tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16763579096804860442024-03-13T22:39:18.084-07:00Up the Creek: Occasional musings from Raspberry Creek BooksLarry Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17339109861467859024noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676357909680486044.post-48115431274304311432015-04-17T08:14:00.001-07:002015-04-17T08:14:53.711-07:00A Great Writing Workshop<h3>
WRITING THE ROCKIES: The Gunnison Creative Writers Workshop</h3>
<strong>The 2015 session of Writing the Rockies is coming up July 22-26. This is an outstanding workshop for those who have been published as well as for those who aspire to join the ranks of published writers. </strong><br />
<br />
<strong>Please check out the schedule, faculty and the surrounding area at <a href="http://www.western.edu/writingtherockies">www.western.edu/writingtherockies</a>.</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>In the meantime, here's a capsule history I wrote not long ago.</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
Way back before the turn of the century, in late 1999, I was serving as Assistant to the President and Director of Public Relations for Western State Colorado University (then Western State College). Corrine Brown, a freelance writer from Denver, visited Gunnison as part of a group of travel writers and quickly fell in love with the area.<br />
<br />
Corrine came to my office to say she thought the area and especially the University would be a perfect location for a writers conference. She wanted to know if I would be interested in helping get one established. I considered the idea for at least a full second before telling her I thought it was a wonderful idea. <br />
<br />
Both Corrine and I were members of Western Writers of America (WWA) and we approached the group’s leadership about endorsing such a workshop. When they enthusiastically agreed, we decided to call the workshop “Writing the West: The Gunnison Creative Writers Workshop.”<br />
<br />
In the summer of 2000 the first workshop convened with about 15 participants and a faculty of noted writers of Western literature that included Elmer Kelton, named in 2009 the “All-Time Best Western Author” by the WWA; Don Coldsmith, author of dozens of books (notably “The Spanish Bit” series) with more than 6 million books in print; and others including Jon Chandler, W. J. Jameson and Mike Blakely.<br />
<br />
Over the next two years we added a concert of Western music called “Singing the West” and even joined forces with a massive Chuckwagon Cookoff ramrodded by Cliff Goss that helped attract a crowd of 800 people to the concert after the evening meal.<br />
<br />
Over the years the workshop became more and more associated with, and and was ultimately sponsored by, the University and the name was changed to “Writing the Rockies” to reflect the workshop’s inclusion of many different genres.<br />
<br />
As interest in the workshop grew and attendance increased, respected authors in a number of genres from throughout the U.S. agreed to serve as faculty members. Published writers and those hoping to join their ranks came to Gunnison from across the country and even from abroad.<br />
<br />
The University embraced the workshop and gave it its wholehearted support, helping it earn even more respect and leading to a move of venue from one campus building to a larger facility for general sessions and to additional buildings for small group meetings.<br />
<br />
Beginning in 2010, with the advent of the Graduate Program in Creative Writing at Western and with the leadership of Dr. Mark Todd (founder of that program) the workshop has come under the umbrella of that academic program and has grown even more quickly. Dr. Todd brought in faculty members with world class credentials who also became faculty members for Writing the Rockies, giving the workshop even more prestige.<br />
<br />
In 2014 Dr. David J. Rothman, a nationally recognized poet, assumed the role of Director of the Graduate Program in Creative Writing and has used his national persona to attract additional faculty members with notable credentials and substantial publications and awards. As of 2015, Writing the Rockies has become a major literary event not only in the region but in the entire west. I am honored to have had the opportunity to set it in motion -- long may it thrive.Larry Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17339109861467859024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676357909680486044.post-64004011860184247332015-04-04T13:01:00.001-07:002015-04-04T13:01:34.911-07:00Fear of Writing
<br />
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<span><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Don't forget to visit </span></em><a href="http://www.raspberrycreekbooks.com/"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">www.raspberrycreekbooks.com</span></em></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;">FEAR OF WRITING<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">If you want to write, you can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Fear stops most people from writing, not lack of talent, whatever that
is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who am I?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What right have I to speak? Who will listen
to me, if I do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You're a human being,
with a unique story to tell, and you have every right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you speak with passion, many of us will
listen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need stories to live, all of
us. <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">We live by story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yours enlarges
the circle.”<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">RICHARD RHODES<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pulitzer Prize Winner<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">For The Making of the Atom Bomb <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It seems
that almost everyone “has a book in them.” However, relatively few actually sit
down to write it. The reasons are many.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->They discover that writing is hard work –
surprisingly hard work that takes time, energy and actual thought.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->They are too busy with kids, jobs, fun things.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->They discover that they don’t have as much to
say as they thought.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->They are afraid to put their thoughts down on
paper (their friends might actually read them and ridicule the writer).<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->When they do try they don’t seem inspired.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->They fear failure.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->All of the above.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
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Anyone who has ever written
successfully has probably faced many, or all, of the same obstacles but may
have overcome them by simple force of will.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Even Tennessee Williams talked
about “the terror of the white page in the typewriter.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
And the prolific Jack London said
“you can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
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Today there are more so-called
writers than ever before. Publishers throughout the world put literally
thousands of new books on the market each year – many of which are actually
worthy of publication. The rise of self-publishing and ebooks means that anyone
who can string together enough words to make a novel – or a memoir or a
diatribe about one social ill or another – can make their work available to the
unsuspecting world with ease.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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And the Internet – God bless it
despite all its faults – has spawned maybe billions of “writers,” many of whom
(in my opinion) should not be allowed to opine in public (mainly those who spew
hate and cast vile, usually unsupported accusations at those with whom they
disagree).<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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The option of “anonymity” has
probably given these individuals the means to overcome their fears (if, indeed,
they ever had any) and allowed them the freedom to express any views (right or
wrong, fair or not) with impunity.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Meanwhile, others of us toil alone
in a room, struggling with our craft, striving to make it worthy of a reader’s
time, attempting to create something of beauty, trying to make history
understandable and important to today, re-creating the life of a significant
individual, or telling a story that resonates with others and that has a
message of hope for the future. Then we wait while the sales team of a
publisher determines whether or not it might be a profitable venture for them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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For two years in the 1960s I shared
an office with Richard Rhodes, the author of the quote that opens this piece.
