The Purple Rain in Barnes & Noble

Dr. Seuss was born 105 years ago today. And what better way to celebrate than to give a pat on the back to a group member whose children's book, in my humble opinion, is a work of art along the lines of anything Seuss did?

Walter Rein was informed by his publisher (Grateful Steps) that Barnes & Noble will be carrying his book The Purple Rain in Zanzibar in their stores nationwide. This is wonderful news and we are very proud of both Walter and illustrator Jack Ferrell.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Walter Rein Wins Book Award

Group member Walter Rein recently received much deserved recognition for his book The Purple Rain in Zanzibar. It was chosen to receive the Silver Mom's Choice award for a Children's Picture Book in the Bedtime Stories category. (The entire list can be viewed here: http://www.momschoiceawards.com/celebrate09.php.)


The judges for this award include the creators of Reading Rainbow and the Baby Einstein Series.


This is a great honor and we are proud of Walter and the book's illustrator, Jack Farrell.

Congratulations guys!

December Happenings

Many of my photos from our Christmas party on December 8th were too blurry to use. Seems I still need practice with my camera.

Walter and Janell again hosted out little get-together. He read for us, and we were lucky enough to hear his wit put to good use when they received a sales call that evening. I'm betting they won't be dialing his phone number again. :-)




Members John Pierce, Taylor Reese and Jack Pyle listen on. John's hard at work on his first novel and Taylor & Jack are veteran authors who always have great advice for the rest of us. (http://pylereesebooks.tripod.com/)

Our Christmas party was also a "Bon Voyage" gathering for group member Alessa Leming who is in the process of moving to Virginia. She did make our regular meeting on December 29, but we knew more members would be able to make the Christmas party. I put together some photos of her and had them put on a cake. Turned out pretty well for the most part. (The photo in the lower right ended up kind of washed out, ghostlike. Alessa as Casper?)

On December 29th we had our usual monthly meeting and had a pretty good turn-out considering the holiday time of year. Seven members shared poetry, prose, advice and coffee. It was a good meeting.

But then, they usually are.

The Purple Rain in Zanzibar

The Gazzybow Goose
With bowlegged wings
Was singing the way
The Gazzybow sings.
©2008

So begins the new book by Walter Rein, The Purple Rain in Zanzibar. This book is a wonderful read...along the lines of Dr. Seuss. Walter wrote this story back in 1968, and after 40 years, it still sounds fresh, new and fun.

After some prodding by his wife Janell and various friends, Walter finally decided to try and get this fairytale published. He got together with friend and neighbor Jack Ferrell, an award-winning artist, and the book finally came together. Grateful Steps Publishing in Asheville, NC saw the potential and immediately snatched up the book and began the long process that is publishing.

Walter's book is finally out there, and would make a great Christmas gift for anyone with children. (Check your local bookstore, Amazon.com or the publisher's site.)

We are very proud of Walter and this book. It is bound to become a classic.

Birthday Wishes IV

One more August birthday. Today it's group member Janell Rein. (That's her with her husband, author Walter Rein.) Janell isn't a writer, but I'm betting she could be. She comes to our little group with her husband and has become a very integral member. She is always ready to give wonderful critiques and is very supportive of all our writers, not to mention that she is one of the strongest women I have ever met.

Personally, I have to say that Janell is one of my favorite people. She is so nice and has often been there to give me support and reassurances as "leader" of this group. And I know she is very supportive of Walter, as he is with her. They have been married 51 years now, and they are so perfect, so RIGHT together. If my husband and I have half the love they obviously have for each other, we are off to a great start.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANELL!!

Starting Over Again

Hi. I'm Susan and I run the Mayland Writers' Group.

I started this blog months back, and then gave it up when it didn't seem there was much interest from the group. But, here I am again. I will try to keep it going this time with updates from the group, hightlights of members' published works, writing prompts/ideas, etc.

This time around, I want to showcase member Walter Rein's first book Wonderful Wawa's Words of Wisdom. This book is both funny and thought provoking. You know you are in for an interesting read when at the beginning you see a warning: WARNING: The Believer General has determined that reading this book could be harmful to your faith. You can read a summary and/or purchase the book at Amazon.com and other online bookstores. It's a great read and I look forward to more from Walter's so very creative mind.