Trisha Sugarek's Blog, page 97

"Fingal O'Reilly, Irish Doctor" A Review of Patrick Taylor's newest book

     5 out of 5 Quills           A Review of Patrick Taylor's newest release

                                  

  'yer face is as long as a wet Sunday...'

 Oh, I'm a big, BIG fan of Patrick Taylor's work.  I never miss buying his latest. What's not to like....for me, the daughter of a second generation Irishman?  In 1998 I spent a month in the west counties of Ireland looking for my paternal roots.  My, my!  Did I find them!  My father's name still appeared above 'drapery' shops in the small villages I traveled to.  So, for me, reading Taylor's series called 'Country Doctor' is like return visits to 'the ole Sod'.

In this newest offering Patrick Taylor seamlessly takes the reader from his early days as a young doctor (newly graduated) practicing in the slums and tenements of Dublin (in the 1930's), to twenty plus years later where he has been a GP in the tiny village of Ballybucklebo.

If you start out with the first book, An Irish Country Doctor, and continue reading the series, you fast become one of the villagers. You know everyone and everyone knows you.  The series is the story of Fingal O'Reilly's life, his patients, his young doctor proteges, his loves and all the people that make up the village of Ballybucklebo.

The charm of Taylor's language is unparalleled.  "He's about as deep as a feckin' frying pan--and twice as dense." and, "How's life abusing you?" Bob asked.  "It's good to be off work and heading to play rugby, I can tell you that for free." Fin replied.    and

an old Irish joke about marching to your own drum and being out of step with everyone else;  "...the boy was marching in Belfast, and two women are on the side lines watching the parade.  One woman says to the another, 'That's desperate, so it is.  Everybody's out of step--except our wee Willie."

Another favorite was, 'yer face is as long as a wet Sunday...' and when the barkeeper brings the drinks he says, 'Gentlemen, your gargle.'

There are so many characters it's difficult to pick one or two to tell you about.  One of my favorites is 'Kinky' Kincaid, Fingal's long time housekeeper and cook.  She's such a character and isn't shy about getting 'dear Doctor' to do as she wants.  A real joy, at the end of every book, is a journal entry from Kinky's perspective and some wonderful recipes from her kitchen.

I'm not about to spoil it for you by going on and on about the story line (as so many reviewers do) because this book 'ties up' the story lines of his books that went before it.  Suffice it to say that Patrick Taylor has out-done himself again!  Highly recommended.

Don't Miss my Interview with Mr. Taylor on November 5th  & 7th.  Excerpt:  "I’m from the North of Ireland and so all my works are set there and initially I was determined not to use my medical background as a kind of performance enhancing aid but rather delve into the lives of ordinary people in the Ulster Troubles. The result was a collection of short stories. The next step was to try a novel; and again it was non medical. I then tried to get my editor to bind my collected medical humour columns. She said she would—if my name was Garrison Keillor, a polite way of saying, “Who’s ever heard of Pat Taylor?” but she liked the characters. Could I try a novel about them?"

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DON'T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS featuring INTERVIEWS with other best-selling AUTHORS!  "The Writer's Corner"

I have had a wonderful response from other authors and will feature an interview with one once a month . These authors have already responded and you can read their interviews by clicking on their name: Ann Purser, Susan Elia MacNeal,  Karen Robards, Mark Childress, Rhys Bowen, Dean Koontz, Tasha Alexander, Patrick Taylor, Sheryl Woods, Jo-Ann Mapson, Jeffrey Deaver, Cathy Lamb, Elizabeth Gilbert, Amber Winckler, Raymond Benson, Andrew Grant, Heidi Jon Schmidt, 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!   Jeffrey Deaver was October's author and Patrick Taylor will join us in November.  Slick mystery writer, Andrew Grant will join us this winter. Loretta Chase will be featured later this year. Raymond Benson is my January author.

To receive my posts sign up for my   Go to the home page; On the right side there is 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! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Emma and the Lost Unicorn" an Audio Book is now Available!!

