Posts about writing and publishing.
B is for Baby. Welcome to Day 2 of Blogging from A to Z and Pen In Her Hand’s theme Book-ish Ghosts! We had a great turn-out for Day 1, so I hope you enjoyed playing along. And if you didn’t, you are more than welcome to join in the guessing game and contest now. Here are your clues for B is for Baby: Clue 1: This novel won the Pulitzer Prize in Literature. Clue 2: The ghost of this novel is…
A is for Ambiguous Welcome to Day 1 of Blogging A to Z! Book-ish Ghosts As I mentioned in the theme reveal, you’re going to have to do a little work in this challenge. Well, you don’t actually have to, but why wouldn’t you? Book-ish Ghosts is a guessing game and contest. Throughout the April challenge, you get to guess the ghost novel, ghost movie, or ghost beginning with the letter of the day. Let’s get started, shall we? Here are…
Aubergine by Julia Cho “Art has two constant, two unending concerns: It always meditates on death and thus always creates life”~Boris Pasternak I thought about the aptness of this Pasternak quote after attending the play Aubergine. I was fortunate to be the guest of friend Jongneyo Choi and actor Sam Kim. Thank you, Jongneyo and Sam, for a lovely evening! Berkeley Repertory Theater commissioned Julia Cho to create a play as part of its themed works called The Food Project. The…
Blogging A to Z 2016 theme reveal It’s that time of year! Blogging A to Z 2016 is coming April 1! Just in case you need a refresher: Arlee Bird started Blogging A to Z in 2010 as a way to bring bloggers together. The rules are these: Starting April 1st, for 26 days, write a post for each letter of the alphabet. And you just know that’s a challenge for me as I keep no schedule, just sort of…
Happy Valentine’s Day! It’s getting on toward afternoon here in California, and Valentine’s Day is in full swing. After finishing my Valentine’s gifts, I started reading some blogs and listening to comments, including these from Paul Reiser on Sunday Morning. I also learned about the fascinating history of the day properly named Lupercalia from Alison Williams’s blog. Be advised, flayed goat hides are involved. Turns out there are some Valentine’s haters out there. Who knew? Actually, I did. My brother is…
Grammar Books for Writers This week I was hanging out in the Twitter writing chat (@StoryDam; Thursdays, 8 pm EST) when Renee TennisMcKinley (@2old2tap) asked if anyone could recommend grammar books for writers. Since I co-own a writing tutoring center, I decided to jump in the grammar fray and offer some book suggestions. The good news is that these books don’t have to cost you much (with one exception) because, you know, the starving-writer-in-the-garret-with-frayed-cuffs trope didn’t become a cliche for…
Welcome, 2016! It’s that time of year. 2016 has arrived. (Actually, it arrived a few days ago, but who’s counting?) I feel like a bear that’s just emerging from a long hibernation. Or, would you believe a butterfly breaking out of its chrysalis? No, I don’t blame you. I don’t buy that one, either. Maybe I’m Rip Can Wrinkle, a little worse for wear, stumbling down the Catskills to find that everyone is setting goals, making resolutions, envisioning the year…
To Whom It May Concern…Happy Thanksgiving! I came across an article I thoroughly enjoyed called “23 Bestselling YA Authors Share ‘the Book I’m Most Thankful for’” by Sona Charaipotra for Parade Magazine. It’s a wonderful article with lovely tributes about the power reading wields to change our lives. I think you will enjoy reading it. My country has its faults as do all countries (and all people, for that matter), but I am thankful that the first amendment our founders…
A Ghostly Giveaway! “I’ve actually seen a ghost, so I know they’re really around”~James Herbert Whether you’ve actually seen a ghost or not, does not matter. You can join in the fun of the ghostly giveaway. Chilly nights and chilling ghost stories…that’s what this time of year is all about. Although for me, any time of year is the right time for ghosts and ghost novels and ghost movies. Now through November 4th, I hope you will join me…
Truth is scary. The above 1942 advertisement for Philip Morris cigarettes reads as follows: No worry about throat irritation even when you inhale! This exclusive proved Philip Morris superiority is reported by eminent doctors…Finer pleasure plus REAL protection. So, Philip Morris was not exactly telling the truth. Sometimes the Truth sucks. Yet we still have to suck it up and admit the Truth because as renowned essayist George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”…
Okay, for you writers out there–have you wondered if your cover truly draws a reader in? And for you readers, how does a cover affect your buying decision? It’s Friday, so I’m taking part in Rosie Amber’s Friday Five Challenge today. Here are Rosie’s rules: My Friday Five Challenge is this….. IN ONLY FIVE MINUTES…. 1) Go to any online book supplier, 2) Randomly choose a category, 3) Speed through the book covers, choose one which has instantly appealed to…
(Mountain Flare from Flickr creative commons via photopin) Z is for Zenith. Today is the zenith of the Blogging from A to Z challenge. We have arrived intact at the letter Z. Er, sort of. I didn’t quite manage the letter Y though I had a good one. Anyway, the word zenith has three definitions: 1. The point directly above the observer. 2. The highest point above the observer attained by a celestial body (hence, the photo above). 3. The…
X is for Xenophile. What is that, you say–a tropical disease? A clerical mallfunction? Actually, a xenophile is a person who is attracted to a foreign locale or foreign cultures (as opposed to a xenophobe who fears the foreign). I think at this point it will not surprise anyone to discover I am attracted to things Korean. Therefore, I am a self-professed xenophile. What is it that draws me to Korean culture? I’ll mention a few things. (image flickr creative…