Editor's Notes--Jerome W. McFadden

Listed by date (most recent first)

Issue 73, Summer 2023

Hello, readers!

Summer is (finally) with us and that brings a myriad of activities such as swimming, biking, picnics, playing in the yard or going to the beach—as well as gardening and doing all those chores outside the house that we have been thinking about all winter, turning us into jacks-of-all-trades, which is defined in the dictionary as "one who can do any kind of work or business.”

Writers, too, can fit this definition. Many talented writers can excel at poetry, short stories, and novels, as well as journalism and magazine articles. In other words, they are jacks-of-all-trades. Which brings us to our theme for this issue: A Jack-of-All-Trades: Everyman's Tales.

Our featured story is Peter J. Barbour's "Henry Smith's Seasonings," but Peter is also doing this edition's Literary Learnings, about The Wizard of Oz. Our author interview in this issue is with Emily P.W. Murphy, who has just published a children's book.

We also have three outstanding poems. “Extravagance” by Bruce Parker is a look at the future that has already arrived. "From the Tech Table at the Ritz Carlton" by Morgan Driscoll offers sardonic insight into today's commerce. "My Mother's Umbrella Stand" by Claudia M. Reder gives an emotional insight to a mother's sickness.

But not to be left out, “Ogglemate” by Margaret Kelliher is a fun story about going to a summer carnival and winning a goldfish.

Enjoy your summer and our creative jacks-of-all-trades writers. And maybe you, too, can show us your ability to cross the lines in your writing efforts.

Issue 68, Spring 2022

I hate arguing with people who know more than I do, but somewhere along the way these smarter guys messed up big time when they created the calendar. If I were in charge (which is never going to happen), the year would end on March 31st and the New Year start April 1st. Why? Because life starts all abuzz the first weeks of spring.

Winters (in my mind) are a dormant period: cold, snow, ice, short days with long nights, nothing growing (I am talking northern hemisphere here, guys – and ignoring you ski bunnies). Come spring, trees remember they have leaves, birds return from their winter vacations, grass spurts up and turns green, insects awaken with bursts of energy, and bees are all abuzz around a world of budding flowers. Bears even come out of their dens to ask what’s for breakfast. It’s a New Year all abuzz

And we, too, are all abuzz with our Spring issue: new stories, new writers,  new poems, and new efforts from some of our favorite authors. First up, BWG’s own Daniel Krippene regales readers with our featured story, “Desert Buzz.” True to its title, small buzzing things play a part in a budding romance. But never fear, bug-loathers; these busy buzzers have beaks and feathers! For our other stories, William Sharon’s “Jacob” peeks into the perspective of a young man with an extraordinary mind, while Richard L. Shelby’s “Saturday Afternoon at the Wash & Dry, Fluff & Fold” muses on life, love, and the consequences of the choices we make. Our Spring 2022 issue is especially rich in poetry, with Alexander Zera, Christopher Clauss, and Maggie Kennedy all offering their musings on family, the changing of the seasons, and how to make the best of the moments we’re given—good thoughts for spring!

The BWG’s own Christopher Ochs handles this issue’s interview. We were very lucky to snag Peter Prellwitz, author of the sci-fi Shards series, with ten novels and eight anthologies to his credit. The words of the prolific Mr. Prellwitz, who also writes under the name H.K. Devonshire, should prove both inspiring and thought-provoking for fans and fellow writers alike.

Finally, as usual, the BWG Roundtable is happy to supply writers with Betty’s Tips, a column featuring links to interesting and useful sites, as well as this issue’s Literary Learnings, in which Carol L. Wright takes us beyond the romantic aspect of Jane Austen’s novels to view the practical foundation of the lovers’ relationships.

That’s it for this issue! We’ll be back in the summer with our lazy Unplugged issue. But for now, keep buzzing busily away!

