Sandy Deutscher Green's Blog, page 8
February 7, 2014
Sibbecoss, the Kiss of Peace Part 2
In KISS AND TELL, will Verity the Sibbecoss finally know peace? Will the characters she touches accept the truth about themselves?
PEACE
In this bit of bliss,
peacefulness—
a silver vase on a mantle
wraps the room’s reflection
of us sitting on the sofa,
as cats snuggle
against our necks
A rare bassoon solo
on the kitchen radio
accompanies dishes drying
on a rack
this moment—
a glimpse of perfect
coffee-scented whiteness
a nanosecond of peace.
Filed under: Kiss and Tell, Photos, Poetry Tagged: Kiss and Tell, mythology, peace, Peace dove, Poetry, Sibbecoss
February 6, 2014
Sibbecoss, The Kiss of Peace Part 1
In KISS AND TELL, after a prolonged adolescence fraught with terror, the water naiad is 
transformed into a mythological creature I dubbed the Kiss of Peace. Her attributes are to tell the truth exclusively. Where did I come up with this nomenclature?
I googled it.
There’s a word to perfectly describe a Kiss of Peace. Sibbecoss. Sibb denotes love, friendship, peace. The coss part of the word means kiss. The word exists, is easily pronounced, so I inserted it into mythology. One form the Sibbecoss takes is a pair of lips. Another form is the Queen Conch Shell with its lip-like rim.
What other lip-like forms could she assume? I think it would be fun to write other stories with Verity in different shapes!
Filed under: Favorite Words, Kiss and Tell, Photos Tagged: Kiss and Tell, mythology, Sibbecoss, water naiad
February 5, 2014
1937 Writers’ Conference: Writers Making a Difference
Fiftieth Anniversary of the 1937 Writers’ Conference in Valencia, Spain
Last year, my son spent a semester abroad studying in Valencia, Spain and brought me this poster when he returned. I was thrilled and thought it was like any writers’ conference in the United States. When I did a google search on the image, I found the poster commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of a group of intellectuals and writers seeking to free Spain from fascism in the midst of the Spanish Civil War.
In 1937, Spanish writer and poet, José Bergamín, presided over the Second International Congress of Writers in Defense of Culture held in Valencia. It was attended by more than one hundred writers including Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Neruda.
I’m assuming the image of Don Quixote of La Mancha in the background of the poster is a reference to the idealism of this group of intellectuals intent on righting the wrongs of fascism. The weapon of these writers was their words.
While my son was in Spain, I was busy writing a novella. Parts of KISS AND TELL were set in southern Spain, which made me feel a connection to him while he was away. I was happy to study the diverse Spanish weather, geographical areas, plants, and animals.
My other connection to this poster is a character in the story of Don Quixote. In my next soon-to-be-released book, NO ONE’S WATCHING, the main character is Kitri, the name of Don Quixote’s niece. Kitri laments that her arms behave like the windmills in Miguel de Cervantes‘ classic novel, which is not a good thing for a ballet dancer. More about that book in a couple of weeks!
Filed under: Authors, Kiss and Tell, No One's Watching, Photos Tagged: Don Quixote of La Mancha, Ernest Hemingway, José Bergamín, Kiss and Tell, Kitri, Miguel de Cervantes, NO ONE'S WATCHING, Pablo Neruda, Second Congress of Writers in Defense of Culture, Spain, Spanish Civil War, Valencia
February 4, 2014
Twofer Tuesday – Quotes on Lips
“The cruelest lies are often told in silence.” - Robert Louis Stevenson
and
“Put a bridle on thy tongue; set a guard before thy lips, lest the words of thine own mouth destroy thy peace… on much speaking cometh repentance, but in silence is safety.” - William Drummond
Filed under: Kiss and Tell, Photos, Twofer Tuesdays Tagged: kiss, Kiss and Tell, lies, lips, mythology, Quotes on lips, Robert Louis Stevenson, silence, William Drummond, YA fiction 
January 28, 2014
Twofer Tuesday – Birthday Quotes
Today’s my birthday, and I’m celebrating with these quotations!
“It takes a long time to become young.” ~ Pablo Picasso
and
“When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it happened or not.” ~ Mark Twain
Filed under: Authors, Holidays, Twofer Tuesdays, Writing Tagged: balloons, birthday, birthday quotes, Mark Twain, Pablo Picasso
January 21, 2014
BOOK BLAST – Spend a Winter’s Eve with a PERFECT SUMMER
Karen King
Karen King has had over one hundred children’s books published. She’s written for many children’s magazines too including Sindy, Barbie, Winnie the Pooh and Thomas the Tank Engine. She writes for all ages and in all genres; story books, picture books, plays, joke books and non-fiction. Perfect Summer is her first YA. It was runner up in the Red Telephone books YA Novel 2011 competition.
Perfect Summer
Growing up in a society so obsessed with perfection that the government gives people grants for plastic surgery, 15-year-old Morgan can’t help being a bit envious of her best friend 
Summer. Summer is beautiful and rich, her father is a top plastic surgeon and her mother is a beauty consultant with a celebrity client list. Her life seems so effortlessly perfect. Whereas Morgan isn’t so rich or beautiful and her little brother, Josh, has Down’s syndrome – which, according to the Ministry and society in general, is a crime. Then Josh is kidnapped and the authorities aren’t interested so Morgan and Summer decide to investigate. They, along with another teenager, Jamie, whose sister, Holly, has also been kidnapped, uncover a sinister plot involving the kidnapping of disabled children and find themselves in terrible danger. Can they find Josh and Holly before it’s too late?
