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For The San Gabriel Writers’ League www.SGWL.net January 2012
Animated Film Production: From Conception to Hollywood Premier
Cindy Weigand is the author of one book and several articles in local, state, and
national publications.
Cindy is also a representative of OntaireMedia, a company that finds funding for ani-mated feature films. In her talk, she will take attendees through the process of pro-
ducing an animated movie.
In 2004, her book, Texas Women in World War II, Republic of Texas Press, an im-
print of Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, was a finalist in the Violet Crown Writ-ing Contest for Nonfiction sponsored by the Writers' League of Texas. Her article,
"'Yankee Doodle Gals' of World War II" published in the
June 2002 issue of Texas Co-op Power, received an Award of Merit, Writing-Personality/Profile Category in
the 2003 Dalton Pen Writing Contest sponsored by Warwick Publishing. She continues to write on various
projects including a biographical novel.
Cindy represents OntaireMedia, www.ontaire.com, a
company that assists individuals and groups find funding
for animated films and television shows as well as live-action movies. In her presentation, Cindy will describe the
steps to making an independent movie from pre-production to post-production.
PUBLICATIONS AND AWARDS Weigand, Cindy, “‘Papa’ Piper and Lock Haven’s WW II Women Pilots.” Pennsylvania
Magazine. March-April, 2000.
Weigand, Cindy, “‘Yankee Doodle Gals’ of World War II,” Texas Co-op Power, June
2002.
Dalton Pen Writing Contest Award of Merit, Writing-Personality/Profile Category, sponsored by Warwick Publishing, 2003.
Weigand, Cindy, “WASP Memorabilia Finds Home in Texas,” Friends Journal, Pub-
lished Quarterly by the Air Force Museum Foundation, Inc. Winter 2002-2003. Weigand, Cindy, and Julia Lauria-Blum, “Flights Commemorate Fallen Comrades,”
Friends Journal, Published Quarterly by the Air Force Museum Foundation, Inc. Spring 2005.
Weigand, Cindy, Texas Women in World War II, Republic of Texas Press, an Imprint
of Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, November 2003.
Finalist, Violet Crown Writing Contest, Nonfiction, sponsored by the Writers’ League of Texas, 2004, Texas Women in World War II. Weigand, Cindy, “Mad Scientist at Work,” Georgetown View Magazine, May 2010.
Weigand, Cindy, “The Amazing Mrs. Z,” Georgetown View Magazine, June 2010. Weigand, Cindy, “Kimberly Griffin, Paideia Scholar,” Georgetown View Magazine, August 2010.
Inside this Issue
2
Minutes Book signing pictures
News
3
President’s Perspective
Importance
4
Christmas Party pixs
5
Christmas Party pixs
6
Christmas Party pixs
7
Christmas Party pixs
8
My Mother’s Thimbles Book Discussion
Who “said”
9
Dating After 50 Fall Tapestry
Jo Cate
Greetings
10
Ask the Book Doctor SIGs
Who “said” answer
11
Board Members Member Websites
Recycle
Promote Your Book Books by Members
Promote Yourself HCBS
12 Demystifying
Writers’ Demons
Meeting Information
The members attending the Christmas Party contributed $101.00 to the Georgetown Public Library Bookmobile project.
2
Sylvia Dickey Smith
Dave Ciambrone
Helen Nardecchia
Sidney Frost
No Minutes for December 2011 meeting/party
Pictures from the December 10 Book Signings @ HCBS Courtesy of Helen Nardecchia
New member:
S. Martin (Marty Shelton, Capt.USNR (ret.) Samuelson
119 Lantana Drive someone please help with
Georgetown Tx 78633 contact information !! ! !
512-864-7700
3
The President’s Perspective by D.J.Heinrich
First of all, let me wish you and those dear to you a very
Happy and Prosperous New Year! May all your plans and
resolutions for 2012 and beyond be fulfilled! I know that I can speak for the entire Board in thanking each of you for
your many contributions this past year in ensuring the suc-
cess of the San Gabriel Writers’ League, stimulating com-munity interest in the written word, and furthering the
reading and writing skills of our youth.
Next, please join me in extending our heartfelt thanks to
our outgoing President Sam Holland and the Officers and Members who served so very effectively and faithfully this
past year!
