Meredith Sue Willis
MSW's Published Books MSW's Books for Children MSW short fiction online
This page is about Meredith Sue Willis, general announcements she wants to share, her books, her teaching, and other projects. Her books include novels and short fiction for adults; stories for children; and nonfiction on writing and the writing process.
For a full list of her books, see the column on the right. Click here for information about MSW's upcoming appearances, teaching and workshops. There is also information for writers (Resources for Writers and A Journal of Practical Writing) along with reviews of all kinds of books and excellent things to watch, listen to, and read online. If you discover broken links or typographical errors, please email msw@meredithsuewillis.com
Housekeeping for Prose Narrative
Workshop Is Now Closed.
Please check back for the next
Private Writing Workshop or Class
with Meredith Sue Willis
For MSW's novel writing class at NYU, click here.
Winter E-Book Sale!
Revisions
$.99 versions for Apple, Kobo & more
$2.99 for Kindle
Jan 3, 2025 till 2-15-25
Revisons: Stories from Stories
A person's story doesn't end after one episode, so why do you expect [it] out of characters of myth and legend? "Re-visions" is a collection of short stories from Meredith Sue Willis as she speaks on many twists and turns on stories surrounding Adam and Eve to countless others as she tries to lay more reason behind the protagonists' actions and their ultimate future. "Re-visions" is an excellent pick of short fiction, an ideal addition to any general community library collection.
— Mid West Book Review, Small Press Bookwatch
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Here is a great reading list from Jeff Rudell. Jeff says he subscribesI "to a Substack 'book club' run by the author and teacher George Saunders....At the end of the year Prof. Saunders asked members to suggest their favourite reads from 2024. The resulting list [linked here] is a bit long (and so, perhaps less useful than a streamlined top-ten might be) but it has some wonderful selections."
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Using the Past Habitual Tense in Fiction Writing
Some Recent Deaths of
sFriends and Writers
Our friend and colleague Carter Seaton died 12-23-24. She was the author of many books including a recent memoir, Guilt; as well as Rebel in a Red Jeep; Amo, Amas, Amat; Father's Troubles; and more.
For a list of her books, which includes novels, nonfiction about the back-to-the-land movement, memoir and biography, see her website.
Here's an obituary.
Hilton Obenzinger reports the death of Alan Senauke, who, says Hilton, "practiced many things, notably Zen Buddhism as Abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center. But he was also a musician, an activist, a printing press operator, and a poet."
See a memory piece about Alan at Shambala.com.
Farewell Nikki Giovanni. See New York Times obituary here
George Lies was the great gentlemen of West Virginia Letters. Learn more about him here.
See more obituaries and celebrations here.
More
Fatima Shaik's nonfiction Economy Hall is recommended by
The New York Times!!Emily Harstone Gives the Basics on Writing for Children and Young Adults
Books for Readers #237 Reviews of books by Dreama Frisk, Valerie Nieman, Stephen L. Carter, Gabrielle Korn, Rachel Kushner, Neal Stephenson, Thomas Hardy, Margery Sharp, Elizabeth Catte, Ana Reyes, Chris Colfer, Lisa Scottoline, John Grisham, reviews by Christine Willis, Danny Williams, & Rose Culbreth--and more.
The Hamilton Stone Review: No. 51, Fall 2024 Poetry: James Daniels, Richard Lyons, Tim Suermondt, George Kalamaras, John S. Eustis, Sharon Whitehall, Ronald Moran, Rick Adang, J.R. Solonche, Susan Shea, Ryan J. Davidson, Greg McBride, Barry Seiler, Josh Mahler, Stephen Gibson, Tony Beyer, Mary Dean Lee, Claire Scott, Moriah Hampton, Stan Sanvel Rubin. Prose: Mark Connelly, Cara Diaconoff,Sohana Manzoor, Eric Maroney, Carlos Ramet, Bob Rehm. For information about submissions, click here.
Danny Williams Adventures in the Written Word, December 2024. He keeps me laughing every time....
MSW's latest appearances and publications
Have a listen: West Virginia Writers... ...at https://www.wvstories.com/ -- audio recordings, materials for teachers and much more! Produced and hosted by Kate Long."
