Baby Boomers Plus 2019 Authors

Joanne M. Kuhns has won first prize in the 2019 Baby Boomers Plus contest. Her wonderful story, ‘Payday at the Mountaineers Café’ is told through the eyes of Lindy, a little girl in the early 1960's, who tries very hard to make sense of the strange things adults say and do. Lindy's perceptions, rooted in her innocence, are often funny and poignant.

Joanne Kuhns grew up in Bellingham, Washington and is currently working on a novel inspired by her childhood. At various times and universities, she studied music, math, business administration, commercial fiction writing and digital forensics, resulting in a couple degrees and certificates. She is a joyfully retired systems engineer and has been a member of the Really Cool Writing Group for more than two decades. Joanne lives in Renton, Washington where she enjoys knitting on her front porch each morning while sipping freshly brewed espresso, watching all her neighbors head to work.. Joanne;s website is www.joannekuhns.com

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Ronald C. Milburn has captured second place in this years’ contest for “Paddys Tonsorial Emporium”. Paddy is a likeable barber in a small town that could be located in any state in the Union. The story is told through the eyes of the shoe-shine boy, George, who is privy to the gossip, rumors and inside information from the town elite who use Paddys as a gathering place. Don’t miss this beautifully written story.

Ronald Milburn lives in Clermont, Florida with his wife, Susan. He was born in Charleston, Illinois where he graduated from Eastern Illinois with a B.A. in psychology. He lived for many years in Illinois and Indiana, where he raised his four children. Ronald is a retired minister and building contractor. Ronald’s website is ronaldcmilburn.com

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Henry Stevens survives the depression and all the other difficulties of life that a small farmer must face. Yet the one thing he longs for eludes him until the very end, only is it too late to matter? David Tarpenning wins third place for his touching tribute to human perseverance with his story, “Now would be Forever”.

When David Tarpenning retired from the University of Oklahoma after 21 years in the classroom, he knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to write. To write something other than lesson plans, text supplements and syllabi. So he joined an online writing community. He read at least a dozen books about writing fiction. He took the advice of established authors wherever he could find it. And he writes–early morning, late at night—completely happy doing exactly what he wanted to do. He has been published in Chronicles of the West, Catholic Digest, Columbia Student Press Review, Computer Bytes and American Education Journal. He can be reached through thewritestuff.live and ddtarpenning.com

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A hilarious romp through the mind of a fifth-grade girl and the school play where she has been slighted, horribly and unfairly by Sister Mary Agnes. In “Revolt of the Blessed Virgin Mother”, Mary Alice Dixon has crafted an exceptional story both funny and believable. Life isn’t always fair, but our heroine does her part to get even for the slights she suffers. Delightful reading. 

Mary Alice Dixon is a former attorney and graduate of Vassar College, Yale University, and Wake Forest University School of Law. For many years she ran her own law practice in Charlotte, North Carolina where she served as court-appointed counsel and GAL in Mecklenburg County juvenile court. Prior to law, Mary Alice was a professor of architectural history. She taught at UNC-Charlotte, Chongqing Institute of Architecture and Engineering (China), and the University of Minnesota. Mary Alice has published professionally in architectural journals and written more legal briefs than she can count. Her first love is creative writing, to which she recently returned full-time. Currently at work on a collection of short stories and poetry, she belongs to Charlotte Writer’s Club and the North Carolina Poetry Society. A long-time hospice volunteer, Mary Alice delights in reading poetry to the dying, grateful for the lessons this teaches about what really matters.

Mary Alice Dixon’s recent writing is in, or forthcoming from, Main Street Rag, Stonecoast Review, the Personal Story Publishing Project anthology That Southern Thing, and the curated blog, Coming into Contact. When not writing you can often find Mary Alice hunting for old cookbooks. She says you’d be surprised at the recipes you can find in those things. Go to the book page.

Big brother gets a new puppy yet, most of the chores fall to little sister who performs them willingly but always knowing that the dog is his. Jamie Enslin’s family tale, “The Dog’s His”, is well written and a joy to read.

Jamie divides her time between Seattle, WA and the mountains of Idaho. She was first inspired to write stories by her psychologist, after which, writing for her became a passion. She is currently working on a book of historical Fiction titled: Pen Pals. A story set during the time of the Algerian war of independence from France. Jamie holds degrees in French Studies and Communications from the University of WA, Seattle, WA In addition to writing she is an artist of collage and encaustic. You can follow Jamie on Twitter at: @jjkctjbm Go to the book page.

In Jackie Ross Flaum’s story “The Narcissist” former Germantown, TN. alderman Dan Anderson died of poison from the bulbs of the Narcissus poeticus flower. A poetic end for a classic narcissist, but was it an accident—or something else?

