Trisha Sugarek's Blog, page 104

Interview Thursday with author, Robert McCammon

               Don't Miss It!  Thursday, May 2nd we begin an interview with

spine-chilling author, Robert McCammon.

If you love vampires and particularly a hero-vampire you'll love this visit with Robert.  And later in the month I was invited to write a review of  McCammon's  new release, "I Travel By Night"  .

 

A fan commented:  'Whether it's aliens, vampires, parasitic twins, or LSD crazed baby snatchers, no one will be disappointed by this fine author.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Start your month off right!! DON'T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS. INTERVIEWS with other best-selling AUTHORS!      A SERIES, "The Writer's Corner"

I have had a wonderful response from other authors and will feature an interview once a month . I have invited such luminaries as: Ann Purser, Susan Elia MacNeal,  Mark Childress, Rhys Bowen, Dean Koontz, Sheryl Woods, Jo-Ann Mapson, Jeffrey Deaver, Elizabeth Gilbert, Amber Winckler, Robert McCammon, Sue Grafton, Walter Mosley, Nora Roberts, and many others.

So come along with me; we shall sneak into these writers' special places, be a fly on the wall and watch them create!   Robert McCammon is scheduled for May. Caroline Leavitt is June's author.  July features Rhys Bowen.  Sue Grafton is August's author and September will feature Tasha Alexander.  Slick mystery writer, Andrew Grant will join us this winter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To receive my posts sign up for my   Go to the home page; On the right side you'll see a box where you can enter your email address. Click on "join my blog". You need to confirm in an email from 'Writer at Play' . Thanks!  

Read my new blog on InspireMeToday.com

  "UNDER CONSTRUCTION"  A sign I have worn for a few years!

As a contributing writer/blogger to this inspirational site it is my pleasure to share my wisdom.  Lessons that life has taught me as I traveled the sometimes bumpy road of life.  You can survive the bumps; the real trick is to avoid falling into the ten foot holes.  Frequently there is no one there with an eleven foot ladder to help you out.

Excerpt: 'A famous psychologist (his first name is Phil) talks about the fact that we all have pivotal points in our lives; Crossroads if you will where we can turn down a path of self-pity, victimism, feeling angry at the world and an urge to ‘give up’. Or turning the other way and seeking empowerment, happiness, and a full life.

In August of 2006 I experienced a harsh, heartbreaking pivotal point in my life when my husband of thirty years died suddenly.'



Yesterday InspireMe posted another of my blogs.  Enjoy!!

http://www.inspiremetoday.com/blog/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Start your month off right!! DON'T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS. INTERVIEWS with other best-selling AUTHORS!      A SERIES, "The Writer's Corner"

I have had a wonderful response from other authors and will feature an interview once a month . I have invited such luminaries as: Ann Purser, Susan Elia MacNeal,  Mark Childress, Rhys Bowen, Dean Koontz, Sheryl Woods, Jo-Ann Mapson, Jeffrey Deaver, Elizabeth Gilbert, Amber Winckler, Robert McCammon, Sue Grafton, Walter Mosley, Nora Roberts, and many others.

So come along with me; we shall sneak into these writers' special places, be a fly on the wall and watch them create!  Mark Childress is our April author.  Robert McCammon is scheduled for May. Caroline Leavitt is June's author.  July features Rhys Bowen.  Sue Grafton is August's author and September will feature Tasha Alexander.  Slick mystery writer, Andrew Grant will join us this winter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To receive my posts sign up for my   Go to the home page; On the right side you'll see a box where you can enter your email address. Click on "join my blog". You need to confirm in an email from 'Writer at Play' . Thanks!

Cruisin' the Boulevard...the Fifties Nostalgia (part 4)

I woke up this morning thinking about the fifties.  "The Great Pretender" by The Platters weaving its magic through my brain.  My poodle skirt was one of five full circle skirts in my closet.  And the number of crinolines you wore under your poodle skirt dictated how popular you were at school.  Crazy, huh?

And that made me think of the other things that the really popular girls had that I wanted.  I had one crinoline, they had at least three.  Oh!  and Jansen sweater sets.  My parents could only afford one; the really cool girls had a set for every day of the week.  Jansen sweaters had a lot of cashmere in them and they were expensive from my side of the tracks. (Stay at home Mom and a meat cutter Dad.)  And I can still remember my first pair of white buck shoes.  Every night I had to 'paint' white polish on them.  They couldn't be scuffed or dirty, EVER!

