocated to SW FL in May, I continued to attend Zoom meetings and to handle social media posts on WordPress and Facebook for my pals at Citrus Crime Writers (CCW), a Central Florida chapter of Sisters in Crime. I even made a Zoom presentation for CCW on trademark basics for authors. Zoom helped to keep me in the CCW loop, despite no longer residing in Central Florida.

I applied to become a member of the Gulf Coast Writers Association to plug into writers in my new local community. I’m hoping to meet lots of other writers and participate in writer meetings and seminars in my SW FL area.

I tried my hand at my first NaNoWriMo and posted to our SW FL community discussions. I had set a first-time personal goal of 30,000 words, and managed to reach 20,864 words, putting my sequel novel at 39,169 words. Not bad for a rookie try.

I’m also giving my writing brain time to rest and percolate with new creative ideas, by participating in more outdoor activities, like kayaking, walking, pickle ball, and golf (albeit pretty badly), brushing up on my Spanish language skills, and having fun learning a few songs on an electric keyboard.

I’m looking forward to new adventures and challenges in 2021 as a writer. Stay safe out there and wishing you peace and joy during this holiday season!