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Dear Reader,
Be sure to send an email welcoming author, Ann Lewis Hamilton to the book club. Ann has written a heartfelt column you won't want to miss. Say hello, and when you do, you're entered in a drawing for a copy of her book, Expecting. Email: [email protected]
Thanks for visiting today Ann...
When I was growing up, my father worked as a reporter for the local paper, The Staunton Leader in Staunton, Virginia. My mother had worked for the paper too (that's how they met) and my grandfather was the managing editor. So I grew up around a lot of typewriters. My father took writing seriously--he had no patience for grammatical errors or misspellings. Pre computer age, he typed on a manual Underwood. No backspace or click and delete for him. When he was writing a story, if he made a mistake he'd type "XXX" through the offending word. And he used reporter shorthand, even in notes he'd leave around the house ("Clean yr room!").
Most of the letters my father wrote to me were typed--a good thing because his handwriting was almost illegible. After I'd moved to California for an MFA in screenwriting, he continued writing. One letter contained the following paragraph:
"Ann, I feel like giving you a 'piece of my mind' for spoiling my 'peace of mind' with your last letter. You, a budding writer, coming off with 'piece of mind' sted of 'peace of mind.' For shame. Please have one of your LITERATE friends proofread your manuscripts before submission. I don't care whether Faulkner cud spell. I write this way becuz weaned on teletype printer; scuse me."
The letter was typed on his beloved Underwood, the ribbon badly in need of a change--the lower case Es, Ds, and Os were grey, almost filled in.
He passed away a year after writing the letter. He'd given up reporting for teaching history at the high school in Staunton. His plan was to retire and write novels, but he never got the chance.
I was lucky to grow up around typewriters. Lucky to have a father who encouraged my ambitions, even as he corrected my writing mistakes. I wish he were still here to do that. I wish he could see the appearance of my first book. I know he would be proud.
And he'd be happy to know I spell "peace of mind" the right way these days. Every time I do it, Daddy, I think of you.
-- Ann Lewis Hamilton
More about today's guest author:
Ann Lewis Hamilton has written for film and television. Her credits include Grey's Anatomy, Stephen King's Dead Zone, and thirtysomething, among others. She lives in Los Angeles. Her first novel, Expecting, is about a couple battling infertility and what happens when there's an accidental "donor" switch at the fertility clinic. The good news--the wife is pregnant at last. The bad news--she isn't carrying her husband's baby.
Say hello to Ann, email: [email protected]
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
AUTHORBUZZ: CONVERSION (Fiction) by Katherine Howe
In spring 2012, a group of teenage girls fell victim to bizarre, uncontrollable tics. Their experience made me reflect on how much has changed for young women in our culture, and how much hasn't. The teenage girls in Salem lived in a time of rigid social hierarchy. We all assume that it's much easier to be a teenage girl today. But what if the challenges have just changed shape? It's time for the afflicted girls to have their say.
Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on CONVERSION to find out more about the book and the author, Katherine Howe. Send her an email, she'd love to hear from you.
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