Dick and I were quite young and working for a major firm in Kansas City. We
were writing but not doing the kind of writing to which we both aspired. However,
writing advertising and sales promotion copy was honing our skills, perfecting
our styles, teaching us proofreading lessons that would be valuable to us both.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Eventually Dick went to New York to
write and I moved into higher education. We have both continued to write – he
has been much more productive than I have in terms of published books although
I may have published as many or more words in newspaper and magazine articles,
advertising copy and video scripts (and in the published historical novel “This
Cursed Valley.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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The point is that (although I can’t
speak for him) I have had to overcome fears of my own and, somehow, have managed
to do so.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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It can be done. In some cases, fear
of writing may be a good thing for it forces one to work hard at creating
something worthwhile that contains complete sentences, is free of typos,
refuses to resort to obscenities to make a point (frequent use of the f-word,
for example, is to me an indication of lazy writing – the author can think of
no other way to express themselves), and shows that the writer has worked
diligently to find new ways of saying familiar things.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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Addressing aspiring writers, Mark
Twain once wrote: “The difference between the right word and the almost right
word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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In a similar vein Anton Chekhov
said “Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken
glass.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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“Easy reading is damn hard writing”
said Nathaniel Hawthorne.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Hard writing is what it is all
about. If it was easy to do, everyone would do it – often with disastrous
results.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Finally, all writers should heed
the words of Samual Beckett: “Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again.
Fail again. Fail better.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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Grit your teeth. Take a deep
breath. Write.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Larry Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17339109861467859024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676357909680486044.post-13989256403056478532015-03-21T13:03:00.001-07:002015-03-21T13:03:43.599-07:00Words Matter
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Words Matter<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The difference between
the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning
and a lightning bug. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 3in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>~Mark
Twain<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Words
matter, whether written or spoken.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
As a publisher I sometimes receive submitted
manuscripts with poorly constructed sentences, typos, misspellings and obvious
indications of ignorance of the meanings of words or, at the least, lousy
proofreading.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Maybe email
is at fault. Tweeting and texting and their lackadaisical attention to
spelling, grammar and capitalization play important roles. Or maybe it’s just
plain old indifference on the part of people more concerned with telling their
digital friends where they are or what (or how much) they drank or smoked last
night than they are in using proper language, spelling and punctuation to
convey something more meaningful and/or interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Whatever
the cause of this lack of interest in the proper use of language, it is an
appalling circumstance that only exaggerates the increasingly poor
communication traits among many elements of society.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Like, I
mean, you know. You hear what I’m sayin’?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Let’s not
go <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">their</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>See what I
mean? If you don’t, you just made my point.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sadly, the
improper use of our language is encouraged by song (and rap) lyrics, movies,
television and many role models (sports stars, movie stars and others who, for
no evident reason, are simply, stars). <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Even more
discouraging is the way our language is being hijacked and bastardized by
government “leaders” who have mastered the art of what George Orwell termed
“doublethink,” a term he coined in the literary classic <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">1984 </i>to describe the results of the government’s use of language. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even before the publication of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">1984</i> which came out in 1949, he wrote: “Political
language – and with variations this is true of all political parties, from
Conservatives to Anarchists – is designed to make lies sound truthful and
murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.” (From <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Politics and the English Language</i>, 1946.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>To
illustrate the point about how political speech can (and does) convince many
listeners that less is more or vice versa, he included the following in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">1984</i>.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">War is peace. <br />
Freedom is slavery. <br />
Ignorance is strength.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Others have
been equally disdainful of the way politicians use language.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For
example, George Will believes “a<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> politician's words reveal less about what he thinks about his
subject than what he thinks about his audience.”</span><span style="color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
H-word: Hate<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The heinous word
“hate” has become increasingly commonplace. “I hate that man” (or woman), “I
hate all (fill in the blanks with your least favorite political party),” “Don’t
you just hate that song?” “I hate school,” and therefore “I hate to write
themes.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Does one actually
hate? Or does one simply “dislike” certain men or women, specific politicians
and their policies, some music and various aspects of school? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The ubiquitous and anonymous rants on the
Internet clearly illustrate the widespread use of the word by what appears to
be a large percentage of society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When one uses a
word often enough to describe feelings, emotions or even people, one begins to
believe it. This is often true, even if “hate,” for example, is the descriptive
word used initially even though the feelings might not have been as strong as
indicated by the word itself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Back
to Language in General<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Not too long ago
I enjoyed televised “discussions,” “conversations” and “debates.” Lately,
however, many of them have become little more than shouting matches where the
