Rebel Blog

Rebels met in February and March 2019, and kept a busy discussion going.

• Mel has two manuscripts out to publishers and a piece of flash fiction appearing in the online literary magazine, Nightingale and Sparrow
• Dave submitted his novel with Catholic priests as the main characters, one in rural Pa. and on in Philadelphia. The novel concerns failure of social institutions, and current issues of abuse by clergy and the opioid scourge. The group critiqued the novel.
• John will submit the revised first third of his long-time project, the novel Refugees.
• Russ continues to query his several finished novels, as he works this year on revisions to his WWII novel, now renamed Ella’s War.
• Martha is querying her ecological/arms-trade novel as she works on the start of an historic novel and an essay on modern stress.
• Chris discussed his multi-book deal with Severna River Press, which will include his crime-cleaning novel, Hiding Among the Dead;a reissue of his first novel, Scars on the Face of God;and the first of his lethal-women series, featuring bounty hunter Counsel Fungo. Chris submitted the latter manuscript to the group for critique at its May meeting.

Other topics discussed:

• books about the environmental pollution and public health
• amount of research that it’s appropriate to weave into a novel; when that research serves the story and when it doesn’t; and how some writers, especially of historic fiction, can incorporate more such context than typical
• the pros and cons of participating in more than one novel-writing critique group.

Rebels met in early January 2019 at Martha’s charming home near Newtown, Bucks County.

Discussion touched on:

• Fancyland, Dave’s new book about a fallen Catholic priest who works to redeem himself through fighting the opioid epidemic
• John’s 1990s-set murder mystery, tentatively titled “Refugees,” set in Lambertville/Buckingham/Long Beach Island and his 1943 murder mystery, set in Bristol, Pa.
• Mel’s book of connected short stories telling her protagonist’s tale from the POV of a number of characters, which she is now querying. In the meantime, she is working on additional short stories, including one nominated for a Pushcart award.
• Chris’ new novel, America is a Gun,as well as his crime-scene-cleaners novel, both of which he has been submitting for publication.
• Martha’s querying of her crime/national security/environmental conspiracy novel to agents and publishers. And her new work writing a creative nonfiction essay wrapping in her personal story of illness and the passage of time with the history of her 19^thCentury home.
• Russ’ continued querying of several completed novels and his processing of the recent critique of his novel set in WWII

Other questions pondered by Rebs

• Did Hemingway write drunk?
• What connects you to a work? What incidents that you’ve read about or experienced keep you tied to a book?
• Discussion of the Bucks County historic society’s interest in history-based pieces about the region for a compilation the society is planning.Martha will submit her essay.

 

 

 

 

All Rebs had updates at the October (held 11/1) meeting.

Mel is participating in the national Novel in Month challenge, to produce a short novel/novella of up to 50k words in the month of November.  She has also completed a short story and submitted it to the Bucks County Community College short fiction contest.  She has also been recognized as a writer to watch in a literary magazine.

Chris has submitted his crime-scene-cleaning thriller to a publisher, and is trying to promote sales of his novel Jane’s Baby.

Dave is working on a novel about the opioid epidemic, set in Western Pa.  He has also completed a short story and submitted it to the Bucks County Community College short fiction contest.  The group reviewed and critiqued the story, Mr. Argawal Is Not A Lonely Man.  Rebs offered a number of suggestions but gave the story thumbs-up.

John is significantly revising his murder mystery set in the 1980s in the Lambertville area.

Russ has responded to his entrée with Wild Rose Press to revise and resubmit his thriller Queen of the Bay.  He also has a full request from Champagne Books to submit his upmarket novel The Piedmont Harlots Club.  In addition, he has an invitation to edit and submit his Victorian literary novel Paper Wings to Green Writers Press.  He submitted the manuscript of his historic novel Soldiers of the Soil to the group for critique at the end-of-November meeting.

Other topics discussed:

• On platforms such as Bookbub, Robin Reads, BookGorilla authors can promote a published book for a fee but must also provide the books at a marked-down cost.
• Outlining can be a critically important first step for the novelist. Some take advantage of it and some don’t, and there many ways to outline or other ways to sketch out structure of a novel.
• Authors must exercise sensitivity in using characters from marginalized groups. This can be tricky.