April 2016 Issue of 

The Scribblers Newsletter

Welcome to the April 2016 issue of The Scribblers Writing Group Newsletter.

  

I apologize for not having sent a newsletter recently.  I was having some health problems which prevented my writing them.  But things are going well and I should be sending the newsletter every month or two.

In this issue we have writing prompts, a link to the web site of a local author, Sherry V. Ostroff and a synopsis of her new book, The Lucky One.  Also a look at legendary author, James A. Michener.

Writing Prompts

1.  Jim's wallet was missing.  He had it when he paid for dinner in the hotel's dining room last night.  The only person he had any contact with after dinner was Ken, his best friend.  He couldn't believe Ken would lift his wallet, but he was going to find out who had taken it if he had to extend this trip another week.

2.  Nancy was Mary's favorite niece and they had always been very close.  However, since Nancy's graduation party, Nancy not only wouldn't speak to Mary, but she was circulating untrue rumors about her.

3.  Jenna's dog, Buddy, raced out the door and down the street.  Jenna knew Buddy would get into some sort of trouble if she didn't catch her.  She took off running down the street.  She was a runner and was catching up to the dog when suddenly her right foot stopped working.

Sherry V. Ostroff, Local Author

The Lucky One

My mother, Ita, has been deceased for almost 20 years, but recently we have been working side-by-side writing her memoirs.  

Ita was born in the wrong place at the wrong time.  The place was the former Pale of Settlement which was a large swath of land in western Russia where Jews were forced to live for centuries. The year was 1918 and Russia was in the midst of two revolutions.  The first occurred with the abdication of the last tsar of Russia culminating in his execution.  The second was the bloody civil war that ensued for control of the country.  Ita was caught in the middle during this time of great political and social upheaval.  Wave after wave of murderous anti-Jewish riots, or pogroms, descended upon Jewish shtetls, and the only chance for her survival was to escape.  Escape was not easy.  In fact, it was deadly.  In her own words, paired with the historical and cultural background information, Ita described her privileged life in Russia, the bloody pogroms, and her harrowing escape.  Each roadblock Ita experienced, including a new country that did not want her, she faced with resolve and proved why she was, indeed, the lucky one.

Sherry V. Ostroff earned a Bachelor’s in education from Temple University and a Master’s in history from Millersville University.  She is now retired from teaching from the School District of Lancaster.  She happily devotes her time to her writing, her family, including two grandsons, and traveling around the world.  She lives with her high school sweetheart in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  Ostroff has just completed her first book, The Lucky One.  It is currently offered on Kindle and is now available as a book from Amazon.  She is currently working on two other writing projects.   

Sherry is available for talks and presentations.  Her contact information is below:

Sherry V. Ostroff
717-572-7703

Website - sherryvostroff.com

Facebook – Sherry V. Ostroff

Email – svostroff528@gmail.com

A Look at James A. Michener

James Albert Michener was an American author of more than 40 books, the majority of which were fictional, lengthy family sagas covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and incorporating solid history. 

Born: February 3, 1907, Doylestown, PA
Died: October 16, 1997, Austin, TX
Movies and TV shows: Sayonara, The Bridges at Toko-Ri, Hawaii, More
Spouse: Mari Yoriko Sabusawa (m. 1955–1994), Vange Nord (m. 1948–1955), Patti Koon (m. 1935–1948)

Michener wrote that he did not know who his parents were or exactly when and where he was born. He was raised a Quaker by an adoptive mother, Mabel Michener, in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and some have argued that Mabel was in fact his biological mother. 

He graduated summa cum laude from Swarthmore College in 1929. His writing career began during World War II, during which, as a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy, he was assigned to the South Pacific Ocean as a naval historian. His notes and impressions were later turned into Tales Of the South Pacific, his first book, which in turn was the basis for the musical South Pacific. 

On January 10, 1977, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Gerald R. Ford.

The majority of his books were fictional, lengthy family sagas covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and incorporating solid history. Michener was known for the popularity of his works; he had numerous bestsellers and works selected for Book of the Month Club. He was also known for his meticulous research behind the books.

Michener's novels include Tales of the South Pacific for which he won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1948, Hawaii, The Drifters, Centennial, The Source, The Fires of Spring, Chesapeake, Caribbean, Caravans, Alaska, Texas and Poland. His non-fiction works include Iberia, about his travels in Spain and Portugal; his memoir titled The World Is My Home, and Sports in America. Return to Paradise combines fictional short stories with Michener's factual descriptions of the Pacific areas where they take place.

In Micheners' final years, he and his wife lived in Austin, Texas, and they endowed the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin. The Center provides Michener Fellowship scholarships to students accepted to the university's MFA in Writing program.

Suffering from terminal kidney disease, in October 1997, Michener ended the daily dialysis treatment that had kept him alive for four years. He said he had accomplished what he wanted and did not want further physical complications. On October 16, 1997, he died of kidney failure, at age 90 Michener was cremated, and his ashes were placed next to those of his wife at Austin Memorial Park Cemetery in Austin, Texas.

Michener left most of his estate and book copyrights to Swarthmore College, where he earned his bachelor's degree. He had donated his papers to the University of Northern Colorado, where he earned his master's degree.

Michener quotes:

If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home.

Character consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries.

I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions.

And Finally...

We are always looking for articles and short stories to publish, as well as suggestions for the newsletter. Please send any ideas, stories, etc. to Colleen. 

We'd love to see any writing contributions you'd like to make to The Scribblers.

If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, please email Colleen with the word 'unsubscribe' in the subject line and we will remove you from our mailing list.