{"product_id":"9781620068496","title":"Strange Magic","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn the late 1980s, I wrote a nifty little novel and signed on with a veteran agent who peddled it all over New York City. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI papered the wall of my office with scores of rejection letters, licked my wounds, and went on to other pursuits. But I always wondered why my story went nowhere. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFast forward thirty years. In collaboration with the Perry County Council of the Arts, author Don Helin assembled a stellar faculty of successful, published authors to teach A Novel Idea, a year-long class for aspiring novelists. I signed on for that first year, half to represent PCCA, and half hoping I might learn what I did wrong three decades ago. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA Novel Idea did not disappoint. I learned many reasons why my book never got out of the starting blocks, all the time wishing I could have avoided these pitfalls by taking such a course before I ever started writing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut there was an unanticipated bonus. My 18 classmates demonstrated a gift for the written word that made each session a joy. As they read aloud the fruits of their writing exercises, I marveled at their talent and inspiration. They made me laugh, pulled hard at my emotions, or transported me to places that I had never been.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat is why I was so excited when author and facilitator Catherine Jordan and publisher Lawrence Knorr approached us with the idea of this anthology. I wanted to read the tales that my peers, and those from the class that followed, had to spin. Please relish them with the knowledge that they were written by ordinary people who believed they had a story to tell and had the courage to start writing. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e--Rog Smith, executive director\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerry County Council of the Arts\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eStories from the Perry County Council of the Arts Writer's Workshop:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePaint by Numbers, Maria V. Snyder\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOn a Full Moon Night, Rachel Sink\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Dragon's Eye, Samantha Coons\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHaunting in Shipoke, Lori M. Myers\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Lollipop Angel, Brenda Tadych\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Black Dress, Donna Leiss\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Candy Factory, Catherine Jordan\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Light of Night, Mark Boerma\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA Logical Man, Sandy Nork\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBreakfast, Interrupted, Ann Elia Stewart\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eScent and Scentability, Angela Binner\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFeral, Lynne Reeder\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMurder in the Upper Galery, Don Helin\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLittle Whirlpools, Carrie Jacobs\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAngel in the Midst, Laurie J. Edwards\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePetrus of Aldrintown, Tom Galvin\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTerra's Eyes, Teddy Maurer\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAphrodite, J. A. Thomas\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Sunbury Press, Inc.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47055733424368,"sku":"9781620068496","price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781620068496_p0.jpg?v=1763856976","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781620068496","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}