Native Kentuckian Jackie Ross Flaum is a former reporter for The Hartford Courant in Hartford, Ct. She moved to Memphis with her husband and two daughters in 1983 then served as publicist for the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, communications manager for Memphis City Schools, and free-lance speech writer/publicist for such corporations as Federal Express. When she retired, she abandoned reality and now writes fiction, especially mysteries. Her first short story appears in the award-winning anthology Elmwood Stories to Die For. Another, “Gummies,” won first Short Story Land’s prize for June fiction, and a third story “Cover,” based on her up-coming novel Justice Tomorrow, will appear in a fall anthology from Dingbat Publishing. Jackie also has a novella on Amazon called “The Yellow Fever Revenge,” a short story on the on-line literary magazine “Backchannels.” It is called “How We Became Methodists” On July 4, 2020 her story “Two Dead, Two Wounded” will be in the anthology “Low Down Dirty Vote II.” She was recently elected president of Malice in Memphis, a killer writing group. When she is not coming up with ways for fictional characters to commit felonies, she plays bridge, swims, reads, or takes one or more of her five grandchildren to get snow cones. Join her on Facebook at Novelist Jackie Ross Flaum Go to the book page.

Nothing grabs your attention like a living nativity scene on a cold Christmas evening. Maybe Jay Gilbert’s experience at the “St. Paul’s Living Nativity” carries that emotion to an extreme but we, the reader, are the better for it. Wonderful tale of one family’s night of fame in the living nativity.

Jay Gilbert was born and raised on a farm in Duluth, MN. One of five boys, his father kept them out of trouble (mostly) with a host of daily chores caring for horses, cows, chickens and ducks. If it mooed, clucked or quacked, they had it. If they weren’t feeding the animals at the front end, they were shoveling what came out of the back end. His family owned and operated small businesses ranging from a ship chandlery, vacuum shop, stereo store and a motel. Their businesses took them from Minnesota to Illinois and finally Florida. Between farm life and family business, he has collected an eclectic inventory of experiences that are the basis for his stories. Jay lives and writes by the lessons his parents taught him. Dad always said “Life is not a dress rehearsal. There are no do-overs.” Mom taught us how to say, “Please” and “Thank you” and mean it. Go to the book page.

Lisa McCormack has written a wonderfully witty story about a young girl coming of age during a difficult time in her life and the life of her loved ones. “Trouble with Blooming” describes a seemingly idyllic existence shattered by events that expose the ugly side of human nature to our heroine, Louise, who faces each crisis with the dogged determination of youth. A must read.

Lisa McCormack lives with her husband on a lake on the outskirts of Nashville, where she enjoys writing, swimming, reading, gardening and watching wildlife. She works from home as a sales director for a NY publisher. Before her sales career, and a very long time ago, she worked at The Tennessean covering stories outside Nashville. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Middle Tennessee State University. She has one son who lives in Denver, Co. Go to the book page.

A freak snowstorm and a little serendipity offers a chance at romance and reward as coincidental travelers come together during "A Night in St. Louis". This wonderful story was written by Race McKee.

Race McKee is a published author, playwright and award-winning humorist. A former professional athlete who hails from the rural South, McKee often draws upon the world of sport or his southern lineage in applying his distinctive brand of humor. Go to the book page.

“Reelect the President” by Anthony J. Mohr, is required reading for anyone who lived through the Nixon Presidency and everyone else who needs to learn the lessons gained. This is real inside information and a part of the story never told. Don’t miss this wonderfully written account of one man’s brush with the infamy of the Nixon years.

Anthony J. Mohr’s work has appeared in, among other places, Commonweal, DIAGRAM, Eclectica, Hippocampus Magazine, North Dakota Quarterly, The Saint Ann’s Review, and ZYZZYVA. He has been anthologized in California Prose Directory (2013), Golden State 2017, and two volumes of Chicken Soup for the Soul. A holder of five Pushcart Prize nominations, he received honorable mention in Sequestrum’s 2016 Editor’s Reprint Award and is an associate editor of Evening Street Review. Anthony’s personal essay “Master Absence List” appeared in Whistling Shade and “The Fairest of the Fair” in Streetlight Magazine. He has also written three columns about COVID 19 for the Los Angeles Daily Journal. Once upon a time, he was a member of the LA Connection, an improv theater group. Currently he lives in Los Angeles with his wife Beverly, four birds, and two Lhasa Apsos. His projects in 2020 include:

Personal essay “Master Absence List” in Whistling Shade
Personal essay “The Fairest of the Fair” in Streetlight Magazine
Three columns about COVID 19 in the Los Angeles Daily Journal

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I.M. Merckel’s charming story, “The Teacher” is a feel-good tale about a curmudgeonly traveler who spends more time in airports than at home, or so it seems. He finds fault with most of the people and situations around him until one special relationship develops that he can’t ignore and the result is a wonderful lesson learned. Great story!

