| Mixed Genre Writers & Artists |
Queen Mab Courtesy by Bruce Davis |
Review by Al Kalar I can see why Bruce Davis is an award-winning author. Queen Mab is a fast-paced science-fiction book set in the not-too-distant future. Chicago is still Chicago, but the Welfare Society has become much more prevalent. Tito, A “Denver Dwarf” (result of a virus that infected pregnant women in Denver) lives in Chicago and would very much prefer to make it on his own rather than live in “homes” designed for “spuds”, as they are called. Spuds are mostly mentally slow, but Tito’s mind works just fine.
actually a crime. So Tito is on the run from ... Read the rest of this review at Book Reviews |
Things You Don’t Want to Learn the Hard Way by Robin Cain |
As a columnist, novelist and prolific Facebook participant, I seem to get a great deal of email from new writers asking questions. I don’t know if it’s true for every author, but I seem to get an awful lot. And I have to be honest: I often laugh at what I find to be the sheer absurdity of it. Yes, I am a writer, but being a writer doesn’t make me an expert at anything. Sure, we writers know a few things, but they are all, more likely than not, lessons we learned the hard way. As is the case with many of our most profound life lessons, learning things the ‘hard way’ does tend to etch them deeper into our brains, but it is still no guarantee that we have come away able to call ourselves “experts”. Many new authors I speak with often don’t have the first clue as to what they are up against when throwing their hat into the publishing ring. Far be it from me to rain on their parade (after all, some people do win at this game), so for those that choose to actually take some advice from this “expert”, I have decided to share what I know for sure. If nothing else, maybe an agent will one day thank me. Top 10 Ways to NEVER Get an Agent ...Read more at Writing Tip |
Sneak Peak into:
CHAPTER ONE Two women were standing on high places, shielding their eyes from the blazing sun with their hands, peering into the distance in search of messengers from the battlefield. Each knew that her life depended on the outcome of the battle; but their lives depended on opposite results. * * * On the rooftop of the royal castle in Hazor, in the north of the land of Canaan, stood the youngest daughter of King Jabin, the mightiest of all the kings of Canaan. Asherah, an arrestingly beautiful young woman seventeen years of age, had long straight hair the color of ripe wheat. Her large eyes, slightly tilted at the corners, were a blue-green color and endowed with the sparkle of precious stones. The skin of her face and body was the shade of pure white milk, with pink roses of Sharon gracing her cheeks. . . Because of Asherah’s rare colors, her delicate small nose and her finely chiseled mouth, she was renowned for her beauty in her father’s kingdom. The princess was the new wife of ...... |
| Kim Reale Mainely Classic Art By Kim |
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| General Ways To Protect Yourself From Snoops, Thieves and Apparatchiki’s By Don Hagelberg |
The following list is one which covers potential threats to you security like the pattern of a discharging shotgun: broad enough to cover a large target and yet powerful enough to remain on target. A) Do not choose the same password for all computer accounts: different words for different accounts. B) Keep a list of the passwords in a safe place away from the computer or unlocked desk. C) Create your passwords so that they are at least: a. Ten characters long; b. Uses: letters, capitals and small; c. Uses: numbers and special characters; d. Does not use autobiographical data in easy ways. D) Try not to give out ..... (click to read more of this Article) |
Book Review Fran Lewis: Reviewer |
(The mystery of) The Solar Wind By Lyz Russo Secrets, mysteries, lies, deceptions, intrigue and murder are just some of what you will encounter when you board the Solar Wind for your journey into the 22nd century. This will not be just any ordinary journey, it will keep you spellbound, alert, terrified, inquisitive and more, to learn about the new regime and the new world powers of the year 2116 and just what changes are in store for you. With a cast of characters so diversified, yet so alike, you will want to not only learn the reasons why each crewmember signed on to the Solar Wind, but go along with them on their dangerous journey to find freedom and safety in a world filled with fear. The world is not the same any more. The governments in most parts of the world are no longer democratic. The Unicate and the Rebellion are two opposing World Domination Governments that have taken over and captured many countries on both the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts. Let’s meet the Captain of the Solar Wind: Radomir Lascek, who sails his illegal trader ship around the world doing shady deals and illegal trading of ships and much more. Next we have three teenagers that were rescued and brought aboard in Dublin, escaping the wrath of the Unicate Government. What would happen if everyone in the world that needs medical care did not have to pay a co-payment for service but instead a hefty fee for a medical care license, just like a driver’s license? This license has to be renewed on a yearly basis and if you cannot afford the fee, you do not get the care. What would happen if you had to flee your country because (read more of this Book Book Review) |
See this and other videos at our Videos Page.
| ASK PAT Online Discussion with Author Pat Bertram |
| Wandering Pam Travel the World with Pamposh Dhar Music, Dance, and Art in the Heart of Europe |
How do you juggle writing, promotion, online activities, and everyday life? And
how do you find time to write?
