About the Author | Giveaway

Trophy Husband

by Lauren Blakely

Publication date: May 21st 2013

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance (the author describes it as mid-20s Sex and the City vibe)

Buy from: Amazon |  Smashwords  |  Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:
Sometimes you can’t help falling in love, even when you try to do the opposite…Successful fashion blogger McKenna Bell has spent far too long protecting herself after the way her ex-fiancé left her at the altar for a college chick he met the night of his bachelor party. Loving again, trusting again, well, that’s just not in the cards. Especially now that her ex is back in town with his new woman, demanding custody of McKenna’s favorite creature in the whole world–her dog. No effing way. McKenna’s had enough of him, and she decides to even the score by finding her own hot young thing — a Trophy Husband. Sure, she’s only twenty-seven, but doesn’t that make it even more fun — and infuriating to her ex — to pursue a younger man? When she declares her intentions on her daily blog, her quest quickly skyrockets in popularity, and that’s when Chris enters the picture, and he’s got all the assets. He’s handsome, successful, and turns her inside out with a kiss to end all kisses, the kind that makes you feel like a shooting star. But loving again could mean losing again, and it’s so much easier to focus on getting even, isn’t it? Unless, you just can’t help falling in love. Which means McKenna will have to come face to face with what she really wants in life — protecting her heart from hurt, or letting go of her fears of a new beginning.

Excerpt from the book:

About the Author

Lauren Blakely is an unabashed fan of clever jokes, toast, and good guys in novels. Like the heroine in CAUGHT UP IN US, she thinks life should be filled with movie kisses and coffee drinks. Lauren lives in California with her husband and children, and spends her days writing both true stories and make-believe ones.

Giveaway

One Charm Bracelet + a signed copy of Trophy Husband (US/Can)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Posted at http://www.mereadalot.com

Hay Festival runs for ten days with a packed programme of debates and conversations with poets and scientists, novelists and historians, artists and gardeners, comedians and musicians, film makers and politicians.  The festival is in its 26^th year in Hay, a magical book town in the Black Mountains of the Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales. The organisers also create festivals in ten cities around the world every year from Cartagena to Dhaka, and from Beirut to Nairobi.

Discover the Authors who are taking part in this year’s festival on our library catalogue.

Lydia Davis

Lydia Davis, the U.S. author who contributed fiction to Issue 1 of Interlitq, has been cited in “URA shortlisted for Man Booker prize” (Deccan Herald, 20.05.13):  ”Noted litterateur U R Ananthamurthy has been shortlisted as one of the ten finalists for the fifth Man Booker International Prize 2013 that is given away in recognition of the winner’s achievement in fiction and comes with a cash reward of £60,000.

The winner will be announced at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London on Wednesday. Besides Ananthamurthy, other finalists are Aharon Appelfeld (Israel), Lydia Davis (USA), Intizar Husain (Pakistan), Yan Lianke (China), Marie NDiaye (France), Josip Novakovich (Canada), Marilynne Robinson (USA), Vladimir Sorokin (Russia), and Peter Stamm (Switzerland).”

U.R. Ananthamurthy

Aharon Appelfeld

Intizar Husain

Yan Lianke

Marie NDiaye

Josip Novakovich

Marilynne Robinson

Vladimir Sorokin

Peter Stamm

In the yellow corner is Joanna Penn. In the pinkish corner is me, answering her questions. We’re at her blog The Creative Penn, and you can read a text summary,  download a 50-minute audio podcast or watch us grin and and wave our hands while we discuss how to write convincing and compelling fictional people. Do come over.

This blog will primarily be about books, and literature, and the writing thereof. 

I will be discussing the trials and tribulations of a reader and an aspiring writer. Scrutinising my bookshelf now, I can tell you that I have a small hoard of classic literature and what I think might be best described as ‘cult fiction.’ 

It was from both my parents that I discovered a deep appreciation of books, but not until my late high-school years that books became important to me. Reading is not a hobby, or a pastime, but a passion. I secretly like to think that the ink from the pages of a book darkens my blood as I read, changing my very chemistry. If that sounds morbid, it’s supposed to be gothic-romantic. 

To disclose a little about myself, my favourite authors are Martin & Kingsley Amis, Daphne du Maurier, Arthur Conan-Doyle, Chuck Palahniuk, Hunter S. Thompson, F. Scott Fitzgerald, E.M Forster, Marquis de Sade, Anais Nin, Baroness Orczy, Victor Hugo, Vladmir  Nabokov, Poppy Z. Brite and Kurt Vonnegut, to name a few. I don’t have a favourite book and I consider all of the above authors to be friends and confidants. 

So, here we are. This blog will provide me with an outlet to muse on literature, and I hope, provide you with a place to recover from book-hangovers and giggle at my prose-based antics. I’ll be doing some typical book reviews, read-a-longs, this vs. that(s) as well as many other usual suspects. Whether you’re new to reading, or an old hand, I’ll be here – wondering why I’m blogging about reading and writing than engaging in those two activities.

And remember, a book is a very powerful thing. And, at a stretch, can be flung at someone as a makeshift weapon. Also, if you’re lucky it can give you superpowers (sort of) like the precocious Matilda in Roald Dahl’s book of the same name.

