Randell Jones
Daniel Boone Footsteps
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6-minute Stories

Everybody loves a good story
Listen to these 6-minute stories
from both new voices and experienced writers
from the Personal Story Publishing Project anthologies:
Bearing Up , Exploring , That Southern Thing , Luck & Opportunity,
Trouble , Curious Stuff , Twists and Turns , Sooner or Later , and Now or Never.
Copies of all 10 books in the series available here.
“6-minute Stories” episodes announced on Facebook @6minutestories

"The Saltwater Taffy Escapade" by Patricia E. Watts

 – not much comfort

Memories of horsing around at summer camp still haunt this prize-winner.

 

Patricia E. Watts lives in Mountville, South Carolina where the love of local and family history has given her a passion to write stories to pass down to her children. She has found through stories of tragedies, tears, and triumphs and even mysteries that she has a rich heritage worth telling. Five stories have appeared in previous PSPP anthologies: “A Real Small Town,” the paired stories “Sometimes the Prize Goes to the Wrong Person” and “The Orphan Train,” “Chancing the Buddy System” and “The Class of ’44 Ring.”

Patricia E. Watts

Author’s Talk

What inspired me to write my Saltwater Taffy Escapade story was my 5th grade granddaughter going off to camp for the very first time this past summer. And like me at that age, she is small for her age yet always determined to meet a challenge. So, it brought memories of my camp experience flooding back. I am happy to report that she had a wonderful experience in the mountains of North Carolina. 

I always considered myself a reader. I can't remember a Christmas or birthday that a book wasn't at the top of my short list. The reading evolved into a love of researching some pretty interesting family history, interesting enough to write my family stories in hopes my family, too, would enjoy them. Then one day I was researching the friendship between my ancestors and Daniel Boone and that led me to a most wonderful website, full of books, DVDs, writing tips, events, suggestions and, of course, stories. It quickly became a favorite website.  

Then an intriguing section on the website popped up, the Personal Story Publishing Project with a call for short stories for the next book coming out…and it was open to new writers! The topic, That Southern Thing, was certainly one I found fascinating. I hesitated, though, not sure if my attempt at writing would be acceptable. But since it was open to new writers, I decided to take a chance.  It was with surprise and joy my very first story was accepted, a joy that spilled over into future submissions. 

I say all this to encourage future new writers. The personal feedback and the helpful podcasts will not only help you craft your story but will give you the satisfaction of creating a story that is your very own, one you will be proud to share with family and friends as a new writer. — Patricia E. Watts

Randell Jones