Nothing like spring weather and sunshine to put an extra bounce of hope and joy in our lives. We went to see the movie, The Hunger Games a few weeks ago…with low expectations but really liked it. I told my granddaughter about the movie…she told me about the book and loaned me her copy. Three days ago I finshed reading the second book in The Hunger Games series, Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. Loved it! Katniss is defintely my heroine, I am anxious to read the third one as soon as I get my hands on it. These are really fun to read books recommended to me by my granddaughter as well as AARP!
Whne my ten year old Sunday School students started whistling the four note mockingbird tune during crafts last Sunday. I knew. They knew I knew. And it is good to be in tune with what is happening with the younger generations. So far I can see nothing harmful with young or old and everyone in between reading these great page turning thought provoking books. I predict there will be a great increase in the number of young girls who want to learn to use a bow and arrow!
My next book to read is a nonficiton, What’s So Great About America by Dinesh D’Souza. Obviously, I have a a very eclectic taste in books.
Last night we watched the French movie, with English captions, Coco Before Channel, on dvd. It was very good and the pre-WWI historical scenes were especially intriquing. The trouble with the first 40 minutes was me, I was doing the ironing while watching the movie. It’s hard to keep up with all those captions while ironing. Some days just don’t have enough minutes to do all that needs done! Next movie in our queue is I Bought A Zoo. We’ve heard soo many great things about this movie and we are looking forward to it.
Till next time…stay healhty and keep reading , and sure, why not watch a movie or two?
Again it has been many more days between blogs than I planned. Spring is a busy time of year for all of us country folks, lots of yard work to do as we transition from one season to the next. My daffodils were so gorgeous this year. They multilpied like rabbits! I replanted some to different flower plots and gave several bunches to family and friends who planted the bulbs so they could see the beautiful yellow flowers next spring as a reminder that another winter passed and a new spring is here. Though we had a our heaviest snow of the winter on April 23, right on top of those hardy daffodils… and they perked right back up after the snow melted! Amazing floral species.
Many months of hard work has come to fruition. Revised 2012 edition of Mother Love is now availble thorugh any book store and as well as on Amazon and B&N.com. E-pub of Mother Love is also available for the convenience of e-readers. Whew…Please check out the snappy new cover which fits the story so much better than the original.
I spoke to the Bradford Senior Center on behalf of Bradford Manor Nursing Home in April. Topic was The Writing Process. They were a kind and attentive audience. On May 5 I led a two hour workshop at the Olean Library in Olean, NY on Women Writing on Family: Tips on Writing,Teaching and Publishing . Again I was fortunate to have a very interested and attenive group. And there were several attendees who showed real writing talent duiring the Writing Exercise.
I’m finally getting my Facebook Timeline updated…and almost understand how to continue the process! Now I am ready to get back to my writing again, real writing!
The most memorable book I read in the last month was So Big by Edith Ferber, copyright 1924. It was recommended to me by a new friend. She said it was the first book she could remember reading and loved it as a child. It was refreshingly sweet and I wish all high school and college students would read it…the ethics protrayed in this book could do so much to help our country find its way back to the core values that no longer seem to be a relevant part of our nation.
I also read the Hunger Games, after seeing the movie and loved both versions. It’s a very thought provoking concept of the future… Maybe that’s why I liked So Big, it took me on nostalgic journey to a safer time and place …after the Hunger Games jolt into a very unsavory future.
If you want to make any comments regarding my blog or anything else, please do so. I always love to hear from readers.
Till next time…keep reading, my friends!
Our weather has been near perfect in PA the last couple of weeks. Temps in the high 70’s. This weekend it ’s cooled off and rainy but we’ve been spoiled. We have never had so many daffodils in bloom and the grass is greener than ever and almost needs to be mowed already. Even though we had a mild winter and only a few days of bad weather driving, everyone’s ready for spring. We love the season changes!
The galley for the Revised Edition of Mother Love arrived on Friday. I am happy with the new cover sketched by my college art student grandson, Evan. How cool is that? It captures the feeling of the moutain village much better than the original cover. It should be posted online for sale within the next month.Things take time.
I received a message on my blogmail from Emma Taylor requesting I post this link. It is interesting and fun to see how strongly the Irish have influenced our vocabulary. I didn’t check it in time to post for St. Patrick’s day but then there are lots of us who are part Irish more than ONE day a year! Just click and take a look, enjoy! http://www.accreditedonlinecolleges.com/blog/2012/18-everyday-English-words-that-come-from-Irish/
I read an interesting and intriguing novel this month, The Winter Palace by Eva Stachniak; about Catherine the Great. I have long been fascinated with the complicated and brutal history of the Russia. This book of hsitorical ficiton is suspenseful and bold. The skilled author takes the reader inside the Russian court and the layers of cunning plots within the palace, where there are no real secrets.
