I started this book with the hope of finding more insight into how trauma affects the mind and body and I was not disappointed. Decades after growing up with violent—and often sadistic—physical and emotional abuse, I continue to struggle with bouts of depression and anxiety. We all know that the mind and body are inextricably connected, but The Body Keeps the Score taught me precisely how trauma affects mental and physical health at a deeper level. It opened my eyes to new treatments for overcoming toxic stress and trauma-based fears that are far beyond psychiatry’s “assembly line” practice of doling out pills to every patient.
Using a combination of neuroscience, empathy, and compassion, Bessel van der Kolk presents methods for becoming attuned to our minds and bodies through such methods as EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing), neurofeedback, mindfulness, use of language (speech and writing), honing our self-regulation and emotional intelligence, and enhancing our social connections. Further, van der Kolk’s voice and writing style are captivating, turning what could otherwise have been a dry, stultifying academic textbook into an engaging and enlightening read.
This month, Steven H. Wilson discusses some of the elements that comprise a gripping novel while Joe Bunting schools us on the use of rising action in storytelling.
Secrets are revealed over at Career Authors as Tiffany Yates Martin explains the four habits of successful authors, Tracy Clark shares five tips on pacing, and Sharon Short offers strategies for writing from first person POV.
Speaking of POV, third-person omniscient is still alive and well and that sagacious “mythcreant” Chris Winkle shows us how to use it effectively. She also shows us ways in which exposition can be used to evoke emotion.
All that and a little more. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!
Neither snow nor rain nor multiple traffic jams could keep me away from Philcon 87 (November 22-24, 2024). I took a half day from work on Friday and despite a treacherous drive, arrived at the Hilton Doubletree in Cherry Hill, NJ in reasonable time.
Since I had no panels on Friday, I took the opportunity to wander around the hotel, chat with friends, and peruse the dealer room. As always, it was wonderful to see my friends Jacob Jones-Goldstein and Nicholas Leamy from Delaware small press Oddity Prodigy Productions.
A few days before the con, Jake accepted my story “Isaac Geary’s Instant Utopia” for their upcoming science fiction anthology, Bright Mirror, a collection of utopian science fiction.
Continuing my tour of the dealer room, I stopped to chat with longtime friends Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Mike McPhail, and Keith DeCandido. However, I was disappointed to find a few dealers missing, including one gentleman who carries a large inventory of vintage paperbacks. Nevertheless, there were plenty of other classic treasures awaiting me including a dealer who is renown for selling mint condition hardbacks, many of which are first editions and autographed by the author.
On this occasion, he was selling many titles at 50% off. I was able to score a limited edition, signed copy of Harlan Ellison’s Spider Kiss in hardback for $40 and hardback copies of Ellison’s Angry Candy and The Collected Works of C.J. Cherryh for $17 each.
In the hotel lobby, I caught up with editor and publisher, Ann Stolinsky of Celestial Echo Press (an imprint of Gemini Wordsmiths). Earlier in the year, Ann accepted my story “A Thorne in Time” for their time travel anthology, Ruth and Ann’s Guide to Time Travel. The book was scheduled to be launched at 6PM on Saturday night in the con suite at Philcon.
But Ann and I had arranged to meet on Friday so I could pick up my dozen author copies and since neither of us had dinner plans, we ate together at the hotel restaurant.
After that, I retreated to my room for a few hours to rest until the Meet the Pros party at 9PM. This is a social event that takes place in the side hallway outside of the art show. It’s the best opportunity to catch up with friends. It was a joy to chat with Bram Stoker-nominated writer Carol Gyzander and fellow Lehigh Valley writer Christopher D. Ochs. As the evening progressed, I found myself sitting with friends (and Shore Leave volunteers) Anne Hande and co-con chair Inge Heyer along with a new friend I’d met over Facebook, Rebecca Marcus. Rebecca has been in SF fandom for a long time, but we somehow managed to miss one another until now. Events like this, where old friends reunite and new friends are made, are one of the main reasons I attend cons.
Phil with Rebecca Marcus. Photo credit: Anne Hande
Saturday morning started with a 10AM panel, “Music and the Writing Process,” moderated by David Simms. Fellow panelists included Keith DeCandido, Susan Shwartz, and Wayland Smith. We only had an audience of three, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying a lively chat about the music we listen to while writing, which artists inspire us, and who we’d like to create the soundtracks to our stories.
At noon, I joined Randee Dawn and Michael Ventrella to read excerpts from our books to a full house. I chose a scene from my second paranormal mystery novel, By Your Side. The audience was engaged with every reading and we had a lively discussion afterward. I’d known Michael for several years, but this was my first time meeting Randee. We’ve since become Facebook friends. Special thanks to Michael Ventrella for taking my picture at the reading (below).
