Announcements from Patricia Gaddis

So, Patricia asked me to pass on some information.

Stephanie Saible has retired and has been replaced by Carol Brooks. According to Patricia, Carol is a lovely person and loves the fiction in Woman's World. So everyone should just carry on as before unless otherwise noted. 

The second announcement is that her book, "Escape to the Biltmore" is available on Amazon and soon in hardcover. She has this to say about it:

"The story is loosely based on the life of my great grandmother who practiced medicine in 1895 and spent much of her time helping others. She was also friends with the Vanderbilts who owned the Biltmore House in Asheville. I am looking for people to review my book on Amazon, so anyone willing to participate will be greatly appreciated. Please, no less than 3 stars."

Back in the Game

by Mary Ann Joyce from the July 9, 2018 issue

Photo: Hakan Dahlstrom (Flickr CC license)

Tagline: Ava had a crush on the cute guy at the gym...but would he ever notice her?

Observations: Ha! This was a story that used the title at the end successfully. When you do this, it has to make sense and not feel contrived. I thought the idea of physical therapy as a vehicle for a first meet was novel and his attempt to impersonate a jail bird was funny.

Pro tip: The humor in Woman's World stories is often slightly goofy like that. It's almost never sarcastic. It usually shows one or both of the main characters to be affably adorable.

Fireworks and Love

by Tina Radcliffe from the July 2, 2018 issue

Tagline: Kate thought the honeymoon was long over...then Jack gave her a surprise.

Photo: Jim, the Photographer (Flickr CC license)

Observations: I'm still having to get used to the thicker paper. More than once as I was thumbing through this issue, I thought I had two pages stuck together. LOL

Okay, I LOVED this story! Probably because it hits pretty close to home. My excuse for not prettying myself up anymore is because I had gained so much weight that I didn't like buying clothes, I didn't like trying to make myself look good because what was the point? However because of a new program I'm on, I've lost 17 pounds and I feel so great. TMI: I have shorts that I can pull off without unfastening. LOL Anyway, my point is, I could identify with a couple who don't go out of their way like they used to when they were first in love.

It's hard to write these types of stories and not have the wife or husband appear catty or disgruntled or complaining. Tina Radcliffe did this really well. She also showed both characters taking action, which is how it should be in a marriage. :)

Man's Best Friend

by Amy Michaels from the June 18, 2018 issue

Photo: Jim Leary (Flickr CC license)

Tagline: Jeff and his beagle admired their neighbor...little did they know that the feeling was mutual!

Observations: Happy Independence Day, people! I hope you enjoy your holiday.

Before I get started, I wanted to also celebrate the fact that Woman's World is using thicker paper! Finally! I think too thin paper was why some of my issues were going missing. Either the entire cover or the part with the address label was getting eaten by the postal machines. I'm excited.

This was an adorable story! I was smiling throughout as I read it. I think part of it might be because it was written in first person, from Jeff's point of view. There was so much personality in the narrative.

My favorite line was, "Seriously, Oz?" LOL

The only slightly clunky thing was that man's best friend line at the end. It didn't seem natural for him to say that, so to me, it felt like they were trying to tie in the title but not very successfully.