Words on Water

by Sandy Ward Bell (Contributor)

You can't live without it; just as water quenches thirst, books quench the soul. Indulge your fascination with water in this impressive anthology brimming with more than two-dozen prose and poetic works by The Harpeth River Writers. Your reading forecast may bring forth a well of tears, the pleasure of a gentle summer rain, or the rage of an ocean squall. From desert sands, to deep southern rivers, and even local laundromats, these nine authors bring wet and wild narratives. Are you ready to plunge into a great read?

The Harpeth River Writers is a collective of award winning authors from Tennessee, whose divergent talents include fiction, memoir, and poetry, spanning 18 published books. The collective consists of Sandy Ward Bell, Suzanne Webb Brunson, Catherine Riddle Caffey, John Neely Davis, Micki Fuhrman, Catherine Moore, Michael J. Tucker, Tom Wood, and Bill Woods.

320 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2019

About the author

From radio announcer to wife to mother to writer. Bell's first novel, In Zoey's Head, reflects her experience with the media and pop culture. Parked at the Mansfields', highlights her appreciation for Jane Austen's timeless story. Her third book, Bold, honors women's courage through a collect of short stories, and was a 2018 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award finalist. She is currently working on mystery series set in 1919.

Reviews

[Barry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Words on Water is a collection of short stories and poems written by a group of writers from Tennessee. I stumbled across them during a festival in a park while visiting Nashville and the concept of the book appealed to me. I was not disappointed with one of the stories and poems. They are all somehow related to the theme of water and each was an enjoyable read. The great thing is you can pick the book up and read a complete story in a few minutes at any time during the day or night. The group has done an excellent job of contributing individually and they all had a hand in writing the final story. There's something here for everyone and I have no problem recommending the book to readers of all genres.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Embarrassing confession: I had this book for a couple of months before opening it; an unexplained but lifelong fear of water and bridges made the cover beckoning but terrifying. However, I know a few of the group members and wanted to support the project. I am now so happy to say that from the intriguing Introduction through the final collaboration, it is filled with delightfully unique styles and voices. It would be impossible to name a favorite because of the wide range of talents represented. Some made me laugh, some had me near tears, some explained my fears. The water theme seems so fitting now that I can't imagine it any other way! I recommend every single author for further reading.

[Linda Thorne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an easy read. The book offered a wide variety of different stories, interesting, and all the stores carried the same theme of "water." It was an added treat for me to know one of the authors and either have met or know of a few of the others. The entire group of authors collaborated to write the last story together, which was a very interesting long short story, maybe a novella. I'd recommend this book of short stories.