I am once again committing to a blog schedule for the upcoming year.
As last year’s topics and posting days proved to be popular, I am going to keep the same schedule for this year. There will be weekly posts divided between writing topics on Tuesday’s, when I will be delving into my writing (and reading) life.
The posting days will continue as Tuesday and Thursday of each week as follows:
Bibliophile’s Collective Tuesday
Stories behind my published books and also from works in progress.
First pages
Update on events I will be attending – if possible physically, if not virtually in 2022
Glimpses at my current writing project.
Sharing short stories or poem’s I have written from prompts or workshops.
Character Interviews
My book reviews
Wordsmith’s Collective Thursday
Special Interviews with authors from Creative Edge
Writing Tips
Writing contests
Literary Birthdays
Author Interviews for Creative Edge Publicity
Also I am happy to host an author interview for anyone interested in doing so.
I welcome your suggestions for inclusion of a topic or a theme, so please comment below.
I will continue with my monthly newsletter, so please sign up when prompted. I hope we can develop a great relationship with this new venture – Sneek Peeks & Glimpses. Thank you in anticipation.
I was excited to be the Author of the Day on Many Books talking about Life in Slake Patch, my speculative fiction novel. You can read about how the story was created, a glimpse at the characters and the extended time it took to write the story. Here:
If I did not answer aquestion you would like to ask, please put it in the comments and I will happily reply.
As our options for choosing a book to read have become virtual for the most part, during COVID, we have to decide which one works best for us. The easiest option for many is a book selling site, such as Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble or Kindle, to name a few. There is also the option of utilizing your local library, where you can browse online, order and pick up your selections. And visiting your local bookstore too. Whatever method you use the author will sincerely appreciate your leaving a review. So please do.
It is a matter of personal preference where we purchase our books and in what format. Whether it is print or e-book. As I work on a computer all day for my day job and then work on my laptop most evenings, my preference is a print copy. I enjoy the tactile feeling of weight, smell and texture as well as the physical turning of a page. For me it is better to read without a backlight at night, as it stimulates my brain rather than calming it.
Which do you prefer? Print or e-book?
Why do you make this choice?Is it a practical concern or something else?
I am lucky to have a friend, who gives out books after she and her daughter have read them. I recently visited her and she handed over a huge bags of books! Such a delightful surprise and it was like Christmas lifting each one out to read the blurb. However, it then gave me a problem – how should I choose which one to read first, second, third and so on.
After reading all the blurbs, I categorized them. Ones that did not instantly appeal, others that were soft choices and others that engaged my curiosity. Depending on your specific likes and dislikes, favorite genres and subject matter, choosing can be little easier. So from this stack.
I choose my first three reads as below.
I choose these particular books because two have characters in them that write and the third because I love myths, legends and magic.
This is my review of Saying Goodbye is Easy by Kathie Sutherland
A compelling, complex and enlightening narrative, full of truths, struggles and internal emotions. Every reader will find a connection with the struggles, highs and lows of the narrator. A courageous, heartfelt and revealing story, told in short stories and reflections. This book will change your outlook on your life and your life’s path.
Please leave a comment on how you choose a book and the last book you reviewed so other readers can find them.
As many of you know, I commit to a blog schedule at the end of each year for the up coming year. In 2021, my twice weekly posts will continue to be divided between writing topics and delving into my books and writing life for my readers.
I hope you will find the content interesting, enlightening and fun. I will post every Tuesday and Thursday each week as follows:
Bibliophile’s Collective Tuesday
Stories behind my published books and also from works in progress.
First pages
Update on events I will be attending – if possible physically, if not virtually in 2021
Glimpses at my current writing project.
Sharing short stories or poem’s I have written from prompts or workshops.
Character Interviews
My book reviews
Wordsmith’s Collective Thursday
Special Interviews with authors from Creative Edge
Writing Tips
Writing contests
Literary Birthdays
Author Toolbox – once a month
Monthly Author Interviews (please sign up for one – first Thursday of every month.)
I will continue with my monthly newsletter, so please sign up when prompted. I hope we can develop a great relationship with this new venture – Sneek Peeks & Glimpses. Thank you in anticipation.
One of the exercises I find helpful as well as fun is using picture or word prompts to create a story (sometimes a poem). I recently chose a made up place name as the genus of an idea. The name was Fiddletown. The exercise is to write something in a limited time frame, around 10 minutes. Some of these prompts have become full blown novels. This particular one is certainly one I made use at a later date. It sparked such a clear image for me.
I hope you like the beginnings of a story.
Hidden in the depths of the mountains, a small town flourishes. It is populated by beings of short stature with six fingers on each hand. Their ancestors escaped persecution from other people decades before. Safe now, they exist as hunters and gatherers existing in a solitary environment. Until, that is a couple of exploring mountaineers happen across the town.
This causes fear and consternation as well as an ethical question. Should they hide, locking everything up and hope the men think the town deserted, or run into the higher forest and wait them out or murder the two men? Whatever they do will alert the outside world…
Would you like to read the story? What do you think they decide?
I enjoyed a writing retreat from Friday to Monday in Crowsnest Pass. We watched the mountains slowly disappear as the snow arrived. Cozy in our cabin, with dogs, books and wine.
With a long weekend I managed to finish one book and read another. Here are my reviews.
The Lying Game by Ruth Ware
Fabulously written. Gripping to the end, with you guessing (incorrectly most of time!) who the guilty party was. A web of lies hold four friends captive for decades until a three word text brings them together. A seriously good read.
City of Dream by Suzanne Burkett
A great story of secrets, hidden memories and love. A very enjoyable read. Suzanne has created a wonderful world in this novel.
Mandy Eve-Barnett's Blog for Readers & Writers 