'Bad' Girls were identified by four things:  they drank beer, they dated servicemen (sailors in my town), they had their ears pierced and they would go out on dates to the drive-in movies.  We all knew what happened there!  You wouldn't want to be caught dead talking to any of them if you valued your reputation!

[image error]And I was there at the birth of Rock n' Roll.  Bill Hailey and the Comets had just released their movie "Rock Around the Clock".  Elvis had stormed the world stage with "Heartbreak Hotel" and "I Forgot to Remember to Forget".  We loved him on the radio and on our 45's,  but parents were up in arms and would not let us 'see' him.  Those hips were scandalous!  [image error]

 

So the movie "Rock Around the Clock" finally comes to our little burg.  It was a Saturday matinee and the house was packed with teenagers.  Somewhere in the movie Bill Hailey sings his signature song.  We couldn't stay in our seats!  "One, two, three o'clock, four o'clock rock, five, six, seven o'clock, eight o'clock ROCK! nine, ten, eleven o'clock, twelve o'clock ROCK!........We're gonna rock around the clock tonight!"  The aisles filled with teens dancing, doing the jitterbug.  Laughing and singing along with the Comets.  It was amazing!

The theatre manager thought he had a riot on his hands and called the police. We got a stern lecture and were told if we would stay in our seats they would turn the movie back on.

Do you remember cruising and the Drive-In??  After the football game, or dance, or a date for the movies everyone would pile into whoever had a car and cruise down the length of Lincoln St. through downtown and out First Street to Bernie's Drive-Inn and drive slowly around and around the restaurant, checking everyone out while they checked you out.  We'd either stop for a 'malt' or a 'Coke' or we'd reverse our cruising and drive back down First Street and up Lincoln.....we'd do that until someone had to get home before curfew. My last boyfriend in high school was older and had already graduated.  He had a custom 1957 Chevy coupe.  Very little chrome; everything was 'leaded in'.  It was the most gorgeous dusky pink.

Our 'song' was Party Doll by Buddy Knox.  I was his party Doll and how I kept my virginity that year, I'll never know!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Start your month off right!! DON'T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS. INTERVIEWS with other best-selling AUTHORS!      A NEW SERIES, "The Writer's Corner"

I have had a wonderful response from other authors and will feature an interview once a month . I have invited such luminaries as: Ann Purser, Susan Elia MacNeal, , Mark Childress, Rhys Bowen, Dean Koontz, Sheryl Woods, Jo-Ann Mapson, Jeffrey Deaver, Elizabeth Gilbert, Amber Winckler, Robert McCammon, Sue Grafton, Walter Mosley, Nora Roberts, and many others.

So come along with me; we shall sneak into these writers' special places, be a fly on the wall and watch them create!  Mark Childress is our April author.  Robert McCammon is scheduled for May. Caroline Leavitt is June's author.  July features Rhys Bowen.  Sue Grafton is August's author and September will feature Tasha Alexander. Slick mystery writer, Andrew Grant will join us this winter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To receive my posts sign up for my   Go to the home page; On the right side you'll see a box where you can enter your email address. Click on "join my blog". You need to confirm in an email from 'Writer at Play' . Thanks!

The Writer's Corner...an Interview with Amber Winckler (part 2)

 [image error]             Part two....an interview with author, Amber Winckler    

        Q. Do you ‘get lost’ in your writing and for how long?

A. When I am left alone and have an adequate food source, I can write for a few hours at a time. I play word games between thoughts, so my daughter often wonders how I am a writer when most of the time she comes into the computer room I am deeply involved in a game of Fowl Words on her kid profile. To her, I am just a fraud.

Q. When did you begin to write seriously?

A. I was fifteen. My mom gave me an orange journal bound in suede, with gold gilding on the edge of the pages. In fifth grade, a teacher sparked my interest by having us write to music in his class, but receiving the journal in my fifteenth year was where it truly began.

Q. How long after that were you published?

A. 22 years and a couple hundred rejections later.

Q. and the all important: What does the process of going from "no book" to "finished book" look like? 

A. I write in pieces, with no effort towards chronology until the bitter end, when I must sit and piece together my many memo books and computer sections into one readable storyline. This is the part I most dread, but it is amazing when you finally have a copy of the first finished manuscript in your hands.

