Welcome

Being new at the blogging experience, this may seem to be a childish and ineffective post but, here goes.

My name is Rodney DiGruttolo, I'm a writer. I have two books on the market available thru Amazon as printed media or in ebook form. The first is a collection of short stories about growing up in Sarasota, Florida in the 1950's. These adventures are true although I did change the names to protect the inno... er, maybe not so much. It's entitled Snakes, Spiders, and Palmetto Bugs, Growing-up in Perpetual Summer.

Florida is a great place to grow up. We have summer-like weather nearly all year. The few cold days are seldom close together and often by noon a temperature below freezing at dawn will have risen to the mid-seventies. Because of all this warmth, we do have some insects, arachnids, and several varieties of reptiles including snakes.

Lakes, rivers, and bays are plentiful, the siren call of rippling water or crashing waves beckons to youngsters and adults alike. As a boy, I and my friends took advantage to long warm days, ocean breezes, and a host of nature’s gifts to lead an idyllic life rivaling the adventures of Mark Twain’s days on the Big Muddy. Of course, we didn’t have steamboats or runaway slaves to contend with, but we did have parents and truant officers.

The second is a novel, its designation as a novel tells you it's pure fiction. Need to Know, a Charlie Bascomb Adventure, may indicate the type of tale it is. Charlie Bascomb was on the fast track in the Marine Corps and held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel when he decided to retire after twenty years. When the DEA/Homeland Security Liaison contacts him he’s baffled but curious. A retired General and active Colonel, for whom Charlie has great respect, ask him to undertake a secret mission to discover the identity of a rouge agent or agents in the DEA and flush out a terrorist attempting to enter the U.S.

All hell breaks loose as Charlie and his handpicked team descend on South Florida.

I am the facilitator of a writers group in Sarasota County. We meet at the fire station in Nokomis, FL the first and third Wednesday of each month. Our membership is diverse including writers from the area and a number who winter here. All genres are represented over the course of the year and a contingent of talented poets contribute to the talent pool. You never know what you will hear when attending a meeting.

Each meeting begins with a discussion about some phase of writing, publishing, or a lesser known aspect of the craft. The members dictate the subject and I try to steer the ship, even though at times it feels rudderless.

After the discussion, members read their work, especially pieces which are causing them problems. We all critique the work and offer what we think are workable solutions. I will not allow derogatory or demeaning remarks about the work or its author. The group agrees and I have their backing.

We have fun, learn, and become better writers with each session. If you write, want to write, or have a friend who writes, join us. It’s free. We don’t charge dues, asking only for a donation twice a year. The donations are presented to the Nokomis Volunteer Fire Department. We request five bucks from each member in June and again in November but, you can donate at any time. We present the donation around Independence Day and Christmas. The firemen use it as they see fit. We appreciate the use of their training room and do our best to leave it as we find it.

That’s all for now. I’ll have to reflect a while before posting again. It might take a week or so to come up with something useful.

See you soon;

Rod