Go Local

Upcoming Author Event. A little something for everyone. Bring the kids. Bring the grandparents. Bring some strangers. Just come! Support local writers.


Local Author Fair

September 16, 6 – 8 PM

Portsmouth Public Library

Want to meet local authors, find some great autumn reads, and enter to win fabulous prizes? The Portsmouth Public Library will host a Local Author Fair on Wednesday, September 16 from 6 – 8 p.m. Special guests will include Portsmouth author Katherine Towler and award-winning writer James Patrick Kelly!

Kelly is the science fiction author of Burn, Think Like a Dinosaur and 10¹⁶ to 1. Katherine Towler is a poet and author of the trilogy of novels Snow Island, Evening Ferry, andIsland Light.

This event is FREE and open to the public. Visit with local authors and enter to win prizes from the Music Hall, the Gundalow Company, Louie’s Italian restaurant, Bennett’s Store, Pickwick’s Mercantile, Strawbery Banke, and more!

40 authors from the Seacoast area will participate:

+        James Patrick Kelly     Fiction/Science Fiction                                                                       

+        Katherine Towler        Fiction/Literary                                                                                  

+        David Barnette            Fiction/Fantasy

+        Jacquelyn Benson        Fiction/Historical Thriller/Romance

+        Jeff Deck                     Fiction/Horror/Science Fiction/Nonfiction

+        Tim Horvath                Fiction/literary

+        Shelby June                 Fiction

+        David Random             Fiction/Humor/Short Stories

+        Amy Ray                      Fiction/Mystery/Thriller

+        J.E. Seymour                Fiction/Crime

+        Tammi Truax               Fiction

+        Earl Yorke                   Fiction/Science Fiction           

+        Michele Albion            Nonfiction/History/Women/Technology

+        Nancy  Beveridge        Nonfiction/Moving & Decluttering

+        Marilynn Carter          Nonfiction/Cookbook

+        Bette Freedson            Nonfiction

+        Jessica Kliskey             Nonfiction/Self-Health and Nutrition

+        Rachel Leah                Nonfiction/Death and Dying

+        J. Dennis Robinson      Nonfiction/History/True Crime/Travel

+        Barbara Sedoric          Nonfiction

+        Stefany Shaheen         Nonfiction/Memoir/Health

+        LeCain Smith               Nonfiction/ Holistic Health Care/Integrative Medicine

+        Donald Trefethen        Nonfiction/Local History

+        Ellen Walker               Nonfiction/Memoir/Autism

+        Robert Wheeler          Nonfiction/Travel/Photography

+        Richard Winslow         Nonfiction/ History

+        Nancy  Grossman        Nonfiction/Poetry

+        Crystal Kent                 Nonfiction/Youth

+        Steve Carter                Poetry

+        Kate Leigh                   Poetry

+        Peter Horton               Young Adult/Local Historical Fiction

+        Joyce Shor Johnson     Young Adult/Middle Grade

+        Valerie Lofaso              Young Adult/Paranormal Fiction

+        Robert Miller              Young Adult

+        Pat McDermott           Young Adult/Historical Fantasy/Paranormal/Romance

+        Susan Benedict            Children’s

+        Denise Brown              Children’s

+        Carol Lincoln               Children’s

+        Alvin Walker               Children’s

+        Stephanie Workman   Children’s

Contact:     Laura K. Horwood-Benton, Public Programming & Community Relations Librarian

       lkhorwood-benton@cityofportsmouth.com | 603 766 1711

Sunday Book Launch!

 

     Tomorrow evening at five o'clock at my local indie bookstore, RiverRun, we will be celebrating the launch of a brand spanking new anthology of short stories by seacoast area authors. I am thrilled to have a story included. Mine is something that I tinkered with for a long time. It is based on a couple of my ancestors, primarily the story of how they met and married, but is a work of fiction. I wove into their story the history of how we treat breast cancer, which has changed so drastically in the last century. I wanted to write something that would reflect the progress made on that front. I thought for awhile it might become a novel, but ultimately decided it works better as a short story. It was my first serious attempt at historical fiction, which is what I have been focused on for several years now.
       There are many other authors and types of writing represented and there is sure to be something to please everyone, so you should get yourself a copy. Better yet come celebrate with us, and hear a few stories read by their authors.

