Rachel Howzell Hall's Blog, page 11
January 18, 2012
From One Geek to Another
Ever wonder what a male swan is called?
Yeah, me neither.
Ever wonder why a writer writes what she writes?
All the time.
Wonder why I write what I write? What inspires me? Then, please pop over to Girls Gone Geeky to read my Guest Post.
All things inspire me – really, they do. Both the crime sections and the fluffy stories in the newspaper inspire me. I read everything. I'm such a book slut. Right now, I have in my nightstand stacks and Kindle a variety of things: a mystery by James Patterson, a book about e. coli bacteria, a true crime book about a murdered mother, and a book about an American family in Nazi Germany.
There's more! Oh, yes there is more. So please click on over. And if you're a Geek Girl like me, then you're OBLIGATED to check out this awesome site filled with geek things and book reviews and so on.
And a male swan is called a 'cob.'
The more you know, indeed.
Yeah, me neither.
Ever wonder why a writer writes what she writes?
All the time.
Wonder why I write what I write? What inspires me? Then, please pop over to Girls Gone Geeky to read my Guest Post.
All things inspire me – really, they do. Both the crime sections and the fluffy stories in the newspaper inspire me. I read everything. I'm such a book slut. Right now, I have in my nightstand stacks and Kindle a variety of things: a mystery by James Patterson, a book about e. coli bacteria, a true crime book about a murdered mother, and a book about an American family in Nazi Germany.
There's more! Oh, yes there is more. So please click on over. And if you're a Geek Girl like me, then you're OBLIGATED to check out this awesome site filled with geek things and book reviews and so on.
And a male swan is called a 'cob.'
The more you know, indeed.
Don't Tread on Me!
We don't want no stinkin' SOPA (Stop On-line Piracy Act).
From the ACLU (my old bosses) website:
The bill is aimed at taking down sites that allow Internet users to acquire pirated versions of original artistic content online. At a recent hearing, the ACLU expressed opposition to the bill because it would allow for the takedown of non-infringing content along with infringing content, in violation of the First Amendment.
As a writer, can't have NOBODY messing 'round with my First Amendment rights (that's freedom of expression for those needing a rights refresher).
To find out what you can do to stop SOPA -- other than supporting the WIKI black-out, please visit here. And if you have some 'thing' against the ACLU, then go here.
From the ACLU (my old bosses) website:
The bill is aimed at taking down sites that allow Internet users to acquire pirated versions of original artistic content online. At a recent hearing, the ACLU expressed opposition to the bill because it would allow for the takedown of non-infringing content along with infringing content, in violation of the First Amendment.
As a writer, can't have NOBODY messing 'round with my First Amendment rights (that's freedom of expression for those needing a rights refresher).
To find out what you can do to stop SOPA -- other than supporting the WIKI black-out, please visit here. And if you have some 'thing' against the ACLU, then go here.
January 16, 2012
Kindle Fire Department: Gigantic Blast: Today's Free App, Plus BOTD: No On...
Kindle Fire Department, one of the most helpful sites ever for the Kindle Fire -- and some of the nicest, most helpful people I've ever met -- are featuring No One Knows You're Here along with its Free App of the Day:
Kindle Fire Department: Gigantic Blast: Today's Free App, Plus BOTD: No On...: Today's highly acclaimed book of the day comes to us from thriller author Rachel Howzell , who has been mentioned in O Magazine and Publishe...
This site is a MUST if you have a Fire. And there's a Facebook page, too, and any questions you have about the device? They answer them.
Really. Kindle Fire Department is awesome.
Kindle Fire Department: Gigantic Blast: Today's Free App, Plus BOTD: No On...: Today's highly acclaimed book of the day comes to us from thriller author Rachel Howzell , who has been mentioned in O Magazine and Publishe...
This site is a MUST if you have a Fire. And there's a Facebook page, too, and any questions you have about the device? They answer them.
Really. Kindle Fire Department is awesome.
January 10, 2012
To Ill or Not to Ill...