I’ll have more for you soon, but for now, off with you. Read some while you wait. Go on.

Burn after reading,

Lydia.

Ruth Padel

Ruth Padel, the UK poet who was a contributor to Issue 9 of Interlitq, has been cited in “Love against money? It’s no contest” (D.J. Taylor, The Independent, 19.05.13): At an event held last Tuesday night at London Zoo, the poet Jo Shapcott could be heard talking about the loris – a small furry animal native to Sri Lanka – about which she has written a poem. The series of six discussions, chaired by Ruth Padel, also includes Mark Haddon on Galapagos tortoises and Andrew O’Hagan on the Malaysian tapir, each accompanied by a conservation scientist and the animal itself.

This led me to wonder what might be the most recherché specimen to which a poet has ever addressed a poem. Obviously there is Burns on mice (‘Wee sleekit, cowrin,’ tim’rous beastie’). The Georgian rhymers had a thing about parrots, although one of their number, Sir John Squire, wrote some affecting verses to a cabbage white butterfly he once saw fluttering along the Strand.

The Beat Poets have their moments, although Ed Sanders’ “Sheep Fuck Poem” is probably not much anthologised. But the last word was probably spoken by Dickens, in the shape of Mrs Leo Hunter’s “Ode to an Expiring Frog” in Pickwick (“Can I unmoved see thee dying/on a log/Expiring frog?”). You can keep your lorises.

D.J. Taylor

Elena Poniatowska

In an interview with Noticieros Televisa (20.05.13), Elena Poniatowska, the Mexican journalist and author who is a Vice-President of Interlitq, has, at the age of 81, ruled out the possibility of writing an autobiography.

So to celebrate we’re having great wodges of cake, and a couple of glasses of something even stronger than my tea :)  And as a special birthday present, one lucky commenter will win a copy of Coda to Murder, J.Q. Rose’s latest release.

Congratulations, J.Q. Rose, and good to meet you here!

Helena, thank you so much for the opportunity to be a guest on your blog. Oh my goodness, but you asked some questions that made me dig down deeper to come up with the answers.  I am thrilled to tell your readers about my new mystery/sweet romance, Coda to Murder, and to award a copy of the e-book to a commenter.

Thanks for the present!  Now, my first question is an easy one – Where do you live?  I’m a snowbird so I live in Michigan in the spring, summer, and fall then move to Florida for the sunshine. It’s kind of like going away to summer camp in the winter because we play with friends and have no responsibility.

Where is your favourite place in the world?  My favourite place in the world, magnificent Mackinac Island (pronounced Mack-INAW), is not that far from my Michigan home. Located in the waters of Lake Huron,  the only way visitors can reach the island during the summer is via ferry service.  No motor driven vehicles are allowed on the island, so it really is like stepping back into the Victorian era.  Christopher Reeves in the romantic movie, Somewhere in Time, travels back to this era. The movie was filmed on location in the Grand Hotel, a majestic, world-renowned hotel and the centrepiece of the island.  http://www.mackinacisland.org/lodging/

The downtown area mostly consists of ice cream shops, t-shirt outlets, and famous fudge shops. During the summer season the quaint town is teeming with tourists. We love to grab a bike to get away from the congestion and take our time riding the road that hugs the coast. We stop to breathe in the fresh air and to appreciate the marriage of sky and water. It’s so much fun to explore the rocks along the small beaches. It is truly a place to escape from reality.

The lilac festival this year begins June 7, but you may want to take your heavy winter coat that time of year so you can enjoy the visit and drink in the perfume of the lovely lilac bushes spotted throughout the island.

Wow, that sounds an amazing place.  Thanks for the link – at least I can enjoy the island in cyber-space :) 

Being a writer is a great job.  What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?  The summer between my junior and senior year at college, I took a job as a door-to-door encyclopedia salesman. I travelled with a group of college age students to cities in Illinois. My leader would drop each of us in a neighbourhood and leave. I walked from door to door telling the folks I was taking a survey for the schools so they would invite me in. Somehow I worked it around to giving a presentation on Grolier encyclopedia. Some residents would throw me out, others were polite and listened while I wasted my evening with them. Others actually bought the set and were grateful for me stopping in.  I learned it didn’t matter if the home was in a fancy subdivision or a blue collar neighborhood, every family had to figure out if they could afford the books.

You’re right, selling door to door is an awful job.  Here’s a nicer question: what book do you wish you’d written?  I enjoy the storytelling in all of Jan Karon’s Mitford series.

And what’s your happiest memory?  If I were to say happiest career memory, I would say the open house for our new floral shop, garden center, and greenhouses. Personal memory? Seeing my two young daughters race into the arms of my mother and her hugging them tightly as they giggled together.

If you could meet anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be and what would you say to them?  I grew up in Central Illinois known as the Land of Lincoln where Abraham Lincoln, our 16^th president  worked as a lawyer before he was elected to the presidency. I would probably be speechless in his presence, but I would cherish the opportunity to meet with him and soak up his wisdom.

 What would your superpower be, if you could choose one?  Flying! I would fly to Florida and not spend 22 hours in a car.

If you won twenty million in the lottery, what would you do with the money?  Oh that’s easy. I would travel, buy my DH a new truck although he loves our 17 year old “Big Blue,” Dodge Ram, set aside funds for our grandchildren’s college education,  buy a special gift for everyone in our family, and donate to the United Methodist Committee on Relief toward building wells in Africa, supporting the African University, developing resources in third world countries to allow them to grow food for themselves and to make a living, helping Haiti recover, and supporting food banks in our country to feed children, and probably a dozen more causes that would help children.

What’s the most important lesson life has taught you?  Don’t spin your wheels worrying about things you cannot control.

Great advice.  And finally, please tell us about your latest book, where we can find it, and where we can find your blog/website

Coda to Murder is a cozy mystery and sweet romance. From the back of the book:

Pastor Christine Hobbs has been in the pulpit business for over five years. She never imagined herself caring for a flock that includes a pig, a kangaroo, and a murderer.  Detective Cole Stephens doesn’t want the pretty pastor to get away with murdering the church music director. His investigative methods infuriate Christine as much as his deep brown eyes attract her. Can they find the real killer and build a loving relationship based on trust?

Now available at MuseItUp Publishing

Amazon.com

bn.com and major online booksellers

Connect with J.Q. Rose online at

J.Q. Rose blog http://www.jqrose.com/

Girls Succeed blog http://girlssucceed.blogspot.com/

Author website http://jqrose.webs.com/

J. Q.  Rose Amazon Author Page http://tinyurl.com/aeuv4m4

Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/jqrose

Pinterest http://pinterest.com/janetglaser/

You Tube Book Trailer– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8J4Lkw0q3g

Thanks so much for visiting me today, and telling us all about your wonderful home state.  I hope I can return the visit some day!

And thanks for the great birthday present!  Don’t forget, one lucky commenter will win a copy of J.Q. Rose’s Coda to Murder.  So if you have any questions for us, or any comments at all, or just want to wish J.Q. Rose a happy birthday, please just drop in and comment.  You could be the winner!

It’s an exciting Tuesday, when I can introduce a new Wizards with Words author. Jane Wakely has visited my blog before, but this is the first I’ve had an opportunity to interview her. She’s here today with her new paranormal/shifter romance, CHRISTINA’S BEAR. And you know how I love the paranormal/shifter stuff, right? Sit back and enjoy!

~ooOOoo~

Let’s start with what first attracted you to writing. When did you realize it was something you wanted to do?

When I look back, I can’t think of a time when I wasn’t writing (except for my almost twenty year break as an adult—and even then I was still creating in my head!) I’ve always enjoyed writing and creating things with words and it’s what attracted me—and convinced me to come back! Early on, I knew I wanted to write, but as I got older I let fear and doubt force me to give up my dream. Luckily, one day I jumped in with both feet and decided to try!

Good for you! As an author, you write in multiple romance genres and varying heat levels. Do you find it hard to switch between a paranormal and a contemporary, or a sweet romance and a sensual one?

I don’t find it hard to switch between genres. Usually when an idea comes to me, it’s very clear about which genre it belongs in and I go with it. Heat level is a bit different. I have one erotic short and one sweet one (the rest are in the middle.) I prefer to write sensual/spicy scenes, so both of those stories were a challenge—one because I had to add so much more than usual, the other because I had to take out so much! Usually my characters stay where I’m comfy and hang-out in the sensual/spicy zone, but if they pull me somewhere else, I go with it!

Please share the blurb for your current release.

CHRISTINA’S BEAR
Paranormal/Shifter Romance

Christina Mills’ loud, bubbly personality gains her numerous friends and dating opportunities. Unfortunately, being labeled a “party girl” and dating a lot can give people the wrong impression. When Christina’s dates learn the truth about her, they soon move on.

James “Bull” Johnson is a restless bear shifter ready to settle down. At the urging of his friend, he relocates to the mid-sized town of Chestnut Rock. Bull hopes the nearby forest and being near his best friend will help soothe his bear and cure some of his loneliness.

When Bull and Christina meet, he recognizes her as his mate. However, their first two encounters leave Bull thinking Christina is afraid of him and Christina is confused by her feelings toward the stranger. Both Bull and Christina have secrets and insecurities that keep them guarded, but if they can trust one another, they’ll discover they’re made for each other.

Without giving too much away, do you have a favorite scene in the novel?

I love, love, LOVE this couple so it’s really hard to pick a fave scene. I think I’m going to have to go with the Epilogue and all I can tell you is they live happily ever after!

I love HEAs, so that’s good to know! How long does it usually take you to finish a manuscript?

I write novellas/shorts so if I really hustle I can finish a manuscript in two weeks, but it usually takes me three or four. Life usually gets in the way of my hustle! LOL

I hear that! When you start a new project do you usually begin with characters or plot first?

It depends on the story, but most of the time the plot comes first.

What is your next project on the horizon?

Right now I’m working on Book 6 in my Chestnut Rock Shifters Series. (CHRISTINA’S BEAR is book 2!) Next I’ll work on the final planned book, Book 7!

You are definitely busy! And now a few speed round questions:

Plotter or panster: Pantser with a few notes!

Favorite time of year: Fall/Winter

Favorite animal: Tiger

Favorite type of music: I listen to whatever TG (Teen Girl) plays for me! LOL

Favorite spot to write: I have an office, but when no one’s home I prefer the kitchen table!

A book you’ve read more than once: Annabelle’s Courtship by Lucy Monroe

Dream vacation gifted to you by a fairy godmother: I’d like to visit England, Ireland and Scotland!

They’re on my list too. Before we wrap things up today, is there any sage writing advice you’d like to share?

Patience is a virtue in this business! While you’re waiting, keep writing!

Well said!

Excerpt CHRISTINA’S BEAR
Christina Mills looked around the now half empty apartment and couldn’t help the sadness sweeping over her. She and Jenn lived here together for two years and now Jenn had been completely gone for two weeks. Christina knew they couldn’t live together forever, but she’d honestly thought it would be much longer before either one of them found the one.

Once Jenn and Matt had worked out their differences, Jenn’s belongings disappeared little by little until her friend finally admitted she was moving in with Matt. Christina was very happy for the two of them—and if she was honest, a little jealous. Not of Matt, of what Jenn found with Matt. Someone to love her unconditionally. Christina often wondered if she would ever find a perfect match.

Making friends was easy. Her height combined with her trim body and large breasts always gained the attention of men, but she’d kept most of them in the friend category. The ones that became boyfriends quickly tired of her bubbly—sometimes loud—personality. Looking for love resulted in dating often and had gained her the reputation of being a fun party girl. Unfortunately, many people made the mistake of thinking she was easy and slept around. Jenn was the only one who knew the truth and now Jenn was gone. Christina felt very alone.

Buy CHRISTINA’S BEAR from:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
All Romance Ebooks

Author bio
Jane has always been a writer. Even when she took a break from it for a few years, she couldn’t keep the stories from filling her head. As an avid romance reader, she finally decided her stories needed to be free, and she started writing again.

Reading and liking all genres of romance; it makes sense that she would write that way too. Her stories range from sweet to erotic, contemporary to paranormal, and a bunch in-between. She loves all romance genres, and all levels of spice.

Jane lives on the east coast of the United States with her loving husband, daughter and their Miniature Dachshund.

Look for Jane at the following haunts:
Blog
Facebook
Twitter 
Goodreads 

Geoffrey Robertson QC

Geoffrey Robertson QC, a leading human rights lawyer who is a Consulting Editor for Interlitq, has been cited in “Serendipity, Bob Carr and Sri Lanka” (Bruce Haigh, On Line opinion, 21.05.13): Geoffrey Robertson QC, told ABC Radio National, on 4 May the same thing, emphasising the ongoing nature of persecution of Tamils. He also noted Carr’s poor commitment to human rights. Human Rights Watch delivered a similar report in February and Amnesty International in a report, “Sri Lanka’s assault on Dissent”, has said that Tamils continue to be persecuted by government forces and notes that Rajapaksa is consolidating his hold on power by repression of critics often through resort to unauthorised detention and violence.

Bob Carr

Bruce Haigh

A.C. Grayling

While finding the discussion of religion by A.C. Grayling, a Consulting Editor for Interlitq, “disgraceful”, Melvyn Bragg is also scheduled to be a Guest Speaker at the Cheltenham Literary Festival this October.

Melvyn Bragg

Cheltenham, England

THE NEPTUNE PROJECT is set in a future where the seas are rising and global warming is out of control. Nere Hanson and her teen companions are shocked to learn that they have been genetically altered by their desperate parents to live in the sea. Protected by her loyal dolphins, shy Nere leads the rest on a perilous journey to her father’s new colony. Fighting off government divers, sharks and giant squid, can Nere and her companions learn to trust each other before their dangerous new world destroys them?

Judging by your website, I’m fairly convinced you live underwater, so the inspiration for your book isn’t hard to find. But was there a particular event or moment that sparked the idea for the story?

Well, there was this moment when a huge, ugly moray eel sunk his teeth into my dive flipper… just kidding! Actually, I have to give you an honest and not very exciting answer. The premise of The Neptune Project grew in my mind over time. I’ve always cared about the environment, and at the rate we are polluting and overpopulating the land of our planet, it just makes sense to me that we may have to colonize the oceans someday. I’m also fascinated by genetic engineering, and we are drawing closer to being able to “engineer” kids who can breathe seawater.

You’ve mentioned being both claustrophobic (like your heroine, Nere) and being a “chicken about heights.” Do you foresee the latter (or other phobias!) making an appearance in future novels?

That’s a great idea! I’ve considered writing a story about a girl who gets bitten by a rattlesnake in the desert just like I was a few years ago, but I think that storyline could get melodramatic in a hurry. I do like the idea of having a serious teen climber survive a bad fall which will impact her ability make challenging ascents. I feel a new story brewing – thanks so much for the nudge!

In Neptune 2, I do follow up on Nere’s claustrophobia and have her imprisoned in a small, dark cell with Tobin (we authors can be so cruel to our characters), and he helps her through the worst of her terror.

You’ve done a lot of scuba diving, but what challenges (if any) did you find in writing an underwater setting?

There were so many sensory details I wanted to convey and get right. It’s quiet and muffled under the waves compared to the surface world, but the sea has its own music. I love the whisper of sand shifting with currents, and the whistles and squeaks of dolphins. The light becomes green or blue depending on where you dive, and it vanishes quickly the deeper you swim.

