If you're an SCN member who has made the news, please let us know (by sending email to news at storycircle.org. If you've published a book, we'll also add you to our SCN Authors page.

If you're not a member, why not join us? Maybe you'll soon be able to post your news on this page!

January, 2012

These SCN members published blog posts this month on our One Woman's Day blog: Pat Bean Linda Hoye Lisa Rizzo

These SCN members published book reviews &/or interviews this month at Story Circle Book Reviews: Mary Jo Doig B. Lynn Goodwin Barbara L. Heller Khadijah Lacina Shawn LaTorre Sharon Lippincott Judy Miller Trilla Pando Juliet Porton Doris Anne Roop-Benner Susan J. Tweit Judy Whelley

• Mary Jo Doig has joined our editorial team. About herself, she writes, "As I have grown to seek and find deeper levels of my own story, I find I am also passionate about reading and nurturing other women's stories. Writing book reviews helps me to deepen and share my experience with a book that has been particularly meaningful to me." Mary Jo has been an SCN member since 2001, has led the Internet Chapter Writing Circle 7 for seven years, has been editor of Story Circle Journal's "True Words From Real Women" for six years, and co-edited Story Circle's annual anthology in 2011.

• SCBR Distribution Editor Barbara Heming's first mystery novel, Death Wins the Crown, a Hall of Fame Mystery, is now available on Kindle. To learn more and read an excerpt, go to Barbara's website.

• Marlene Samuels' book, The Seamstress: A Memoir of Survival, was just released as an audio-book by Tantor Audio. Told with the same old-fashioned narrative power as the novels of Herman Wouk, The Seamstress is the true story of Seren (Sara) Tuvel Bernstein and her survival during wartime.

December, 2011

These SCN members published blog posts this month on our One Woman's Day blog: Pat Bean Cathy Scibelli Teresa Werth Judy Whelley

These SCN members published book reviews &/or interviews this month at Story Circle Book Reviews: Judy Alter Susan M. Andrus Stephanie Barko B. Lynn Goodwin Judith Helburn Shawn LaTorre Penny Leisch Sharon Lippincott Martha Meacham Judy Miller Mary Ann Moore Trilla Pando Doris Anne Roop-Benner Susan J. Tweit

• SCN member Nancy Rigg has been nominated for the "Rare Life Award." You can read her story here. There's a "vote" button at the bottom of the page: your vote could help Nancy win $20,000 for Higgins & Langley Memorial and Education Fund, the charity that has been at the center of her story for many years: the foundation she established when her fiance was drowned in an attempted rescue in the Los Angeles River. Swiftwater rescue became the story of her life—a truly remarkable story! Please vote for Nancy!

• Sherry Wachter (aka Bodie Parkhurst)'s memoir, Benchmarks: A Single Mother's Illustrated Journal has just been released a fully illustrated, full-color edition especially for Kindle Fire. Kindle's new technology, which reproduces color images in stunning detail, opens up new possibilities for including graphics in books, Parkhurst says. "It means that I can now consider producing some of my picture books for e-readers—a long-time goal of mine. The Kindle Fire combines Kindle's text-management capabilities with some amazing image reproduction capabilities. The challenge will be learning how to maximize the technology."

  Maximizing technology to accommodate reader diversity has become a hallmark of Bodie Parkhurst's work. "I want my books to be available to anyone who wants to read them," Parkhurst says, "so I've made a policy of producing them in both paperback and Kindle versions. Because illustrations form a key part of Benchmarks, I'm happy that the new Kindle Fire provides a way to include them in color in the text. That means that Benchmarks is available in trade paperback and Kindle, as well as in an oversize illustrated paperback version and a color illustrated version for the Fire."

• Sara Etgen-Baker has had several memoir pieces recently published. First, "He'd Walk a Mile for a Camel" will appear in Reminisce Magazine sometime in 2012. Another memoir entitled "Barbie, Beautiful Barbie" appeared in the Fall/Winter issue of Looking Back Magazine. And a lengthy memoir about a summer with her aunt was recently published at Ink Filled Page. Sara tells us that, "...all those months of simultaneous submissions and patience produced some wonderful results. I am grateful and excited!"

