Peg Herring's Blog, page 47
April 12, 2010
Reading Men
I was talking to a friend today about reading and men, at least the men in my life. We wondered why many men don't read much until they're older, say, middle-aged. Once they start, they seem to be really into it, but why do they think it isn't cool or interesting or manly until they're forty?
What that Aprille with her shoures sweete...
April in the D. April in Paris. Pieces of April.
Whatever your impressions of the month, it seems to inspire folks. My goal is to finish my WIP before Malice Domestic, which is at the end of April. Somehow, in springtime, all things seem possible.
Whatever your impressions of the month, it seems to inspire folks. My goal is to finish my WIP before Malice Domestic, which is at the end of April. Somehow, in springtime, all things seem possible.
April 9, 2010
What Does Your T.V. Say About You?
I don't know why this came to mind, but it seems to me that what we watch on television says something about us as individuals.
Of course, there are plenty of factors that enter into the equation. People with little to do, such as the elderly or the unemployed, often watch shows they really don't like very well, just for something to do. I visited someone in a nursing home recently who was watching one of those Disney Channel teeny-bopper shows about junior high school angst. I know she didn't really care, but it was bright and lively, the opposite of the real world around her. And time is a factor, too. Those who work miss a chunk of the TV day, though I've known women who tape their "stories" so they don't miss a minute of soap opera action. I've also known people who hurry out of a meeting or other event so they don't miss the beginning of some show like BURN NOTICE or AMERICAN IDOL. I can't say that I've ever cared that much about anyone else's adventures, real or unreal.
Then there are the people who turn up their noses and say, "I don't watch T.V." Maybe they don't; I would never call them liars. It just seems like as the conversation proceeds, they know a lot about what's on and who is who.
Think about what you watch when you have the time, the inclination, and the power or choice (when your S.O. isn't holding the remote). What do you choose to watch, and what does that say about you? No answers here, but I really like the question.
Of course, there are plenty of factors that enter into the equation. People with little to do, such as the elderly or the unemployed, often watch shows they really don't like very well, just for something to do. I visited someone in a nursing home recently who was watching one of those Disney Channel teeny-bopper shows about junior high school angst. I know she didn't really care, but it was bright and lively, the opposite of the real world around her. And time is a factor, too. Those who work miss a chunk of the TV day, though I've known women who tape their "stories" so they don't miss a minute of soap opera action. I've also known people who hurry out of a meeting or other event so they don't miss the beginning of some show like BURN NOTICE or AMERICAN IDOL. I can't say that I've ever cared that much about anyone else's adventures, real or unreal.
Then there are the people who turn up their noses and say, "I don't watch T.V." Maybe they don't; I would never call them liars. It just seems like as the conversation proceeds, they know a lot about what's on and who is who.
Think about what you watch when you have the time, the inclination, and the power or choice (when your S.O. isn't holding the remote). What do you choose to watch, and what does that say about you? No answers here, but I really like the question.
April 8, 2010
I Want to Be a Cat
In my next life, I want to be a cat. The three things that matter to them are also important to me: napping, cleanliness, and play.
I could look much nicer if I spent roughly 20% of every 24 hours on grooming.
I would be less stressed, more alert, if I spent time every day exercising my muscles, honing my senses, and enjoying activities with no required result.
And if I could, in the middle of either grooming or playing, drop off to sleep for a while, I just know I'd wake refreshed and ready for ... more of the first two.
I could look much nicer if I spent roughly 20% of every 24 hours on grooming.
I would be less stressed, more alert, if I spent time every day exercising my muscles, honing my senses, and enjoying activities with no required result.
And if I could, in the middle of either grooming or playing, drop off to sleep for a while, I just know I'd wake refreshed and ready for ... more of the first two.
April 7, 2010
Meeting Writers
Which living writers would you most like to sit down for an hour with and why?
I'll start.
Margaret Atwood - She's just so brilliant.
Ariana Franklin - We'd have lots to discuss.
Sara Paretsky - What she's done in this business!
It isn't by design that they're all women. I'm sure there are lots of male writers who would provide a fascinating interview as well. And my list might change tomorrow.
I'll start.
Margaret Atwood - She's just so brilliant.
Ariana Franklin - We'd have lots to discuss.
Sara Paretsky - What she's done in this business!
It isn't by design that they're all women. I'm sure there are lots of male writers who would provide a fascinating interview as well. And my list might change tomorrow.
April 6, 2010
The Ins and Outs of Sewing
I used to love it, but that was when I was broke most of the time. My kids could have new clothes without a lot of expense if I made them, and I was pretty good at pleasing their tastes, although one still hasn't forgiven me for the plaid '70s pants.
Later I was drama director at the high school where I taught, and again, cheap was good. My weekends were spent whipping up unique outfits from Wal-mart bargain fabric, shower curtains, old formals, and, in one instance, place mats. It was fun, and the results were gratifying. A costume could look elaborate without being particularly well made (our theme song was "From a Distance"). Since they only had to last through a few shows, pins, ties, and, in an emergency, duct tape, were intergral parts of many costumes.
Now I'm at work on something more difficult: a period costume for my gig at the Romance Writers of America Con this summer. I'm to be Catherine Parr, and it has to be right. No fun here, just a lot of work. So far I have the shift, the bum roll, and the hoop skirt done. I'm at work on the corset, but it's so complicated that I've limited myself to one step per day to limit frustration. To assure quality on the outer layer, I hired the dress itself, which consists of 9 yards of heavy fabric. Pictures will follow.
What I'm learning is that I don't like sewing that much any more. Gratifying, yes. But I'd rather be writing!
