Editors' Notes--Bernadette De Courcey

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Issue 52, Spring 2018

Welcome to our Spring issue. Our e-zine is entering its eighth year of publishing short stories, poems, interviews, and the ever so popular “Betty’s Tips.” We receive many submissions from the public and welcome every author to submit their work to us for consideration for publication. Sharing your work can be a rewarding and inspiring experience. Which leads me to the topic of online platforms that exist solely for blossoming authors.

These sites allow authors to upload their writing for others to read and critique. Website’s like yourwriteon.com is a forum that authors can join for free. The deal is that you can upload a short story or part of your novel, there is a word limit, to the site, and then other members will read your work and give you feedback on it. Once you are signed in you must also read and critique other people’s submissions. Your work is then rated and can, if popular, move to the number one spot on the platform. Some authors have actually received a book deal and have been successfully published after using this platform. There are other sites similar to this like Booksie, Wattpad, and Prose, which is for poetry and prose.

These types of platforms are especially helpful if you are not a member of a writing group and need to get a feel for what your strengths and weaknesses are. They can also help you see how you compare with other authors. If nothing else it can be a fun social experience sharing tips with other writers who are on a similar journey. Millions of authors are currently enrolled and actively using these sites. Check them out and see if they appeal to you.

The other topic I want to mention is that of “writer in residence.” Many colleges and libraries have a position that is funded to pay a salary to a writer who applies and is accepted for a contract as a “writer in residence.” Their duties then are to lecture students and the public on aspects of creative writing, while also having time (and money) to work on their own writing. Some colleges like Penn Statehave advertised resident lecture positions for one semester in English poetry and literature for authors who have not yet been published. How wonderful to get paid for doing exactly what you love to do.

All you have to do is a Google search to find out about other opportunities in your area. It is also fun to go to local talks given by a writer in residence. We at the Roundtable look forward to a new and exciting year for all of our followers and members, and we hope that you enjoy reading this issue.

Issue 47, Winter 2017

Welcome readers to our quarterly Winter issue. As we begin another new year in the not so new millennium; I feel like it is a good time to take a look at how popular the printed word is. Right now information and entertainment can be accessed, downloaded, and streamed continuously 24-hours a day, onto our tablets, phones, laptops, and televisions. It has never been easier to get what we want when we want it. So where does that leave us writers? Surprisingly, traditional print books are gaining popularity again. According to Nielson.com, traditional print book sales increased as sales of ebooks dropped 3% in 2015. At the same time, there was an increase of downloading ebook’s onto Smartphones, to a total of 14.3% of digital sales. As the USA remains the country that publishes by far the most books, it is interesting to know that over 600 million print books and over 200 million ebooks, were purchased in 2015. That is a lot of books!

Self-publishing has also increased in popularity. Did you know that “The Martian” written by Andy Weir was originally self-published? (Yes the one that became a box-office hit starring Matt Damon.) Some self-publishers have also been able to get successfully funded by organizations such as Kickstarter. This is a new avenue for self-publishing. An author can upload their book project and then investors can choose to fund it or not. One example of how this can be successful is the children’s book “Lil Bub”. What an adorable little dog?

Unfortunately, even though Indie authors are hitting the best seller list, they are still vying for limited shelf space in stores. Eventually this may change as store managers continue to realize that a good book is a good book, regardless of how it was published.

In other news, Wattpad is continuing to grow in popularity boasting about 45 million users. On this site an author can share their work and receive feedback similar to Goodreads, which is now owned by Amazon and has a healthy 20 million users. That is over 65 million active users between the two sites.

Clearly, there is a huge market for books, whether they are print or ebooks, self-published or traditionally published. It is much harder to measure the stats for short stories, but considering there are too many publications to name that publish short stories and poetry, both in print and online, I’d safely say that there is an increasing demand for those too.

To sum it up, get writing and get publishing, perhaps your next novel will star Matt Damon too. You just never know!!

In this issue we have a poem titled "Feedback" by John Grey, and a short story in our &More about Agatha told by each of the characters and written by members of BWG.

Our featured author Daniel Krippene takes the reader into a dystopian future with his short story "Snow Belt Sanctuary".

BWGRoundtable are excited to now pay authors for publication.

We look forward to receiving your submissions and comments.

Enjoy!

Issue 43, May/June 2016

Welcome to our 43rd issue. Our theme this month is loosely based around the idea of "growing and changing". The stories reflect this theme regardless of their genre.

Arthur Doweyko, our featured author, writes a short-story about Andrew "the last model scheduled" by Systems to be "upgraded". Even half-robot half-humans have to grow and change, or "upgrade". Although, some "upgrades" are better to be avoided if possible.

If someone asked me if I was a "sci-fi" reader, I probably would say "No". However, after reading Doweyko's top ten list, I realized that since I have read most of these books and own about half of them, that in fact I should really reconsider my answer. I took a long look at my book collection and pulled out all my "sci-fi" books. It took me a lot longer than I thought it would. Turns out one of my top three favorite "sci-fi" books are "Mary Shelly's - Frankenstein", "Philip K. Dick's - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep", and "Peter Watts - Starfish". I realized in that moment that I love reading about the darkness of humanity. I also have a slight obsession with Neil deGrasse Tyson's research into "dark matter" and "black holes". I even went to the Fort Lauderdale Science Museum just to see their black hole exhibition.

The way I see it "sci-fi" is a cross between real science that explores our world in order to make sense of it, and the deep exploration of the role humans, with their many complexities, have within that same world. There has to be darkness in order for there to be light. Failure precedes growth which precedes evolution.

For writers to delve into the endless possibilities that sci-fi has to offer, they must be prepared to leave the light. Are you afraid of the dark?

Issue 40, Nov/Dec 2015

Welcome faithful readers! Tis the season of festivities once again. While we are in the midst of taking down Halloween ghosts and ghouls, making our guest list for Thanksgiving, and preparing for the eminent arrival of Santa and his reindeer (You may also be buying salt, windshield scrappers, and snow shovels!) the pages of our books go unfilled. However, November is the month of Nanowrimo. Many groups around the country get together and try to accomplish the daunting (but doable) task of completing 50,000 words in just THIRTY days. At the end you will even get a certificate for all of your hard written words. Check out your area for a group and get writing!

On January 1, we open our sixth short story award for entries. The theme is children’s short stories of 2,000 words or less suitable for pre-school through to middle school. Perhaps you could even edit down your 50,000 words to your best 2,000 and send it in. The winner will have the opportunity to be published in our next anthology. Which brings me on to the arrival of our latest anthology of short stories “A Readable Feast,” which will be available for purchase this November. You can check outBethlehem Writers Group to find out about book-signings in your area. It features previous winners of our short story award and all of our member’s best short stories.

I hope you will enjoy all of this month’s stories, poems, interview, and Betty’s writing tips. Until next year!

Issue 37, May/June 2015

Congratulations to our Short Story Award winners. It will be exciting to see these refreshingly original stories in print soon.

This issue I would like to talk a little bit about e-publishing. A lot of people are interested in this increasingly popular avenue for authors. According to authorearnings.com, June of last year was the turning point as “indie-published authors as a cohort began taking home the lion’s share (40%) of all ebook author earnings generated on Amazon.com, while authors published by all of the Big Five publishers combined, slipped into second place at 35%.”

It is an extremely difficult task to track all of on-line sales of e-books because a lot of manuscripts are sold without ISBN numbers and only the main sellers (Amazon, Apple, Google, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo) really provide accurate numbers. Therefore, it is possible that e-books are accounting for even more of the sales.

Recently, we here at the Roundtable ventured into the e-book realm to release our book titled “Let it Snow”. It was such a simple process that it only took us a couple of months and there it was available for purchase on Amazon.com. Amazing really when you think of how much time is consumed trying to get your work accepted by an agent and then hopefully accepted by a publishing house, and we all know how “easy – not” that is.

The most successful in the e-book realm are women. Yes, women are the number one sellers due to the fact that they are the ones penning the romance genre which is the most popular genre purchased as an e-book. Now we can’t all be Bella Andre who has earned millions selling over 3.5 million books worldwide since 2013, but obviously she is a perfect example of an author who has successfully earned a living without the machine of a publishing house.

To sum it up, it appears that we are at that moment in time when the scales are tipping firmly in favor of the e-publishing realm and if we aren’t on the right side of that scale- we may find ourselves left behind. And we don’t want that to happen now do we?

In this issue we have an intriguing interview with New York Times bestseller crime and mystery author Hallie Ephron; three short stories centered on the theme that “family matters” by three authors that definitely matter; Teresa Rose Ezell, Michael J. Moran and Sara Etgen-Bake, and one poem by poet Polly McCann. And as usual we have our Betty providing the latest writing tips. Happy reading!

Issue 34, Nov/Dec 2014

The other day I started asking myself why I started writing in the first place? It’s daunting, the self-criticism is unrelenting, the hours are long, the pay is – well what pay? I tried to remember when I fell in love with the written word; was it when I read “Great Expectations” for the first time at the age of eight or when I read “Wuthering Heights” for the first time at the age of twelve, or was it an all-encompassing love of all the books I have read before and since? It wasn’t something I could pin-point. The fact is the more books I read, the more books I have to read.

Just this past week I went to Hemingway’s home museum in Key West and until I got there I had little stored information as to who the “man” Hemingway was. Did I know he’d been married four times? No, although I had heard mention of his charm and love of adventure. Did I know he’d been bestowed medals for his courage? No, although I knew he had been involved in the war. I knew he had boxed, but I was amazed to learn how much a part of his life boxing was. Ultimately, I left this famous author’s house asking myself – what am I doing writing? This man produced famous Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize winning work, while having a really incredibly full and active life. But then I remembered I fell in love with the written word because of authors like Hemingway. Of course I cannot imitate him, nor shall I compare my meager work to his. Instead, my one tiny goal is to write something someday that will be a small contribution to why another little girl or boy falls in love with the written word.

