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After Action Report: Mindful Writers Retreat – Autumn 2024

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 Lodge
My Home for the Week: Room 8 in Lamont Lodge
Lamont 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 Center
Lori 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!

After Action Report: Mindful Writers Retreat – Autumn 2022

As I write this, the sun is rising on the final morning of the 2022 Autumn Mindful Writers Retreat. As always, it was a magical week at the Ligonier Camp and Conference Center nestled in the Laurel Highlands in western Pennsylvania.

Mother Nature blessed us with five days of clement weather and vivid fall colors.  I managed to finish three more chapters of my novella-in-progress and when I wasn’t writing, I hiked through the woods and joined my fellow scribes in afternoon meditation.

On Tuesday and Thursday evenings, I stole away from the retreat to participate in two Zoom sessions with fellow members of the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group. The first was a discussion panel on Writing Genre Fiction with Dianna Sinovic, Michael Daigle, and Rachel Thompson. The second was an Author Dialogue with Dianna wherein we enjoyed an informal discussion about various aspects of writing. Both Zoom meetings will be included in the programming for the upcoming Easton Book Festival.

On our final evening of the retreat, the group gathered around the fire for a few hours of relaxation and socializing. Now, it’s nearly time for our final brunch together and then I’m on the road home with fond memories, some lessons learned about book marketing, and solid progress in my current project.

Deep gratitude to retreat organizers Kathie Shoop and Larry Schardt and to the staff at the Ligonier Camp and Conference Center. I look forward to future retreats!

Mindful Writers Group

Sunset over Ligonier

Sunset over the Trees

Sunset over the Trees

Evening Social by the Fire

Evening Social by the Fire

Evening Social by the Fire

Blanket Flowers

Sunrise over Ligonier

Rifle Range at Sunrise

Bunk Beds
My home during the retreat.

Vibrant Rose

Macartney Lane
Macartney Lane

 

Mindful Writers Retreat Recap – Autumn 2021

To the disappointment of some of my fellow attendees at the Mindful Writers Retreat last week, summer weather made a final,  triumphant return. Daytime temperatures hovered between 73F and 79F with abundant sunshine in bucolic Ligonier, PA. Unlike last year, when the foliage was resplendent in autumn colors, most of the trees this time were only beginning to show signs of the season.

   

This was my third Mindful Writers Retreat since 2018 and I hope to see it become an annual autumn tradition for me. There are also winter and spring retreats in February and March, respectively, but I have conflicting events at those times of year.

The Ligonier Camp and Conference center, nestled in the Laurel Highlands region of the Allegheny Mountains, is the perfect location for hours of quiet, uninterrupted writing sessions, rejuvenating walks in the woods to stir the creative juices, and enjoying delicious meals and evening socials with a coterie of talented fellow writers.

This year’s retreat delivered the added bonus of a brief paranormal experience. It was shortly after 3AM on Tuesday, October 12 when, during a restless sleep, I heard the door to my room creak open and what sounded like a hand sliding along the vinyl covering on one of the neighboring bunk bed mattresses. It wasn’t entirely dark in the room as I had left a low wattage light on. Unable to move at first, I opened my eyes with great difficulty, but there was no one to be seen… except for the owls.

     

     

That could have been a simple case of sleep paralysis, but Ligonier has a rich history dating back to the Revolutionary War.  Fort Ligonier is only minutes away from the lodge and just down the street is the Wilpen Rail Trail where, on July 5, 1912, a horrible train wreck occurred claiming 24 lives and injuring 38 others.

All told, it was a productive week for me as I finished the outline and first two chapters for what I hope will be my fourth paranormal mystery novel. I also submitted a short story to Space Opera Digest, a prestigious science fiction anthology, and made a few tweaks to my short story intended for next year’s Mindful Writers anthology.

I’ve so far contributed to two of the Mindful Writers charity anthologies beginning in September 2019 with Over the River and Through the Woods and in January 2021 with Love on the Edge.  Their first book, Into the Woods, was published in spring of 2018, a few months before I arrived on the scene. New editions of all three anthologies were released in June 2021.

