Today I’m hosting two talented and hard-working writers from one of my favorite places, the Midwest. Thanks for helping me welcome Sharon Short and Amy Sue Nathan!
Introducing Sharon Short
Sharon Short is the author of the novel My One Square Inch of Alaska (Penguin Plume, 2013) in which a pair of siblings escape the strictures of the 1950s industrial Ohio town on the adventure of a lifetime. Opening chapters of this novel earned Sharon a 2012 Ohio Arts Council individual artist’s grant and a 2011 Montgomery County (Ohio) Arts & Cultural District Literary Artist Fellowship.
Sharon is the Literary Life columnist for the Dayton Daily News, directs the renowned Antioch Writers’ Workshop in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and is an adjunct instructor of creative writing and composition at Antioch University Midwest.
Sharon’s book Sanity Check: A Collection of Columns includes 100 reader-favorites of her weekly humor and lifestyle column that ran in the Dayton Daily News from 2002-2012. Sharon has also published two mystery series (Josie Toadfern and Patricia Delaney) as well as short stories and essays. She holds a B.A. in English from Wright State University and an M.A. in English from Bowling Green State University. She lives in Ohio with her husband and is the mother of two adult daughters.
Learn about My One Square Inch of Alaska Penguin Plume, January 2013
A pair of siblings escape—along with a Siberian Husky—the strictures of their 1950s industrial Ohio town on the adventure of a lifetime.
Talented high-school senior Donna Lane yearns to leave her Midwestern home in pursuit of a career in design, but she feels obligated to stay and care for her helpless father and her younger brother, Will. In fragile health and obsessed with the television show Sergeant Striker and the Alaskan Wild, Will’s dearest companion is a mute Siberian Husky named Trusty.
The arrival of two outsiders inspires Donna to consider her dreams anew. Then Will falls sick, and Donna packs up their yellow convertible—with Will, Trusty, and a road atlas—and sets off for the Alaskan Territory. A portrait of a singular American moment, My One Square Inch of Alaska is a moving tale of exploration and love—human and canine—that dares to believe the impossible.
I asked Sharon three questions about our giveaway’s theme topic, self-expression:
1. Is self-expression an important part of your life today, why or why not?
Yes, definitely! Having a voice and sharing an opinion or a point of view is the only way to honestly interact with other people, to get to truly know them and to let them know oneself.
2. What does self-expression mean to you and how do you do it in the world?
My point of view mostly comes to life through my characters and novels. In ‘real’ life, I appreciate discourse with others, including listening to others’ differing points of view, but always honestly (and hopefully respectfully) sharing my point of view. I also am a big believer in giving (and accepting) encouragement, and try to give plenty of that to my family, friends, colleagues, and students in conversations, written notes, or messages through all the means available to us today.
3. How does your self-expression impact the world—your family, your friends, your readers, and everyone else?
Well, I like to think an encouraging note or word brightens the day of my family, friends, colleagues, readers and students. I think in this ‘high-tech, low touch’ world, just hearing (or reading) ‘thank you!’ or ‘I’m rooting for you!’ can mean so much. I try to see everyone through the view of grace, as in we all mess up, we all need encouragement, we all need forgiveness, love and kindness, and I hope this view comes through in my fiction as well as in my every day communications.
Introducing Amy Sue Nathan
Amy Sue Nathan lives and writes near Chicago where she hosts the popular blog, Women’s Fiction Writers. She has published articles in Huffington Post, Chicago Tribune and New York TimesOnline among many others. Amy is the proud mom of a son and a daughter in college, and a willing servant to two rambunctious rescued dogs.
Learn about The Glass Wives, A Novel St. Martin’s Griffin, May 14, 2013
When a tragic car accident ends the life of Richard Glass, it also upends the lives of Evie and Nicole, and their children. There’s no love lost between the widow and the ex. In fact, Evie sees a silver lining in all this heartache—the chance to rid herself of Nicole once and for all. But Evie wasn’t counting on her children’s bond with their baby half-brother, and she wasn’t counting on Nicole’s desperate need to hang on to the threads of family, no matter how frayed.
Strapped for cash, Evie cautiously agrees to share living expenses—and her home—with Nicole and the baby. But when Evie suspects that Nicole is determined to rearrange more than her kitchen, Evie must decide who she can trust. More than that, she must ask: what makes a family?