Later I was drama director at the high school where I taught, and again, cheap was good. My weekends were spent whipping up unique outfits from Wal-mart bargain fabric, shower curtains, old formals, and, in one instance, place mats. It was fun, and the results were gratifying. A costume could look elaborate without being particularly well made (our theme song was "From a Distance"). Since they only had to last through a few shows, pins, ties, and, in an emergency, duct tape, were intergral parts of many costumes.
Now I'm at work on something more difficult: a period costume for my gig at the Romance Writers of America Con this summer. I'm to be Catherine Parr, and it has to be right. No fun here, just a lot of work. So far I have the shift, the bum roll, and the hoop skirt done. I'm at work on the corset, but it's so complicated that I've limited myself to one step per day to limit frustration. To assure quality on the outer layer, I hired the dress itself, which consists of 9 yards of heavy fabric. Pictures will follow.
What I'm learning is that I don't like sewing that much any more. Gratifying, yes. But I'd rather be writing!
April 5, 2010
Why Do Women Do It?
Shave their legs. Powder their noses. Remove their back four molars. You know, the little things we do for beauty.
I'm making a Catherine Parr costume to wear in a historical fashion show this summer, and I keep asking myself, who would wear all this stuff? A fellow model just informed the group that for Victorian ladies, there were up to six layers of underwear. SIX!
Every era has its stories about the lengths women went to look "beautiful", whatever that term meant at the time. I'd love to hear from readers. What do you know/think about women and their quest for beauty? But I guarantee I'll come back to the question in the title: Why?
I'm making a Catherine Parr costume to wear in a historical fashion show this summer, and I keep asking myself, who would wear all this stuff? A fellow model just informed the group that for Victorian ladies, there were up to six layers of underwear. SIX!
Every era has its stories about the lengths women went to look "beautiful", whatever that term meant at the time. I'd love to hear from readers. What do you know/think about women and their quest for beauty? But I guarantee I'll come back to the question in the title: Why?
April 2, 2010
I'm on the Radio
Well, not until Sunday. I'm guesting on BLOGTALK RADIO's Red Rose Author show to talk about my new ebook, GO HOME AND DIE. Take a listen Sunday at 2:00 (they're cached so you can listen later if you're busy with Easter dinner at that point.)
Go to http://www.blogtalkradio.com/redrosea...
Go to http://www.blogtalkradio.com/redrosea...
April 1, 2010
Hey, E-book Readers
Somehow they just don't seem real. I got word this morning that my e-book, GO HOME AND DIE, has indeed become a published work. But where is the box of books I can unpack and admire?
My brain tells me that an e-book is real. Acquaintances tell me they love them. My publisher tells me it will soon be available on amazon. You can't get more real than that, right?
So I must believe it. To help with that, I'm giving away gift certificates for GO HOME AND DIE. Comment on this blog, and I'll enter your name in a drawing on April 5. The winner gets a PayPal gift certificate to purchase this Vietnam-era mystery. http://redrosepublishing.com/bookstor...
My brain tells me that an e-book is real. Acquaintances tell me they love them. My publisher tells me it will soon be available on amazon. You can't get more real than that, right?
So I must believe it. To help with that, I'm giving away gift certificates for GO HOME AND DIE. Comment on this blog, and I'll enter your name in a drawing on April 5. The winner gets a PayPal gift certificate to purchase this Vietnam-era mystery. http://redrosepublishing.com/bookstor...
March 31, 2010
Crawl Inside an Author's Mind
Are you the sort of reader who "psyches out" the author as you read? (Sorry about the '60s verbiage, but GO HOME AND DIE is weighing on my mind!)
I find myself noting elements of character, plot, and theme and attributing them to the author and his/her mood. We know that Mark Twain's work became darker as he aged, due perhaps to the deaths of those he loved but also to day-by-day butting heads with ignorant people.
Characters often say something that rings with the author's sincerity, and while an author should not peer through the curtains of the play, it can happen. At the end of THE JUNGLE, Upton Sinclair's views on government practically bash the reader over the head, ruining (for me) the pathos of the story he has told. Other authors are more subtle, but a reader who's paying attention discerns little gleams of opinion, little gems of individual wisdom.
The book's ending is very telling in terms of author attitude. Someone once commented to me that my characters usually move toward a fulfilling relationship as the book progresses. I can't help it; I like happy (or semi-happy) endings. There will be loss, because life is loss, but there will be the comfort of love, too. In GO HOME AND DIE, the reader should feel satisfied that Carrie has grown as a person and be optimistic about her future. (And as today's author knows, the reader should also hope for a sequel.)
I find myself noting elements of character, plot, and theme and attributing them to the author and his/her mood. We know that Mark Twain's work became darker as he aged, due perhaps to the deaths of those he loved but also to day-by-day butting heads with ignorant people.
Characters often say something that rings with the author's sincerity, and while an author should not peer through the curtains of the play, it can happen. At the end of THE JUNGLE, Upton Sinclair's views on government practically bash the reader over the head, ruining (for me) the pathos of the story he has told. Other authors are more subtle, but a reader who's paying attention discerns little gleams of opinion, little gems of individual wisdom.
The book's ending is very telling in terms of author attitude. Someone once commented to me that my characters usually move toward a fulfilling relationship as the book progresses. I can't help it; I like happy (or semi-happy) endings. There will be loss, because life is loss, but there will be the comfort of love, too. In GO HOME AND DIE, the reader should feel satisfied that Carrie has grown as a person and be optimistic about her future. (And as today's author knows, the reader should also hope for a sequel.)