Perhaps you, too, have a special short story waiting to be written and submitted to our Short Story Award, which will inspire a future writer. So get writing!

In this issue:

Our Featured Author, P. Jo Anne Burgh, shares a poignant story of family traditions in "Funeral Luncheons." In &More, Alan D. Harris tells us about men of high integrity and the values they taught,

Deborah Davis relates a tale of family and change, D. H. Hanni shares a story of compassion and redemption, and J. Keith Jones gives us a timely tale of turkeys and treachery. And our own Betty Wryte-Goode gives us her recommendations of gifts for young readers. We hope you enjoy them all.

We wish our readers happy holidays as we look forward to bringing you more terrific stories in 2015.

Co-editor

Bernadette DeCourcey

Issue 31, May/June 2014

Yes, Winter is finally over. It's time to get out of the house and explore. And what better way for us writers to do that than by attending a writers conference We have a few listed on our &More page, and for more you can visit Shaw Guideshere. If it's your first time, it's best to start small and local, so as not to be overwhelmed. Be prepared to do some work as well as to have fun. It's a good idea to bring some of your writing, a business card, and an open mind. Don't expect to get an agent and a contract, but do try to meet an agent and if there's an opportunity to present your work for editing by a presenter, do it! Remember your friends are not editors, so its a good idea to have a seasoned writer take a look. Whether you can commit to a workshop, or a whole weekend, invite a friend or go it alone, I assure you that you will be amazed by how motivated you will be to get that story or novel or award winning poem finished once you return home. And even in this digital age - standing in front of a real person, asking real time questions, and getting real time answers and tips, is still very valuable. As is getting out, away from the computer, and having some fun, now that it's not snowing anymore. In this issue:Lynne Voyce debuts her "Fish Story" (right) which won 2nd Place in the 2014 Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Award. "Sushi and Turtle Brownies" by Caitlin Prozonic, and "Nuts and Bolts" by Alice Owens Johnson are our &More stories for this issue. Both of these were semi-finalists in the Short Story Award competition. Each story in the competition followed a food theme, but each is very different from the others. Note also that we have new links and features on our &More page, (including links to upcoming writers and readers conferences). Our own Diane Sismour has another of her fascinating interviews. This time it's with Rich Johnson who talks about graphic novels. They're not just for kids! And, as always, Betty's Tips from around the Web. Enjoy!

Issue 27, Dec. 2013

We at the Roundtable would like to thank all our readers for their continued contributions and support. We wish you all the best of fun reading and writing in the New Year. At this time of the year it is fun to predict what the future holds, and this year I'm particularly interested in the future of publishing. While doing my research I came across these "believable" top ten predictions for digital publishing/ eBooks on Forbes' website and I wanted to share them with you ...and add my interpretation of them of course.

1. Barnes & Noble will close or sell Nook and go private. I don’t think the Nook will go away, rather it will become a separate entity. 2. Amazon will go the way of Barnes & Noble…and open its own physical stores in 2014.This means that they will have to pay sales tax and higher operating costs and perhaps the price of books they sell online will increase. 3. Trade publishers will sell and acquire assets to “verticalize” their businesses. What does that mean exactly? Well Penguin and Random House have merged, HaperCollins took over Thomas Nelson, and Hachette acquired the adult list of Hyperion. Now publishers need to be competitive especially with the increased self-publishing market, so they are focusing their marketing in specific areas e.g. eBooks on design, boating, motorbikes etc. Also, more mergers are to be expected. 4. The illustrated book business will become severely challenged. They will continue to exist, but publishers are unable to translate them to eBooks that sell, as of yet. 5. Publishers will go after new revenue streams as ebook revenue growth continues to taper. They may expand into conferences, education, and other areas.They are losing major revenue on print books. 6. More publishers will endorse the subscription ebook model by doing business with Oyster, Scribd and other similar services.Think Amazon’s KOLL - Kindle Owners’ Lending Library (KOLL) or the arrival of a Netflix…for eBooks. 7. More publishers will launch magazines and websites catering to reader interests and start selling ebooks directly to customers. We here at the Roundtable have worked hard to cater to our reader’s interests and we aim to provide a place for readers and writers that are not being catered to by the big publishing houses. 8. Publishers will move toward data-drive decision making. Have you heard about the NSA? Just think how easy it is in the internet/smartphone age to track our likes and dislikes, from what we google, to what we read on-line, what we buy, where we live, what our demographic is, what we do on FB, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest…our daily activities are now providing a mine of data to all sorts of businesses and for the most part we’re oblivious to it! 9. More price experimentation. If you’re buying books the news is good…eBooks should get cheaper, however, if you’re selling books….not such good news. And lastly..10. The “big five” publishers will make their full ebook catalogs available to libraries for purchase. Why? Because it won’t hurt their sales and everyone else has been doing this all along. Good news for libraries.

