Ekta R. Garg's Blog, page 71
January 17, 2020
New Insta-pics!
Hello, Write Edge readers, and happy wintery Friday! We’re due for some precipitation this evening, although the weather can’t decide if it wants to send us rain, sleet, or snow. According to the meteorologist, we’re going to get all three.
A good time, then, to catch up on social media. I’ve posted new pictures on Instagram! Check them out, along with my older posts there, with my handle, @EktaRGarg, or go to my Facebook author page to find them (along with other fun posts exclusive to that platform.)
Have a lovely weekend, readers, and stay warm!
E.R.G.
January 15, 2020
Book review up!
Hello, Write Edge readers! I wanted to share a new book review with you. Today I’m offering my thoughts on the brand new release Big Lies in a Small Town by veteran author Diane Chamberlain. Here’s the opening to my post:
Two women separated by decades but connected by their love for art deal with a dark secret. When one sets out to discover what happened to the other, both of their lives will change. Author Diane Chamberlain will keep readers riveted until the end with her main characters in her incredible novel Big Lies in a Small Town.
Read the full review now on The Write Edge Bookshelf!
Have a fantastic day, readers!
E.R.G.
January 13, 2020
Back on track (I hope :D)
Hello, Write Edge readers, and happy Monday! I’m back at my desk and ready to tackle the next step in my writing journey. That includes non-revision work for my novel (a query, a synopsis, researching agents, and trying really hard not to pester my beta readers as they graciously take time out of their lives to read my book and tell me what they think.)
That last part is especially hard for me. I want to be an author with a published book so badly I can practically feel it in my teeth. I think I’ve made considerable strides toward that goal, and I’ll certainly tackle that subject in more detail when we celebrate the anniversary of The Write Edge. But even when I’m not talking about it with anyone else, it’s a goal that always sits on my shoulder. In the end, I have to remind myself of the reason for writing in the first place. It’s the same of any arts-related field, and this week’s motivational quote goes right to the heart of it.
“Writing, regardless of the end result—whether good or bad, published or not—means celebrating beauty in an often ugly world.”—Mary Karr, author, The Art of Memoir
One of the positives of not working on the book directly comes in the fact that I can redirect my creative energy to my short fiction again. I’ve posted this week’s short story; here’s an excerpt.
Curious, I dropped the box cutter in the pocket of my store-issued vest and went to the front of the store. No one else seemed to care one way about the way the dawn broke. Shouldn’t it have mattered to someone, I thought.
Read the full story now on The Write Edge Writing Workshop!
This week I’ll have a brand new book review for you of a book that releases tomorrow. When I first heard about Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain, I requested it because the book is set in North Carolina and anything in the Carolinas catches my eye right away. (You know what they say about taking the girl out of the south but not the south out of the girl. :D) Find out on Wednesday what I thought of the novel on The Write Edge Bookshelf.
Then on Friday it’s back to Instagram and the visual side of my life as an author and a mom/wife/reader/friend/person. Check that out at the end of the week with my handle, @EktaRGarg.
Have a fantastic week, readers!
E.R.G.
January 10, 2020
First parenting adventures of the year
Hello, Write Edge readers! It’s the first Growth Chart of the year — and the decade! Today’s post might be a little shorter than others, but it holds an important realization for me. One that, I think, all parent readers of The Write Edge can relate to. Here’s a short excerpt:
Parents often say it, but it’s true: where does the time go?
Read the full post on Growth Chart now!
Have a wonderful, readers!
E.R.G.
January 8, 2020
Book review posted!
Good evening, Write Edge readers! I’ve posted my latest book review for you. Today I’m sharing my thoughts on the new book release Nameless Queen by Rebecca McLaughlin. Here’s the opening to my post:
A peasant is named the heir of a kingdom that doesn’t even recognize her. Despite her uneasiness with her new status, she must navigate court politics as well as the mystery of how she became the heir in the first place. Old friends and new allies come forward to help her in her cause as she struggles to make a name for herself. Debut author Rebecca McLaughlin gives YA readers a new heroine to cheer for in her terrific novel Nameless Queen.
Read the full review now on The Write Edge Bookshelf!
E.R.G.
January 6, 2020
And into the new year we go!
Hello, hello, my dear readers! A very happy new year to all of you. I realize I missed wishing everyone on the first day of this year and decade, and I apologize for that. It’s always a creative enterprise in scheduling when one is visiting family. Rest assured, however, that all of you are never far from my mind.
