Eva Pasco's Blog - Posts Tagged "reading"

Got bling?

No one ever said Indie authors “don’t need no stinkin’ badges” in furthering our cause of recognition in a polysaturated book market. (Misquoted line from the film, 'Treasure of the Sierra Madre,' whereby the bandit leader, Gold Hat, actually replies, “I don’t have to show you any stinking badges!”)

I’m honored, proud, and thrilled to display every “stinkin’” merit badge on my book covers for my multi-award winning Contemporary, 'An Enlightening Quiche,' and my recently published nonfiction memoir collection, '100 Wild Mushrooms: Memoirs of the ‘60s.'

The purpose of this blog is to share news about the latest badge both of my aforementioned books received this week when the prestigious badge made its debut—IHIBRP (Indies Helping Indies Book Review Project) Recommended Read Award.

*In the words of author, historian JB Richards, the award’s originator:

“Are you an Indie Author with less than 15 Amazon reviews? If so, you may be eligible for my IHI Book Review Project! You’ll receive an IHIBRP Book Review that will be featured on my blogs at The Writers Block, Goodreads, and Twitter.
Should your book qualify as an IHIBRP 5-Star Recommended Read, you’ll earn an Award Badge which can then be affixed to the cover of your work to tell the world this is an exceptional read! The best part is, there’s absolutely no catch and no hoops to jump through—All I ask is that you pay-it-forward to our Indie community! Interested? Check out my award-winning IHI Book Review Project here!”

https://www.yeshuaandmirinovelseries....

*The Badge is created by author R.M. Gauthier, courtesy of RM Designs, in affiliation with the IHI Book Project. It may not be reproduced or shared without the written consent of JB Richards for any purpose other than which it is intended in conjunction with her IHI Book Review Project.

https://www.facebook.com/RMCustomDesi...

For Indies, book badge bling enables our books to stand out in a crowded market.

Not trash talk, the use of insulting or boastful speech intended to demoralize another—but, “brash talk,” the milieu of writers for creating memorable lines.

In my opinion, brash talk—whether bawdy, angry, caustic, or love-struck—generates its own brand of eloquence:

From William Shakespeare’s 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream': Hermia to Lysander - “Graze on my lips, and if those hills be dry/Stray lower where the pleasant fountains lie.”

From Emily Brontë’s 'Wuthering Heights,' my all-time favorite novel: Heathcliff to Catherine – “Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living. You said I killed you--haunt me then. The murdered do haunt their murderers. I believe--I know that ghosts have wandered the earth. Be with me always--take any form--drive me mad.”

Talk is cheap—unless vivid and character driven!

One of my pet peeves as a reader is that of coming across lame dialogue which can’t hold a candle to the wind. Therefore, when writing, I try my best to avoid composing drivel, while staying true to my characters. My own worst critic, the other day, I scrolled back to chapter 10 in my WIP, editing what didn’t wash with me.

I felt a whole lot better for executing this line, spoken by my protagonist, Aida, to her best friend during a flashback scene: “Muriel, didn’t anyone ever mention that you can’t commit a murder by death wish alone?”

*You’re cordially invited to drop a line of brash talk either from your own WIP, or from a book you’ve read.

I’m talkin’ about that ONE book which increased your appetite to a feeding frenzy for becoming a voracious reader without let up. For me, my no-turning-back moment, except for turning back the pages to read that ONE again and again, occurred in third grade. A nine-year-old so smitten with 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' by L. Frank Baum, I signed it out from the school library several weeks in a row.

Years later, life imitated art for conveying the central themes in Baum’s classic, when I composed “Mr. Wizardo,” a Contemporary novella off the beaten path of the yellow brick road. This novella of 18,535 words is part of an anthology comprised of adult fairy tales, 'Once Upon a Fabulous Time,' co-authored with fellow Indie Fabs: Aliya DalRae, R.M. Gauthier, JB Richards, Lyra Shanti, and Joanne Van Leerdam.

