Poetic Serendipity

A while back, I had one of those out-of-mind creative moments where I created a mostly complete poem in a matter of seconds, as if the Great Literati in the Sky had placed the words inside my mediocre cerebellum. Smart as I am, I quickly jotted it down and then let it fester for, oh, two or three years.

Then I saw that the online literary journal put out by BellaOnline was taking submissions for its publication Mused. Most of my fiction is not Pollyanna enough for the general public, but some of my poems are, so I sent in the aformentioned Manna-from-Heaven and what do you know? It was accepted. Here's the link to my poem "Fall on Your Knees"... 

And remember, never look a Gift Poem in the mouth :-)

The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death

So I was browsing Amazon from my beloved Kindle, whilst soaking in a deliciously warm tub of water, and I happened upon this book, as a link from a Chelsea Handler book. You know those "customers who bought this book also bought..." type of deal. So I hopped on over and realized that I could download this book absolutely FREE.

I should point out that me passing up a free book is like a crack head forcing a dealer to take all of his money. Ain't gonna happen in this lifetime.

So I got the book and I loved it. It's quirky, off-beat and self-deprecating. What fun!

The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death by Laurie Notaro is the glimpse in the mirror that we all must face one day, so we might as well find ourselves laughing hysterically. Beats crying, right?

It's one of those books you can read while sitting at the doctor's office, while waiting for the repair guy to show up, or even while sitting in the back of a comparative religion class (guilty. It's just that entertaining!)

Don't believe me? Well who cares what you think. :-)

I've fallen in love with my coffee cup. That is, I've fallen in love with what is in my coffee cup, and no, this time I'm not talking of breakfast blend mixed with Kahlua. I'm talking something Terriffic, with a capital Tea.

Since I've started trying to get Greener, and since I've discovered that naturally grown, fresh ingredients taste better, and have soooo much more nutritional value than those over-processed grocery store goods, I took my Tea-time to a whole new level. And of course I had to share!

You may be asking, "what's this got to do with Writing?"
Well, you've got to sip something while pounding away at the keyboard, and milkshakes will only expand your backside. Tea can be uplifting, complex, or nostalgic-- a perfect accompaniment to writing.

So, these are a few of my favorite teas: (Oh, no. Now I've got the Sound of Music in my head!)






And of course, with any loose tea, you have to have something to steep it in, either a package of loose tea bags thrown into a pot or cup of water, or you can get a handy little gadget that will strain the loose tea and let the liquid flow through.

My personal setup is an infuser/ cup combo. Loose tea in the infuser, infuser in cup . Add water. Wait. Enjoy.



Finding loose tea is becoming more and more popular as people realize that the taste is so much better, and the range of varieties is a great deal greater than your standard grocery store selection. You can browse around, or you can just visit Adagio Teas and save yourself some time.

I'd love to hear from tea lovers and the brands/ teaware that they use. Just leave a comment :-)

The Writers Journal

All great writers absorb the particles of life and re-present them to readers in a unique way. One way to improve the quality of your fiction is to create a Writing Journal.

This is not our average “I had soup and read a book today” journal. No. This is so much more. For starters, this journal is actually organized into sections. You can take a notebook or a binder with built in dividers, but I prefer a smallish writing journal to which I just add adhesive tabs. Small is good, because the journal needs to go wherever you go.

Why the dividers? Because you are going to have different sections that you will constantly be adding to. You should be able to quickly locate a given heading and add to it, or use it for inspiration, like when doing timed writing prompt exercises. These sections will read like lists and include:

- A list of sensory observations. Great novelists remember to encompass sensory information in their writings, because it grounds the fiction in reality, and can also be used to trigger memories within the reader. For this list, you should break it down into sub-sections, allotting a page or two for each of the individual senses: smells, sights, tastes, sounds, tactile sensations (touch). You don’t have to write down everything you see or hear, just jot down the ones that make an impression, particularly if you think of an interesting way to say it. Under sounds you could put “tires crunching gravel” or under smells you could put “dog coming in out of the rain.”

- A list of overheard items. You can further subdivide this list into sub-categories like snippets of overheard conversations, odd expressions of speech, weird proclivities, and odd stories. I once heard someone say, “She’s a nice as pie” with a long “I” in pie, and I wrote it down immediately. I saw a young couple goofing around on the beach, he apparently trying to get her forcefully in the water, finally proclaimed, “I’ve got more body parts than you can fight off!”

- A list of What-If’s. This should include random musings of the what-if variety. What if you woke up one morning deaf? What if you witness a man beating a woman? What if the sun failed to rise one morning? What if you stated writing a book and everything you wrote began to come true? This list alone will come to inspire many a story.

