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Recognitions

Joan McNulty Pulver

Welcome to Recognitions, a column designed to celebrate the writing successes of Writers' Village University members!

Deana Hoover won an e-book contract with her novel, Sing to the Moon, in the Easy Way to Write 2004 New Novel Contest published by Magellan Books. Her novel is a story reminiscent of books like Watership Down or Animal Farm. Told from the perspective of a pack of wild coyotes whose survival is in jeopardy, they face the elements of nature while greed and arrogance of some individuals cause hardship for many.

“I entered the contest in order to have a deadline and push myself to finish my novel. I never really believed I would win an e-book contract. I assumed that when the contest was over, I could then start sending out queries. When I opened the email announcing the winners and saw my name on the list, I read it twice to be sure. Then I ran across the house, jumping up and down (in a dignified manner) and told my husband in a singsong voice while doing a little dance (also quite dignified).”

Deana loves the written word and wrote adventure stories when she was growing up. Because of a neurological illness, Deana had to quit her job as a sign language interpreter. She decided to reinvent herself. “Just because I couldn’t work a forty-hour week didn’t mean I was going to give up. I knew there was something in me I could contribute. I knew how to tell stories, but I became determined to learn more about the craft of writing.”

About two years ago, her brother recommended she join Writers’ Village University, where he was already a member. Deana said she fell in love with the format and was hooked right away. She quickly gained practical experience in POV, self-editing, and other subjects every writer needs to understand. Deana also volunteers as a facilitator at WVU. “I have taken so many of the classes and eventually became involved in facilitating. I love that, too. I never could have learned as much for the price anywhere else. I am interested in comedy writing, column writing, novels, mysteries, and science fiction/fantasy. I’m able to apply the lessons I learned at WVU to all of my writing and am not limited to one area.”

Visit Deana at her website at http://deanahoover.150m.com to see how this talented author spends her free time, painting mainly in oils but also watercolor and acrylics, in addition to her writing. Her artwork is featured in an anthology of short horror stories called Adumbra, published by Magellan Books, which also includes her short story, "Cabin on the Bayou," due out soon.

“I find a lot of inspiration for my writing comes from opening my eyes and seeing what is around me. It often correlates to painting. A painting is a representation of the reality, the essence of truth. Fiction is the same way. It’s an image that reflects truth.”

James Hall’s pantoum about military life, “The Raid,” will appear in the November 2004 issue of Dana Literary Society’s Online Journal. This is the third month in a row one of his submissions has been accepted for publication and the 17th time in three years his writing has been accepted by this prestigious journal.

A high school teacher for thirteen years, he moved on to design, develop and implement software for the Federal Judicial Center before joining the corporate world. He then said goodbye to all this, becoming a police reporter for a small daily newspaper, finally settling on working as a freelance writer with two published books to his credit.

Jim, as he is known to his friends at Writers’ Village University, facilitates P103 Poetry Workshop at least twice each year. He enjoys writing lyric poetry, haiku and related forms. A lifetime WVU member, Jim's other publishing successes appeared in the Renegade Writers, North America Review, Möbius, The Formalist, Touchstone (a now-defunct annual anthology), Footprints, The Eleventh Muse (a monthly publication of Poetry West, temporarily out of service) and Cicada. Find out more about Jim at his website at http://jhall.4mg.com/index1.htm.

Congratulations, Deana and Jim. We wish you continued success in all of your writing endeavors and thank you for sharing your information with us.

We look forward to reading about your writing accomplishments in this column. If you or someone you know received recognition for writing, please send the information to recognitions@wvu.org. Let us know!

About the Author
Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Joan McNulty Pulver moved to Florida about 30 years ago and decided to stay. She has five children (two girls and three boys) and five grandchildren (four boys and one girl). An Administrative Secretary for the State of Florida, she plans to retire in about seven years and then start her real career, writing. Joan hopes to have at least one novel finished and published by that time. She does a little volunteer work here at WVU and enjoys this community of writers. "I have learned so much here and like helping others learn along with me."