Writing Blog
Baby, it’s cold outside…
It’s not just that today’s the shortest day of the year, and that it feels as cold and dark as it’s going to get. It’s not only that in Rome – after a balmy autumn – we’re now experiencing chilly temperatures. The real reason I constantly finding myself humming what has become a Christmas classic…
Read MorePirandello in the ER
I had to take my younger son to the emergency room this past weekend. Luckily, we were able to rule out more serious concerns with exams, but – until we got the good news that all was well – we had many hours to spend in the ER. I had thrown into my bag the…
Read More‘Tis the season for books!
It’s come around once again … the holiday season, also known as the perfect time in which to purchase books! It’s also a good time for me to check out books I might not have known otherwise. I’ve already selected historical books for my husband, business and economics books for my older son, and everything…
Read MoreI met my 2018 Goodreads Reading Challenge
A public pat on the back. I finally met a deadline over a month in advance of the due date. Of course, it helps that the deadline was self-imposed, and entirely pleasurable. If only they were all like that … Each year I do the Goodreads Reading Challenge, and 2018 was no exception. I set…
Read MoreA new award for African literary voices
Exciting news that the French literary award, the Prix Orange du Livre, will be celebrating its tenth year by launching a new award aimed at African authors. You can see more in this article (in French). For this first year of the award, editors must submit works that were published between 1 January 2017 and…
Read MoreSecond week of the NaNo writing marathon underway
I wouldn’t usually label myself as a Couch Potato, but when it comes to assessing my level of writing commitment during the crazed marathon month of November, I suppose it would be pretty apt. As NaNoers diligently tear through 50,000 words of their first draft of their novels, I’m enthusiastically waving them on. Tucked under…
Read MoreAre you NaNoing?
It’s that time of year again – when all you crazy writing marathoners take up the challenge to write a fifty-thousand word novel in just 30 days as part of the National Novel Writing Month challenge. Then there are the people like me, who stand on the side lines and cheer you on as you…
Read MoreAfter the hiatus
Hiatus – a break or gap. Since I returned from summer holidays, I have not been keeping up my blog. The return to work and kids’ school and daily life kept things more hectic than I anticipated, and then my trusty home laptop died … and I was super slow about replacing it. But I…
Read MoreWriters, stop making excuses …
“A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper.” —E. B. White In the always brilliant words of author E.B. White – stop slacking off, and get writing! Not much to add to these perfect words of advice. I am certainly guilty of waiting for…
Read MoreBook review: The Stars are Fire
Author Anita Shreve is a master at penning realistic characters and delving deep into their psyches, and The Stars are Fire is a brilliant illustration of her significant talent in bringing her characters to life. Grace Holland is a young mother of two toddlers in post World War II Maine. Her husband, Gene, has retruned from…
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