November, 2011

These SCN members published blog posts this month on our One Woman's Day blog: Judy Alter Sandra Heggen Linda Hoye Becky Lane Ardine Martinelli

These SCN members published book reviews &/or interviews this month at Story Circle Book Reviews: Judith Helburn Laura Strathman Hulka Shawn LaTorre Martha Meacham Mary Ann Moore Doris Anne Roop-Benner Susan Schoch Sherry Wachter Judy Whelley

• Barbara Miller had two pieces included in books by Christine Valters Paintner: a poem, "What Does It Take?," in The Artist's Rule; and a reflection on a section of Proverbs in Lectio Divina. Both are 2011 publications.

• Lois Halley's article, "Home," was published in the December/January 2011 issue of Looking Back magazine. Lois tells us, "I feel so blessed that this is the 3rd article of mine that Looking Back has published as I love writing about my childhood memories. Thank you all at SCN for encouraging women to write our stories!"

• Amy Greenspan has a poem published in the 2012 Texas Poetry Calendar, published by Dos Gatos Press.

October, 2011

These SCN members published blog posts this month on our One Woman's Day blog: Nancy Hinshaw Linda Hoye Khadijah Lacina Becky Lane

These SCN members published book reviews &/or interviews this month at Story Circle Book Reviews: Susan M. Andrus Judith Helburn Laura Strathman Hulka Sharon Lippincott Sallie Moffitt Mary Ann Moore Doris Anne Roop-Benner

• Janet Lucy's book, Moon Mother, Moon Daughter: Myths and Rituals that Celebrate a Girl's Coming of Age, was released in a second edition publication by Publishing by The Seas in August 2011.

• Janet Caplan's story, "Jour de Neige", about a long ago snow day in Montreal, has just come out in the new book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: O Canada. Janet also has a couple of travel articles about British Columbia's Vancouver Island on the travel website Northwest.com.

• Jamie Patterson's memoir, Lost Edens, has been published. It is available in print and will be available for the Kindle in about a month. Read an excerpt on Stephanie Barko's blog.

• Leila Levinson's memoir, Gated Grief: The Daughter of a GI Concentration Camp Liberator Discovers a Legacy of Trauma, received the President's Award from the Military Writers Society.

• Barbara Heming's mystery novel, Death Wins the Crown, a Hall of Fame Mystery, has been published. It is available in print and will be available for the Kindle in about a month. To learn more and read an excerpt, go to Barbara's website.

September, 2011

These SCN members published blog posts this month on our One Woman's Day blog: Pat LaPointe Sharon Lippincott Susan J. Tweit

These SCN members published book reviews &/or interviews this month at Story Circle Book Reviews: Judy Alter Kim Randall Cox Laura Strathman Hulka Judy King Khadijah Lacina Sharon Lippincott Judy Miller Diana Nolan Doris Anne Roop-Benner Susan Schoch Lisa Shirah-Hiers Becca Taylor Linda Wisniewski

• Susan Wittig Albert's latest book, The Tale of Castle Cottage, is out this month from Berkley Prime Crime.

• Judy Miller recently presented "Tips from the Trenches: Finding Middle Ground in Open Adoptive Parenting" at the Open Adoption Symposium: Realities, Possibilities and Challenges at the University of Richmond Law School (Richmond, VA). She is also presenting "Your Adopted Child and Racism" and "Adoption versus Normal," as well as sitting on a panel about adoptive family advocacy.

• Carol Smallwood co-edited (Molly Peacock, foreword) Women and Poetry: Tips on Writing, Teaching and Publishing by Successful Women Poets (McFarland, 2011); Compartments: Poems on Nature, Femininity and Other Realms (Anaphora Literary Presss, 2011). She is a National Federation of Poetry Societies winner. Writing and Publishing: The Librarian's Handbook was published by the American Library Association in 2010.

• Jackie Woolley's new book Sex, Lies & Stories, Memoir of a Frustrated Writer, has just been published. The book is a memoir during one year of Jackie's life at Lake Livingston, and it is also a book about writing. It contains the best things she has learned in the 40 something years she has been writing. Her novel, The Sound of Windmills, was published earlier this year.

• Cathy Scibelli's essay, "God is Redirecting You," has just been published in the collection A Book of Miracles by Dr. Bernie Siegel. Anyone interested can actually read part of the essay through Amazon.com's "look inside" feature.

