Genta Sebastian's Blog, page 16

The Coultergeist Is Hoisted By Her Own Petard

Ann Coulter has been given a taste of her own medicine which has lasted since last Sunday night, when she decided to ridicule Michelle Obama's #BringBackOurGirls photo. She was not alone. In a shocking display of heartlessness, right-wing pundits began bemoaning hashtag activism when it was used in the hunt for the missing Nigerian school girls kidnapped by a ruthless group known for selling women into slavery. That, in itself, is offensive. Their obnoxious meme is that it will hurt the stole...

Pura Vida! Animals I've Never Seen Before

AnteaterThe animals of Costa Rica are vastly different than the ones I've encountered in the United States. Now granted, I haven't been everywhere, in every state of the union, but these animals seemed very exotic to me.

The very first animal I saw after arriving in Costa Rica, was down on the beach. This little guy is an anteater, and he was moving very slowly in the intense heat, hiding from the sun under the leaves of the tree.

IguanaShortly after that I started spotting iguanas, a vast vari...

All-Inclusive Vacations Rock!

 PURA VIDA!

"Pure life", or "Enjoy the good life", either definition explains the local phrase. It works as either a greeting, or a parting phrase, and can be sprinkled liberally around your conversations, much as Uff da, works in Minnesota. It must be accompanied with a smile, which isn't difficult since you're wishing such good fortune on people when you say it.


Riu Guanacaste in Costa Rica offers a wonderful experience, starting from the minute you enter their open air lobby and registe...

Costa Rica, Baby!

There are many things an author can do to improve their skills. Some of them include being positive, diligent, and keeping your butt in the chair. Those are the things that keep us writing.

But what about the depth and breadth of our stories? For that you need to interact with people and places new to you. Meet people from other cultures, and cheerfully learn from them. Visit other lands and see how your world and their's differ. Embrace the similarities between peoples, and celebrate the uniq...

Book Review Friday - Slow Dance in Paris

If you're looking for a gentle lesbian romance story, this is it.

Mary Wright's Slow Dance in Paris follows the adventures of Sophie, an unsophisticated young American fresh from high school in the early 1970's. Confused about a sexual liaison she has with a hippie after smoking hashish, unsure if she's been raped or not, Sophie puts everything behind her. She's finishing a grand tour of Europe when she meets a pair of charming lesbians. At their invitation, she goes to her first ever gay bar,...

Authors Abroad

Vacation time, a chance to write, or is that wrong?

The long winter is finally over (or ending, depending on where you are), and many people are planning or already going on vacation. Sun seekers from all around the world congregate in favorite locations to socialize, relax, reconnect with their families, and build memories to last through the next fifty weeks, if not a lifetime.

The question for writers becomes: Should I write while on vacation? Exotic locales can help the author stimulate cre...

Shape Shifters Race the Night

If you haven’t yet been caught up in the Midwest Shapeshifter series, now’s the time to find this delightful urban paranormal fantasy thriller with a side dish of hot romance. Or is it a hot paranormal romance with a side dish of fantasy thriller? Either way, the work of Deb Elliott is highly entertaining, and well worth your time and money. I was lucky enough to interview her yesterday about her exciting new Shapeshifter series.
Genta:  Thank you, Ms. Elliott, for this interview. I have...

Book Review Friday - Bring It Home

Bring It Home by Deb Elliott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

She's returned home to her parents, lost her fiance and house battling vampires, and dodged offers to join either the FBI or an international paranormal policing agency. However, instead of being allowed to grieve in peace DJ Jesserey finds herself once more in a battle against the forces of evil. Her father, the local sheriff, is receiving a disturbing number of missing person reports, so DJ goes on the hunt and discovers a ruthless group of...

Authors Are Artists Too

Elly Wagner's clay work during Celebrate Yourself!I just got back from a wonderful weekend filled with powerful women. I was reminded how pleasant it is to be surrounded by women who are unafraid of asking questions and eager to explore both inner and outer worlds.

The youngest was eighteen while the oldest was ninety-something. Although there were fewer than forty women there, the place rang with creative energy. Women wrote stories, painted, drummed, expressed the feminine form in clay, and...

My Slight Brush With History

César E. ChávezThe man my father told stories about as we sat around the family kitchen table became a legend, a leader of people on a quest for equality for all. I was still new to school, in second or third grade, I had four younger siblings, and life was one of ease and privilege.

My father was a physician/pediatrician who practiced in the town of Fresno, in the central valley of California. In the mid 1960's, he was one of the few doctors in the area who still made rural calls, sometimes d...