Everybody Knows your Name

I live in a wonderful community a couple of hundred miles north of New York City.  It is a small town that often reminds me of the town where I grew up in Malden, Massachusetts. A place where, like the sitcom Cheers theme song, everybody knows your name, as in strangers and friends alike happily greet you when they see you on the street.  Often when I visit my local library to pick up research books I’ve ordered online, between the time I park my car and the time I reach the front desk, my books are waiting with a smile and sometimes questions about my next project.  

A couple of years ago, I realized I needed a different type of community.  Spending hours in isolation each day at my desk left me craving the companionship of others who create in this beautiful, yet often insane, world of publishing.  I knew I needed someone, anyone to commiserate with and so I reached out to several local writers I knew and one spring afternoon, I made a pot of chili, some cornbread, everyone brought a dish,  and we gathered around my dining room table and talked about what a writer’s group could look like.  Some wanted to focus on critique.  Others on the business side of writing. Some a combination of the two.  But all of us were sure that community is what we wanted.  And that’s how we began.  

Since that spring day two years ago, we have continued, every six weeks, travelling miles to each other’s homes, virtually when the pandemic hit.  Three members left us, two others moved away, a few more have joined. What has remained is a steadfast group that has nourished me with their encouragement, advice and friendship and helped my work to grow.   

Over the past 18 months, four of us watched our books grow and evolve into something we could be proud of.  As release day neared, we celebrated and discussed our plans and our fears in our group like expectant moms in a doctor’s waiting room. 

Check out the new releases welcomed onto shelves from some of the members of my incredible Writer’s group.