   GREAT NEWS!  "Emma and the Lost Unicorn" is now AVAILABLE as an AUDIO BOOK

at www.audible.com and www.amazon.com and iTunes.com

 

In addition to a paperback with wonderful illustrations it is AVAILABLE in AUDIO

Emma Retail Sample Listen

 

Rainey, the unicorn, is a prince who has been banished, for centuries, by the warlock, Hazard. He can never return home unless Emma solves more riddles than Kodak. The fable ends with a surprise twist, when Hazard's Lieutenant reveals his secret weakness. It will delight readers young and old. While written for children, this fairy tale is sophisticated enough to appeal to adults as well.

Queens, warlocks, faeries, elves, unicorns, handmaidens, scary henchmen and one small mortal girl child, in an enchanted forest. The rhetorical owl and naughty elf provide much laughter.

This parable offers many subtle lessons.

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DON'T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS featuring INTERVIEWS with other best-selling AUTHORS!  "The Writer's Corner"

I have had a wonderful response from other authors and will feature an interview with one once a month . These authors have already responded and you can read their interviews by clicking on their name: Ann Purser, Susan Elia MacNeal,  Karen Robards, Mark Childress, Rhys Bowen, Dean Koontz, Tasha Alexander, Patrick Taylor, Sheryl Woods, Jo-Ann Mapson, Jeffrey Deaver, Cathy Lamb, Elizabeth Gilbert, Amber Winckler, Raymond Benson, Andrew Grant, Heidi Jon Schmidt, 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!  September will feature Tasha Alexander. Jeffrey Deaver is October's author and Patrick Taylor will join us in November.  Slick mystery writer, Andrew Grant will join us this winter. Loretta Chase will be featured later this year. Raymond Benson is my January author.

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! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

 

 

 

 

He Always Makes Me Smile...and Think!

    More from Charles Bukowski........His insight is pure truth but who among us would think in quite this way?  Never a glass far from his hand, never a woman far from his arm, never a stubby pencil far from his fingers...the genius wrote and wrote and then wrote some more... and very little of it was false.

 

it's strange  ©

it's strange when famous people die

whether they have fought the good fight or

the bad one.

it's strange when famous people die

whether we like them or not

they are like old buildings old streets

things and places that we are used to

which we accept simply because they're

there.

it's strange when famous people die

it's like the death of a father or

a pet cat or dog.

and it's strange when famous people are killed

or when they kill themselves.

the trouble with the famous is that they must

be replaced and they can never quite be

replaced, and that gives us this unique

sadness.

it's strange when famous people die

the sidewalks look different and our

children look different and our bedmates

and our curtains and our automobiles.

it's strange when famous people die:

we become troubled.

Don't miss my Interview with Charles Bukowski......click here

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DON'T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS featuring INTERVIEWS with  best-selling AUTHORS!   "The Writer's Corner"

I have had a wonderful response from other authors and will feature an interview with one once a month . These authors have already responded and you can read their interviews by clicking on their name: Ann Purser, Susan Elia MacNeal,  Karen Robards, Mark Childress, Rhys Bowen, Dean Koontz, Tasha Alexander, Patrick Taylor, Sheryl Woods, Jo-Ann Mapson, Jeffrey Deaver, Cathy Lamb, Elizabeth Gilbert, Amber Winckler, Raymond Benson, Andrew Grant, Heidi Jon Schmidt, 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!  September will feature Tasha Alexander. Jeffrey Deaver is October's author and Patrick Taylor will join us in November.  Slick mystery writer, Andrew Grant will join us this winter. Loretta Chase will be featured later this year. Raymond Benson is my January author.

To receive my posts sign up for my   On the home page, enter your email address. Click on "join my blog". You need to confirm in an email from 'Writer at Play' . Thanks!

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Behind the Shattered Glass by Tasha Alexander...a review

     5 out of 5 quills     A Review of Tasha Alexander's latest Release

I don't know about you but I love the characters in a story 'below the stairs' as much as the main characters in stories such as Downton Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs and of course in all of Alexander's  'Lady Emily Mysteries'.  This author has always given her readers a little taste of the servants' lives surrounding her main characters: investigators, Emily and Colin Hargreave.

But in Behind the Shattered Glass we get to walk behind the 'green baize door' and join the servants in the kitchen.  And what wonderful characters they are!

This is a tangled murder mystery and I think, one of Alexander's best.  A beautiful country home, love is in the air, and the rich aristocrats are doing what rich aristocrats do; shooting, drinking, dancing seducing, riding, and sleuthing.