We saw The Descendants with Geroge Clooney last week. I went with low expectations, thinking it would be just another over rated Hollywood movie and was pleasantly surprised to see one of the best moives ever. We felt like we were watching real people instead of actors playing parts. It was so well done!
Till next time…Happy reading, my friends!
Ann
I was shocked when I realized it has already been six weeks I last blogged. Especially since I had such good intentions of blogging every week!
We did take a ten day winter get away vacation to Myrtle Beach, S.C. with friends and stopped overnight on the way at my cousin’s home in NC and had a deligthful visit as always. The weather was warm and sunny, just perfect. We went to Brookgreen Gardens and Sculpture Park. If you visit Myrtle Beach, it is a wonderful place to visit. And the good thing is, one ticket is good for seven days.We also drove to the Amercian Tea Plantation south of Charleston on Wadmalaw Island. A fascinating place, after taste testing, we bought several packaes of peach tea and will enjoy iced peach tea this summer. On the way home we visited with my sister and her family in MD. Family time is always precious, especially with those we seldom see.
I received several copies of Women Writing on Family and am very impressed and pleased to be even a small part of this project. It is truly an excellent book. It is now available online or through any bookstore. You could ask your local library to buy a copy. It would also be an ideal gift for an aspiring female writer.
I have been intensely busy with deadlines and projects. Preparing Mother Love for ebook publication mushroomed. First the new cover, then proof reading the new format, I found several changes I needed to make because I am a better writer now than I was nine years ago when I orignally wrote the story. And I fell in love with the story and the characters all over again. It will soon be available online in revised new paperback as well as ebook. I will keep you informed of the status.
I wrote a five page review of Women On Poetry, published by McFarland Press, a wonderful new anthology for women poets who are ready to move their poetry to the next level. There is absolutely something for every woman who has thought about the art of poetry in this book.
I also read my friend, Lauren Nichol’s newest book, At Any Cost, an inspirational romance. She dedicated it to me and two other writer friends! It was so suspenseful and frightening that I complained to her about causing me two nights of poor sleep because of her book. But it is worth losing sleep over, a very good read with unforgetable characters.
We’ve been to several movies, we liked The Artist and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close the most. Meryl Streep was wonderful in The Iron Lady but we didn’t like the movie overall that much. Too many flashbacks and the Brits had a right to complain that there was too much emphasis on her later days rather than on her career.
That’s all for now. Till next time, keep reading… and don’t forget to be wearin’ the green on the 17th. After all, aren’t we all a bit Irish on St. Patrick’s Day?
It’s already been a month since Christmas. The days are flying by so quickly. I’ve made progress in my writing during the last month but naturally not as much as I’d hoped for. But I am making slow progress.
I try to avoid listening to the news since the politicians and their lies seem to dominate the ariwaves. The media has a fixation on the election. Gosh, it seems like we only finished the last one and here it is time to think about who to vote for again.
Like many in Pennsylvania, I feel a deep sadness with the passing of Joe Paterno. Penn State permeates through Pennsylvania like Christmas music through a shopping mall’s speaker system each December. My son and stepdaughter are Penn State graduates, as are several cousins and their children, my granddaughter - class of 2009, my grandson - class of 2012, many friends and their children, the list goes on. And YES! We remain Penn State Proud! But not proud of the Penn State Board of Trustees handling of the situation last November. It was a disgrace, one I believe to save face. Anyone who’s worked in an organization with a chain of command knows you report problems to your immediate supervisor…and woe to anyone who rattles the chain by jumping a link in the pecking order!
Joe Paterno loved Penn State and his devotion helped it evolve into the great universtiy it is today. I think the media sharks and legalists should look closer at the PennState Board of Trustees who must have known when it was originally reported and follow the scent to the former State Attorney General. And then demand to know why nothing was done. Joe Paterno’s dismissal was an unfair diversion tactic, I hope our former A.G. has no further political ambitions because this is one web of deceit that won’t go away. Not in Pennsylvania. We will all miss you, Jo Pa. Our sincere condolences to the Paterno family.
