– “This isn’t a timeshare. Our program’s based on points.”A presentation by a Dolly Parton doppelganger, so charming she could sell a bald man a comb!Erika Hoffman is a happy and long-time resident of beautiful North Carolina. She’s a member of three writing clans: North Carolina Writers Network; The Triangle Area Freelancers; and Carteret Writers. During the past 14 years while pursuing “her scrivener dream,” she has succeeded in getting published 481 times. Yet, Erika deems her best achievement— besides being married forever—is having raised four functioning citizens. Without a doubt, her proudest moniker is “Ama” to six grandsons and four granddaughters.
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"We Got Five Done" by Howard Pearre
– “Okay, Mr. Spark Plug. Out you come.”I gave it another dose of penetrating oil, waited, and pulled a little harder.Howard Pearre lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He attended UNC Charlotte and Appalachian State University and retired after a career as a counselor and manager with NC Vocational Rehabilitation and the US Department of Veterans Affairs. He served in the Army as a paratrooper and is a 5k runner. His essays and fiction have appeared in Flying South, the Dead Mule School of Southern Literature, Proud To Be, and other publications.
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"A Debt of Gratitude" by Randell Jones
– I just wanted to say, “thank you.”Such a hole in cyberspace has no bottom, of course, so I grabbed onto one protruding root—to overtax the Alice metaphor—and pulled myself over to the side.Randell Jones is an award-winning writer about the pioneer and Revolutionary War eras and North Carolina history. During 25 years, he has written 150+ history-based guest columns for the Winston-Salem Journal. His newest release is the expanded 2nd edition of the 2005 biography and travel guide, In the Footsteps of Daniel Boone (2024) and the related video, Boone’s America: Boone Trace, 1775. In 2017, he created the Personal Story Publishing Project and in 2019, the companion podcast, “6-minute Stories” to encourage other writers. He lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Visit RandellJones.com and BecomingAmerica250.com.
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"Tenderfoot" by Bob Amason
– “Let’s go backpacking.”Undaunted, we scoffed at the potential to dive into oblivion down a Tennessee mountainside.Award-winning author Bob Amason is a retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel who was a college professor for 25 years. A Florida Writer’s Association member, Bob writes historical and modern suspense novels under his pen name, Frank A. Mason. His Journeyman Chronicles series on the American Revolutionary War won the 2023 Florida Writer’s Association’s prestigious Gold Royal Palm Literary Award. Bob’s writing has been published in six anthologies, academic journals, and books. Dr. Bob Amason lives in Florida with his overachieving wife, a research professor and author of a series of children’s books.
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"Taste the Disappointment" by Joe Brown
–There’s almost no food that I don’t like.It usually takes a long, long hour to get the proper freeze, so we took turns slowly turning the handle over and over.Joe Brown is a retired building contractor. He lives on a small family farm in the Bethania area of Winston Salem NC. He now has time to do all those projects that a busy work schedule didn't allow. He enjoys his grandchildren and great grandchildren and as time allows likes to reflect on his life and write stories about his adventures. Several of those stories have been shared through The Personal Publishing Project. His prayer is that his family can appreciate the history he has lived.
True, personal stories from new voices and experienced writers resonating with the themes of the Personal Essay/Story Publishing Projects: "Bearing Up" (2018) and "Exploring" (2019).
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