• Sharon Blumberg will write a new column on book reviews for Off the Water, a newspaper in Southwestern Michigan. She will write about authors' books that connect to Soutwestern Michigan in some way. Sharon also writes book reviews for Voya Magazine.

August, 2011

These SCN members published blog posts this month on our One Woman's Day blog: Pat Bean Mary Jo Doig Carol Kunnerup Khadijah Lacina Carol Sanford Marlene Samuels Judy Whelley

These SCN members published book reviews &/or interviews this month at Story Circle Book Reviews: Judy Alter Penny Appleby Janet Caplan Judith Helburn Laura Strathman Hulka Judy King Sharon Lippincott Judy Miller Mary Ann Moore Trilla Pando Lisa Shirah-Hiers Susan J. Tweit

• A journalist, Lara Neel, from the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette newspaper recently interviewed Katherine Misegades. She wrote a lovely review of one of Katherine's books, wrote a bit about their interview in her blog column (scroll down for photos) and published a podcast of the interview. The first 3 minutes of the podcast is about sock heels, followed by the interview.

• Judy Alter's mystery, Skeleton in a Dead Space, launched August 20, available as e-book or print copy. Thanks to Susan Wittig Albert for a great blurb!

• Kate Farrell's memoir anthology about mother, Wisdom Has a Voice: Every Daughter's Memories of Mother, is now available on Amazon for Kindle or as a Kindle app. The print book edition will launch on September 1, 2011; it can be found here.

  Amber Starfire interviewed Kate about the anthology via Skype and posted it on her blog.

• Judy M. Miller has written and micro-published an e-guide for adoptive parents: What To Expect From Your Adopted Tween. And, her essay, "Emergence" has been published in Sensational Journeys: 48 Personal Stories of Sensory Processing Disorder.

July, 2011

These SCN members published blog posts this month on our One Woman's Day blog: Lee Ambrose Candi Byrne Susan Tweit

These SCN members published book reviews &/or interviews this month at Story Circle Book Reviews: Judy Alter Linda Hoye Laura Strathman Hulka Sharon Lippincott Judy Miller Edith O'Nuallain Doris Anne Roop-Benner

• Sallie Moffitt's personal essay, "Water Wheels", is available in the literary journal Ten Spurs, Volume 5, published by the Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism, University of North Texas.

• Edith O'Nuallain was quoted in a recently-published book, Lectio Divina: the Sacred Art by Christine Valters Paintner (pgs. 93-94). She also has a short piece published in the April-May 2011 issue of "BookWomen."

• Samantha White published her first book (at the age of 73) this spring: Someone to Talk To: Finding Peace, Purpose, and Joy After Tragedy and Loss.

• Sharon Blumberg's story, "God's Eyes (This is No Yarn!)", was recently published online at Handprints On My Heart. It is currently being featured as one of the lead stories & will become part of an e-book and then eventually a series.

June, 2011

These SCN members published blog posts this month on our One Woman's Day blog: Khadijah Lacina Kali' Rourke Andrea Savee

These SCN members published book reviews &/or interviews this month at Story Circle Book Reviews: Susan Wittig Albert Janet Caplan B. Lynn Goodwin Laura Strathman Hulka Linda Hoye Susan Ideus Sharon Lippincott Susan Schoch Susan J. Tweit

• Dorothy Sells Clover just published her first book: Cornucopia, a book of poetry, which can be ordered online through Tate Publishing.

• Khadijah Lacina's new book My Home, My Path was released this month. It is a comprehensive guide for Muslim women regarding the essential place and crucial role of women in Islaam, according the the Qur'aan and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad. It contains translations from many modern day Islamic scholars, as well as a section on Islamic rulings concerning various women's issues. She has already received orders for the book from around the world, as well as from distributors in the U.S. The Kindle version will be available soon as well. Khadijah's book, A Slice of Summer: A Children's Poetry Book of Colors, will be released in July.

• Sherry Wachter's new book, Benchmarks, A Single Mother's Illustrated Journal, will be published next month. Sherry tells us, "It is a memoir exploring how being a single mom has helped me grow into a fuller, happier person. I was inspired to write it because when people learn that I'm a single mom the most common response is, 'Oh, I'm sorry. That must be so hard.' The reality is that while single parenting does present its own set of challenges, in my case it has been enormously enjoyable—full of wonderful moments that are worth holding onto. And so—a memoir, composed of a series of short stories and essays capturing those moments." The book will be available in three formats: a simple black and white "text" book, an illustrated, full-color "gift" book, and a kindle book.