I read a very good book by Sharon McCrumb, The Ballad of Tom Dooley, I received a signed copy for Christmas. It was my first McCrumb book, but it won’t be my last. The song was bouncing around inside my head as I was reading! I’ve started to read another Christmas gift book, 11/22/63 by Stephen King and it’s excellent. I don’t usually read his books but after reading, his On Writing, which was wonderful, I have tremendous respect for his talent as a a writer.
Well, keep reading my friends and don’t forget to write me through my website. Every time I write a blog, I promise myself to write another within the week and then before I know it another month has rolled by. Maybe I’ll be able to do better this month!
Stay well and stay warm. Till next time - Ann
I sat down beside a good friend in church last Sunday. She looked at me, sighed and smiled, “Hey, we survived another year!” I grinned and nodded, I knew exactly what she meant. Sometimes the paltitudes of the season run a bit shallow for me and I’ll bet they do for most of you, too.
Despite the joys of seeing smiles on children’s faces during the holidays…suffering continues here and all around the world. Sickness and pain do not take vacations. I visited sick family members in area hospitals and despite institutional efforts with pretty tinsel decorations, it’s hard to see loved ones nearing the end of their days with us.
*Please remember, Women Writing on Family, will be available to order from Amazon on January 10th. It has received glowing reviews and expectations are high for it success.
Many thanks to all of you who have taken time to write your comments to my blog…through my website in Contact Ann or on Facebook.
This month the only books I have to recommend are Clara and Mr. Tiffany, by Susan Vreeland, Compartments, ~poetry by Carol Smallwood and On Writing by Stephen King. All very good books and all very different from each other. Till next time, keep reading my friends…
I wish you all the very best in 2012.
I have so much to do that I hardly know what to do first. I’m sure many of you know exactly what I mean. But it looks like wriitng this blog will be my priority tonight. You see I’d finished it, edited it and then clicked spell check and the whole thing disappeared! Believe me, I’ll never click that spell check again!
We had a lovely Thanksgiving, nineteen of us around the table - lots of food, fun and laughter. Still three of our children were not with us due to distance and in-law committments. Three granddaughters, ages 9. 12 and 14 stayed overnight with us while their mother went Black Friday shopping and their dad set up deer camp. (As everyone in PA knows, deer season starts the Monday after Thanksgiving and all the schools are closed on Monday and Tuesday to give everyone who wants to hunt a chance to bag an elusive white tail.) After breakfast those amazing young girls decorated our entire house for Christmas, including the tree in record time…all before lunch! Maybe every detail is not exactly the way I would’ve done it but it looks festive and beautiful and it’s completed! We were so pleased we took them in town for lunch out rather than serving leftovoer turkey at home to reward them.
As mentioned in my blog before, I’ve worked this year getting both my books downloaded for e-book availability. Then a writer friend asked me If I was sure about my ownership rights on my first book; after seven years the ownership reverted back to me according to my contract. So, I emailed the publisher and discovered that I only owned the words to Mother Love, not the cover or the formatting! I could buy the cover for $500.00, but then I never really liked that cover anyway. So, no thanks! I quickly had to unpublish it from both sites. Now I am in the process of reformatting and finding a new cover. Who knew? Not me, that’s for sure. As I live, I learn. Runaway Grandma contiunes to sell but not as well as I’d hoped, a few copies every month and mostly e-books now.
Our nine year old granddaughter saved for months to buy a small Kindle and she’s so proud of it. She’s a reader. On Thanksgiivng night she asked me if she could read me a story…just a couple years ago I was still reading to her. She chose one of her favorite fairy tales and read so beautifully, even giving each character a special-effect voice, it was one of those moments that I’ll hold forever in my heart. The next day her oldest sister said, “Grandma, when I grow up, I’ll have a paperless house. I’ll have a smart phone, a computer and and e-reader, so I’ll have no need for paper.” As she spoke both my desks were covered with lists, notes and reminders and looked terribly cluttered. And obviously, I use a computer! I don’t know if I’ll ever want an e-reader but I know I don’t at this time. I love to hold a real book when I read. And I love sitting in our family room, surrounded by our walls of bookshelves filled with books we’ve read and loved, it’s like being surrounded by trusted friends who brought joy to our lives when we read them. How could a person ever get that feeling form an e-reader?
