Page 146 - South Mississippi Living - June, 2017

Traditionally published:
The Gulf Coast Writers Association was founded in 1986 to encourage and inspire writers throughout the Coast region. The group meets monthly, has
a quarterly magazine and hosts a literary contest. To become a member, go to www.gcwriters.org.
ARTS literary arts
local writers have a way with words
story and photos by Susan Ruddiman
Literary arts on the Mississippi Gulf Coast is thriving thanks to the talents of people who feel compelled to write.
“We are known as an arts community that links our three coastal counties, and the arts community also includes literary arts, I'm proud to say,” said Johnnie Bernhard of Ocean Springs.
Her first novel, The Good Girl, was recently published by Texas Review Press. She started writing this book with her husband's support — she was 50, her children were grown, and she was no longer employed full time.
“I worked at it every day. There has to be discipline and a passion that drives you to keep working on it even when you are getting rejection letters right and left,” Bernhard said.
Valerie Balsar Winn of Gautier also is familiar
with rejection letters when she was trying to get
a book published through a traditional publisher. Her first novel, Forsaking Mimosa, was published by Dogwood Press of Brandon, Miss., in 2012. From beginning to end, it took Winn 18 years of writing the book, networking at writer conferences, and collecting rejection letters. When Winn was working full time as a teacher and later in her husband's dental practice, she got into the habit of rising at 4 a.m. on weekdays to write. “Even through I'm no longer working in an office, I still keep that routine. My first novel took a long time to write. I've gotten faster,” she said.
Greenwood native John James “Jim” Fraiser III has 15 books to his credit. He wrote his first novel, Shadow Seed, in 1997 after being inspired by the
146 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • June 2017
FOR MORE REFLECTIONS OF THE GULF COAST >> www.smliving.net
NOTE: