Hot, muggy, and wonderful!
Welcome to the dog days of summer. In case you were wondering, Google says: “The phrase ‘dog days of summer’ comes from the ancient Romans, who associated the hottest days of summer with the star Sirius, also known as the ‘Dog Star’. The Romans called this period dies caniculares, or ‘days of the dog star’, which was eventually translated into English as ‘dog days’.” So, there you have it!
For this month’s newsletter, I have a few people to thank. Then, I will plug an upcoming OLLI class I am teaching, mention a writers’ picnic you could attend, and let you know how you can contact me for editorial or book coaching services—fiction or non-fiction. Finally, I’ll share the ending of my short story, “Gronk,” the first half of which I included in last month’s newsletter. Some of you might recognize this story from my latest novel, But Cats Don’t Talk, which contains a much shorter and very different version.
Interview with Lisa Tener
about
BREATHE.WRITE.BREATHE.
for How-to-Write-a-Book.com
I was thrilled to be asked to conduct an interview with book coach and author Lisa Tener about her latest book, Breathe.Write.Breathe. for the website How-to-Write-a-Book.com. Lisa is so friendly and full of life and her book is an important one for writers and other creatives. Lisa, thank you for this wonderful opportunity to interview you.
Click HERE to read the interview.
And click HERE if you would like to buy your own copy of Breathe.Write.Breathe.—which I highly recommend!
Me with my twice-read (and counting!) copy of Breathe.Write.Breathe.
SO YOU WANT TO WRITE A MEMOIR?
Rogers Free Library, Bristol RI
Monday, July 15, 2024
I had a blast teaching another session of my memoir class on July 15 at Rogers Free Library in beautiful Bristol, Rhode Island. More than a dozen participants joined me for an interactive class—with lots of good questions!—all about how to plan and then write a memoir.
The class was the second installment of the library’s 6-part Writer’s Aid Series, hosted in partnership with the Association of Rhode Island Authors (ARIA). If you are interested in attending another class in the series, they’re free but registration is required, so contact Ann Kathrin Weldy, the library’s programming coordinator, at telephone: (401) 253-6948 or email: aweldy@rogersfreelibrary.org
Click HERE to purchase signed copies of my books.
THE LARCHMONT REMEMBERED: RHODE ISLAND’S MOST HORRIFIC MARITIME DISASTER
Woonsocket Harris Library
Thursday, July 18, 2024
I thoroughly enjoyed participating in a presentation with former Providence Journal columnist, Daniel Harrington at Woonsocket’s Harris Library. Dan dramatically described the terrible night in 1907 when the passenger steamship Larchmont collided with the schooner Knowlton in the frigid waters off the coast of Block Island. Then I spoke briefly about how I used that historical information to create my novel Frozen Voices, which chronicles the lives of four real-life people who were aboard the Larchmont that night.
All the folks at the Woonsocket Library—staff and patrons alike—were welcoming and attentive and seemed to enjoy the presentation. Thank you for spending your evening with Dan and me.
SO YOU WANT TO WRITE A MEMOIR?
URI’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
Tuesday, August 13, 2024
3:00 to 4:30 p.m.
I will be teaching another session of my memoir class for URI’s OLLI Program. This is the blurb from OLLI’s catalogue that describes the class:
Classes are held on the URI Campus in the OLLI Building at 210 Flagg Road, Kingston, RI 02881. To register for class, visit their website at https://web.uri.edu/olli or call them at (401) 874-4197.
ARIA Picnic for Members and Family
Yawgoo Bakes and Barbeques
Slocum, RI
Sunday, August 18, from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m.
If you are a Rhode Island writer, please consider joining ARIA, the Association of Rhode Island Authors, and attending our annual picnic to be held on Sunday, August 18, at Yawgoo Bakes in Slocum, RI. For the modest price of $24 apiece, you can enjoy good food, good fun, and good company with dozens of other authors. This is a wonderful networking event, too.
To find out more, visit ARIA’s website by clicking HERE.
Hope to see you at the picnic!
I currently have room in my schedule to take on two additional clients/projects. If you are in need of a book coach to help you write a book or an editor to help you prepare a book for publication, please visit my website by clicking HERE, and complete a Client Intake Form found on the SERVICES page. I will contact you promptly to discuss your project. I work with authors of both fiction and non-fiction and on projects at various stage of completeness, from concept to querying agents.
That’s all the news for this month. And now, here’s the rest of “Gronk,” a short story I wrote. I hope you enjoy it.
Thanks for reading!
Lynne
GRONK
by Lynne Heinzmann
(continued from last month’s newsletter)
But when we showed Grandpa the tickets that evening, he nodded, smiled, and said, “Thank you very much for the offer, both of you. But unfortunately, I can’t go.”
“What?” Mom and I gasped.
“It’s only three weeks away,” I said. “I’m sure you’ll still be…okay.”
Grandpa plopped some garlic mashed potatoes onto his plate and then passed me the bowl. “I’m sure I will be, too. But the plain fact is that I already promised George Wilson that I would be on his team for the tractor pull at the grange’s fall festival that afternoon.”
“But if you called George and told him that you’d gotten Patriot’s tickets, he’d find someone else to help him out.”
Grandpa shook his head and took a sip of milk. Wiping his mouth, he said, “That’s not the way I operate.” He waved a gnarled index finger at me. “I’m a bit surprised at you, my boy. I thought we’d taught you better than that.”
I felt my face grow warm. “What do you mean?”
“I’m sure you’ve heard me say that a man is only worth as much as his word. People have got to be able to believe what you say and to trust that you’ll keep the promises you make.”
“I know that. But I don’t see…”
Grandpa shook his head again, more slowly this time. “I can’t go running off on George just because I got a better offer somewhere else. I promised him I’d be at the grange festival and so that’s where I’ll be.”
“But it’s the Patriot’s…and it’s Gronk! You might never get the chance to see them again. Especially considering the cancer…and everything.”
Grandpa smiled. “You bring up a good point, my boy. Considering the cancer and everything, don’t you think it’s even more important I do the right thing? I want to make sure to make a good impression on the Man upstairs, so he’ll let me into the gates of heaven when my time comes.” He chuckled. “Tell you what… You and your mom go to the game and you tell Mr. Gronkowski that I say, ‘Hi!’”
Three weeks later, on a cloudy, chilly Sunday afternoon just before Halloween, Mom and I did go to the game, carrying a number 87 jersey we bought at the team store. Down on the field after the game, Rob Gronkowski listened as we told him all about Grandpa and how he was such a big fan of his. The football player smiled a gigantic, boyish smile, and signed the jersey, “To my pal, Patrick. From your fan, Gronk.”
Later that night, I excitedly told Grandpa all about the game, giving him a play-by-play of each quarter. Then Mom and I recounted our conversation with Gronk and gave Grandpa the signed jersey.
Grandpa’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. He absolutely loved that shirt and wore it to watch the Patriots’ games every Sunday for the rest of his life, proudly showing off Gronk’s inscription and signature to anyone around.
One Sunday, a few weeks later, Grandpa and I were hanging out together in his room at Scalabrini Village, the nursing home/ hospice center he’d moved into for “the end game,” as he called it. We sat silently, side by side, watching the Patriots annihilate the New York Jets and munching on some very buttery popcorn that I’d brought from home in an oil-spotted brown paper bag.
I licked some salt off my fingers. “So, Grandpa, tell me the truth. Are you sorry you didn’t go see that game with me?”
Grandpa winked and pointed to the trophy next to the television. “And miss out on winning second place at the grange’s tractor pull contest? Never!”
THE END