Ekta R. Garg's Blog, page 87

Parenting adventures posted!

Hello, Write Edge readers! I’ve posted my latest parenting shenanigans for you. Here’s an excerpt:

Their kids’ products taste MUCH better. Why do kids get snacks that are so yummy, and yet adults don’t? It’s like we’re being punished for growing up, despite the fact that we’re the ones who possess the spending power.

But I digress.

Read all the Spurts now on Growth Chart!

Have a wonderful weekend, readers, and stay warm!

E.R.G.

 

Book review now up!

Hello, Write Edge readers! I’ve posted my book review for you. Here’s the opening to my post on House of Gold by Natasha Solomons:

A powerful European family finds itself bowing under the weight of war. Family members will find themselves on opposite sides of the lines in ideology as well as geography, and they will face hardships unlike any they’ve ever experienced. Author Natasha Solomons offers readers a studied look at how war affects the rich and famous in her unnecessarily drawn-out novel House of Gold.

Read the whole review now on The Write Edge Bookshelf!

Have a good night, readers!

E.R.G.

The cold, and warmth, of December

Hello, Write Edge readers. We’ve officially started the last month of the calendar year. Unfortunately, for my family, we start it with the loss of someone special. My 97-year-old grandfather proved himself to be a stalwart of circumstances — he escaped increasing tensions in Pakistan during the time of its partition from India — and of family. He didn’t hesitate to reprimand where necessary but was also always quick with a joke. I loved him dearly, even more for the fact that he was my last living grandparent.

Despite the coldness of losing a loved one, I choose to derive warmth from his example and from the outpouring of support from family and friends near and far. Somehow, in these colder months, that support means more.

I also have a renewed purpose to write and share my stories with the world. As this week’s motivational quote explains, we have to make the most of every opportunity and every moment available to us:

“Be bold. Shake it up. This is your opportunity to do something really special. The world does not need another mediocre book.”—Susan Breen, author, Maggie Dove series

As for this week’s short fiction, admittedly I struggled a little bit with it. For the first time in two weeks, I sat down to my computer today and wrote. My fingers are skittering across the keys a little, and the words don’t flow as well as they did before we got the news about my grandfather.

Also, I could have written about pain and loss, and I may yet still. But when I saw the writing prompt I eventually chose, I decided to try to find the joy in my writing again. I think I may have done that. This one is for you superhero fans, Marvel and DC comics alike:

The new members residents moved in, one at a time or in twos and threes. Most of them shifted into their new homes by cover of darkness. None of them wanted to engage in any awkward conversations with others. “Didn’t you used to respond to a signal in the sky?” “Were those bracelets really indestructible?” “Did the hammer have its own magic, or was it magic because you used to wield it?”

Read the whole story now on The Write Edge Writing Workshop!

On Wednesday I’ll share a new book review with you. This week I’ll let you know what I thought of House of Gold by Natasha Solomons. Come back to The Write Edge Bookshelf for the review!

At the end of the week, I’ll give you a brand new post on parenting. It’s back to the zany adventures of my tween and my 10-year-old :>. Check out the latest Spurts this Friday on Growth Chart!

Give a loved one a hug this week, readers, and stay warm.

E.R.G.

Parenting adventures posted!

Hello, Write Edge readers! I’ve got a new parenting post for you. Here’s an excerpt:

I turned back to the sink, and Ten began pulling the chairs back so she could reach the area under them with the broom. Above the clanking of plates and spoons and the soft whisking of the broom bristles, Ten and I began talking.

Read the whole piece now on Growth Chart!

Have a lovely weekend, readers!

E.R.G.

New book review!

Hello, Write Edge readers! I’ve got that book review for you as promised. I don’t know yet whether I’ll get two reviews in for you; fingers crossed it happens. :>

In any case, last week I read the summer YA debut Lies You Never Told Me by Jennifer Donaldson. Here’s the opening to my review:

Two teens in different cities battle the perils of first love: unmet expectations, surprise demands, and the reality that relationships are hard once they get past first blush. Neither of them can predict the challenges headed their way; both of them will have to navigate situations much beyond their years. Author Jennifer Donaldson performs a neat literary trick but misses a major plot point in her debut novel Lies You Never Told Me.

Read the whole review now on The Write Edge Bookshelf.

Have a great day, readers!

E.R.G.

Gratitude for you all

Hello, Write Edge readers! I hope you all had a chance last week to reflect on your blessings. Believe me, we can never count them enough.

One of the blessings in my life is the opportunity to share my writing with all of you through this blog. Thank you for reading and following, for the Likes and the (occasional) comment. I’m deeply grateful for the generosity of your time as well as your gracious spirits when it comes to the writing mistakes I’m sure I make.