Samples of MSW's novels. Please be patient--the page loads slowly.
MSW made "This Week in West Virginia History!"
Especially for writers:
Estelle Erasmus's podcasts at Freelance Writing Direct: Conversations with Authors, Journalists, Agents, Novelists, Memoirists, Niche Writers, Agents, and More!
Ben Shepherd's suggestions for marketing online. He sells services, but also has lots of good free ideas.
Nancy Wayson Dinan on What MFA Programs Do and Don't Do for Aspiring Novelists (2024)
Commercial selling of fiction from Therese Anne Fowler. (late 2023)
Dialogue punctuation: Reedsy's six "unbreakable" rules for dialogue punctuation.
MasterClass on Writing a novel in the Present Tense
Check out my collection of articles for writers
Dialogue punctuation: Reedsy's six "unbreakable" rules for dialogue punctuation.
Various types of third person in fiction
One hundred tips to improve your novel from Ryan Chapman at Literary Hub
Alison Louise Hubbard: How I Got My Book Published
Reviews of MSW Books and Videos of MSW:
New 5 star review of Dwight's House and Other Stories
Hilton Obenzinger Reviews Love Palace
Video of MSW on
"The Craft of Storytelling" Using an MSW Novel as a Teaching tool for Writers
Libraries Today: Interview with Meredith Sue Willis about her writing and Their Houses
Women of Appalachia Speak
MSW and others reading at Women of Appalachia Project Women Speak at the Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center at Fairmont State 4-13-24. Left to right: Patsy Kisner, Kristi Stevens Walke, Jennifer Browne, Kari Gunter-Seymour, Rose Smith, Meredith Sue Willis, Bonnie Proudfoot, Susan Truxell Sauter, ,Nathalie Sypolt, Cat Pleska.
Short Story by Meredith Sue Willis at Cold Mountain Review: "The Sweetest Man Who Ever Lived." Audio Recording of MSW reading "The Sweetest Man Who Ever Lived.
Recent Review of Love Palace
Hilton Obenzinger says, "In Martha, Meredith Sue Willis has created a great hardboiled narrator. She’s been hurt and pissed off,mainly by her two “rotters,” her father and her ex-husband, and the world that’s dealt her a tough hand, and she finds relief through sex and constant instability, confiding in her therapist,
when she can afford her. She’s ready for change, and stumbles into the Love Palace, a church, a social center, and an organizing HQ for its elusive charismatic spiritual leader, and by happenstance she becomes its administrator. The Love Palace is among the last low-income housing buildings in the riverside New Jersey neighborhood being overrun by gentrification, and it becomes the focal point for a fight to save what’s left. The Love Palace is a catalyst, pulling together multiple lives and stories into a pulsating community. Martha ends up cajoled to marry a much younger man, scion of the rich couple who owns the Love Palace as a project of their church – or at least we think they own it. The Love Palace community fights eviction and demolition, and knowing who owns the building is crucial – and knowing the truth about the spiritual leader as well. The novel is filled with surprises and revelations as the mysteries peel away, and Martha grows increasingly capable of handling the madness of seduction, deceit, and betrayal. Love Palace, the novel, is a delight to read, and Martha is a tough character worth meeting again and again."
Buy it from Bookshop.org or any of the usual online hardcopy suspects. Also available as a Kindle book on Amazon, and for most e-reader formats at Smashwords.com.
"The Craft of Story Telling"
Video with Meredith Sue
Willis
This video is presented by Samantha at Frances House. Frances House offers copyediting, proofreading, and research assistance for fiction authors who want their book to be at the top of everyone’s list. Based in Canada, serving authors from all over the world, you may visit< Franceshouse.co for more information and to connect with Samantha.
E-book Versions of MSW books
(To buy any of these books as e-books, click on the image. They are also available
at the Kindle Store and at the Nook Store as well as the
iBook store and other e-book stores.)
In Memoriam
Taxicab Willis-Weinberger Extraoredinary Budgerigar
March 2006-March 30,2020
Irene Weinberger
Books.... an imprint of
Hamilton Stone Editions
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Meredith Sue Willis Author and Teacher is licensed under aCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
