Deborah Adams's Blog, page 17

Hiking as Walking Meditation

guest post by Joan M. Griffin, author of Force of Nature: Three Women Tackle the John Muir Trail

“Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace is Every Step

Hiking can be a wonderful way to integrate meditation into an active, outdoor lifestyle. Even a short walk along the trail can be an opportunity for mindfulness.

Nature invites us to be in the present moment and to connect with the world around us. The raw beauty of nature makes it easy for the ...

Yes, I’m Puerto Rican and I’m a U.S. Citizen

a guest post by Margarita Barresi

When I set out to write historical fiction based in Puerto Rico, I wanted to tell a great story, but I also wanted to educate. I was tired of answering questions like, “How did you get your green card” or “When did you come to this country?” A Morning Consult poll taken right after Hurricane María devastated Puerto Rico in 2017 found that only 54% of Americans knew Puerto Ricans were U.S. citizens. Not surprising, considering U.S. schools teach very little ab...

But I’ll Be On Medicare When The Book Comes Out (Why It’s Never Too Late to Achieve Your Dreams!)

a guest post by Catherine C Hall

Twenty years ago, I was lounging about the pool when a friend mentioned she was thinking about going back to school for her Masters. “But I’ll be fifty years old when I finish it,” she lamented. 

“And how old,” I asked her, “will you be if you don’t go back to school?” 

She went back to school, got her Masters. Sometimes, all we need is a reminder that it’s not age that’s the obstacle, it’s our thinking. And even knowing better, I battle ageism, ...

b.read.crumbs : Preserving

“Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?” ~Hamilton: An American Musical

Everyone has stories to tell, but not everyone is a writer. If that’s you—if writing doesn’t bring you joy—then stick with me for the rest of this post.

When Julie Herman and I compose our monthly b.read.crumbs posts, we usually share writing-related thoughts. That is, we tell you some of what we know about plotting or rhyming or submitting or surviving the writing life. We love our writer communities and few t...

Emily Winslow ~ Three Questions & a Cover

A short interview wherein my guest, one of my favorite authors, answers three questions about the writing life.

Question 1

What books do you recommend for an aspiring writer?

Stephen King’s On Writing and Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird are two of my favorites. Most of all, though, I recommend aspiring writers read whatever they feel drawn to, heaps and heaps of it. How-to-write books are wonderful and useful (of course I would say that!) but if I had to choose, reading and being exc...

What’s Old Is (Can Be?) New Again

a guest post by Steven Womack

I can’t believe it’s been this long.

Then again, I can’t believe I’m this old.

Long before a lot of you reading this were ever born, a high school teacher in upstate Ohio assigned my junior English class a novel to read. I’d never heard of the book or the author and when we went to the bookstore to buy our copies, we were—to a manjack one of us (this was an all boys boarding school)—gobsmacked to see that the book was a mass market paperback, with tiny ...

Get Your Book Seen and Sold

a new book from Claudine Wolk and Julie Murkette

It is easier than ever to publish a book, but many authors find out too late about the actual work-the book marketing-that needs to be done to achieve sizable book sales. Instead of embracing the opportunities to promote their books, authors are intimidated and shut down. Those days are over. This is the book authors MUST HAVE to give their books the best chance to be seen and sold.  

In this essential, easy-to-read, and easy-to-...

Lisa Dordal ~ 3 Questions & a Poem

3 Questions and a Poem–in which one of my favorite poets is interviewed and shares a poem.

Image by cromaconceptovisual from PixabayQUESTION 1

What do you consider the three most important elements of a poem?

For me, the three most important elements of a poem are authenticity, accessibility, and a sense of surprise or discovery. These are what I consider to be the three most important macro elements. Elements such as sound, imagery, word choice, form, etc. are also essential (of co...

b.read.crumbs : Storytelling

Once upon a time and not so very long ago, I outlined an August in which I’d make final revisions on three essays, but my story took a turn I never anticipated.

Backstory: Instead of writing and hiking at my leisure, I spent the month living in a chair-bed (it wasn’t very good at being either of those things) in my husband’s hospital room. Every two or three days, spelled by my children, I’d go home to wash clothes, water the plants, and sleep through the night. Repeat for three weeks, th...

Anne R Allen – Three Questions & a Cover

Three Questions and a Cover — a short interview with one of my favorite authors, along with one of the author’s covers.

Trust me–if you aren’t a fan of Anne R Allen’s writing, it’s only because you haven’t read her yet.

Question 1What one piece of advice can you offer to a writer who has yet to tackle the publishing world?

Network! Every step forward in my career has come from networking. I got my first publisher because I networked with people who worked on a literary magazine wher...