The second part is editing, which I never attempt to do myself. My first editor is my mom, who edits for content and not grammar/structure. She is honest about where I have gone wrong, and in pointing out places that I need to expand further. I trust her guidance. After I have patched up any loose story bits and rewritten/added her suggestions, I turn it over to the official editor, and I sit back and turn off my ego. I write it, and then I give it over to the universe and the people I most trust to make sure it is readable. Artistic people can tend to be myopic, and we need guidance.

    Q. Where/when do you first discover your characters?

A. All of my characters are pieces of people I have known. People have fascinated me since I can remember, and despite the ghoulish reality of my work world, I have always found that reality is stranger than fiction, and that living people are infinity more frightening than dead ones.  'my mom, Miki, (photo-left) who has developed her own fan base after appearing as 'Mimi' in THE FINAL BATH and INTO THE HANDS OF STRANGERS.

I used my own voice as the narrator of my first two books, because I felt more authentic being me. There are dualities in all people that I try to portray as honestly as possible, so my first character study was myself, in as honest and imperfect a form as I could spit out.

Q. What inspired your story/stories?

A. I was reading through the entries in my journal of the first years of my Embalming Apprenticeship, and noticed a story emerging in the pages that hadn’t occurred to me during the living of these years. But condensed down, in more rapid fire, I saw my first full length novel appear.

Q. Have you? Or do you want to write in another genre`?

A. I have written two novels, a book of short stories, and a novella with prose insertions. I don’t feel like I have been pigeon-holed into a particular format yet, and that is a good thing. I have a bit of a hard time with the phrase ‘want to write.’ Many people ‘want to write.’ Writers just do. On memo books, on McDonald’s bags, on receipts, in journals, by hand, by keyboard, by God we just write. There is room in the world for writers of varying styles. Harvard may have missed me, and I am certainly not known for fluffy words and verbose displays of word craft, but I have a story to tell. As writers, what more do we have to give the world?

Q. And before we leave, is there anything you'd like to add?

A.  Trish, I really appreciate this opportunity. I looked at your website and I am interested in your work.

http://amberwinckler.sharepoint.com                          click here to read Part I

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Biography: Amber Lenore Winckler has worked in the funeral profession for 18+ years and is a California licensed Embalmer, Funeral Director, and Crematory Manager. She also worked at the San Diego Medical Examiner as a Forensic Autopsy Assistant. Author of four books of fiction, largely set in the mortuary or medical examiner setting, she make her living caring for the dead, but she says, “I have always been a writer.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Start your month off right!! DON'T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS. INTERVIEWS with other best-selling AUTHORS!      A SERIES, "The Writer's Corner"

I have had a wonderful response from other authors and will feature an interview once a month . I have invited such luminaries as: Ann Purser, Susan Elia MacNeal,  Mark Childress, Rhys Bowen, Dean Koontz, Sheryl Woods, Jo-Ann Mapson, Jeffrey Deaver, Elizabeth Gilbert, Amber Winckler, Robert McCammon, Sue Grafton, Walter Mosley, Nora Roberts, and many others.

So come along with me; we shall sneak into these writers' special places, be a fly on the wall and watch them create!  Mark Childress is our April author.  Robert McCammon is scheduled for May. Caroline Leavitt is June's author.  July features Rhys Bowen.  Sue Grafton is August's author and September will feature Tasha Alexander.  Slick mystery writer, Andrew Grant will join us this winter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To receive my posts sign up for my   Go to the home page; On the right side you'll see a box where you can enter your email address. Click on "join my blog". You need to confirm in an email from 'Writer at Play' . Thanks!

You live to write, You stop! You Die!

 

    I have been obsessed with Charles Bukowski for weeks now.  I sort of  randomly discovered him, fell in love, ordered his book of poems, 'The Pleasures of the Damned' and now I'm his forever!   (March 14th)

   One day, much to my amazement, I found tucked away in my very messy bookcase, a movie based on Bukowski's life starring Matt Dillon. I'm ashamed to say that a friend had given me the DVD as a gift and I never bothered to watch it. (in my pre-Bukowski days)  "Factotum" is a disturbing and fascinating look into Bukowski's  early years as an alcoholic, unknown writer who was frequently homeless as he went from job to job, from bar to bar, from woman to woman,  from job to job, from bar to......