I am excited to remind everyone that Women Writing on Family, an anthology edited by Suzann Holland and Carol Smallwood with a chapter by me, A Writers Thoughts on Marketing will be released on Jan. 10, 2012. It is anticipated to become a mainstay reference for academia as well as local libraries as a resource for women who want to write. Whether preserving family histories for future geneations or for possible publication, this volume could be a useful resource for anyone at any stage of their writing life. Author Eleanor Lerman, winner of the 2011 Guggenheim Fellowship in Poetry, summed it up nicely in her review: “Family is what creates us, sustains us, bedevils us, confuses us, loves us, destroys us, and defines us. For writers - particularly women’s writers - family is also a rich vein of subject matter that can be both nourishing and overwhelming, often at the same time.This volume examines a wide variety of family - related issues from points of view that range from the pracitcal to the philosophical, but all focused on how they impact women.”
For a closer look, check out: http://theKeyPublish.com/index.php/Women-Writing-on-Family.html
Last week I read, A Cup of Christmas Cheer, edited by Thomas Smith, is a wonderful easy to read book. It’s a beautiful collection of short stories written by people from all walks of life and all ages; I’ve felt the true joy of the Christmas spirit ever since reading it. Another very good book is Clara and Mr.Tifany by Susan Vreeland.
Now I have to take the dog for his last walk of the day… and it’s snowing. Yeah!
Till next time keep reading my friends and Merry Christmas to you and yours.
But we know it was only a teaser and much more will be coming soon. I have an appointment to get the winter tires put on my car next week. A recently retired single friend who lives alone in her childhood home mentioned a couple weeks ago, “In the summer I mow grass, in the winter I shovel snow. Lots of grass and lots of snow!” And so it is for us rural folks. We love our wide open spaces and pay for it with plenty of hard work.
My big news is I finally finished the first draft of my fourth novel. My husband is proofing it for me now for medical accuracy. This is the one my writing mentor believes will be my breakout novel, of course I’d love to see that happen! Time will tell. It is a Christmas novel with universal appeal and in my dreams it will become a Christmas classic.
Last weekend I was interviewed for Story Corps, a national oral history program, collecting stories of average Americans for their archives. They work in conjunction with NPR stations. My oldest granddaughter interviewed me, she has a degree in Communications so it was a good fit. I don’t feel that old BUT I can remember when my parents had our first telephone installed…a big wooden crank phone and we had to go through an operator to make calls on our party line of ten. All phone calls for each family on the party line rang into each home. So when the phone rang, we had to listen for our two shorts and a long. Each family had their own combination of rings to differentiate their calls from their neghbors. We never used those early phones for visiting. Each call was brief and to the point, it was considerate a selfish act to tie up the party line for trivial matters. And long distance calls…those were only for dire emergencies. I didn’t go into so much detail during the interview so she ask me on the way home…”Grandma, what is a party line?” She shook her head in disbelief when I explained it to her. Absolutely shocking for a girl who has had her own unlimited cell phone since she was fourteen!
And I remembered when Dad brought the first TV home…limited programming and a total change for family life. certainly not all for the better, especially when one considers the poor quality of so many of the choices on TV today. Not to mention the fact that we used to write letters, real letters. Computers didn’t exist…times have definitley changed.
I even persuaded my eigihty nine year old WW2 veteran father to do a Story Corps interview. It became very emotional and the cd of that interview will be something everyone in our family will treasure for the rest of our lives.
I also did a Bookmark book review of Christmas with Tucker by Greg Kincaid for our local NPR station, (WPSU) to be aired sometime in December. The producer, Emily Reddy and her sound assistant, Russ ,were so professional, kind and accomdating.
I have been very busy submitting short stories to national contests as well as my third novel …so please wish me luck in these endeavors. Women Writing on Family:Tips on Writing,Teaching and Publishing will be released in January by Key Pubishing of Toronto, Canada. I have a chapter on Marketing included in that book and it was truly an honor to be included.
Till next time… keep reading and enjoy!
I just came back in the house after doing some garden work, I planted a few mums and trimmed back the hostas. It is a beautiful sunny day and the smell of autumn is in the air. I love the change of seasons and this one suits me the best.
Being a naturally optimistic person, my glass is half full as always. My fourth novel is nearing completion and then I’ll start the revisions. My writing mentor believes this one will be may breakout novel; it may or may not be but the fun is in the process.
Two days ago I started my second Kristin Hannah novel and I am so impressed with her writing! If you haven’t treated youself to the pleasure of her books, it is probably time. There are plenty to chose from as she has written many novels. Suspense, great characterization, layered plots that thicken with every page and great empathy…what more could a reader ask for?
Well, this has to be a short blog because I am drawn back like a moth to a flame… to thickening my own plot and wrapping up the first draft of book # four!
Till next time keep reading and enjoy!