At 1PM, it was my turn at the autograph table downstairs beside the Shore Leave team. The author autograph sessions are usually slow so I spent the time chatting with Inge, Anne, and Anne’s hubby, Rick. Always a grand time!
Photo credit: Elie Boyer Avedissian
I was then free for the next four hours until the launch for Ruth and Ann’s Guide to Time Travel at 6PM. So, of course, I bought more books in the dealer room then went back to my room and crashed for a bit.
I arrived at the con suite a few minutes early to join Ann Stolinsky and about a dozen of my fellow contributors to Ruth and Ann’s Guide to Time Travel. Over the course of the next hour and a half, the Volume I authors, myself included, signed about twenty copies before reading four-minute excerpts from their stories. In addition to the writers I already knew, such as Carol Gyzander, Ef Deal, Gary Zenker, and Joanne McLaughlin, it was nice to finally meet Teel James Glenn and Jon McGoran (who I’d only known from social media) as well as Ken Altabef, Stephen W. Chappell, David C. Strickler, Gordon Linzner, and James Ryan.
Readings were followed by finger food and cake (which for me also became finger food). Much gratitude to Ann Stolinsky for organizing one of the best book launches I ever experienced.
My evening wasn’t over yet. It was time for me to moderate a panel! At 9AM, I joined David Simms, Carol Gyzander, Eric Avedissian, and Amy Grech for “I’ll Write Any Horror Story, but I Won’t Write That!” where we discussed what tropes and subgenres in horror we enjoyed writing, what we didn’t, and which writers inspired us. Audience engagement was enthusiastic and we actually ran ten minutes overtime!
Photo credit: Elie Boyer Avedissian
After that, it was time to go back to my room and crash (actually, I watched Die Hard II on TNT before going to sleep).
Sunday morning saw me packing up, loading the car, and hanging out with the Shore Leave folks for a few hours until my 1PM panel, “What’s Happened to the Traditional Ghost Story?” moderated by Melanie Moyer and starring Ty Drago, Nghi Vo, James L. Cambias, and myself. As with all of my panels this weekend, my last one of the con did not fail to produce a lively discussion among the panelists and the audience about what makes a good ghost story, what ruins a good ghost story, and other related topics.
After that, it was time to go. I said goodbye to all of my friends but did not leave without buying one last book. This time, it was The Best of Michael Swanwick, Volume II. Michael is a forty-year luminary of the science fiction world with multiple awards for his amazing work and a regular guest at Philcon.
As it happens, Michael and his wife Marianne Porter also host a Philcon after party at their house a few blocks from my childhood home in Philadelphia. I attended for the first time in 2022 where I also met another legendary writer for the first time, Samuel “Chip” Delaney.
This year, Michael graciously signed my book with a delightful inscription.
In addition to myself, Randee Dawn, Ken Altabef, Alex Shvartsman, Sally Grotta, Anna Kashina, Tom Doyle, Barbara Purdom, Ian Strock, Chris Edwards (who took this wonderful picture below of Michael and Chip) and several other Philcon guests were in attendance.
Masters of Fantasy and SF: Michael Swanwick (L) and Samuel “Chip” Delaney (R). Photo credit: Chris Edwards
All told, this was by far my best Philcon yet and I look forward to next year!
I look forward to attending the Philadelphia Science Fiction Convention (Philcon) next weekend, November 22-24, 2024. If you’ll be there, too, and would like to catch up, here is my schedule of events.
Sat, 11/23 10:00-10:50 AM / Plaza 4 – Music and the Writing Process. How can listening to music or to specific ambience soundscapes impact the nature of what an author writes? How helpful is it for setting the mood in one’s mind, and in turn, for setting the scene on a page? Do different genres benefit more than others from this technique? Panelists: David Simms (mod), Susan Shwartz, Wayland Smith, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Phil Giunta
Sat, 11/23 12:00-12:50 PM / Readings – Readings: Michael A. Ventrella, Randee Dawn, and Phil Giunta
Sat, 11/23 1:00-1:50 PM / Autograph Table – Autographs: Eric Avedissian, Michael A. Ventrella, and Phil Giunta
Sat, 11/23 6:00-7:30 PM / ConSuite – Book Launch Party for Ruth and Ann’s Guide to Time Travel by Celestial Echo Press. Several contributors, myself included, will be on hand to sign copies and read excerpts from our stories!
