I almost thought August would slide by without me writing a blog entry. But here goes… I took a needed break from writing. I tried to be a regular person who reads for fun and spends time with family and friends. Until I woke up one day last week with a new story burning it’s way through my brain … complete with the dreaded first line. Guess I am what I am and I best make peace with it.
We took granddaughter Hayley to Stony Brook University on Long Island for Orientation and then spent the weekend in NYC. It was wonderful. We went to the Broadway musical, Amazing Grace and we loved it. It was the first play I’ve ever been to where the entire cast and the audience stands to sing a hymn at the end of the show. (It was the story of the English song writer, John Newton’s life.) I’ve been to NY several times and this was the first time a teenager wanted to go to church on Sunday morning. We went to St Bart’s next door to our hotel and heard beautiful music and a great sermon.
I am now a proud member of the Authors Guild. “The Authors Guild is the nation’s oldest and largest professional organization for writers. Since its beginnings over a century ago, we have served as the collective voice of American authors. Our members include novelists, historians, journalists, and poets—traditionally and independently published—as well as literary agents and representatives of writers’ estates.”
Working Writer published my Focused Writing Time article in the July/August newsletter. (For a free e-mail sample or subscription, send your request to: workingwriters@aol.com.) It is a great newsletter with a strong slant on the humor of the writing life.
My review of The Search for Anne Perry by Joanne Drayton was posted in the July-September Writer Advice, click Hooked on Books @ http://www.writeradvice.com/about_us.html
I have read several very good books this summer:
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown.
The Anger Meridian by Kaylie Jones
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty
An Early Anthology by Lee Smith
And a few more that I won’t mention.
We went to see Mission Impossible 5 on opening night, and we were not disappointed. Great-nephew Saif Wareth from England was one of the bad guy guards and by far the most memorable. The tall dark handsome one. He didn’t have any lines but as many of you probably recall, Robert Duval was silent in his debut big screen role in To Kill A Mockingbird. And look what a fantastic career he’s had. Okay, I may be the only one comparing Saif to Robert Duval, but hey, I love them both!
Till next time…keep reading my friends.
Ann