In the publishing process, what did you feel most and least prepared for?

I was prepared to spend a great deal of time revising a manuscript until it was perfect, and my editor Lisa Yoskowitz was wonderful about helping to make The Neptune Project a better book. I didn’t realize, though, how much time I’d have to spend mastering social media and using it. I now enjoy twitter (like many authors, I perhaps enjoy it too much) but it was a little scary learning how to use it at the start.

Now that your debut’s out in the wild, what’s up next?

I’ve finished Neptune 2, which Puffin UK has already bought. I’m hoping Disney Hyperion buys it as well and agrees to publish the third and final book in the Neptune series.

As this community is All for One and OneFour KidLit, we’d like to know what two or three books inspired you as a kid.

BTW, that is one clever name for a debut author group! My father and grandmother used to read Johann David Wyss’ THE SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON to me by the hour, and I liked to imagine I was a member of that family shipwrecked on a desert island. I also loved MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN by Jean Craighead George about a boy who goes off and tries to survive on his own in the wild. Those books were so vivid, and the characters in them had to be incredibly brave and resourceful to survive. You’ll see those themes in The Neptune Project. My shy heroine Nere eventually learns that she is capable, brave and resourceful.

Thanks for stopping by, Polly, and best luck with THE NEPTUNE PROJECT!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Polly Holyoke has been imagining stories since she was in fifth grade. When she isn’t writing, Polly loves reading, camping, skiing, scuba diving and hiking in the desert (where she quite stupidly got herself bitten by a rattlesnake). She lives with three rescue dogs, two spoiled cats and a nice husband who is tolerant about the piles of books all over their house. Her debut middlegrade novel, THE NEPTUNE PROJECT, is the story of a young girl leading a group of genetically altered teens fighting to survive in the sea. She is thrilled that this novel will be published by Disney/Hyperion and Puffin Books UK summer, 2013. She thinks the best part about being an author is going to work in her sweatpants and getting paid for daydreaming!

WEBSITE     GOODREADS     TWITTER     PINTEREST     FACEBOOK

Here’s where you can buy THE NEPTUNE PROJECT:

Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Books-A-Million     Indigo Books     Powell’s Books     IndieBound

R.C. Lewis teaches math to teenagers—sometimes in sign language, sometimes not—and resists defining herself further since that definition remains in flux. Coincidentally, she enjoys reading about quantum physics. Her debut novel, STITCHING SNOW (Disney-Hyperion, Summer ’14), takes Snow White into space.

“Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.”

-Winston Churchill

A writing workshop is a place for creative folks to come together and share their work with the intention of giving and receiving constructive feedback. Workshops can take place in a classroom, a community, library, neighborhood, or even over lunch with a small circle of writer friends. What’s important is that all participants in workshops understand the proper etiquette for how to write, read, and review work.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be discussing how to workshop in parts (see end of post); to start off, let’s talk about some general points for how a workshop should go so that everyone gets the most out of the experience. Keep in mind that many of these points will be elaborated on later, but feel free to comment on any points you’d like me to discuss further!

Workshop Sizes

When working with a bigger group, a little more organization is necessary. You’re dealing with more people, and in public settings it’s likely that you’ll be experiencing a wide range of skill levels, writing/publishing knowledge, and interests. Classroom and community writing workshops tend to be bigger groups that can divide into smaller groups over time as writers and editors improve and find their niche genres and audiences. An introductory class may have twenty participants, whereas an intermediate class specifically for writing picture books or plays may be five or six people. Friends who meet in writing workshops also often branch off into their own little groups.

Common Points of a Workshop

In a typical workshop, a writer delivers his or her piece–usually no more than 30 pages at a time–to the other members of the group ahead of time. This may be as hard copies or digital. Everyone reads the piece, often making notes and/or line edits, and occasionally writing a response letter to the writer. When everyone meets up for the workshop, the group discusses the good points of the piece and then places for improvement. Writers can ask about certain points they were worried about as well as answer questions and clarify things for editors. A workshop may be for one person at a time but is usually two or three at a time in bigger groups. Workshop duration can be anywhere from an hour to an afternoon.

Workshops are for Helping Writers to Improve

This is the number one reminder in any workshop, but especially for a bigger group. Even if you’re a long-time writer and experienced editor, remember that not everyone in the group may be on the same level and that some may be above it. Treat everyone with respect. People come to workshops looking to improve upon their writing skills–and, yes, occasionally to hear that they’re on the right track. Offer other writers the help you’d like to receive when reviewing your own work!

If you like something, say so! Tell writers what they did well, what’s working in the piece. This is a great way to kick off a workshop. Talk about characters you related to, settings you could picture in your mind, and specific lines of dialogue that stayed with you long after you’d read them. Writers are often sensitive about their work, so let them know when they succeed.

You have to be more careful about criticism. The golden rule of workshopping is that all criticism must be constructive. Keep in mind the difference between personal preference and a legitimate problem; just because you don’t like something doesn’t mean it doesn’t have an audience somewhere. If you don’t like something, be able to explain why or suggest a way for the author to improve the section; a general comment may be enough for praise (“I like this character”), but when it comes to criticism, it’s better to communicate why something isn’t working so that the author can fix it with a better idea of what’s wrong.

Moderators

In classrooms, libraries, or community settings, a workshop will likely be run by an instructor or  moderator of some sort. For smaller circles, it’s probably not necessary to have someone moderating, but it can help to organize the time spent. Having someone run the workshop allows structure: the person acts as a discussion leader to move the group through points such as first impressions, positive remarks, and revision suggestions. However, the moderator also has the responsibility of keeping everyone polite and on-topic.

To Speak or Not to Speak: Writers

Some workshops allow writers to have dialogue with the editors during the workshop; this is a more successful method in smaller groups, since those tend to be made up of writers who know each other well and can work together efficiently. For bigger groups, the more common setup is to have the writer listen and take notes while the other members of the group discuss, and then afterward respond to questions/concerns and ask questions of his/her own.

My reason for preferring that authors stay quiet until the end is twofold. One, some authors will talk a point to death and/or engage in long back-and-forths when they don’t like the feedback they’re getting, which wastes a lot of time and affects both the editors’ willingness to help and author’s willingness to listen. Two, the author doesn’t get to jump in and explain or defend his or her work when it’s published and any given person is reading it, so when he or she hears editors having questions or concerns, the author understands that this is how people genuinely react to the piece upon reading for the first time. It’s a learning experience.

Again, I’ve got more to say on this topic for a future part on how writers should participate in workshops, but let’s stay on the speaking versus silence part of this topic with…

To Speak or Not to Speak: Editors

For praise, everyone is welcome to jump in, even with the smallest comment. It’s always appreciated! Think about how happy it makes you to get even a simple compliment on something you’ve worked hard on. Pass that happiness on to other writers!

Once the workshop has moved past the niceties segment, though, choose your words carefully. Editorial feedback must always progress the discussion. If someone has already made the point you wanted to make, don’t restate it, but feel free to agree with the person–to show the author that it isn’t an isolated problem–and add something new to the conversation. If you can’t explain why something isn’t working or recognize one of your issues as a pet peeve (not a serious problem, just something that irks you), don’t bring it up. Writing workshops are either classes or activities that people take part in during their spare time, so the time you have to discuss each piece is precious. Offering feedback and editing are just like writing: choose your words and how you spend your time wisely.

How to Find Writing Workshops to Take Part in

Many colleges offer at least introductory writing workshops, and community establishments like libraries are known to run them as well. Check out the websites of local community colleges, neighborhood locations of flyers or notices, community newsletters, and your local library for information. Some workshops are divided by skill level, so whether you’re a long-time writer looking for fellow experienced writers or a beginner, you can find a group that suits your needs.

How to Start Your Own Writing Workshop

Can’t find a local workshop that is nearby and works with your schedule? Try organizing one of your own! Speak with your local librarian or community center to see if you can organize a workshop through them. Put up fliers in your neighborhood to advertise, or put an ad in the local paper. If you and your friends are all interested in writing, start a workshop that meets, say, every Saturday for brunch and editing?

“Work” is the first part of the word “workshop,” yes, but it’s meant to be an enjoyable experience that allows writers to improve their work while interacting socially with others who share their creative passions. Taking part in a workshop is an accessible way to strengthen your abilities as a writer and/or editor and prepares you for the professional world of publishing.

Over the next few weeks, I will be discussing the following aspects of workshopping in-depth:

• How to Write for a Workshop
• How to Edit for a Workshop
• How to Moderate a Workshop
• Starting and Maintaining a Writing Workshop
• Writing Workshops with Friends

If you have any questions, suggestions, or workshop experiences/stories to share, though, don’t hesitate to leave comments!

xo P

Kathy Lette

Kathy Lette, the wife of Geoffrey Robertson QC, a leading human rights lawyer who is a Consulting Editor for Interlitq, has been cited in “Autism’s Got Talent” (This is Local London, 16.05.13): “Author Kathy Lette was one of the famous faces at the Autism’s Got Talent show at the Mermaid Theatre, London, earlier this month.”

Doctor Who is 50 years old this year, its back catalogue include not only the TV Shows and a couple of dodgy movies but also books, comic, Radio plays, in fact for nearly a third of its existence it was absent from the screens.

Now there will of course be episode reviews but more than that I want to examine why it manages to keep going and gaining increasing popularity.  I will be looking at some of the ideas behind the storylines, looking at what has worked and what has been held up for scorn (oh yes Who fans are as scathing with their criticism as they are devoted to the show)  There will be some who will say but this is a writing blog why look at a TV series but lets be honest how many authors could write a series lasting this long without it getting tired and lets not forget writers such as Neil Gaiman have put pen to paper in its name.

From a personal viewpoint I will also be discussing how my young son reacts to stories as well after all this is a family show and examining the extra’s that come on DVD’s (though this will be as we get them as we only have a couple at the minute).

I decided to do the intro post today as I am still trying to work out how I discuss Saturdays show without spoilers (and sobbing into my computer) so I will share this for now which those on my Facebook will have seen already (sorry) I am just loving this song and the story but this ends with the end of series 6 so has no spoilers for this series….