Issue 65, Summer 2021

I spent the hottest summer of my life in Muscatine, Iowa. It was a summer job at the local ketchup factory. In the first five minutes on the job, I discovered that every tomato in the state of Iowa ripens on the same day. I stood on the loading docks with my fellow summer employees, mostly college kids, looking at line of farm trucks that stretched over the far horizon. Twelve hours a day, six days a week, under a broiling sun, we hoisted baskets of tomatoes from the back of the trucks to the conveyer belts, with the foremen and the farmers shouting at us to move faster. It was hotter than sin. Being a fast talker with no shame, I tried to finagle my way inside the factory.

I succeeded. They hooked me into a leather vest and gave me a hose then hoisted me high up to lower me inside an empty railroad tanker to wash out the residue. Other tankers to follow. Out of the sun and into an oven that was hotter than sin. More fast talking. Now down to the warehouses. The mighty Mississippi flooded that summer, and the warehouses were inundated with soggy crushed cardboard cartons and broken bottles of ketchup bleeding red muck into an endless sludge of Mississippi mud. Don’t ask about the smell. Our job: Shovel it out. Indoors, out the sun, but hotter than sin.

All of which made me curious to see what our contributors could come up with when we said that our summer theme was “Hotter Than Sin.” I was delighted, and you will be too, as you read their stories. They have dug into the essence of the term “Hotter Than Sin.”

Happy reading.

P.S. It took me years before I could ever eat ketchup again!

In this issue: Here’s what our authors have come up with for this theme. Our featured story, “A Good Man,” by Dustin Lawrence Lovell, weaves a tale of crime and punishment in the heat of the American West. Dan Morey takes on sin in San Francisco in “The Body in the Blue Kimono,” while Margaret Kelliher’s “Churros and Treasure” tells a sweeter tale of a food truck at a beach. Our own BWG member, D.T. Krippene, goes otherworldly with our theme in his story “Hot as Sin.” In addition to stories, we have two poems to offer, Amera Elwesef’s “Prayers on Our House Roof,” which speaks of cooking bananas and feeding the hungry, and Deryn Pittar’s “Desist,” depicting a slice of Maori history. We’re extremely proud of all our writers and are proud to publish their work.

As well as the stories, this issue of the BWG offers an interview with author and BWG member Pete Barbour, editor Dianna Sinovic’s perspective on the work of Philip K. Dick, and numerous helpful links for the writers among our readers. Stay cool this summer, and don’t sin. We hope to see you back in three months, ready to fall into place with the BWG’s next issue.

Issue 63, Winter 2021

Part of the fun of being a writer is the love of words, which also includes a love for the history and mystery of words. I often find myself wondering “Where did that word come from? And did its meaning get transformed into something else over the years?” The word “January” is a good example. Who came up with that word, and why? With a little research, I discovered that January is a very old word whose meaning has not changed or mutated over the years—or centuries, in fact.

Back in the good old days of Ancient (very ancient) Rome, about eight centuries before the Christian era, the calendar year began in March (not a bad idea if you hate winter!) with only ten months being counted. The year still ended in December but skipped the two cold months. (Good for you guys!) Then Numa Pompilius came along and added the two extra months. History is not sure if he was the second king of Rome or if he ruled in 715 or 673 BCE, but they give him full credit for adding January and February to fill in the missing gap. (The blame falls on you, old Pompi!)

Where did old Pompi get the idea for January? From the god Janus, a minor deity not worth a temple or a hell-raising clergy, but who seemed to be running around Rome since the beginning of time. In fact, January was present at the creation of the world and assigned to guard the gates of heaven—St. Peter must have been bumped him out of the job a little later. Symbolizing change and transitions, January was also two faced; one visage looking back at the past, the other surveying the future. That pretty well sums up January doesn’t it? The old year is gone, and the new year is now here, in our face. Auld Lang Syne and all that.

And we are here, too, the Bethlehem Writers Roundtable, eagerly facing the new year with a new format, with new challenges and new hopes, looking for new poems and exciting stories. We look to discover wonderful new writers and poets while also saluting our past, proud of how far we have come, celebrating the delightful poets and writers we have met, and the selection of excellent stories and poems we have published.

You did good, old Pompi! January is a damn fine name. Now we gotta work on February.