      Here is a link if you are not close by;

http://www.amazon.com/Compass-Points-Stories-Seacoast-Authors/dp/1939739829/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1438480495&sr=1-4&keywords=compass+points


                                                   

         

 

Making Fall Plans

       I don't want to miss this!


http://www.bostonbookfest.org/



http://www.boston.com/entertainment/books/2015/07/20/margaret-atwood-louis-sachar-and-more-are-coming-the-boston-book-festival/43n4klABZDXxNWC4cQlFKL/story.html

Tightening Just a Bit

      A couple of times readers of my manuscript have suggested that I tighten up the language, and I was never sure what that really meant.
     Recently an AROHO sister, Kristen Ringman, posted an interesting piece about the overuse of the word JUST which caught my attention. I know I use that word a lot. The writer explained how the word is often used by women writers to soften their expression or to seek permission to even have something to express.





      I decided to search my work-in-progress for the word just and found that I had used it 277 times out of 123,000 words. I checked each instance carefully. While some were justified I eliminated more than 100 of them that served simply no purpose.
      I believe that must be a good example of tightening. Like kegal exercises for the female writer. Do I dare now do a search for VERY...

just

jəst/

adjective

1. 1.

   based on or behaving according to what is morally right and fair.

   "a just and democratic society"

   synonyms:

   fair, fair-minded, equitable, even-handed, impartial, unbiased,objective, neutral, disinterested, unprejudiced, open-minded,nonpartisan; More

adverb

1. 1.

   exactly.

   "that's just what I need"

   synonyms:

   exactly, precisely, absolutely, completely, totally, entirely, perfectly,utterly, wholly, thoroughly, in all respects; More
2. 2.

   very recently; in the immediate past.

   "I've just seen the local paper"

   synonyms:

   a moment ago, a second ago, a short time ago, very recently, not long ago "I just saw him"

Still Mile High #HNS2015

       Just waking up from my first night at home after attending the 2015 conference of the National Historical Society in Denver. The travel was tough, and it was not an inexpensive trip, but I think it was worth it. I met many wonderful people (history geeks are such fun!) and heard several great speakers.

View from my room.

       My Blue Pencil writing mentor, author Wendy Perriman, gave me some seriously helpful feedback on the beginning of my novel, as did the two agents who heard the first two pages read aloud in another session. That combined with the material Larry Brooks covered in his workshop on The Architecture of the Historical Novel, really had me thinking and working during the conference.
      The end result (so far) is that the novel I brought home is changed, and for the better. I'm really excited about the changes as I did not see them coming. The changes include a new title that came to me in Denver. Now I'm on to final revisions with feedback from my beta readers, and then I'll be sending it off to agents.
      My primary objective in attending the conference was to see if I could get one agent interested in my book, and two asked for more! All in all, that is so encouraging in what can be so daunting a process.

Diana Gabaldon talking sexy.

      It was also wonderful to meet and get books signed by Diana Gabaldon and Karen Cushman, and to get my pic taken with the very dapper General George Washington, as portrayed by Vern Frykholm.

 General Washington arrives.

Now --- back to work.

Most Unusual Feedback

     Reports from my beta readers are still rolling in and I am pleased to report that the feedback is by far mostly positive and encouraging. I gave a talk about the book this week and three people stepped forward to volunteer to be beta readers without being asked. They are just that interested in the story!
     Below is beta reader feedback that I think is most unusual. A poem! It was written by the current Poet Laureate of Portsmouth, New Hampshire (where much of my novel takes place), Katherine Leigh. She has left it untitled and says it is dedicated to me, and to George Washington.

We have made colossal mistakes in structuring

The world, with no respect for the obvious,

That all is here to be shared, not taken by force.

No brilliant idea for commerce is greater than kindness.

No amount of money makes up for lost integrity.

How do we forgive ourselves the crime of slavery?

Transform our emotions to a prism of empathy

Released from a prison of cultivated ignorance?

How did Washington, born to a culture depending on slavery,

See the totality of its harm, while others thought necessity?

What helps our brains notice greater truths over daily

Habitual falsities reflected by common greedy ways?

Why do the masses of abused not trample their abusers?

Is it the shock of witnessed cruelty that prevents them?

Those that flee are condemned, hunted, their families tortured.

Like stressed animals who know not which road to take,

Though glutted on their slave-supported lifestyles,

The public was lead by the General, by their President,

To perceive by degrees what is fair and constitutional,

To re-examine a set of beliefs hollow and convenient

For justifying an otherwise obvious crime against humanity.

To accept the equality of people whose skin colors alone

Made up their diversity. Washington was popular,

He was careful. He was most advanced in his thinking.

He was elected?, appointed, pleaded with to accept leadership.

He knew the burden of far-sightedness and took responsibility.

Even now, have we learned to honor mental diversity,

In ourselves and in others, that which makes us

Different can make us whole? Can we identify and be the full

Extent of our inborn uniqueness, admire skin color,

Emulate race and culture, acquire exposure to ideas that differ

From our own, find ways to blend? It’s a good solid mandate,

And, apparently one requiring championship that has no end.

