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The first anthology of original poetry, haiku and essays is in full bloom for the 11-member Heartland Women's Writers Guild.
The friends, ages 36 to 93, recently published "Orchids in the Cornfield."
"It's like giving birth. Along the way, you have your labor pains. Then there it is, and you hold it," said new author Gea Pierce, 57, of Waterloo as she hugged a copy of the book.
Gea (pronounced HAY-uh), who moved to the United States from the Netherlands, still can't believe she's an author.
Neither can Meg Bergmann, 44, who lives in Columbia.
"I always thought, 'Someday, I'm gonna write a book,' and now here it is," said Meg, a veterinary assistant.
Roselyn Mathews, 61, of Waterloo, formed the Heartland Women's Writers Guild in 1998 with retired home economist Betty Hoffman, 93, and Geri Fitzgerald, 46, both of Waterloo.
"We'd meet once a month at the (Morrison-Talbott) library. To write, not socialize," said Roselyn, a creative writing instructor.
"This was a safe place for us to come and learn," said Betty, who came to every meeting.
In the next four years, eight more women would join: Gea, Meg, Lori Becherer, 44, of Millstadt, Melany Nitzche, 36, of Columbia, Lucy Engbring, 82, of Waterloo, Pat Robert, 55 of Waterloo, Donna Schenk, 51, of Evansville, and Liz Parker, 54, of Alton.
Roselyn offered a different assignment at each meeting. Sometimes it was poetry. Other times it was haiku or a short essay.
Some members came and went, but the core 11 stayed.
They got serious about their writing -- and getting published.
Melany remembers the day the group decided to take the plunge -- March 13, 2004.
"Members were winning (writing) contests in Illinois and Missouri," said Melany, a former certified public accountant.
Roselyn mentioned publishing their work, then hesitated.
"I was concerned about how large a project it was going to be. I thought 'No way do I want to be in charge.'"
That's when Melany stepped in to lead.
"She's our big kahuna," said Roselyn.
Betty laughed. She had confidence in her friends.
"It wasn't just commas and spelling. We wanted the writing to be professional," said Roselyn.
The published book represents 20 months of work. The women read about self-publishing, learned where to get necessary identification numbers and a copyright, and edited their work.
Half became editors, the other half marketers.
Most of the editing was done via e-mail. All of the women had busy schedules and access to computers.
"I'd click the mouse to send (rewritten work) and then say OK. Then I'd get something back to change," said Geri.
The friends gave each other constructive criticism to create the best possible anthology.
Melany wanted her friends' work to shine. Their support helped her cope when her husband, Matt, was diagnosed with brain cancer in December 2000.
She quit all of her other hobbies, except the writers' guild.
"At first they gave him three months to live. He outlived that goal and was doing better. This is the first group I rejoined," said Melany.
Matt died in February 2004 and Melany dedicated a poem to him.
Lucy thought of the title, "Orchids in the Cornfield."
After a final edit, the women sent the final copy to Reproxdigital, a printer in St. Louis.
On Dec. 22, 2005, the first of 700 copies rolled off the presses. "We actually had it in time for Christmas," said Lori.
The women are busy promoting their new book, which is available at area gift stores. Each copy costs $12.95.
Because almost all 700 copies have been sold, the women are ordering more books.
The success hasn't gone to their heads. They still meet monthly at the library and visit Betty at the Monroe County Care Center. She has lived there since she broke her hip. The women visit her there after the meetings to give her updates.
The friends aren't thinking about writing another book just yet.
"We have to let all this settle in," said Lori.
About "Orchids in the Cornfield"
Number of pages: 178
Number of entries for each author: Lori (12), Meg (3), Lucy (4), Geri ( 8), Betty ( 9), Roselyn (11), Melany ( 13), Liz ( 8), Gea ( 9), Pat (11), and Donna ( 4).
Where to find books:
Belleville: Broadway Center of Arts, Eckert Orchards Garden Center and The Vineyard
Columbia: Memory Lane gift shop
Red Bud: Red Bud Hospital gift shop
Waterloo: Diehl Florist
Wood River: T.R.'s Cafe
Want to self publish a book? Consider these steps.
1. Read a self-publishing guide for tips.
2. Find a friend willing to give an honest critique of your work.
3. Purchase a set of International Standard Book Numbers (ISBN) A bundle of 10 (the smallest amount) costs $225. Each book gets one ISBN for identification.
4. Apply for a copyright number.
5. Find a reputable printer and editor. Costs vary based on size of the book, paper used and number of copies printed.
Note: A representative from Reproxdigital said it would cost about $12,000 to print 700 copies of a higher quality 178-page soft-cover book.
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Copyright (c) 2006, Belleville News-Democrat, Ill.
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