THE GRAND ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE TWEETLY NEWS FROM THE ONE AND ONLY MOST FASHIONABLE PERSON IN WONDERLAND (EXCEPT FOR THE QUEEN, OF COURSE) –THE MAD HATTER!

May 15, 2011

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continue reading "Tweetly News with the Mad Hatter"

He was there when she was born, and he would be there when she died. As 83-year-old Warren Johnson entwined his knotted fingers with those of his wife Alvine’s, all of the memories of their courtship in New Orleans during the 1930s and 1940s came flooding back to him. He sat in the antique rocking chair next to the mahogany four-posted bed where Alvine laid in the bedroom they had shared for 61 years. Warren gazed at the fragile woman before him. Despite her withering features, Alvine’s beauty still astounded him. Her skin was transparent and puffy, and her fine, silvery white hair was receding due to the radiation treatments. Her breathing was broken and ragged, but the sound of her sleeping still brought him comfort after all these years. Most people would look at Alvine and see a sad, dying figure, but Warren still saw the vivacious and spunky woman that he fell in love with and knew so well. She had bright, vivid brown eyes, long, flowing, loose black curls, and a grace that made her movements fluid and beautiful. Although she was unable to speak, he knew that she felt every small touch. He closed his eyes as he silently prayed for God to leave her with him just one more moment. He had never been without her, and the thought of having to live one day without the love of his life weighed heavily on his heart. He opened his eyes and saw the pictures of Jesus and the Virgin Mary that sat on top of the dresser directly across from him, and he lowered his head again to pray, this time for the Lord to take her pain away.

continue reading "Coffee in the Morning and Kisses in the Night"

The second set of writing advice I received at the Berries, Bridges and Books conference in Hammond, LA came from Malcolm Shuman during the morning Mystery/Intrigue session. Malcolm has lived most of his life in Baton Rouge, LA and has his doctorate in Anthropology from Tulane University. He has worked on archaeological projects in New Mexico, France, and the southeastern United States, and for almost four years, he lived among the Maya Indians of Mexico. He has published 15 novels, and his most recent book, The Levee, has been compared to Stephen King’s The Body and was reviewed in the Sunday New York Times.

continue reading "Advice on Suspense Writing from Local Author Malcolm Shuman"

The second annual Berries, Bridges and Books writers’ conference took place in Hammond, LA at the Woodland Park Baptist church on Saturday, May 7, 2011. The conference was sponsored by the Creative Minds Writers Group from Pontchatoula, LA, and included a robust program with two breakout sessions, a writer’s panel, and two keynote speakers, local authors Deborah Leblanc and Robin Wells. The breakout sessions included programs for science fiction/fantasy, woman’s fiction, non-fiction, children’s writers, mystery/intrigue, and young adult fiction. Lunch was served, included in the $35 cost for the day (a steal!), and there was an exhibition area where local authors sold their wares. I scored three books myself: Basilisk and Yarilo’s Dance by Sim Shattuck and The Levee by Malcolm Shuman.

continue reading "Berries, Bridges and Books: A Wealth of Knowledge for Writers"