Sat,11/23 9:00-9:50 PM / Plaza 3 – I’ll Write Any Horror Story, but I Won’t Write THAT! Horror is a multi-faceted genre that includes ghosts, creatures, slashers, demons, psychological horror, body horror, Lovecraftian, and much more but not every trope appeals to every horror writer. Are werewolves, vampires, and zombies oversaturated? Is body horror too disgusting? Panelists will discuss which horror tropes they love to write, which they avoid (if any), and why. Panelists: Phil Giunta (mod), David Simms, Carol Gyzander, Amy Grech, Eric Avedissian
Sun, 11/24 1:00-1:50 PM / Plaza 2 – What’s Happened to the Traditional Ghost Story? Vampires have become a genre unto themselves. But has the old-fashioned ghost story or haunted house story been left behind? Are there present day examples of the genre that illustrate how the themes and tropes have evolved? What do we miss (or don’t) about classic ghost/haunted house tales? Our panelists discuss what they consider the staples of a ghost and/or haunted house story and how they have been, or could be enhanced, subverted, or otherwise tweaked to keep this subgenre fresh and exciting. Panelists: Melanie Moyer (mod), Nghi Vo, Phil Giunta, Ty Drago, James L. Cambias
After a year’s absence, it was pure joy to return to Ligonier, PA during the third week in October for the Mindful Writers Retreat nestled in the Laurel Highlands region of the Allegheny Mountains.
Everything about the Mindful Writers Retreat is magical, the gorgeous fall foliage that surrounds us, the amazing writers who have become my tribe since I began attending in 2018, the guided meditations we practice each day, the peaceful sunrise walks through the woods, and of course, the hours of quiet writing time each day.
All of these elements come together at the Ligonier Camp and Conference Center, resulting in an extraordinary experience that keeps me coming back almost every autumn (I’ve missed only two since 2018).
My Home for the Week: Room 8 in Lamont LodgeLamont Lodge
On Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, I took sunrise walks through the endless woods and trails of the Ligonier Camp. As always, these beautiful excursions bring enormous peace to the mind, heart, and soul and, of course, they’re excellent for the body as well.
I spent the first two and a half days editing works written by fellow members of the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group. Every odd year, our group publishes a themed anthology of short stories, essays, and poems. I’ve been on the editing team for these anthologies since 2016. We’re gearing up for our 2025 anthology, Writing a Wrong. I managed to finish all nine pieces that were assigned to me by Wednesday morning.
The latter half of the week was spent on a sequel to a novella that I’d published in 2018 called Like Mother, Like Daughters. As I did with my first two novels, Testing the Prisoner and By Your Side, I plan to reissue Like Mother, Like Daughters along with its sequel in one omnibus edition. That might happen in 2025, but more likely the year after.
On Wednesday afternoon, I ventured into town with another writer, Lilan Laishley, to ship some items I had sold on eBay the previous Friday. While there, we took the opportunity to cast our votes in the town’s scarecrow contest. It’s a Ligonier tradition that some of the local businesses set up scarecrows around the center of town. Residents and tourists are then afforded the opportunity to vote on their favorite. In this case, there were about 25 scarecrows to choose from.
Afterwards, we stopped for ice cream at the Ligonier Creamery before heading back to the lodge for more writing time.
On Thursday afternoon, I walked down to the local creek where I meditated for a brief time and basked under the autumn sun. Thursday is our last full day at the retreat and in what has become a tradition, most of us took a break from writing to gather around the hearth in the evening.
Thursday night by the fire.Thursday night by the fire.
However, one of our longtime members, Lori Jones, had the brilliant idea to take a night walk through the camp to some of the cabins scattered about the property. This turned into a quasi-paranormal investigation that ended in a breathtaking star gazing event.
Night walk through the Ligonier Camp and Conference CenterLori Jones checking out the Alexander House like Nancy Drew!“Ghost hunting” in the Alexander House.“Ghost hunting” in the Alexander House.The Mindful Writers Paranormal Investigators. Any evidence we find can and will be used in a story.
This year’s Mindful Writers Retreat was the most magical one yet. The weather was gorgeous for the entire week (it usually is), our group participated in our usual hijinks and shenanigans, and I managed to accomplish everything I’d planned for the week.
The only time I ever dislike a Friday is when I’m at the retreat because that is the day all of us part ways and return to reality. Deepest gratitude to Kathie Shoop and Larry Schardt for all they do to organize the Mindful Writers Retreat twice a year. I already look forward to next October!
I started this book with the hope of finding more insight into how trauma affects the mind and body and I was not disappointed. Decades after growing up with violent—and often sadistic—physical and emotional abuse, I continue to struggle with bouts of depression and anxiety. We all know that the mind and body are inextricably connected, but The Body Keeps the Score taught me precisely how trauma affects mental and physical health at a deeper level. It opened my eyes to new treatments for overcoming toxic stress and trauma-based fears that are far beyond psychiatry’s “assembly line” practice of doling out pills to every patient.