This year is an important one for me, in many ways. As longtime readers know, I launched the blog in the month of February so that’s what I count as the “new year” for The Write Edge. Next month I’ll go into more detail about what this new year means for me as a writer and a person. I can’t wait!
In the meantime, I’d like to start this first Monday post of 2020 with an encouraging quote. We often hear about amazing feats of science or the arts, and sometimes it feels like these individuals achieved all their success overnight or that what they’ve earned comes from a great deal of intrinsic talent. Neither is completely true, and I think the following wise words from a well-known American figure is the perfect reminder that dreams and goals are, without a doubt, worth working toward. You just can’t give up.
“Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.”—Stephen King
As I think about new beginnings and the new year, I’m reminded of my time in graduate school. Going to Northwestern and living in Chicago was a huge step for me, personally and (eventually) professionally. Today’s writing piece reflects all that and more. It’s a micro piece, so I won’t share an excerpt, but please do visit The Write Edge Writing Workshop to read the it. I hope it’ll offer you its own little bit of inspiration toward a new goal for this year and decade.
Next, it’s on to brand new books. Tomorrow sees the release of Nameless Queen by Rebecca McLaughlin. Come back on Wednesday to find out what I thought about this YA novel.
Finally, we go back to parenting adventures. I have a little gem of a story I’d like to share that reiterates (for me, at least) what a new year can mean. One of the greatest pleasures a parent experiences is watching their children grow, but it can often surprise us too. Find out more in Growth Chart on Friday.
Have a lovely first full week of 2020, readers!
E.R.G.
December 30, 2019
On vacation but still dreaming of stories
Hello, Write Edge readers! I’m on vacation visiting family, but my mind is still half stuck in my novel. :> It’s true, I think, of our life’s greatest passions that they don’t ever really leave us. If we’re to succeed at them, they have to be ingrained in our hearts and minds.
It’s the last Monday of the month, and I normally post my writers’ showcase. In truth, I haven’t had a chance to gather stories to share with all of you. I’d like to do so next week, however, because the writing community becomes stronger when we stand together. At the start of the new year, I’d like to promote other writers so look for that showcase next Monday.
In the meantime, I have this week’s motivational quote. It goes toward the idea that our life passions remain intrinsic to our lives. It also speaks to the fact that the completion of a goal is just as important as the start of a goal–which applies to how you live throughout the year too.
“The first page sells this book. The last page sells your next book.”—Mickey Spillane
With family, I have to steal reading minutes. :> If I get a chance to steal enough of them, I’ll share a new book review on Wednesday. This Friday, too, I’ll go back to Instagram to share new posts. Check those out at the end of the week.
Have a lovely week, readers, and stay safe tomorrow evening!
E.R.G.
December 27, 2019
Merry post-Christmas!
Hello, Write Edge readers! Merry post-Christmas to all of you. I realize I promised you a book review on Christmas day, but you know what they say about the best-laid plans. I hope to get it up for you next week.
In the meantime, I have for you my last parenting adventures of the year (and the decade!). Here’s a quick excerpt:
“Well, I’m a Slytherin,” she said. “I have lots of ambitiousness. Ambitious-ocity! I have ambitious-ocity.”
“That’s not a word,” I told her.
“Yes, it is,” she said, “because I’m a Slytherin and that’s what I have.”
Check out the latest Spurts now on Growth Chart!
Have a wonderful weekend, readers!
E.R.G.
December 23, 2019
Merry Christmas week!
Hello, Write Edge readers! It’s the start of Christmas week, and I’m sure many of you are still wrapping (or maybe even still shopping!) and preparing for family and friends. Truly, one of my most favorite things about the holiday season is the extended time with those we love.
This year, I’m also spending time with the newest love of my life: my novel. Our life passions don’t take a day off; they continue to bug us and excite us and confound us. Why shouldn’t we return the favor? 
December 20, 2019
Instagram posts!
Hello, Write Edge readers! My latest posts are on Instagram. Find out what I’m reading next and also check out the sweet Christmas surprise our family received. Plus there’s an amazing shot of a breathtaking natural phenomenon. Find them on Instagram now with my handle, @Ektargarg, or on my Facebook author page where you can find other fun stuff too.
Have a lovely weekend, readers, and stay warm!
E.R.G.