So there's this awesome back-and-forth going on between the New York Times crossword editor and this freelance writer about the true definition of 'illin'.
From: Julieanne Smolinski
Date: Sat, Jan 7, 2012 at 5:05 PM
Subject: Crossword Puzzle Correction
To: nytnews@nytimes.com
Dear New York Times,
The clue for 28 down reads "Wack, in hip-hop," and the answer provided is "ILLIN." These are not the same things, at all!
Sincerely,
Julieanne Smolinski,
Not Even a Hip-Hop Expert
Click on over to Gawker for the magila!
From: Julieanne Smolinski
Date: Sat, Jan 7, 2012 at 5:05 PM
Subject: Crossword Puzzle Correction
To: nytnews@nytimes.com
Dear New York Times,
The clue for 28 down reads "Wack, in hip-hop," and the answer provided is "ILLIN." These are not the same things, at all!
Sincerely,
Julieanne Smolinski,
Not Even a Hip-Hop Expert
Click on over to Gawker for the magila!
January 9, 2012
What I Saw...
on December 20, 2011, at almost four in the afternoon, at the intersection of Bixel and that street whose name I can never remember but it runs east-west and you can hop onto the 110 South there. I sat at the red light in my car.
That's when my former co-worker Hal walked past me.
I sat up in my seat and said, "That's Hal."
But I didn't blow my horn and call out his name. Just wondered why he was walking in this part of town since I had heard he was working over on Sunset now.
Did he hear the crazy homeless man who panhandled at this light shouting at him?
He looked the same as he had when I saw him last, back in 2007. Thin. Too thin. Same style khakis. Same haircut. Hal.
If I blew my horn, would he remember me?
I look the same as I had back then, too. There is that single strand of gray hair in my bangs that wasn't there then...
Was I memorable enough?
Maybe. Maybe not.
And if he didn't recognize me, then that would be awkward.
And so I didn't blow my horn. Just watched him walk east until the light turned green and I drove past that street whose name I can never remember and into the crowd of car.
I think about Hal at least twice at week. The iris bulbs he gave me to plant almost ten years ago are always blooming.
That's when my former co-worker Hal walked past me.
I sat up in my seat and said, "That's Hal."
But I didn't blow my horn and call out his name. Just wondered why he was walking in this part of town since I had heard he was working over on Sunset now.
Did he hear the crazy homeless man who panhandled at this light shouting at him?
He looked the same as he had when I saw him last, back in 2007. Thin. Too thin. Same style khakis. Same haircut. Hal.
If I blew my horn, would he remember me?
I look the same as I had back then, too. There is that single strand of gray hair in my bangs that wasn't there then...
Was I memorable enough?
Maybe. Maybe not.
And if he didn't recognize me, then that would be awkward.
And so I didn't blow my horn. Just watched him walk east until the light turned green and I drove past that street whose name I can never remember and into the crowd of car.
I think about Hal at least twice at week. The iris bulbs he gave me to plant almost ten years ago are always blooming.
January 7, 2012
A Little of This... A Little of That
Wanna read a sample of No One Knows You're Here and from other talented writers? Then, check out Jake Bible's site Sample Saturday! So many words, so many stories...
January 5, 2012
What I Saw...
on December 31, 2011, a little past two in the afternoon, on the corner of Bixel Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard as I waited in my car for the light to change from red to green, a man lay dead, his arms out like that and his legs twisted like an out-of-work mannequin. I couldn't see his face, just the back of his head and black hair. A small crowd had formed around him, not too close. The dead man wore a red plaid shirt, black pants and black, raggedy sneakers -- not the dress of someone working in a highrise, at a desk, or working at all.
I heard sirens coming from the west as I waited in my car at the light that knew not to change.
The sirens got closer and a black woman in braids and a postal worker's uniform stepped away from the huddle surrounding the dead man. She held out her arm, hailing the ambulance.
The red rig turned left and stopped at the curb.