The anthology was recently chosen an “Official Selection” for the category of “short story collection” in the 2018 New Apple Summer eBook Awards for Excellence in Independent Publishing. As we Fabs say, “Huzzah!”

Ironically, I’m not a reading fan of fantasy per se, preferring books in the genres of Literary Fiction, Dark Fiction, Contemporary, True Crime, Detective Stories, and Mystery. Yet, there’s no mistaking the impact of 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' through its powerful and pervasive themes which smack of realism:

Duplicity. Illusion. Individuation. Self-Realization. Female Empowerment. Enlightenment.

There’s no place like the home one makes between the pages of an engrossing book.

*Name that ONE book which defined your reading experience and had a profound effect on your life.

Aren’t most of us multitaskers juggling various aspects of life? A rhetorical question, for sure!

Seems to me, Indie authors do an awful lot of juggling pertaining to the craft of writing itself. Whether we undertake every component ourselves, or solicit others to do it for us, the list includes, but is in no way limited to: story development, editing, cover design, production/formatting, distribution, and marketing. The beat goes on.

Setting all of this aside, I’m one of many Indies who aspires to purchasing and reviewing books written by fellow self-published authors as a show of support. Herein lies, my admission for biting off more than I can chew:

Sitting on my Kindle, waiting to be opened, are 58 books! Can’t say I’ll read every one of them due to time constraints, but wish I could. Most certainly, I’ll bite off even more than I can chew by purchasing more books that strike my fancy.

There’s no rhyme or reason for my sequence in reading those in waiting, preferring to follow my heart’s dictates. A discerning reader with high standards, most of the books I’ve read have merited 4-5 stars, indicating that Indies are a force to reckon with.

That said, I received an email notification this week pertaining to my nonfiction book, meriting its second award in a 2-wk. period:

We had a staggering 1,023 entries in the 2018 TopShelf Indie Book Awards, and your book '100 Wild Mushrooms: Memoirs of the ‘60s' has been selected as a Finalist in the category of Memoirs (Other)!

Warm Regards,

Keith Katsikas
CEO & Publisher
TopShelf Magazine


*Choose the road less traveled: Read a book written by an Indie.

Oh, there's no place like home for the holidays,
'Cause no matter how far away you roam,
When you pine for the sunshine of a friendly gaze,
For the holidays, you can't beat home, sweet home.

*From: “(There’s No Place Like) Home for the Holidays”; published: 1954; best-known recordings by Perry Como

The lyrics may hold true for many of us. For some, heading home for the holidays is stressful. Assuming there’s no place like home, where exactly is “home” for the rest of the year?

If home is where the heart is, I feel at home in my native state of Rhode Island which affords me access to the ocean, my favorite place to be. Throughout my childhood and young adulthood, I felt at home in the town of Lincoln. In that regard, I’m glad I preserved details of the past by writing/publishing my nonfiction memoir collection, '100 Wild Mushrooms: Memoirs of the ‘60s' (2017).

I never felt at home in South Kingstown where I resided for 15 years because most of that stretch was spent out of town during my teaching career. These days, while my abode is homey, I can’t say I feel at home in the town of East Providence either, a stranger among many who keep to ourselves in an apartment complex.

I’ve come to believe that “home sweet home” is not tied to any particular place. It’s a headspace where we bask in the sunshine as we define it. Until we’re comfortable in our own headspace, books provide an outlet for us to lose and find ourselves while homeward bound.

What do you envision for yourself in 2020?

So, a brand new year is upon us. Its stretch of unpaved roads are at our disposal for furthering the cerebral journeys we desire to take. Whether or not one makes New Year’s resolutions—challenges, obstacles, and/or adversity inevitably derail the best-laid plans of mice and men.

Hence, I view each day with the mindset, “This is as good as it gets,” while steeling myself for the other shoe to drop.

In hindsight and with foresight, my 2020 vision embraces the resolve to roll with fate, while maintaining a thick hide to withstand the pelting of chips falling where they may.