Timeless in Tennessee
Timeless, you’re not the first person to ask me that! People often marvel at how I juggle
promotion, writing, and offline life, but the truth is, I don’t juggle very well. I always drop a ball or
two so that a single ball is kept in the air at a time. Right now, my offline life is taking
precedence (nothing particularly good or bad, just work). I am doing almost no promoting, doing
a poor job keeping up with my discussion groups, writing a single blog post a week, and yet all
that and more used to fit into a few hours a day. Now it barely fits into a week.
Since I have no answer for you, I posed the question at one of my online discussion groups
(http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=app_2373072738&gid=2397748813#/topic.php?
uid=2397748813&topic=21473). The answers, so generously given, ranged from “I wait until I
have time to write” to “I squeeze the writing in,” to “I make sure I write every day.” The
consensus is that we need to manage our time. If we want to write (or clean house or promote
or whatever) we need to schedule our time and have the discipline to stick to that schedule. It
all comes down to what our priorities are. If you’re not writing, perhaps writing is not your main
concern. Maybe your family is, or a clean house.
Many people treat writing like a job in the hopes that someday it will become their job. Others
think ... (read more & Ask Pat your writing questions)
how do you find time to write?
Timeless in Tennessee
Timeless, you’re not the first person to ask me that! People often marvel at how I juggle
promotion, writing, and offline life, but the truth is, I don’t juggle very well. I always drop a ball or
two so that a single ball is kept in the air at a time. Right now, my offline life is taking
precedence (nothing particularly good or bad, just work). I am doing almost no promoting, doing
a poor job keeping up with my discussion groups, writing a single blog post a week, and yet all
that and more used to fit into a few hours a day. Now it barely fits into a week.
Since I have no answer for you, I posed the question at one of my online discussion groups
(http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=app_2373072738&gid=2397748813#/topic.php?
uid=2397748813&topic=21473). The answers, so generously given, ranged from “I wait until I
have time to write” to “I squeeze the writing in,” to “I make sure I write every day.” The
consensus is that we need to manage our time. If we want to write (or clean house or promote
or whatever) we need to schedule our time and have the discipline to stick to that schedule. It
all comes down to what our priorities are. If you’re not writing, perhaps writing is not your main
concern. Maybe your family is, or a clean house.
Many people treat writing like a job in the hopes that someday it will become their job. Others
think ... (read more & Ask Pat your writing questions)
Vienna – the very name conjures up sounds and images of music and dance, of fin de siecle art, of beautiful old buidings, and of the Blue Danube, immortalized in Johann Strauss’s famous waltz. Beethoven, Mozart, Strauss have composed music in this city; Klimt, Schiele and Hundertwasser have painted here. It is a city replete with art, culture, and history. Vienna’s history dates back to a military camp set up in the city centre under the Roman empire in the first century. Roman remains can be seen in old city just outside the Hofburg palace. However, most of what you see in Vienna today dates back to the much later Habsburg dynasty and the Austro-Hungarian empire. It was during this period that Vienna became the cultural hub of Europe. Stefansdom (St. Stephen’s Cathedral) dominates the old cobbled city which is enclosed within a circular road called simply the Ring. The cathedral’s one tall spire offers a wonderful view of the old city. The oldest remaining parts of the cathedral date back to the 13th century. Many of the beautiful old buildings along the Ring were largely rebuilt after ...... (read more of this Article & ask travel questions) |
| Taking Wings A Poetry Session with Poet Jeanne Riple |
Poetry Writing Tips
During my featured presentation on Red River Writers Blog Talk Radio on Feb.04th,2010, I
read a love poem in an early celebration of Valentines Day. I also shared two poetry tips as
follows:
After writing and/or editing your poem, read it aloud. The way a poem reads and looks on the
page is quite different than the way it reads aloud. Listen to your own voice ... you will be
reading to others one day. Where do you want the emphasis? Are you reading slowly enough?
In addition, watch and listen for areas where you may hesitate, the words do not flow or you
have used too many of the same words. Is there any musicality or rhythm within the line?
(Join the Session & ask question of the Poet)
During my featured presentation on Red River Writers Blog Talk Radio on Feb.04th,2010, I
read a love poem in an early celebration of Valentines Day. I also shared two poetry tips as
follows:
After writing and/or editing your poem, read it aloud. The way a poem reads and looks on the
page is quite different than the way it reads aloud. Listen to your own voice ... you will be
reading to others one day. Where do you want the emphasis? Are you reading slowly enough?
In addition, watch and listen for areas where you may hesitate, the words do not flow or you
have used too many of the same words. Is there any musicality or rhythm within the line?