This blog and the way it connects me to all of you motivates me to keep working, and I share motivational quotes every Monday as my way to give back to you. Here’s this week’s bit of encouragement:

“We often don’t know what we ourselves are capable of. So what I would say to that beginning writer is: Put your paddle in the water, sister. You’ve got work to do.”—Barb Johnson, author

Potential is an amazing quality to possess, and I love to share it every month. Today is my chance to do that once again with our writers showcase. This month I found stories about shooting stories and love in its various forms. Find the stories now on The Write Edge Writing Workshop.

In the middle of the week I’ll have one (and maybe two!) book reviews for you. On deck for sure is my review of the YA novel Lies You Never Told Me by Jennifer Donaldson. I’m currently reading another book that I hope to finish by Wednesday, and if so I’ll be sure to post that review as well. Whether it’s one review or two, you’ll find the reviews on The Write Edge Bookshelf.

At the end of the week, it’s back to parenting adventures. Want to know what the kids and I have been up to?Catch up with us on Growth Chart this Friday.

Have a fantastic week, readers!

E.R.G.

Thanksgiving hiatus

Hello, Write Edge readers! This week all of the blogs will be on hiatus. I urge you to spend this time with family and friends, reflect on the blessings in your lives, and enjoy them.

I’ll be back next week with new stories, new book reviews, and brand new parenting adventures (I owe you all a Growth Chart, I know!).

Have a wonderful week, readers!

E.R.G.

Book review posted!

Hello, Write Edge readers! I’ve posted my latest book review for you, although it’s with a heavy heart that I do so. At one point in time, John Grisham used to be one of my favorite authors. I would buy his books unread, which for a book lover is a pretty hefty commitment. I’m sad to say I probably won’t continue doing so. Here’s the opening to my review of his latest, The Reckoning:

A man commits murder in broad daylight. Despite repeated requests from his family and law enforcement officers, he refuses to say why and the fallout from the murder changes the family forever. John Grisham comes back with his latest novel, a plodding, meandering story in the lackluster book The Reckoning.

Read the full review now on The Write Edge Bookshelf.

On to what I hope will be a good book; have a good night, readers, and stay warm!

E.R.G.

Preparing for gratitude

Hello, Write Edge readers, from Central Illinois where it’s snowing. First and foremost, I’d like to express my deep appreciation for our service men and women. Without them, we wouldn’t have the freedoms we do. Even in our current political climate, we still enjoy many liberties that residents of other countries don’t. Thank you.

I’m also grateful for a warm home with a solid roof and food on the table. I may not truly enjoy the cold weather, but I know I’m blessed to live through it (yes, you read that right!) It offers perspectives and experiences unique to me that I can use in a story someday.

Yes, eventually everything comes back to the writing. :>

I’m working on a brand new project, and it’s thrilling and scary all at the same time. So when I read the following quote, I knew I had to share it for our motivation of the week as much for myself as for all of you. In the wise words of one of the most beloved characters in children’s literature:

“Promise me you’ll always remember: you’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”—Christopher Robin to Pooh

Speaking of writing, I’ve posted this week’s short story. In case you can’t tell from the excerpt below, I had way too much fun writing it. Here’s the snippet:

I thanked him again, and when he let go of my hand…I don’t know, it was almost as if I left a part of me with him. I wonder if that was part of the entire process, if he somehow claimed the last bit of me that needed to go.

Check out just how much fun this story was now on The Write Edge Writing Workshop!

I’m in the middle of reading a book by a bestselling author right now, and I hope to have the book finished in time to post a brand new book review for you on Wednesday. Keep your eyes open — and your fingers crossed — for a brand new book review on The Write Edge Bookshelf!

Of course, at the end of the week we go right back to a full-fledged Chart of my parenting adventures. Check out the latest at the end of the week on Growth Chart!

Also, take a few minutes out this week to think about and express gratitude for what you have. It’s good for the soul.

Have a good week, readers!

E.R.G.

New parenting adventures posted!

Hello, Write Edge readers, and happy Friday! I’ve posted my latest Growth Spurts for you. Here’s an excerpt:

“It’s terrible,” Twelve said at dinner one night with eyes widened for dramatic effect. “We just keep doing the new version of the Chicken Dance over…and over…and over.”

“The new version?” I asked, not batting an eye at the fact that my tween is talking about attending a fictional dance party with a bunch of stuffed animals.

Read the whole thing now on Growth Chart!

Have a lovely weekend, readers, and stay warm!

E.R.G.