Also a taster of one of the Extras from the DVD the monster got for his birthday

Of Heaven or Hell I have no power to sing,
I cannot ease the burden of your fears,
Or make quick-coming death a little thing,
Or bring again the pleasure of past years,
Nor for my words shall ye forget your tears,
Or hope again for aught that I can say,
The idle singer of an empty day.

But rather, when aweary of your mirth,
From full hearts still unsatisfied ye sigh,
And, feeling kindly unto all the earth,
Grudge every minute as it passes by,
Made the more mindful that the sweet days die—
Remember me a little then I pray,
The idle singer of an empty day.

The heavy trouble, the bewildering care
That weighs us down who live and earn our bread,
These idle verses have no power to bear;
So let me sing of names remembered,
Because they, living not, can ne’er be dead,
Or long time take their memory quite away
From us poor singers of an empty day.

Dreamer of dreams, born out of my due time,
Why should I strive to set the crooked straight?
Let it suffice me that my murmuring rhyme
Beats with light wing against the ivory gate,
Telling a tale not too importunate
To those who in the sleepy region stay,
Lulled by the singer of an empty day.

Folk say, a wizard to a northern king
At Christmas-tide such wondrous things did show,
That through one window men beheld the spring,
And through another saw the summer glow,
And through a third the fruited vines a-row,
While still, unheard, but in its wonted way,
Piped the drear wind of that December day.

So with this Earthly Paradise it is,
If ye will read aright, and pardon me,
Who strive to build a shadowy isle of bliss
Midmost the beating of the steely sea,
Where tossed about all hearts of men must be;
Whose ravening monsters mighty men shall slay,
Not the poor singer of an empty day.

William Morris 1834-1896

The portrait (1870) is by George Frederic Watts, via Wikimedia

Patti Callahan Henry has visited the upstate a few times before, but somehow I was never able to attend, so I was really excited when her latest Book Your Lunch fit into my schedule.  Patti grew up in Philadelphia until her minister father had a calling to start a church in Florida.  Once in Florida, Patti went to 5 different schools in 4 years and really “fell into” stories as an escape.  She never dreamed she could get paid for telling stories since she got in trouble for it as a child, so she became a nurse, only turning to writing after she had children.

As a young woman, Patti’s sister gave a baby girl up for adoption.  As a teen-ager, that baby found their family through Patti’s Facebook page.   Patti can tell you the exact date – April 20, 2010 – because it has had such a positive impact on her family.  They’ve all met her sister’s biological child and her adoptive family and have become very close.

Patti’s parents, sister, newly found niece, and publishing house all urged her to write her family’s story.  She originally wrote the true story but it didn’t turn out well, so she decided to write a novel and leave the true story for her sister to write.  And Then I Found You is Patti’s 9th novel but it’s the first that was inspired by a true story.  It’s also the first time she’s used real places for settings in a book.  While the basic premise of the story is true, none of pivotal plot points are.  It was obvious this story means a lot to Patti.

I got Patti to autograph a copy of And Then I Found You for one lucky reader.  To enter to win an autographed copy of AND THEN I FOUND YOU, by Patti Callahan Henry, simply fill out the entry form.  Contest is open worldwide – one entry per person, please.  I will use random.org to determine the winner. Contest ends at midnight EDT Wednesday, June 5, 2013.    Comments are welcome (and appreciated) but will not get you an entry in the contest.

NAME: Nicoletta (Niki) Barrie
LIVE: Rochester, NY
STARTED WRITING: as a child…maybe 9 years old–poetry and essays
BOOKS I like writing:: I’ve written only one book — children’s fiction and I like it the best of anything I’ve written because I could be so creative. I’ve written a PDF that is a giveaway with my novel called “What You Need to Know before You Adopt a Dog,” available at http://dog-rescue-iowa.org/free-e-book-what-you-need-to-know-before-you-adopt-a-dog/,

and a chapter of nonfiction book Return to Big Grass, but otherwise my writing has all been for magazines.
THREE TIPS on Writing/Publishing:
1. Know your audience. This is true in the nonfiction market and though I’m new to fiction, I believe it is true there as well.
2. The publishing industry has been and continues to be changing constantly. Be prepared for it.
3. Know the English language (or whatever language you are writing in).
LAST BOOK I read: The Panther by Nelson DeMille; I love his books.. He’s an excellent writer, but this one wasn’t as interesting as the others (I’ve read them all).

LINK to my book on Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Clover-Twins-search-Cloverleaf-dogs/dp/1480175102/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1364238815&sr=8-2&keywords=clover+twins

The work of Hazel de Berg forms the basis of the oral history collection in the National Library of Australia.  Around 4 years after Mrs de Berg began using a tape recorder in her work with people with visual disablities, this article in the Canberra Times noted her prolific rate of recording the voices and work of Australian poets and the modest grant she received to continue collecting their readings and stories.

The Canberra Times – 17 October 1961 

A woman with an unusual hobby visited Canberra yesterday. She is Mrs. Hazel de Berg ….. a tape-recorder enthusiast from Sydney.  Mrs de Berg’s interest in tape-recording originated from her idea to present taped recitals at Blind Institutes in Sydney.  She was granted £100 from the Commonwealth Literary Fund after she presented some of her recordings at the Adelaide Festival last year.

