By Shari Randall The pandemic has changed many aspects of our lives. It’s certainly changed my tv and movie streaming habits. I’ve never really binged before, movies or tv shows, that is. But now I’m binging with the best of them, and am currently on season four of Brooklyn 9-9. Yes, I’m looking for laughs. Back […]
by Sparkle Abbey Wow, we’re at the half-way point and 2020 has been quite a year! It’s been a long how-ever-many weeks since this pandemic began and we have to confess that sometimes the fact that it’s June seems surreal. We’ve been staying safe/staying home, wearing masks, social-distancing, shopping online, supporting local businesses, doing curb-side […]
May 28, 2020 Dear reader, Covid 19 took my wits and sense of humor and smashed them against the wall. The societal changes brought on by the global pandemic brought racism to the headlines. I sat among the lilacs, poppies, columbines and iris and sang with the birds in the apple tree above me. I […]
By Lynn McPherson In a time of chaos and stress, writing fiction can be challenging. Everywhere we look, there is tragedy and loss. There are always stories of hope to be found, but sometimes the world can bring us down. Today I’d like to share some ideas about how and where to find inspiration for […]
By Sparkle Abbey For us, it’s week seven of practicing social distancing and working from home. Or as we like to call it, doing our part. Basically, like everyone else, we’ve been hunkered down in the same living space for over fifty days. (Why do fifty days seem longer than seven weeks?) Sheltering in place […]
Dear Reader, model of face mask sewn by Juliana I’m working in the compost pile, out back, wearing my bluetooth headphones and dancing to Reggae. It’s my music therapy for depression. Yesterday, I watched too much Corono Virus Coverage on CNN and ended up in bed with a case of the blues. So today, no […]
By Sparkle Abbey We’re all doing it. If you haven’t yet, trust us you will. No, we’re not talking about drinking wine at noon. Although if you are drinking wine at lunchtime, more power to you. We’re talking about virtual meetings. Around the world, people are working from home as we practice social distancing, which […]
Here is a link to a review by the Washington Post writer, Joe Klein, the author of seven books, including “Primary Colors” and, most recently, “Charlie Mike.” washingtonpost.com/outlook/losers-dopes-and-scum-inside-trumps-war-with-his-own-advisers/2020/01/16/9037564c-3312-11ea-91fd-82d4e04a3fac_story.html Dear Reader, I admit, I’ve been doing more reading than writing lately. I’ve taken a break from writing to read some really great books on Audible. I love […]
By Lynn McPherson Spring is emerging and I couldn’t be more grateful for it. No matter what is happening in the world, seasons change and time moves forward. Daffodils and tulips are coming up. Beauty surrounds us in spite of the dark days. It is a great time to discover a new book, a new […]
by Sparkle Abbey As writers we love watching people. Sitting back and looking for something that might spark an idea for a character or storyline. The clothes someone is wearing, a subtle hand gesture or facial expression, a speech pattern, any and all of that can inspire our characters. And conversations, too. Not that we’d […]