- A list of titles. Have you every heard a phrase, or thought of a song, and with a little rearranging it would make a killer title for a story? Write these ideas here. They may one day become the basis for a story or the perfect title for a story already written. Examples from my titles list include, When the Wind Blows, Tickle-Me Ellie, Dawn’s Early Light, and so on. Come up with your own.

- A list of first lines. Like the titles, these may come to you at any time, attached or not to a story. “The shack is cupped in a hollow by the surrounding land, where frogs rise up from the earth, born of its bog” and “Love me or hate me, console me or ostracize me, but please believe me when I say that I never meant to hurt anyone” are both opening lines that went into my Writing Journal.

Why is all this important? Well, like I’ve said before, great writers take the fragments of their lives and mould them into something original. The purpose of creating a Writing Journal is to train your brain to think creatively, and to become more cognizant of the tiny sensory details that enliven life and fiction.

So what are you waiting for? Go get started!

Luvin my Kindle

I just put up a post over at my other blog One Quirky Gurl regarding my newest way to read, which is great for the environment, saves me tons of cash and gives me time to read instead of wasting my time driving to the bookstore or digging through the library for something, anything that I haven't read yet. It's the Kindle, and electronic reading device from Amazon.

Here's a teaser from my blog:

I'm a self-proclaimed bibliophile. Of course, I don't have to proclaim it, one just need to see my house-- baskets, bookshelves and cardboard boxes full of box nestled in various corners of my humble abode speak volumes on my Literal addiction all on their own. And like any addiction, loving to read does have it's down falls...Needless to say, I wasn't surprised in the least when Oprah recently was quoted as saying how much she loved the Kindle device. But I had to smile, because I loved it first :-)

Read more on my other blog

Giving. Its the New Getting.

(eCo)nscious Market is a self-proclaimed "For-Benefit" online commerce site based in Boulder, Colorado. They tout that their products are the finest ecologically and socially responsible products available, and the company donates a minimum of 10% of every purchase to a non-profit organizations. The even go so far as to let the buyer "hand-pick" the program that receives the donation funded by their purchase.

A sampling of organizations that are listed on the eConscious Market include:

-Urban Sprouts: uses school gardens to help youth engage in school, eat better, and connect with the environment and each other.

-The Jane Goodall Institutes works to protect chimpanzees and their habitats, supports community-centered development projects in ecologically-significant areas, and engages youth in making a positive difference.



-The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people.

-Global Culture of Women Project, Celebrating the global voice of women ~ a beautiful revolution.

-Bead for Life, eradicates extreme poverty by creating bridges - Ugandan women make jewelry out of recycled paper and Americans open their homes and hearts to buy and sell the beads.

And that's just a tidbit of the charities benefiting every time someone shops. And the best part of it all? You won't feel bad for shopping, and the merchandise on this site is amazing.

I fell in love with sooo many things here, that if it weren't for the money of mine making its way to charity right now, I just might be feeling the lightness in my wallet :-)

Like:

This Large Stingray cuff, made of 100% recycled materials.



Or this Vy & Elle Portfolio crafted from Recycled billboards.



Or their cool line of 100% recycled notebooks. I AM a sucker for office supplies, I know.



So if you have a few minutes and are feeling charitable-- buy yourself a gift that gives to others too!
______________________________________________________________________

NaNoWriMo is almost here!

Well, I've gone and done it now. I've lost every bit of common sense that I had left after two children and a myriad of life-difficulties. I've registered for NaNoWriMo -- which for you not-in-the-know is the National Novel Writing Month's kick in the pants to would-be novelists. During the whole month of November, I will toil along side of several, several thousand other Novelists as I attempt to do the near-impossible. I will write a novel in one month.

Well, more like a novella, as the word count limit set by NaNoWriMo is a minimum of 50,000 words in 30 days. Whew. Im tired from just saying that! So go on, check it out, maybe there's a novel lurking in you!

Lean Mean Thirteen

I just read Janet Evanovich's latest Bestseller "Lean Mean Thirteen" and I was as pleased as I usually am after reading a book from the Stephanie Plum Series. I mean, what's not to love? A klutzy bailbondsman with multiple issues, both romantic and personal. Evanovich has a spot-on sense of humor, which I can relate to as well. So check it out if you get a chance!



Oh, and did I mention that I aquired "Lean Mean Thirteen" through my favorite bookclub/home-based business-- Bookwise. Check out more about Bookwise HERE

Winning in the Margins

I wanted to introduce you all to a new feauture from Bookwise. It's called Winning in the Margins, and is rolled into one compelling presentation on the website www.WinningInTheMargins.com. Richard Paul Evans, the New York Times Bestselling Author, and self-made millionaire discusses his family's financial turmoil as he was growing up, and how meeting a millionaire at age 12 changed his life for the better. From nothing, he made a life and a legacy, and now, Richard Paul Evans is sharing his methods with the world.