Since then she has travelled Australia collecting recordings of Australian poets for the National Archives. She has recorded all living recognised Australian poets – 68 altogether – reading their own voice.  Dame Mary [Gilmore], Kenneth Slessor, [Dorothea] McKellar, Douglas Steward and Lady Hope are a few of the many she has recorded.

Last night Mrs. de Berg played some of her collection to the Canberra Fellowship of Australian writers and told them some of her experiences making the recordings. She does not interview people but records them talking about their work, interests and themselves.  The tape recordings are converted later into records and sent to the National Library archives.  Mrs de Berg will leave for Melbourne today to begin a series of recordings of Australian artists.  This afternoon she will speak to some in the Melbourne Art Gallery.  She hopes to follow that series by one on Australian authors and dramatists and another on Australian composers and musicians.

From the Australian Dictionary of Biography,

By the 1970s she was recognised as the pioneer of oral history in Australia, yet it was not a term that she favoured. She regarded herself not as an interviewer, but as a recorder of the voices, recollections and ideas of Australians of diverse ages, backgrounds and talents. She brought to this work great energy, enthusiasm, charm and perseverance, often managing to record individuals who were notoriously reticent or reclusive. Her practice of excluding her own voice from the tapes has been criticised, while the brevity of the earlier recordings limits their value. Taken as a whole, however, the de Berg tapes provide a unique record of the voices and memories of hundreds of Australians born between 1865 and 1956.

I’ve been listening to a few of the recordings.  They were not sophisticated by any means and this adds to their charm.  In the sessions with May Gibbs (then over 90 years old) you can hear traffic noise and bird sounds from her garden.  The recordings of people who knew Henry Lawson give some of the back story away. Dame Mary Gilmore (in her late nineties at the time of recording) is adamant that Henry used some of her own family’s stories to create his – The Drover’s Wife being a case in point.  Casually she drops in the odd gem – “He wanted to marry me of course”.

In 1960, Doris Fitton, actress and founder of the Independent Theatre, recorded her memories in a strong voice that was in no need of amplification from the stage.

May Gibbs (illustrator and creator of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie) had several starts for her sessions recorded in 1968, apologising for her hoarse voice brought on by fatigue.   ”I could draw almost as soon as I could talk”.

There’s John O’Grady – author of “They’re a Weird Mob” using his pen name of Nino Culotta. Norman Lindsay, George Johnston, photographer David Moore and many many more.  Hazel de Berg interviewed many people shortly before their lives ended.  What might we have missed if she had not had such an enthusiasm for carting around a tape recorder and collecting their wisdom.

Patrick Leigh Fermor, center, with members of the team that abducted General Heinrich Kreipe: George Tyrakis, W. Stanley Moss, Manoli Paterakis, and Antoni Papaleonidas.

By Ben Downing

It has been said of Ulysses that, were Dublin ever obliterated, the city could be substantially rebuilt by consulting its pages. Along these lines, if all Europe were, God forbid, laid waste tomorrow, one might do worse than attempt to recreate it, or at least to preserve some sense of its historical splendor and variety, by immersing oneself in the travel books of Patrick Leigh Fermor.

Patrick who? Although popular both in his native England, where his books are available in Penguin paperback, and in many other countries—he has been translated into any number of languages—Leigh Fermor (who died in 2011) is known to only a devout few in this country, where, scandalously, his work is not distributed. I myself came to him three years ago, when a friend pressed me to seek out A Time of Gifts (1977) and Between the Woods and the Water (1986), the first two volumes of a projected trilogy about his teenage walk across Europe in the early thirties. By chance, that very week I stumbled across a used copy of A Time of Gifts. I began reading straightaway, but after a few pages stopped and rubbed my eyes in disbelief. It couldn’t be this good. The narrative was captivating, the erudition vast, the comedy by turns light and uproarious, and the prose strikingly individual—at once exquisite and offhand, sweeping yet intimate, with a cadence all its own. Perhaps even more startling was the thickness of detail, and the way in which imagination infallibly brought these million specificities to life. In the book’s three hundred or so pages, scarcely a paragraph was less than spirited, cornucopian, and virtuosic.

I am not given to idolizing writers or reading them entire, but this was a special case. Before long I had tracked down, whenever possible in their beautiful John Murray hardback editions.

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Tonight Betsy was someone people were looking for. People wanted to be sure she was safe. I had hits to something I posted about her on my web site tonight. Glad to learn that she is ok and there to help others.

Deadly tornado hits Oklahoma City area

Kurt Cobain with William Burroughs

By Richard Metzger

Although “The “Priest” They Called Him” might be the most obscure thing in Kurt Cobain’s discography, it’s probably the best selling musical collaboration of William S, Burroughs’s recording career. Basically, in 1992, Cobain contacted his hero, Burroughs about doing something together. Burroughs sent him a tape of a reading he’d done of a short story originally published in his Exterminator collection in 1973 and Cobain added some guitar backing based on “Silent Night” and “To Anacreon in Heaven.”

It was originally released as a limited edition 10-inch EP picture disc on Tim/Kerr Records in 1993, it was subsequently re-released on CD and 10-inch vinyl.

At the time of the collaboration, however, the two had not met. In a carefully prepared “dossier” on the subject found on the web’s premiere Burroughs website, The Reality Studio, their eventual meeting is described thusly, via several sources:

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