Ekta R. Garg's Blog, page 75
October 7, 2019
Fall is peeking around the corner…
Hello, Write Edge readers! I don’t know how many of you are seeing fall temps yet, but we’re finally getting them in Central Illinois. I just checked the 10-day forecast, and it looks like the weather will hold in fall temperatures…for now.
Just because the weather is changing, though, doesn’t mean other things have to change (well, not much anyway. There’s always the hope that a person will improve in certain areas, accomplish goals, etc., which, technically would be a change…but I digress.) 
October 4, 2019
The latest Growth Spurts!
Hello, Write Edge readers! I’ve posted my latest Growth Spurts for you. Here’s a quick excerpt:
“She gets down here before me,” Thirteen said, “and yet we’re still late for school.”
I suppressed a knowing grin. “This is exactly what it was like when you were in sixth grade. That’s why I yelled so much. And then I stopped yelling.”
“Yeah,” she said in that half-teasing voice of hers, “because now your favorite child’s in sixth grade.”
Read all the Spurts now on Growth Chart!
Have a lovely weekend, readers!
E.R.G.
October 2, 2019
Book review up!
Hello, Write Edge readers! I’ve posted my latest book review for you. Today I share my thoughts on What Rose Forgot by Nevada Barr. Here’s the opening to my review:
An elderly woman discovers she’s being held against her will in an assisted living facility. She decides to find out the truth behind her circumstances, all the while dodging assassins and the pitfalls of technology. Author Nevada Barr balances the realities of aging with a plot that, more or less, does its job in the fairly likeable novel What Rose Forgot.
Read the full review now on The Write Edge Bookshelf!
Have a fantastic day, readers!
E.R.G.
September 30, 2019
Connecting to one another
Good morning, Write Edge readers! We’re officially into fall and at the end of September. Is it just me, or is 2019 zipping by?
In any case, writers (like so many of you following other life passions) soldier on. We strive every day to create pieces that will evoke emotion, a response, a connection. I think that’s what this week’s motivational quote speaks to: that need to reach out to others and for them to reach back.
“The first sentence of a book is a handshake, perhaps an embrace.”—Jhumpa Lahiri
That need to offer a hand is exactly why I devote the last Monday of every month to other writers. I believe firmly in the ability of the members of the writing community to help one another, to support each other, and to give back. In this month’s writers showcase, you’ll find short stories along these lines. Find these wonderful pieces by other writers now on The Write Edge Writing Workshop!
This Wednesday I’ll continue sharing the work of other writers but in the form of my latest book review. I’m in the middle of What Rose Forgot by author Nevada Barr. Be sure to come back to The Write Edge Bookshelf to find out what I thought of this unusual thriller!
At the end of the week, I take you back to my world of parenting and the pains and pleasures of raising two middle schoolers. Come back on Friday for the latest Spurts on Growth Chart.
Have a fantastic week, readers!
E.R.G.
September 27, 2019
New Insta-pics!
Hello, Write Edge readers! I’ve posted my latest pictures on Instagram. Check them out with my handle, @EktaRGarg, or on my Facebook author page (where you can also see other fun writing-related stuff.)
Have a fantastic weekend, readers!
E.R.G.
September 25, 2019
Book review up!
Hello, Write Edge readers! My deepest apologies for not posting on Monday. I do, however, have a new book review for you today. Here’s the opening to my post:
A pair of sisters who share a troubled relationship must face what’s at the heart of their conflict. With spouses and their mother complicating matters, they have difficult choices to make. Author Lynn Cullen tries to intrigue readers with an unusual setting but fails to offer a solid plot in the uninspiring novel The Sisters of Summit Avenue.
Read the full review now on The Write Edge Bookshelf!
Have a lovely day and rest of the week, readers!
E.R.G.
September 20, 2019
Parenting adventures posted!
Hello, Write Edge readers! As promised, I’ve posted my parenting adventures (but not Instagram; I thought it might be nice for it to get its own week after all.) Here’s a quick excerpt of what happened when I got sick recently:
“Have a good—”
“Go sit down,” Thirteen interrupted with full-on teen stubbornness.
“I will, I just—”
“We love you too; go sit,” she repeated.
Have a lovely day and weekend, readers!
E.R.G.
September 18, 2019
Book review now up!
Hello, Write Edge readers! I’ve posted my latest book review for you. Here’s the opening to my thoughts on the middle grade ghost novel Dead Voices:
When three best friends find themselves in a place haunted by ghosts, they’ll have to work together to save themselves and the adults with them. If they don’t, they’ll become ghosts themselves and their loved ones will forget they ever even existed. Author Katherine Arden brings back her fearless trio in the mostly solid novel Dead Voices.
Read the full review now on The Write Edge Bookshelf!
Have a fantastic day, readers!
E.R.G.
September 16, 2019
Back on track!
Hello, Write Edge readers! I’m happy to report that I’m feeling much better. As I told my kids this morning, it’s amazing all you can get accomplished when you aren’t languishing on a sofa, bemoaning your fate at the hands of the flu.
But I digress. :>
I realize I didn’t post last week’s Growth Chart; more on that in a minute. First, though, this week’s motivational quote. In the last year or so, I’ve found myself going out of my way to thank people for little kindnesses. Kindness opens the door to so many other positives, including sharing stories. And what happens when you share your stories?
“I believe one way we learn tolerance, understanding, and acceptance is through story.”—Anna Schmidt, romance author
Tolerance and understanding also applies to the facets of our world that can’t fight back with conventional means but that feel the consequences of actions nevertheless. That takes us to this week’s new short fiction, which, I have to say, freaked me out a little (and I’m the one who wrote it, so, you know. Freaked out twice over. :D) Here’s an excerpt:
Most of the growing happened at night, when we could spread faster and farther than in the day. But much of it happened during the day too. In the beginning, no one even glanced at that old building. Many people in town didn’t even drive as far as this edge of town. So we undulated our way across the grass and up the structure.
Read the whole story now on The Write Edge Writing Workshop!
One of the advantages of being sick (always have to find a bright side, right?) is getting to read a lot. So this week I’ll share a new book review. Find out on Wednesday what I thought about Dead Voices by Katherine Arden by coming back to The Write Edge Bookshelf!
And at the end of the week, you get a bonus: a new Growth Chart and new Insta-pics. Aren’t you all lucky?
September 11, 2019
Second book review now up!
Hello again, Write Edge readers! I’ve posted my second book review for you. I’m sharing my thoughts on Long Gone by British author Paul Pilkington. Here’s the opening to my review:
A policeman puzzles over the disappearance of his daughter’s friend, despite his initial misgivings that she’s missing at all. The longer she’s gone, however, the more convinced he becomes that she didn’t leave town of her own accord. After a hiatus, author Paul Pilkington is back with another thriller in the excellent novel Long Gone, the first in a series starring Pilkington’s newest hero, DCI Paul Cullen.
Read the full review now on The Write Edge Bookshelf!
Have a great day, readers!
E.R.G.