I also hope you’ll join me in welcoming our new slate of very
capable and talented Officers. I have listed them here,
along with contact information, for your convenience:
MEMBERSHIP / NEWSLETTER: Carol Menchu, [email protected]
PRESIDENT: DJ Heinrich, [email protected]
PROGRAM COORDINATOR: Sylvia Dickey Smith, [email protected]
PUBLICITY / MEMBER at LARGE: Sam Holland, [email protected]
RESIDENT AGENT: Roger Busfield, Jr., [email protected]
SECRETARY/HISTORIAN: Janet Kilgore, janet-
TREASURER: Kayla Marnach, [email protected]
VICE PRESIDENT: David Ciambrone, [email protected]
WEBMISTRESS: Jaime Roton, [email protected]
WRITER'S LIAISON: Joan Upton Hall, [email protected]
As your newly elected leader, I humbly accept the chal-lenge and the confidence you have placed in me to move
our League forward in 2012. In this regard, I must ask for your assistance as well. Obviously, the San Gabriel Writers’
League can only be successful as a unit. Therefore, I am
requesting that each of you take an active part in: 1) at-tending as many meetings as possible; 2) assisting in re-
cruiting and welcoming new members and guests; 3) sub-mitting your suggestions and ideas; 4) serving as a partici-
pant in our activities and outreach programs; and 5) be-
coming a part of solutions, not just a herald of problems. If we are to be successful and grow our membership, we
must all step forward and contribute. Accordingly, we will be distributing a questionnaire so that you can easily offer
your ideas and solutions. In the meantime, please give your
thoughts to any board member or officer.
This year promises to be an excellent one. We have a
number of outstanding programs already in place, a list of exciting speakers identified for our meetings, plus an excep-
tional Workshop scheduled in September. I know each of you will help us make 2012 one of SGWL’s best ever!
The Importance of the Newsletter — especially to those of you just starting . . . .
The original and continued purpose of The Gabriel Writer was / is to ‘highlight’ members’ writ-
ings, giving them an opportunity to say that they have been
published while retaining all their ‘rights’ so everything can
be used again in a larger, hopefully, venue.
Yes, perhaps the audience seems narrow and, yes, it’s just
a “newsletter”, but keep in mind many of the members send their copy off for others to see, and guess what,?
They get to read your words!
Yes, sometimes I put in writing tips and articles from other
sources. This is, mainly, because I don’t have contributions from members. Plus, we all need a little education now and
then — we really don’t know it all.
As for you real / wannaBe poets out there, here’s a
chance to be published that may not arise for a long time.
So, people . . . When I Rant and Rave and stalk the center
isle cajoling — step up to the keyboard and pound out those
words !!!! Might be a good way to break your writer’s block or salve your frustration, or just get something funny out
for everyone to share.
Take advantage of a good thing — don’t put it off — don’t be
shy — don’t have false modesty — you’re a wanna be — a writer — a poet (closet or no . . .) so . . . .
SEND ME
YOUR WORDS !!!
4
Pictures from the Christmas Party from Myrna Cardwell-Smith
5
6
7
8
"New Year’s Day is every man’s birthday.”
My Mother’s Thimbles By Helen Nardecchia
The other day, I decided to mend a pair of blue jeans. They really are ready to trash, but they are favorites and
hard to part with. As I sorted through my sewing box, my eye caught sight of two objects tucked into the corner of the
top layer of the box.
“How can you sew without a thimble,” she said firmly.
The only answer I could think of, without sounding sarcastic,
was “I don’t know how you can sew with one.” Before answering her I toned it down with a smile, but I
said just that. I know she didn’t appreciate the answer, but said nothing. If she caught me mending, she’d frown and
walk away. In her eyes, it was too dreadful to watch.
The two objects tucked into the corner of my sewing
box were my mother’s thimbles. I never used them even
though I sewed constantly when my girls were in high school attending one dance after another. Funny, how I saw so
clearly this day, her fingers wearing one or the other. She’d sit quietly in her favorite rocker, and I’d watch her mend
everything from the boys’ pants and shirts to my dad’s
socks wearing her thimble. She even made sure she owned
two of them in case she misplaced one.
After announcing one day that she purchased a sew-
ing machine, I wondered if she’d continue to wear her thim-
bles. I wasn’t surprised at all when I saw she did. She’d put one on to sew a button, while her foot sat ready to thump
the machine if she needed it. Just like the blue jeans, these are memories so very hard to part with.
