Take a Reading Journey with WriteOn Joliet this Summer

Several years ago, a member of WriteOn Joliet brought a photograph of a black pump in ditch to the meeting as a writing prompt.

That inspired shoe-themed stories of all kinds and many sugggestions that we compile a special WriteOn Joliet anthology based on "shoes" and "journey."

Well, we finally did it, and we had a good reason to pick this year, too.

"Write Where We Are: Tales Our Soles Tell" is now available for purchase on Amazon.

And Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara (BryonySeries author and character and WriteOn Joliet member) and his wife Nancy Calkins (an artist who designed this cover) generously offered to sponsor 100 copies of this book as their gift to the community.

We plan to offer limited copies of this book for free at the following events:

June 27: "Presentation 101: An Overview for Authors Entering the Industry" 1 p.m., Joliet Public Library, 150 N. Ottawa St. Joliet. 

July 3: Joliet Eve of Independence: America 250 Fireworks and Celebration: 6 to 10 p.m., Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park & Theatre, 201 W. Jefferson St., Joliet. Live music, food vendors, and children’s activities by B.L.O.CK.S., the BryonySeries umbrella brand. B.L.O.C.K.S. will also have limited giveaways of BryonySeries books for all ages and WriteOn Joliet's upcoming "Shoe" anthology. The evening will conclude with a fireworks display at 9:30 p.m. Admission is free.

Aug. 1: Kid Fest: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., City Square, Downtown Joliet. For the third year in a row, WriteOn Joliet will have a tent at the annual Kidz Fest celebration. Write your own story with our unique, one-of-a-kind, made-just-for-us story manipulable story blocks. And be sure to pick up one (or more) WriteOn Joliet-authored books (titles for all ages), which we will distribute for free.

WriteOn Joliet will also offer copies at a special "shoe" event for writers on Sept. 24 at the Joliet Public Library. Details to come later!

We also have a few events this summer where a few copies MAY be spontaneously gifted (depending on available supplies, of course).

Here is the book's synopsis:

For 150 years, Joliet Public Library has been a place where stories begin. For the last 14 years, the Joliet Public Library has given space to WriteOn Joliet, for writers to begin and refine their stories, too.

In that spirit, WriteOn Joliet presents this special shoe and journey-themed anthology to entertain, inspire, and connect with readers on their journeys.

As Judy Quilty Smith wrote in this anthology, we hope readers “remember their Shoes and Journey stories because we all have them. I hope they remember the shoes that hurt and the shoes that felt beautiful, the shoes that looked lovely, and the shoes they received as a gift from one of their loved ones.”

Enjoy!

New Shoes

Buying shoes is a real chore for me because it's hard to find shoes that fit.

My feet roll to the side. I have a high instep. And I have a wide foot, but only at the middle top of my feet. So if I have enough width near the top, I tend to slip out at the heel.

For all these reasons (and the problems they cause), my podiatrist told me years ago to stop wearing heels and any shoe that did not tie or firmly buckle near the ankle. So I did.

So shoe-shopping is usually a two-person process. Rebekah looks for shoes that might fit, and I sit on a bench and try on all the shoes she's picked as possibilities while she looks for more, usually an armful more.

But I am happy to report we found three cute pairs of shoes on Sunday: one pair to wear inside only and two to swap out with outfits.

These do not include my walking shoes, which are special walking shoes and which I wear out fairly quickly (I walk an average of ten miles a day, eight on extremely busy days).

Rebekah did a great job, didn't she?

And they should take me to good places, right?

Short on Sleep, Long on Love?

Last night I pulled long night to make sure one of my adult sons, who is sick and had to pull a long shift yesterday and then drive forty-five minutes home at midnight, got home safely.

Both of us have an early rising today, me to work, and him in a day-long refresher class to renew a certification. So we were a couple of sleepy kindred spirits.

I did get some work done, so it wasn't a total waste.

And the house is clean, the third installation of Before the Blood is ready for Rebekah to give it a look-over and reupload, and I have (finally) have new shoes. This may sound silly, but Timothy threw my old gym shoes away at the store they were so bad, and I've worn a broken pair of flats for the last year. Don't ask.

The irony as I struggled to stay awake is that the caffeine kicked in by the time he made it home.

Yeah.

Tomorrow: an update on last Saturday's event.

Happy Monday, readers, writers, and vampire fans! :)

Photo by Timothy Baran