As interesting as all of these predictions are, I have yet to read an eBook. If you are like me then you'll like these top 23 reasons to read books.

In this issue: This month we have a short story from featured author Stanley W. McFarland, a poem "New Years Wishes" by Diane Sismour, two flash stories, "Refill" and "The Update" from Paul Weidknecht, and a short story "American Flyers" by C. L. Wright. Our interview this month is with new author Valerie Horowitz who talks about independently publishing her first novel, Cinnamon Girl . Enjoy! Bernadette De Courcey, co-editor

Issue 25, Oct., 2013

Editor's Note: Book Clubs.

To join or not to join? - that is the question. I recently joined the book club at my work. We meet once a month over lunch to discuss the book of the month. I was hesitant to take on the task of reading to a deadline, considering my workload -teaching, writing, editing, and my writers group. However, I am glad that I did. As you writers have heard before, reading as many other peoples literary works as possible will make you a better writer. And with said above workload- my reading was definitely slacking. The book club gave me the motivation to read and what’s more, to read things I wouldn’t normally read. In the process, I have discovered that math professors and accountant professors make interesting revelations on topics I wouldn’t normally be exposed to. Sharing our insights is enlightening and it also allows the writer in me to quietly observe how different people view style, technique, and the “quality of writing”; in a book. Analyzing the story, the characters, (we read fiction and non-fiction) and the process itself, actually stirs my own creative thinking and reinforces my desire to write and write well.

Did I mention that our book club comes with good food? Always a plus. In the past authors of the chosen book have joined the book club in person or via skype. Something I definitely look forward to participating in, in the near future. So if you are still deliberating on whether to join or not to join – my advice is just do it. It’s a lot of fun and the benefits are worth it!

In this issue: Our featured author for the month was chosen for her wonderful theme approptiate story "Beyond the Gate". Jeanine Everett has finished her first novel and we won't be surprised if she becomes a published novelist in the near future. In our &More we have two bewitching stories, "Phoenix Rises" by Canadian Melodir Corrigall and "A Late Afternoon Visitor" by Ella Jones. This month's interview of writer and speaker Rebecca Forster, is brought to us by Marianne Donley. And of course don't forget to check out our short story award, and Betty's Tips from around the web. Enjoy!

Issue 22, July, 2013

EDITORS' NOTE: It’s now mid-summer and the Roundtable is once again calling for submissions from our readers. Our e-zine publishes short stories that are either fiction or memoir.

What is a short story exactly? Well, it is considered to be a complete story written in no set length. It utilizes plot and characters, and has a beginning, middle and an end. Very similar to a novel, but not as complex. The Short Story emerged from oral storytelling traditions in the 17^th century and it is usually written around and about a single self-contained incident. The short story varies from country to country, language to language, but universally it is very popular for magazines and story collections like anthologies. Many successful authors began their career writing short stories. Possibly because it is a less daunting endeavor than the full length novel. The earliest stories such as Homer’s “Iliad” and “Odyssey” are still taught in school and college today. The goal of these early stories was that they could be told to an audience in one sitting and evoke an emotion from the listener’s. Keeping this in mind, the Short Story has evolved from demands from the publishing industry and submission guidelines of publications. Some want them to be strictly within their genre of choice, for example sci-fi magazines publish science-fiction stories. Even Hollywood has gotten into the Short Story industry producing feature length films like “Brokeback Mountain”, “Total Recall” and “Children of the Corn”, from short stories. Maybe that could be the future of your short story but you won’t know until you write it. We here at the Roundtable accept a broad range of genres in the hopes that our readers can get a starting point for their writing career.

In this issue: We feature William Cass's short story "Honeymoon"....I think the title gives plenty of information on this gem. In &More we have Stanley W. McFarland's story, "Treasure in your Hand" and Bill Vernon's story "In This Doing". Juilene Osborne-McKnight shares her writing wisdom with us in this month's interview. And of course we have more tips from our very own Betty Wryte-Goode. Enjoy!

Issue 20, May, 2013

Editor's Note: It's May. Time to tend to the garden, mow the lawn, and in some areas of the world - finish shoveling off the last snow fall. All of these jobs take us outdoors so why not take our writing outdoors as well. Summer is around the corner and for a lot of writers that means more time for writing. With longer hours of daylight and warmer weather, we tend to get up earlier and stay up later . So why not enjoy these daylight hours by finding a spot on the patio to sit with your laptop and tap away on the keyboard. Enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. Ask yourself what can I accomplish over the summer months? One flash fiction piece maybe? One short story to enter into a competition? The first few chapters of a novel? Maybe you can take to the beach like author Virginia Kantra to find inspiration for a burning hot romance! Whatever you decide to do is up to you - and we hope that you will send us what you have written by summer's end. Now there's a goal worth working towards. Keep the sunblock handy and apply generously, and for writer's block - well that's another story.

