WHAT DO YOU THINK OF AN ON-LINE CRITIQUE GROUP?

A REMNANT OF ROUTE 66.  TWO GUNS, ARIZONA.

As many of you know, I have been conducting seminars, titled, “Have you ever thought about writing?” since the release of my book, COAST TO COAST WITH A CAT AND A GHOST.

 I perform these seminar/workshops mainly at RV rallies for two reasons. One, because my book is about but not limited to, travel in an RV. The second reason I choose the RV community because RVers talk to other RVers. What better way to spread the word about my book?

But, on a more serious vein, I have had tremendous interest about the subject. How did you get started? Had you ever written before? How did you self-publish? I read a statistic that 23% of us have considered writing a book.

But here is a problem I have come upon in the RV community. Because I stress the importance of joining a writing group, for support and critique, I have discovered many of the RVers do not have a home base and thus are never in one place long enough to join a group. As I too, am traveling considerably now, I miss my home group.

So here is what I want to put out there in RV cyberspace: How about an on-line critique group?

I am volunteering to act as a moderator of  five people who are serious about their work. I am laying out a format, but I am open to suggestions.

1.      Each member e-mails five pages of current work every week to the other four members. Thus each member will have five pages from each member to read and critique. Members will use Microsoft Word and learn to use the track changes feature. Each member will make the changes and suggestions to each of the other four members work  and then email it back to its author and also the other members.

2.      All  changes or suggestions, as in all critique groups, should be constructive and supportive and   can be either accepted or rejected by the author.

3.      Although I am nowhere near an expert in any genre, I am least knowledgeable about poetry. I believe I would like to limit the genre to fiction and or memoirs but that is only a suggestion and as members of the group, we can make a group decision.

4.       The critique should be returned to the members in a timely manner, say three days. The author may ask questions about the suggestions or comments but cannot defend his/her work, after all he/she can take it or leave it.

So there it is folks. What do you think?

Please e-mail me or comment. If anyone would like to get in on this experiment, please let me know.

We need a name for the critique group. Suggestions?

PARKER AND PAHRUMP

The road from Yuma to Parker may appear to be a road to nowhere. The desert stretches ahead and behind, promising an avenue for my mind to reach and soar. Some of the best scenes in my next book are born on a road like this.

London Bridge in Lake Havasu City Arizona. Can you believe each brick was dismantled in London and reassembled here? A serene Sunday morning as smooth as the river, before the world began to stir. I snapped photos that never capture  the atmosphere but they will  carry me back like a chapter in a good book. 

Sportster enjoys the luxury  of  The Treasure RV Resort in Pahrump, Nevada. The resort  employs a great veteran chef, Mike Johnson, who cooks for the rallies as well as operates a little cafe called  The Grill Room that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.There is even a five lane bowling alley.  The pool , a waterfall and walking bridge over the cascade create a fantasy vacation.
Two seminars in Yuma completed , two more to present here. 

 This is Pahrump.Only one hour from Death Valley or Las Vegas. There is so much more to explore in the area, The Dublin Caves in Shoshone, The Amargosa Opera House and China Ranch Date Farm.
This is my panoramic  view for the next ten days until my seminar at The Winnebago Rally.
Inspiring, huh? Who needs Walden's Pond? Ten days of creating and hiking.

NEW PRICE ON KINDLE!

Check out the new price  for my Kindle book. COAST TO COAST WITH A CAT AND A GHOST.

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jhoward1935@gmail.com
sportsterandme.com

THE GYPSY JOURNAL RALLY GETS UNDERWAY IN YUMA

I am wrapping up my first week on the road to writing. When I left home on Tuesday, several inches of snow  had created  a white hush over  Beaumont, Ca. The winter wonder land was deposited by a cold winter storm rushing through Sun City that sucked the mercury down from the ninety degree mark the day before causing me to put back the warmer clothes I had removed from my tiny closet.

I traveled to Yuma, through snow peaked mountains and fertile farmland and arrived without any mishaps. The Good Sam Rally was already bustling with vendors setting up their wares.

Only thirty minutes into my arrival a squadron of Marine Corps fighter jets screeched over the fairgrounds. I wanted to give them a high five as they passed above but I may have lost my arm they were so close. The roar shook my rig like ten big rigs passing me on the interstate; at least it seemed like that. By the third day I became acclimated to their training sessions from the Marine Air Base and felt a warm sense of security each time they flew overhead that is after I exhaled in relief

My seminars were well attended except the one competing with the ice cream social. I canceled it, shuffled the two attendees to the Saturday class and headed over to the ice cream social where I discovered the Wadinger. Check out my last blog to learn about the making of  a Wadinger.

The most memorable  event of the rally was meeting Bernie, a retired Marine Corps K-9 and her fellow team mates following in her paw prints. It was exhilarating to watch the dogs show their stuff with such enthusiasm. Although I have trained dogs for protection work in the past and the demonstration was not new to me, I always love to watch the dogs work with an eagerness to serve that is unmatched by any human employee.

Yesterday I watched the Good Sam attendees head out for home and places yet unseen as the Gypsy Journal Rally rigs  crept  into the vacated spaces, sighed a heavy hiss, came to rest and ignored the roars  from the Marine Corps.

It wasn’t until after I met Nick Russell did I realize what a privilege it is and tremendous opportunity to participate in this rally. In the five minutes, I now have had more sales on Amazon in the last three days than I have since my book came out. Wow!! Thank you Nick. What happens after I take his seminar?

Back at home my girls are literally working their fingers to the bone, grooming dogs. I say literally because my assistant manager was bitten in the hand. After a trip to emergency and a heavy dose of antibiotics she is recovering nicely and ready to go back to work. And my manager, who just announced her pregnancy, grooms a dog, throws up, grooms another dog, throws up and just keeps on working.  My girl’s enthusiasm may not match the Marine Corps k-9s but their loyalty is definitely a match.

I will check in next week as I get ready to travel to Pahrump, Nevada.

GOOD SAM SAMBOREE IN YUMA, AZ.

This is Bernie, an 11 yr. old Belgian Malinois. Don't let her grey muzzle, puppy eyes, and tail wagging personality fool you. She has served her country in the Marine Corps with dignity and bravery, doing two tours in Iraq. She is being retired and will spend her days with her former handler Cpl. Bret Reynolds. in Ohio.
"She was my first explosive dog." Reynolds explained and "the only other girl I am allowed to love besides my wife."

What's a Wadinger?

The sun is just coming up at Beaumont, Ca. as I approach the I-10 East heading out for Yuma, Az. The night before created this scene out my passenger window.Jack Incarnate is gazing at the white wonderland, snow several inches deep. You might be able to make out the bill of his Harley hat that is shielding his bug eyes from becoming snow blind. I wanted to get out and make a snowball and feel the crispy air, but instead I just rolled down the window and kept rolling.

The item between her hands looks like a wooden corn dog on a stick.

To make a Wadinger you take one jumbo ( uncooked) biscuit from  a tube of jumbo biscuits and press the raw dough down over the wooden "corn dog"

Hold the Wadinger" over hot coals as it you were roasting a marshmallow until it is golden brown. You know when it is done when it will slide easily off the wooden dowel.


We stuffed the inside with strawberries and whipped cream, but other ideas are scrambled eggs and sausage, and I though of taco mixin's.

The inside is up to your imagination and your taste buds!!