In the meantime, enjoy the winter 2021 issue of the Roundtable. Our interviewee for these cold months is none other than Charlaine Harris, best-selling author of the Sookie Stackhouse series, among other exciting works. She will be the judge of this year’s short story competition, which is now open for entry—so sit up and take note all you writers! Our theme for this anthology and the next is “mystery stories,” so, readers, confound us!

Speaking of our contest, you’ll meet several of last year’s writers in this issue. Our main stories feature Paula Gail Benson, our second-place winner with “Cosway’s Confidence,” and third-place winner Alexandra Otto with “Last But Not Leashed.” You’ll also be able to read the works of honorable mentions Debra Goldstein and Louella M. Nelson. Congratulations to all! Poetry lovers will not be neglected either, with two splendid pieces by Emma Snyder and Devon Balwit. Editor Carol Wright muses on time travel, and there are, as always, several useful links included to help you on your writing way.

Thanks for reading, and keep safe and warm this January!

Issue 58, Autumn 2019

Golden Era. This term has always intrigued me: “The Golden Era of Hollywood,” “The Golden Era of Train Travel,” “The Golden Era of Radio,” etc. The term sounds both joyous and melancholy at the same time, as if there was a magical epoch for some activity, but we missed it because we were too young, or weren’t born yet, or were so busy doing other things that we didn’t notice the era go by.

And yet we are now in another Golden Era: the Golden Era of Short Stories. Never before has there been an era with such a proliferation of short stories being both read and written. It is a flood, a wonderful flood.

You want read a great short story? Or write one? There is a massive array of literary magazines (nearly every university and college in America has one) trying to fill their pages. Browse the internet, and you’ll find dozens of small publishers and individuals putting together hundreds of anthologies based on a theme or concept, as well as many e-zines looking for literary or genre stories. There are social sites that want to share their writers’ treasures, and individual and group blogs dedicated to sharing their own and their friends’ stories. Finally, don’t forget the immense assortment of writing contests looking to discover new talent. 

Our own BWG Roundtable is right in the mix. Our featured stories for this issue are “The Spouses Club,” by Jeanne Moran, and “A.E.S.O.P.,” by Sarah Felsted, which took, respectively, second and third place in our annual BWG short story contest, focusing on the theme of “animal stories.” These were truly outstanding efforts by Jeanne and Sarah, considering the quality and quantity of stories submitted to us.

This issue also has a fascinating interview of Kelly Jensen by BWG member Ralph Heib. Ms. Jensen, who writes science fiction and romance—sometimes both together!—is the author of twelve novels, including the Chaos Station series co-written with Jenn Burke. She’s here to talk about genres, publishing, and how to get your work noticed.

Based on our theme of family and family dysfunction, I could not, as one of your faithful co-editors, resist adding a book review of the New York Best Seller The Great Santini (also a major movie hit starring Robert Duvall) and the follow-up autobiography, The Death of Santini, by Pat Conroy. Mr. Conroy knows family dysfunction, and for many of us, his stories strike close to home.

And as usual, we have a great range of short stories and poems in our &More section that we hope you will enjoy.

All of us at the BWG Roundtable staff love to read and to publish your stories. You and we are in the Golden Era of short stories. Let’s enjoy it and take advantage of it while it is happening, so that one day we can say we were part of it. And keep on reading (and writing). 

Issue 51, Winter 2018

Writing is a lonely business. It doesn’t get done unless  you park your butt in a chair and concentrate, blocking out the physical or mental distractions around you while you are in your home niche or at a Starbucks or a library. The fact that it is lonely pushes most writers to search out writers’ groups, critique sessions, or on-line writing sites, etc, to share the writing experience.

In the beginning, joining these groups is a way to gain affirmation that you are a  writer, to maybe hear someone say “Hey, that’s not bad,” when talking about your writing efforts. But after a while you gain confidence that your efforts are indeed not bad but continue with the group, or search out new groups, and attend writing conferences, to share the pain and joy of writing.

And somewhere along the way, these other writers become warriors in arms, fellow veterans, unattached colleagues, kindred spirits . . . in other words: Friends.

