Normally during November I don’t ready anything written by anyone else. I’m afraid I will unconsciously pick up a scene, a phrase or a style that will influence my NaNoWriMo project. One book I’ve been reading this month is Children of Dust: A Memoir of Pakistan by Ali Eteraz. From the book jacket: Ali Eteraz’s Children… Continue reading Children of Dust: A Memoir of Pakistan by Ali Eteraz
Author: Amber
Preview of Children of Dust by Ali Eteraz
One of the things I am doing differently this November than the last few Novembers is reading other books while working on my project for National Novel Writing Month. Here is a preview (Chapter 1) of what I’ve been reading. It’s Children of the Dust: A Memoir of Pakistan by Ali Eteraz. FSB Associates has kindly… Continue reading Preview of Children of Dust by Ali Eteraz
Almost the Ides of November
Yes, it’s November and that means it is National Novel Writing Month. Writers of all kinds sit down and write. At this point, everyone that is on track to “win” should be at 23338 words. Tomorrow they will hit the 25,000 word mark. According to the official NaNoWriMo web site the participants have written 1,040,165,647 words… Continue reading Almost the Ides of November
Green Books Campaign – Review of The Cardinal Divide by Stephen Legault
This review is part of the Green Books campaign. Today 100 bloggers are reviewing 100 great books printed in an environmentally friendly way. Our goal is to encourage publishers to get greener and readers to take the environment into consideration when purchasing books. This campaign is organized by Eco-Libris, a a green company working to green up the book industry by… Continue reading Green Books Campaign – Review of The Cardinal Divide by Stephen Legault
Green Books Campaign – November 10th
Eco-Libris organized a day for reviewers to focus on green books.  The Green Books Campaign day is November 10th. Over 100 green books reviewed by over 100 bloggers all on the same day. It should be neat! Here’s a list of books and the bloggers participating in the Green Books Campaign. I will be reviewing The Cardinal… Continue reading Green Books Campaign – November 10th
A Field Guide to Burying Your Parents by Liza Palmer
With one parent dead another in the hospital from a stroke, Grace Hawkes wishes she had a field guide to burying her parents. That would make her present situation easy and she hasn’t had easy in her life for a long time. She walked away from her siblings and boyfriend five years ago after her… Continue reading A Field Guide to Burying Your Parents by Liza Palmer
Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison
  In Once Dead, Twice Shy, Kim Harrison introduces the reader to Madison Avery shortly after her 17th birthday. It’s an understatement to say her birthday isn’t the best day of her life. The all important high school ritual of prom is the same day, her date is the son of her father’s friend who… Continue reading Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison
October 2009
These statistics are all for short stories, poems, or contest entries. Book reviews are not included. Sales in October: 0 Rejections in October: 0 Submissions sent out in October: 0 Total stories/poems/contests pending responses: 3 October was a big fat 0 as far as any submissions and November is likely to be the same. (Working on the newest… Continue reading October 2009
Writing with the Senses
The five senses can help us perceive the world around us. Take away one of them and you’re bound to have an incomplete picture. Touch, smell, taste, hearing and sight can provide a richer picture when describing settings and characters. Any writer trying to set the reader into the material will make use of the senses. For… Continue reading Writing with the Senses
Which Comes First – The Market or the Story?
Every writer has a different method for getting the words down for the story that needs to be told. Which do you think should come first – the market or the story? I used to write what I wanted and then tried to find a market for it. I would spend a lot of time… Continue reading Which Comes First – The Market or the Story?