Words of The Season is a seasonal event to showcase authors, produced by Michael Kashmanian of the Durham Festival Theatre with support from the Writers Community Of Durham Region (WCDR).

The evening featured short readings and songs by 18 local writers, including Adele. She read and sang her story from A Second Cup Of Hot Apple Cider – "Charlie" – accompanied by her guitar.

There were over 70 people in the homey restaurant, including children.

Over hot wings and beer, to couples and families just out for a nice evening, the words rang out through the pub… "It is no secret what God can do…" and at the end "Jesus loves me…"

Wendy Elaine Nelles is shortlisted four times; Angelina Fast-Vlaar, Glynis M. Belec, and Adele Simmons three times; Donna Fawcett, Evangeline Inman and M. D. Meyer twice.

See the entire list of nominations after the break.

Article – General Readership
Bonnie Beldan-Thomson of Pickering, Ont. for "Love in the Ice and Snow"
Vilma Blenman of Pickering, Ont. for "Lost: One Green Scarf"
Donna Fawcett of St. Marys, Ont. for "A Glimpse of Heaven"
Ron Hughes of Smithville, Ont. for "Mrs. Onley's Funeral"
M. D. Meyer of Norway House, Man. for "Bannock and Sweet Tea"
Wendy Elaine Nelles of Toronto for "Soulmates"
Adele Simmons of Whitby, Ont. for "Charlie"
 
Article – Inspirational/Devotional
Glynis M. Belec of Drayton, Ont. for "On Being Still and Knowing"
Marguerite Cummings of Toronto for "O Canada"
Angelina Fast-Vlaar of St. Catharines, Ont. for "Forgiven"   
Evangeline Inman of Fredericton for "Live Life to the Full"
Wendy Elaine Nelles of Toronto for "Soulmates"
Gloria V. Phillips of Collingwood, Ont. for "Seeing the Heart of God"
 
Article – Long Feature
Wendy Elaine Nelles of Toronto for "Soulmates"
 
Article – Personal Experience
Glynis M. Belec of Drayton, Ont. for "On Being Still and Knowing"
Angelina Fast-Vlaar of St. Catharines, Ont. for "Forgiven"
Donna Fawcett of St. Marys, Ont. for "A Glimpse of Heaven"
Evangeline Inman of Fredericton for "Live Life to the Full"
Kimberley Payne of Millbrook, Ont. for "A Personal Makeover-Inside and Out"
Adele Simmons of Whitby, Ont. for "Charlie"
Ruth Smith Meyer of Listowel, Ont. for "Chrysalis: Life in the Making"
 
Article – Profile
Glynis M. Belec of Drayton, Ont. for "On Being Still and Knowing"
Angelina Fast-Vlaar of St. Catharines, Ont. "Forgiven"
Wendy Elaine Nelles of Toronto for "Soulmates"
Adele Simmons of Whitby, Ont. for "The Bulletin Board"

Article – Short Story
N. J. Lindquist of Markham, Ont. for "Twenty-five Years Later"
M. D. Meyer of Norway House, Man. for "Bannock and Sweet Tea"

The complete short-list is posted at The Word Guild Awards website. 

Congratulations, everyone!

Her true story, "The Road Trip That Wasn't," won first place in non-fiction: print category in InScribe Christian Writers' Fellowship's 2011-2012 contest.

Here's the opening of Janet's story:

You can’t give a car more power by gripping the steering wheel and willing it to keep going. Clenching your stomach muscles doesn’t help either.

I tried anyway, and tromped the accelerator pedal to the mat. The engine roared and I prayed it wouldn’t blow. Our station wagon inched up the hill. At the crest, I eased back on the gas. Going downhill felt relatively normal and we were okay on the flat stretch, but I knew we couldn’t make another climb.

Forget reaching our destination; I’d settle for the nearest service station. But we were on a highway 40 minutes south-west of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and I knew we weren’t even close to the next community. Ahead loomed a steeper hill than the last, where the two-lane highway widened to make a third lane for overtaking slow-hauling trucks on the incline. A few trucks had passed us on the last hill.