Later ~ Ann
The temperature is a bit cooler, the days a bit shorter and life a bit sweeter. That’s what September is to me.
A new cd arrived in the mail today, LI VOLA, you can get a sneak preview of the trio on You Tube, Three Kids From Italy, it is one of the most beautiful cds I’ve ever listened to. Three boys, ages 16, 17, and 16 with amazingly gifted voices. Their rendition of Smile brought tears to my eyes as my husband and I danced around the kitchen.
Decisions. Decisions. Everyday we make so many automatically that we don’t even realize we are doing it. But, of course, we are. Why do some people accomplish so much more than others? Time is the one thing that is given in equal proportion to each of us. Obviously, I opted out of structured writing for most of the last month and use d my time for exploration and fun. Though, I did write over one hundred pages in my journal for future reference.
Exception of equal time are those whose lives are cut short. Forty one years ago my little brother died in an accident at age 15. Just this week my niece told me her lifelong best friend died at age 41 after striking her head during a seizure. Reminders that life is not fair. I recently heard of a lady who excused herself during a family dinner and went to the bathtroom, didn’t return as expected, family went to check on her and she was unconcious, a trip to the E.R. and emergency surgery repaired two brain aneurysms, quickly followed by pneumonia have left her nonresponsive in a rehab facility. Life is fragile and the only thing we can be sure of is nothing stays the same.
My husband and I returned ten days ago from a fabulous three week cruise to Scandinavia. We vistied Stockholm, Sweden for two days, where we met with a family friend and her children for a wonderful afternoon and dinner together. It was great to see where they lived and Stockholm is built on 14 islands with many bridges…a fascinating beautiful city! Then Helsinki, Finland for part of a day; it was lovely.
The big highlight of our trip was three days in St. Petersburg, Russia, where we had a private tour guide, Elena, waiting for us. It was the most incredibly beautiful place we’ve ever seen…anywhere! We are still in awe when we think back to all we saw and learned. Such a long, deep and dark history. We read two books aboout the 900 day seige of St. Petersburg during WW2 that triggered our intense interest in this city before booking the trip. (The Madonnas of Lenningrad by Debra Dean and Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah.) We learned so much folklore and trivial facts about communism and life after, the Russian Orthodox Churches in St. Petersburg are incredibly beautiful . And everything had to be rebuilt after the war…
We visited Tallin, Estonia and the day after Riga, Latvia very charming and lovley old cities. The local girls were the most beautiful…all natural blondes with blue eyes. One after another, like they’ve all been cut from the same cookie cutter. Sweet, too. One night the seas were particularly rough, the captain made announcements cautioning extra care when moving about the ship as it we felt the motion of the ocean! I insisted we keep our life jackets beside the bed that night.
Then a day in northern Germany followed by a day long trip through the Keil Canal which was a fascinating look at rural Germany. In Copenhagen, Denmark…I never saw so many bikes in one city before! Our Danish guide told us the hardest thing about riding your bike to work is finding the right one when you are ready to go home…there are literally thousands of bikes everywhere thoughout the city! Young mothers with strollers attached to their bikes, fathers with red wagons attached as they transported their children. We saw many wind turbine ‘farms’ on the landscapes in all the northern European countries.
We enjoyed the canals of Amsterdam, Holland. A very crowded and picuresque city. We felt it was a young persons city…again lots of bikes but not nearly as many as in Denmark. Our last stop on the tour was Brussels, Belgium. (My husband had been here before since his youngest sister had lived her with her husband back in the1970s. It was an emotional expereince for him to remember…both she and her husband are gone now, they had no children.) It was a very large city with parks, palaces, Nato Headquarters as well as the European Union Headqaurters, block after block of beaurocracy.
The next day we disembarked in Dover, England. My first time to see the white cliffs of Dover and they really are white! At first glance I thought there was snow on the sides of the cliffs! We’d met so many wonderful people from all over the world and as our Russian guide repeatedly said, “People are people…” It truly was a dream vacation.
We took a train from Dover to Pancras Station in London and then a train to Leicester for a few days to visit family there. Yes, all the while dragging our overstuffed luggage. Next time we really will pack smarter. We arrived a few hours earlier than they were expecting us, no one was home. It was starting to rain so we went to a neighbor whom we had met before, they had a key and opened the house to let us in. The alarm blared for twenty minutes before the code was retrieved! Another neighbor came to check on the house while I was taking the clothes off the clothes line…he must have thought we were very thorough thieves! Thank goodness the police did not come. It turned out to be a good visit with a most memorable start.
