Kimberly Jo Smith's Blog, page 3

No Dying Here

There has never been a sweeter conveyance of thought, or masterly manner in which to articulate feelings, than what can be gleaned from poetry; however, I have of late been reading several essays on different forms of poetry, and to my surprise have found many of the writers professing their belief that poetry is a dying art. I had to smile at that, while shaking my head.Maybe in the world of some individuals poetry is dead, but not in mine. I see it all around me. It is in how we speak to one another at times, how we weave little sayings on pictures and call them memes, and how we sometimes say nothing at all, yet convey it quite nicely with a glance or a turn of the head. Poetry is in every song that we sing and every description we weave concerning all of the beauties of this world that the mind and heart can describe. Even in the more technical sense, poetry in written form is far from being ill, let alone giving up the ghost.According toPoetry.org,poetry as an art form predates literacy and was "a means of recording oral history, storytelling (epic poetry), genealogy, law and other forms of expression or knowledge that modern societies might expect to be handled in prose." From poetry simple stories have morphed into legends which tantalize our minds. There is nothing simple about poetry, yet it is the simplest form of expression. I cannot sing the praises of written verse loud enough! So though others may see it as a dying art, it is one of the many forms of writing that I love to pen.Though I write some short verse, my favorite is narrative poetry, and I have several in my poetry section such asFields of Heather,1483, Glory,  and my latest,Coinneach Odhar.For those who love to express themselves in verse, even if it is for your eyes only, then pour every word out and make it count. Poetry will never die, even if the human race ceased to be...for at such an hour it would still exist in heaven.

Heartbeats

Every emotion I cannot refrainBeholding a semblance of purity and lightMy heart will absorb what it must containFor there you will find my true love's delight.

A Little Flare

This month's showcase is all about illustration, and let me tell ya, Kristy Linder has some amazing work out there! Kristy is an illustrator from Utah, who graduated from Utah Valley University with a Bachelor's in Fine Arts Degree with an emphasis in Illustration.She is currently working as a product designer and freelance artist illustrating a children's book. She loves illustrating and telling stories with her art.Along with doing freelance, she also really loves working on her own pieces--just for fun! Aside from art, Kristy also loves hiking, yoga, dancing, writing, and being social. A lot of her pieces are inspired by her day to day life. If she sees a pet peeve that really bothers her, or something she loves, or anything that makes her feel inspired...BAM! She turns it into a painting.If you're interested in a commission, purchasing a print, or have any questions at all, please email Kristy at kristy.lender@gmail.com or use the contact form on her website http://kristylender.weebly.comLittle Miss Muffet

The July/August showcase author is up!

This month's showcase features historical fiction/romance writer, Donna Hatch. Check out her information on the author showcase section of this site.Do you believe in happily ever after? Then you will enjoy Donna Hatch's books. Make sure to look at her website as well, it is a journey in and of itself! Here is one author who knows how to write great stories and live them as well!

Healthy Food Doesn't Have to be Yucky

Okay, so yes, this  is a writing site...but I wouldn't be a southern lady if I didn't write about food every now and again, and I have bumped into some luscious items pertaining to eating gluten and soy free.When I was told I would have to go gluten free I thought I would die. But then years later I started having health issues and went to the doctor again. After getting the results of some tests I had a nice visit with the doctor...said no patient ever. I went in all positive and smiling, as oft I do. The doctor looked at me and said, "Do you like chocolate candy?" to which I replied, "Who doesn't, especially Nutella spread." He shook his head and said that I had an even worse allergy to processed soy, and that soy lecithin, an emulsifier, is in most chocolate candy...as well as many other candies and foods. I looked him straight in the face and said, "Well, sir, that means the second coming must be today, because if I can't have chocolate the world's coming to an end!" So what did I do? Went into complete denial and ate as much Nutella and M&M peanuts as I could in the next few days. I was determined to prove him wrong, after all, chocolate was my friend...it would never turn on me. The result? The traitorous vermin turned on me and treated me to a nice visit to the ER about a week later.So I had to concede that I could not eat store bought chocolate candy, brownies, cookies, cakes, etc. As I started looking at other foods I could not believe how many things had soy lecithin, hydrolyzed soy protein and many other forms of adulterated soy. So basically...I had to get back to basics. I started making everything from scratch and found that not only did everything taste better, but I felt better. Don't get me wrong, I've always made a lot of things from scratch, but life gets busy and there were many times I went the quicker method. What I learned from this is that chocolate itself is not evil, but what man is doing in some food processing is. If people would not mess with food so much it would not turn against us. The more they mess with it, the more cases of allergies pop up. I do not remember there being so many illnesses due to food when I was young, but I'll stay off of that soap box for now and concentrate on some ways I have found to "have my cake and eat it too!"That brings me to the next topic; what about desserts??? They lord have mercy! I had tried baking with gluten free flours and everything was so dry, ugh! Well, as time went by I put my southern nose to the grindstone and found a few good all purpose flours to work with. My favorite is Cup 4 Cuphttp://www.cup4cup.com/our-products/     People have different comfort zones though when it comes to textures and taste, likes and dislikes will vary. I have had the best luck with their flour, and thanks to a fellow southerner who has Celiac, I have been introduced to some recipes that are way better than any store bought.Go to this site for the best gluten/soy free chocolate cake.http://www.agirldefloured.com/2013/04/17/gluten-free-fudge-cake/It's a little heavier than regular cakes but it's oh so good. I like the fact that it is heavier, that is how homemade cakes used to be. It's thick and rich too!For the best gluten/soy free chocolate cookies:http://www.tasteloveandnourish.com/2012/11/18/virtuously-sinful-fudge-cookies/If they come out too thin just add a bit more flour and roll them into a ball.My newest discovery is the best pancakes EVER! Even if I wasn't gluten free I would be eating these!http://lizheather.com/thisislizheather/2014/5/22/healthy-banana-pancakesSlather on some buttah and honey and OH, MOMMA! They are surprisingly delicious! If you want a bit more protein, wedge a piece of sausage in-between two pancakes.I am still on a road of discovery concerning other foods, but if all else fails, I add lots of buttah and shuggah...you know...it's a southern thang, and if I can't resolve it, I'll fry it. LOL

