Wordless Wednesday #277
Wordless Wednesday #276
Carol Balawyder’s Review of Christmas Reunion 2
The Luxury of Snow
Sleeping in on a late autumn Sunday… then lazily leaving that cosy cocoon to open the shutters only to see… snow! Beautiful, wonderful snow! A flurry of big fluffy snowflakes floating in the wind! Sometimes that’s all it takes to have a perfect day.
They said that it would snow… but I kept my expectations low; after all, they had been wrong about it so many times.
Truth be told, I have no words to tell you how much I’ve missed snow… we’ve been getting so little of it over the past few years, that I’m starting to forget what it feels like. That’s why I was so excited about what wasn’t even that impressive an amount of snow. It’s still better than nothing. And it’s still more than we had last winter.
Now That December’s Looming…
As some of you already know, I usually try to do something special for this blog every December. That’s how Christmas Reunion came to be – I thought of it as a blogging project, a light entertaining piece of seasonal fiction I was going to share with you. But the novella quickly grew into a novel, which in its turn became the first one in a series.
The same way I serialized it on my blog last year, I’m planning on sharing the freshly published Book 2 of the series in daily instalments throughout the month of December. Each fragment will be available for several days, in case you missed it when it was initially posted; and if you want to read the novel as a whole or offer it to someone who might enjoy it, you can download it for free on smashwords.com. Various formats are available, including mobi, epub and pdf. I hope you find my little virtual gift entertaining. Continue reading “Now That December’s Looming…”
Wordless Wednesday #275
Wordless Wednesday #274
Three Things I Hate to Write
I was recently sharing that writing generally comes easy to me… when I feel like writing. But even so, there are those moments when I’m tempted to close that word doc and focus on anything else, wondering how other people do it.
The Dreaded First Sentence
I’m fairly sure everyone knows how important that first sentence – even that first paragraph – can be, no matter what you’re writing. So much riding on a few words… After all, you want it to be good enough to draw in your potential readers, and no matter how great the rest of your work is, you don’t really want to muddle this part. Oh, the pressure… Continue reading “Three Things I Hate to Write”
Wordless Wednesday #273
Bad Good Writing Habits Or The Writing Bubble
My usually white and shiny kitchen cabinets are… shall we say, less than pristine. And apparently one or more spiders have moved in with me and building what looks like their version of a mansion in my bedroom. (Nope, that’s no leftover Halloween decoration, people…) And had it not been for this abnormally warm autumn, probably half of my plants would have met their demise, because cleaning them and their pots and bringing them inside required too much time. And let’s not even mention that fridge that could benefit from a thorough cleaning… and quite a few other things.
As I contemplate the aftermath of my latest writing project, I find myself almost regretting having finished my new book. And, no, it’s not that bittersweet feeling you get when you finally write “The End”, that relief mixed with regret. Continue reading “Bad Good Writing Habits Or The Writing Bubble”
Wordless Wednesday #272
Writing News And An Early Present
Almost a year ago I was sharing with you about needing to write something light and fun… about how a short story idea grew into a novel. What I failed to mention then was that as soon as I finished writing the book, I felt that I wasn’t done with that story. Somehow I simply couldn’t settle for that nice, neat, happily ever after ending. But since I had no idea if and when I would manage to keep spinning that yarn, I saw no point in bringing it up.
Well, my blogging friends, that’s how last year’s novel grew into a series, the second book of which – Christmas Reunion 2 – is finally here. (Now you know why I didn’t post more than a few photos here and there for a while.) If you enjoyed the first book in the series, you might like this one too, even if it’s a touch darker and slightly more cynical.
Wordless Wednesday #271
Wordless Wednesday #270
Wordless Wednesday #269
Wordless Wednesday #268
Wordless Wednesday #267
Wordless Wednesday #266
Wordless Wednesday #265
Wordless Wednesday #264
This Is How We Grow – A Generous Review
Wordless Wednesday #263
Three Very Different Books
Wordless Wednesday #262
Wordless Wednesday #261
On ‘Thank You’s and Making Oneself Small (Part II)
Anger.
It was supposed to be shame, but I jumped straight to anger.
Men old enough to be my father or grandfather turned their heads after me on the street and if someone noticed it, I was the one expected to feel shame. Instead I was angry and didn’t bother to hide it.
My best friend wouldn’t speak to me for days because I weighed slightly less than she did. Meanwhile, all I could think of was that unlike mine, her body was perfect – after all, I wasn’t supposed to notice if I was pretty. Continue reading “On ‘Thank You’s and Making Oneself Small (Part II)”
On ‘Thank You’s and Making Oneself Small
“You look beautiful,” she stated matter-of-factly.
There must have been something about the way she said it, because I wasn’t sure how to react.
“Thank you,” I smiled almost coyly, which wasn’t really like me. I was about to pay her a compliment too when she cut me off abruptly.
“What are you thanking me for?”
What the hell… was she serious? Continue reading “On ‘Thank You’s and Making Oneself Small”
Wordless Wednesday #260
Wordless Wednesday #259
What Is Dragonfly?
I used to look at old photos of her and think, “Wow, she was so pretty when she was a teenager…” I was looking with the envious eyes of a child who had yet to look in the mirror and perceive herself as pretty.
Her sister – my mother – was pretty too, I thought to myself… but a different kind of pretty, the cold and unapproachable sort, with sculpted features and a ballerina’s body. She, however, simply looked beautiful… warm, friendly, kind, with a glimmer of mystery in those blue eyes. If somebody asked me what I wanted to look like when I grew up, I would have probably said, just like her. Continue reading “What Is Dragonfly?”
