Bev Pettersen's Blog, page 104

How I Know I’m Meant to be an Author

Authors Jeannie Lin and Shawntelle Madison with literary icon, The Cat in the Hat. (Notice how I’m color coordinated with The Cat. That was unplanned.)

Or…”A cold, rainy day in October.”

Last weekend I was invited to speak at a local literary festival held in our local U-city Loop. It was a happening area with a lot of foot traffic–sure to attract many passsers by. As publicity chair for the MORWA chapter, I also thought it would be a great opportunity for outreach to local authors and aspiring...

Zombies, Snow White, and Gypsies Oh My!

I’m a dresser-upper. Not in sophisticated jackets with heels and a stylish clutch. I’m talking about costumes. Since I was a little kid I’ve donned the clothes of characters. From a pilgrim on Thanksgiving to a decked out green kid going to school on St. Patrick’s Day, I dressed up whenever I could get away with it.

High school spirit week was the best. I dressed in a toga, painted my face, and wore my dad’s clothes on different days. The costumes made the mundane fun. I joined the Drama club...

You Are Not Alone

Robin Williams was such an amazing and multi-talented entertainer. He seemed equally comfortable with comedy or drama, scripted or unscripted, and everything in-between. He was enormously successful and, unfortunately, in great pain. Yet the tragedy of losing him too soon has shone a light on depression.

October is National Depression Awareness Month. Let’s start the conversation. Let’s treat depression like the disease it is.

I offered to write this post because it affects me at a personal lev...

Struggling to Be Heard

I have this theory, about the impulse to write, and I’m curious if it holds true for other writers, so please chime in with your take. Here’s the thing: I think a big chunk of my drive to write comes from a feeling of not being heard. Trying to communicate and finding either that no one is listening or that they don’t “get it” – and so I write in an effort to use the characters and stories to explain the complex “it” that I’m trying to get across.

I came to this realization recently as I was t...

Creative Minds: Trey Parker and Matt Stone

Eric Cartman

Having recently hit a rough patch in my own creative process, one of the things I’ve been doing to refill my personal creative well is to explore the creative processes of people whose work I enjoy and appreciate. Fair warning: This video-heavy blog post is likely to be the first in an occasional series because I found so much good stuff.

As someone who has to restrain herself from dropping the occasional f-bomb on the blog, it probably surprises no one that I’m a HUGE fan of Trey...

The Teal Pumpkin Project

It’s the scariest time of year for my daughter, and for millions of kids just like her. I’m not talking about goblins, witches, and ghosts, although that is pretty spooky. Actually, what I’m talking about is even more terrifying — candy.

WHAT?? How can candy be anything other than delicious, a treat clearly sent by God? And Halloween — a holiday for dressing up as a way of tricking your neighbors into filling up your bags with candy is the greatest day ever! But to kids with food allergies, di...

A Yak On a Cliff

I’m always amazed when my day job in marketing and advertising intersects with my writing lifeand today was one of those days. I’ve been a fan of the magazine, Redbook, for a long time. They have a sassy sensibility about them – the magazine’s fun and trendy but in an attainable way – and it’s one magazine I’ll always grab.

Recently, Adweek interviewed their editor-in-chief, Meredith Rollins, and she had a quote that caught me and I wanted to share:

“We get an incredibly high amount of social r...

Ruby Release: Whisper Falls Book 3 — Whispers From the Past

Amanda Brice here, ready to celebrate the release of Whispers From the Past, the third and final book in my Ruby Sister Elizabeth Langston’s amazing Whisper Falls trilogy.

I read each of these books as they were released, and gobbled them right up. Seriously, I couldn’t wait to get my greedy hands on this third book. If you haven’t delved into this time travel world yet, then now’s the perfect opportunity since the trilogy is finally complete! And trust me, she delivers.

But although I loved ev...

Are You An Affiliate?

Amanda Brice’s parents ended up surprising her by coming for a visit, so she didn’t get a chance to write the post she’d planned for today. So instead enjoy this reprise of a post from last year.

About a month back, I gave you all permission to laugh at me. My offense back then was that it took me about a year and a half to finally start a mailing list, so I missed out on hundreds, or possibly even thousands, of opportunities for sign-ups.

In the comments, author Courtney Milan pointed out that...

Plan Now for NaNo!

Just before dawn today, when I opened the door to let the dog out, the morning air was crisp and cold. The grocery stores are filled with Pumpkin Spice everything, and my daughter keeps pointing out turtleneck sweaters in clothing catalogs (and reminding me how often she empties the dishwasher without me asking…well, without me asking twice).
Yes, my friends, it’s Fall!!!!!
And that means, deep inside my writer’s soul, a familar chord is vibrating: IT’S ALMOST TIME FOR NANOWRIMO!!!

Don’t know Na...