loudest voice (including that of the so-called “moderator”) wins. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I suspect noted author Philip Roth
would agree. In his 1969 novel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Portnoy’s
Complaint</i>, he wrote: </span>“My God! The English language is a form of
communication! Conversation isn't just crossfire where you shoot and get shot
at! Where you've got to duck for your life and aim to kill! Words aren't only
bombs and bullets — no, they're little gifts, containing meanings!” <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Too many
“guests” on TV programs seek to impress by coming up with rambling sentences
designed to show they have some four-syllable words in their vocabulary and
little else. In fact, David Ogilvy, author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Confessions of an Advertising Man</i>, confided that “our business is
infested with idiots who try to impress by using pretentious jargon.”<span style="color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Television,
and its reliance on advertising revenue for survival, contributes mightily to
the demolition of proper language use. Thank God for the remote, however, for
without it we would be even more completely inundated with sound in which the
only decipherable word is<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the name of
the product.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As advertising
blather becomes the nation's normal idiom, language becomes printed noise,”
says George Will.</span><span style="color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Frankly, I’m
worried.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If the members of
the general public, or a good portion of it, are not at least minimally
educated in the proper use of language and in how it can be (and often is)
perverted for causes that range from political to social and from fund raising
to salesmanship, powerful articulate leaders will have their ways with us and
the results will benefit only them and not the rest of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Even that great
philosopher Robin Williams is quoted as having said “no matter what people tell
you, words and ideas can change the world.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Unfortunately,
I tend to agree with Aesop who, in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aesop’s
Fables</i>, wrote: “After all is said and done, more is said than done.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
I also agree with Abraham
Lincoln who said: “It is better to keep one’s mouth shut and be thought a fool
than to open it and resolve all doubt.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So I’ll
shut up.<span style="color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Larry Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17339109861467859024noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676357909680486044.post-38307269444008562342015-02-18T10:55:00.002-08:002015-02-18T10:55:19.304-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eJrr2kZ4RVk/VOTf8auflQI/AAAAAAAAACc/sdVHG2kO-QE/s1600/FRONT%2BCOVER%2Bfor%2BwebA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eJrr2kZ4RVk/VOTf8auflQI/AAAAAAAAACc/sdVHG2kO-QE/s1600/FRONT%2BCOVER%2Bfor%2BwebA.jpg" height="320" width="206" /></a></div>
<br />Larry Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17339109861467859024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676357909680486044.post-70775324569782607962015-02-18T10:49:00.000-08:002015-02-18T10:49:26.818-08:00George Sibley's "Dragons in Paradise (Plus)" Explores Life "On the Edge in the Mountain West"
<br />
<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
GEORGE SIBLEY’S “DRAGONS IN PARADISE (PLUS)”</h2>
<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
EXPLORES LIFE </h2>
<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
“ON THE EDGE IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST”<o:p></o:p></h2>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In a
departure from fiction and biography, Raspberry Creek Books has published a
book of essays by long-time Coloradan George Sibley.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Those who think they want to escape
the busyness of their contemporary lives to find peace and tranquility in a
mountain valley might want to read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dragons
in Paradise (Plus)</i> before making that final decision.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Sibley moved to the Colorado
mountains from Pittsburgh, PA, in the 1960s and discusses many aspects of
mountain living, good and not so good, in 20 essays.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
He asks, is “living a simple life”
even possible (or responsible) these days? He explores the difference between
“place” and “property” and wonders if it is heresy for a Historical District to
recycle the past to create the future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sibley considers his own evolution from “ski bum” to a member of a
community’s “economic development” committee and recounts how he came to admire
a man he termed “a hardbitten, self-proclaimed hippie-hating
anti-environmentalist.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dragons
in Paradise</i> was initially published in 2004 by Mountain Gazette Publishing.
This new edition – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dragons in Paradise
(Plus)</i> – has now been published by Raspberry Creek Books of Gunnison. It includes
a few of the (updated) original essays and features many new ones.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The book is available at local and
area bookstores and other retail outlets or it may be ordered from the
publisher at <a href="http://www.raspberrycreekbooks.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.raspberrycreekbooks.com</span></a>.
It is also available on Amazon.com and other online sites.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
John Nichols, author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Milagro Beanfield War</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Magic Journey</i> calls Sibley’s essays
fun, important and insightful. “They are a wonderful history of this part of
the West,” he says. “Ed Abbey, it’s time to pop another top: let’s welcome this
new sheriff to town.”<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Ed Marston, publisher emeritus of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The High Country News, </i>agrees. “George
is driven by the desire to understand the world,” he says, “to explain that
world to people who may be interested, and to improve the world in light of
that understanding. In that sense, he’s an idealist.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Sibley’s most recent major work
was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Water Wranglers,</i> a commissioned
history of the Colorado River District and the development of Colorado’s share
of the Colorado River, published in 2012. He is also the author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Part of a Winter </i>(1977, Crown
Publishing), a collection of essays about life in the Colorado Rockies.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has also written numerous essays and
articles that appeared in nationally distributed publications (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Harper’s Magazine</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Technology Illustrated</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">High
Country News</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">New Age Journal</i> and
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Old West</i>), and in regional publications
like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Colorado Central</i> and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mountain
Gazette</i>. A list of his essays and other writings is available at <a href="http://www.gard-sibley.org/george.html"><span style="color: blue;">www.gard-sibley.org/george.html</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“For the