Like Lazarus, the dead man came back to life. He was a white man -- I had not known that until he lifted and then, slightly turned his head. That side of his face, that side that had lain on the asphalt, resembled hamburger meat and the blood was almost too bloody to be believable in a city of Make Believe.
The EMT climbed out of the rig, in no hurry, la-la-la-la-la. His partner had already pulled out a slick red back-board from the cabin. Red rig, red board, red light, blood. So much red. Both paramedics looked too young to rescue anyone and that back-board resembled a sled named Rosebud.
The light turned green.
With great reluctance, I crossed Wilshire Boulevard.
I found my phone and called David.
He didn't answer.
I broke the cell-phone law and phone to ear, left him a rambling message about the dead-not-dead man just laying there, in the middle of the afternoon, can you believe it, call me back.
I ended the call and drove into the sun, onto the 110 Freeway, wondering...
I heard sirens coming from the west as I waited in my car at the light that knew not to change.
The sirens got closer and a black woman in braids and a postal worker's uniform stepped away from the huddle surrounding the dead man. She held out her arm, hailing the ambulance.
The red rig turned left and stopped at the curb.
Like Lazarus, the dead man came back to life. He was a white man -- I had not known that until he lifted and then, slightly turned his head. That side of his face, that side that had lain on the asphalt, resembled hamburger meat and the blood was almost too bloody to be believable in a city of Make Believe.
The EMT climbed out of the rig, in no hurry, la-la-la-la-la. His partner had already pulled out a slick red back-board from the cabin. Red rig, red board, red light, blood. So much red. Both paramedics looked too young to rescue anyone and that back-board resembled a sled named Rosebud.
The light turned green.
With great reluctance, I crossed Wilshire Boulevard.
I found my phone and called David.
He didn't answer.
I broke the cell-phone law and phone to ear, left him a rambling message about the dead-not-dead man just laying there, in the middle of the afternoon, can you believe it, call me back.
I ended the call and drove into the sun, onto the 110 Freeway, wondering...
January 1, 2012
Myst Noir
In my inter web-journeys to share NOKYH, I discovered Myst Noir, a site managed by the lovely Angela Henry, that features African-American mysteries! Yes, I know! I was THRILLED. After clicking around, I contacted Angela and she graciously agreed to include NOKYH on her site. So please check out Myst Noir -- it's a great site featuring great novelists and mysteries. And here's a link just for you:
Featured Title for January: No One Knows You're Here By Rachel Howzell
Featured Title for January: No One Knows You're Here By Rachel Howzell
December 28, 2011
It Just Didn't 'Happen'...
Happy happy and merry merry!
Hope y'all are having a restful holiday. I am -- and it included laundry, dishes and pirates. Really, pirates.
Ever wonder what made me want to write about serial killers and dead hookers and betrayals and hot detectives?
Yeah?
Well, check out the interview I did with Hydra Publications!
One question was: Have you ever hated something you wrote?
My response: I hate everything I write… until I read it later and realize, 'Wow, that [scene, line, plot shift] was clever. Who wrote that? How can I do it again?' It's difficult for me to read my stories because the internal editor is always at her desk, tsking at something bad I've done.
To read the rest, pop on over to Hydra Publications. If you have a question that I didn't answer, leave a comment and I promise to get you the answer!
Hope y'all are having a restful holiday. I am -- and it included laundry, dishes and pirates. Really, pirates.
Ever wonder what made me want to write about serial killers and dead hookers and betrayals and hot detectives?
Yeah?
Well, check out the interview I did with Hydra Publications!
One question was: Have you ever hated something you wrote?
My response: I hate everything I write… until I read it later and realize, 'Wow, that [scene, line, plot shift] was clever. Who wrote that? How can I do it again?' It's difficult for me to read my stories because the internal editor is always at her desk, tsking at something bad I've done.
To read the rest, pop on over to Hydra Publications. If you have a question that I didn't answer, leave a comment and I promise to get you the answer!
December 22, 2011
Frugal Find of the Day!
No One Knows You're Here is today's Frugal Find of the Day. Pop on over and find this and other great deals on ebooks!