 

Only this author would have the murder victim crashing through the French doors to fall at the feet of our heroine and then have the unmitigated gall to bleed all over the Persian rug!  She is very tongue in cheek and I'm not certain if it's suppose to be funny....but alas, I have an odd funny bone.

To get the full enjoyment from these Lady Emily mysteries read them in order as there is a strong story line from book to book.

Highly recommended.

Did you miss my interview with this charming and intriguing author?  Click here 

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DON'T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS featuring INTERVIEWS with other best-selling AUTHORS!  "The Writer's Corner"

I have had a wonderful response from other authors and will feature an interview with one once a month . These authors have already responded and you can read their interviews by clicking on their name: Ann Purser, Susan Elia MacNeal,  Karen Robards, Mark Childress, Rhys Bowen, Dean Koontz, Tasha Alexander, Patrick Taylor, Sheryl Woods, Jo-Ann Mapson, Jeffrey Deaver, Cathy Lamb, Elizabeth Gilbert, Amber Winckler, Raymond Benson, Andrew Grant, Heidi Jon Schmidt, 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!  September will feature Tasha Alexander. Jeffrey Deaver is October's author and Patrick Taylor will join us in November.  Slick mystery writer, Andrew Grant will join us this winter. Loretta Chase will be featured later this year. Raymond Benson is my January author.

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! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Best selling Author, Jeffery Deaver...an Interview (part 2)

  JD: "Mickey Spillane once told me: “People don’t read books to get to the middle. They read to get to the end.”

  Part 2 of my Interview with author, Jeffery Deaver



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

A. I’m not sure I completely understand this question. If you mean the work process, I can tell you that I spend the better part of a year to create a detailed outline for my novels. Because my thrillers are so plot-driven, it’s important for me to know exactly where the story is going before I begin writing it. My outlines run hundreds of pages long and are the most difficult part of the writing process, but the most important. The outlines are where I work out all the twists and turns in the story. Once I finish the outline, writing the novel is fairly easy and only takes a few months. It takes about a year for me to write a novel, although some years I write two novels a year.

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

A. I usually get an idea for a plot, then craft characters who can best serve that plot.

Q. What inspired your story/stories ?

A. My ideas mostly come from my own imagination, although my stories are also influenced by events happening all around us.

Q. When is your next book coming out? (or) What are you working on?

A. My next novel is The October List, coming in October. It’s a thriller set in reverse chronological order.

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

A. No. At least for now, I’m quite content to continue in my genre. I don’t believe in writing for myself, but believe in writing for the audience. If my audience wants a particular genre from me, then that’s what I hope to give them.

Q. Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know?

A. I hope any aspiring writers out there won’t be discouraged by rejection. Every writer—even published ones—have work rejected. You just have to keep going until you meet with success.

Excerpt from Deaver's website:  You were once a folk singer?  "Ah, there’s nothing like music. It’s seductive, it’s all-consuming, it’s emotional, it’s infinitely creative . . . . I was a singer-songwriter, not particularly talented musically but drawn to the craft of song writing. I liked the challenge of writing in a very concise structure in which both meaning and form are important. (It’s far easier to write long than it is to write economically.) I performed and taught music in clubs in the San Francisco Bay area and Chicago. But that was years ago and I don’t do it anymore."

http://www.jefferydeaver.com/

 

Click here to read Part I of this interview

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DON'T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS featuring INTERVIEWS with other best-selling AUTHORS!   "The Writer's Corner"

I have had a wonderful response from other authors and will feature an interview with one once a month . These authors have already responded and you can read their interviews by clicking on their name: Ann Purser, Susan Elia MacNeal,  Karen Robards, Mark Childress, Rhys Bowen, Dean Koontz, Tasha Alexander, Patrick Taylor, Sheryl Woods, Jo-Ann Mapson, Jeffrey Deaver, Cathy Lamb, Elizabeth Gilbert, Amber Winckler, Raymond Benson, Andrew Grant, Heidi Jon Schmidt, 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!  September will feature Tasha Alexander. Jeffrey Deaver is October's author and Patrick Taylor will join us in November.  Slick mystery writer, Andrew Grant will join us this winter. Loretta Chase will be featured later this year. Raymond Benson is my January author.

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

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An Interview with Jeffery Deaver...Best selling author of murder mysteries

     Multi-talented, murder mystery best selling author,  JEFFERY DEAVER shares his writing life with us.........

