Terry Maggert's Blog, page 11
February 25, 2015
Old Books, Dinosaurs, and Being Terrible At Math
I didn't bother to look it up. What qualifies as Antique?
I know I'm getting perilously close to being old because the books I read as a kid are now valuable. My school lunchbox is probably worth a hundred bucks, easily, and that's assuming I don't clean out the fossilized peanut butter residue. The difference between old books and antiques is that I read my books and enjoy them. I don't gaze at them, dust them, or forget about them as a relic of a bygone era. And I may be strange for saying t...
I know I'm getting perilously close to being old because the books I read as a kid are now valuable. My school lunchbox is probably worth a hundred bucks, easily, and that's assuming I don't clean out the fossilized peanut butter residue. The difference between old books and antiques is that I read my books and enjoy them. I don't gaze at them, dust them, or forget about them as a relic of a bygone era. And I may be strange for saying t...
February 22, 2015
A Brief Word About Pie
Maybe not too brief, but definitely about pie.
Pie transcends my need to eat. I love pie. I specifically enjoy pie between the hours of 1-3AM, usually eaten while standing at the kitchen sink, looking over the back yard. On nights with the moon, I have the reflected light of the sun to illuminate my shameful gorging. And yet, the moon always welcomes me back, or maybe I just ignore any protests because there's pie. And milk.
I come from a long line of bakers; our family restaurant was actually...
Pie transcends my need to eat. I love pie. I specifically enjoy pie between the hours of 1-3AM, usually eaten while standing at the kitchen sink, looking over the back yard. On nights with the moon, I have the reflected light of the sun to illuminate my shameful gorging. And yet, the moon always welcomes me back, or maybe I just ignore any protests because there's pie. And milk.
I come from a long line of bakers; our family restaurant was actually...
February 21, 2015
Between Loss of Family and Myth.
It's February.
My mom's birthday was this past week, had she still been here, she would be seventy. She died when she was fifty-two. I'm forty-six, so that seems quite young-- in fact, it seemed that she was really young when she died.
I have a son who is six. I find myself placing a hand on his forehead when I enter or leave the room. It's a sort of reassurance, probably more for me than him. My mom did the same thing to us kids. Even when she was sick, her hands felt warm. I remember that wa...
My mom's birthday was this past week, had she still been here, she would be seventy. She died when she was fifty-two. I'm forty-six, so that seems quite young-- in fact, it seemed that she was really young when she died.
I have a son who is six. I find myself placing a hand on his forehead when I enter or leave the room. It's a sort of reassurance, probably more for me than him. My mom did the same thing to us kids. Even when she was sick, her hands felt warm. I remember that wa...
February 10, 2015
February Sucks and I Want This Desk: A Love Story
February: I'm not a fan.
It's the shortest month for a reason. Football (in the US) is over). Sports as we know it begin to hibernate until baseball season. For much of the nation, the weather is putrid. Naturally, in this national funk, my thoughts turn to a fifteen year quest that remains unfulfilled.
It's So Much More Than a Desk.
Before I discuss my personal Great White Whale, let me give you some back story about my wife's eerie ability to find rare and unusual gifts. She's like a tal...
It's the shortest month for a reason. Football (in the US) is over). Sports as we know it begin to hibernate until baseball season. For much of the nation, the weather is putrid. Naturally, in this national funk, my thoughts turn to a fifteen year quest that remains unfulfilled.
It's So Much More Than a Desk.
Before I discuss my personal Great White Whale, let me give you some back story about my wife's eerie ability to find rare and unusual gifts. She's like a tal...
January 13, 2015
2015: Look What's Coming!
Welcome to what will be the busiest writing year of my life.
I've recently made some Super Executive Command Decisions based on requests from readers, and the menu for 2015 has changed. So, let's begin with what is happening right now.
I'm thrilled to be working with the brilliant Rebecca Cook once more. She's currently applying her repertoire of voices to the third book in The Fearless, and I can tell you with complete certainty that 'The Waking Serpent' will be the best audiobook we've done t...
I've recently made some Super Executive Command Decisions based on requests from readers, and the menu for 2015 has changed. So, let's begin with what is happening right now.
I'm thrilled to be working with the brilliant Rebecca Cook once more. She's currently applying her repertoire of voices to the third book in The Fearless, and I can tell you with complete certainty that 'The Waking Serpent' will be the best audiobook we've done t...
January 5, 2015
The Voice of the Dragon: Audiobook News
Banshee is coming.
Rather dramatic, eh? Thanks. I spent hours crafting that announcement.
But seriously. Banshee, the dragon, is getting closer. Before I tell you the news about what's coming, I'd like to mention some great news from 2014: The Forest Bull made the Audiobook Review's Top Ten list. Audiobook Reviewer: Top Ten of 2014
Let's face it, I got lucky when Rebecca Cook allowed me to shmooze her into voicing my books. That moment of weakness on her part has paid off, and the proo...
December 21, 2014
It's Not You. It's Me.
It appears I miscalculated.
I was originally under the impression that I'd written a Paranormal/Urban Fantasy series. It seems I am mistaken. After nearly one-hundred-fifty reviews, the consensus is as follows:
1) It's fantasy. It just happens to be in a civilized area, free of roaming dragons and orcs. Sort of like a suburb, but with vampires. Oh, and succubi.
2) I can channel the female mind when writing my characters. To every ex-girlfriend who said I wasn't listening, nyahhh nyahhh...
I was originally under the impression that I'd written a Paranormal/Urban Fantasy series. It seems I am mistaken. After nearly one-hundred-fifty reviews, the consensus is as follows:
1) It's fantasy. It just happens to be in a civilized area, free of roaming dragons and orcs. Sort of like a suburb, but with vampires. Oh, and succubi.
2) I can channel the female mind when writing my characters. To every ex-girlfriend who said I wasn't listening, nyahhh nyahhh...
November 9, 2014
I Dun Been Kilted: Post Kiltum Depression
Post Kiltum Depression: The Winter of Her Discontent
“But look, yon light in that window breaks—‘tis the moon on the arse of Jamie Fraser, and yer mother needs a moment alone.”
...
I Dun Been Kilted: Post Kiltum Depressioon
Post Kiltum Depression: The Winter of Her Discontent
“But look, yon light in that window breaks—‘tis the moon on the arse of Jamie Fraser, and yer mother needs a moment alone.”
...
October 8, 2014
Stillborn: A Lesson In Fiction
Bad things happen. Frequently.
Bad things cause vivid memories, and if they linger, and you write, you can turn those same images into fuel that churns the waters of your imagination.
I'm writing a character who is totally enmeshed in loss, and I reach back to a short poem from 1998 to find the fuel I need. I hope you enjoy it, and that the emotion is real, maybe?
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Bad things cause vivid memories, and if they linger, and you write, you can turn those same images into fuel that churns the waters of your imagination.
I'm writing a character who is totally enmeshed in loss, and I reach back to a short poem from 1998 to find the fuel I need. I hope you enjoy it, and that the emotion is real, maybe?
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