![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf7UwnUxiJXZGB2BVklF2ky9UJpAAXP363yebAd2_TUI_rRo7Sx2ALhb86DJJ9SHTvMxXjL0yllLkLfLRw7MtPlFjKFL0aiWkFNt3siozL4J_No1YpQ18XwPNNB0pPUmtC2sf21fJsum5cSlb34y0SDcx7K-ArBKUsDNdp7lUqj9Gwup7p2bDv1I949T-V/w584-h173/Header_Geralt_Earth2.jpg)
Hi WEPpers and friends!
Already time for our fifth Get Together. And boy is life flashing by! Hit us with your news, writerly or personal.
Photo by Maddi Bazzocco on Unsplash
It's August, the year's more than half over and life hasn't quit throwing drama our way. We, the WEP admins have all dealt with changes, from health issues to family health issues, and major moves. So much so that blogging has taken a back seat to everything else. So if you don't get a personal report below, just know it's due to major life issues.
No changes have been made to the post, like adding a Linky to share personal posts. We may do that in the future, but for now please remember the Chat Box on the side and the comments section to add your links so others can follow.
Our paths are never easy, but we still wanted to touch base, so let us know what you're doing! We love hearing from you.
~*~
Here's what the WEP team has been up to:
Hello, hello, this is Nila with you...
To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Well, things haven't changed all that much since I last wrote here...same old same old, at least the change is so incremental that one hardly notices it. BUT the good thing is that it is changing, my vision is getting slowly better, though it is not 100% normal yet.
Meanwhile, I've travelled to Munnar in the Western Ghats, at the extreme south west of India - misty, cool and magical after the heat and humidity of Kolkata. Living in the rainless zones of the Middle East for the longest time has really taught me to appreciate the beauty and the blessings of rain.
I've got back into blogging too, though I'm taking it easy for now with a fortnightly schedule rather than weekly. Last month, I also somehow managed to write a long ballad style poem, like I used to for my early entries for WEP, in spite of the chaos that life seems to be right now :) A real behemoth at 75+ lines, so that's some sort of achievement I guess. Gravitating back to my original modus operandi.
I'm trying to be as much 'myself' as I can - being mindful of both the beauty and the not so beautiful on the journey, because I truly believe nothing goes waste. In a few years time, when the rough edges smooth out, it's all going to turn out a blessing. It will all add up. A path to being one's authentic self, to some insight and maybe even inspiration. If not immediately, then sometime later.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitaAONzO1-73A7q54Ce2hqY4tya_syt24kSpNb3HXpCa3VoO4zC-ktbLLrHv51kIAQPyi6HF2NWVDb0t-SoCTfus7pg1CcOMn2T86EdPTxxteMgfo6hV5KZIj2qP0rhQJX5Vpip9bsQ9O3HgsJElaCmHgz1jiWPQdzNFN1YgsIPePbNHgMf9KEb_lOonc/w400-h300/IMG_8882.jpg) |
Eravikulam National Park, Kanan Devan Hills, near Munnar. |
I hope you are surrounded by beauty and inspiration, deferred or immediate, wherever you are. Keep writing and keep in touch!
~*~
Hello everyone! Renee here, and a bit late. Sorry about that!
August is bringing a number of changes for me. Sold my condo on the beach. So long beautiful pictures of the sunset and sunrise over the ocean. But hurricanes scare the hell out of me, so back to safer lands. We just bought a home in Pennsylvania. This is the third time I've returned to my home state. And they say you can never go home!
***
And I've been blessed to continue my editing business. Thank you Jemi! Your books rock!
Please hit me up if you need help, especially with adding conflict, red herrings, etc.
Click here for a Developmental Edit
All prices are negotiable!!!!
~*~
Hi all! Renee reporting for Denise, again.
Denise wanted me to let you know she is still busy caring for Clarke and she's working to get him home. Soon she says. Also, she wanted me to add this picture:
Please keep her and Clarke in your prayers.
The best news is she plans to be back to
writing and blogging by October if not sooner.
She's invited us to all write a flash
in honor of the month of October!
Join us, please!!!
More information to come...
~*~
Hi from Jemi...
Hi everyone. Thanks so much for the kind words and virtual hugs over our loss. Our little guy was the biggest part of our lives and he is greatly missed.
On the writing front, I'm just starting to access the creative part of my brain again. One step, one breath, one moment at a time.
I've had a couple of releases in the last months. I'm glad I never put up a preorder until the draft is in the hands of my editor or ready for that step. Both those releases (No Going Back, No Bed Of Roses) were uploaded and ready to go before our tragedy struck.
With Renée's help (if you need a fabulous editor, look no further!), I've got my next release ready to go for Aug 20th. This one is book 5 in the No Fail Heroes series and I can't wait for it to be out in the world.
First loves, broken hearts, family sabotage, found family, and (of course!) a Happily Ever After! If you like small-town romance with a splash of danger, check it out here!
I hope you're all doing well and treasuring those happy moments.
~*~
Hello everyone! Sonia here.
I've had an adventurous summer with a lot of travel and some writing. I visited my home town, Shimla, after some years. Even at the risk of sounding cliched, I'd like to say that it was like a breath of fresh air after a long and tiring 2023. Meanwhile, my son has been preparing to start college, and we've been busy packing stuff for his new life in a different city. We are travelling as I write this.
On the writing front, I was fortunate to be shortlisted for the Rama Mehta Writing Retreat in Udaipur. It was a wonderful experience with a lot of learning (nuances of short story writing) in very good company. I also have a flash fiction in the July edition of Mean Pepper Vine. You may read it here. In more good news, one of my my stories that had been getting rejections for the past two years, has been accepted for an upcoming anthology titled My India, My Gods. All this has kept me away from blogging but I hope I can post something on the blog soon. Here is a picture of the retreat in Udaipur where we stayed for the four-day workshop.