But it is a strange group of friends. It is disparate group that do not necessarily share your insights, attitudes, or you values. But, if they are honest writers, writing from their hearts and souls, you share the empathy of struggling to put words on paper (or screens). It is  a very eclectic group that allows you to talk about your differences, to explore both parallels and wide divergences, as friends.

Which brings us to Sally W. Paradysz. We were friends that bonded through our writing group. We couldn’t have been more dissimilar if we had come from different planets. Nor could our writing have been more dissimilar.

Sal was a wonderful writer, and a sweet, gentle woman who wrote about her God, her faith, the wonders of nature, about the hard effort of building a home in the wilderness by her own hands, and about her friends. I am a sarcastic old man  who writes about crime, scary things, quirky things and the humor of the  dark side. She was a woman of great faith. I make it to church (grumpily) only for funerals and weddings. She was a vegetarian. I like vegetables with my meat, maybe twice a day. She went through truly  tough times as an adult. I enjoyed an entirely pleasant adulthood. (Don’t ask about the childhood!)

But we became good friends through writing. We could talk about all of this as friends, as we struggled to write from our different perspectives. I am convinced that the world needs more writers so the world can explore our differences as friends.

Most of this issue is presumed to be about Sally Paradysz.  Actually, it is about friendships.

We’re gonna miss you, Sal.

Issue 49, Summer 2017

Many of our readers are also writers. Or they want to be. If you are among them, you have probably already read at least a dozen or more books about writing, covering everything from plotting, themes, characterization, technique, grammar, formatting, etc. But the real question still remains: How to get it done? How to find the time to write? How to start the process? How to get your butt into the chair and keep it there?Here are a few simple answers that might help: 

Let the world know you are a writer: Being a writer doesn’t mean you have already published a book, or a novel, or a collection of short stories. It merely means that you write -- often, consistently, and with passion. No one asks a biker if he competes in the Tour de France. No one asks a jogger if they have been in the Olympics. No one asks a golfer if they plan to play in the Masters. You write, therefore you are a writer. Dare to tell the world.

Assume that you are going to write:Sometime soon, today, tomorrow, this week, you are going to sit down to write. Make that a fixed assumption. Not a nebulous promise to yourself. Not a tenuous wish. You know you are going to write.

Make a plan to write: Once upon a time I was a professional runner, and a great coach instilled in me that I should plan to train at the same time every day. So it becomes a habit. I often found myself dressed and out on the road without really thinking about it. This happens with writing or any other activity. Set the time of day when you can find time to write, and then keep that as your writing time. Soon you will find yourself at your desk writing, before you are even aware you’re doing it.

Volunteer to write anything: The more writing you do, the better you will become. Volunteer to write for the local neighborhood news rag, or as the secretary for an organization, or something important for a friend, etc. You will be organizing your thoughts, using words, improving your grammar, making a written document clear to others. All of this will eventually be reflected in your fiction, your creative non-fiction, your memoirs, maybe even your poetry.  I wrote an obituary this week, the first time in 20 years of writing. It tested my writing skills.  

Rewriting is writing: Don’t feel guilty if you spent your precious time rewriting one of your earlier efforts instead of writing something new. You are improving your skills. working your words. No matter what you have just written, or just rewritten, it will need more rewriting. Trust me on this. Learn to live with it. But then learn to move on to something new.

Researching is not writing. It is fun to find out about whaling ships in the 1800’s. Or how forensic professionals really do their job. But all of it is a distraction from writing. Learn a little, then move on, and come back to it when you think you need more. You’re at your desk to write, not to obtain a PhD in whaling. 

Find a deadline. Nothing inspires the writing adrenaline like a deadline. Submit to a contest that you care about, or an anthology that closes on a fixed date, or commit to an editor at an e-zine, or a literary mag, or a magazine, or newspaper.  A public commitment, staring you in the face, will always get your juices rolling.   

Happy writing! In the meantime, enjoy our summer issue.