I asked Amy three questions about our giveaway’s theme topic, self-expression:
1. Is self-expression an important part of your life today, why or why not?
Absolutely. But to me, self-expression is more than simply writing fiction or a blog post or an essay or an article. It can be rearranging the furniture in the living room, which I did about a year ago, after about thirteen years of everything being in exactly the same place. I didn’t redecorate—everything is the same, just in different spots. The sofa’s on an angle, the chairs are no longer symmetrically placed in front of the window, I swapped the lamps. Doing this reminded me that what we have isn’t necessarily what’s old or boring, predictable or staid, it’s all in how we look at it.
2. What does self-expression mean to you and how do you do it in the world?
To me it’s more a function of being myself and not obsessing over what others think. Not that I ignore opinions, but in everyday life, with most situations, it’s my opinion that matters most in my personal decision-making. And being true to myself is a function of self-expression. The clothes I wear, the food I eat, the people I spend time with—those choices express how I feel about myself and about others.
3. How does your self-expression impact the world—your family, your friends, your readers, and everyone else?
I’d like to think the writing part of my self-expression package impacts others more than the choices I make about a scarf, necklace or where to place a photo on a mantel. In my writing I aim, once again, to figure things out for myself, not to teach a lesson or set down a mandate. But if I’ve learned one thing through all the writing and publishing I’ve done in the past seven years, it’s that there are more things that make us all similar than different. So when my writing, whether fiction or non-fiction, strikes a chord with another person, it’s just another bit of proof that that’s true. And that’s always a good thing.
And Now, Your Turn…
You remember how this works right?
Please read the complete rules at least once!
I ask you a question.
You answer in the comments for your chance to win a book each day.
Please just respond once, even if you make a typo. 
Answer in the comments in 50-200 words (no less and no more to qualify to win one of today’s books).
What is the most beautiful place on earth to you and why? How does this place make you feel? How has it earned a special place in your heart?
Ready, set, comment! I will hold the drawing tomorrow and post the results here in my blog.
Thanks for participating in the Writer Mama Every-Day-In-May Book Giveaway!
And thanks for spreading the word. We will be giving away great books by wonderful women authors all month.
View the complete list of authors and books.
View the giveaway Pinterest board.
Comments on this entry are closed.
Raymond Avenue in Rome Georgia is the most beautiful place on earth. I spend my childhood summers there with my grandmother. The summers were full of love and a quiet comfort. They were full of old lady rituals like daily trips to the farmers market to get the days vegetables and visits to the neighbors Ruth and Ruby. (elderly twins) Her house was full of quiet memories of my mothers childhood as an adored only child. Those summer evenings on the front porch listening to the train rumble past, crickets and frogs chatter, and the comfort of a grandmothers love are some of the best memories on earth.
The Shoreline at the pointy end of my town, Tiburon CA, wakes me every morning at I walk my sweet guy, Henry (an 11-year-old golden), down its path overlooking the SF Bay. As our legs wake up, I hum along with the pelicans while Henry barks with the seals. Their slick black faces peer over the water in constant curiosity, and Henry peers back longingly, wanting to splash with them in the cold water, but preferring to keep his long golden tresses dry. I just breathe in the fresh air that flows through the passage of the Golden Gate Bridge, and give thanks that I can enjoy this beauty every morning.
I love being just about anywhere on the coast. It’s not so
much being on the beach (though that has its appeal too) as being by the water. I grew up in a coastal town (and I suppose that is the first spot I picture), and the ocean is in my blood. I love the blues and greens and aquas and grays of the water. It’s not just the sights that hold the beauty, though. The smell and the sound and the rhythm of the ocean reset me.
The Black Hills in South Dakota are the most breathtakingly beautiful place to me. This may be because I spent every summer there growing up. When you see a place every year and only in the most hospitable season, it’s bound to leave a favorable impression. In any case, I love the sweeping beauty and the spicy fragrance of the ponderosa pines. I love the historical significance of the Black Hills. I love the memories of a childhood spent tromping over a carpet of dead pine needles.
Paris, France is the most beautiful place on earth because it is full or culture, art and beauty. I’ve visited twice and each time I am swept away by the amazing architecture and history. If I could pack up and move there, I would. The place makes me feel wonderful!
My Grandma’s house sits on a slope 60 ft above the Atlantic
ocean, on the eastern shore of Nova Scotia. To me it is the most beautiful place. This is where I spent my free time growing up. The house was full of books, magazines, maps, and history. Now so many years later, as a grandma myself and the current owner, I love to sit in the porch that overlooks the beach and islands in the harbor. The ocean is ever changing – its color, its mood, its sound as it rolls into the shore. All my burdens seem to fall away when I am there. I feel the connection to who I am and where I come from in this house overlooking the water. I’m surrounded by the presence of my childhood family and memories of all the special days come rushing back. This is the one place that draws me back with its memories and its beauty.