"I never took classes. There aren’t any books that I would recommend. The best way to learn about writing is to study the work of other writers you admire."

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

A. Usually I write in an office in my house. But, I write pretty much anywhere — on planes, in hotel rooms, anywhere in my house. (My office sometimes gets so cluttered I end up working in the kitchen. When the kitchen goes, it’s up to my bedroom. And so on and so on. I wish I had a bigger house.) I like the writing area to be silent (or with jazz or classical accompaniment occasionally) and either windowless or shaded. When it comes time to write the book itself I’ll shut the lights out, picture the scene I’m about to write then close my eyes and go at it.

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

A. Unfortunately, and as boring as this sounds, I don’t have any rituals. I get to work early in the morning and write eight to ten hours a day.

Q. What is your mode of writing? 

A. I work on the computer. Once a book is completed, I print out a hard copy and edit it, then input any corrections back into the computer.

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

A. I look on writing as I would any job. I show up early and work eight to ten hours a day, every day, whether I feel like it or not. I never take a day off. Even when I travel, I write on the plane and in hotel rooms. I never wait for inspiration. If I did, I would never get anything done. I sometimes will put my book aside for a short period to write a short story or two. As soon as a novel is finished, I start right in on the next one.

Q. What’s your best advice to other writers for overcoming procrastination?

A. When you write for a living, you really don’t have the luxury of procrastination. If someone has writer’s block, it may be more of an idea block. Sometimes an idea just isn’t working. If you have a craftsman’s command of the language and basic writing techniques you’ll be able to write — as long as you know what you want to say. This is not to belittle the affliction, of course, because figuring out what you want to communicate can be one hell of a daunting task. When I find myself frozen — whether I’m working on a brief passage in a novel or brainstorming about an entire book — it’s usually because I’m trying to shoehorn an idea into the passage or story where it has no place. When that happens, it may be helpful to put the story or novel aside and start something new.

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

A. I don’t get lost in the sense that I’m overtaken by a creative force, but while I’m at work, I do a fairly good job at concentrating on the work I’m doing.

Q. Who or what is your “Muse” at the moment?

A. As I mentioned, because writing is my profession, I tend to look at the craft as a job. It’s a job I love, of course, but it’s still a job, so I don’t work from inspiration or a Muse.

Q. When did you begin to write seriously?

A. I started writing seriously as a teenager.

Q. How long after that were you published?

A. It took about twenty years (and many rejections) before my first novel was published, and several more years before I had any real success.

Q. What makes a writer great?

A. Writers who make the reader want to keep turning those pages to see what happens next are really great writers.

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Join us on October 10th for Part 2 of my interview with this best selling author

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DON'T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS featuring INTERVIEWS with  best-selling AUTHORS!   "The Writer's Corner"

I have had a wonderful response from other authors and will feature an interview with one once a month . These authors have already responded and you can read their interviews by clicking on their name: Ann Purser, Susan Elia MacNeal,  Karen Robards, Mark Childress, Rhys Bowen, Dean Koontz, Tasha Alexander, Patrick Taylor, Sheryl Woods, Jo-Ann Mapson, Jeffrey Deaver, Cathy Lamb, Elizabeth Gilbert, Amber Winckler, Raymond Benson, Andrew Grant, Heidi Jon Schmidt, 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!  September will feature Tasha Alexander. Jeffrey Deaver is October's author and Patrick Taylor will join us in November.  Slick mystery writer, Andrew Grant will join us this winter. Loretta Chase will be featured later this year. Raymond Benson is my January author.

To receive my posts sign up for my   On the home page, enter your email address. Click on "join my blog". You need to confirm in an email from 'Writer at Play' . Thanks!

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Don't Miss It! My Interview with murder mystery writer, Jeffery Deaver

October 7th we begin my Interview with world acclaimed, best selling mystery writer, Jeffery Deaver

This author has written dozens of spine-chilling, goose bumpy, edge of your seat, murder mysteries over a three decade writing career.  His mega success, "The Bone Collector" was made into a movie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I have had a wonderful response from other authors and will feature an interview with one once a month . These authors have already responded and you can read their interviews by clicking on their name: Ann Purser, Susan Elia MacNeal,  Karen Robards, Mark Childress, Rhys Bowen, Dean Koontz, Tasha Alexander, Patrick Taylor, Sheryl Woods, Jo-Ann Mapson, Jeffrey Deaver, Cathy Lamb, Elizabeth Gilbert, Amber Winckler, Raymond Benson, Andrew Grant, Heidi Jon Schmidt, 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!  September will feature Tasha Alexander. Jeffrey Deaver is October's author and Patrick Taylor will join us in November.  Slick mystery writer, Andrew Grant will join us this winter. Loretta Chase will be featured later this year. Raymond Benson is my January author.