In this issue: Diane Sismour interviews Romance Author Virginia Kantra who loves doing her research at the beach- lucky her! We have two short stories that received Honorable Mentions in our Short Story Award competition, Winter Rain by Shannon Guerreso, and Ball Mason Preserves by Kou K. Nelson. Also, we have wonderful tips on writing Flash Fiction by our own Betty Wryte Goode.

Below is our featured author of the month and runner-up in our Short Story Award, K. B. Inglee with her heart-warming story Weaver's Trade.

Issue 18, March, 2013

EDITORS' NOTE: First of all, our Short Story Award is closed. Thank you to everyone who entered. We were delighted with the variety of entries from all over the world. Our celebrity judge Hank Phillippi Ryan will have the tough job of deciding our winner and runners-up this year. We will be contacting all winners and finalists, once judging is complete. Also, thank you to our team at BWG for working so hard to make our Short Story Award such a success.

This month's issue of Roundtable is themed "March Madness". Each month we offer a theme to inspire our readers to write and submit a story for publication. As you will see in this month's issue, our stories are completely unique even though they are all motivated by the same theme. Writing is unlimited in it's possibilities, kind of like music. I used to think that eventually pop stars would run out of new tunes to use and would have to resort to breaking copyright laws or simply covering old tunes with new lyrics. As we all know this has not happened. Stars like Taylor Swift are writing new lyrics and producing original songs as easy as one, two, three. Or so it seems. Writing, like music, continues to evolve to please the readers who are evolving also, but it is not going out of fashion and certainly, not everything that can be written has been written. Sometimes music and creativity go hand in hand, and some believe that listening to music can stimulate our brains' creativity. Therefore, if you are looking for new ways to write or be inspired, try listening to music you haven't listened to before, or haven't listened to in a while. You may be surprised how effective music can be to put us into a time and place where our imagination can be set free to roam wild. On that note - enjoy this month's madness, i.e. St. Patrick's Day, and of course this month's "March Madness" issue.

In this issue: Do you or someone you know suffer from Schlockenvolk Syndrome? Read Emily Murphy's humorous short story below to find out. Our two stories in &More, "Running" by Jess Small, and "They" by Jerome McFadden will leave you thinking and terrified of corn fields. Carol Wright interviews Donald Bain, author of the "Murder She Wrote" series for this month's interview. He reveals his secrets on how he captures the female voice and how he earns a living ghostwriting. Be sure to check it out. For more writing tips check in on our own Betty Wryte-Goode.

Issue 16, January, 2013

Editor's Note: Happy New Year readers! The last time I wrote this note I was beginning Nanowrimo. I am pleased to say that I wrote almost 20,000 words. The 50,000 word goal eluded me, but I definitely wrote about 2,000 words worth keeping. At least for now. I will begin my new year as always with my own resolutions. They include; write more, submit a story for publication, enter at least one writing contest, continue to support the authors at BWG and the Roundtable, and continue teaching English to enthusiastic students. According to statistics, those of us who set goals in the form of Resolutions at the beginning of the year, achieve more than those who don't make a list at all. So, whether you make a list of Resolutions or Indulgences (like Beverly Offen in our &More section), keep that in mind. As always the Roundtable is open to the public for submissions and our 2013 Short Story Award competition is still accepting entries. The Roundtable may be the perfect place to expand your career as a writer!

In this issue: Catcher Ames delights us with his story of a murder for hire--and it's hard to make that delightful! We also have an interesting interview with Lee Lofland who knows all the ins and major outs of police procedures and how to write accurately about crime. (Warning to fans of the show Castle, you may be surprised at how wrong they get it.) We have a thought provoking story from Beverly Offen regarding resolutions in &More. And Emily P. W. Murphy shares her short story entitled, The Party. Hmm--I wonder if that's a New Year's Eve party. Enjoy!

Co-Editor Bernadette De Courcey

Issue 14, November 2012

EDITORS' NOTE: Welcome readers, to this months issue of the Writers Roundtable. There's a lot going on this month, we're taking down Halloween decorations, preparing for the family get together at Thanksgiving, and beginning our Christmas or Holiday season list of things to do, there might not be much time left for our writing. However, if you want to write, and you want to be motivated to write, and you need a really good excuse to write, then there's always NANOWRIMO.org. Every year I consider falling into the literary abandonment that is Nanowrimo but somehow the month passes and, I've missed it. But readers, not this year. This year I will do it. I will sign in and spend every minute I can of every day, tapping away on this keyboard. The goal of Nanowrimo is to write 50,000 words of a novel (preferably your own novel) within the thirty days of November. Your word count is saved and tallied for you each day and at the end, if you succeed in reaching the goal of 50,000 words, you will receive a certificate and a web badge. Nice! As the famous saying goes; "There is nothing to fear but fear itself". Will you do it with me?