past four decades,” Sibley writes, “I've lived in a real estate development
called ‘Colorado.’ Colorado has been a real estate development from the start
back in the 1850s: four straight lines laid down on a map … unnatural laser
lines attached not to geography but to the abstract concept of property, subdivisible
with liberty and licenses for all.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>With
humor and insightfulness, Sibley explores life in the mountain West from the
perspective of one who decades ago made it his home and committed himself to a
fuller understanding of this part of the country. At the same time he became a
full participant in efforts to improve life in the communities of which he was
a part. The essays in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dragons in Paradise
(Plus) </i>recount his journey.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The book
is dedicated “To the mountains and valleys and those who love them” and it is
subtitled “Life on the Edge in the Mountain West.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>He
writes: “I came to the mountains to ski, but somewhere along the line, the
mountains came to me.”<o:p></o:p></div>
Larry Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17339109861467859024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676357909680486044.post-272791420285030062013-12-02T09:09:00.002-08:002013-12-02T09:09:41.849-08:00
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“MAGICKE OUTHOUSE”<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">THIRD IN SILVERVILLE SAGA PUBLISHED<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kS7Gso0ocHs/Upy-vnnNqBI/AAAAAAAAACE/_9--wlCrUX8/s1600/Magicke+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kS7Gso0ocHs/Upy-vnnNqBI/AAAAAAAAACE/_9--wlCrUX8/s320/Magicke+Cover.jpg" width="226" /></a></b></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the
newly released book “The Magicke Outhouse” an astonishing feat is possible –
time travel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Authors
Kym O’Connell-Todd and Mark Todd have conjured up a quirky tale of strange
things happening to those who visit a certain outhouse on the edge of the
peculiar little mountain town of Silverville, Colorado.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
book, the third in the Silverville Saga series, has just been published by
Raspberry Creek Books of Gunnison, Colorado.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Everyone
knows you can’t time-travel,” say the authors. “But the rules change in
Silverville, where anything is possible.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Combine
ley lines with a mysterious privy fungus and one might end up anywhere, from
ancient Egypt to the Wild West or into the future. Add in an almost-zombie and
a pig that can sing “Happy Birthday,” and you’re in for a wild ride – if the
tour guides can just work out the kinks.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Co-authors
Kym O’Connell-Todd and Mark Todd have made Silverville a must-visit destination
for readers who can’t get enough of the strange goings-on that just seem to
naturally occur there.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It began
with a supposed UFO sighting in Silverville and a resulting theme park (and
hordes of tourists) in “Little Greed Men” and continued with a curse that led
to a chicken fetish in “All Plucked Up” (think Indiana Jones meets the Maltese
Falcon).<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now the
Todds take readers on trips back in time. But the involvement of Buford Price,
whose efforts in the earlier novels have produced hilarious results, creates a
problem that can only be fixed by going back in time and making certain
changes. Naturally, there’s a glitch in that effort.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The book
has received advance praise from a number of successful authors.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Small town mystery and excitement have never
been as surprising and fun,” says Charlie Craig, showrunner and head writer for
SyFi Channel’s hit series <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eureka</i> and
writer for Fox’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The X-Files.</i> “The
laughs are never more than a page away … keeping the reader captivated until
the last, surprising chapter. Who knew that a journey that begins in an
outhouse could be so much fun?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Stacia
Deutsch, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">New York Times</i> best selling
author, says “It’s no easy task but this book gets [time travel] right. Kym and
Mark Todd have a time travel hit with this new adventure in the Silverville
Saga series. As soon as those deadly kinks are worked out, sign me up.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Alex J.
Cavanaugh, author of the Amazon best selling <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Casa </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>series, says “a unique
cast of characters makes this a fun and enjoyable read!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Kym O’Connell-Todd is a writer and graphic designer. Mark
Todd is a college professor and program director for Western State Colorado
University's MFA in Creative Writing. They live in the Cochetopa Mountains east
of Gunnison with more animals than most reasonable people would feed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“The Magicke Outhouse” and the other books in the
Silvervile Saga are available in local and area bookstores and on Amazon.com
either as a print or e-book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The Todds will present a reading and signing of their new
book next Wednesday, December 11, at Savage Library on the campus of Western
State Colorado University. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. and is free and open
to the public. They have also scheduled several other local and area
presentations over the coming days and weeks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For more information visit </span><a href="http://www.raspberrycreekbooks.com/"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: blue;">www.raspberrycreekbooks.com</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt;">, or the authors’ website </span><a href="http://www.writeinthethick.com/"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: blue;">www.writeinthethick.com</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Larry Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17339109861467859024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676357909680486044.post-83009229496436208842013-09-17T08:06:00.001-07:002013-09-17T08:06:40.205-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nJSCFmcfpvM/Ujhv80NFLCI/AAAAAAAAAB0/7j9sziCvJps/s1600/Dos+Rios+Memories+Cover+A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nJSCFmcfpvM/Ujhv80NFLCI/AAAAAAAAAB0/7j9sziCvJps/s320/Dos+Rios+Memories+Cover+A.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
<br />Larry Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17339109861467859024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676357909680486044.post-59537346660978583802013-09-17T07:59:00.002-07:002013-09-17T07:59:49.917-07:00
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">BIOGRAPHY OF COLORADO PIONEER</b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<strong>LATEST BOOK FROM RASPBERRY CREEK</strong> </div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b> </div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Dos Rios
Memories,” a biography of Alonzo Hartman, a Gunnison city founder, by local
author Judy Buffington Sammons has been published.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Hartman was
a pioneer Colorado cattleman and one of the first settlers on the state’s
Western Slope. Hartman settled in an area south of present-day Gunnison near
the confluence of Tomichi Creek and the Gunnison River and called it Dos Rios.