Issue 46, Nov/Dec 2016

November and December can be tough months for writers. The holidays, travel, family, parties, shopping, plus actives you haven’t even counted on, and possibly even the weather. All of these cam take time and attention away from your writing efforts and your writing routines. Which might add the stress of guilt about not doing the writing that you had planned or hoped to do.

But you shouldn’t approach the holiday season that way. Rather you should see and embrace it as life flowing around and into your writing. This life that flows around you (and maybe over you) is what makes you a good writer. This is what writing is all about.

So back off your imposed writing routine if need be, then fill in with a writing activity when and where you can. Have a spare moment? Work on the outline of your stories or your book. Sitting at an airport? Scribble notes to describe the people sitting at the tables around you or walking past you. Going to a new region? Listen for and note new accents or expressions that people do not use at home. You’re at a holiday party and a family fight breaks out? Remember it and understand it so that you put it into one of your stories later on. You have 15 minutes or a half hour to yourself? Write. Just put something on paper. Then come back to it later, when your routine is back to normal to see if it is applicable to one of your stories.

Your writing routine may be broken up, but your love of writing should not be. Your writing muscles will be taking an enforced rest, but if you keep doing these little things, snatching writing time when available to you, your writing will come back stronger than ever. Trust it.

One of my favorite philosophies has always been - “Life is what happens to you while you were busy planning.” The holiday season is just that - life happening to you. Embrace it, pack it into your memories, and then write about it, one way or the other, when you get “back home.”

In this issue: For our Roundtable holiday season, our featured author for our November/ December issue is the talented and prolific Carol L. Wright. As you will see from the bio that accompanies her story, she has a fascinating background and a devotion to writing. Her specialty is “Cozy Mysteries,” i.e., murder mysteries that happen in gentle surroundings to gentle people, which are then investigated by nice people. A great way to gently read your way through the holidays. And the &More stories are a nice basket of holiday discoveries. And you should never, ever, miss Betty’s Tips - they are great way to explore different depths of writing that you may not have thought of before.

Above all, from all of us on our Roundtable staff: Happy Holidays!

Issue 42, Mar/Apr 2016

When I tell people that I am a writer, someone almost always immediately asks, “Oh, have you published a book?” The person asking is then almost dismissive when I answer, “No, I write short stories,” as if somehow short stores do not really count.

I compare this to a similar response I get when I tell people that I am a runner. “Oh, have you run a marathon?” No, I haven’t. I enjoy running quality 5K and 10K races. I see no reason, and have no interest in spending three to four hours running on the road. I had a championship high school career in running, went through college on a full scholarship on running, and actually ran as a professional for a couple of years after university. So I definitely consider myself a runner, although I have not trudged endlessly through a marathon.

The same in writing. I have received enough feedback on my short stories to confirm my belief that I am a writer. I do not need to plow through six months, or a year, or more, writing a book just to prove that I am a writer. Let those who enjoy that long drudge do their thing. They, too, are writers.

A good short story demands that character, setting, conflict, tension, and resolution be told in a few well chosen, exact words, in a tight time frame. Only good writers can do that well. If you can do that, you should be proud to call yourself a writer - and stand up for yourself when someone dismisses your efforts because you have not, and do not plan to write a book. You are a writer. Tell yourself that, and don’t be shy to tell others that, too.

If that is not strong enough to keep you involved in writing short stories, listen to the words of the noted Science Fiction writer, Larry Niven: “You learn by writing short stories. Keep writing short stories. The money’s in novels, but writing short stories keeps your writing lean and pointed.“

We are proud of the short stories, and the writers, that we publish. And this month our featured writer is the very talented and very prolific Diane Sismour. Her range of short stories (and books) is awesome.

In this issue: In a diversion from our usual content, our &More section this month is devoted exclusively to poetry. A great argument can be made that if you want to be a good writer, you should be reading good poetry! And we have a special interview this with the outstanding New York writer guru, Gabriela Periera, well known for her lectures/presentations at writing conferences and workshops around the country and the founder of the DIY MFA program. And of course - you never want to miss Betty’s Tips.

