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Welcome to My New Format This month I'm excited to launch my new e-mail and social media formats. If you are new to this community, welcome, and new or regular I welcome your input. If there is anything you would like to see included, expanded, reduced or removed please let me know. If anyone you know would like to join our community, have them sign up here and I will be happy to add them. And now, here is what’s UP AND COMING. Upcoming Events  OLLI at UCONN Open House and Reading of My Award-winning poem, Miner's Lament, August 26, 9:30 AM – 2:00 PM, 99 East Main Street, Waterbury, CT, 203-236-9924 Do you:
 Book Discussion of Amanda’s Room, September 14, 2:00 - 4:00 pm, Paul Gregory's Restaurant, 148 Center Street, Southington, CT. If you have already read Amanda’s Room and would like to know about the “Story behind the story,” come join in on the discussion. While you are there sample some of the terrific food and desserts at this favorite in downtown Southington. The event is free and open to the public but to ensure a seat (suggested but not required), call Paula at the restaurant Monday through Friday till 3 pm and tell her you plan to attend. The number is 860-621-9999.  The Eastern States Exposition – Big-E, Sept. 16 – Oct. 2 (Multiple dates and times TBA), Connecticut Building, 875 Memorial Ave. W. Springfield, MA. Once again I’ll be in the Connecticut Building on the Avenue of the States to sign my books and help celebrate the Big-E’s 100th Anniversary! I’ll include the specific dates and times I’ll be there in next month’s newsletter. This is New England’s premier fair with food, arts and crafts, cultural and vendor exhibits, parades, agricultural competitions, rides and attractions, a complete circus and top-flight entertainment. Learn more about this year’s activities and events atthebige.com.  Writer’s Presentation – The First Five Pages, September 28, 6:30 – 8:30 PM, Meriden Public Library, 105 Miller Street, Meriden, CT 06450, (203) 630-6349 Are you currently writing your first book or wish you were? Then come join in as I present The First Five Pages to the Meriden Library’s writer’s group. In what will be a lively and highly interactive presentation, we will apply famous author quotes from Checkov to White to the reasons books are rejected by agents, publishers and readers and then discussing how you can apply these concepts to your own writing. The program is free and open to the public but I suggest calling to ensure that they provide enough space to accommodate everyone. Book NewsAmanda’s Room Traveler’s Edition
Injured Angels  SPOILER ALERT: If you are the kind who doesn’t want to know key clues to the book’s background or story line, skip this section until after you have read the book. I have been on an extended hiatus from writing Injured Angels for too long and I am thrilled to say that lapse has finally ended. Any experienced author will tell you that a key factor to success is to write every day. I know that as well as anyone; I just wasn’t doing it. Now, after addressing two key factors that blocked my productivity, I'm consistently spending at least two hours every day exclusively on finishing the new book and loving it! The first issue was that my primary character, Maureen Russo, was coming across as superficial. While my beta readers either loved or hated Doris Cantrell (which is exactly what I wanted), many felt ambivalent toward Maureen. Other reviewers noted that Maureen’s husband, Frank, who was a pivotal character for only the first third of the book, eclipsed Maureen in impact. The solution was for me to give Maureen her own voice. To do that I had to get into her heart, body and soul by telling the story in the first person using her own emotions and words and it is working wonderfully!  The second factor was at least as challenging. Most writers will tell you that they write better in the right place at the right time. Well both evaded me until recently when I finally realized why. We live on a beautiful lake, partially because I find that environment conducive to writing, but my upstairs office overlooked the driveway in the back of the house with only a limited view of the water. When I moved my desk to the downstairs living room, I didn’t realize how disruptive it would be for me and my wife. The more things that disrupted my writing, the more frustrated I became and the less I finished in my writing and other chores around the house. When Judy and I finally carved out a mutually acceptable part of every day during which I could write undisturbed, my writing and household productivity shot up and both our lives have had a bit less stress. (It's a roll top desk so I can hide the chaos when we get company.) Injured Angels is back on track and I am now confident that it will be finished soon and well worth the wait. The Rest of the StoryEverything is new again!
After more than 4 years working full-time at writing and publishing, I am finally feeling somewhat in control of the process. Many thanks go to my sons, Jason and Michael, my wife, Judy, and my publisher / editor / friend, Richard LaPorta. With their help I now have this new e-mail platform, a new website, an updated book trailer, the new Amanda’s Room Traveler’s Edition and a great deal of wonderful progress on my new book, Injured Angels. A banner month! I have a new e-mail program on (MailChimp) My son, Jason has been bugging me for months to make the switch for several good reasons:
Once again, thanks to Jason, I have this new website built on the Weebly platform and for many of the same reasons as the e-mail program: Better pictures and graphics, better usage statistics, tools for information gathering and easier reader input. In addition, the new website provides:
Even my name got a Social Media makeover Too much consistency in writing is boring but too little on social media is confusing and for me, nerve-racking. I had multiple websites, e-mail programs, blogs, Facebook accounts and other social media. With so many platforms and different names for each, even I had trouble remembering who I was! While it’s still a work in progress, I am working at putting all of my book related work under the consistent “brand” of Author Chuck Miceli or a shortened version of it, so my website (which now incorporates my blog) is AuthorChuckMiceli.com, author related e-mail goes to [email protected], my author information on Facebook is at Facebook.com/authorchuckmiceli, and on Twitter, (which does not provide enough space for the full name), my handle is Twitter.com/authorchuckm. You get the idea. Well that's it for now. Until next month, Warmest Regards, Chuck
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February 2020
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