All Blog Posts (5,810)

(« Newton » by William Blake)

it was a path, a road, a way forward

it was not just any other day

yet, in a sense, it could have been

had it been the unusual sunshine

the melodies of the birds

or something in the air

lures…

When I teach the novel, Ceremony, by Leslie Marmon Silko, I usually teach about the Mother Goddess and the Hero’s Journey. Actually, it just gives me an excuse to talk about mythology, something I could do all day. Going over this, though, shows my students that every single heroic story follows the same skeletal structure (I could go on about the Hero’s Journey in more detail, but that would take up way too much room). The basics, though, involve the journey of the hero on his or her road…

I have come a long way in my writing career in a very short time. I want to thank all of you who have supported in me in any way.

Come check out the Sneak Peek of Misguided Sensitivity on IndiesUnlimited. http://www.indiesunlimited.com/2012/07/15/sneak-peek-misguided-sens... 

I also started an author page on Facebook. The reach of this page has made it to…

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read my most recent work. Feel free to browse around the site for my other pieces. Any comments or critiques on any of my stories are welcome.

http://thecharredtree.wordpress.com/2012/07/15/the-funeral/

(« Glass of Beer and Playing Cards » by Juan Gris)



everyday was the same

but she wouldn't notice

oblivious to the game

that had become practice



well, many times she had

but she couldn't stand it

it always felt so bad

better to deny it



rising up as…

Hello, all!

I just signed on with a small traditional publisher for my second novel, working title Bread and Circuses,a psychological suspense/crime fiction novel, and am in the beginning stages of line-by-line editing. 

Has anyone out there signed with small traditional houses and, if so, what were your contracts like?  Any advances, what percentage of sales goes to you, did you have to sign a right of first refusal and offer to sign your next work with your…

My grandson Ethan doesn't understand how I survived a childhood without television. He thinks I was really deprived because we didn’t have TV until I was in high school.

There were many outdoor pursuits, of course. A major indoor solace at the time was reading and listening to radio, pursuits enjoyed then and now by many of my generation. Those who didn’t experience it can’t imagine how exciting it was to hurry home from school and tune in a favorite show or, at night, gather…

Having stepped off the fast track of primetime network

television news, John Andrews has chosen a quieter

life as editor of The Salem News, a small paper in a

quiet New England town. Life is perfect until Andrews’

wife is killed in a tragic accident. After several years of

trying to numb the pain with alcohol, Andrews is visited

by the spirit of a long dead ancestor who opens a door

to a shocking family history. After he experiences…

Wow!

It feels fantastic to be invited to be a presenter at a major national book festival. I recently received the email that I would be speaking at the Labor Day book festival national event.

I’m a presenter on the Local Prose Stage at the 2012 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Decatur Book Festival at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel in Decatur, Georgia.

I will…

(« introvert-study » by Robert___T)

« The Chrome Lake » is the core middle part of the « Entering The Stream » trilogy. Lasting a little over 12 minutes, the composition depicts an episode of intense soul-searching, and…

While attending a recent writers conference I overheard a woman say “That author's ego is really out of control.” The catty remark was aimed at an author who did seem pretty full of himself. But it got me to wondering: Is there room for humbleness when it comes to writing?

The dictionary definition of “humble” is “Not proud or haughty, not arrogant or assertive; offered in the spirit of deference or submission; ranking low in a hierarchy or scale;…

We’re moving toward the middle of Jully, into the second half of the year. This week, I pick up this week’s featured author and, once again, I’m booted out of the way and not allowed to control the transporter. Usually, everything works out for the best, but you never know with these pushy types. lol. Anyway, before I know it, we’re enjoying brie and chewy bread…

(« Detail of a poster for the International Hygiene Exhibition 1911 in Dresden » by Franz von Stuck)

« Understanding » is the third segue in the series that I have written…

(« Effect of Butterfly » by Anastasiya Markovich)

The third part of « The Idler » is entitled « Upward. »

The idea behind the movement is quite simple : once the necessity of evolution has been recognized and accepted, there’s only one way…

Hi I am a new author with my book being released this week by Tate Publishing.  It is a one of a kind Christian book and a true "David versus Goliath" story that is very unique.  I might also add it is the first Christian book about the IRS, and that statement always brings a smile to everyone.  So far I have really been encouraged because everyone that has read the pre-release book has told me they were not able to put the book…

http://jjbreathless.blogspot.com/2012/07/new-book-teaches-children-how-to-cope.html

Yesterday I received a post from my daughter forwarded to her from friends. It was a wonderful revelation of the story clotheslines once told about a family's life. I had to laugh at the rules listed, for they were exactly those my mother and later I followed. There was a special way to hang out the clothes. Oh, yes, we once actually hung our washed laundry on lines out in the sunlight and wind.

Though we lived in the country when I was small, a place where there were no clotheslines…

Seems like a good place to start for a first blog here.  

On the idea of blogging "brand" it has been advised as the best way for an author to build "platform." And so, while this now addresses more than one concept, "brand" and "platform" I may be violating this sage advice. In fact I shouldn't even be blogging on brand because my announced brand has been "conspiracies" and therefore I am straying into…

'Primordial Essences: Walking  with the Archetypes and Angels'

By Stephanie Lynne Thorburn.…