A popular recreation area south of town is named Hartman Rocks. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
“Hartman Castle,” built in 1891, is a well-known Gunnison landmark.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The book is available in local and
area bookstores. It was published by Raspberry Creek Books, Ltd., of Gunnison.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The book
recounts Hartman’s rise from a provider of beef to the Ute Indians, when the
area was a true wilderness, to prominent cattleman. It includes many historic
photos, some of which have not been published before.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Hartman was
a friend of Ute Chief Ouray and his wife Chipeta and was involved in early
major legal issues dealing with free grazing and water rights.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Duane
Vandenbusche, Gunnison historian and Professor of History at Western State
Colorado University, calls the book “an outstanding and well-documented
account.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said Sammons covers
Harman’s life and contributions to ranching, politics and the growth and
development of one of the great cattle regions of the nation “in an excellent
and easy-to-read style.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sammons grew up on a Hereford ranch northwest
of Gunnison.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is the author of six
books and numerous articles on western Colorado history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A holder of a Master of Arts degree in
Education from WSCU, she has recently retired from a 30-year career teaching
math, reading, and English in the field of adult education.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Coming
from a ranching family herself, Judy gets the cattle business right,” said
Kathleen Curry, Gunnison County beef producer and former state legislator. She
called the book “a must-read for those of us who love the Gunnison Country and
want to know and understand the people who got it started.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Local
rancher Lee Spann agreed. He called the book “a much-needed documentation of
one of the founders of the community in the Gunnison Valley.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Larry Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17339109861467859024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676357909680486044.post-88114851191282920702013-06-04T14:49:00.002-07:002013-06-04T14:49:55.984-07:00
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">THREE BOOKS SET IN COLORADO<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">FROM RASPBERRY CREEK BOOKS, LTD.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A second
book in a series of three and a historical novel, all set in Colorado, are new
from Raspberry Creek Books, Ltd.<u><o:p></o:p></u></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Authors
Kym O’Connell-Todd and Mark Todd have released two books in the Silverville
Saga series and a third is planned for release later this year. In addition,
Larry K. Meredith’s “This Cursed Valley” has been re-issued in a special 10<sup>th</sup>
Anniversary Edition. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
Silverville Saga series began several years ago with the publication of “The
Silverville Swindle,” a fun, quirky science fiction novel set in a small
Colorado mountain town that many readers see as their own community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has now been re-issued, with updates, as
“Little Greed Men” and has been joined by book two in the series, “All Plucked
Up.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A third book, “The Magicke
Outhouse,” will appear soon.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“This
Cursed Valley” is set in the central Colorado Rockies and recounts the history
(in novel form) of the area from Aspen to Glenwood Springs to Marble with
particular interest on the Redstone area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The new version includes some previously unpublished material and an
introduction by Anne Hillerman, daughter of famed southwestern novelist Tony Hillerman.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>All
books are available from the publisher, Ingram Book Group, Amazon.com (print
and e-books for Kindle), Barnes & Noble online, the authors and in many
local and area bookstores.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Little
Greed Men” was nominated for a Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Fiction Award
and as a recommended reading title at the Library of Congress by the Washington
Center for the Book.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“All
Plucked Up” was nominated for a Colorado Book Award in 2013.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“This
Cursed Valley” was a finalist for a Spur Award from the Western Writers of
America.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For more
information contact the publisher at <a href="mailto:info@raspberrycreekbooks.com"><span style="color: blue;">info@raspberrycreekbooks.com</span></a>,
visit <a href="http://www.raspberrycreekbooks.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.raspberrycreekbooks.com</span></a>
or visit the Todds’ website <a href="http://www.writeinthethick.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.writeinthethick.com</span></a>,
their blog <a href="http://writeinthethick.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://writeinthethick.blogspot.com</span></a>,
or Meredith’s blog (Up the Creek) at <a href="http://raspberrycreek.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://raspberrycreek.blogspot.com</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Watch
for more books set in the Western U.S. from Raspberry Creek Books, including a
biography of Colorado pioneer Alonzo Hartman.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Larry Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17339109861467859024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676357909680486044.post-51526035590958770862013-04-30T08:19:00.003-07:002013-04-30T08:19:50.126-07:00
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">SILVERVILLE SAGA BOOK SERIES<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">GROWS WITH PUBLICATION OF “LITTLE GREED MEN”<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“The
Silverville Saga” series of books by local authors Kym O’Connell-Todd and Mark
Todd continues to grow with the publication this week of “Little Greed Men.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This was
preceded earlier this year by the publication of “All Plucked Up.”<o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Both
books were published by Raspberry Creek Books, Ltd., of Gunnison.<o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Little
Greed Men” was published originally in 2006 under the title “The Silverville
Swindle” by Ghost Road Press of Denver. Raspberry Creek Books and the Todds
agreed to publish a series of books based on the first one and decided to
change the title of the original novel, which has since been revised for
publication as the first in a series.<o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
Todds are at work on a third book in the “Silverville Saga.”<o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
books are all set in the small fictitious Colorado mountain town of
Silverville, which some say reminds them of Gunnison.<o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Little
Greed Men” sets the stage for the other books in the series and is built around
the question: What happens when a town’s local resident spots a UFO? <o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In this
case, Silverville sees nothing but dollar signs<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The book
description invites readers to “ride along on this irreverent adventure that
reveals Colorado mountain culture at its most outrageous and where just about
everybody shares in the madness of money, murder and mayhem.”<o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The book
was nominated for the Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Fiction Award and has
been placed on the Washington Center for the Book recommended reading list at
the Library of Congress.<o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
humorous science fiction novel has been praised by reviewers including the late
Ed Quillen, a syndicated columnist for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Denver
Post</i> and co-publisher of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Colorado
Central</i> magazine who called it “a howling funny ride all the way.” He asked
“how far will a mountain town go to get more tourists? Clear to Arcturus,
