There are 10 authors featured in Mixed Words: A collection of nonfiction, fiction, and poetry, a book I’ve created as a fundraiser for a nonprofit that supports children and families. They are from Western Massachusetts, the Lakes Region of New Hampshire, and one from Canada.

Here is a closer look at each one and the books their work was excerpted from:

Thomas Zink, Seasoned: A Memoir of Grief and Grace, 2017 

Tom Zink’s memoir tells the story of his unwitting grief journey of five decades that began when his older brother Steve was hit by a car and killed while on the paper route the two boys shared. But this is not merely a story of grief and recovery; it is also a poignant and, at times, humorous look at laughter and lightheartedness, winning and losing, and doubt and faith. 

Vincent “Vinny” Valetutti, If I Were President: 29 alternative ideas for solving global problems, 2020 

Over the years, Vincent “Vinny” Valetutti has conceived of many ideas and social solutions to global problems, but he has kept them mainly to himself. Thanks to Greta Thunberg, the young Swedish environmental activist, he was motivated to write his book. Vinny has no set agenda aside from bringing peace and unity. He is not a Democrat, Republican, or an Independent. He is a realist, and readers will find that his ideas fall to the left, right, and center. In If I Were President, Vinny presents twenty-nine concepts in these eight categories: Invitation to All World Leaders, Military, Constitutional Amendments, Capitalism, Social Issues, Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection, Health Care, and Patents. 

Charlene Moses, A Soul in Bondage is Saved, a work in progress 

Charlene Moses grew up in Massachusetts and Maine and experienced many traumas—as well as a constant series of moves—before she graduated from high school. She was lonely, shy, and insecure. As a private first class in the United States Marines, she was browbeaten by superiors and placed in an impossible situation. Her lack of self-esteem led her to make a decision she deeply regrets to this day. Her memoir tells the story of her childhood and the events for which she seeks forgiveness. She hopes her book will help others. 

Judith A. Lundh, Last of the Matriarchs, 2019 

The Last of the Matriarchs is a book Judi A. Lundh wrote to honor her mother, Virginia, on Virginia’s ninetieth birthday in 2019. The story begins with Virginia meeting the man she would marry in the early 1940s and offers glimpses of special moments in Virginia’s life as a wife and mother—raising three daughters, working hard, spending time with her dear friend Eleanor. The book ends with a poem Judi penned, called “Sonnet of Love.” 

Judith Kelliher, A Wartime PH.D.: One Soldier’s Story of Vietnam and Learning to Live Again, 2020 

This book is based on interviews Judy Kelliher led with her brother Bobby, and it tells the story of Bobby’s two, back-to-back tours in Vietnam and his life after the war. Back at home, like so many veterans of the war, Bobby was anguished yet vacant, unable to feel or acknowledge his brokenness. Re-entry into marriage, children, and career became unmanageable as Bobby could not escape the horrors of his service. It would take the constant love of family and friends, and the support and guidance of strangers, to make him whole again. 

Claire Hebert-Dow, Saving Mama, a work in progress 

Claire Hebert-Dow is at work on a memoir that offers a recap of her life adventures, told in part from multiple perspectives, including those of several beloved pets. 

Janice Beetle, Divine Renovations: A Carpenter, His Soul Mate, and Their Story of Love and Loss, 2013 

This is a personal story of love, loss, and faith. During a kitchen renovation, Janice Beetle unexpectedly met her soul mate, only to lose him eight years later to cancer. Divine Renovations offers a glimpse at the profound devastation grief causes, but it is also a story of hope. 

Janice Beetle, Willful Evolution: Because healing the heart takes strength, a work in progress 

Willful Evolution: Because healing the heart takes strength is a memoir that continues where Divine Renovations left off. Willful Evolution tells the story of the past ten years. After Janice Beetle was laid off from her job, and her beloved husband died four days later, she had to reinvent herself and grow up in many ways. This work of nonfiction will take you to places far away—such as the Marshall Islands, where Janice spent a month in 2015—and it looks at the importance of family, and that which is most important: loving yourself. 

Peter Cichon, Flight of Integrity, 2019 

Decades ago, Peter Cichon spent countless hours daydreaming about leaving his trucking job behind to transition into a career at an airline. He worked sixty-five hours a week, living in his car on weekends, to make the transition in the early 1990s. His new career as a ramp agent exhilarated Peter and made him proud. He became a leader at his airline, where sexual harassment and racism were rampant. In addition to doing his job, Peter became a defender for colleagues who were beleaguered victims of a trio of aggressors. Standing against them was ultimately a major sacrifice. Flight of Integrity is a true story, based on fact. 

JM Charles Merida, The 151, a work in progress 

JM Charles Merida calls himself Chaz and describes himself this way on his Twitter page: “Published Writer, YouTubist, Actor, MBA, echnoGeek, F/Vlogger, Father, Brother, and Jedi Knight of the Order of Starfleet.” Charles had a dream in 2015 that inspired a trilogy of books. This excerpt is from the first book, called The 151. 

In the poetry section at the end of the book, Charlene Moses and I both have samples. Some of Charlene’s are intended for adults and others for children.

