AUTHOR! AUTHOR! AREA WRITERS WIN PLAUDITS

By Antoinette May Herndon

Writing is a lonely business. You do it all by yourself, one solitary word at a time. Once in awhile your life is livened by a fan note or a chance encounter with a stranger who says, “Oh! Are the one who wrote_____? That book kept me up all night! I just couldn’t put it down.”

Those rare moments make you want to just roll over. You’re ready for heaven or maybe you’re already there. But generally, writing’s lonesome life livened mostly by occasional royalty checks.

For Sonora’s Marylin Martin, the writer’s life was recently made a whole lot better by a stunning review in Kirkus, a book review magazine esteemed as a kind of writers’ bible for more than 80 years.

Marylin’s debut novel, “Common Threads Uncommon Women,” is a chronicle depicting the lives of four generations of Native American women navigating life in a patriarchal society. It has been compared to Steinbeck’s “East of Eden.”

This is the story of Marylin’s real-life family beginning with her great-grandmother Minerva, a Native American married to a white Confederate soldier. The saga continues up to World War II.

“Each generation suffers the loss of family members,” Marylin explains, “but each woman copes and remains a source of support for others. They are inextricably bound by their parallel experiences and the lessons they pass down. These bonds provide readers

with hope and emotional relief.”

Another area writer singled out by Kirkus is Getty Ambau of Valley Springs. “Desta and the Winds of Washaa Umera,” Volume 2 in his ongoing series has been called “stunning, breathtakingly powerful and edifying.”

Would those accolades rate for making a writer’s day! But I like this even better: “One boy’s endearing journey of discovery, a wise parable of faith and aspiration.

Getty’s evolving Desta series focuses on a seven-year-old shepherd boy, his father and a 2800- year-old gold coin. Set in rural Ethiopia, “Desta” depicts a world that may seem alien to many of us, yet for any one who has been a child trying to make sense out of family alliances and authoritarian dogma, the story is surprisingly familiar.

“Book babies” get conceived in strange ways. For Al and Sunny Lockwood it began with a terrifying car crash. The couple had stopped for a red light when a texting driver slammed into them at 60 miles an hour. The Lockwood’s car was totaled, their summer spent in doctors’ offices and arguing with insurance companies. “It was all just a horrible, painful mess,” Sunny says today.

So much for the bad stuff. Grim as it was, the near-tragedy got the Lockwoods to thinking that it might have been far worse. They might have been lying in a morgue or hooked up to monitors in the hospital.

“Isn’t time we started actually doing some of the things we’ve been saving for ‘someday?’”

Al asked.

A Panama Cruise was their first on the “someday” list. “ Cruising Panama's Canal, savoring 5,000 nautical miles and 500,000 decadent calories” is the title of their brand new travel memoir.

Al and Sunny are seasoned travelers but they threw themselves into the cruise experience with the wholehearted enthusiasm of newbies. Al focuses on consuming 500,000 calories in savory detail. Sunny tells us everything anyone would want to know about an onboard life on a Holland line cruiser.

It’s a charming summation of 17 delightful days by a couple who truly know how to enjoy themselves.

You can meet the Lockwoods, hear all about cruising and buy their book at two launch parties On March 23 and 30, from 1:30 p.m. until 4 at Gold County Roasters, 78 Scott St. in Murphys.

Established writers, wannabe and everyone in between will get answers, learn new skills and find plenty of opportunity to network at the ninth annual Gold Rush Writers Confernce May 2, 3 and 4th at the Hotel Leger, 8305 Main St., Mokelumne Hill. Attendees will have a choice of 22 workshops lead by traditionally published writers, panels, a picnic supper in a Victorian garden, dinner and brunch talks by award winning pros. The event is S150 for returnees and $160 for newcomers. The price goes up to $175 for everyone after April l. Check out goldrushwiters.com or call at 286- 1320 for more information.