Until we meet again, wishing you all well, and happy writing!
~*~
Hello everyone! Olga here.
I don't have much to report, except my experience with the book cover for Pat Garcia. Now that her story is published, I can talk about it. I'm proud of that cover. Collaborating on the ebook cover with Pat was fascinating. Here is the link to the ebook cover image:
You could find the story on Amazon (link below).
Even more challenging was making the paperback cover, which includes 3 elements: front, back, and spine. This was the first time I have ever done that. We exchanged quite a few emails until I arrived at the correct size and format. Pat was very helpful.
~*~
That's it for most of the team this month. Looking forward to your posts.
Jemi and Sonia for the team...
Busy, busy, busy with some challenges and triumphs in there. Life is a bit like that.
ReplyDeleteSending gentle hugs, hopes and encouragement to those of you who feel they need it, and applause to you all.
Hey, Sue! So awesome to see you again. It's been forever, and all my fault! Soon, though, things will settle. Hopefully! Thanks for stopping by, I've missed you terribly. I've missed everyone terribly! Can't wait to get back to normal, whatever that is... LOL
DeleteGood month to all!
ReplyDeleteAnd that's how Blogging and life is for everyone,
which happens when we're busy with other things.
Amazing texts,
some is very good,
but they are all beautiful!
I enjoyed it and thank you!!
Happy and creative month!
Thanks, Katerinas, nice of you to stop and comment! Life does offer up a mixture of issues...
ReplyDeleteI'll have a post up on Wednesday Aug 7. https://jlennidorner.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteRenee-- welcome back to our state! Which part of PA? I'm near the Lehigh Valley area.
Nila-- take it easy!
Denise-- I wish you and yours the best and better days.
Jemi-- Yay for more books!
Sonia-- Sounds like good vibes came your way, here's to hoping for more joy.
Olga-- looks good!
@ Nila – yes the change in 'normal weather conditions' always amazes … South Africa and Canada for me … now the change here in the UK from after WW2 to today is apparent. It's always good to hear from friends however slow they are in the blogging world – I'd rather be here, than on other social media sites …
ReplyDeleteYour ballad poem sounds exciting – I hope we're going to get to read it – or perhaps I'll find it soon! Also you're so right … what happens now will be important to our story as we live on …
@ Renee – I bet you're really chuffed with your new home … enjoy settling in – always difficult to move homes. Good luck with more editing …
@ Denise – I'm so pleased to see a picture of you and Clarke – I do hope you can get him home soon … and get back to some form of blogging and writing as and when you're able … all the best to you and the family … a Flash for October … I'll give it a go.
@ Jemi – yes I'm so sorry for your loss … devastating for you all. Good luck with your releases … always nice to know you're getting help from another blogger …
@ Sonia – it sounds like you had a busy 2023, and are now preparing for your son's departure to college – all change and always unsettling. The workshop setting looks beautiful … lucky you! Good luck as you progress …
@ Olga – well done on getting the book cover for Pat so efficiently done … I can imagine it's a difficult process. All the best to Pat with her short story …
Mine went up this morning ...
All the best to you all … take care and look after yourselves – cheers Hilary
Hi, Everyone,
ReplyDeleteIt has been some time since I've been a part of the WEP. Between March and July, it seemed as if continous troubling situations kept coming at me. We have had a lot of rain in Germany and my office in my basement flooded. Then I woke up one morning in May to find out that my electricity was completely gone. A new company was installing glass cables underground on my street and something went wrong. I had to learn how to live with no Internet, telephone, electricity, etc. It was quite exciting, learning how arrange things so that I could keep working in the parking lot at Aldi because they were not affected by the loss of power or going to a cafe in REWE and taking my iPad to work there for a few hours and then shop for things I needed. They are still working on my home. My house finished drying Monday and they have removed the equipment. Now I am waiting on them to renovate the entire basement. Lots of homes were affected. i miss my office and I'll be glad when it is over.
On top of this i was workin on a short story that I wanted to expand and write completely from the WEP. That sent me on a discovery tour. I needed an editor because my editor was sick, a proofreader, because my proofreader was sick, and a cover illustrator because the woman that did my covers was sick too. I could hardly believe what was happening. I did some intense praying, and day after day, a door opened leading me to the people that I needed. One of those persons was Olga Godim. I have always thought Olga was highly talented. Her pictures for the WEP always inspired me. So I wrote and asked her. She said yes and she and I went on a learning journey that enriched both of us. I know I will be using her again.
One thing that the illnesses of all of the people that I depended on taught me was it is better to work with more than one person in the literary and artistic areas, instead of limiting yourself to only one person in each area.
So, I have my first short story in print coming out on Amazon Worldwide on August 30th. I will never forget the first time I saw the cover. I had explained to Olga what I wanted and she delivered. I have gotten many compliments over the cover, and I have entered it into a contest. The cover fits the story perfectly.
I am sorry to hear about some of the losses. I see we all have been challenged.
It is good to be back. Now I have to read our rules again so I know the rhythm of our get togethers. I hope I am doing it right.
Take care.
Shalom shalom
That sounds super challenging! However, 'difficult paths lead to beautiful destinations' - congratulations on publication! To you and also to Olga! Wishing you much success with the book. Please do share a link here.
DeleteHi Pat - I do hope things continue to improve ... that sort of mess up is just so draining; but I'm glad you've joined up with Olga - sounds like a good fit. Illness is always a problem, especially for clients ... with thoughts for one and all - particularly you - cheers Hilary
Delete