Well, since I am starting to read books for review on this blog, I am going to refrain from telling you about that, in the monthly review. There will still be other media and things that cross my path, however. Here are some reviews and things from March. Bernie (movie, 2011 ). We rented this…
Epitome of Copernican Astronomy & Harmonies of the World, by Johannes Kepler, translated by Charles Glenn Wallis, and published in 1995 by Prometheus Books for its Great Mind Series. (The goal was only to read Harmonies, and I read only parts of Epitome, when referenced.) When I ran the randomizer on my list of like…
Launch day. Well, I can first off say I learned way more about the internet today than I ever wanted to know. Other things that happened: I showed up all over my own personal Facebook page as well as on Benevolent‘s, my author page, and Owl and Zebra Press’s, including with a cool tee shirt…
Lately I have heard and re-heard some very old writerly advice. It is this: Read. In other words, if you want to be a good writer, you need to read, and read a lot. Now, I have a little bit of a superstition of sorts about this. Actually, I guess it’s not really a superstition,…
I was just a writer. All I ever wanted to be was a writer and all I ever planned on being was a writer. Even last spring, when I decided it was time to start focusing on the goal. Even last summer, when my aunt and I started Owl and Zebra Press to publish my…
Another holiday, another list of holiday recommendations. So, we’re going to start with the movies, ’cause apparently I have quite a few romantic comedies in my cherished DVD collection. In no particular order, and with no real weeding: Once (2006). One of my all-time faves, but sort of anti-romantic, as far as that goes. Can…
So I have been doing more thinking about how publishing a novel is like having a baby. So much so, that I have come up with yet another very apt connection between the two. I don’t know how many of you have studied or even thought about the phenomenon (it probably has a name, but…
Don’t know if I will continue to let you know what I am reading and make it a tradition, but I thought I would start, anyhow. Here are the books I read in January: Benevolent, like 93 times, and also most of Webster’s New World College Dictionary (3rd edition, 1996), Roget’s 21st Century Thesaurus (1992),…
I have been repressing this blog post, because it’s a little cheesy and may seem too far-fetched for applicability. However, I can restrain myself no longer. Being an author is like being a mom, and the book is your baby. It is. Here’s why. Now no disrespect to moms. They are pretty cool. I’m a…
Things I don’t particularly like about being a writer: Marketing Publicity Talking to people, especially answering questions on the spot (Crotchety!) Not getting paid for long periods of work Tweeting Distractions (from working at home) Not being taken seriously Self doubt Snooty writers and snooty critics Needing a GRE or 12 conferences in Hawaii Editors,…
Occasionally, in the life of a writer, your job demands that you curl up in the fetal position and bawl your eyes out. Maybe it’s only happened to me once, but I’m pretty sure it’s not the last time. You see, because I have only been a part-time writer (and full-time mom with a double-full-time…
About a week ago, my four-year-old son, Eamon, and I were having a conversation about heroes. He did not understand that there is a difference between superheroes and heroes, and began the conversation by stating that there are no real heroes. So I enumerated for him the types of heroes that a four-year-old would understand.…
I’m going to jump the gun a little bit on my Christmas books and other entertainment list, since the holiday season is extended enough to allow you to actually check them all out. Here are my recommendations for books, movies and music to get you in the holiday spirit (and avoid further replays of Mariah…
Here is a list of my top twelve favorite books, out of the small fraction of total books in the world that I have actually read. I am an avid reader, but I just don’t have tons of time to sit around and read. Plus, there are plenty of books I have enjoyed, but they…
To officially launch my blog, I would like to do an ode to the day, an ode to Halloween. Because, honestly, I like Halloween. I’m not big on witches and ghouls and evil in general, but I can’t help it: I LOVE dressing up and play-acting. I also love the cool weather, apples and pumpkins,…
I have ADD. Or, more up-to-the-current terminology, I have ADHD, Inattentive Type, commonly known as Adult ADD. The reason I bring this up is this: I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about the generalization of being an artist, or the artistic temperament. I have suffered all my life from the same sort…
I don’t actually starve. But the word “starving” is a whole other blog topic dedicated to the slang usages and relative versus absolute poverty. That said… When I was a little kid, I was often praised for my artistic abilities. They even stuck me in a special school for it, encouraged it. My parents drove…
(Before I begin, let me declare the inclusivity of the term “artist” which I am using here. I include all kinds of visual, performance, literary, and other artists, but speak more from the experience of the painter, crafter, and of course, writer.) The starving artist is such an iconic personage in our history that it…
the starving artist 