Bukowski writes about the raw, and sometimes ugly, world in which he lived.  A world that you and I may never experience, a world of the downtrodden, poor, weak, drunk, and doped up, (and what polite society would call) losers.

The saving grace of this man was the PURE TRUTH in which he wrote!  

 This book reads like an autobiography of his life...all in prose.  I was struck by this piece in particular .  Bukowski knew exactly who and what he was.

a clean, well-lighted place  ©

the old fart, he used his literary reputation

to reel them in one at a time,

each younger than the last.

he liked to meet them for luncheon and wine

and he'd talk and listen to them talk.

whatever wife or girlfriend he had at the moment

was made to understand that this sort of thing made him

feel 'young again'.

and when the luncheons become more than luncheons

the young ladies vied to bed down with

this

literary

genius.

in between he continued to write,

and late at night in his favorite bar

he liked to talk about writing and his amorous adventures.

actually, he was just a drunk who liked young ladies,

writing itself and talking about writing.

it wasn't a bad life.

it was certainly more interesting than what most men were doing.

at one time he was probably the most famous writer in the world.

many tried to write like he did

drink like he did

act like he did

but he was the original.

then life began to catch up with him.

he began to age quickly

his large bulk began to wither.

he was growing old before his time.

finally it got to where he couldn't write anymore.

"it just wouldn't come" and the psychiatrists couldn't do anything

for him but only made it worse.

then he took his own cure, early one morning,

alone

just as his father had done

many years before.

a writer who can't write any

more is dead

anyhow.

he knew that.

he knew that what he was killing

was already dead.

and then the critics

and the hangers-on

and the publicists

and his heirs

moved in like vultures.

*****************************************************************************************************

'Everything you need to know about life are in these pages by Bukowski.   He knew when it was all over.  He was used up; he had given all that he could, he had nothing more to say.  So he left......the screen door slapping softly shut behind him.'  ~~T.Sugarek

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Start your month off right!! DON'T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS. INTERVIEWS with other best-selling AUTHORS!      A NEW SERIES, "The Writer's Corner"

I have had a wonderful response from other authors and will feature an interview once a month . I have invited such luminaries as: Ann Purser, Susan Elia MacNeal,  Mark Childress, Rhys Bowen, Dean Koontz, Sheryl Woods, Jo-Ann Mapson, Jeffrey Deaver, Elizabeth Gilbert, Amber Winckler, Robert McCammon, Sue Grafton, Walter Mosley, Nora Roberts, and many others.

So come along with me; we shall sneak into these writers' special places, be a fly on the wall and watch them create!  Mark Childress is our April author.  Robert McCammon is scheduled for May. Caroline Leavitt is June's author.  July features Rhys Bowen.  Sue Grafton is August's author and September will feature Tasha Alexander. Slick mystery writer, Andrew Grant will join us this winter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To receive my posts sign up for my   Go to the home page; On the right side you'll see a box where you can enter your email address. Click on "join my blog". You need to confirm in an email from 'Writer at Play' . Thanks!

The Writer's Corner...An Interview with Amber Winckler (part 1)

       Author and Embalmer, Amber Winckler, is interviewed [image error]

            Q. Where do you write? Do you have a special room, shed, barn, special space for your writing?  

A. My writing takes place all over. I am a memo book writer from way back and I have them everywhere: my purse, my locker at work, beneath the seat of my car… I often text or email ideas and thoughts to myself via my phone, so I don’t forget them. As any writer knows, good ideas tend to float away if you don’t quickly trap them in real time, dragging them from the abyss and converting them into words.

Q. Do you have any special rituals when you sit down to write? (sharpened #2 pencils, legal pad, cup of tea, glass of brandy, favorite pajamas, etc.) 

A. No consistent rituals. I do need to be alone. Sometimes I listen to music if I am writing a piece that needs to be colored by a particular emotion. Some entire scenes from my books have been written to a single song looped over and over for hours. Having my cat around is always nice.

Q. What is your mode of writing? 

A. Long hand is still my first choice, but I am slowly converting my brain (and hand) over to the keyboard. Still, writing with a good, heavy pen that rolls smooth and easy is the way my thoughts flow best. After the accumulation of memo books and notes becomes too overwhelming, I begin converting them over to my computer.