Over the River and Through the Woods     Love on the Edge

The anthologies are made possible through the efforts of retreat co-organizer Kathie Shoop and editor/publisher Demi Stevens of Year of the Book Press. Larry Schardt, a fellow member of the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group, is the other half of the retreat coordination team with Kathie.

Speaking of Kathie, she took time out of the retreat to interview each author about their published books and what they enjoy most about the retreats.

As usual, the week flew by much too quickly, but I left with memories  I’ll cherish forever, including an early morning walk in the fog. Already looking forward to next October!

      

 

 

 

 

 

 

After Action Report: Mindful Writers Retreat – Autumn 2018

Sunset in the Laurel Highlands

As I write this, it is the final night of the five-day Mindful Writers Retreat held in the Lamont Lodge at Ligonier Camp and Conference Center in Ligonier, PA. The camp is nestled in the magnificent Laurel Highlands region of the Allegheny Mountains.

The retreat, impeccably organized by the gracious and talented Kathie Shoop and Larry Schardt, occurs three times per year (winter, spring, and fall) and combines meditation with long quiet hours of writing. The cost of this week’s retreat was $400 and includes private room and bath and all meals prepared by the camp’s staff. Each attendee also receives a welcome pack overflowing with goodies including a coffee mug, handmade bowl, yoga mat, pen and pencil set, notebook, and much more.

Writing in the great room before a blazing hearth.

While each attendee can use their day as they see fit, there are suggested activities such as a sunrise walking meditation where each writer sets off on their own perambulation of the trails and surrounding woods (flashlight recommended). This is followed by breakfast and a four-hour quiet writing session. After lunch, a 15-minute seated meditation helps writers refresh and focus before delving back into their work for another four hours until dinner. Evenings are reserved for dessert and yet more writing in the great room for the remainder of the evening. There’s nothing like writing by a crackling fire! And yes, marshmallows were toasted and S’mores were distributed.

Toasting marshmallows for S'mores!
Toasting marshmallows for S’mores!
Bunk Beds
Bunk Beds

While most of us congregated in the great room, other options include a second-floor balcony and, of course, sequestering yourself in your room. Speaking of which, each room has two to three sets of bunk beds. After all, this is a camp designed to accommodate scores of kids and chaperones during the summer. For the first time in probably 40 years, I climbed up a ladder to go to sleep each night because naturally, I chose a top bunk.

Writing on the Balcony at Lamont Lodge
Writing on the Balcony at Lamont Lodge
Bagpipes and flute concert.

On this, our last evening, two of my fellow scribes performed a wonderful after dinner concert of flute and bagpipe. Later, several of us gathered in the lobby of the lodge to perform an audio drama written by one of the attendees.

Black Mask Omnibus
Black Mask Omnibus

Before the retreat, each member was encouraged to bring a book to swap, which I did, and ended up with a spectacular 600-page collection of mystery and crime stories culled from the Black Mask pulp magazine that began in the 1920s.

Will I return next year? Absolutely. After two months of upheaval in my life—which allowed for scant writing time— the retreat allowed me to catch up on the first draft of my WIP and write an outline for a new short story.

Also, on the second day of the conference, I received a call from publisher and editor Nancy Sakaduski of Cat & Mouse Press informing me that not merely one but both of my short story submissions were accepted for their upcoming anthology, Beach Pulp. Click here for more details on that.

Hmmm… Perhaps there’s even a little magic to the Mindful Writers Retreat!

 

Mindful Writers Retreat Attendees
Welcome Pack Handmade Bowl
Welcome Pack Handmade Bowl
Welcome Pack Goodies
Welcome Pack Goodies
Welcome Pack Yoga Mat
Welcome Pack Yoga Mat
Welcome Pack Coffee Mug
Welcome Pack Coffee Mug

Laurel Highlands

Laurel Highlands Laurel Highlands