The Bethlehem Writers Group, LLC (BWG), founded in 2006, is a community of mutually supportive, fiction and nonfiction authors based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The members are as different from each other as their stories, spanning a range of genres including: children’s, fantasy, humor, inspiration, literary, memoir, mystery, paranormal, romance, science fiction, women's fiction, and young adult.
So sit back to enjoy a drift through the paranormal--but don't let the fire go out!
They are also publishers of quality fiction through the online literary journal, Bethlehem Writers Roundtable, and their award-winning "Sweet, Funny, and Strange" anthologies, among other publications. See our Bookstore tab above for more information on our many titles.
See the schedule of meetings and events here.
Yay! Hooray! Here are the 2020 SHORT STORY
AWARD winners!
First Place
"Hubbard Had a Fancy Bra" by Brett Wolff, Sierra Madre, CA
Brett's story will appear in our 6th "Sweet, Funny, and Strange" anthology
FUR, FEATHERS, & SCALES
Second Place
"Cosway's Confidence" by Paula Gail Benson, Columbia, SC
Third Place
"Last But Not Leashed" by Alexandra Otto, Kodiak, AK
Honorable Mentions
(in alphabetical order by author's last name)
"Wabbit's Carat" by Debra Goldstein, Birmingham, AL
"The Elevens" by Louella M. Nelson, Lake Forest, CA
"Clover" by Ramona Scarborough, Salem, OR
Congratulations to the winners
and to all who submitted their wonderful stories this year!
The 2021 contest for MYSTERY STORIES opens on January 1, 2021
More information coming soon at: Bethlehem Writers Roundtable
Our latest "Sweet, Funny, and
Strange" anthology:
Untethered:
Sweet, Funny, and Strange Tales of
the Paranormal
Finalist for 2019 Killer Nashville
Silver Falchion Award
Paperback
ISBN: 978-9892650-4-1
Stoke the campfire and get ready for some chills and goosebumps when you open this paranormal addition to the award-winning Bethlehem Writers Group's "Sweet, Funny, and Strange" anthologies.
Among our twenty-seven stories, we bring you Jeff Baird's "Bailey's Mountain" which shows a romp with man's best friend through Mother Nature morph into a visit to the supernatural. Dianna Sinovic's "Point of View" describes a mysterious shifting painting and its sinister effects on its new owner. Jodi Bogert brings us "Old Man Omar," and shows us that sometimes those we consider crazy might just know some things we don't. In DT Krippene's "Hell of a Deal," a man buys a house for a price that's too good to be true--until he discovers the bizarre strings attached. Kidd Wadsworth's "The Beast" brings a ghost story to life--but can her characters escape with theirs?
In addition, we have new stories of the unexplained from favorite authors Courtney Annicchiarico, Walter Bego, A. E. Decker, Marianne H. Donley, Headley Hauser, Ralph Hieb, Jerome W. McFadden, Stanley W. McFarland, Emily P. W. Murphy, Christopher D. Ochs, Paul Weidknecht, and Carol L. Wright. Also included are the winning stories from the 2017 and 2018 Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Award by Suzanne Purvis and Christine Eskilson respectively.
So sit back to enjoy a drift through the paranormal--but don't let the fire go out!
Once Upon a Time
Sweet, Funny, and Strange Tales for All Ages
Paperback
ISBN: 978-9892650-3-4
Once Upon a Time is a collection of twenty-one stories for children--ages preschool through middle school--from the minds and muses of the Bethlehem Writers Group.
This anthology grows with your child. We start with several stories written especially for those who still enjoy sitting on a grown-up’s lap, having new worlds open up to them. Following those are several more for those who are ready to immerse themselves in the fantasy and adventure of reading on their own.
Included among our award-winning authors' work is an imaginative fantasy from Eleanor Ingbretson, the winner of the 2016 Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Award competition.
And each story is enhanced with illustrations by artist Agy Wilson (agywilson.com).