What Do You Mean There is no More Dr. Seuss?

I remember being in my mid-thirties, a mom just finishing college, when I saw that there was going to be a big writers conference in Springfield, Missouri, about sixty miles from where I lived. I had read about conferences before, that writers could mail in finished works and have them critiqued at the conference, and the thought of being able to hear many accomplished authors speak was so alluring to me, but I never had the funds to attend. This particular time I saved for several weeks and sent in the money to attend the conference.Aside from historical fiction and romance I love to write poetry, and on many occasions I have written children's  narrative poetry, so on this occasion I decided to send one of those in. There was one author there whose genre was children's books. I had taken this particular story, Little Boom Boom, to our local elementary school and had read it to the delight of the kids there. Every year I was asked to come back because the children and teachers loved it. It made sense to send that one in and get a critique. Now, I am not one that gets offended by criticism that shreds apart my work, in fact I like it, that's how one grows and progresses. But I sat in front of this author and she proceeded to tell me that, although it was an endearing story, cute, and funny....there is no more Dr. Seuss, it just doesn't sell. I said to her that the kids in our elementary school love rhyming books, to which she replied that it is just not worth the effort because it is too hard to break into that genre. Just not worth the effort? Wrong words to say to me.If a person has a passion in them to write in specific areas, and they have shared that writing in different settings such as schools and other venues to positive responses then it is worth every effort. Yes, it may be hard to break into that market, but it is worth the effort. If publishing houses do not seem interested then there are other directions to go. With the emergence of Kindle and other self-publishing avenues, and the amazing opportunities available to market through Twitter, Facebook, and other sources, one can get there work out to the masses. The important thing is that it is out there and being enjoyed by many, that is the true reward for a writer. Of course, we all wish for best sellers and some kind of income for our efforts, that is a goal that we all work toward, but it is good to at least get our work out there in some form.So, yes, there is no more Dr. Seuss. He was one of a kind and had a special way about everything he wrote, as do we all; however, there are many poets who deserve to have their works out there and not silenced. There are millions out there who have different tastes in poetry and writing, many who would love to read poetry that tells a story or heals the heart. There is room for us all. Write on!

Hollywood Royalty

Tomorrow is July 1st and I was just reading that Olivia De Havilland, the last surviving star of the movie, Gone With the Wind, will be turning 100 years old! She is the oldest living recipient of the Oscar. I would love to sit and talk with someone who was born in 1916! I believe it would be a sobering account of just how much has changed in one hundred years; the magnificense of the advances in technology and medicine, as well as the obvious moral decline. She grew up during a time when class

Strength in Numbers

Although this is my website, and I built it to promote my writings, I am all for supporting fellow writers, for there is strength in numbers. There are great new and emerging authors who write amazing stories which should be out there for readers to delve into. Indeed, the cobblestone path of the pen is a fun journey that should be shared by comrades of the same craft. There is nothing like escaping the world through a beautiful, fantasy world dream! So every now and then I want to showcase

Letters

I had heard that many schools have ceased teaching cursive writing, but I did not know to what degree until I started working at our local high school, and boy was I surprised! When I help some of the kids on projects I have to print because they cannot read cursive. I was also very sad because there is a real beauty and art to cursive writing. but more than that, there are many documents from the past which are in cursive. What will happen one day if they want to visit sites in Washington D.C. and see old documents like the Declaration of Independence? As it is it's kind of hard to read it even if you're familiar with cursive because the authors were very elaborate in their style, but if you can't read that style of writing then your out of luck. I also think note taking is much quicker in cursive. I would die if I had to take fast notes in print, but maybe kids these days have acclimated to it. At any rate, I hope they bring it back. I would hate to see it become a lost art.

It's Official!

 My book American Dream: Shadows of the Ancient Wood is out and available on Kindle! This is the first of a three book series. So far what I have received from reviewers is that they can't put it down! That's a good sign! Just click on the link above, or the book cover! If you read it please write a review, the review link is toward the bottom of the purchase page! I am excited! Happy dance!