I sighed and pulled over onto the gravel shoulder. It was a hot summer day, and the only vehicle in sight was a pickup truck parked on the other side of the road with its hood up. No help there.

My three sons had been quiet until now, playing Game Boys™ and ignoring one another, tuning out the long drive. Now their questions started. “Why’d we stop, Mom? What’s wrong?”…

More information on A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider

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Faith Gospel Tabernacle in Brampton

10am–1pm

10042 Creditview Road, Brampton, ON L7A 0G2
Tel : (905) 459-4673

Adele Simmons will be the featured speaker and musician for 100 women.

Along with her inspirational message and songs, Adele will read her story "Charlie" from A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider.

Janet: I’m not sure where you found time to write, but you each contributed a piece for the anthology as well. Was it difficult editing one another’s work without that second, impartial editor?

NJL: We tried to get at least a first draft done before the submissions deadline because we knew how swamped we’d be after that. I actually tried writing about four other short stories before I hit on the one that we used in the book.

I have two terrific concept/substantive editors who live close-by, so they always read my work first anyway. (My #2 son and my husband, in case you’re wondering.) They give me very honest and often annoying feedback. So I don’t think editing our own pieces was a huge problem. I think I was as tough on Wendy as I’d been on everyone else.

The real problem was that we kept leaving our own pieces to the last to edit, which wasn’t good.

WEN: Yes, we were tough on each other’s pieces too, and we went through a number of revisions just like everyone else. But it was hard slogging because we were completely exhausted by the time we focused on finishing our own pieces at the end.

I deliberately chose to write someone else’s story, because I think too often writers who are Christian focus only on their own experiences when many other people have wonderful stories others would benefit by reading. But writing a 3,500 word human interest profile is a huge amount of work, because you have to get to know the people, do lengthy interviews, ask the right questions, transcribe everything that was said, organize the material, condense it all, focus on the story aspects, get the answers to any missing details, retain the other persons’ voices… and make sure that you have represented them fairly, accurately and compellingly.

Read the rest of this interview

Read Part 1 of the interview 

To read the answers to questions such as "What made you believe so strongly in the project?" and "What submission criteria helped you choose the best of the best?" click on the link below.

Read Part 1 of the Interview 

Faith Today magazine published an excellent review of A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider in its Jan./Feb. issue.

Here are a few excerpts from the review:

 "Some books surprise you with their ability to take your breath away. This anthology is such a book…."

"I was impressed with the honesty and transparency, especially in the true stories."

"We meet a host of fellow Canadians – our neighbours! – whose lives are as unpredictable as our own."

"What binds all the pieces together is a cord of faith as we see how God is involved in the very real circumstances of life."

"The book wonderfully reflects Canada’s mosaic population with pieces from First Nations to home-born Canadians to immigrants, young to old, urban to rural. Though the writing styles are varied, the book was skillfully edited to preserve the individual voices while providing a smooth read."

"The short selections make this a perfect book for even indifferent readers. It would be a fabulous addition to an office waiting room, your bedside table, briefcase, backpack or purse. But be sure to buy more than one, for you will probably have the urge to share this gem of a collection with others…"

To read the entire review as a PDF of the pages from Faith Today, click on the pictures below.

Subscribe to Faith Today's digital magazine

This ad is in the November/December issue of Maranatha News.

If you'd like to print it off to post it in your store, library, or church, there's a PDF you can download on our media page. 

An excerpt:

"'Is it too cliche to say 'There’s something for everyone' and 'It will make you laugh; it will make you cry'? Cliche or not, there is and it will…. the stories are engaging, thought-provoking, and written by those who are willing to work hard to make their contributions the best they can be. So, if like me, you want to read the work of skilled Canadian writers such as Heather McGillivray, M.D. Meyer, Paul M. Beckingham, and Les Lindquist, pick up a copy of A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider."

Read the entire review.