Q. Do you have a set time each day to write or do you write only when you are feeling creative?

A. I am not a disciplined writer. I find that a set time brings out my innate need to rebel. I choose not to make my living through writing. In my mind, I earn my daily bread as a mortician. I write for me. That is how I try to protect my writing from becoming [image error]spoiled or tedious. When I have been on a schedule, my writing stalls. I also need lots of time in between writing to read. Reading classics inspire me, and I need to be exposed to men and women who string together words like music. Reading helps me remember why people write. It is glorious.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A note from a fan, Lori S: An impressive creativity is found throughout the writings of Winckler. Plots are fascinating although disturbing and show an underlying wash of disgust. This is something one cannot just "put down" and read later. Those with an iron stomach and vivid imaginations will benefit most from the outrageous and bold detail the writer supplies. Witnessing a train wreck could compare. You want know about it, you don't want to look -- but you do anyway.

The writer offers a compelling combination of life experience to her writing with her background in embalming and working for a [image error]coroner, it lends her the ability to recognize every gory detail that would usually go unnoticed by a layman. One of her stories must be finished in its entirety, while you are sitting on the edge trying to determine how the tale will unfold. It is hard to distinguish a genre for these writings and in conclusion, it is believed that the reader determines that. For now it's fiction for definition, but is it really?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don't miss Part 2 on Wednesday, April 24th!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Start your month off right!! DON'T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS. INTERVIEWS with other best-selling AUTHORS!      A SERIES, "The Writer's Corner"

I have had a wonderful response from other authors and will feature an interview once a month . I have invited such luminaries as: Ann Purser, Susan Elia MacNeal,  Mark Childress, Rhys Bowen, Dean Koontz, Sheryl Woods, Jo-Ann Mapson, Jeffrey Deaver, Elizabeth Gilbert, Amber Winckler, Robert McCammon, Sue Grafton, Walter Mosley, Nora Roberts, and many others.

So come along with me; we shall sneak into these writers' special places, be a fly on the wall and watch them create!  Mark Childress is our April author.  Robert McCammon is scheduled for May. Caroline Leavitt is June's author.  July features Rhys Bowen.  Sue Grafton is August's author and September will feature Tasha Alexander.  Slick mystery writer, Andrew Grant will join us this winter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To receive my posts sign up for my   Go to the home page; On the right side you'll see a box where you can enter your email address. Click on "join my blog". You need to confirm in an email from 'Writer at Play' . Thanks!

This Monday...an Interview with Amber Winckler, author and Embalmer

[image error]

Don't miss the fascinating look in to this writer's world.  She still writes in long hand!!!

    "Reading classics inspires me, and I need to be exposed to men and women who string together words like music. Reading helps me remember why people write.

It is glorious." (from the interview)

 

Me and my mom, Miki, who has developed her own fan base after appearing as 'Mimi' in THE FINAL BATH and

INTO THE HANDS OF STRANGERS.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Start your month off right!! DON'T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS. INTERVIEWS with other best-selling AUTHORS!      A NEW SERIES, "The Writer's Corner"

I have had a wonderful response from other authors and will feature an interview once a month . I have invited such luminaries as: Ann Purser, Susan Elia MacNeal,  Mark Childress, Rhys Bowen, Dean Koontz, Sheryl Woods, Jo-Ann Mapson, Jeffrey Deaver, Elizabeth Gilbert, Amber Winckler, Robert McCammon, Sue Grafton, Walter Mosley, Nora Roberts, and many others.

 

So come along with me; we shall sneak into these writers' special places, be a fly on the wall and watch them create!  Mark Childress is our April author.  Robert McCammon is scheduled for May. Caroline Leavitt is June's author.  July features Rhys Bowen.  Sue Grafton is August's author and September will feature Tasha Alexander. Slick mystery writer, Andrew Grant will join us this winter. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

To receive my posts sign up for my   Go to the home page; On the right side you'll see a box where you can enter your email address. Click on "join my blog". You need to confirm in an email from 'Writer at Play' . Thanks!

'My momma always said, Life is just a Box of Chocolates'....or words (part 4)

Once again time has gotten away from me and I need to revisit my love of new and old words. (But can't we do both?  Be articulate?  Literate? and be able to string a decent sentence  (or paragraph) together?  Is that asking too much?

I love the sound of these, the way they feel in my mouth.