maybe, and along the way to the stars, there are con men, scam artists,
hustlers, perhaps even a few honest citizens.”<o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Little
Greed Men” is the first book in the series with “All Plucked Up” the second. The
third, tentatively titled “The Magicke Outhouse,” is scheduled for publication
later this year or in early 2014.<o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Both
current books in the series are available at local bookstores, via Amazon.com
or at Barnes and Noble online. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A Kindle
e-book will be available soon.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
Larry Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17339109861467859024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676357909680486044.post-69610917662526891422013-03-14T14:18:00.003-07:002013-03-14T14:18:47.100-07:00<div class="widget Blog" id="Blog1">
<div class="blog-posts hfeed">
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<h2 class="date-header">
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<div class="date-posts">
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="546427140638209384"></a>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
<a href="http://writeinthethick.blogspot.com/2013/03/and-winning-cover-for-new-silverville.html"><span style="color: #2288bb;">And
the winning cover for the new Silverville Saga book is ...</span></a> </h3>
<div class="post-header">
<div class="post-header-line-1">
</div>
</div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-546427140638209384" itemprop="description articleBody">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3dsJr5ATWF4/UT9tEp2AAfI/AAAAAAAAAFY/oN-xHxqGgJ4/s1600/coverwoodlight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_uid_873286156="5" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3dsJr5ATWF4/UT9tEp2AAfI/AAAAAAAAAFY/oN-xHxqGgJ4/s1600/coverwoodlight.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
... by overwhelming
popular acclaim the "Out of the Woods" design.<br /><br />
Raspberry Creek Books willuse that cover for the release of <i>Little
Greed Men</i> early this spring.<br /><br /><b>Here's the premise from the back
cover blurb</b>:<br />What happens when a town's local resident spots a
UFO?<br /><br />Silverville sees nothing but dollar signs.<br /><br />First an amusement
park and museum, then a celestial motif for the whole town. Con artists and
embezzlers, tourists and kooks, all get caught up in the frenzy, some hoping to
make a quick buck, others seeking a spiritual message from beyond the
stars.<br /><br />Ride along on this irreverent adventure that reveals Colorado
mountain culture at its most outrageous, and where just about everybody shares
in the madness of money, murder, and mayhem. <br /><br /><b>Publication back
story</b>: <br />This is a re-release in affordable paperback as well as e-reader
format of a book that first came out several years ago under the title of <i>The
Silverville Swindle. </i>But at the time we thought of the novel as a one-off,
not Book One of a paranormal adventure-comedy series that now includes a planned
four books -- the second, <i>All Plucked Up</i> (released this past December);
the third, <i>The Magicke Outhouse</i> (forthcoming at the end of the year); and
an untitled fourth in development for the following year.<br /><br /><b>Recognition:
</b><br />Soon after publication, the original edition garnered several nods,
including a nomination for the Colorado Blue Spruce Award for Young Adult
Fiction as well as a following among high school students and YA readers
spanning many borders. (This always puzzled us -- although delighted by this
reception, we didn't particularly write the novel for that audience, and our
story breaks many of the "rules of engagement" with that
readership.)<br /><br />Next, the Washington Center for the Book placed the title on
the recommended reading list at the Library of
Congress.<br /><br /><b>Praise:</b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">I loved this book. It's trite
to say I couldn't put it down, but that's the truth. Even more, I'm looking
forward to the next book by the Todds. Great plot development, and they nailed
the characters and the setting. It's hard to believe this is a first novel. This
is a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining book filled with humor, intrigue, and
likeable, memorable characters. It starts at an attention-snagging pace and
grows throughout. A delicious romp through a tight adventure.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 189pt; text-indent: -9pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">– <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>W.C. Jameson,
History Channel commentator and author of over sixty books about the West, more
recently the novel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Beating the Devil</i>
and the biography <i>Billy the Kid: Beyond the Grave</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Any reader in the West will
recognize Silverville with a knowing grin – and often enough, a knowing shudder.
The Todds have written a funny book about a townful of people we’d just as soon
know from a literary distance but suspect we might live next door to – or maybe
even closer…. This book about close encounters of every kind is further evidence
that any search for intelligent life in the universe might not stop very long at
our planet.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 189pt; text-indent: -9pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">– George Sibley, New York Times best-selling author of
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Part of a Winter,</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dragons in Paradise</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and, most recently, the historical
nonfiction <i>Water Wranglers</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">How far will a mountain town
go to get more tourists? Clear to Arcturus, maybe, and along the way to the
stars, there are con men, scam artists, hustlers, perhaps even a few honest
citizens -- a howling funny ride all the way. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 189pt; text-indent: -9pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">– Ed Quillen, syndicated columnist for <i>The Denver
Pos</i>t and former co-publisher of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Colorado Central</i> magazine.</span></div>
<div style="clear: both;">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Larry Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17339109861467859024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676357909680486044.post-78406218530220937502013-03-06T09:31:00.003-08:002013-03-06T09:31:36.983-08:00<div class="widget Blog" id="Blog1">
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="686498286688791347"></a>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
<a href="http://writeinthethick.blogspot.com/2013/03/you-pick-cover-design-for-little-greed.html"><span style="color: #2288bb;">You
pick the cover design for Little Greed Men!</span></a> </h3>
<div class="post-header">
<div class="post-header-line-1">
</div>
</div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" itemprop="description articleBody">
Raspberry Creek Books will release Book One
of the Silverville Saga next month, in April -- the
long-awaited re-release of the book as an affordable trade paperback, with
revisions, a new title, and a new cover design. <br /><br />But we're now in the
process of choosing that new cover, one with attitude, to match the attitude of
the new title, <i>Little Greed Men</i>.<br /><br />Raspberry Creek Books wants Silverville fans (and friends) to have a say in this. We've narrowed our choice of the mock-ups to three candidates, and now
we want your input.<br /><br />You can "vote" by<br />
</div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" itemprop="description articleBody">
<ul>
<li>Commenting under this posting (if you don't follow us, it's easy -- just
click on the "Follow Us" button in the nav bar on the right, follow the
instructions, and then post your comment-vote), or by vsiting our Facebook Page at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/larry.meredith.716?fref=pb">http://www.facebook.com/larry.meredith.716?fref=pb</a>
or by visiting the authors' blog and Facebook
sites at <a href="http://writeinthethick.blogspot.com/">http://writeinthethick.blogspot.com/</a> or <a href="http://www.facebook.com/writeinthethick">http://www.facebook.com/writeinthethick</a>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul>
<li>In fact, vote, and vote often, and on all the sites, to show you care!
</li>
</ul>
Polling closes in seven days, midnight (Mountain Time) on March 11.
