Cathy Perkins's Blog, page 11

TECHNOLOGIES THAT WILL CHANGE THE WAY STORIES ARE TOLD

By Kathryn Lane

Houston hosted Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience. Not to miss an important event, Bob and I attended with friends from Angel Fire. So many exhibits are hyped up that we did not know what to expect. Then we left talking about what an amazing show we’d witnessed.

First, you glimpse blowups of Vincent’s paintings that come together though electronic enhancement as you watch. Another room provides photo ops were you can sit in Vincent’s bedroom in Arles and have your picture taken. ...

A Morning Routine For Real People

New year, new habits, new routines, new goals. It's that time again to re-evaluate everything in our life. Happy New Year! I thought I'd share with you a routine that I've been struggling with since March 2020 (you all know what happened back then, no need to rehash, right?). Up until that month, my morning routine was operating on auto-pilot and it worked for me. So when it got derailed, I was left scrambling finding a new morning routine. So, today we're going to talk about morning routines.

Yo...

End of year ramblings by Dru Ann Love

It’s my turn to post and I have no idea what to talk about.

Many people are putting out their top or best list. I did it last year and found it was very hard to pick 10 books and in the back of my head, I don’t want to disappoint my author friends. Like last year, Kaye Barley asked us what books we liked in 2021 and click here (you’ll have to scroll) to see my list.

Due to the current situation that shall remain nameless and due to medical issues, my reading has struggled. In the past, I wou...

The Grinch Grows a Heart

 

 

 

 

Writer, humanist,
          dog-mom, horse servant and cat-slave,
       Lover of solitude
          and the company of good friends,
        New places, new ideas
           and old wisdom.

 

 

What a year it has been, scowls my Grinch.

Covid has wielded a scythe among us for the past two years now, cutting down the elderly like dry wheat. Omicron is coming/here. Even if it proves to be less deadly, we could end up with higher deaths due to pesky math. (If the death rate is lower...

2021 Survivor's Notes by Juliana Aragon Fatula

Dear Reader,
The smile on my face in my Aspen Grove several years ago shows that I love living in Southern Colorado. What the smile does not show is that living in my hometown of Canon City, aka Klanyon City, has never been easy for me but my grandparents, parents, and several siblings are buried here and this is my birthplace and will probably end up being my final resting place. I will have my ashes scattered with my Sister, Irene, on Irene's mountain about fifteen minutes from my home. 
The dif...

Can’t We All Just Get Along?

Sign on a Bookstore WindowBy Lois Winston 

No matter where you fall along the political spectrum, you have to admit it’s been a divisive few years. Couple that with a pandemic and various conflicts going on across the globe, and it’s a wonder we all don’t crawl into bed, pull blankets over our heads, and refuse to come out. And we’re adults. Think about how our children must feel. 

 

If you have a young child on your holiday shopping list, you might want to consider purchasing a copy of The Magic P...

Hurray for In-Person Events by Saralyn Richard When the...

 

Hurray for In-Person Events

by Saralyn Richard

 

When the pandemic hit hard in March, 2020, I had just released A Palette for Love and Murder, and I had a full calendar of events for promoting it. Launch parties, bookstore talks, organization meetings, book clubs—all had been carefully lined up, taking many hours of contact, follow-up, baking, and swag-shopping.

Then, one by one, in an exorable, painful march through the calendar pages, each event was canceled. The book came out with a sigh ins...

Holiday Story Traditions

by Paula Gail Benson

Stories have always been part of the holiday season. Whether from reality, like the newspaper response to Virginia O’Hanlon’s letter from the editor of New York Sun (often called “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus”); or Clement Clarke Moore’s “A Visit from Saint Nicholas,” also known by its first line “T’was the Night Before Christmas;” or Charles Dickens’ frequently presented in different contexts A Christmas Carol; or movies like It’s a Wonderful Life, White Christmas,...

Warm Wishes and a Holiday Short Story

by Shari Randall

It's the most wonderful time of the year....

We've heard those words sung hundreds of times over the years and, yes, for me, this is the most wonderful time of the year. I love Christmas, every bit from wrapping gifts, to carols, to the delightful scents of nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves as I bake my traditional gingerbread cookies. Hallmark Christmas movies? I'm in!

Another aspect of the holidays I love? Reading books set at Christmas. So when readers asked for a holiday story about...

The Gift of Music, with Barbara Kyle

 

December marks six years since I took my very first violin lesson. 

An interesting session. It went something like this:

 

Luckily, my teacher was, and remains, the super-talented and incredibly patient pro violinist, Anna Hughes.

At first, I merely dipped my toe in: I rented a violin. After all, I might hate it or be impossible to teach; in either case, I could just give up.

Wondrously, neither happened. Novice though I was, every time I picked up the violin to practice, I felt a lovely, sweet...