Kate Leigh, all rights reserved.

 PPL

Check out this vimeo poem!

      I was honored to receive the Esther Buffler Poetry-In-Schools Fellowship from the Portsmouth (NH) Poet Laureate Program for 2015. I worked with four classes at the high school working with English teacher Ms. Laura LaVallee.
      At my first visit I introduced the students to Esther's work, and some of my own. I then shared a selection of digital poems. Again the work of others and one of my own. We did a brief writing exercise and talked about how the poems we were reading together could be digitized to spark their creative thinking. I left them with the challenge of creating an original digital poem using a poem of their own or another that they identified with. They were given complete creative freedom to craft digital poems using any applications and resources they liked working with cell phones and /or computers. They were told they could work individually or collaborate. I wanted the experience to be as open-ended as possible so as not to limit the possibilities.
     A couple of weeks later I returned, and just as the school year was drawing to a close, we held an "open mic" event where the students shared their creations. As I had anticipated there was a wide variety of work. As I had hoped the students were pushed a bit out of their comfort zones, and in many cases, had tried something new. All had to take a good hard look at a poem and think about the many ways it could be interpreted and what it meant to them. The most popular poem selected was Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken. Some of the digital poems were funny and some were serious. Some were personal and some were not. Success was achievable for every student, and some took an opportunity to soar. A few of the students said the assignment was frustrating, but many said they enjoyed trying it. Ms. LaVallee and I have already begun discussion of what we could do to improve the learning experience if we were to do it again.

 Two students prepare to share their digital                                                                                     poem called Kevin Love / Kevin Hate.

    I would like to thank the PPLP, Ms. LaVallee, and all of her students for the opportunity and for their poems, and I share below the work created by one of the students with her permission. It is titled South and Sagamore, Gravestones.
  
      Poetry and production by Julia Taylor, age 16.
      Cinematography by Alden Taylor, age 12.


      https://vimeo.com/131168223

Reports are Rolling In

      Summer is such a crazy time of year for me as my museum hours surge, but my writing work can not take a back seat.

     My novel is out in the hands of several serious beta readers. Its a scary feeling much like when your child is off to a formal. You know they looked beautiful when you let them go out the door, but still feel a vulnerable mix of confidence and terror at what might happen to them on the dance floor. You pace as the minutes tick by, waiting and wondering if there is something else you should have done...

     The first report has come in. This one from my writing mentor, Pat Parnell. At 91 years of age she is still sharp and sure. I am thrilled to share that almost all of her feedback was positive and encouraging. A few suggestions for changes will be easy fixes, and she kindly gave me much in the way of line editing because she has so much experience as an editor.

The divine Queen P. sharing her poetry last week.

     Here is one paragraph from her report to me;

      "You may originally have intended to tell the story of the life of Ona Judge Staines, but the book metamorphed into something much more significant and powerful. What you have done was take two major social issues from the late colonial period and the early years of the new nation - slavery and racism - and explore them as they impacted the lives of two very different but interconnected individuals - George Washington, the most esteemed American of his day, and Ona Judge Staines, the escaped Mount Vernon slave who lived all her life in the shadows."

       She also made a suggestion that I had never given any thought, and now of course, I am. Pat urged me to consider marketing it as a YA novel as she thinks "it wold be very appropriate on a recommended list of books for high school juniors who are studying American history." While I wrote the novel for adult readers, I am intrigued with this idea. What do you think?

A Spring Greeting from Maine

                                         I took this photo and wrote this haiku this morning.

Curled up tight all winter.

Contracted to save ourselves from freezer burn.

We thaw, and finally unfurl.

Eliciting Empathy

     While visiting Portsmouth last week, Sue Monk Kidd was asked what she most wants readers to take from her writing, and her answer was empathy.

      This is a quote by her;

     "Empathy is the most mysterious transaction that the human soul can have, and it's accessible to all of us, but we have to give ourselves the opportunity to identify, to plunge ourselves in a story where we see the world from the bottom up or through another's eyes or heart."

     I really relate to the idea of eliciting empathy with fiction, and am devoting all of my pleasure reading this bee-buzzing month of May to reading Monk's books.

Not So Bad

     Didn't at all mind the rejection that came in this afternoon. Its all in the writing I guess.

"Thank you so much for submitting your work to the --- poetry contest. Unfortunately, we were not able to select your poem as one of the contest winners.

Of more than 500 poems received, yours was among 100 excellent poems sent on to the judges. We are truly honored that you shared your work with us. Thank you for helping to make our first poetry contest a great success.

Wishing you great success in future publication efforts!"