I was skeptical at first about this new Winning in the Margins site, but honestly, I am impressed. And if I wasn't already a President of my own Bookwise Company, I'd join all over again. If anything, this presentation just reiterates that I did a very smart thing when I became a part of the Bookwise Revolution. And I have no doubt that many others will feel the same way!

So, why don't you pop on over to Winning in the Margins and check it out. You'll be asked for a passkey to enter the presentation, so just enter *bookwise4u* and you will be set. It's free and there is no risk involved, just a few minute of your precious time that could change your life, if you let it!

Great Books from Bookwise

I wanted to give you all a sample of the great books that can be purchased via Bookwise for considerable discounts, so I plan to post mini-book reviews here.

I just finished reading I Heard That Song Before by Mary Higgins Clark. This was a typically good little mystery, more of what MHC is known for. There is murder, infedelity, long-unsolved crimes, gambling debts and a sweet, yet naive woman in the center of it all. I read this book in one sitting, which means that I was hooked fairly easily into the plot. Take this one along to the beach, or for lazing in a hammock one vacation day.

I read Mitch Albom's For One More Day while sitting in Concourse B, Gate 10 waiting for my departure flight in Chicago. It is poignant, witty, and at times a little off-beat, but overall a deep read. I recommend this one for times when you are feeling a little bit more serious and introspective.

Short Story Published on The Chick Lit Review!

Hi again... I had to share...

My short story "Still-Life Paintings" had been published by The Chick Lit Reveiw. I was kind of surprised that they wanted it in the first place, because the story is not very Chick-Lit-y.

In the story, Sari is still reeling from a break-up when she is forced by her boss to go to an Art Gallery opening, where the guest of honor is her ex. But what she finds there is not at all what she expected...

Check it out, if you have second-- Still Life Paintings

The Chick Lit review is a great site for short and saucy reads, especially when your time is valuable and you need your fiction fix in baby bites. Def worth book marking. :-)

XOXO

K.

Amazon Shorts for the Hottest Short Stories

Do you need your fiction in short bits, available when you want? Are you too overwhelmed to commit to reading a full-length novel? If you don’t have the time for a book, but still need you fiction-fix, consider checking out the wealth of short stories by your favorite authors on Amazon Shorts. These stories are in digital format, but you can print them out to read if you’d like. Once purchased, the story you choose from Amazon shorts will stay in your library on Amazon indefinitely.

Like literary journals and web-zines, Amazon shorts is very selective about the short stories that they except, and to even be considered, an author must have at least one book length work in print and available on Amazon. This weeds out those that are mediocre, or haven’t honed their writing enough to catch the eye of a publisher. So you know the quality has to be good. And buying Shorts off of Amazon is relatively inexpensive too! At an average of $0.49 each, you can read exclusive stories from some of your favorite authors. That brings me to another cool feature about Amazon Shorts—since these stories are exclusive, you will not see these stories in print or online anywhere else.

Here are some of my favorite authors and their Shorts available on Amazon:

Grant Jarrett
Gas’n Snack
The King of Retail

Richard Neal Huffman
Confessions of a Serial Killer’s Son
Bad Frank

Louis E. Catron
The Good Stuff

Elizabeth P. Glixman
Oneness and the Dog
Good Girls Don’t Get Sick

Robert Freese
The Thing in the Jar


And if you want to browse, the Amazon Shorts page is here at theAmazon Shorts Link

Amazon Shorts boasts every genre of literature and non-fiction you could possibly want, delivered in an easy format at an economical price.

Types of Amazon Shorts that You Can Browse Include:
Biography & Memoir, Business & Investing, Children’s & Teens, Entertainment, Gay & Lesbian, Health, Mind & Body, History, Horror, Humor, Literature & Fiction, Military Fiction. Nonfiction & Essays, Parenting & Families, Religion, Romance, Science, SF & Fantasy, Serials, Sports, Travel, and Westerns.

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I’d like to hear from you. Do you read Amazon Shorts? Do you have any favorite stories that you’d like to recommend?

Whale Season by NM Kelby Book Review

I just reviewed Whale Season, a darkly-comedic novel by NM Kelby over on the Reading Site at BellaOnline. Check it out, but here's a little bit to wet your literary appetite...