Issue 39, Sept/Oct 2015

We are a nation of sports fanatics. Ever wonder why? Could it be because we have an innate love of stories? All of our games have unique settings, a cast of characters, plus tension and conflict that neatly end in a clear resolution. Consider the following:

Football - A thriller novel: A large cast of violent characters trying to dominate an opposing group, set in a larger than life setting. The hero (our quarterback) leads his team to victory in a struggle with a talented evil villain (their quarterback) as the clock ticks against a deadline.

Baseball - A literary novel: The characters are almost as important as the game. The setting is well defined but can be a large setting or a small one. the timing is leisurely, with a few points of intense action and emotion, but the plot goes on. Finally, in the end, there is a resolution, more  or less, although it may be anti-climatic. But the itself game was more important than the results. 

Basketball - A short story: A tightly confined setting, a small cast of characters, a short time frame, an intense conflict filled with sharp give and take, ending in a speedy resolution

Track & Field - Flash fiction. Not enough time to define the characters, but the setting is obvious and the action is fast and furious. The resolution defines the end the story.

Lawn Bowling - a cozy mystery? And soccer?- (insert your answer here)

It would be fun to go on and on like this, sitting around a table matching our sports to their 

literary counterparts, but the underlying point remains - We love our games because they have all the elements of a great story: Setting, characters, tension, conflict (another name for plot), and resolution. Even after the game is over, we continue to recount the stories, both talking about them and writing about them  - who did what, against whom, how tense it was, and how it was finally resolved. When the tension remains high to the end, with resolution coming just before time runs out, the more we love it, and talk and write about it later. 

Maybe that is how our stories began, before we had the ability to imagine our own stories, then to write them down, so we could enjoy them over and over.

All of which makes us proud to present our own all-star line up for our Sept./Oct. issue of BWG Writers Round table.

In this issue: We are happy to present the work of  Rich Mantle, the third place winner of the 2015 SHORT STORY AWARD competition, as our featured author, backed by wonderful poets and authors by Elizabeth Kirkpatrick Vrenios, Patricia Perry Donovan, Marina Favila, and Debra H. Goldstein as our &More contributors. As usual we round out our line up with a wonderful Diane Sismour interview with romance author Jennifer Apodaca, and the always fun Betty’s Tips. 

Happy reading!

Issue 36, March/April 2015

We are an “old fashioned” editorial crew: we love stories. We admire great writing; we swoon at beautifully worded sentences and lovely descriptions, and chuckle at clever metaphors--but we always choose a great story over all of that. We constantly receive great character sketches, serious mood pieces, wonderfully written scenes that in the end are just wonderful scenes or elegant reminiscences that are in fact just “a day (or month, or year) in the life of…” And we judge all of this by one simple standard--where is the story?

What’s a story? A character(or characters) that we care for (or hate) in a conflict (plot) that leads to a logical resolution that has an emotional effect on the character, and on us, the readers. For us, story trumps even superior writing. The writing quality may be less than that in the character sketches, mood pieces, scenes, or reminiscences, if the story pulls us in and makes us root for the character as he/she wrestles through a conflict.

This does not disqualify real life memoirs or reminiscences, as long as they are told as a story--a real life story. After all, everybody’s life is a story. You are the character fighting through a conflict which changed you somehow. If this didn’t happen, you wouldn’t be trying to tell us about it.

So send us a story, real or imagined. Try hard to give us good writing, but try harder to give us a good story--and we will love you for it. 

In this issue: Our Featured author, Edward Ahern, shares a story of a man facing the crossroads of a passing generation with "The Cottage." Founding BWG member Courtney Annicchiarico brings us her interview with a truly remarkable young man, John Lahutsky, who overcame enormous odds and tells his story in his book, THE BOY FROM BABY HOUSE 10. Our &More authors--Jackie Davis Martin, Julia Pimblett, and Sara Etgen-Baker--bring us their stories with good characters, good challenges, and good endings. And, as always, we have Betty Wryte-Goode's tips--this time on how to avoid procrastination. 

