Cathy Perkins's Blog, page 132
March 13, 2014
Flaming Pucks
Brother Fritz was an anomaly among the Jesuits at Gonzaga. Most of the religious were priests, a few were scholastics on the way to taking their vows, but very few had chosen to be brothers. I asked one of the priests why someone would make that choice, and he said there were some men called to serve who did not have the intelligence to master the philosophy, theology, and other disciplines Jesuit priesthood required.
But Brother Fritz was smart. And, unlike some priests, he had powerful skill...
March 11, 2014
Defining March Madness
March Madness is a very familiar term. First and foremost, of course, it refers to NCAA basketball. In Minnesota (and other states, I’m sure) we also dub our state high school hockey tournament with the title. It brings to mind Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter, the March Hare and all their resulting insanity. Finally, it’s a good catch-all phrase around my neck of the woods for the dopiness that is Minnesota winter.
Today, it’s the only phrase that appropriately describes the freaky fun...
March 5, 2014
Writers Journey-Tanisha Jones
Writer’s Journey–where Brynn speaks with up-and-coming writers about their path to publication as well as the stories they love to read.
Welcome, Tanisha. Tell us about your writing journey?
I’ve written off and on for years, but only in the past three years have I been focusing seriously on my writing.
My Journey as a writer has taken the scenic route. I began writing at an early age about seven or eight years old. I was an only child until I was eleven and though I have a very tight knit e...
February 27, 2014
Meet Debut Author Deb Julienne
I’d love to introduce you to debut author Deb Julienne! She has a brand new series starting next week with her novel titled “Sex, Lies, and Beauty Aides,” a super-fun-sounding, sexy romp. Today Deb is here to show us how a romance writer’s mind works when coming up with a new story—or in Deb’s case, a new series. Below is a very, very lovely gallery of gentlemen and ladies who inspired the series Deb is working on next.
Here’s a little biography for you. Welcome to Blame it on the Muse, Deb!
Wh...
My Apprenticeship
I made hundreds of trips into what was called DC’s “riot corridor” in my high school years. The burned-out, desperate section of the city (near 14th and U, NW) still smelled of smoke some days. After school and through one summer, I did research at the old Children’s Hospital.
In exchange for odd jobs around the microbiology lab, I was guided first through my investigation of skin bacteria and later through rigorous tests of antibiotics. I got equipment and training and a life-long love of res...
February 26, 2014
Romance at the Movies: Oscar Edition
In my mid-teens to early twenties, I was obsessed with movies, and would make every effort I could to see all of the Academy Award nominees before Oscar night. At one point, I even dreamed of becoming a film director (well, I still do, but that’s a completely different post for a day in the distant future.) When my peers were fawning over rock stars, I idolized the likes of Alfred Hitchcock and Kenneth Branagh.
With age, career, and children, my time commitments have grown to nearly insurmount...
February 25, 2014
Requiem in Red Cover Reveal
The following is an interview by the lovely Dana Brantley Seiders. You can visit her at http://www.dbsieders.wordpress.com/
I am delighted to welcome Brynn Chapman to my blog.
Brynn is a fellow member of team Aponte Literary, represented by our wonderful agent Victoria Lea, and I recently had the great pleasure of reading her YA Fantasy Romance, Where Bluebirds Fly. Now I’m not normally a fan of YA, but Verity Montague is such a unique and compelling heroine that I was captivated from the get-...
February 20, 2014
Gratitude
Today’s Thoughtful Thursday is about Gratitude. What makes us grateful? What bonuses in every day life make it worthwhile to keep on going – to work, to the gym, to the grocer, to the laundromat? This time of year with all the snow, ice and cold it’s more important now than ever to remember to be grateful.
One fun way I discovered to track my thanks is so simple it’s laughable – a Gratitude Jar!
Isn’t it unusual for such a low-tech item to be so popular? When I saw my first one, I thought, ‘now...
February 13, 2014
Hot Dog
My first experience with the consequences of drinking and the only time I was ever chastised for being drunk occured during senior year. I was part of the cast of The Unsinkable Molly Brown. Ironically, I hadn’t had anything to drink (or done any drugs). Still I have to admit I was high.
The chemistry of the stage is like no other. I’ve been involved in a small way in drama in recent years as a playwright, director, and stage manager, but it was all new to me in high school. Big personalities,...
February 5, 2014
Twilight Zoning – An Unusual Source of Story Imagination
From: Depositphotos.com
People ask me where I get my story ideas. Like everyone else, I answer, seeing something, hearing something, being somewhere. To be honest, though, my best ideas come at that brief moment at predawn, between sleep and consciousness. I like to call it Twilight Zoning, a cooler name for Stage 5 or REM sleep.
REM sleep , or rapid eye movement (also known as paradoxical sleep), accounts for 20–25% of total sleep time in most human adults. The criteria for REM sleep include...
