Linda K. Sienkiewicz's Blog, page 7

What, Why, How: Susan Sage

What:

My third novel, Dancing in the Ring, was published in 2023 by Black Rose Writing. While it’s Historical Fiction, it can also be described as Historical Biography or Historical Romance. It’s the story of Detroit in the 1920s through the 1930s, as much as it is the love story and tumultuous marriage of Catherine McIntosh and Robert Sage—my great aunt and uncle.

Why:

My father’s uncle was something of a legend during those years, while his aunt’s story never really got told. Bo...

August- A Collaborative Poem

I wrote the first stanza, and friends contributed the other lines of this collaborative poem! I hope you enjoy it as much as you enjoy this late summer month.

Hello August:

August will be filled with fireflies
August will be filled with sidewalk heat
August will be filled with lemonade
August will be filled with dips in the lake
August will be filled with children dancing in the sprinkler

August will be filled with early dog walks and laughter

August will be filled with campfires
August ...

Writing for favors

You want me to do WHAT?

A while ago I did some web writing in exchange for other services for an acquaintance after they begged me to help them. I figured how hard could it be? As it turned out, I spent hours trying to translate a disjointed spoken message into readable text while also doing research on the products so that what I wrote made sense. The exchange of goods eventually worked, but I learned an important lesson about doing favors: it’s better to say no. Often a “little somethin...

Pet Grief: Don’t let anyone tell you it’s not real

You know it’s coming:

This illustration of a herd of corgis racing into heaven as Queen Elizabeth waited to greet them recently brought me to tears. I still miss my corgi Clementine after losing her 5 months ago.

Yet, when you adopt a dog or cat, you know you will likely outlive them. It’s part of animal ownership that someday we’ll have to make that awful decision to let them go when their health fails. By the way, I hate that phrase “put down,” as in “We had to put down our shih tzu....

To Bloom Forever: Perennial Gifts

Where flowers bloom so does hope

An old house in our neighborhood had the most lovely perennial garden. In fact, it had been included in my hometown’s garden tour at one time. Often when I walked by, I complimented the elderly woman who tended the flowers on a daily basis in the summer. She lived with a couple whom I assumed were her family. She didn’t speak English, but smiled and nodded at me as if she knew what I said. I once tried greeting in Polish, but she simply shook her head.

...

Garage Sale Notes

You never know what you need until you find it:

One person’s trash is another’s treasure. Years ago, I had garage sales to get rid of my kids’ outgrown clothes, toys and sports equipment, and filled notebook pages with character sketches of the shoppers and their stories. What is it about bargain hunting that brings out the most chatty people?

I haven’t held a garage sale in probably 20 years, but my neighbor was moving. She had a lot of big items to sell. I had lots of little stuff th...

Adult ADD/ADHD: A little neurospicy

Train(s) of thought:

“I don’t have a train of thought, I have seven trains on 4 tracks that narrowly avoid each other when the paths cross and all the conductors are screaming.” – Author Unknown

Is this you? It’s a good description of the ADD / ADHD brain. And it’s my brain.

The facts

ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) is a neurodevelopmental disorder. As a learning disability, it affects brain development, structure, and functi...

Spilling Secrets: Patti Eddington on memoir writing

The Girl with Three Birthdays:

I met Patti Eddington years ago at a Springfed Arts Writers’ Conference where her grace and enthusiasm drew me in. I couldn’t wait to read her adoption memoir, The Girl with Three Birthdays: An Adopted Daughter’s Memoir of Tiaras, Tough Truths, and Tall Tales, published by SheWrites Press. It did not disappoint.

As I wrote in a short review, “Her honesty is captivating and courageous. What she reveals about her biological family and her adoptive family is...

What, Why, How: Sara Henning

What:

I’m a poet with a scientist’s soul—a paradox, maybe, but it shapes how I navigate this wondrous and often difficult world. I majored in Genetics and English in college. Scholarships were the catalytic threads which wove my dreams of higher education into reality. I was a girl whose single mother worked multiple minimum wage jobs. My father, a firefighter, lost his life in the line of duty. I was often alone, shuttled between grandparents and after-school programs. Books were the onl...

Not the whole chicken: writing about sex

Erotica or porn:

“Erotica is using a feather; pornography is using the whole chicken.” — Isabel Allende

Crime writer Margot Kinberg says, “I’m no prude, but I’d rather use my imagination. I give credit to authors who can let me know what’s happening without going over all the details.”

Just as writers would not include every bite of every piece of food, every sip of wine, every napkin swipe when writing a dinner scene, they might not want to include every move, every sexual organ an...