In this issue: Our featured author is our own Carol Birkas from Bethlehem. Her heartfelt story "Visions of Sugarplum Grandmothers" reflects on the complex connections within families. A good read as you prepare for your Thanksgiving get together with your loved ones. In our &More section, we feature a smorgasbord of flash fiction from many authors. Also we have lots of publicity advice from Caitlyn Kelleher, our interviewee this month. And as usual our Betty has some great tips. This month she talks about how to write Romance, so be sure and check her page. Enjoy- Bernadette De Courcey, co-editor.

Issue 12, September 2012

EDITOR'S NOTE: To reach a milestone, any milestone, is cause for pause and reflection. Here at the Writer's Roundtable, we are pausing just for a moment to acknowledge that we published our first edition just one year ago. I want to thank everyone involved in the publication for achieving this milestone and all of our readers, because without them we would not have a purpose.

As writers, we aim to reach new milestones--not quitting no matter what. As Alex Hughes, sci-fi/fantasy author, explains in this month's interview, we must become better writers in

the face of rejection and struggle on. How do we become better, you ask? Well lets take a look at Alex's example: the first step was taking a writing course in college, then joining a writers group, then taking another writing course and attending various writers conferences along the way. Even in the face of countless rejections Alex had the dedication to learn and grow as a writer in order to reach that milestone--publication. And how did Alex get published you ask? Amazingly Alex entered a competition and caught the attention of an editor, and the rest as we say is history.

Another successful author, Curtis Smith, sat down with Jerome McFadden this month and explained that writing is like exercise, you have to "fit it into your day" and I'm sure just like exercise makes us fitter, writing everyday can only make us better writers, ight? Right.

SO what can you do right now to help you reach your milestone and then hopefully another and another? Maybe you can take a writers course. Maybe you can write every day; fit it into your schedule like eating and sleeping. Maybe you can attend writers conferences or writers workshops. A workshop recently benefited one of our own writers Sal, and she is currently editing her memoir manuscript with new enthusiasm, new insight and support from the workshop author. Maybe you can join a writers group or start one if there isn't one nearby. The Bethlehem Writers Group has helped me improve my writing ability and we support each other, which can often be the difference between giving up and staying the course. Maybe you can enter competitions such as theBETHLEHEM WRITERS ROUNDTABLE SHORT STORY AWARD. Regardless of the outcome you will write better if you know it is going to be read and judged.Also it gives you a deadline and if you're a procrastinator...well you have to get down to it. And last but not least, send your work off to be published. Send it to a print magazine, an online ezine (ahem--this one accepts submissions). Send it anywhere you can think of that prints work similar in style and length to what you have written.

Now after you have read this month's issue, off you go and start working towards that next milestone! Here's hoping our Writer's Roundtable reaches its next milestone.

IN THIS ISSUE: Meet "Critter" the diamond horse in the rough, a heartwarming story by Diane Sismour. We have a truly inspiring in-depth interview with Alex Hughes, by Ann Decker. A short story,"Music" by renowned and multi-talented author, Curtis Smith, which brings to mind the quote - the best book is not the thought which it contains, but the thought which it suggests (O. Holmes). Curtis also shares his writing secrets with Jerome McFadden in &More. Enjoy!

Issue 10, July, 2012

EDITORS' NOTE: As writers, we can choose a genre before we begin the process of writing; or, we can write first and then classify the work afterwards. In order to decide, we must ask ourselves questions. Where does this belong? Is it a mystery, romance, thriller and so forth? As a reader, I enjoy most genres but I prefer to read works that would be classified as literary fiction. To belong in this category, literary works usually focus on the development of the characters or “subjects” of the narrative, and the action is secondary for the movement of the plot. Usually, to be considered literary, a work must be “critically acclaimed.” However, another way to recognize a good literary work is to ask; are the characters complex, are there multi-layers to the plot, does it invoke emotion or do you feel transcended in a personal way? Literary fiction is usually contrasted with paraliterary, for e.g. commercial, popular or genre fiction. In this genre, the same focus on the subject is also given to the social and material complexities of the object. And paraliterary fiction also uses the plot to engage the reader and elicit emotion. Literary fiction can often have a darker tone than that of paraliterary theory and is often more serious. In recent years we have seen a trend towards blending popular genres with literary fiction, as the style of the author is too elegant, layered and complex to not be acknowledged as having literary prowess. It may take a new author some time to find a genre they are comfortable in, but keep in mind that lots of authors write in more than one.