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Inspiration...Take It Wherever, whenever You Can (part 7)

     I find inspiration for my writing, be it stories, plays, or poetry in sometimes the most unlikely places.  But, I never say 'no'.  Free your brain and spirit and let it GOOOO!

While driving today, out of the corner of my eye I saw a yellow blur on the other side of the freeway. It was just an instant impression and then I was on down the road.   A big Caterpillar loader lying peacefully under some trees, and if I squinted my eyes almost closed, it might have been a large animal lying there asleep in the shade.  With its legs tucked under its body, its neck stretched out long, its head resting in the loam below.  It looked so alive, there by itself, content to rest in the shade of the trees until someone came.  And this is what popped into my head.  It's called 'free association'.....what can I say?!

a well deserved rest  ©

driving down the road

i spied a huge loader, sleeping

tucked under several  trees

in the cool shade

its grinding tracks still

its long neck extended

its bucket head down



resting

on the soft grasses

bright yellow

it lay there

until the next big job

chewing up the earth

so peaceful it was

sleeping there

tired after a long day

resting, dozing

until the man came

with the key.

....more inspiration

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DON'T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS featuring INTERVIEWS with  best-selling AUTHORS!   "The Writer's Corner"

I have had a wonderful response from other authors and will feature an interview with one once a month . These authors have already responded and you can read their interviews by clicking on their name: Ann Purser, Susan Elia MacNeal,  Karen Robards, Mark Childress, Rhys Bowen, Dean Koontz, Tasha Alexander, Patrick Taylor, Sheryl Woods, Jo-Ann Mapson, Jeffrey Deaver, Cathy Lamb, Elizabeth Gilbert, Amber Winckler, Raymond Benson, Andrew Grant, Heidi Jon Schmidt, 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!  September will feature Tasha Alexander. Jeffrey Deaver is October's author and Patrick Taylor will join us in November.  Slick mystery writer, Andrew Grant will join us this winter. Loretta Chase will be featured later this year. Raymond Benson is my January author.

To receive my posts sign up for my   On the home page, enter your email address. Click on "join my blog". You need to confirm in an email from 'Writer at Play' . Thanks!

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'Okay!' Another word from my Box of Chocolates...Okay, tell me!

If you are one of my readers you know by now how much I love words.  New words, obscure words, the origin of words.  Ever wonder about the word, 'okay' 'OK' ??  I think you'll be surprised!  How many times do we use it in a day?  How many times do we hear it in a day?

Not to mention how many times a day we click on "OK"!

Here's some facts about the early history of the abbreviation O.K.

The historical record shows that 'OK' appeared as an abbreviation for "oll korrect" (a conscious misspelling of "all correct") in Boston newspapers in 1839.   It was reinterpreted in the 1840 United States presidential election as an affectionate reference to Presidential  candidate, Martin "OK" Van Buren. (shortened from 'Old Kinderhook' as Van Buren was born in Kinderhook, NY.)  Insinuating that he was an 'okay' guy.

Other examples at the time included G.T.T. for "gone to Texas" and K.Y. for "know yuse". The general fad may have existed in spoken or informal written American English for a decade or more before its appearance in newspapers.

O.K. was intended as a misspelling of "all correct". Deliberate word play was associated with the acronym fad and was a yet broader contemporary American fad. In this first phase, O.K. was spread with the acronym fad from Boston to other American cities.

For example, Eric Partridge says OK derives from the OK Club, which supported Martin "Old Kinderhook" Van Buren in 1840. That isn't wrong, but it's only half the story.  Democratic supporters of candidate Martin Van Buren equated "Oll Korrect" with "Old Kinderhook"   In response, Whig opponents attributed O.K., in the sense of "Oll Korrect", to Andrew Jackson's bad spelling. Thus, the election popularized 'OK'.

