As most of you know, I am the editor of the Debut Writers Journal – an online magazine that showcases the work of students in my creative writing classes at John A. Logan College in Southern Illinois, USA. This term, I will be adding work by at least two or three new writers, and today begins those additions.
I’m excited to announce our publication of this first chapter of a brand new novel in progress. Joe Corso is one of the few creative writing students who is working on a project of this magnitude, and he’s offering us the opportunity to publish several of his first few chapters. It’s a great way for Joe to keep himself challenged, and for readers of the Journal to see the growth and progress of a new novelist in real time.
The Summer of ’32 takes readers on a journey into a time and place in American culture that is gone, but certainly well remembered by many people even in this modern age. Joe enjoys relating the feel of that time in history, but he is also seriously focused on his characters, and their depth and development are what give the story its impact.
Click on this link to read “Chapter One: Death of a Friend”, and if you find yourself caught up in the story and wanting more, be sure and leave a comment for Joe and let him know. Or if you have anything else encouraging to share, please use the “Comment” window and tell us.
Thanks to all of you who take the time to read the work of these new writers and encourage them.
~~~
The Happy Wordcrafter 
Joe, your first chapter is captivating. It makes me want to read more. The emotions of the characters are graphic. The sadness, grief and the intertwining of the character’s stories shines through, inviting further exploration. Well done!
When I saw your comment on this post instead of Joe’s story, I realized there must be a problem with the comments on his story page. So I checked, and -sure enough – the comments weren’t working. But I’ll fix the problem and then copy and paste your comment on his story page. Thank you so much. I’m sure it will mean a lot to him, and as his teacher, I can say that I agree with your feelings about the work.
Alrighty, now I have Joe’s response, which he put onto the story page. So I’m copying and pasting it here for you. Hopefully, now that I’ve fixed the system, everyone will be able to comment back and forth without my interference. Here’s Joe’s reply:
“Thank you for your comment Pure Glory…The “dramatic hook” in chapter one hopefully works. However, it is the following chapters that I enjoyed writing; where the characters begin to breath some life into the story, and a relationship with the character(s) grow. The story is loosely based off of true events. I thank you and others for the feedback.
Best regards,
Joe Corso”
Sandra, thanks for relaying the comment. Hopefully, the system is now working well.