“Very soon,” I answered. Some folks my age are beginning to emerge from their quarantine quarters, like bears after the winter. For weeks they’ve had food delivered, stayed the distance, and learned how to wear masks. Perhaps they have used their isolation to catch up with their reading, like Mary did. Here’s an excerpt of what she wrote after experiencing Pots, Pans & Peace—The Legacy of Margaret Corey: “Thank you, Eleanor, for writing another book. Wow, this one certainly brought back years of memories. At Prairie, my husband and I often welcomed your brothers and their classmates. I especially remember the time John enthusiastically ate a lunch of hamburgers and potato chips, and then commented with a grin, ‘potato chips, potato chips, all is vanity!’” “I also recall your dad visiting us right at meal time. My husband, Tony, had cooked a big dinner of tripe (from the innards of
Are you one of the selfless, and perhaps exhausted, servants of the sick or the public? Or do you feel as if you have hit the pause button on your life and wonder when you can safely disarm the silence. When the early shock of Covid-19 hit us in Washington, I had just tested the first strands of publicity for my second book, Pots, Pans & Peace—The Legacy of Margaret Corey. Now, my goal is to deactivate the pause and–while keeping social distance–reach out from my secluded corner in the study. First, I want to thank you for signing up a few years ago to follow the path of Sticks, Stones & Songs—The Corey Story. For me, the journey with this story has opened a new career of writing and speaking; has connected me with relatives I’d not seen for decades; and had brought back into my life school mates
“All contest entries will receive a judge’s review.” These words caught my attention and I mused, Friends will give kind, perhaps biased reviews…or be silent…but a contest judge? Who knows? With nothing to lose other than a small entry fee, I dispatched a copy of Sticks, Stones & Songs—The Corey Story to the Writer’s Digest 2017 Self-Published Book Contest. Months later the results were in. Sticks Stones didn’t win big money, but she did merit some decent grades—a total of 28 points out of a possible 30. Structure, Organization, and Pacing: 5; Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar: 5; Production Quality and Cover Design: 5; Plot and Story Appeal: 4; Character Appeal and Development: 4; Voice and Writing Style: 5 The book also received the judge’s comments which included the following: When, near the end of the Great Depression, Mrs. Corey falls in with Mr. Arthur Corey’s plan to give up
“Let me tell you, I knew it was a BIG one,” Pastor Corey exclaimed. The excitement in his voice gave way to motions of his body as he jumped from behind the pulpit and extended his arms. The buttons on his suit coat stretched against the button holes, his white shirt showed at the waist, and his tie bunched up. “I’d never felt anything like it," he said. "Even wondered for a moment if I’d snagged a whale.” There was a chuckle in the congregation as one of Pastor’s hands squeezed an imaginary pole that flailed every which way, while his other hand circled as if working a reel. “I couldn’t even stand up,” he gasped. Next thing I knew he was on the floor, feet bicycling the air, and body twisting as if he were in the bottom of the boat and bracing against the pull of the line.
“At the Port Angeles library,” wrote Jessica Smith on Facebook. “That’s where I discovered your book and decided to contact you. I loved the story and even cried at the end.” She continued, “Your father reminded me of Abraham from the Bible. Going on his faith and knowing that things would be taken care of. Now I am going to buy my own copy on Amazon, and will leave a review.” Jessica followed through with her promise. A few days later, a publishing agent called to congratulate me on the number of 5-star ratings the book has received on Amazon, and to offer publicity service…at a cost of course. His comments, however, served as a reminder to me that an independently published book gets noticed when there are enough strong ratings. “Enough” is the key word. Enough endorsements could open the door to influential reviewers, or even a traditional publisher
“I’ll read your book on the plane,” says Scott Jacobs, famous artist. He smiles in a way that makes me feel as if I have just handed him a piece of art as valuable as his own. And, mind you, his paintings are valuable. One of them, a large purple iris, has just sold for tens of thousands. The art show began the day before and, as I already mentioned, I brought nothing to wear but beach clothes. That evening, Scott’s show was unveiled and, perhaps as a motivator to bid, some attendees, including me, were gifted a photo album of his paintings. I decided right then to pretend these snapshots were the real thing. As Scott’s show ends on the second day, art lovers who’ve purchased genuine, original paintings line up for signings and a photo shoot. Ding! An idea rings in my head. I hang around, chat with people,
“I suppose you all got along with each other, so many of you growing up together under one roof,” commented Todd Ortloff, program host and partner/owner of KONP in Port Angeles WA. “Oh no,” I said, “We weren’t nice at all. We squabbled like cats and dogs…at least while we were kids.” This opportunity to share Sticks, Stones & Songs—The Corey Story with the KONP audience came because of Glenn and Linda Cutler. Remember them? They are the Port Angeles couple that sat across from me at the art show banquet and paid no heed to my grubby clothes. After returning from the art show, Glenn called his friend Todd, and within a week I was answering questions on the Todd Ortloff show—questions about writing a family story within the context of local history; questions about the response of my siblings to telling tales on them; and questions about the
Four days for free at a resort on the Oregon Coast with my cousin? Why not. I pack for summer sun, sandy shores, and swishing surf. But this is no picnic, I learn upon arrival. This is a VIP art show and auction. Oops. Oh well, I’ll put on lipstick and wear my scruffy jeans! At my age, who’ll notice? At dinner the first evening, a lady seated across the table is eyeing my name tag—I don’t think she notices my tee shirt—and says, “Are you somehow related to the person who wrote The Book?” Linda Cutler tells me she is lives in Port Angeles, the town where I was born. She has read Sticks, Stones & Songs—The Corey Story, and loved learning the history as my family lived it, many decades earlier. While reading, she explains, she encountered the name of one of my high school classmates, whom I
One year ago Sticks, Stones & Songs—The Corey Story made her debut. Since then, she has entered homes and hearts across the US and Canada, and travelled as far away as New Zealand and Panama. Now that she is into her second year, she has great expectations that this will be her best year yet.
Gilbert leaned on one of his two walking sticks and motioned to me. On a table in front of the 99-year-old gentleman was his copy of the book, “Sticks, Stones & Songs—The Corey Story, purchased less than ½ hour earlier. “I want to show you something,” he whispered, as his arthritic fingers fumbled through the first pages. “Has he discovered an error that I haven’t even found yet?” I wondered. I moved closer and searched his face, for no sound escaped but the voiceless whispers of his lips. (I learned later that he had lost his vocal chords in a throat surgery.) With moisture forming in his eyes, he continued, “I just finished the first chapter and want you to know that I lived for many years within strolling distance of Hart’s Lake and the Wilcox Farms. I can almost picture the place where your dad received his call from