 

It see ms silly now to think we could have been running around yelling " oll korrect" and  clicking on the keyboard key that says "All Correct ".   Oh,  but wait, we would have named the button AC, wouldn't we have?   

For more from my series, "Life is just a Box of Chocolates" (words)

I have had a wonderful response from other authors and will feature an interview with one once a month . These authors have already responded and you can read their interviews by clicking on their name: Ann Purser, Susan Elia MacNeal,  Karen Robards, Mark Childress, Rhys Bowen, Dean Koontz, Tasha Alexander, Patrick Taylor, Sheryl Woods, Jo-Ann Mapson, Jeffrey Deaver, Cathy Lamb, Elizabeth Gilbert, Amber Winckler, Raymond Benson, Andrew Grant, Heidi Jon Schmidt, 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!  September  featured Tasha Alexander. Jeffrey Deaver is October's author and Patrick Taylor will join us in November.  Slick mystery writer, Andrew Grant will join us this winter. Loretta Chase will be featured later this year. Raymond Benson is my January author.

To receive my posts sign up for my   On the home page, enter your email address. Click on "join my blog". You need to confirm in an email from 'Writer at Play' . Thanks!

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An Ode to Our Cats...Hank and me (Part 2)

In his later years when he ran out of things to say about drinking, the sad state of the world, women, and brawling,  Charles (Hank) Bukowski wrote some really good stuff about his cats.  He always had one or two or five hanging around and his love and admiration for them shines through his words.

He inspired me to write an 'ode' to my most recent cats.  We have a lot in common, Hank and I.  Nowadays, I try to have only one cat at a time but in the past I've had up to five.  My downfall was that I decided to breed Persian cats....but, damn!  When the kittens were born, I couldn't bear to give them up.  That ended my breeding days.

Here is an ode to Hank's mean, old, junk-yard dog of a Cat.

bad fix   by Charles Bukowski

old Butch, they fixed him

the girls don't look like much

anymore.

when Big Sam moved out

of the back

I inherited big Butch,

70 as cats go, old, fixed,

but still as big and

mean a cat as anybody

ever remembered

seeing.

he's damn near gnawed

off my hand

the hand that feeds him

a couple of

times

but I've forgiven him,

he's fixed

and there's something in

him

that doesn't like

it.

at night

I hear him mauling and

running other cats through

the brush.

Butch, he's still a magnificent

old cat,

fighting

even without it.

what a bastard he must have been

with it

when he was 19 or 20

walking slowly down

his path

and I look at him

now

still feel the courage

and the strength

in spite of man's smallness

in spite of man's scientific

skill

old Butch

retains

endures

peering at me with those

evil yellow eyes

out of that huge

undefeated

head.

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     one for the old boy  by Charles Bukowski

he was just a

cat

cross-eyed,

a dirty white

with pale blue eyes

I won't bore you with his

history

just to say

he had much bad luck

and was a good old

guy

and he died.

like people die

like elephants die

like rats die

like flowers die

like water evaporates and

the wind stops blowing

the lungs gave out

last Monday.

now he's in the rose

garden

and I've heard a

stirring march

playing for him

inside of me

which I know

not many

but some of you

would like to

know

about.

that's

all.                                  To read part I click here

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DON'T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS featuring INTERVIEWS with  best-selling AUTHORS!   "The Writer's Corner"

I have had a wonderful response from other authors and will feature an interview with one once a month . These authors have already responded and you can read their interviews by clicking on their name: Ann Purser, Susan Elia MacNeal,  Karen Robards, Mark Childress, Rhys Bowen, Dean Koontz, Tasha Alexander, Patrick Taylor, Sheryl Woods, Jo-Ann Mapson, Jeffrey Deaver, Cathy Lamb, Elizabeth Gilbert, Amber Winckler, Raymond Benson, Andrew Grant, Heidi Jon Schmidt, 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!  September featured Tasha Alexander. Jeffrey Deaver is October's author and Patrick Taylor will join us in November.  Slick mystery writer, Andrew Grant will join us this winter. Loretta Chase will be featured later this year. Raymond Benson is my January author.

To receive my posts sign up for my   On the home page, enter your email address. Click on "join my blog". You need to confirm in an email from 'Writer at Play' . Thanks!

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