We’ve seen three movies worth mentioning, The Beaver with Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster. Incredible acting and as a former psychiatirc nurse, one of the best depicitons of mentall illness I’ve seen in a movie. Jane Eyre and The Help, interestingly the actress you have to hate who plays Hilly Holbrook is Ron Howard’s, (of Happy Days and as Andy Griffith’s Opie), daughter, Bryce Dallas Howard.
Two very different books but each exceptional: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese and Summer at Tiffanys by Marjorie Hart. Hart’s book starts out with this question, “What was the best summer of your life?”
I’ll leave you pondering that question…
Please keep reading. Later, my friends.
Due to technical problems, I have not been able to open my webmail since my last blog entry. Therefore, I have been unable to respond to those of you who made comments. My aplogies. I hope it will be back to normal before long…
Also it has come to my attention that Mother Love is now out of print through the publisher. That is a good thing for me, now all rights and ownership of the book have reverted back for me. Yeah!!
Mother Love is available on ebooks through any ebook provider, except Amazon. If you really want the book in hard copy, I have a few in my closet. Leave me a message on my webmail, I will get back to you as soon as possible. Hopefully my computer wizard will have time for my little problem soon.
Runaway Grandma is also available in all ebook markets, including Amazon. It is also still available in hard copy through any book store, Amazon and Barnes&Nobel.com.
I have been reading Ann Patchett’s new novel, State of Wonder. It is a complicated and tensely paced novel and I’m looving it! Well, a storm is brewing and I don’t like to work on the computer during lightening and thunder.
Later, my friends…
Wasn’t it only a few months ago we watched…in awe of the civilized British…as Prince William married his beautiful bride, Kate?
And now London is in flames, hoodlums seem to have the upperhand as the rampant looting and unrest goes viral. The flames remeiniscent of the German Bombing Blitz of London during WW II. Hopefully the authorities will bring order and control back to England, however, according to the news reports, it only seems to be getting worse.
And then the stock market panic fiasco. Our soldiers dying in faraway lands that don’t want us there in the first place. So sad. And the unforgettable images of starving African children…
Perhaps it sounds like I watch too much TV news. Actually the Today Show every other day when I exercise and, of course, NPR news while I cook dinner or drive. I don’t think that’s overdosing on news, merely staying informed.
And to be honest, sometimes I feel a bit perturbed listening to or watching the news. The double standard the media uses to scrutinize candidates for public office is appalling. I don’t think it is a party line bias nearly as much as gender bias. Whether you agree/disagree with the candidates or not, watch closely to see the way women candidates are treated by the media. This weeks Newsweek cover of Michele Bachmann for example, how do they manage to turn an attatctive lady into something that scary? Sara Palin has been flagrantly criticized by the media. I wonder why they spend so much time mocking her if they think she is really that stupid? In the last presidential primary Hillary Clinton was roundly mocked for her appearance, choice of clothing, hair style as well as comments made by her husband. And statements women candidates make are often taken out of context and twisted to destroy their credibility. Male candidates are rarely examined to this degree…unless there is a mental illness skeleton in their closet!
Oh well enough of that. I’ve been going through years and years of old famiy photographs. It almost feels like all those years and lives slipped through my fingers…in just one afternoon. The photographs prove I was thin for most of my life. But when I was young, I thought I was fat, since in those days Twiggy set the standard, and I was never that thin! The good news is these days I am feeling thin since I’ve recently lost twenty five pounds. Though, I am still over wieght for my height. Perceptions!
I’ve read several books since my last blog. My two favorites were The Raven by Lenore Hart, (about the life of Edgar Allan Poe’s wife), and The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, (started slow but a powerful story written in the voice of the family dog). Totally different books, but both memorable worthwhile reads. Another book I enjoyed was The Postmistress by Sarah Blake. My favorite unforgettable line from that book was, “He was looking right when he should have been looking left.”
Still busy with gardeninng, grandchildren, family picnics and summer fun. I completed a suvival course with my 15 year old grandson at the Adventure Park, in Holiday Valley, NY. I ached for a week after, had never done zip lines before and was so proud and thankful I was able to do the course, even though I did the beginners and he did the extreme double diamond!
Went on a Paddle Boat ride at Redhouse Lake in Allegany State Park with my 14 year old granddaughter on a windy day and several gusts of wind twirled us in cicrles. It was almost more excitement than we were looking for! We also celebrated my dad’s 89th birthday last week. And yes, I still squeeze in time to write.