I. M. Merckel is a retired real estate attorney. Born in Los Angeles, he has a B.A. from the University of Arizona and a J.D. from Washington University in St. Louis. He practiced law in Missouri beginning in 1971, after leaving military service, and in 2011 from New Mexico, where he and his wife Joan now reside. He has three sons, two of whom are published authors. During his career he wrote legal documents and briefs. He is now writing fiction, although some may suggest his prior legal work provides examples of fictional composition. He has published other short stories and memoir pieces, and is completing his first novel. His pen name is in remembrance of his father whose nickname for him was Merckel. Go to the book page.

Lt. Col. Robert B. Robeson, USA (Ret) has crafted an emotional description of what a medical evacuation helicopter pilot experienced during the war in Vietnam. “Life and Death in Vietnam” leaves the reader breathless at the intensity of the action. How did these men survive? This story is marvelously written and stated in the clear, no-nonsense mood of the times. A must read.

Robert Robeson retired, as a lieutenant colonel, after a 27-year military career living and flying on three continents and later served as a newspaper managing editor and columnist. He has a BA in English from the University of Maryland—College Park and has completed extensive undergraduate and graduate work in journalism at the University of Nebraska—Lincoln. He’s a life member of the National Writers Association, VFW, Dustoff Association and Distinguished Flying Cross Society. A four-time, international Amy Writing Award winner, he has also been awarded fifteen George Washington Honor Medals for essays, articles and speeches on freedom by the National Award Juries of the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. He’s been decorated eight times for valor, earned 26 Air Medals, plus a Bronze Star, and received numerous other medals and awards from two governments. He lives in Lincoln, Nebraska with his wife, Phyllis, of 50 years. And he still dislikes sudden loud noises. Go to the book page.

Photo - (L-R) Col. D.W. Pratt (now deceased)—95th Evacuation Hospital commander—presents Capt. Robert Robeson with his second Distinguished Flying Cross and second Air Medal with “V” at the 236th Medical Detachment headquarters at Red Beach in Da Nang, South Vietnam in late 1969. (Photo courtesy of Robert Robeson)  

A young man grows up on an idyllic mountain range, living the cowboy life that he longed for. Only not every experience was pleasant. Even the worst disaster imaginable led to life's lessons learned and a successful happy adult. Don't miss Matthew Tredway's “Tincup, Colorado  1982”.

Matt Tredway and his wife Dana, call Steamboat, Colorado home. Matt has been very involved in the community for 32 years. He instructed Math and Science in the public schools as well as coached. They have two daughters that now reside in Nashville Matt grew up in Gunnison, Co., and spent summers as a cowboy for local ranches. Always the outdoor enthusiast he founded and was the director of Everything Outdoor Steamboat. EOS is designed to give students a chance to experience outdoor activities including rock and ice climbing, backpacking, winter mountaineering, kayaking, and horse packing. He states,” There is no greater thrill than to witness a student succeed in a challenge that they were convinced would defeat them”. Matt now heads a construction company and is a partner in a real estate development company. He continues to serve on several boards, including the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. Go to the book page.

“The Ring” is a story of an elite hairdresser, an act of love between a long-time client — a promise, an expensive diamond ring against a promise of the heart and the power of hair. Trudy Wells-Meyer wrote this story with a belief: “One does not choose the time to write . . . it chooses you.”

Trudy Wells – Meyer, Swiss born, is a retired successful hair designer. She writes Poetry and short stories in her second language. She arrived in New York, from the German-speaking part of Switzerland, on June 18, 1965. She traveled on a massive ocean liner from England, her home for the longest days of her young life, surrounded by water, on her own, all by herself. Each moment of the voyage took her farther away from the only home she knew, growing up poor in a modest Swiss village, in an old house, where even dreaming had its limits, never knowing of Switzerland’s admired beauty worldwide. For hours, she gazed at the brilliant glittering sea, like dancing diamonds; endless time to wonder and doubt that dream of Coming to America — fear a constant companion. She was 23. Trudy hopes her writing remains necessary in a life filled with feelings and emotions where her passionate mind believes in the power of words. Trudy can be found on the Steamboat Springs Writers Group. Go to the book page.

Patricia Walkow’s story “Woven” is a delightful story of a middle-aged couple whose lives are affected by a seemingly impossible event that causes them to reflect on a relationship grown stale over time. Did it really happen? Only they know for sure and that is all that matters.

Patricia Walkow is an award-winning author whose work was honored in the 2016 William Faulkner Literary Competition. A full-length biography, The War Within, the Story of Josef, won four first-place awards in national and international competitions. She writes short stories and essays and has contributed to both online and in-print newspapers and magazines. Her work appears in over a dozen anthologies. The most recent anthology she contributed to and edited, Love, Sweet to Spicy, won a 2019 1st place award from New Mexico Press Women and 2nd place from National Federation of Press Women. Ms. Walkow is a former systems manager and editor emeritus of Corrales MainStreet News. She is a member of the Corrales Writing Group, SouthWest Writers, New Mexico Press Women, and The National Federation of Press Women. She lives in Corrales, New Mexico with her husband, cats, and one very spoiled dog. Go to the book page.