You can read more about Karen here:
How did you get started writing?
I’ve always written. I had my first poem published when I was 11. I started my writing career with Jackie magazine, writing articles and photo stories.
Are you a Plotter or a Pantser?
It depends whether I’m writing to a commission or not. If I’m commissioned I have to plot as I have to send a synopsis and the first couple of chapters to my editor. If I’m not writing to a commission I plot at first so that I know the basic outline of my story but once I get going I write ‘by the seat of my pants.’
Are you most productive in the morning or evening?
Morning. Often I get out of bed and start writing right away. I’m full of ideas in the morning.
What’s the most frequent question people ask you?
When I visit schools kids always ask me either if I’m rich. I usually say “No, I’m really poor so please go and buy some of my books!”
Read an excerpt:
Prologue
They were on their fourth game of poker. The air was tense; they played in silence, speaking only when they had to.
The burly man glanced at the five cards in his hand, his expression unreadable. “I’ll see you.” He took a drag of his cigarette and waited.
The woman sitting next to him studied her hand of cards and sighed. “I’m folding.” She placed the cards face down on the table, crossed her arms and sat back in her chair.
They both watched the bald man on the other side of the table. He looked at his cards and frowned. The burly man took another drag of his cigarette and sent a spiral of thick smoke into the air. Then a shrill ring broke through the silence, making them all jump. The burly man grabbed his nanophone and the others waited as he flicked it open. The air was electric with suspense.
“Yes,” he said brusquely. He was silent as he listened, then replied, “We will leave immediately.” He switched the phone off, threw his cards down and stood up. “It’s on,” he said, scooping up the handful of coins in the middle of the table and putting them, and the phone, in his pocket.“Let’s get going.”
The woman left her cards and followed him. They both hurried outside to a dark blue van. The man climbed into the driving seat, the woman sat beside him. She took a slip of paper out of her pocket and keyed an address into the E–‐‑Nav. “We’ll be there in a couple of hours,” she said.
“How old’s this one?” the man asked.
“Three,” the woman replied.
***
Filed under: Authors, Books, Interviews, Writing Tagged: Astraea Press, Karen King, new release, Perfect Summer, YA authors, YA fiction
January 19, 2014
Pasta with A Gazillion Vegetables
Don’t let the number of vegetables turn you off. This is another recipe determined by whatever you have in your kitchen. I happened to have a billion times a million vegetables when I made this:
PASTA WITH VEGETABLES
4 cups vegetables (I used a combination of onions, mushrooms, garlic, carrots, spinach, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, red pepper, and green beans)
8 oz. pasta (I used whole wheat shells)
1 tbsp olive oil (although sesame oil would be nice, too)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Add a generous amount of salt and boil water. In a metal strainer, parboil the firmer vegetables (like carrots, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, red pepper, and green beans) for three minutes.
Meanwhile, sauté the softer vegetables in a frying pan in the oil. Drain and add the parboiled vegetables to the frying pan and the pasta to the boiling water.
Drain the pasta and spoon on a plate. Add the vegetables and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Filed under: Cooking, Food, Recipes Tagged: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, garlic, green beans, mushrooms, onions, pasta recipes, recipes, red pepper, spinach, supper recipes
January 14, 2014
Twofer Tuesday – Quotes on Friendship
“An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.” - Buddha and
“True friends stab you in the front.” - Oscar Wilde
Filed under: Cats, Twofer Tuesdays Tagged: Buddha, cat friendship, cats, friendship quotes, Oscar Wilde
January 7, 2014
Twofer Tuesday – Cold Quotes
Warm up to these cold weather quotes!
“People don’t notice whether it’s winter or summer when they’re happy.” - Anton Chekhov
and
“In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.” -
Albert Camus
Filed under: Authors, Twofer Tuesdays Tagged: Albert Camus, Anton Chekhov, cold, summer, weather, winter
January 5, 2014
Kiss and Tell Advanced Reader Copy Available!
The ARC to my forthcoming YA novella is available in PDF format in exchange for a review. If you’re interested in reading a young adult book steeped in magical realism, please contact me at sandydgreen@aol.com for more information. Thanks!
Here’s a snippet synopsis:
Is lip gloss really a teenage girl’s best friend? Yeah. If it comes with an attitude.
Sixteen-year-old Jenna discovers her new shade, Verity Cherry, provides more than kissable lips. As Jenna taps into a source of truth in a tiny pot, this lonely girl finds a friend in a most compact place. But how much company – and truth – can a girl take?
At 96 pages, Kiss And Tell is told in alternating points of view between a contemporary teen and a former ancient water spirit paying penance as magical lip gloss. What truth is Jenna so desperate, yet terrified, to have Verity reveal? How is this linked to the naiad’s former deplorable acts, and will she be able to save Jenna from the truth?
Thanks for your support!
Filed under: Authors, Books, Writing Tagged: advanced reader's copy, ARC, Kiss and Tell, reviews