I’ll keep those two thimbles hugging together in my sew-ing box forever, and continue to wipe away a tear when they
catch my eye the next time.
Book Discussion Questions from Dave Ciambrone
Sometimes book clubs would like discussion ques-
tions for use when reading and discussing a book. It can
help and author to facilitate giving them a questionnaire for their use and to formulate questions for the author should
s/he be invited to address the group. Below is just such a
set of book discussion questions. It is a good place for a group to start.
They can modify it as needed for their applications. The source of this list is
unknown.
Book Discussion Questions
1. Overall—how did you experience
the book while reading it? Were you immediately drawn into the story — or
did it take a while? Did the book in-trigue, amuse, disturb, alienate, or
irritate, you?
2. Do you find the characters con-
vincing? Are they believable? Compelling? Are they fully
developed as complex, emotional human beings?
3. Which characters do you admire or dislike? What are their primary characteristics?
4. What motivates a given character’s actions? Do you think those actions are justified or ethical?
5. Do any characters grow or change during the course of the novel? If so, in what way?
6. Who in this book would you most like to meet? What would you ask—or say?
7. If you could insert yourself as character in the book, what role would you play?
8. Is the plot well developed? Is it believable? Do you feel
manipulated along the way, or do events unfold naturally?
9. Is the story plot or character driven? In other words, does the plot unfold quickly or focus more on characters' inner lives?
10. Consider the ending. Did you ex-pect it or were you surprised? Was it
forced? Was it neatly wrapped up—
too neatly? Or was it unresolved, end-ing on an ambiguous note?
11. If you could rewrite the ending, would you? In other words, was the
ending satisfying?
12. Can you pick out a passage that strikes you as particularly profound or
interesting—or perhaps something
that sums up the central dilemma of the book?
13. Does the book remind you of someone—a friend, family member, co-worker, boss—or something—an event, prob-
lem—in your own life?
14. If you were to talk to the author, what would you want
to know? (Many authors enjoy talking with book clubs. Con-tact the publisher to see if you can set up a phone chat or
have the author meet with your group.)
15. Have you read the author’s other books? Can you discern a similarity—in theme, writing style, and structure—between them? Or are they completely different?
16. Have you written in other genres or types of publica-tions?
9
Dating After 50 by C. Wayne Dawson
Jo Cate by Pal Morse McNeely
My wife passed away after twenty years plus
Then life became a solitary haul When the grief lessened, I concluded I just
Had to find a new partner for the rest of the ball
So I listened to my sister, who found her man
By going online until the links led To a dating service called Match dot com
“It’s the place to hook up” she said
So many profiles had something for me
Women’s pictures sparkled like a jewel
Their write ups demanded complete honesty And said they saw the cup as half full
One by one the meetings took place Usually at a restaurant over a meal
Where finally reality had to be faced And the public façade began to peel
There ought to be a truth in advertising act Requiring pictures to be less than ten years old
And online information should contain a few facts
My, the fables those ladies had told!
Falling leaves
A crispness in the air
Signs that Fall is here
Are everywhere
But the surest sign
That Fall has begun
Is the spectacular setting
Of the Autumn Sun
Followed by the rising
Of the Harvest Moon
Enjoy the view
Winter will be here soon
The Autumn Sun
Descends in a fiery blaze
The golden Harvest Moon rises
Without a hint of haze
Both are a beautiful testimony
Of our Creator’s Majesty
The artist of this beautiful tapestry
Setting and rising in perfect harmony
Fall Tapestry by Samantha Z. Shields
I found a friend –
One with a smile as warm
As gentle
As a summer breeze
Whose eyes were mirrors of delight
And hospitality
Speaking their welcome –
“Come in –
Be at Home
With me.”
Her handclasp tied a ribbon
Of unspoken communication
Upon my heart –
Gave love –
Awoke love
In return.
I found her on the outer edge of summer
And was warmed
Thru a cold andhostile winter
By her embracing heart, led by her kindness
To the beauty of Spring
And now
On the rim of a new Summer
She is gone –
But her Kismet promise
Lingers . . . And gives me Hope.
10
The Williamson County Coroners is a mystery/
suspense group and participants must have novels in progress. The meetings are held at the 10:30 a.m. at the Red Poppy Café
in the George-town Library. And there is room for one more !!