May, 2011

These SCN members published blog posts this month on our One Woman's Day blog: Sherry Bannan Sally Jean Brudos Ruth Hetrick Khadijah Lacina Suzanne Sherman

These SCN members published book reviews &/or interviews this month at Story Circle Book Reviews: Susan Wittig Albert Judy Alter Lee Ambrose Susan M. Andrus Rhonda Esakov Barbara Heming Linda Hoye Laura Strathman Hulka Judy King Sharon Lippincott Martha Meacham Judy Miller Mary Ann Moore Melissa Negron Diana Nolan Trilla Pando Natalie Purcell Doris Anne Roop-Benner Susan J. Tweit Sharon Wildwind

• Susan Albert's China Bayles mystery series will be extended through three more books, to appear in 2013, 2014, and 2015. (She recently turned in Cat's Claw, the 2012 book.) In addition, the dramatic rights to her memoir, Together, Alone: A Memoir of Marriage and Place, have just been acquired by Redwood Audiobooks, for production and release in the next twelve months.

• Diana Nolan's parody, "The Real South," has been published in the current issue of Discover Southside, an online magazine. She has been invited to be a regular contributor to this E-zine.

• Theresa May's unique dolls are featured in a three-page spread in the magazine, Doll Collector: For the Love of Dolls, July 2011. Theresa (an SCN members since 2002) is a member of the Original Doll Artists Council of America. You may have seen her dolls at the 2008 and 2010 Stories from the Heart conferences. Theresa says "I go to bed thinking about art and I get up every morning with a head full of ideas." For a look at her imaginative work, click here (pdf).

• Susan Tweit's audio essay collection, Wildlives: Celebrating the World Around Us, has won the 2011 Colorado Authors League award for essays.

• SCN's anthology, What Wildness is This (University of Texas Press, 2007), was recently reviewed in AAUWsome News, the newsletter of the Kerrville TX Branch of American Association of University Women. Reviewer Chris Bradley (an SCN member) writes: "Everyone who draws strength from landscape, everyone who loves wildlife and nature, should own this book."

April, 2011

These SCN members published blog posts this month on our One Woman's Day blog: Jamuna Advani Linda Austin Khadijah Lacina Georgina Mavor Marlene Samuels Suzanne Sherman Teresa Werth Marjorie Witt

These SCN members published book reviews &/or interviews this month at Story Circle Book Reviews: Judy Alter B. Lynn Goodwin Judith Helburn Barbara Heming Linda Hoye Laura Strathman Hulka Susan Ideus Judy King Judy Miller Mary Ann Moore Trilla Pando Doris Anne Roop-Benner Susan J. Tweit

• Renee Cassese's short story, "Lucy's Couch" was accepted for publication in The Storyteller Magazine. They also publish nonfiction so a good market for life stories as well.

• "Writing My Way Home," Susan Tweit's essay on the view from her writing desk, appears in the new anthology, An Elevated View: Colorado Writers on Writing, just out from Seven Oaks Publishing. The book includes pieces by mystery writers Margaret Coel and Mara Purl, among others.

March, 2011

These SCN members published blog posts this month on our One Woman's Day blog: Pat Bean Kendra Bonnett Matilda Butler Kathleen Hewitt Khadijah Lacina Becky Lane Sharon Lippincott Marlene Samuels

These SCN members published book reviews &/or interviews this month at Story Circle Book Reviews: Susan Wittig Albert Judy Alter Lee Ambrose Barbara L. Heller Laura Strathman Hulka Susan Ideus Judy Miller Mary Ann Moore Diana Nolan Edith O'Nuallain Trilla Pando

• Susan Wittig Albert's memoir, Together, Alone: A Memoir of Marriage and Place, was released in paperback by the University of Texas Press.

  Mourning Gloria, the ninetenth mystery in Susan Wittig Albert's China Bayles series, will be in bookstores on April 5. For a full list of all the China Bayles mysteries, click here.

• Linda Hoye's piece, "Reunion," has been published in the Winter 2011 edition of Adoption Circles.