Welcome!
I am delighted to have you visit! I hope you find my site interesting, entertaining, and easy to navigate. Within it you will find my professional credentials, information on my completed novel, the workshops I am available to present, and up-dates on my current projects. If you wish to get in touch with me for any reason, please feel free to contact me through my e-mail at vsokol@sbcglobal.net. I look forward to hearing from you!
Back on line at last! It has been many months (June) since I last wrote that I was attending the NHS Convention in San Diego. I attended the conference, accompanied by my lovely sister, Anne. We had a wonderful time, met all types of wrtiers, and attended very informative workshops. I wrote the script for and then served as MC for the fashion show, which a huge success. I also pitched my book and received two requrests to have it sent out. From those submissions, I received one standard rejection and a second rejection that was personally written by the agent and not only most helpful, but also most encouraging. Then everything crashed.
At the end of April I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastic Breast Cancer located in my ribs and spine. Later we learned that it also has invaded my right lung. After 14 years of great health reports (since my initial bout with breast cancer in 1887) the news was terribly disconcerting, as you might imagine. I truly believed I had beaten the beast, but continued exhaustion and painful ribs and a sore back were begininning to concern me and so in April I set up doctor visits immediately upon our return to Illinois. Treatment was begun immediately, but unfortunately there were a few complications along the way that included a six day hospital stay. It has been a tough summer and fall, there is no way around it, but I am happy to report that I am now feeling much stronger and much better. Believe me when I say I could not have managed without the help and love from my husband, Don, my sister, Anne, my children and my extended family and friends. "Isabelle", now re-titled "The Wager" (advice received at the convention as a more "gritty: title), I fear, has been put on the shelf, waiting for me to have the energy to return to writing. That time has come at last. With my mind clear and knowing I am able to handle the chemo, my goal is to now re-read each chapter, tweak and refresh where necessary, and then get the book on the road to every agent I think appropriate. (I have read again and again that it is a good idea to let our novels sit awhile before doing a final editing, and while a hiatis from writing was not my intention for the summer, it none-the-less may be serving an unplanned but useful purpose.)
"The Wager" (aka "Isabelle")
Navigating the tricky waters of 1849 New York society is difficult enough, but things spiral totally out of control when suddenly and totally against her will, Isabelle Courtney finds herself caught in a wager made during a dinner party, a wager which pits her wits and abilities against the world of ruthless business men. With her husband's good name and a small fortune riding on the outcome, Isabelle is given a year to prove that a woman can successfully run a business—and turn a profit, to boot.
I am happy to report that "The Wager" (aka "Isabelle"), my third book, is finished, and I invite you to read the first two chapters. Just click on the tab "Writer", scroll down to "The Wager" (aka "Isabelle") and click. Chapter one will come right up. A 400 page historical novel, it is set in the middle 1800s in New York City. It has been great fun to write, and in researching the novel I have been learning lots about things I never before knew I wanted to know! For example, do you know that the best cigars are made in Cuba and there are three primary ways to snip off the end? (One should never, NEVER bite off the end of a good cigar. Heavens! That would produce an uneven smoke!) And then there is the proper way to drink brandy; one must first have the correcly shaped glass, then one must swirl it and savor the boquet before one drinks and then--well, you get the idea! Oh, and there is all the information I have had to gather concerning the early business of canning meat so Isabelle can run her factory. Believe me, it is fascinating--and horrifying, too. The early factory system is not a pretty thing. Happily, Isabelle is not your typical factory owner, and The New York Canning Factory is in for some changes.
The Process
Writing this book had been time consuming but so worthwhile! The characters as well as the time period have been intriguing, and I have loved how my many characters have developed. Indeed, it has amazed me how much seems to happen over which I have no conscious control. The characters just take off and perform all on their own! Indeed, the characters seem to be what my readers identify with the most. For example, one reader totally hates Striker, the vicious es-foreman bent on revenge. Another adores Penelope, the character who so wants a child, and another can't wait to see what happens to Benjamin Small, the lonely man Isabelle hires to replace Striker. I had one reader who was furious that Ruby, one of the factory workers, was murdered, and asked why I had allowed this to happen? She wanted that entire chapter re-written so Ruby could live. And I continue to be intrigued by how Isabelle has grown and changed, and how, as she developes, her feelings of self-worth and her sense of confidence have emerged. Of course, as Isabelle comes into her own, she also discovers the love she has for her husband, for this, my friends, is not only a historical novel, it is also a love story.
Personaal catch-up Time (02/11/2012)
As of now, Don and I are still in Illinois, following a conservative life approach to the cancer treatments I am receiving. We are so fortunate to be so close (Chicago) to such excellent cancer treatment facilities! The happy words for me are "Temporary Remission", which are words truly lovely to hear! I have also had a most successful second opinion experience at Loyola University Hospital and am, with their advice, continuing on my current regime, for it seems to be working very well. I am fortunate to be only fifteen minutes away from my oncologist, who is one of the finest in the midwest. We do plan on returning for the winter in California for 2012, but for right now, we do not want to rush or push too hard. Things are working well, and we want to keep them that way! We have alo been blessed that it has been a mild winter here in Illinois and not much snow to hinder me getting around. Things have definately been going our way!
Current Projects and Future Plans
I have just finished writing the script for a friend's spring concert, which has been fun to work on. The subject for her concert is "Moments from Musicals" and the music is delightful, as you might well imagine! I had a great time doing the research, and with all of my new information, am now able to doubly enjoy some of my old favorites!
I also have written the spine for "The Sound of Music", a recital program designed for vocal and piano students for a music teacher in Wisconsin. Because I am feeling so much stronger, I have also taken on the responsibility of designing and doing the makeup fo rOak Park's Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School's spring production of "Hairspray." The double cast is 62 kids strong! Fortunatelly, I am blessed with a trememdous, fully trained crew, who will make light work of a big job! It feels good to be back at work!
And, of course, "The Wager" is going to be happening at last. I plan on sending the book out to agents asap, and then beginning the next book, which will center on the Aherns, the Irish family, and especially on Kathleen. (It is amazing how much energy it takes to write, and it is amazing how much energy one does not have when fighting cancer!) Rest assured, I am now well into what I believe to be a recovery stage, and I can hardly wait to get back to my writing! I will keep you posted as to my progress!