Ebullient:  overflowing with fervor, enthusiasm, or excitement, high spirited. (much the way I feel about my blogging)

raconteur:   a person who is skilled  in relating anecdotes interestingly.  (what I try to achieve while blogging)  I had not heard this word used before until last Sunday, on Masterpiece Classics on the PBS when Mr. Selfridge's line was, 'I am a raconteur.' when referring to his story telling. 

avidity: greediness, keenly eager. (much the way I feel about my blogging)

insouciance:  indifferent, lack of care or concern.  (the antithesis of how I feel about my blogging)

extant:  still in existence,  standing out, not destroyed.  (my blog still exists and I hope 'stands out')

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll be 'positing' more to this series of favorite words.  Feel free to send me some of yours!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Start your month off right!! DON'T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS. INTERVIEWS with other best-selling AUTHORS!      A SERIES, "The Writer's Corner"

I have had a wonderful response from other authors and will feature an interview once a month . I have invited such luminaries as: Ann Purser, Susan Elia MacNeal,  Mark Childress, Rhys Bowen, Dean Koontz, Sheryl Woods, Jo-Ann Mapson, Jeffrey Deaver, Elizabeth Gilbert, Amber Winckler, Robert McCammon, Sue Grafton, Walter Mosley, Nora Roberts, and many others.

So come along with me; we shall sneak into these writers' special places, be a fly on the wall and watch them create!  Mark Childress is our April author.  Robert McCammon is scheduled for May. Caroline Leavitt is June's author.  July features Rhys Bowen.  Sue Grafton is August's author and September will feature Tasha Alexander.  Slick mystery writer, Andrew Grant will join us this winter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To receive my posts sign up for my   Go to the home page; On the right side you'll see a box where you can enter your email address. Click on "join my blog". You need to confirm in an email from 'Writer at Play' . Thanks!

Read my novel....FREE..."Women Outside the Walls" (final episode)

From the author:  This is the final installment of my story.  I hope that you will tell your friends about it, post a note on Facebook about how much you enjoyed reading it , and spread the word around.  It is available in paperback and is on Kindle and Nook.

 

Alma

(continued)    “I decorate the rooms, only with rental furniture and accessories. To show buyers what their homes could look like if they bought in the subdivision.” Alma explained.

”I’m happy for you.  But, I gotta ask, Alma, what am I gonna do…. without you?”

“I’m gonna introduce you to a new girl we just hired.  Her name’s Samantha, Sam for short.  I handpicked her for you, Jake.  She knows you like to just relax and talk and have a private dance once in a awhile.  And guess what?  She’s a massage therapist.  So she can work on your headaches the way I do.”

“I’m sure gonna miss you, Alma.”

“Don’t worry, Jake, Reno’s a small town.  I’ll see ya on bingo night at the casino." She laughed.

"Get your girls to give me a free drink.”

“That’s a deal.” He looked at her thoughtfully. “But I got a better idea.”

He reached back and gently took her hands and brought her around to sit back down.

“What’s this?” She smiled and sat next to him.

“Well, I got a design job for you.  I been wanting me one of them home movie theater rooms with the big leather

loungers and all?  It’s an addition on my house. How about I hire you to design and decorate it for me.

You will have one hundred percent decision-making.  All I ask is that you don’t turn it into a French bordello; no flocked wallpaper!”

They both laughed.  “Are you serious, Jake?  For real?  You want to hire me?”

“For real, Alma.  And I want a combination bar and concession stand for when my adult friends or my grandkids

come over.”

“Don’cha want to know what I charge?”

“I figure about seventy-five dollars an hour so let’s make it a hundred.  And there’s no budget; just buy nice stuff for me.

I’ve already hired an architect. I got a resource for state-of-the-art high-def TV but you’ll need to find the geeks to hook

everything up.  I want stereo surround sound.”

“Jake I don’t know what to say.  My first real job as an interior designer and it’s gonna be for the owner of one of the

biggest casinos in town.”

“When can you start? I’ll want you and my architect to meet to get the ball rollin’.”

“How would Monday be?”  Alma held her breath for his answer.

“Great! Whatever you say, doll.  What do you need from me?”

“I’ll take a look at your architect’s drawings and incorporate anything that I think you will want. And then,

if you have time, I’d like to sit down with you fairly soon and discuss colors.  Get a feel for what you like and

really dislike.”

“How ‘bout one o’clock in the afternoon, before the high rollers wake up.  I’ll arrange for a credit card for you for

when you start buying stuff for me.”