<br /><br />Below are the candidates: <br />
<ol>
<li>"Invasion"
<li>"In your face"
<li>"Out of the woods" </li>
</li>
</li>
</ol>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dgdxlW4lMXw/UTZ9hH-5ebI/AAAAAAAAAE4/IOqMBkGCYK0/s1600/covergroup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" closure_uid_848343563="2" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dgdxlW4lMXw/UTZ9hH-5ebI/AAAAAAAAAE4/IOqMBkGCYK0/s1600/covergroup.jpg" width="125" /></a></td></tr>
<tr>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"invasion"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZyRl9NfSO3g/UTZ9iFz3j-I/AAAAAAAAAFA/2Kks4wdpEzM/s1600/covermustache.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" closure_uid_848343563="3" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZyRl9NfSO3g/UTZ9iFz3j-I/AAAAAAAAAFA/2Kks4wdpEzM/s1600/covermustache.jpg" width="125" /></a></td></tr>
<tr>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"in your
face"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-InLBZJ4WHyc/UTZ9jKwMyzI/AAAAAAAAAFI/ht2vej4c_G4/s1600/coverwoodlight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" closure_uid_848343563="4" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-InLBZJ4WHyc/UTZ9jKwMyzI/AAAAAAAAAFI/ht2vej4c_G4/s1600/coverwoodlight.jpg" width="125" /></a></td></tr>
<tr>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"out of the
woods"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />(And
a hat tip to Kym O'Connell Todd, who created the cover designs for us!)
<div style="clear: both;">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Larry Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17339109861467859024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676357909680486044.post-47253392473873488352013-01-30T10:18:00.000-08:002013-01-30T10:18:29.372-08:00<em>For good reading – and good writing – visit our website at </em><a href="http://www.raspberrycreekbooks.com/"><span style="color: blue;"><em>www.raspberrycreekbooks.com</em></span></a><em> and
<o:p></o:p>check out </em>This
Cursed Valley <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and </i>All Plucked Up – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">two vastly different novels that are the
first to be published by Raspberry Creek Books, Ltd.)<o:p></o:p></i><br />
<br />
A few years ago I was selected by the Denver Post to be among those called "Colorado Voices" and was asked to write several columns that appeared over the course of a year. Following is one of the pieces that I especially liked. Interestingly enough, the Post editor (obviously a city person) changed the title to "Defined by Road Apples." Well, shoot, every self-respecting Western Coloradan knows that road apples are left by horses and not by cattle. A few folks raised the issue and I had to place the blame on the editor (and I also wrote her about it). I think the issues raised in the piece are relevant today and thought you might enjoy it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<strong>DEFINED BY COW POOP
ON THE ROAD<o:p></o:p></strong></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
By Larry K. Meredith<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Drivers on
Western Slope roads in the spring and fall often encounter herds of cattle
being driven to or from the high country.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Inevitably,
the residue of their passing is readily apparent.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Not long ago
a newspaper published a letter from a resident who complained about the
resulting smell and the mess it left on her car.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Of course
the smell doesn't linger, and vehicles can be washed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The odor
has the smell of history in it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
complaining letter's scent reflects some of today's reality on the West
Slope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Neither is
especially bad.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Traffic
jams near the small towns over here are often the result of those herds of
cattle being patiently prodded by cowboys and cowgirls from summer range to
winter feeding, and back again in the spring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>They are
who we used to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>They
represent the ranchers, miners, farmers and merchants of the West Slope of the
recent past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Today's
ranchers follow many time-honored methods of raising cattle with an added touch
of technology that helps them with business plans and keeping cattle healthy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it's a difficult, thankless, smelly,
cold-in-winter, hot-in-summer kind of job that doesn't pay well and has as many
ups and downs as the West Elk Mountains..<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Still, they
see a lot of beautiful sunrises and sunsets, they live in some of the finest
country on earth, and most of them seem pretty happy with who and where they
are.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And, now
and then they have to crowd their cattle to the side of the road so a line of
cars can get past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Give 'em a wave and
they'll wave pleasantly back.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Many of the
drivers of those vehicles represent who we've become.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We're
transplants from cities and an awful lot of us are in a doggone big hurry.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Thanks to
technology, the world's business can often be as easily transacted from
Gunnison as from Denver.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That fact alone
has transformed the West Slope from a secluded, snow-covered headwaters region into
an accessible snow-covered headquarters for business and commerce of all kinds.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Consider,
for example, that at Western State Colorado University in Gunnison every state
in the nation is represented among her 2,500 students, and that from Crested
Butte, 30 miles to the north, million dollar deals are made over cell phones,
the facts cemented via email and the contract faxed for a signature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Oh, the
ranchers and a few miners are still here, thank God, and the merchants still
work hard to meet their needs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other
working people keep the economy moving by providing goods and services, meeting
health care needs and educating our kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But many
main street shops serve another clientele.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Yesterday's
carriage shop has become a trendy coffee shop or a boutique store stocked with
exotic and rare perfumes and a gaggle of doodahs that appeal of all of us.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Nothing
wrong with that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Businesses emerge to
meet demands.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The point
is that Colorado's West Slope (like most of the interior West) has become an
engaging and wonderful mix of people representing a world of cultures,
lifestyles, personalities and aspirations.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
ranchers recognize this and they love their cell phones and digital satellite
television as much as the rest of us.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The changes
that have overtaken this part of the world may have affected them and their
approach to life more than anyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To
survive, many are having to sell part of their land to be divided into 35-acre
ranchettes.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But cattle
can move only so fast and there are few routes from the high country to river
bottom pastureland that don't require some time on a highway.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And if there's
some cow poop on the road after they've passed by, some of us like the smell
because it helps us define who we used to be and takes us away, for a moment,
from who we've become.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Larry Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17339109861467859024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676357909680486044.post-36832715762642781072013-01-22T10:22:00.002-08:002013-01-22T10:22:57.661-08:00
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(For good reading –
and good writing – visit our website at <a href="http://www.raspberrycreekbooks.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.raspberrycreekbooks.com</span></a> and <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">check out </i>This
Cursed Valley <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and </i>All Plucked Up – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">two vastly different novels that are the
first to be published by Raspberry Creek Books, Ltd.)<o:p></o:p></i><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">READIN’ & WRITIN’<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One’s
reading choices vary from time to time and, for writers, it’s often difficult
to avoid the influence of a style of writing that is considerably different
from their own.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Even when
working on a writing project of my own I constantly read the work of others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I can’t help
it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sometimes I
