Welcome to the RPLA Showcase
2016 Unpublished Women’s Fiction
The Middle of Somewhere by Faun Joyce Senatro
In The Middle of Somewhere, Lauri, the new teacher of a downtrodden coal mining Pennsylvania town, expects to “make a difference” in their lives, never realizing how the people and community will affect her life.
At the 2016 Royal Palm Literary Awards Banquet, author Faun Joyce Senatro won First Place in the Unpublished Women’s Fiction category. Each year at the RPLA Banquet, authors experience the joy of earning accolades for all the hard work that is often done in the privacy of the home with little to no recognition. We’re showcasing the best of the best with our First Place winners spotlight. Not only does RPLA recognize extraordinary talent, but we’re giving readers an opportunity to sample excerpts from the winning stories.
Click the link to read a sample:
Excerpt from The Middle of Somewhere
Q & A with Faun Joyce Senatro
Q: Where do you get your story ideas?
A: My first book was inspired by interest in the history of my husband’s Italian family, especially his grandparents who immigrated to this country. I enjoy research of the times and eras. Fiction allows inspirational creativity and happy endings . . . or not.
Q: Anything in particular about your award-winning RPLA entry that you’d like to share?
A: This is a sequel to my first book and a chance to combine the young Italian school teacher with my Pennsylvania roots, based on stories of my mother’s rural school teaching days. Again, fiction allows an expansion of creative ideas in building story and characters, the tension of life struggles, and the conflict of unexpected romance.
Q: Whom do you credit with inspiring your writing?
A: My mother, who left us a wonderful legacy by writing the history of her life, as it was when she grew up in the early 1900s, and as it changed throughout the century. She wrote this in her 100th year, and lived to almost 107. She never stopped learning or teaching.
Q: Any tips for new writers?
A: Get into a good writers’ critique group and go for it. Make sure you are with a group who is truly “writers helping (not criticizing) writers.” Find a group with members who are willing to be honest with constructive—but kind—criticism, and then listen to them. Rewrite and rewrite.
Thank you for sharing, Faun, and congratulations! Visit her website: www.daytonaareawriters.com/joyce-senatro.html
A message about supporting literacy in Florida:
If every member of FWA went to Smile.Amazon.com, chose Florida Writers Foundation, Inc. as their charity and, instead of logging into Amazon.com, logged into Smile.Amazon.com, FWF would receive 0.5% of the purchase funds. Every time.
We could significantly fund the literacy efforts of our organization. No money out of your pockets…just some invested time to set this up.
How easy for us to make a difference. To see all of our work, please read the pages of our website www.floridawritersfoundation.com. You’ll be proud.
Tom Swartz, President, FWF
