Curtiss Ann Matlock's Blog, page 16
January 23, 2019
Why Be a Writer?
Enid Bagnold bio on Wikipedia
I find it helpful to look at the lives of other writers. I like to find authors that lead me to think: Well he/she did that; I can, too. I also look because I am a writer, and therefore nosy about people. Enid Bagnold, the author of the above quote, also authored the classic stories National Velvet and The Chalk Garden, among many other novels, plays, and short stories. She must have been quite the strong heart, as she was a nurse in the Great War. She was fired...
January 17, 2019
Free and Sale Books!
SWEET DREAMS AT THE GOODNIGHT MOTEL is on sale today through Tuesday, January 17 – 22, $1.99, at all major online bookstores.[image error]
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And don’t forget that Donna Fasano’s FREE BOOKS start today!
Check them out!
[image error]JASON, Single Daddy Club, book 2
REECE, Single Daddy Club, book 3
Reader friends, if you enjoy these books, please leave a review. (Of course, if you don’t like them, remember Mama’s advice: “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”) I do try for that goal.
Blessings,
Cur...
January 14, 2019
Book Recommendations–the Latest No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, two sweet romances, and news of my own.
I have used the Christmas and New Year holiday weeks to practice the habit of stopping what I’m doing and sitting to read. I am reading much more again!
[image error]I finally got to read the latest installment from the beloved No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency novels by Alexander McCall Smith: THE COLORS OF ALL THE CATTLE, #19 in the series. Of course I enjoyed it immensely. I adore heroine Precious Ramotswe and would so love to have tea with her. As usual, the title is more simple fun and reflective of th...
January 5, 2019
Don’t Miss Powell’s Compendium of Readerly Terms
Prin-tro-vert: n. a person who favors the company of books to people.
That would be me, sadly, the truth.
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This is from Powell’s Compendium of Readerly Terms. Of course readerly is not a word in the dictionary, well, until now. We all know it should be a word. Many words we use should be official words, and the people at Powell’s Bookstore have taken it upon themselves to start a list of readerly terms. Get over there and check it out. They have it in journals! Oh, happy day!
January 4, 2019
Oh, the Places a Word Takes You!
Do you choose a guiding word for the year? It is a popular idea, especially for those of us–many, many of us–who find resolutions far too daunting. Too many failures connected to resolutions. Can’t fail by mulling over a word, looking up the various definitions and quotes. A word guides and enlarges the grey matter. I don’t count forgetting my guiding word by March as a failure. I think of it buried in the psyche, producing all manner of helpful stimulus.
Thus, the word I choose for 2019 is...December 31, 2018
Wise Thoughts to Keep You Writing, and moving on, in the New Year
[image error]I recently was reminded of Eric Maisel’s book, LIVING THE WRITER’S LIFE. I pulled it off my shelf, opened it to see the many highlighted passages. I was surprised. I had read the book so thoroughly as to make that many highlights, and yet each one seemed like reading the thought for the first time.
Thoughts that came as I read Maisel’s wisdom sparked more thoughts and had me pulling book after book from my shelves and nooks and crannies, until now my desk and the floor are scattered. As I’ve...
November 5, 2018
If You Enjoy Christmas Novels…
[image error]Since I have new subscribers to the blog, and also many of you might want to gift someone with a Valentine novel, I’m reminding you of Christmas Comes to Valentine .
You can read more about the book Here.
You can read an excerpt Here.
From Amazon Reviews:
“Another lovely journey to a much simpler time and good humor, surprises and Christmas Joy!”
“Such a lovely book.”
“The characters are so true to life, you think of them as your neighbors
or your own family.”
[image error]I want to re...
October 22, 2018
Oscar Hammerstein Was Right
I’ve been thinking about what I look for in a book as a reader and what I want to write as a writer. I’d hoped to write a blog post about the subject, but I’m busy with re-writes on a new book and can’t spare the time right now. Until then, I leave you with this bit of thought from writer-producer-director Oscar Hammerstein. What would be your thoughts on this?
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October 15, 2018
Her Values and Choices are Important
When I read this quote from Maya Angelou, it occurred to me that all of my heroines are doing this: living in an unending process of believing that she and her values and choices are important. This is a process in my own life. The world wants us to have it’s values and choices, but it is vital we each know and stand by our own. This is living our lives with faith in who God has made us to be.
October 10, 2018
Putting on the RV Woman Hat–Why I Chose A Travel Trailer
[image error]I have in the past weeks had a number of people ask various questions about choosing an RV. Imagine my surprise. I got my first RV a year ago in August. Why would people think I know anything? Imagine my surprise again when, in the answering of these questions, I realized that I have gained a vast amount of knowledge on the subject, and that gained mostly from hard hands-on experience.
Like everything, this choice of an RV is a very personal deal. What I can do is give you a peek into my exp...