(Join the Session & ask question of the Poet)
An Empty Stage By Kathy Stemke |
| Do You Have Rhythm? By Maryann Miller |
Rhythm is important in establishing voice and style, and it is equally important in dialogue. To make your characters distinct, they have to speak with their own cadence. A street-wise kid is going to talk differently than one who goes to a preppy boarding school. Cops talk differently than lawyers. Farmers talk differently than store clerks. Adults talk differently than children, and women talk differently than men. In creating those differences, however, be careful about using dialect, Ebonics, and/or pigeon English to extreme. If you want a character to come across as uneducated, that can be accomplished without totally fracturing the written language. At one point an editor from Southern Living Magazine rejected a short story of mine, with a handwritten notation that he might consider it if I rewrote it. He included editorial guidelines that said he would not even consider a story that attempted southern dialect by dropping ‘g’s. At first I thought, how weird. Southerners drop the ‘g’s all the time. But his point was that a good writer can |
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For everyone not just seniors the following activities are really great and might charge your
brain and keep it going on what I call high power instead of low voltage:
Tips to Keep your mind and Brain Active:
These are some ways you can help keep your mind alert and hopefully delay memory loss.
Some of the research I have done on MInd and Brain stimulating Activities lists these are some
ways to keep your brain active and from turning to mush.
Card games
2. Board games
Brain teasers
Crossword puzzles: some with categories
Word finds
Sudoku
Math puzzles and word scrambles
Cognitive function skills that involve reasoning, problem solving and memory
Concentration is a great card game
Bingo with words and numbers
Jigsaw puzzles are great
Chess or checkers
.......
Learn more about this Fran Lewis Article
brain and keep it going on what I call high power instead of low voltage:
Tips to Keep your mind and Brain Active:
These are some ways you can help keep your mind alert and hopefully delay memory loss.
Some of the research I have done on MInd and Brain stimulating Activities lists these are some
ways to keep your brain active and from turning to mush.
Card games
2. Board games
Brain teasers
Crossword puzzles: some with categories
Word finds
Sudoku
Math puzzles and word scrambles
Cognitive function skills that involve reasoning, problem solving and memory
Concentration is a great card game
Bingo with words and numbers
Jigsaw puzzles are great
Chess or checkers
.......
Learn more about this Fran Lewis Article
stuck in a tree, a million feet high inches from finding her own way down-- mother's voice telling her one more inch, just go forward and you'll be free--but she cries for her daddy's rescue, though he isn't there. fearful and tiring, aching arms, craving release she knows soon she will not be able to hold on and will fall, seemingly forever-- she hears a familiar voice from below "jump," he says--and she does, into her daddy's waiting arms. stuck in a hospital bed, for months on end moments from leaving this earth-- doctor's voice telling them it won't be long now, a few more days and he'll be free--and she cries, for her daddy's leaving, and it isn't fair. fearful and tiring, aching body, craving release they know soon he won't be able to hold on and will go, forever in heaven-- and she remembers that familiar voice long ago, "jump," he said--and she did, and with that memory, she'll never be alone. stuck in a loveless relationship months without finding her own way out-- mother's voice telling her that's enough, just move on and be free--but she cries for her a love like her daddy's, a life to share. fearful and tiring, aching heart, craving release-- she knows soon she will not be able to hold on and will fall, seemingly forever-- though the voice is unfamiliar she jumps, headlong into a new love's waiting arms. Amanda James Dill POETRY |
Love Bites
Jui Fabrice rose early and left her hotel to take a cab into the Oldtown Heidelberg. She planned to lose herself there, walking the cobblestone streets of the Oldtown, even if just for the day. The bright morning sun inspired her to stick her nose into most every shop on the Hauptstrasse along the Neckar River. The narrow street flowed to the Church of the Holy Ghost and when the church’s steeple bell sounded the hour, Jui smiled, happy to know plenty of Saturday lay ahead of her. With a few purchases in hand, Jui sat in one of the outdoor cafes for lunch. She tossed her long, black hair over her shoulder. Tendrils curled around her face and neck under the warm, late summer sun making her wish she’d put it up. She found a shaded table and chose a seat with her back to the wall so she could enjoy the colorful scenery. The hem of her skirt ruffled in the breeze, giving life to the bold, puce-colored orchids woven into the white fabric. Jui fluttered her wide-necked, emerald-green, peasant blouse to cool off a bit and then rested her chin on her hands, waiting for a waiter to appear. A few tables away, a handsome man sitting with two beautiful women caught... (click to read more of this Sneak Peak) |
Coiled torso frozen on an empty stage, a living sculpture trapped in place with no gown of tulle to hide her age only weeping knees below her waist. Framed in light, her insides groan with pent up passion poised for release, she now waits long and alone for rhythm to carry her to peace. But I remember her unencumbered prance, so light for one held down by unfulfilled dreams remembered, floating above her tattered gown. |
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