All of my poems were written for children and were featured in Poem Pods. 

The post A Look at the Authors Featured in Mixed Words appeared first on Beetle Press.

When Gabrielle Freel headed to college five years ago, her thought was to become a criminalist. She loved shows like Criminal Minds and NCIS and wanted to learn more about profiling.

My intern for the spring semester from Westfield State University went into her freshman year thinking she would major in criminal justice and psychology. Then, the poetry portion of Gabby’s first creative writing class in her junior year sparked a literary flame she hadn’t felt smouldering before.

“There were so many things that needed to be written—that I needed to write,” Gabby says, noting that her path was suddenly just a bit clearer than mud.

Gabby began at Beetle Press a few weeks ago. She is organized and eager to learn, and I am enjoying the process of getting to know her and her work style.

Before Gabby knew she wanted to focus on writing, she spent her junior year with a literature concentration to be on the track to teach English at the secondary level. That was a turn in the wrong direction as well because she realized how structured the education field is.

That’s when the creative writing course came into play, and Gabby changed her focus from teaching to writing. Her professors told her she was a natural born writer.

I am seeing the same thing. Many young writers tend to be cliché and disorganized in putting their thoughts down, but Gabby coins her own phrases and uses metaphor well.

As part of her internship, she will help me review two client manuscripts and move them closer toward publication, and she will also help me with research and with blogs for clients and Beetle Press.

She is currently at work writing some brief pieces on the people behind some of the scholarships granted by Northampton Dollars for Scholars.

Wanting to write and learn more about the craft is what led Gabby to this internship.

I was pleased to have her tell me that the Beetle Press opportunity was pitched to her at school as the “premium internship.” Gabby thanks professors George Layng and Leah Nielsen for those sales pitches. I thank them too!

I have also heard George say that the Beetle Press internship is ideal because students can work with me on everything from PR and learning to write press releases to offering feedback on clients’ books and my own.

Gabby calls what the work here can offer her “a perfect smorgasbord of writing skills and publication knowledge.” She hopes that what she learns with me will launch her into her own writing career, and I am sure that is true.

Gabby has a lot to learn, but this is definitely the perfect environment for her to craft her skill and learn the essentials for having a successful career in the professional writing world.

“I finally feel like I’m on a straight path,” Gabby says.

The post Spring Intern Inspired to Write appeared first on Beetle Press.

And White Square is indeed such a place, and Eileen is a significant force in the community, affiliated with many arts organizations and events. She participated in Easthampton’s Bookfest, saying that it was a great opportunity for self-published authors to get their work recognized. She also took part in the annual Cultural Chaos event, which she sees as another way to collaborate with the local talent and be supportive of the arts and, in turn, receive community support.

Eileen also hosts her own events inside the store, such as a poetry workshop every Wednesday night that supports poets. She also works with local authors frequently to provide a location in which they can have book signings and readings; Janice’s book, Divine Renovations, launched at White Square with an eager crowd of nearly 30 people.

Sometimes, Eileen has unwittingly launched talent, the most noteworthy being Ransom Riggs, who released his book, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, at White Square, also the first book store to carry it. Riggs’ book is now being made into a movie featuring Tim Burton—an incredible feat, and it all started right in Easthampton at White Square.

White Square will celebrate its fifth anniversary this December. Looking back, Eileen says she saw the empty space on Cottage Street, now a designated cultural district in the state, and told her husband to ask city officials about it; soon afterward, Eileen saw the space was available. She made a deposit, and the rest is history.

Eileen recalls having “too many books,” so she knew whatever business she started in the shop would relate to books in some way; once inside the space, she knew it was the perfect size and shape for a book store. The name references the large group of talented book artists located at One Cottage Street. She wanted an establishment to augment this talent, so she sells a variety of books, from fine art to rare quality books in addition to used.

Before she became an entrepreneur, Eileen worked in the corporate world in higher education. At Smith College, she served for 20 years in Human Resources and later was self-employed as a consultant for a time.

She returned to higher education, working at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, for 10 years in operations management as well as Human Resources payroll and accounting. She says the business background allowed her to bring a great deal of useful skills to the table in running White Square.

Eileen says she is very grateful to have found her “heart’s desire” in White Square. She hopes the store encourages readers to read and authors to write. She says that there is so much talent in the Pioneer Valley, and one of the most surprising realizations in owning White Square has been the ability to “meet so many interesting people; it’s a side benefit I never even thought about.”

Eileen says her next mission is to tap into the community’s youth. She says she knows young people are interested in reading; she just needs to find a way to bridge the gap and connect.

Stop by to check out the store or, to see the website, drop in here!

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Marian is a mogul in her own right. She has created her own publishing company, or empire as she refers to it, called ALL CAPS Publishing, in which she is the founder and editor, and through which not only she publishes her own books but also publishes other authors’ works. This company was designed intentionally in order to ensure that her books never appear self-published, which is very important to Marian; the books are extremely professional, the covers are designed by a local musician and graphic designer named Max Germer, and she assured that the level of detail and attention that goes into each book is such that they reflect this effort.

The post Local Author Series: Marian Kent appeared first on Beetle Press.