Issue 33, September/October 2014

September and October are pivotal months in the calendar year. Some people look at this period as the beginning of the end of year: the best parts of the year, spring and summer, are past as we head towards shorter days and winter. Other folks are cheered by this period: The wonderful colors of fall, fresher weather, the start of a new school year, the beginning of the football season and the other great fall sports. New beginnings.

Writers are great ones for new beginnings: The fun of starting a new story, developing new characters, the possibility of a new acceptance, friends coming back from their summer activities and summer vacations to resume their involvement in your writers/critique group. In many ways, the fall season is as optimistic as spring.

And optimism is a key element for a successful writer. Writing is a tough business. Rejection is much more common than acceptance, with most of these rejections seemingly arbitrary, based on the subjective taste of the editor, or an opaque criterion not apparent to the writer. But the successful writer must push past this, remain optimistic, knowing that a new story will be better than the last one, and that there are people out there waiting, even anxious, to read it. The successful writer also keeps rewriting and sending out the stories that have been previously rejected, maybe many times, knowing that they will eventually find a home. The history of literature is filled with examples of writers and novelists who were rejected an astonishing number of times before they were acknowledged as truly talented writers.

Enjoy the fall. It is its own form a new beginning, a new year. Enjoy your writing. Each day, each new effort, is a beginning.

In this issue: We are happy to present the work of talented writer, Suzanne Purvis as our Featured Author. Her story mixes up hot coffee, a hot guy, and a "hot ticket" for a fun read. Our interview is with Curtis Smith, a highly respected novelist and short story author who will serve as the celebrity judge for the 2015 BWG Short Story Award. The competition opens on October 1. (See the tab above for more information.) In our &More section, we present a mix of stories dealing with transitions and family--at their best and worst. And once again we have Betty's Tips from around the Web. Happy reading--and happy new beginnings.

Issue 30, March/April 2014

Editor's Note: We are making a big change this month, converting from a monthly magazine to bi-monthly. The current issue will continue on-line for both March and April. We are making this change to put out a literary magazine of outstanding quality and pertinence that vibrates with our readers and writers. This change also has the advantage of allowing your stories and interviews to be posted on-line for a far greater period in front of a larger reading audience. You might also have noticed that we've changed our look--a bit. We hope our new color scheme enhances your reading pleasure.

In this issue: For our new bimonthly issues, we've combined our March theme, Luck of the Irish, with our theme for April, and Death and Taxes. Our featured author is Walter Bego with his scintillating tale, "Four Quarters of the Apocalypse." Diane Sismour brings us another of her in-depth interviews, this time with the fascinating Stacy Wilkes. Mike Berlin joins us for the first time in our &More Section with his short story, "A Penny Saved," and we're happy to have Gloria Alden back with her new story, "The Body in the Red Silk Dress." It's not what you think! Good reading and good writing for all. Jerome McFadden, editor.

Issue 27, December 2013

Editor's Note:  Once upon a time in an ancient but proud land, there was a tribe of so-called “cub reporters” who haunted the fringes of city newspaper press rooms. We slaved away at menial chores for menial pay and less than menial acknowledgement, covering such news stories as police blotters, church socials, water and sewage announcements,  bridge openings, baptisms, obituaries, and other “news” trivia of the back pages  We were lashed daily by the whip of the FIVE Ws of journalism: who, what, where, when, and why. If we did not have all of those in our lead paragraph or in the one or two paragraphs allotted to us, we were castigated, criticized, made fun of, and trembled for our jobs. Example: “John D. Doe, 47, of Bethlehem, was pulled out of a tree on Oak Street on Wednesday afternoon  by the Bethlehem Fire Department where he became entangled while trying to rescue his cat. Neither Mr. Doe nor his cat was injured.”

The few of us who survived moved towards the front pages, with the FIVE Ws ingrained into our psyches on whatever we wrote. They had to be in the story—otherwise we had no story. Later, when some of us moved into creative writing, we found these same five elements necessary for our fiction: Who (your character or characters), What (the conflict in your story), Where & When (the setting of your story), Why (your character/characters’ motivation).

Forgetting any one of these lessens your story. But it is easy to forget one or two of them in the heat of writing when you are immersed with your