Sharing their thoughts

Novels preserve Ohio Valley traditions, stories

TEUBENVILLE -- Nine local authors shared their works with interested visitors during the Afternoon with Ohio Valley Authors open house in the Jefferson County Historical Association Museum on Oct. 7.

Joan McGlone, one of the authors and a member of the association's board of directors, said the event was an opportunity for visitors to become familiar with the authors and their works, as well as with the museum itself.

"It's important because you're bringing together the love of books with the love of history," McGlone said. "A lot of the writers here are from the valley and have written things that are pertinent to the valley. ... We're all connected."

Additionally, McGlone said, the event raised awareness of the Tri-State Writers Society, the event's co-sponsor. The society is a nonprofit workshop of which several of the attending authors are members. McGlone said the society meets every second Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. in the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County's Main Library to discuss writing, their lives and "how to better their craft."

McGlone herself shared her novel, "The House on Seventh Street," which is based on the life of her maternal grandmother. A separate, work-in-progress novel "The Paperboy from Eighth Street," is based on her second-cousin's life and is planned for release in 2024.

Board member Linda Hilty said the attendance of authors was substantial, and the association hopes to host another author event in the spring.

Visitors could snack on refreshments as they meandered through the museum, contained within a mansion built in 1918 and acquired by the association in 1976. The museum contains a library -- Hilty said many authors go there for research -- and all manner of Steubenville and Jefferson County memorabilia, artifacts and records.

Positioned near the museum's extensive records room were Skip Trombetti and his wife, Donna Trombetti. Born in Steubenville but now living near Cleveland, Skip Trombetti is a photographer and self-published author of three works, including his autobiographical collection of vignettes, "Thirteen Months: Quirky Tales of a Marine in Vietnam," as well as his fictional short stories in "A Vegas Trilogy."

Trombetti showed off some of his photo prints, some of which are given a backstory in his "The Story Behind the Image." With one of his favorite photography locations being Washington, D.C., Trombetti said he picked up photography in the Boy Scouts, learned more through various mentors and believes the craft has "been enjoyable ever since."

He has been married for 48 years to Donna, whom he met on a blind date. She commented, regarding her husband's busy life, "I'm waiting to be bored. It hasn't happened yet. He has kept us involved in so many things."

Their son, Sam Trombetti of Cleveland, attended the event. He said it was great to see an event like this handing on stories of Steubenville and the Ohio Valley through the writing of locals. He said, "It's important to know the history of a place ... A place is not just the physical things, but the people themselves, people who've lived here and people who've died here.

"Especially a place like Steubenville, it's important to know the history. The connection to (first-hand sources) is getting further away. So, it's about Steubenville making new Steubenville while still retaining a sense of old Steubenville."

Weirton author Mary Zwierzchowski attended the event with her husband, Dave Zwierzchowski, and spoke about the novel she co-wrote with Jane Kraina, "Secrets in the Mist: The History of Brown's Island." The novel tells of a 1972 gas explosion at a then-soon-to-be-complete Weirton Steel coke plant that claimed the lives of 19 workers.

On behalf of herself and her co-author, Mary Zwierzchowski said of the explosion, which saw its 50th anniversary last year, "We felt it was never fully covered when it happened, ... and there was much more to be told."

Separately, Zwierzchowski thanked Antique Warehouse in Steubenville for its support in selling the book.

Cherie Metcalf, a teacher at Steubenville High School and writing instructor at Franciscan University of Steubenville, shared her novel "Blue Heart: God's Assurance During Grief." Metcalf, who was prompted to write after her husband's unexpected death, said of the novel, "It's (about) the process of grief and the search for 'Is God real?' and 'Is he there to comfort you in a time of grief?' Hopefully, people reading this, especially someone going through grief can know peace."

Metcalf said writing the novel was therapeutic. The book contains a short story about explaining death to a child. The piece was written while she was a student. She added that the novel "talks about how God has been there through different times in our lives. ... I think it's a good story to console people and give them hope."

Weirton author Sarah Wagner, a Tri-State Writers Society member, showed off her various works, ranging from nonfiction "Chicken Soup for the Soul," poetry and lots of fiction novels -- science fiction, fantasy and, above all, horror. Speaking of the horror genre, she said, "I like the darker side of things because I think it shows more about humanity than some of the lighter stuff can do."

Wagner, who doubles as a soap-maker, said her writing process begins with nothing but an empty text document and plugs forward without prior mapping.

She said of the writers society, "Having people around you that are doing the same kind of thing and have the same kind of issues is nice -- there's a solidarity," she said about the local group.

Robert E. Petras Sr. displayed two creative nonfiction coming-of-age novels set in his hometown of Toronto: "River Rats" and "Release the Belgium." He gave away bookmarks made from laminated theater tickets from Toronto's Rex Theatre and Manos Theatre.

Petras, who has a background in journalism and has had more than 100 of his poems published, said the two novels are meant to be "nostalgic" reminiscences for those with backgrounds like his. He is in the planning his next book, a "quirky sci-fi" work set in an "anti-Toronto."

Mary Antoinette Gallo Sunyoger, who holds a doctorate degree in curriculum and instruction/composition theory, showed off her novel, "Life Lessons: A Connection of Souls Throughout Life's Journey." Sunyoger, a Franciscan University professor emerita and former English department chair, was joined by her sister, JoAnn Gallo.

Sunyoger said the novel, a collection of narratives, draws from her experiences as a teacher at Catholic Central High School and Franciscan, detailing "not what I taught them, (but) how my students have changed my life. (It's about) how they came into my life, and I realized years ago that I wasn't teaching just bodies and human beings, I was teaching souls."

Wintersville author Susan Guy said she still researches the gripping topics in her true crime novels "Mobsters, Madams & Murder in Steubenville, Ohio" and "The Moonlight Mill Murders of Steubenville, Ohio." Having gotten her start in writing through her love of genealogy, Guy displayed photos of some of the historical figures described in her novels.

Guy, who is working on a novel called "Unsolved Murders of Jefferson County, Ohio," said she appreciates that the museum has given members of the society opportunities to gather. Fellow society member Cynthia Huscroft, who is actively writing a work called "Blood on the Threshold," added that the society's members offer "very good constructive criticism."

Mary M. Paice, author for Tucker Thompson Publications Inc., advertised her novel "A Life of Love with Madam Judy Jordan," which gives what are described as shocking details about the secret interplay between the Ohio Valley's officials and the mafia.

The preservation of the Ohio Valley's traditions, stories and values through each writer was clear, and the significance of the event being hosted in the association's voluminous museum was not lost. Come spring, another potential author open house is expected to bring more visitors, authors and history to Steubenville.