So, a while back I decided that I’d had enough of blogging for a readership of five people. I was going to get my stories out there, where people would read them–people who weren’t my friends–even if it killed me. So I started submitting poems and stories to magazines. And what did I get? Rejections.…
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Imagine buying a kitchen cupboard. Shiny, new, and just the style you love. So you whip out your wallet and buy the thing. Upon delivery, you discover that the doors won’t open properly. The hinges squeal like a stuck pig at the slightest hint of movement. No matter how practical it is on the inside,…
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Forgotten Pearls. Yes. It’s a new thing. My friend Anike and I were talking about it a few weeks ago. I’ve been writing book reviews on contemporary books. But what about the gems that were mined and polished yesterday? She and I (and hopefully others) will share episodes of this series of special book reviews,…
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Since almost burning myself out by trying to make the most of every free minute by writing, I decided to supplement my brain’s diet with a steady supply of reading material. It’s paid off, to say the least. I’m finally starting to feel like me again. The me I become when I get to use…
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A few weeks ago, I treated myself to some books on the art and craft of writing. Among them was Stein on Writing by Sol Stein. Sol Stein wrote thirteen books, and was publisher and editor-in-chief of Stein and Day publishers for twenty seven years. The book is not what you’d call an easy read.…
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For a few weeks now, I’ve been feeling horribly stuck with the novel I’m working on at the moment. It was as if words no longer liked hanging out with me, or even visiting me briefly. I complained about it to my dear friend and fellow INKling, Damian Jay Clay. Because let’s face it. That’s…
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Throw Star Trek, My Little Pony and all the social critique you can think of in a blender. Press the button, and voila. You’ve got Space Unicorn Blues right there. I came across this book by accident and decided to go crazy and just get it. With that title, how could I resist? As always…
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Every penny is turned over twice and quite often bitten in two before it gets spent on renovations to our home. This means I have a very limited book budget and I spend a lot of time thinking long and hard before deciding to buy one. However, I’ve been killing myself trying to work on…
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Who is the awesomest writer of them all? Think you know the answer? Let me give you a hint: there is no such thing. Wow, Jasmine, you sure do give good pep talks. Actually, I usually do. But it’s a fact. Recently, I was talking to one of the Inklings (that’s what we call…
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We all know them. Or know of them. Those people whose parents can not only afford to give them anything and everything they could possibly ever need, they also provide them. Right? I bet a name just popped in to your head as you were reading. These people have had nothing but tail wind in…
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