I’m a miniature book collector, but I’m sure those of you who know Mesmered’s blog are quite aware of that. Quite aware also that I have an occasional creative partnership with a highly respected miniature bookmaker from the USA. Pat Sweet of Bo Press Miniature Books
Perfection… a word that means many things. More than anything, I think it means a struggle and I know what that feels like. I also know that failure is the other side of the coin. Susan Tyrpak’s story on perfection and the holes that it burns into the fabric of one’s life is a lesson that we should perhaps all pay heed to. Read on…
Donna Fasano is a fellow Indie Chick who has been what I craved to be for a long while. A successful mainstream writer. She wrote for Harlequin Books for 20 years before becoming a proud Independent Author. She’s written over 30 romance and women’s fiction novels that have sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide. Her books have won awards and made best-seller lists.
On House…
There is a little place by the sea that we call House.
Those who know me know that it is the place in which I feel most comfortable. That it is where I am content.
How is it that a place can make you feel so? Those who study the human psyche say that one should feel confident and happy anywhere, that being anchored to one place is unhealthy and shows lack of resilience and strength.
My guest today, Stuart Aken, says that he was born against the odds to a widowed mother in a neighbour’s bed. Then raised in a number of homes by an artist mother who knew what love meant and a step-father who lacked imagination but made up for it with affection and education in things natural. Stuart maintains he wrote all the wrong things for a lifetime until he learned who he was and I thought that apart from the initial burst into the world, all we writers have done exactly that: written all the wrong things until we ‘grew up’. Stuart welcome,
The Twilight Saga has just been read. Yes, I know I’m very late to the party but I seemed to subconsciously want the hype to go away so that I could draw my own conclusions.
My opinion of the books is of little matter to anyone but myself. But what I will say is how much I preferred the other male protagonist, Jacob Black, 
the Quileute werewolf. This prompted me to think on Finnian of the Færan, the male protagonist in A Thousand Glass Flowers and I felt the need to compare him with Edward Cullen (blasphemy) and with Jacob Black (secondary blasphemy).
Shéa MacLeod once told her mother she wished life was more exciting. It was only later she realized you should be careful what you wish for. Her adventures have led her from the Scottish Highlands to the shores of Maui. She’s tried belly dancing and samba. She’s been a soap maker and candy seller. She even tried her hand at massage therapy. And she knows how to milk a goat. Shéa is the author of urban fantasy post-apocalyptic scifi paranormal romances with a twist of steampunk. On learning…
It’s an age since a Pillowbook has appeared on the blog. A Pillowbook, if it is in the style of Sei Shonagon, is a sharp-eyed look at life, maybe even acerbic. The last few months have been too… soulful for me to be acerbic. I re-learned how grief can pull you apart. How kind attention and love can put you back together. How loyal friends stick by you, how loyal readers keep you focused and stay loyal no matter that the book you have promised them seems like a mirage.
Greg Johnston
is one of those writers I envy… a writer of unique and uncluttered prose. He manages to punch huge weight with minimal wordage. Greg has profound messages in his recently published book Consumption. He says its about our consumptive society, as you will see. I see a story about the use and abuse of friendship. It’s an elucidating, haunting book and one I recommend without hesitation. Which is why I have asked Greg to sit in the big Red Chair for a grilling.
The manuscript is being sieved through the format process for Kindle. I’m keen to get it there. Reviewers are being contacted, blog interviews are being sought, a publicity plan begins to take shape. There’s very little left to do except to arrange some sort of virtual launch party. Has anyone got any ideas? I’ll consider everything… including the obligatory giveaways for the best ideas for promotion and parties online. I’m all ears…