All together, this collection of sweet, funny, and strange tales will entertain and delight children of all ages--including grown-ups!
2016 Next Generation Indie Book Awards
awarded a finalist medal to
Yearning for a tantalizing tale?
Whatever your taste, this collection of food-related stories from the multiple award-winning Bethlehem Writers Group has all the ingredients to satisfy your reading palate. Our menu includes twenty-seven appetizing stories, from light-fare and sides of fantasy to sweet romance and savory bites of mystery.
Jeff Baird’s “The Pickle Promenade” provides an amuse bouche. Or try a spicy entree prepared by Diane Sismour in “Bump and Run.” Prefer a serving with zing? Enjoy "Rightful Prey" by A. E. Decker. Jerry McFadden's tart “Hard Times,” should tickle your taste buds. On the sweeter side, there’s Sally Paradysz's “Our Town is Different" or the bittersweet "Breakfast for One" by Geoffrey Mehl.
Enjoy these and other delectable tales from our talented authors including: Courtney Annicchiarico, Terrie Daugherty, Bernadette De Courcey, Marianne H. Donley, Headley Hauser, Ralph Hieb, Judith Mehl, Emily P. W. Murphy, E. L. Ryan, Paul Weidknecht, and Carol L. Wright. To complete today's specials, we offer tasty tales from Tracy Falenwolfe and C. A. Rowland, winners of Bethlehem Writers Roundtable's Short Story Awards in 2014 and 2015 respectively. All have honed their recipes to write sweet, funny, and strange stories to savor.
Bon Appetit!
Other "Sweet, Funny, and Strange" anthologies:  Once Around the Sun Sweet, Funny, and Strange Tales for All Seasons from the Bethlehem Writers Group A Finalist for Best Anthology 2014 Next Generation Indie Book Awards "Beautiful voices, gorgeous writing--fresh and vibrant and compelling and irresistible. This collection of stories--each one a gem--is a real treasure. Dip in and try one--lounging by the shore or curled up by the fire, you'll find a perfect story for every season." Hank Phillippi Ryan--Agatha, Anthony, Macavity, and Mary Higgins Clark Award winning author "Once Around the Sun proves that the short story is alive and well! Cover to cover, it is packed with delightful, insightful, and exciting short stories. What a treat!" Rebecca Forster, USA Today bestselling author of The Witness series and other thrillers "Once Around the Sun escorts its lucky readers through the seasons. We witness winter snows and spring's thaw; we feel summer's heat and autumn's chill. But the real journey cuts much deeper, an exposing of rich veins of faith, humor, friendship, and love. Once Around the Sun follows the cycles of our world and lives, a trip navigated by voices you won't soon forget." Curtis Smith, author of BEASTS & MEN and WITNESS Looking for Christmas Stories? Try the first of our "Sweet, Funny, and Strange" anthologies A Christmas Sampler: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Holiday Tales   Winner of TWO 2010 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Best Short Fiction and Best Anthology Also available for Kindle: B002MH3ZC4 Also available:  Discover tales, all as different as snowflakes, in "Let it Snow: The Best of Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Winter 2015 Collection." The multiple award winning Bethlehem Writers Group, LLC brings you stories in a range of genres selected from their bi-monthly Writers Roundtable Journal. So, while the weather outside is frightful, curl up by the fire, read, and Let It Snow. Authors of A Christmas Sampler: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Holiday Tales
 Standing (L-R): Emily P. W. Murphy, Paul Weidknecht, Will Wright,
Cindy Kelly, Ralph Hieb, Carol L. Wright, Courtney Annicchiarico.
Seated (L-R): Jeff Baird, Carol A. Hanzl Birkas, Jo Ann Schaffer, Sally Wyman Paradysz
Not pictured: Jerome W. McFadden, Headley Hauser, and Stanley W. McFarland | FOLLOW US ON TWITTER AT @BethlehemWriter, #TheBWG
|