This is so lovely. I can certainly identify with you on this topic.
I agree! I spent my first 20 years less than 1/8 of a mile from the ocean. When I left home I worked and lived 30 miles from the ocean. It felt like I was starved for air. Every few weeks I would have to drive to a beach for that smell, to feel the salt wind blowing in my face. Now being only a few miles away it is always available.
The most beautiful place on earth to me is the coral reef off the coast of the Florida Keys. The first time I discovered this reef, my husband and I took a snorkeling tour from Key Largo. The reef is located a few miles offshore, and the boat let us out in crystal clear blue water. So far from shore, I was a bit doubtful as I climbed down the ladder and into the water. Then I set and put on my gear, mask and snorkel, put my head underwater and entered another world. The gentle rocking of the waves moved the long strands of corral back and forth. The colors of the fish were every color of the rainbow, and some colors to which the rainbow never aspired. The gentle undulation of the waves, the warmth of the water, the light filtering through and touching every piece of sand–it was glorious. I pulled my head out of the water and my husband did the same. We met each other’s eyes–we had discovered paradise.
Place. There are so
many places that are the most beautiful to me that it’s difficult to choose
only one, so I’ll go back to my earliest favorite—the humongous meadow close to
my childhood home. I grew up in what used to be a vey rural area outside of Chicago,
and I desired nothing more than to be outside. My favorite times were flat on
my back in the field surrounded by the buzzing bees, chirping birds, and
fragrant tall plants and flowers rustling around me. Baking in the warm sun I
would watch the sky, entranced by the ever-changing clouds. Sometimes I would
fall asleep, waking when my mom or one of my brothers called to me to come in
for a meal. The meadow was my slice of heaven. Peaceful. Safe. When I
visualize, meditate, or need to calm myself I go back to that meadow.
My husband proposed to me on Key Largo, at sunset. 🙂
The most beautiful place I’ve ever been is Sintra, Portugal. It is as if someone transplanted a fairy tale world and dropped it in the middle of the real world. Every turn, every vista speaks to a world where anything is possible and magic lives in a very real way. When I was there, I felt awe in a way I hadn’t since I was a child. That by itself would make me love it.
Also, anyplace with an ocean is by default breathtaking to me. The enormity of the sea is humbling and exciting at the same time. What is just over that horizon?
The town of Naoussa on the island of Paros, in Greece. It stole my family’s heart several years ago when we stayed there for a week. When we decided to return, we feared it would not be as we remembered, but there is just something about it that makes us so happy. We have been there three times now and each time we fall a bit more in love. There are other whitewashed villages and other beautiful oceans and craggy beaches in the world, but to me, that is the most beautiful place on earth. I can feel the peace and beauty in my bones even as I write this!
Aravaipa
Canyon in Arizona is the most beautiful place on earth because it’s a watery oasis not far from my desert-bound home. Filled with volcanic geologic formations, and the lush green not often found in the low desert, it’s a sanctuary for birds, furry critters, and even humans. I was happy when it was placed on a “reservation only” system. People seem to respect it more and treat it more gently. It takes only two steps into the stream, eddies forming at your feet, to feel the calm tug of nature, and I try to visit at least twice a year.
One of the interesting concepts I have learned in Swedish class is the idea of having a smultronställe. This is a place named after the tiny wild strawberries that grow in the swedish forests. A smultronställe is prized because it gives one a sense of peace and solitude and people don’t share their favorite spots with each other — they keep these little gems secret! My favorite place to spend time is on the sea or under it. I could sit on a boat all day and never grow tired of the sound of the water, the rhythm of the waves, and the blowing breeze. Under water I am happiest on a sunny reef about 60 feet down.
While do love the Atlantic Ocean and its therapeutic effect on me, the mountains of western North Carolina hold a special place in my heart. I loved hiking there, eating blackberries straight from the bush and watching the clouds hang majestically over the tops of the mountains. I came of age there, graduated from college there, and got engaged and married in Asheville, N.C. One day I hope to publish a book with those mountains as the city so others can appreciate them, too.
I don’t think there is any place is THE most beautiful…there are several. Right now I am in a breathtakingly beautiful place — Boulder, Colorado, for my daughter’s graduation from CU Boulder.
It’s special because I come here once a year for the Gamma Phi Beta Mom’s weekend and the time we spend together is so special. The campus is gorgeous. All the kids so friendly. And to be at the base of the Flatirons rising straight up . . . the snow-capped Rockies in the distance…the air so sweet and clean. Now that my daughter has graduated, who knows where she’ll live eventually. But she’ll always be a Buff, and we’ll always love Boulder.
Sweet. He sounds like a keeper.