In this issue: This month we feature Courtney Annicchiarico, and her short story "Repercussions" which tells the tale of a father coming to terms with his son's brain damage. We have lots of advice, like "don't get it right, get it written," from romance novelist Kara Lennox. We are also proud to publish our second and third place Short Story Award winners, Joyce Lekas and Ken Burrows. Their emotion-invoking stories are well worth the read. I hope you are all enjoying your summer. Co-editor Bernadette De Courcey

Issue No. 8, May, 2012

EDITOR'S NOTE: With some embarrassment I must confess, I recently had an unfortunate, yet common, mishap befall my laptop--it crashed. One day it was working and the next it would not turn on. I hadn’t dropped it; I hadn’t spilled coffee on it; there was no lightning storm--no reasonable explanation at all. It had simply fried--all on its own-some. After my ten-minute discussion with the manufacturer, I was informed that: it was still under the first year warranty--great; the CPU was most likely dead--bad; and possibly my files could be transferred from the hard-drive--oh oh. All I heard was "your files are gone," because I had not followed the three golden rules of writing on a PC--back-up, back-up, and back-up. Now that I have my laptop back and miraculously all of my files, I will be following those rules to the tee. For those of you readers who have let your backing-up get behind, I suggest getting “back-up” to date, and for those few who have never “backed-up,” here are some tips.

Ideally you should try to have three copies of your files. One--the copy on your computer; two--the copy on a website like the Drop-box, Carbonite, Google Doc’s, iCloud, or your emailing your files to yourself. There are many ways to choose from. Three--a copy on an external hard-drive, flash memory stick, CD, or hard copy. The rule of thumb is to have this third copy outside of your house--maybe in your car or at the office or at your friend's or relative's house.

Backing-up is not an easy procedure but it is a very important one. We all have learned to save our valued manuscripts as we are creating them and we can learn the easy way (or the hard way as I have) to also save them elsewhere should some mishap befall your PC. Happy backing-up!

IN THIS ISSUE: We are delighted to announce our 2012 Short Story Award winners below. Get started now on your story for the 2013 competition which will open on October 15. In addition, we have a paranormal story from our featured author, Ralph Hieb. Courtney L. Duncan pulls us inside the mind of a woman betrayed, and Brenda Johnson offers a delightful children's story augmented by the charming illustrations of Pat Henderson on &More. Jeff Baird brings us an interview with well-known reporter/columnist Bill White, and our own Betty Wryte-Goode alerts us to writing tips from around the Web. Enjoy! Co-editor Bernadette DeCourcey

Issue No. 6, March, 2012

EDITORS' NOTE: Publishing is the process of making information available to the public in written form. Traditionally, publishing has centered on books, newspapers and magazines. However in recent years it has expanded to the internet via websites, blogs, e-books, e-zines and e-newspapers. These can be accessed by I-Pad, PC, Laptop, TV, E-readers and the I-Phone. Some believe this expansion has democratized publishing by allowing more people to make their ideas and creations accessbile to a wider public.

Publishing dates back thousands of years to when scribes copied out writings to be housed in ancient libraries. Modern publishing began after the invention of the printing press in the 1440's, that used movable type. The movable type allowed the printer to make more copies of a book quickly and use the same pieces of type to print many other books as well. Producing many books, pamphlets, and newsletters became more affordable and quickly grew to mass production of the written word.

The earliest professional publishers were printers. Sometimes, they sought out works from authors to print and sell. At other times, printers published pamphlets they themselves had written - self-publishing. By the late 1400's, these early printers had started the business of publishing as we know it. This remained the process until the early 2000's, when the divide between the publisher and the reading public became blurred. Bloggers became citizen journalists reporting on everything from events in their community to national politics. Individuals could leave comments on online newspaper websites and these comments became a part of the story read by other individuals. And therefore the reader became the author.

Now all authors can self-publish for free or close to free on the internet and obtaining a website to blog is simple even for those that are not computer savy. Social networking sites like facebook and twitter allow all opinions to be expressed at no cost, and e-zines like this one exist for authors to send their work to be published without charge for the public to read for free. Today, everyone has the opportunity to be published in some format or other. Is this a good thing? Well we let you answer that one.

In this issue: For our crime and mystery month, our co-editor, Jerome McFadden, shares his story "Suicide" with us, and the top ten places he never wants to go to again- understandably so. We have an intriguing interview of mystery writer Linda O. Johnston (who may be an alien) by Marianne Donley. And two short stories in our &More section; "Mincemeat is for Murder" by Gloria Alden, a member of Sisters in Crime, and "Carjacking" by local author Catcher Ames. If you have a fear of snakes or in-laws, these are definitely ones to read. Enjoy! Co-editor Bernadette De Courcey

Issue No. 5, February 2012

EDITORS' NOTE: Here we are into the second month of 2012 already. February is the shortest of all the months, even with an extra day because it’s leap year. It is also known as library lover’s month and national chocolate lover’s month. As an avid reader who grew up visiting my local library I encourage you to visit your library this month. Take out a book or two and let your librarians know you appreciate this free service. Sadly many are closing all over the country. As for national chocolate lover’s month, well it may have started with Casanova, known as "The World's Greatest Lover," who ate chocolate to make him virile. Physicians of the 1800's also commonly advised their patients to eat chocolate to calm their pining for lost love. And Richard Cadbury, capitalizing on these connections, produced the first box of chocolates for Valentine's Day in the late 1800's.

