We can't always control our experiences, but we can always write our stories --Jess Ekstrom
As the world reels from the effects of the coronavirus we at Living Springs Publishers are grateful for the writers who have given us their works to lose ourselves in. No matter what turmoil surrounds us, our imagination always allows us to read and write.
When the coronavisus struck we were coming off a horrific six months as Henry, our brother and business partner, struggled with the return of his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He had been in remission for ten years and according to the doctors it is extremely rare for cancer to return after that long. Those of you who read his book “What Is A Hero”, know when he first had cancer, he sent emails to keep family and friends updated on his condition. Although he remained positive throughout the ordeal, this time was different, two surgeries, two rounds of chemo, radiation, a stem cell transplant, and heart problems left him with little energy to write. His updates were infrequent, but when he was able to write they showed the humor he is known for. He is finally on the road to recovery and hopefully will remain there. We look forward to him getting back to the point where he can participate in the business of Living Springs Publishers. Henry is our best editor and Stories Through The Ages Baby Boomers Plus 2020 would not be the same without him.
The human spirit is strong and we look forward to a time when it is business as usual. We hope that you and your families are well.
We are very excited about the upcoming release of “A Sparrow Alone”. It is set to release April 15, 2020.
Mim Eichmann gives a little background on her journey while writing the novel in an interview with Renee Tomell for the online newspaper MySuburbanLife.com. In addition, Deanna Frances of Windy City Reviews gave “A Sparrow Alone” a great review.
Visit the book page on our website where you can read the articles and pre-order the book.
Our on-line magazine Leviathan is published every January, April, July, and October.
The requirements are:
Poetry: Both long and short form poetry is accepted. Only one submission per person per magazine.
Fiction: 1,000-5,000 words. Only one submission per person per magazine.
Comics: Comics of all lengths and genres are accepted. From four panels up to ten pages can be submitted. Only one submission per person per magazine.
The first issue is currently live, and the second issue will be out April 1st. The authors whose works will be featured are:
Raleigh Barnes – East Sunday (short story)
H. N. Gifford – Off the Pier (poem)
Alisa Severina – Pancakes (short story)
Vladimir Tumanov – Never Let Me Go (poem)
The Historical Chronicles of Elinor Sturgeon and the Last Human Co lony. Volume II is in the works. Look for it mid 2020.
Stories Through The Ages Contests
Baby Boomers Plus: Submissions for the fourth annual edition are open. The deadline for the 2020 edition is June 15, 2020. Tell us about an experience growing up as a baby boomer, or use your experience gained becoming a baby boomer and tell us a story. The entry may be fiction or nonfiction. This contest is for anyone who was born 1964 or earlier. The entry fee is $25. The word count for this contest is 900 – 4000 words.
We have decided not to go forward with the Military Experiences and Sightseer Saga contests. All entry fees have been returned, or the stories moved to the Baby Boomers Plus contest.
Writing While Ill by Henry Peavler
I have a vivid imagination, as I assume do all people who write. When I encounter a unique person, I create scenario’s where they will fit into whatever I’m writing at the time; it’s both a blessing and a curse, and I often wonder if ‘normal’ people do this. I’ve been quite ill for the past six months, spending the last four in the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. I was able to mine many characters, unusual or unique in some way, making them fine fodder for my historical novel.
The problem is trying to be descriptive when my mind is muddled by chemotherapy or drugs or both, as the case may be. I tried to write every day but found that even on the days I could string together coherent words, they would come across as jaundiced and diseased even though I was trying to convey joy or passion. I recognized this problem early on and strained to correct it, but then the sentences became stilted, stiff as though I were describing a fence instead of a person. A hospital room is not conducive to the creative process, yet I kept trying out of force of habit.
Now that I’m recovering, I find that I wrote perhaps five pages of useful fiction worthy of being retained. I deleted the rest, but felt no remorse, at least I tried. The same was true of reading, I tried but had to stop after only a couple of pages.
My pain was both physical and mental. I passed out on February 10 and destroyed my knee during the fall. I then spent five days in the ICU because of chemo induced atrial fibrillation, as my heart rate ping ponged between 120 and 170. I didn’t write on those days, but I thought about my writing. The only thing is, if I would have had access to my computer, I would have deleted everything because, in my depressed, addled state of mind, I believed my writing was all worthless crap that shouldn’t see the light of day.
Our minds are incredible machines, capable of unbelievable feats of writing creatively even when Ill, but those words should not be judged until well. Writing is considered therapeutic by the powers that be in the field of cancer rehabilitation and I don’t doubt it, but I haven’t seen evidence that the writing lives up to any kind of creative winning standards. The primary problem, as I see it, is that the subject is always the same, how I survived cancer, which is obvious because the author wouldn’t be writing if he/she hadn’t survived. We’ve heard these stories a thousand times, I’ve written my share, but it isn’t creative writing….it is more reporting with the assumption that everyone will find it interesting.
I was not able to write during these six months, at least not to the standards I expect of myself. Now that my stem-cell transplant is complete and my blood counts are rising I begin to feel the urge to continue….A good feeling indeed.