Wordless Wednesday #258
This Is How We Grow
Painful as it may be, we need to share our stories and experience. This is how we grow.
This is how we help others grow.
We let them in… We endeavour to see past the walls of appearance everybody puts up, for some reason or another… and we learn… and we teach… because this is such a big part of how perspective is shaped.
Where am I going with all of these somewhat cliché statements? Well… an idea is at the base of any project; but this day and age, it’s often an email that gets it rolling. And sometimes we’re taken by surprise, both by the idea and by the end result.
This Is How We Grow was such a project for me. Yvette Prior’s flattering invitation to be one of the writers putting together a book on growth and perspective shaping came at an interesting time… the right time, as it turned out. I’ve said it before and I’m fairly sure I’ll say it again in the future – timing is crucial when it comes to sharing certain stories.
So here I am, trying to find the right words to describe this project of ours. Apparently, writing my chapter was the easy part. Talking about it and the book containing it seems to be more of a challenge.
Several authors from various countries, with very different social and cultural backgrounds were brought together by the contributing editor, hoping that sharing their stories, under one form or another, might prove beneficial to their potential readers. Diverse voices with different styles share – both in verse and prose – about difficult moments, personal experience, lessons learned, as well as the social context that may have influenced the course of events.
The point – as far as I’m concerned – is to let people know they are not alone, but also to open them up to the possibility of a different point of view as an enriching new perspective. Understanding the mechanisms behind a person’s choices and behaviour is far more difficult than simply judging and labelling.
Personally, I’ve experienced this book both as a writer and a reader, and I was humbled, uplifted, charmed and even in awe of what the authors shared (I had no idea what the others were contributing). I had the “been there” moments, as well as the “wow… that’s so different from anything I’ve experienced” and the “I don’t think I could have handled that” ones.
My own chapter, Dragonfly, is about my aunt and her life-long struggles, trying to depict her from a variety of perspectives – the daughter, the mother, the sister, the wife, the aunt… the woman. I may or may not agree with her choices, but I have grown to understand them, to see the pain and pressure behind her actions, her addiction, her judgemental as well as her supportive ways. But I will share more in a future post.
Before I leave you with a couple of useful links in case you want to know more about the book, I’ll add one final consideration. Give other people’s stories a chance, listen to them, accept them, because you never know how they may change your life.
Check out Yvette Prior’s introductory post if you want to find out more about This Is How We Grow. You can purchase your own copy on Amazon.
Wordless Wednesday #257
Wordless Wednesday #256
Wordless Wednesday #255
The Lilac Notebook – A Well Researched, Moving Murder Mystery
The Lilac Notebook, Carol Balawyder’s latest novel, is nothing like any of the murder mysteries I’ve read before. But one can expect it, even when not already familiar with the writer and her unmistakable style. After all, how often is a murder solved by a woman who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease?
Once Holly discovers her friend’s body and flees the scene of the crime, she becomes obsessed with finding the murderer. But there is so much more to this novel than the murder investigation itself. Once again, the author successfully weaves a complex, well-researched story, focused on a myriad of socially relevant issues.
I was instantly drawn in by the smooth narrative and the well-captured wide range of human emotions. What causes the dissolution of a marriage, what was it based on in the first place, and how can a woman suffering from Alzheimer’s handle life on her own? How is the disease perceived and how does the patient cope? How will the stigma of being a stripper influence the investigation into Amelia’s murder? And last, but certainly not least, how does incest factor into a young woman’s life? A wonderful writer, researcher and former criminologist subtly intertwines the answers into a compelling, heart-warming and heart-breaking psychological novel. Continue reading “The Lilac Notebook – A Well Researched, Moving Murder Mystery”
Wordless Wednesday #254
Reading Suggestions
Summer/Winter E-Book Sale
The 15th Annual Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale is here! For the entire month of July, stock up on all your favorite indie authors’ books! Visit the sale regularly because thousands of titles will cycle in and out of the sale each week.
Whether you’re looking for a great summer beach read or something to warm your heart in front of a crackling fireplace, a literary feast awaits you!
The sale includes exclusive deep discounts on over 135,000 titles, joining an additional 100,000 other ebooks that are priced every day at free. If you like reading series, thousands of series starters have been marked down to free for the sale.
As usual, I’m also participating. So in case you are interested in any of my books or know someone who might enjoy them, you can download as many copies as you want. They are free during the promotion. Continue reading “Summer/Winter E-Book Sale”
Wordless Wednesday #253
Wordless Wednesday #252
Wordless Wednesday #251
Wordless Wednesday #250
Wordless Wednesday #249
Wordless Wednesday #248
(First duckling of the season 🙂 )
Wordless Wednesday #247
Spring Wonders #50
Spring is slowly but surely threatening to dissipate into summer, whether I like it or not… So perhaps it’s time to wrap up this seasonal photo series as well.
Has this spring brought you joy and peace or has it perhaps been too fraught for your taste? Did you manage to take in the beauty of nature’s revival or have life’s changes proven – perhaps once again – overwhelming? In my case, it has probably been all of the above. Joy and sorrow, nostalgia and awareness, peace and restlessness, present and past, joy and sorrow, change and consistency… But when is it not?
Before I get maudlin, a big thank you to all of you who have kept me company and found the time to glance at these spring images. Your presence and input are deeply appreciated. I hope the rest of the season is kind to you and you manage to make the best of it.
Ana Linden 
You must be logged in to post a comment.