Last Writes Critique Group—Full Meets (usually) at 7 PM, 2nd & 4th Wed. each month, at Oaks at Wildwood Clubhouse. Novels in progress, varied genres. Mem-bership currently full. Contact: [email protected]
Novel Crafters is Full right now, welcomes a Waiting
List Meets every other Thursday on the second floor of the George-town Library in a private room. Contact is Mary Stafford at [email protected]
Quixotic Quills critique group represents varied interests.
Our group writes historical novels, short stories and memoirs. Meetings are usually on the second and fourth Thursday of each month unless we reschedule because of holidays. We meet at 7:00 p.m. at the Monument Café. Contact is Sharon Lyle, 512-
639-1162, [email protected]. Currently, we are closed to new members.
Bard Masters Critique Group The focus of the cri-
tique group is historical fiction and fantasy. Meeting Tues-
days, 6:00 PM at the Georgetown Library. Currently open to a new member with a serious work in progress. Con-
tact: Ross Carnes [email protected]
Tale Spinners, return with us to the days of yesteryear
where we put some novel twists on old stories. Historical fiction’s the name, publication’s the fame. Join us now with
your work in progress. We have an opening for one new
member. We meet on alternate Mondays at 2:30 in the Georgetown Library. Contact Randall Best at
If you are interested in joining a critique group, contact Joan Upton Hall ([email protected])
or Sylvia Dickey Smith ([email protected])
Special Interest Groups
The article that keeps on going
Dear Doc,
What are your thoughts on reselling arti-
cles? Could I resell an article published in The Sun to, perhaps, a regional publication
like Austin Family, or to other community
newspapers? Could it be resold without changing a word, or would I need to totally
rewrite the piece?
Energizer-Writer Keeps Going—and Going
Dear Energizer,
Most newspapers purchase one time rights (inquire to be sure), which means you are at liberty to sell reprints. It's up
to the next publication whether or not they take reprints. If
they do, you can use it verbatim, saying "first published in ____." More often than not, they seem to feel this lends
weight to your article since more than one publisher liked it. I've done this several times.
For example, a book I have coming up uses an article from a magazine that did require me to get their permission to
reprint. They specified that I state, "This article was first
published in (name of magazine & date of publication), and is reprinted with the publisher’s permission."
However, chances are you'll need to change the title and alter the slant to be
just right for a different publication. If it's
very different, you don't need to get per-mission, though it’s a good idea to inform
both publishers. This makes both of them happy and lends credibility to you as a pro-
fessional. Articles that are spin-offs from a
book you wrote are great promo for the book. Even a big magazine like Texas Highways was happy
to cite my book, Grand Old Texas Theaters... and its pub-lisher, which resulted in more book sales.
Best of luck—second-sale pieces can be the sweetest kind! ---------
Have a question to share in this column? Email me at: jmu-
[email protected] with “Ask the Book Doctor” as your subject line. If you want to remain anonymous, I’ll address you by
whatever pseudonym you sign.
Joan Hall thanks GW readers for their interest in “Ask the
Book Doctor.” She says, “Because some of you have asked where you can look up previous issues, I have posted a few
of them at “books, etc.” on website:
www.JoanUptonHall.com. Scroll past the book covers and click “Ask Doc” Q&A’s .
Ask the Book Doctor: by Joan Upton Hall
Who “said” Answer … Charles Lamb
Charles Lamb (London, 10 February 1775 – Edmonton, 27 December 1834) was an English essayist, best known
for his Essays of Elia and for the children's book Tales from Shakespeare, which he produced with his sister, Mary
Lamb (1764–1847). Lamb has been referred to by E.V.
Lucas, his principal biographer, as the most lovable figure in English literature.
Lamb was honoured by The Latymer School, a grammar school in Edmonton, a suburb of London where he lived for
a time; it has six houses, one of which, "Lamb", is named after Charles.
11
Bring your used printer inkjet or laser cartridges to the meeting for recycling.
