#5 WEP Get Together - August 2024

 

 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. 

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!

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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!!!!

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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!
 

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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: 

https://64.media.tumblr.com/2ba108739f7edbb2c882e1b31bc49b19/4cbadb90b3aa8e78-6d/s1280x1920/a6f59c3620ab9b95adb4311738a9278b9cc149c4.jpg

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.

The Power Of Touch by Pat Garcia

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That's it for most of the team this month. Looking forward to your posts. 

Jemi and Sonia for the team...

See you in October!