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Recognitions

Joan McNulty Pulver

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

René Walden, nee Wilson, won Silk’s Vault 1001 Steam Stunner’s Contest with her erotica novella, Forbidden Dreams, being published by Silk’s Vault Publishing to be released in this summer of 2005. Several of René's short stories have been published at Literotica.

Forbidden Dreams is about erotica author, Elainie Thompson. While writing her newest book, Elainie becomes withdrawn and distant, refusing to share any details of the story with her lover, Michael Benton. After three years of sharing everything, Michael is hurt and angry at her refusal to include him and accuses her of pushing him away. The heated discussion quickly transforms into a full-blown shouting match, ending when Michael storms out of the house.

Fearing he may lose her, Michael returns home to set things right, but finds an empty house. In his search of her office, he stumbles across Elainie's story by accident. As he reads, he’s bewitched by the tale of forbidden desires. The words of the story haunt him, filling his mind with erotic images of bondage and an insatiable yearning for complete surrender. Confused by conflicting emotions of guilt and arousal, Michael makes a decision that will forever change their lives.

René was overjoyed to discover that she won the contest. "Well, I kept saying, oh wow, oh wow, oh wow, hollered a few times, giggled like a wild woman, then jumped up and did my snoopy dance! I couldn't believe it. I immediately woke my fiancé and told him, then called my mom.

"I've always loved to write, even as a young child. Most of my family didn’t consider writing to be a very profitable business venture, so I wasn't encouraged to pursue it. About 5 years ago I went back to college and took a few creative writing classes and I was hooked again. I decided writing was something I loved and missed, and I'd give it a shot whether I was ever published or not."

René does a lot of sketching, sometimes just places and scenery, but she often does erotic sketches. "I love sketching, reading, and crafting things. My sketching helps me to visualize my characters or particular settings for my stories. My reading almost always inspires me to be creative. It's like it sparks something inside me and makes me want to write."

She joined WVU in March of this year, planning to wait until after her June wedding to take classes, but when René found the Writing Erotica course, facilitated by Jim Kelly, scheduled to start in April, she had to take the plunge. "I've wanted to take that class ever since I heard about it one night in a F2K chat. I've taken probably the past four sessions of F2K. It really helped to jumpstart what I consider my more formal training as far as my writing is concerned. I'm a member of the Finish Line Study Group. They're a really great group of people, always encouraging me and helping me to stay focused on my writing.

"I think the biggest benefit I've received from WVU is all the encouragement and positive words from other members. The feedback and support is fantastic. I've learned so much and am still continuing to learn and grow with WVU.

"I got married on Saturday, June 11, 2005 to a wonderfully supportive man who encourages and urges me not to give up on those days when I really wonder what I'm doing trying to write. I also have a 19-year-old daughter who's always supported my dream of being a writer. We live in a small town in southeast Missouri. As far as my professional life goes, I have many other stories in the works that I hope to have published. I'm staying positive and reaching for the stars." To learn more about René visit her website at http://www.renewalden.com.

Brandy Foster is the author of more than ten published articles in the last three months. "At the beginning of June I was offered a managing editor position with a local newspaper in Austin, Texas. I gladly accepted. The Austin Student is a weekly independent newspaper that (primarily) reaches out to all college students in Austin and the surrounding cities. The newspaper has done very well and is giving other university newspapers (like UT of Austin) a run for their money. I have been in this position for three weeks and it has been both demanding and rewarding.

"I was in shock. I prayed a prayer of thanksgiving to God and then called every person close to me and told them the good news. The day my first issue, June 9, 2005, as managing editor came out, I grabbed about 20 copies and put them in my car. I gave a copy of the paper to close family and friends."

Brandy joined WVU in last July of last year. WVU was the first place she went after deciding to follow her dream of being a writer. "WVU has helped me tremendously because it allows me to network with other writers. The classes are wonderful because they demand you discipline yourself to complete assignments each week. I have created some pretty good pieces from WVU classes. It has also helped me to pick a more specific career than just 'writing'. Through WVU I realized how much I love editing—and how good I am at it. I have a good eye for detail, organization, and grammar. I am now pursuing a career in the editing field while writing in my spare time." Brandy is also an editor for ePress-online. She has assisted in editing Pumping Your Muse and Death at Dragonthroat.

Her advice to new writers: Following a dream requires confidence, discipline, persistence, and hard work. Be confident in yourself and know that you are a talented human being who has something unique to offer to the world. Believe that you can make a career out of what you love to do. Discipline yourself to do what is necessary to get you on the path to your dream.

Congratulations, René and Brandy. 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
Joan McNulty Pulver, mother of five and grandmother of five, works as an Administrative Secretary for the State of Florida but considers her writing and editing to be her vocation. She is a columnist for T-Zero: The Writer’s E-Zine, a course developer and facilitator at Writers’ Village University and the Personnel Coordinator/Editor for ePress-online. Joan has had two short stories published and is currently working on a non-fiction book and a fantasy novel.