Alma tried to contain her glee with a professional game-face but totally failed.  She grinned and jumping up grabbed

Jake’s head and landed a big kiss on his forehead.  “Jake, you are the best!  How can I ever thank you?”

“Just give me a wonderful movie room and a snazzy bar.  The works!  I’ll be happy.”

He leaned over and extracted his wallet from his back pocket.  Opening it he took out ten one-hundred dollar bills.

“That’s an advance on the job.” He told her.  And then taking out five more bills, he said, “And that’s for tonight.”

He handed her the money.

Alma’s eyes filled with joyful tears.  “Jake, how did I ever deserve you?”

“Words right outta my mouth, honey, how did I ever deserve you?”

The End....or.... the beginning

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Start your month off right!! DON'T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS. INTERVIEWS with other best-selling AUTHORS!      A NEW SERIES, "The Writer's Corner"

I have had a wonderful response from other authors and plan on featuring an interview once a month . I have invited such luminaries as: Ann Purser, Susan Elia MacNeal, Mark Childress, Rhys Bowen, Dean Koontz, Sheryl Woods, Jo-Ann Mapson, Jeffrey Deaver, Elizabeth Gilbert, Amber Winckler, Robert McCammon, Walter Mosley, Nora Roberts, and many others.

So come along with me; we shall sneak into these writers' special places, be a fly on the wall and watch them create!

Mark Childress is our April author.  Robert McCammon is scheduled for May. Caroline Leavitt is June's author.  July features Rhys Bowen.  Sue Grafton is August's author and September will feature Tasha Alexander.  Slick mystery writer, Andrew Grant will join us this winter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` To receive my posts sign up for my   Go to the home page; On the right side you'll see a box where you can enter your email address. Click on "join my blog". You need to confirm in an email from 'Writer at Play' . Thanks!

What does it Look like? From No book to Finished book...55 days

                 This past Sunday I finished the first draft of my second novel.  74,000+ words and 365 pages.  This was possibly the purest writing I have ever done and almost an out-of-body experience.  WHY?  You ask?

       I let go! 

As most of my friends will tell you, I am a double 'A' personality with control issues.  Okay!  Call it what it is;  I'm a control freak!

But this time, I started with only a loose outline in order to keep my historical facts straight and to track where I thought I was going with the story.   I had written the prologue months ago.  On February 19th I marked my calendar that this was the day that I would begin writing it in earnest.

By the second chapter the characters took the story away from me and told me to hang on and start typing.

They told me who they were, where they were going, who they loved, why they had failed and all about their flaws. 

Now!  Other than the fact that I am in excellent company, I would agree with you when you mutter, "She's just plain nuts!"   But according to the authors that I am now interviewing on a monthly basis, this is not bat-poop crazy but rather a condition that most writers dream about and when it does happen they don't question it....they just let it happen and they give thanks!

During long, long days of writing (sometimes until my fingers refused to work any longer) I spent my non-writing, quiet time surrounded with great authors.  Either posting their interviews, reading their poetry, or curled up with a good book.  I believe that reading makes us better at our writing.

I am so inspired by other good writers.

So let go!  Open your hearts and minds and let it flow.  Don't force the direction of your story...it will never be exactly like you planned and that's a GOOD thing!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Start your month off right!! DON'T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS. INTERVIEWS with other best-selling AUTHORS!      A SERIES, "The Writer's Corner"

I have had a wonderful response from other authors and will feature an interview once a month . I have invited such luminaries as: Ann Purser, Susan Elia MacNeal,  Mark Childress, Rhys Bowen, Dean Koontz, Sheryl Woods, Jo-Ann Mapson, Jeffrey Deaver, Elizabeth Gilbert, Amber Winckler, Robert McCammon, Sue Grafton, Walter Mosley, Nora Roberts, and many others.

So come along with me; we shall sneak into these writers' special places, be a fly on the wall and watch them create!  Mark Childress was our April author.  Robert McCammon is scheduled for May. Caroline Leavitt is June's author.  July features Rhys Bowen.  Sue Grafton is August's author and September will feature Tasha Alexander.  Slick mystery writer, Andrew Grant will join us this winter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

To receive my posts sign up for my   Go to the home page; On the right side you'll see a box where you can enter your email address. Click on "join my blog". You need to confirm in an email from 'Writer at Play' . Thanks!