What do you get when you take a flailing RV salesman with a penchant for gambling, a card-shark Jesus who happens to kill people in his spare time, a female Strip club owner grieving the loss of her son, a cop who is always pining for women he can’t have, an aging blues musician with a secret, and a one-legged football has-been itching to make a comeback—then you throw them all into a floundering coastal town that once thrived on it’s namesake as a tourist draw, despite the fact that it doesn’t have whales, and never has?

What you get is Whale Season, a heck-of-a-good novel and an adventure in your armchair.

Discount Books!

I've just discovered a wonderful place to buy current Best-Selling books (fiction, non-fiction, children's & more) at a huge discount! In the past, I've paid a membership to Barnes & Noble ($25 I think it was) to get 20-30% off of select titles. It seemed worth it at the time. However, Bookwise has an annual membership for Preferred Customers that is only $15 a year. Additionally, they will donate $1 for each book you buy towards Children's charities and Literacy programs. Cool. Cheap books, huge savings and philanthropy-- what more could you ask for?

Check out Discounted Best-Sellers at Bookwise

I am BOOKWISE. Are you?

The Killing Sea Book Review

Hello again! I want to share with you a terrific YA book that I just reviewed on BellaOnline. Don't let the YA fool you though, this book is worthy of adult attention too! Check it out! (click on the photo)



The whole world watched when the footage of the tsunami rolled over the airwaves the day after Christmas in 2004, but how much could any one person really understand what it was like to live through it by video alone? In The Killing Sea, novelist Richard Lewis does more than show us the tsunami, he makes it real, he makes us live through it, swimming, fighting, struggling to hold on to life. (see the rest on Bella)

Oh, and Mr. Lewis was kind enough to mention my review on his personal blog, Novelist in Paradise!

Three Days in New York City: Book Review

I recently read two great Chick-lit/ women's erotica novels, and reviewed them for my Reading Site at BellaOnline.

Check them out!

Three writing gigs in one week!

Well, I've had a hell of a week! First, I was offered the Feature Writer position for Suite.101's topic Writing Fiction.


Then, I was offered the postion of Editor for BellaOnline's Reading topic.


And last but certainly not least, one of my short-stories was accepted for publication over at The Chick Lit Review (I'll update the link to my actual piece as soon as it's published.

Wow, the Literary Gods are smiling at me now!

Pen on fire : a busy woman's guide to igniting the writer within by Barbara DeMarco-Barrett

This book, Pen on Fire: a Busy Woman's Guide to Igniting the Writer Within, is one of the most refreshing books that I've read about the craft of writing in a good long while. Like many women who have small beings underfoot, I seem to lack enough hours in the day, and when I do find that illusive moment to write, my (creative) mind just doesn't feel up to it. I don't know, maybe it's the long hours filled with accounting tasks, the eons spent trying to help my kindergartener with his homework, or the house-drudgery that invades my every line of sight, but at the end of the day, my creativity is at a almost-non-existent low. But, ye gods, this book practically lept off of the shelf and into my arms (Praise be to B&N)...

Other than helping me refocus my desires and understand my procrastination, Pen on Fire is a bottom-less cup of joe-- giving me infinite ways to trick my inner muse and dive headlong back into what I am-- a writer. See, it's already helping me blog.

I knew there was a reason that I'm keeping it on the nightstand by my bed!

Judge & Jury - James Patterson & Andrew Gross

Okay, so despite my obviously sarcastic blog a while back about Patterson cashing in on co-writing as a way to mass produce literature and thus multiply his earnings, I must say that there is one benefit to Patterson being able to churn out multiple books per year:

I DON'T HAVE TO WAIT LONG BETWEEN RELEASES!

Yes, I am impatient. I can think of a half-a-dozen authors that I am not-so-patiently awaiting the next book from, and with Patterson I just don't have to wait. It's instant gratification of the literary kind. Love it!

I finished this book, Judge & Jury a few days ago and, as usual, Patterson has delivered a rather good bit of suspense here. This book involves a two trials for the same crimes, a butt-load of witness intimidation and silencing, and a couple of characters that just won't give up. At the crux of this story is one twisted bastard, a cop with a load of guilt on his shoulders, and one ferociously determined woman. Compelling, fast-paced, worth the time to read!

TRY- Lily Burana

Now, normally, I wouldn't even take home a book that seems to live a good bit of its life in and around the rodeo circuit, but what can I say, I was having one of those "TRY something new days".

And it's a good thing I was.

I could have missed this engaging, fresh novel, but I'm the better for having read it. All I really want to say about it is this: this book, this kind of writing that is so fluent that you don't feel like your reading a story but rather watching it unfold, is the reason why I write. I want to write like this! And I'd hazard that other would-be authors are thinking the same thing. I'll bet again in saying that this debut novel won't be the last one we get from Ms. Burana.

Bon appetite!