Come celebrate eight local teens on the publication of their first book, Tales from the Valley through Dancing Lemur Press on Sunday, March 12th at 12:30 pm at The Movie House, 249 WV-2, New Martinsville, WV. The young authors will be in attendance and looking forward to
signing books and meeting readers. Autographed copies of the books will be available for $16 each.
Over a year ago, young writers were invited to pursue their craft. Many started the process, but these eight worked hard writing and rewriting until they had stories fit to publish. Coming from different regions in the Ohio Valley and ranging in age from ten to eighteen, these creative young men and women have combined their talents to complete a short-story anthology with stories ranging from historical to contemporary, science fiction to adventure. They had one common goal—make the Ohio Valley proud.
Elizabeth Seckman, who is both an author and a social worker, understands the undeniable link between creativity and wellness. As the Wetzel County Family Resource Network Coordinator & co-chair of the WATCH Prevention Coalition (Wetzel Advocates Toward Community Hope) & WATCH Youth, she was in a position to make her dream a reality. Together with Michelle Rohde, WATCH Chair and Youth Service Systems Project Coordinator, they started the WATCH Youth Young Writers group. Elizabeth and Michelle had one goal for the project—to engage youth, promote creativity, and plant the seeds of hope in a valley often overwhelmed by negative statistics and stereotypes.
“I challenged them to craft stories set in the Ohio Valley,” Seckman said. “We met periodically to learn how to craft, edit, and polish their stories. From the beginning, I was blown away by their creativity and their willingness to work. This is a bright group of natural storytellers and I think readers will be enthralled and amazed that these tales were written by children.”
Come along and traverse the richness of the valley. Can Anna Lee change her town’s history when she spins back in time? Can Tracy save her family when nightmare creatures drop from the sky? What could go wrong when a woman turns her father’s murder into a profession? Can a loner help a girl find a survivor community in the wasteland before it is too late? What happens when a teen hunts to escape a chaotic home life and finds himself the hunted? Is Tori gone forever, lost in the murky waters of the Ohio River?
Will Von overcome Their malicious demeanor and break the chains of Their oppression? Will a fun-loving cheerleader learn she doesn’t have to stay the victim of her domineering boyfriend?
“The future of literature is bright and hopeful with the young authors who make up this collection of short stories. I couldn’t put the book down until I read each one all the way through,” said Dave Shelton, multi-award-winning film and TV writer, cartoonist, musician, voice actor and writer.
WATCH Youth is a child advocacy group committed to improving the emotional well-being of kids by actively engaging them in social and creative programs. WATCH is a coalition of members from local agencies, schools, businesses, government officials, and volunteers who
meet monthly with a singular goal: to make our community the best community to live in.
To join the effort, contact Elizabeth at eseckman@tccfwv.org or Michelle at mrohde@ysswv.com Tales from the Valley is published by Freedom Fox Press an imprint of Dancing Lemur Press LLC Juvenile Fiction. Autographed books will be available for $16 from the Book Store on 161 North Street, New Martinsville and the Cellar Door on 154 North Street, New Martinsville. Autographed copies may also be purchased by mail for $18 by making checks payable to WCCCFWV and mailing it to 128 Main Street, New Martinsville, WV 26155 Attn: Elizabeth.