On finishing my novel

      My goal for the winter was to hole up in my little writer's cottage and finish writing this book. I didn't mean that Mother Nature needed to see to it that I did just that. But I am happy to report that I did just that.
   

      My manuscript is finished! It is out to beta readers this week, and will certainly go through another round of revisions when I hear back from them. Right now it is clocking in at 123,000 words. It's a hefty subject!
      I have also just sent off the opening to a few agents that top my list, and while I will probably have to send it out hundreds of more times, that first launch is exciting. Like putting your baby on the school bus for the first time. It leaves you in a vulnerable state, and the waiting begins.

A little poem of how I've grown through yoga...

Gratitude

Its been years
since my ears
filled with tears.

by Tammi J Truax, all rights reserved.




Happy National Poetry Month!

A Happy Little Announcement

       I have been working with children all of my professional life, and it continues to be important to me. Today I represented writers at the annual career day at the middle school my children attended, and really enjoyed my time with the eighth graders. One young man came up and shook my hand after. I was struck by how polite and engaged they all were. 
     So I am really looking forward to my next gig, one that I've been anxiously waiting to announce until all of the ducks were cued up.
     I have been asked to be the poet in residence this year at Portsmouth High School. The Buffler Residency in Poetry is sponsored by the Portsmouth Poet Laureate Program thanks to an endowment from the estate of our city's first poet laureate, Esther Buffler.
     I have a vague memory of Esther Buffler, but know her poems and her reputation. I am honored to carry on her work. I intend to wear a wacky hat when I work with the kids, and hope that they will join me.

     Read more about Esther here;

http://www.seacoastnh.com/Famous-People/Link-Free-or-Die/poet-esther-buffler/




       You might be able to hear her on this fifteen year old link;
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1048872

Bloody Sunday blog post

      In honor of Bloody Sunday I wrote today in my just-about-finished historical novel about the black man's right to vote.

     I had not known when I began my research for this book that the struggle began as early as the time period that I am writing of (1780 to 1850). All of the characters in my book were real people. Every single one of them. Without question the most remarkable life story I have put together is that of William Costin. He is mentioned in an old excerpt below, one of the few historical accounts of this man's so very noteworthy life, in The Freedmen's Book, an abolitionist work originally published in 1865. (That is a worthy read and is available free on kindle.)

     Today, I worked the quote by John Quincy Adams into my novel, that it might be remembered. 

     You will learn all about Costin's contributions to our country in my book. Here is his image, commissioned by The Bank of Washington upon his death, further evidence of his accomplishments.

Page 220 from THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK, by Lydia Maria Francis Child:

WILLIAM COSTIN.

       MR. WILLIAM COSTIN was for twenty-four

years porter of a bank in Washington, D. C.

Many millions of dollars passed through his hands, but not

a cent was ever missing, through fraud or carelessness. In

his daily life he set an example of purity and benevolence.

He adopted four orphan children into his family, and

treated them with the kindness of a father. His character

inspired general respect; and when he died, in 1842, the

newspapers of the city made honorable mention of him.

The directors of the bank passed a resolution expressive

of their high appreciation of his services, and his coffin

was followed to the grave by a very large procession of

citizens of all classes and complexions. Not long after,

when the Honorable John Quincy Adams was speaking

in Congress on the subject of voting, he said : " The

late William Costin, though he was not white, was as

much respected as any man in the District ; and the largo

concourse of citizens that attended his remains to the

grave as well white as black was an evidence of the

manner in which he was estimated by the citizens of

Washington. Now, why should such a man as that be

excluded from the elective franchise, when you admit the

vilest individuals of the white race to exercise it ? "

George Washington, Slave Catcher

       Yesterday was Presidents' Day, and the New York Times published an op-ed piece that has been getting a lot of traffic on the world wide web, entitled George Washington, Slave Catcher, complete with an eye-grabbing graphic of the General riding upon an enormous iron-shackled hand, a hand carrying him forward.
       It is an important article and I'm glad it is going viral. I admire Professor Dunbar's work. But the article, in its brevity, tells just part of a much bigger, and more important story. Ultimately, it is the story of the making of America.
       And since I'm making that claim, I will take this opportunity to officially announce that the life story of Ona Judge Staines, from her birth in a slave cabin at Mount Vernon to her death in fugitive slave cabin at Greenland, NH seventy-five years later is the basis of the 125,000 word novel I have been working on for over two years and am finishing this winter. It truly is a remarkable story, so rich in characters that I had to invent none. Places and events are all real and familiar too, though they are of a long ago that is much less familiar. I so look forward to sharing it with the world.

http://nyti.ms/1FgSnvk


http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/16/opinion/george-washington-slave-catcher.html?_r=1