Keep reading, my friends and you’ll never be bored. More later…
I’ve always loved that line from the old Nat King Cole song but it is definitley not true… sometimes hazy, sometimes crazy but with our life style definitely never lazy! My flowers look better than ever this year thanks to all the rain but when we have a few days with no rain, I have to work watering plants for a couple hours. But really I’m not complaining, I love the peaceful aura and beauty they create, so it is worth all the effort.
I’ve also been lucky enough to have some lovely overnite grandchildren visits which I always enjoy. Last week I was in a quandary, we wanted to go to a movie but there seems to be a real dearth of good movies this summer. My nine year old granddaughter looked a the list of possibilities and said, “Well, actually I read Mr. Popper’s Penquins and it was really a good book.” Her older sisters moaned at the prospects of a children’s movie but we went and we all loved it! It truly is one of the best comedies ever. And the twelve and fourteen year old granddaughters totally agreed. It was incredibly funny, in fact we’d all love to see it again!
Last night after all the hoopla of the busy holiday weekend, my husband and I went to a very nice movie, Larry Crowne. It was a feel good movie that is truly supportive of higher education. It shows how learning to look at the world in a different way can really change a persons life. As a scholarship sponsor of UPB and Alumnni Board member, I appreciated that. It was co- written by Tom Hanks and the lady who wrote My Big Fat Greek Wedding, so there were plenty of laughs, too.
“A woman’s is like a tea bag, you never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water.” A quote by Eleanor Roosevelt that I came cross recently and especially liked… because it is so very true.
A bit of good news on the publishing front, Runaway Grandma has been selling well on Amazon’s Kindles and now Runaway Grandma and Mother Love are available for all e-readers through Smashwords.com. Personally, I still love my hard copy paper books but writers and publishers who refuse to go e-books will lose too many potential readers.
Women Writing on Family: Tips on Writing, Teaching and Publishing co-edited by Carol Smallwood and Suzann Holland will be released Jan 12, 12. They invited me to be part of the project and I wrote one chapter in the book. I’m excited and proud to be part of their remarkable team of writers.
Till next time, keep reading, my friends!
I love to look at the wall of books in our family room, it is filled with characters who have become part of my life. They have taken me to places I may never visit and if I do, I’ll likely have a sense of deja vu. I have met people I would never have had the opportunity to meet in my everyday life. And they have told me such secrets that it is almost shocking! I have lived through history, almost as a time traveler without ever leaving the comfort of my recliner…yes, reading is one of my favorite past times.
Some of my books have brought such comfort and joy to my life that I’ve read them several times, they are like good friends to me. However there have been times I’ve loved a book and upon reading it the second time, I wonder what I thought was so special about it the first time! I bet I’m not the only one who has experieinced this phenomena. And who of us hasn’t had at least one friend who has disappointed us?
I had an interesting message on web mail a few days ago, a list of the 50 Most Unforgettable Female Protagonists in Literature. There were the expected names of Scarlett O’Hara of Gone With the Wind, Jo March of Little Women and of course Jane Eyre, Anna Karenina as well as Pippi Longstocking. And strangely Storm from Marvel Comics was listed! Two of my favorites were missing; Lara of Dr. Zchivago and Scout Finch of To Kill a Mockingbird. You can check THE list by clicking on the link below. And even better you can nominate your favorites in the comment box.
Till next time…keep reading!
Last week I had the pleasure and distinct honor of spending some time with author Louise Penny, touring a local museum with her and later escorting her to dinner at our local university where she gave a witty and very interesting talk about her books and life as a writer. It is not often that a writer/speaker gets a standing ovation but she did and it was well deserved! If you haven’t read her books yet, I strongly urge you to check out your local library. Her books are real page turners, you won’t be sorry! She has written six in the Chief Inspector Gamache series. The first was, Still Life and the most recent, Bury Your Dead.
One of my favorite ever books is Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen. I was anxioulsy waiting for the movie version to come out and we went to see it the first night of its release. It is a nice movie but varied a bit too much from the book on several key parts to satisfy me. And sadly the variations weakened the story. I walked to the car with my husband wondering, “What ever were those movie makers thinking!?”
I’ve been busy writing, Third Book is officially completed. I must decide which avenues to pursue in the publishing realm. I’m hoping to find a larger press that will not only publish but do ditribution for this one. It is still very important to have books on the shelves of Brick and Mortar Book Stores!
Meanwhile, I’m enjoying the writing process of writing Book Four. Though sometimes disheartening. Like those days I turn the computer off with a smile on my face, confident that I have written pure genius prose… Only to turn the computer on the next morning and discover that yesterdays genius looks so much like rubbage that I delete and completely rewrite the scene!