even read on a Kindle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There, I’ve
admitted it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But I do it
where no one can see me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t help
that, either.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But let’s
move on.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Lately, my
reading choices have focused on several books that have to do – specifically or
peripherally – with the Holocaust, Jewish people and the creation and
continuing existence of Israel.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Kind of
surprising for a Midwestern Methodist boy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Nevertheless,
it’s a fascinating topic and some of the books I’ve read include: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Pianist</i> by Wladyslaw Szpilman, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Piano Tuner</i> by Daniel Mason, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Reader </i>by Bernhard Schlink, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mitla Pass </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mila 18</i> by Leon Uris, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">War and
Remembrance</i> by Herman Wouk, some of Bernard Malamud’s early writing, bits
and pieces of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Rise and Fall of the
Third Reich</i> by William L. Shirer, and other various material.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I don’t
know why.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It just happened.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It also
just happened that much of what I’ve been working on is set in the Midwest and
in Hollywood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Quite a stretch.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But I
believe the obvious “distance” between these reading and writing topics has not
been distracting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, because the
subjects are so dissimilar I can completely detach one from the other and not
let my reading interfere with my writing, or the other way around.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Still,
reading good writing on any subject has to have some kind of influence on how I
write.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The subject can be cannibalism
for all I care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the writing is good
there are probably some kernels of insight that will prove valuable in a
sentence or two of my own (not plagiarism, mind you, but phrasing or
technique). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
point?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will continue reading while I’m
writing and damn the subject.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If it’s
interesting and the writing is excellent, I’m into it.<o:p></o:p></div>
Larry Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17339109861467859024noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676357909680486044.post-82291652675213181002013-01-14T09:13:00.004-08:002013-01-14T09:13:48.860-08:00
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span>On starting a book publishing company<br />even though e-books are going crazy!</strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Get your Kindle today!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Discover</i> magazine the sales of ebooks grew by<span style="color: #333333;"> 34% in 2012.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even
though that was a slower rate than the year before, a 34% rate is still indeed
healthy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Razib Khan, the author of the
piece, says he believes that rate is “a sign…that the explosive phase is giving
way to robust and expansionary growth as the market slouches toward maturation.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Still, i</span>f
you don’t have an e-reader of some sort you’re “up the creek.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If you can’t
say to the plane passenger in the seat next to you “I just love my Kindle (or
Nook or whatever)” you’re “up the creek.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That’s what
a great number of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">really, really</i>
sophisticated people seem to think these days.1<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>While I do
occasionally enjoy reading a book in digital form, and have a number of books
on my Kindle, I guess I’m not yet “really, really” sophisticated. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>However, I
find that I am “above average” in terms of books read in a year’s time.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Recent surveys show that <span style="color: #333333;">25% of Americans admitted reading no books in a year,
while the median number of books read was 6.5. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Khan (in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Discover</i>) says “this I think gets at the
heart of why e-books aren’t as popular as you might expect: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">books</i> aren’t <em>that</em> popular!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That’s a disturbing
thought to serious readers, to book publishers, book sellers, libraries and
authors everywhere.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But wait!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If books in general aren’t “that popular,” as
Khan suggests, why have 88,562 books already been published world-wide in these
first few of weeks of 2013?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Those numbers
come from statistics published by UNESCO (United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>UNESCO reports
that in 2010 (the last full year for which numbers are available) 2.2 million
books were published throughout the world (the report does not distinguish
between print books and ebooks).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The U.S. leads
the way with 328,259 new titles, followed by the United Kingdom with 206,000. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>According to </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Pew</span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Research</span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Center </span>nearly
90% of ebook readers continue to read physical volumes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pew Research is a nonpartisan fact tank that
informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and
the world.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wall Street Journal </i>suggests that “having survived 500 years of
technological upheaval, Gutenberg’s invention may withstand the digital
onslaught as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s something
about a crisply printed, tightly bound book that we don’t seem eager to let go
of.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
But Kahn has a different take<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“</b><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Reading has
always been subject to periodic revolution,” he writes</span><span style="color: #333333;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“</span></strong><span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I am dismayed by
the fixation of some on the physical medium of the book, as opposed to the
information content of the book.”</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Raspberry Creek Books will continue
to publish books in print.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we’ll
offer them in ebook form as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The idea is to get fine reading
content out there to those who want it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
We believe there are plenty of
folks like you who appreciate books in general and who like to see important
and enjoyable books on their shelves (or on their e-readers).<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Stay tuned to “Up the Creek” and
let us know what you think.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(Thanks
to Mark Todd, co-author (with wife Kym O’Connell-Todd) of “All Plucked Up,”
book two of the Silverville Saga, published by Raspberry Creek Books, for
sending me a link to the </i>Discover<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
magazine article). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Larry Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17339109861467859024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676357909680486044.post-25643086751069743862013-01-02T11:41:00.003-08:002013-01-02T11:41:44.564-08:00This BlogSpot is called "Up the Creek" for a couple of reasons.<br />
<br />
First, because my publishing company is called Raspberry Creek Books, Ltd. You can check us out in some detail at <a href="http://www.raspberrycreekbooks.com/">www.raspberrycreekbooks.com</a>. Please take a look and let me know what you think.<br />
<br />
And secondly, like many others I assume, I now and then feel like I'm up that proverbial creek without the accepted means of motivation (a paddle, for the cliché challenged). On the other hand, once in a while, also like many others I assume, I have a feeling that I'm in the flow of the current and that, heck, I'm cruising along so well I don't even need a paddle.<br />
<br />
Please check back now and then to see what's on my mind and to tell me what's on yours. This could be fun. Right? Larry Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17339109861467859024noreply@blogger.com0