This year an estimated 35 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold for Valentine's Day. This day has been celebrated since 1537, when England's King Henry VII officially declared February 14th the holiday of St. Valentine's Day. Flowers are also a big gift of the day, with 73% of the buyers being men. Interestingly 15% of U.S. women send themselves flowers on Valentine's Day. Which reminds me of my school days in Ireland. One year a girl sent flowers to herself so that the boys would think she had a boyfriend. There was always a lot of excitement as for some reason valentine cards and flowers would be delivered by the postman to the classroom. I remember getting my first card; it was a very happy moment.

However the Valentine’s Day that stands out the most occurred many years later, while dating a man in Pennsylvania. On our first (and only) Valentine’s Day he arrived at my house to bestow upon me, a card, a bottle of red wine and a heart-shaped box of chocolates. He told me he wished we could have dinner but he really had to return to work. After he left I opened the box of chocolates and the wine and was about to sit and enjoy my wonderfully romantic tokens when I noticed a piece of paper on the floor. Itwas the receipt. A receipt for two cards, two bottles of wine and two heart shaped boxes of chocolate!

In this issue: Our featured story “Bittersweet” by Ann Decker is filled with wonderful chocolate and a pinch of love lost. We also have a short from Marianne Donley that brings us all back to our school days, aptly titled “Valentine’s Day Rules”. A flash piece with some new insight to what women want, by Paul Weidnecht, titled “A line from a Movie”. And an in-depth interview by Diane Sismour with Deena Remiel, author of the paranormal romance novels-Trinity and Relic.

I would also like to mention that last month’s interview with Random House senior editor Mark Tavani by Jerome McFadden caused quite a stir on Twitter. Our previous stories and interviews are archived in case you missed them. Just click on the archives button and they are listed alphabetically. Now I must get back to my library book and box of chocolates! Co-editor Bernadette DeCourcy

Issue No. 3, December 2011

Tis the season to be merry, to share smiles, exchange gifts, and send holiday greetings to those you care about. Even though the way in which we celebrate the holidays has changed; with custom printed picture cards, outside lights that can be seen from space, trees so tall that they need to be lifted up with cranes and hi-tech gifts like iPads, eReaders, and nano iPods fill our stockings, the message has stayed the same. For those who celebrate Christmas, it is said that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Jerusalem. In this site the Church of the Nativity is ablaze with flags and decorations every Christmas. On Christmas Eve natives and visitors alike crowd the church’s doorways and stand on the roof to watch for the procession. Galloping horsemen and police mounted on Arabian horses lead the parade, followed by men carrying a cross, on horses as black as coal. They are followed by churchmen and officials on foot and the procession solemnly enters the doors and places an ancient effigy of the Holy Child in the church. Deep winding stairs lead to a grotto where visitors find a silver star marking the site of the birth of Jesus. All Christian homes in Bethlehem are marked by a cross painted over the door and each home displays a homemade manger scene. And then there is the star that is always set up on a pole in the village square.

In 1937, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania’s Chamber of Commerce adopted the nickname “Christmas City, USA” and during a grand ceremony a towering wooden star was switched on, located on the South Mountain overlooking the city and surrounding area. The original construction was later replaced with steel and further renovated and redesigned in the 1960’s. Christkindlmarkt, a magical festival takes place here in “Christmas City, USA” each year and it has become a world-renowned holiday marketplace.

The featured story in this month’s issue, “The Perfect Gift” by Emily Murphy, is a wonderful holiday read reflecting our holiday-time emotions, and Emily's Top Ten Holiday Traditions are ones we can all relate to. We have an in-depth interview with Jonathan Maberry, our SHORT STORY AWARD judge. Under "More Features" you'll find Santa Claws, a short story from Jerome W. McFadden about the darker side of Santa, and Minerva, a children's story from Will Wright about a fox who hitches a ride into the city on a Christmas tree truck. And, of course, our own Betty Wryte-Goode is back. This month she has suggestions for gifts for the writers in your life. Enjoy--and Happy Holidays to all! (Bernadette DeCourcey, co-editor)

Issue No. 1, Sept/Oct 2011

Editor's Note: Welcome readers. We, the members of the Bethlehem Writer's Group, encourage participation from all who

view this site. We each have a voice, we have something to say, and hopefully, here on this site, your voice can be heard. Our featured author, Paul Weidknecht, has talent, has an original voice, and reading his story we become engaged with the characters and listen to what they have to tell us. We hope you enjoy the story and participate in the interactive experience of posting your constructive comments and checking back to see replies. Also, you can submit your own work to be published and critiqued. It is only through constructive criticism that we can truly master the craft of writing. We also have New and Notable stories from award-winning authors, Jo Ann Schafer and Ann Decker; an interview in Features with author/publisher Christine Weiser, which has something for anyone experiencing the trials of novel writing, publishing, and marketing; and Writers' Tips from our very own Betty Wryte-Goode. Enjoy. Bernadette DeCourcey