SGWL Board President Durwood Heinrich
512-966-9954 [email protected]
Vice President Dave Ciambrone 512-864-9373
Corresponding Secretary and Historian Janet Kilgore, 512-3317204 [email protected]
Treasurer Kayla Marnach 512-608-2289 kjwmtellsw@austin rr.com
Program Coordinator Sylvia Dickey Smith 512-240-5505 [email protected]
Membership dues $25.00 Carol Menchu
181 Young Ranch Rd Georgetown TX 78628
Writers’ Liaison Joan Hall 512-869-1833 [email protected]
Member at Large Dave Ciambrone 512-864-9373
Resident Agent Roger Busfield, Jr 512-930-1396 [email protected]
Newsletter Carol Menchu, editor 181 Young Ranch Rd Georgetown TX 78628 254-493-6224 [email protected]
Publicity / Member @ Large Sam Holland 512-868-5322 [email protected]
Preston Stone, Owner of
Hill Country Bookstore, is giving
all members of the San Gabriel Writers’
League a 10% discount on all purchases!
To get your discount, take your merchan-
dise to the register and tell them you’re a member of the SGWL. That’s it! Go to the
Hill Country Bookstore today and flex your discount!
Member websites
Anna M. Bell Website: http://
www.annamaebell.com
Author Blog: http://annbell.wordpress.com/
Educational Technology Blog: http://annamaebell.wordpress.com/
Ross Carnes
http://webstarts.com/
RHCarnesStoryTeller
David Ciambrone
www.davidciambrone.com
Mary Fenoglio www.eggsinmypocket.com
Sidney W. Frost http://sidneywfrost.com/ http://
christianbookmobile.blogspot.com/
Joan Hall:
www.JoanUptonHall.com
Durwood J (DJ) Heinrich: www.RedBaronConcepts.com
Sam Holland:
www.samholland.com
D Alan Johnson www.dalanjohnson.com
Melissa Leedom: www.forgive490.com
Linda Lipscomb: www.lblipscomb.com
Jason Minor: www.jason-minor.com
Helen Nardecchia www.helennardecchia.com
Joy Nord: www.joynord.com
Jamie Roton aka Lillian Grey blog http://lilliangrey.wordpress.com/
Sylvia Dickey Smith: www.sylviadickeysmith.com
SGWL website: www.sgwl.net
Books by Members
If you have a published book not on our website, remember
one of your member benefits is to have it promoted there. Take a look at: www.sgwl.net and go to Books by Members
for examples. If you want to list your book, send the follow-
ing information to [email protected]
Here's what we need:
• Photo image of your cover, preferably jpg, but if you don't have that, we'll try to help you.
• Title of your book, copyright, date, publisher
• ISBN #:
Retail price
Genre
• Where can people buy it? Your website if you have one?
• Any awards this book has won?
• (up to 100 words) Description or synopsis OR blurbs
from other writers, publishers, reviewers, etc., and remem-
ber to credit these quotes.
Promote your book
with an AD in The Gabriel Writer $5.00 for 1 issue, $10.00 for 2 issues payable to SGWL.
Promote yourself
with an ARTICLE/STORY/POEM in The Gabriel Writer
IMPORTANT: to figure out how your submission will fit use Eurostile font—size 10 for body of article
Columns are 3 and 1/4 inches wide.
If you have illustration, send it and I will try to use it
Send to SGWL Submission
181 Young Ranch Rd Georgetown Tx 78633
12
Demystifying Writers’ Demons©
USAGE - A lot/ allot
• a lot – informal for “a large amount” or “a great deal,” ―either of which would be better word choices for more formal usage) as in:
“Thanks a lot for all your help.” “I like peach cobbler a lot.”
“A lot of people were at the concert.”
• allot – to distribute or set aside for a share, as in: “Mrs. Pendergast allots a certain portion of each paycheck to charity.”
“The lieutenant’s wife receives an allotment check as a dependent.”
“Most of us allot equal portions of our estates to each of our offspring. A king, on the other hand, could not allot equal acreage to all his children without weakening the kingdom. Therefore the first born was allotted the
whole thing.”
Memory Tip: It’s either one word with two “l’s” – or two words with one “l.”
Demystifying Writers’ Demons One at a Time by Joan Upton Hall
Do demons bedevil your writing? Similar, confusing words? Grammar, punctuation, or capitalization rules? "The
Demystifier" will clear up the mystery (primary reference unless otherwise noted: Garner, Bryan A. Dictionary of Modern American Usage. N.Y.: Oxford University Press). Address questions and comments to freelance editor,
Joan Upton Hall, PO Box 179, Hutto, TX 78634, or email: [email protected]. More problems like the one above
are demystified in the booklet, 50 Writers’ Tips. Find a few of them at "books, etc." on website:
www.JoanUptonHall.com.
181 Young Ranch Road Georgetown TX 78628
