Waltham is the hub of the literary world as of late! Here are some highlights from the week.
NaNoWriMo aka National Novel Writing Month, is off to a wordy start! More than one million words have been written this month in the Metro-West area. If you have you ever dreamed of writing a novel, this is an engaging way to jumpstart your ideas. Sign up now for an introduction to the writing community.
11/5 Using What You Know to Write a Mystery
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NaNoWriMo was promoted in the "Find the Clues to the Novel Only You Can Write" panel. The Waltham Public Library and Sisters In Crime New England joined up to showcase a trio of talented gumshoes: Sheila Connolly, Sharon Healy-Yang, and Gina Fava.
Sheila Connolly is a New York Times bestselling author living in Massachusetts. She has four series: "The Glassblowing Series;" "The Orchard Series," set in Massachusetts; "The Museum Series", and "The County Cork Series" which she researched on trips to Ireland. She incorporated local folklore and flavor to stir the pot of her cooked up stories.
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Sharon Healy-Yang is quite the dame. She is an independent author finalist in the National Indie Excellence awards. When she is not writing, she teaches in the Worcester State University's English Department. Her mystery novels include "Bait and Switch" and "Letter from A Dead Man." Film noir and old-fashioned 1940s suspense movies enthrall and inspire her. This is evident in the styling of her sharp-witted lead females and snappy dressers in her mysteries.
Gina Fava is the winner of the Indie Award for the best mystery/thriller ebook in 2015. She lives in New England where she has fond memories of watching auto racing on TV with her dad. It was these father-daughter moments, together cheering for cars zooming across the screen, that first inspired her to write. Combined with her zest for Italian life and travel, she has created provocative thrillers. By intertwining the heart pounding rush of racing and the exotic underground world of Italian politics and espionage, her books are fast-paced reads with shocking twists and turns. Her mystery novels include "The Race," "The Sculptor," and "Formula."
When asked how they combated writer's block, all three mystery women definitively declared that it did not exist for them. They each suffered instead from the pang of dreaming up TOO MANY ideas to write about.
11/6 ELECTION DAY
After voting, local writing enthusiasts typed the evening away at Panera Bread on Lexington Street, Waltham. While cooling off their laptop keys, they signed holiday cards for people in local prison. This is my second year working with Black and Pink Boston, and each card signed is a blessing to someone lonely during the holiday season. Thirty-one cards were signed, some with personal messages that melted my heart. Five dollars were donated towards postage, and these cheerful greetings are on their way!
Spotlighted events for the coming week
11/14 You are invited to an author signing at Brelundi's at the watch factory! I will be signing copies of my brand new Waltham-based novel, "Watch City: Waltham Watch." Come enjoy some lovingly made appetizers with me and chit-chat about Waltham's steampunk history! From 5-6:30, a perfect way to wind down mid-week!
11/15 Waltham Public Library 7:15-8:45, WPL Book Club discusses "The Crane Wife" by Patrick Ness.
Jessica Lucci's review:
"The Crane Wife" by Patrick Ness blends folktale with modern life. A lonely man does a god deed for an injured creature and then good things start happening for him. He has a daughter with similar relationship issues and throughout the book, their lives intertwine with metaphor. Although this is a modern retelling of a Japanese folktale, it seems to me that most of the magic and charm was lost because of the dreary characters. Dreary characters can be endearing or induce empathy, but the main character was such a boring old stick-in-the mud, without qualities that would stand out as likable, that he came off as annoying. I did not really care about his problems because he was such a dry dolt.
11/16 Arts at the Armory 8PM-10PM: Richard Cambridge's Poets Theatre featuring Carla Schwartz
11/17 Dickens Holiday Festival 10AM-3PM, All Souls Church, Braintree MA: I will be there in full steampunk attire, traveling back in time to a gorgeous Victorian Christmas scene. Victorian Santa and other characters in Victorian regalia will be in attendance, spreading their holiday joy.
Stay tuned: next week is the last Lucci's List before I unveil the holiday lineup for December!