Till next time, keep reading and be well!
Spring has finally come to Pennsylvania, grass is green, trees are showing a tint of color as the buds start to break out of branches and all the bright spring flowers are bursting through the cold dark ground. And we haven’t even had any snow flurries for the last five or six days!
Spring gives us hope. I have been busy working on several tasks that needed to be accomplished to move ahead with my writing. I have nearly completed these goals and early readers are giving me feedback on book number three, ”It Happened on Willow Lane.”
The poet Ovid wrote, “My hopes are not always realized but I always hope.” As you may have heard…writng is a tough life but a life all writers have chosen, otherwise we wouldn’t be writing. I am lucky to have an optimistic nature because believe me, a writer needs it!
I have read profiles of inspiring interviews with authors Emma Donoghue and Harlan Coben. I hope these wonderful writers realize how their stories and comments encourage those of us who have not come close to their levels of success and probably never will. But since we have stories to tell, we keep writing. And that is the gist of being a writer, we can’t just talk about it, we have to actually write.
So, till next time and I promise it will be sooner rather than later.
Ann
It was minus 18 yesterday morning at our house. And trust me that’s cold, really cold! So cold that when I walked the dog he tried to walk on three feet, alternately shifting his weight to save one foot at a time because the snow burned his little paws. Our walks have been for necessity only and quite short. As I write I have a small electric heater under my desk blowing warm air my way. And I’m a hot flash queen! I’ve been diligently working on my critiquer’s recommended changes for ”It Happened on Willow Lane”. I have finished this book several times and with each completion it gets a little better than the time before. But I believe it is very near to it’s final completion. I am thankful for my circle of loyal readers who have offered me honest feedback which I have utilized as I continue to tweak this collection of short stories. For this book I’ve tapped into my years of experience as a psychosocial RN which allowed me to develop keen insights in emotional survival. (Why do some people gain strength through adversity and others crumble?) The Willow Lane stories deals with totally different situations, the kind that people face alone and quietly everyday. Willow Lane characters bring humanity to divorce, deceit, alcoholism, Alzheimer’s disease, domestic abuse, suspicion of terrorism, attempted murder, suicide and the accidental death of a young child. This collection of short stories is a bit edgier than my previous books but the writers voice still offers a smidgen of wit through the various characters. I’ve continued to read and have enjoyed some good books and suffered through a couple not so good books that I’ve wondered, how in the world did this writer ever get published? We’ve seen some good movies and a couple that we felt cheated out of the time we invested in viewing, not to mention the money we paid for the tickets. We loved “True Grit” so much that we rented the John Wayne version from the video store and watched it the following week. Both were excellent though the original was much more like a Disney film in comparison. We also really liked “The Fighter”. Till next time…keep reading and stay warm.
I finally finished the revisions on my third novel today. Woohoo!! I will drop it off for the BIG critique tomorrow. I feel like I can start really feeling like Christmas now… maybe. It’s my first Christmas without Mom. And my first Christmas in 30 years that I haven’t sent a short Christmas letter to family and friends. I just didn’t have the heart for it this year.
We had a lovely Thanksgiving, all the children, their mates and all the grandchildren were here plus my father, my sister and her husband and some dear friends. It was a houseful and everyone cherished the time together.
Our house is all decked out for Christmas, the cards and packages have all been sent and the shopping is mostly done.
I’ve read a couple wonderful Christmas novels and watched a few good movies. Most notably UNSTOPPABLE with Denzel Washington and THE NEXT THREE DAYS with Russel Crowe. Both were filmed in Western PA and both were riveting adrenaline rushes! The best Christmas novel I’ve read in a few years is CHRISTMAS WITH TUCKER by Greg Kincaid. It is a prequel to last year’s Hallmark movie hit, A DOG NAMED CHRISTMAS. (That is also a very good movie.)
Our second BIG snow of the year is happening as I type. Outside it’s like a blizzard with lots of snow coming down and blowing every which way and so very cold. Our dog has to be coaxed out to do his necessary business.
I’ve been a Hot Flash Queen for a number of years now. But it is so cold today that I actually have a small electric heater under my desk blowing on my feet to keep them warm! I hope I will soon have some good news about my next book, till then keep reading but be selective.
If you don’t like a book by page fifty, move on and read one you do like. My mother always said, “Life is to short for bad books!” Best wishes to you all for a good year in 2011.
Ann