If circumstances allow, this year, I envision publishing my current WIP in the genre of Contemporary. This week, I’m resuming my literary journey at the tail end of chapter 38—with miles to go before I round the bend to completing the novel.

I’ve pledged to read 25 books for the Goodreads 2020 Reading Challenge. I’ve just about finished reading The Disappearance of Robin Murat by Gerald W. Darnell, and will write my review when I do.

Reading/reviewing books written by Indies remains my steadfast New Year’s resolution.

I’m grateful for every dawn of a new day that enables me to further my literary journey toward the light at the end of the tunnel.

Wishing all of my readers: peace, prosperity, and productivity throughout 2020.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: https://tinyurl.com/yycm7d2w

An avid reader long before eBooks came on the scene in the 1990s, I have lots of bookmarks tucked away for keeping my place in a paperback. It just so happens, two have found their place inside: Petals by Anna Casamento Arrigo and Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac.

Bookmarks have also secured a special place in my heart for various reasons:

It could be for the inscription, like the parting verse on the front side of my Aunt Viola’s laminated obituary in 2003—“…But fill each waking hour in useful ways.”

Or, my favorite Tower of London bookmark my sister had gifted to me upon her return from a high school class trip to England. It kept my place for years. Until misplaced. I’ve lamented its loss throughout the passage of time. I’m thinking we may have parted company during the shuffle of moving.

In the capacity of a writer, I’ve forged ahead in drafting Chapter 28 (572 words thus far) of my Contemporary work in progress.

*May each of us mark the passage of time with memories worth keeping.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

“There are perhaps no days of our childhood we lived so fully as those we spent with a favorite book.” Marcel Proust

The Wonderful World of Oz by L. Frank Baum, springs to mind as one of my favorite childhood books. Considered the first official American fairytale and fable, I recall signing it out of my school library week after week in third grade so I could read it over and over. I loved it that much—still do. For me, it symbolizes the imagination’s unbound flight to magical realms where dreams come true on wings of belief and determination.

In the here and now, my time spent reading a book is tempered with adulting and writing my own books. At this juncture, I’m drafting the close of chapter 57 (1710 words thus far) along my Contemporary work in progress.

*May each of us find our avenue of escape inside the wonderful world of a book.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Before I basked in the luxury of retirement, my boundaries were set for me—self-imposed by my devotion to a teaching career. Focusing on tasks and managing time prevailed both inside and outside the classroom.

It’s about time:

In the capacity of a writer whose non-writing tasks take precedence during the day, I set boundaries for social media usage. As me-time breaks are also important, I make sure to exercise first thing each morning. I set aside at least an hour per day in late afternoon to read a book written by a fellow Indie.

“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” Richard Steele

Evening is my prime time for writing.
In that regard, I strive to blur the boundaries between fiction and nonfiction in my chosen genre of Contemporary, bordering on Literary and Psychological Fiction. Having completed the draft of chapter 9 (1629 words), I’m forging ahead with chapter 10 (158 words thus far).

*May each of us set aside time to safeguard our inner peace and to foster our creativity.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Inspired by the song “Turn-Down Day” (1966) by the Cyrcle:

Far from “lyin’ around doing nothing,” not how I prefer to spend my day, I certainly can dig the notion of carving time for myself.

While my typical turn-down day might entail forsaking it all to forage for sea glass on the beach, the lingering tropical humidity has enticed me to enjoy the air-conditioned comfort of home, reading a book.

On that subject, I’ve surpassed my goal to read 25 books in the 2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge. At this point in time, I’ve read and reviewed 32 books written by Indie authors.

In the capacity of a writer drafting my Contemporary, I’ve made some reapportioned chapter revisions: Chapter 18 = 950 words. Chapter 19 = 841 words. Chapter 20 has 663 words thus far.

*May each of us lay claim to a leisurely turn-down day whenever we see fit.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco