Magdalena Ball

9 Coolest Literary Siblings (guest post)

2012-01-25T20:13:00.000-08:00

Emotions run high between siblings, be they brothers, sisters, and/or brothers and sisters. It really doesn't matter how old or what gender you are, being in the same room with a person who not only looks like you but also looks like one or both of your parents can inspire equal feelings of love and revulsion. "Mom always liked you best!" is a familiar familial complaint in spite of the fact that "Mom" loves each one of her kids equally and only wants you to stop dumping oatmeal on your sister's head. Great writers throughout the ages have had a field day with the sibling dynamic. And there are so many variations on this theme it's almost hard to know where to begin.

Franny and Zooey Glass in Franny and Zooey (1961) by J.D. Salinger Book One features Franny on the verge of a nervous breakdown. In Book Two, Franny has had the breakdown, and her brother Zooey, whose bedside manner leaves much to be desired, tries to bring her back from the abyss. He resorts to phoning Franny and pretending to be their kinder, gentler brother Buddy, which (predictably) doesn't work for long. In the end, the memory of a telling incident with a third brother, Seymour (dead by suicide), provides Franny with the lifeline she needs.

Cinderella by Charles Perrault (1729)
Cinderella's evil stepsisters may be the most realistically portrayed in literature when it comes to unchecked and cruel behavior toward gentler, and kinder members of a family. Although the Brothers Grimm retold "Cinderella" in their 1812 collection, the original tale may date back as far back as Ancient Greece. Does this mean women, disregarding for argument's sake men and Air Jordans, have always had an inexplicable obsession with shoes?

Lucy and Freddy Honeychurch in A Room With A View (1908) by E.M. Forster
Lucy seems to let her hair down only when dear brother Freddy is around. Freddy, who never warms up to Lucy's fiancé, the stuffy, stick-up-his-ass Cecil, unknowingly befriends George, a free spirit who smooched Lucy earlier in the book during a somewhat traumatic trip to Italy, and set the wheels in motion for Lucy to find true love and remain an independent spirit. Now that's being a good brother!

Sisters Celie and Nettie in The Color Purple (1982) by Alice Walker
Walker's novel is filled with iconic characters, two of the most memorable being Celie and her sister Nettie. Celie is finally able to emerge as a strong, self-determined woman, in spite of the years of unimaginable abuse she's endured, in part through her bond with and love for her sister.

Third cousins Charlie and Paulie Moran in The Pope of Greenwich Village (1979) by Vincent Patrick
To paraphrase one of the book's characters, third cousins to Italians are like twin brothers to the Irish. Not even Italian mobsters and corrupt Irish cops can sever the sense of loyalty that Charlie and Paulie share with each other. Paulie's almost sociopathic disregard for holding down a job and settling down pushes their relationship to the brink, and yet somehow, things never go completely over the edge.

Twins Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee in Through the Looking-Glass, and what Alice found there (1871) by Lewis Carroll
For his sequel to Alice in Wonderland, Carroll sampled this duo from an old nursery rhyme. The characters appeared in the beautiful, Disney animated film Alice in Wonderland and director Tim Burton's twisted take on Alice and Through the Looking Glass. An example of how these two are a part of our popular vernacular, Ralph Nader famously referred to George W. Bush and Al Gore as "tweedle dum and tweedle dee" with regard to each man's policies regarding corporations.

Caleb and Aaron in East of Eden by John Steinbeck (1952)
Brothers Caleb and Aaron mirror Cain and Abel from the Book of Genesis, which Steinbeck repeatedly alludes to throughout his novel. The level of cruelty that family members are capable of exacting upon one another is a major theme in what Steinbeck considered his greatest novel.

Hansel and Gretel retold by the Brothers Grimm (1812)
Hard by a great forest dwelt a poor wood-cutter with his wife and his two children." How can you not love two kids who, abandoned in the woods by their wimpy father and psychotic (step?) mother are nearly eaten by a cannibalistic witch living in a house made of candy? Even 21st century kids identify immediately with these two little ones and how they stick together even in the scariest of circumstances.

Charlotte, Emily, and Anne: The Brontë sisters
Okay, they're not fictional, but their accomplishments for their time (early to mid 1800's) were so unusual, they each wouldn't be out of place as a character in a novel that any of them might have written. Interestingly, considering that the Brontë sisters grew up mutually supporting each other in the shadow of an abusive father as well as sharing their earliest writing efforts each other, they are each best known for creating almost autonomous heroines, like Charlotte's orphaned Jane Eyre or Helen Lawrence Huntingdon in Anne's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.

Article originally published at:
http://www.bestonlinecolleges.com/blog/2012/9-coolest-literary-siblings

Poetry Monday

2012-01-23T02:16:00.000-08:00

As part of the Reading blog comment challenge, I've been visiting (and commenting on) a lot of blogs, and one of the trends I've noticed is a regular day-of-the-week post on a particular topic. I like the idea, so I've decided to begin a Poetry Monday series in which I reprint something I've come across in the previous week that I've liked. This means I've got to read some poetry the week before, which is always a worthwhile way to spend time, and good for me as a writer too since I'm working on a book, and reading poetry is the best way to stimulate writing it - it gets your mind in the right observant groove. For this first blog, I thought I'd feature a poem I love so much for all its terrible beauty, I've committed it to memory. It's the great Dorothy Porter's "III" from her "Comets" series in Other Worlds (Picador, 2001). What have you read that you've loved so much it's stayed with you, moving through your skin into the very fabric of you you are?

What voice of dirty ice
is talking in my head?

I can't watch the sky
without ringing Heaven.

My heart ticking as slowly
as poison
over its hissing dial tone.

Pick up, Heaven.
Please pick up.

It's me.

Skip the card this year

2012-01-17T23:03:00.000-08:00

I'm not normally a sentimental girl, but it never hurts to say something real and loving (yes, both at the same time) to someone you love on Valentine's Day (or anytime). I have to admit that, having just thrown out another batch of high priced Christmas cards, I'm loathe to invest in any more cliché laden pieces of pretty cardboard. Instead I thought I'd spend my Valentine's Day immersed in a little love poetry. One of my favourite love poetry collections is Luke Davies Totem. I also like ee cummings' "speaking of love", and Amiri Baraka's "In Memory of Radio" - two unsentimental but stunning poems that instantly come to mind when I think of love. Since Feb 14 is fast approaching, I thought I'd do a little recording of one of the poems in the "unconventional love poetry" collection I co-authored with Carolyn Howard-Johnson titled "The Ocean".

The Ocean

Spotting your face
not for the first time
the transportation
that fractured place
between absolute familiarity
(near invisibility)
and the shock of new.

There’s no feature
(as familiar as my own)
not a wrinkle
I haven’t traversed.

Yet you turn your profile
in the gentle
fluorescent light
and my audible
(inaudible)
gasp
is the voice
of a girl
discovering
the bountiful
ocean.

From now until the 17th of Feb, drop by Smashwords and use coupon code EL42C for a completely free copy of Cherished Pulse. If you prefer a hard copy, which does make a very attractive (and unsentimental) gift just drop by Amazon. Happy Valentine's Day to you. XX

2012 Aussie Author Challenge

2012-01-09T20:57:00.000-08:00

I figured this one was a no brainer resolution - an easy and fun win. I read so many Australian books, not only because of proximity and because I get delightfully courted by Aussie publicists and rarely can say no to a thoughtful, well-crafted, personalised recommendation, but also because so many fresh, innovative books seem to come from this continent.

So what's the challenge? Between Jan and Dec 2012, I'm to read and review 12 books by at least 6 different Australian authors. That's for Dinki-di ("genuine Australian") status and I think, after 24 years in this country, and all of those years reading a fantastic range of Australian authors, I qualify. I'm starting the year with Jan Mitchell's tinker, tailor soldier, sailor... - the biography of Colin Kerby, which I've nearly finished. Then it's Amanda Curtin's Inherited (I've got an interview with Amanda early in Feb, which should keep me on track), followed by Luke Davies' Interferon Psalms. Plenty more Aussie books waiting for me after that too (though I might take a little break to read Edna O'Brian's review of James Joyce followed by Umberto Eco's The Prague Cemetery - oh with such a gorgeous pile I could do nothing but read for 4 months...). All reviews will be published at The Compulsive Reader, but I'll cross link at the Aussie Author challenge page on Booklover Book Review. Why not join me? You don't have to read 12. There's a 3 book 'tourist' option. If you decide to join up, and drop me a line and I'll send you a free ebook of mine of your choice to help you along. Yes, I'm an Aussie Author. I've got my certificates to prove it. G'day mate.

Guest blog: Self-Publish Your Writing! by Michael Lydon

2012-01-04T00:51:00.000-08:00

Here’s a word to wise writers:
Self-publish!
Sounds so good, let’s say it again:
Self-publish, self-publish, self-publish!

The bug bit me in 1990. I heard someone say “desktop publishing” and I flipped. I’d been writing for two-plus decades and had three books on pop music out from big time publishers. Now I wanted to write about writing. But how could I, with no track record in the crowded field, get a deal? The answer: no way in hell.

That’s when “desktop publishing” came to my rescue. Now I didn’t have to wait for some company to give me their seal of approval. I’ll make little books of my essays all by myself. All I needed was a computer. Which, in 1990, I didn’t have. Fortunately my big brother Peter in California did, and he typed my eighty-five-page typescript into a DOS IBM file and mailed me the floppy disc.

That I took to a computer storefront where, for $5 an hour, I sat in before a green screen with yellow letters and formatted my masterpiece, flipping the page setup from portrait to landscape and setting the margins to make a 7 by 4 inch text block on the left hand side of the page. When printed, those sheets became my page proofs Making the “signature,” the mock-up book that showed me how to lay out the pages, I found tricky: it turned out that page 12 had to be pasted up opposite page 61. That gave my brain a definite twist, as you’ll see when you do it yourself.

That’s why I encourage you to self-publish: DIY is the best learning experience in the world. Every step I’m outlining so swiftly—picking out a color for the cover (I went for bright yellow), watching the machine disgorge the pages, then holding the first copy of the beautiful finished book—will be a richly creative experience. You’ll get nervous, make mistakes, and tear your hair, but you’ll also laugh out loud, do triumphant little dances, and glow inside: “I did it, by George, I did it.”

In two decades I’ve made fifteen such books. None of these “messages in a bottle” have yet floated into the hands of a critic who writes the review that sets me on the road to glory, but I’ve had one signal success: a university press discovered and published Writing and Life, the first book with the yellow cover. If Writing and Life had come in as a typescript, the editor never would have looked at it. The cheerful homemade book made him think, “Hmmm, this could be interesting.”

Recently, at a Manhattan bookstore, I’ve found a dreamy Rube Goldberg device called the Espresso Book Machine (http://www.ondemandbooks.com to find one near you) that will accept a properly formatted flash drive and then, click-click-click, create a gorgeous perfect-bound paperback with a four-color cover in five minutes. Two bright young staff women answered my FAQs and helped me over beginner’s hurdles. Basic charge: $100 for set-up and first trial copy; after that I got one revision and as many books as I wanted at two cents a page; any trim size I pleased. Hard to believe, but it’s true; I’ve done two books there already, the 71 pp Now What? and the 270 pp Real Writing.

The other book-making writers I meet at the Espresso Book Machine are, like me, tingling with the priceless pleasure of declaring our independence, speaking and acting and investing with a belief in ourselves and what we have to say.

Self-publishing pays more than spiritual benefits. The E-era is creating upheavals in the writing marketplace; no one knows where tomorrow’s bestsellers will come from, who’s going to write them and who’s going to publish them. So, c’mon, take your beloved masterpiece out of that desk drawer, spend a dozen hours editing and formatting it, put a few hundred bucks into making fifty copies, place them on consignment at a local bookstore and send out an email blast to everyone you know. If you’re lucky and this leads to that and that leads to this, you’ll have a little Amazon hit on your hands.

Or not, in which case your unsold inventory can answer your what-to-give-Auntie-Jessie-for-Christmas questions for years to come. Either way, you’ll reap the greatest benefit of self-publishing: the good it will do your writing.

Books have a magic that loose-leaf sheaves of paper do not. Being in books changes writing. Their stiff covers define, enclose, isolate, and protect writing. Their close laid lines of type, justified right and left, give writing a bolder visual image than the raggedy wide open spaces of a double-space typescript. Balzac rewrote his novels not by editing manuscripts, but by scrawling all over printers’ galleys: only in print could he see what he did and didn’t want to say.

So write with the goal of reading your words in a book, and your writing will improve. Make a book, and you’ll nourish your writing by linking to the ancient history of books. A book’s modest self-assertion, its age-old structure of numbered chapters, its calm procession of pages from the title to “The End”: all will suggest to you words and phrasings that will make your prose or poetry more plain, personal, and persuasive.

Don’t be a perfectionist, especially on your early efforts. Get your first book done however cock-a-hoop it comes out. Then put all you learned to work on number two, and number three, and number four, and….

Michael Lydon runs Franklin Street Press, initialy founded as Patrick Press in 1990. Franklin Street Press is a small company based in New York’s bustling East Village. Lydon is CEO, chief writer, book designer, and cook and bottle washer. Ellen Mandel photographs, edits, and proofreads. Peter Lydon, Michael’s elder brother, consults from his home in Berkeley, California. Michael is also a musician, singer-songwriter, whistler extraordinaire, and a writer of critically acclaimed books.

Lovely new flipping mini-book courtesy of my publisher

2012-01-02T21:34:00.000-08:00

My publisher Bewrite Books, is always looking for innovative new ideas to help their authors promote. They've recently done a complete revamp of their website, and have provided lovely flipping mini-book samples which can be downloaded for free. Here's my most recent poetry book, Repulsion Thrust:

http://bewrite.net/mm5/FlippingBooks/RepulsionThrust/index.html

For those of you who love and support poetry, if you enjoy the mini-book, please consider grabbing a full copy for your Kindle or ereader in any format for only $2.99.

There's also one for my novel Sleep Before Evening: http://bewrite.net/mm5/FlippingBooks/SBE/index.html

And very soon, you'll see my brand new novel Black Cow in all its flipping glory (don't worry, I'll let you know when it's out).

For those of you with your own books to promote, you might enjoy checking this new promotion out as an idea to generate interest and provide free sampling of your work. It's pretty cool. Can't accuse this team of being luddites.

Guest Blog: What Makes a Good Fiction Story: Plot Driven or Character Drive? by Karen Cioffi

2011-12-30T14:00:00.000-08:00

(Excerpt from How to Write Books for Children – Writing, Publishing, and Marketing Children’s Books by Karen Cioffi)

Stories can be plot driven or character driven, so which is the best formula to use when writing a story? Knowing a little about both methods should help in making a decision.

Plot Driven Story

A story’s plot moves the story forward, from point A to point B. It doesn’t necessarily have to be in a straight line; in fact a course that twists and turns is much better. This type of plot creates movement and interest. It’s the twists and turns that will keep the forward momentum fresh, as well as create anticipation. Anticipation will hold a reader’s attention.

The plot also provides reasons and explanations for the occurrences in the story, as well as offers conflict and obstacles that the protagonist must overcome to hopefully create growth. These elements create a connection with the reader. It entices the reader to keep turning the pages.

Without a plot it is difficult to create growth and movement for the protagonist. It might be comparable to looking at a still photo. It might be a beautiful photo and may even conjure up emotions in the viewer, but how long do you think it would hold a reader’s attention?

Along with this, the plot molds the protagonist. It causes growth and movement in the character. Assume you have a timid woman who through circumstances, the plot, transforms into a brave, strong, forceful hero. Where would the story be without the events that lead this timid woman to move past herself and into a new existence?

Character Driven Story

On the other hand, a character driven story creates a bond between the protagonist and reader. It is the development and growth of the character, the character’s personal journey, which motivates the reader to connect. There doesn’t need to be twists and turns, or fire works. The reader becomes involved with the character and this is all the enticement the reader needs to keep reading.

In addition to this, the character works hand in hand with the plot to move the story forward. As the character begins her transformation the plot moves in the same direction.

In some instances, such as short stories, a character driven story can work amazingly well, such as in The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin. In cases such as this, the connection developed between the character and the reader can be more than enough to satisfy the reader. But, all in all, it seems to be the combined efforts of a well plotted and character driven story that works the best.

The Best of Both Worlds

According to science fiction and fantasy writer, L.E. Modesitt, Jr., “The best fiction should be an intertwined blend of character, plot, setting, and style.”

The elements of a story working together, creates a story that will be remembered.

All the aspects of a story should complement each other, should move each other forward to a satisfying conclusion, and should draw the reader in.

If you have an action packed plot driven story, but it lacks believable and sympathetic characters, you’re story will be lacking. The same holds true if you have a believable and sympathetic character, but the story lacks movement, it will usually also fall short. As with all things in life balance is necessary, the same holds true when writing a story.

~~~~~~~~~

Karen Cioffi is a published author, freelance writer, and marketer, and to start the New Year with a BANG, from January 1 through February 28, 2012, she is offering all her writing and marketing e-books (purchased directly from her site/s using the Paypal SHOPPING CART) for a $1.19 each. And, this will include new titles added within that time period.

For a complete list of the available titles and links to more information:

http://www.karencioffiwritingandmarketing.com/2011/12/2012-writing-and-marketing-ebook.html

For a complete list (with brief descriptions of each ebook) go to: http://www.karencioffiwritingandmarketing.com/p/karens-books.html

Compulsive Reader Talks Top 5 Shows Of All Time

2011-12-28T16:36:00.000-08:00

My radio show, The Compulsive Reader Talks is nearing it's fifth year. In Internet terms, that's a long time and a lot of shows, all dedicated to authors, books, and the changing world of publishing. As we inch towards the end of 2011, I thought it might be interesting to have a little look back, and see which shows have been most popular. So, in order of popularity, I'm listing the top five shows of all time, which you might like to listen to once more or catch up on if you missed them first time round. Note that all of the shows are also available on iTunes and you can download them and listen to them in the car or while you're cooking, etc. I think you'll find much here that's enlightening and interesting. I know that I've certainly enjoyed the significant privilege of being able to talk to such inspirational people and am very excited about the line up for 2012.

1. Interview with Craig Silvey
Craig Silvey's novel Jasper Jones won a swag of awards and changed the writing game for this young novelist and musician. With film rights in hand, the book is set to continue its well-deserved popularity. Silvey dropped by shortly after the book was published to talk to us about Jasper Jones in a show that remains the most popular that I've ever aired.

2. Interview with Helen Townsend
Helen Townsend has had over 17 books published, and dropped by the show to talk to me about her book Above the Starry Frame, a historical novel that followed the life of William Irwin, an Irish farm boy who migrated to Australia at 18 in 1849, leaving behind the Irish potato famine.

3. Interview with Sir Ken Robinson
Ken Robinson has become an international celebrity for, among other things, his amazing TED Talks, and his life changing, educationally focused book The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything. From my point of view, what I liked best about Ken Robinson, was how down to earth and just plain nice he was when we chatted, shortly after The Element was released.

4. Interview with Howard Waldman
Howard Waldman's literary works busts all genres, bringing sci fi, fantasy, mystery and historical fiction into a seamless literary experience. In this interview he talks to me about his book Good Americans Go to Paris When They Die.

5. Interview with Mark Coker
I don't think it would be a stretch to credit at least some of the impact and growth of ebooks to Smashwords' Mark Coker. From a one man show with a single book to 80,000+ books, Smashwords opened the floodgates for self-publishing, changing the way books are published and sold. Many others have since followed, but perhaps none to the same extent. Mark dropped by the show to talk about his site in the relatively early days, and to make some predictions which nearly all played out.

Holiday thank you

2011-12-18T20:36:00.000-08:00

As the end of 2011 fast approaches (too fast perhaps), I'd like to just take a moment to thank you, my dear readers, for all your wonderful support this year. Not only for stopping by to read and comment on each blog post, but for linking virtual hands in a worldwide community of those who love to read and talk about books.

I've got a couple of end of year gifts for you. The first is from my writing group Writers on the Move, who have provided a Holiday Season 2011 eBook from the members. This book is full of writing and marketing tips, and can be picked up here.

The second is a full copy of my poetry book Quark Soup, which can be grabbed here.

Finally, I'd like you to have a copy of my award winning short story The Fall.

Enjoy and have a healthy, safe, happy holiday season all the best for a terrific new year.

Top 2011 book list roundup

2011-12-09T13:16:00.000-08:00

I'm not going to do a list of my top 2011 books. I've already dispensed with the notion of stars and because I like so many books, some of which I've read this year but which didn't come out this year (one book I read this year came out in 1953), and for different reasons and different moods, that I just don't feel comfortable pinpointing just some of them. It's all too much of a reduction for me. But what I will do as a kind of year end roundup, is to point you in the direction of some of the more interesting, well done 'best 2011 book lists' that others have made.

Salon's fiction list is quite a nice one, followed neatly by their writer's favourites list where 50 well-known writers including Jeffrey Eugenides, Ann Patchett, Stephen Pinker and Ali Smith choose their favourite books of 2011.
Publisher's Weekly has a top 10 slide show that includes review links.
The Guardian UK does something similar to Salon, and asks well-known authors like John Banville, Julian Barnes and Margaret Drabble to provide their lists. Readers area asked to also contribute to the discussion.
The editors at Slate pick their tops, with quite an eclectic selection.
The NY Times has 5 top fiction and 5 top nonfiction on their list.
Kirkus Books focuses solely on fiction and provides review links to each book they've chosen.
Library Journal Review's top 10 has an interesting range of fiction and nonfiction
Goodreads choice award for 2011 has a range of popular and literary titles, all good.
The Telegraph UK's Keith Miller picks his besties for 2011 and I agree with nearly all of them (though I'm still struggling with The Pale King, which has some of the most beautiful writing I've ever come across but which is so painfully inchoate at times that I'm not sure I'm going to be able to get through it (and I like to think of myself as reasonably tough).
I haven't read a single book on the Esquire list and as you might expect, there's a kind of blokey slant to them at least judging from the descriptions, but I'm including it here for balance.
The Atlantic has ten enticing books that the others missed including one delightfully described as being "rich as loam".
Readings author picks has just a slight Australian slant, and includes some great books that other lists have missed (including the one I've picked as my #1 this year).

Finally I will just end by saying that the one book which made my heart race the most this year, which actually made me stop reading for a moment to catch my breath, was China Mieville's Embassytown. It's not an easy book - certainly not one for reading when you're half-asleep or looking for a little light entertainment. I've given my own copy out to about six people who wanted it after hearing me gush, and only one of them actually ended up reading the whole book. But oh, the things Mieville does with language in that book. It's extraordinary.
Happy reading everyone!

Blackout: the visual rendition

2011-12-02T15:08:00.000-08:00

We've had a few storms here lately, where the power came on and off, which encouraged me (once the power was back on), to finally give Prezi a try and have a play with a poem that was indeed, as the title suggests, inspired by a lengthy blackout. This is the result: a visual rendering of the final poem in my book Repulsion Thrust (available for less than $10 at Amazon I might add by way of a holiday gift giving prompt). Our utter dependence on power is a notion that I'm continually reminded of every time a piece of technology (and like most people I'm surrounded by it and base my daily activities on the use of it, including what I'm doing right now) doesn't work. Of course I do have candles in the larder, and playing boardgames by candlelight is actually a very relaxing and soothing thing to do, once the panic and sense of isolation wears off. Nevertheless...

Literary Trends on Both Sides of the Pond

2011-11-26T15:00:00.000-08:00

Guest blog by Isabella Woods

With Christmas fast approaching and consumers feeling the pinch of recent budget cuts, the battle is on the High St to entice Christmas shoppers inside their tinsle laden interiors to spend their precious pennies.

In the last decade, technology has dramatically affected the way that consumers read. With updated versions of e-readers and i-pad’s hitting the shelves over the next few weeks, where does that leave the likes of WHSmith’s and Waterstones when it comes to buying literature?

Slaughter of the innocents

More than 800 bookshops have shut in the past five years, including almost 400 independent outlets, according to new figures from the Booksellers Association of UK and Ireland. Major book retailers are being forced to cut their prices and it’s not an uncommon site to see ‘buy one get one free’ deals on immaculate hardcovers to encourage that all important Christmas consumer, full of mulled wine and on his way to compare broadband deals at the pub.

In our modern world, there has been an increased interest for e-readers such as Amazon.com's Kindle, Barnes & Noble's Nook and Sony's Reader. Rather than trying to wedge our dog-eared paperbacks into our bags, we are now convenienced with downloadble novels in their hundreds within the slimline gadgets.

Sales of e-books increased by 318% in 2010 and many predict that at least 50% of all books sold within 10 years will be digital downloads. Does it really share the same sentiment to receive a gift certificate for Amazon in order to download your fiction, or is it really better to receive an old-fashioned book?

There seems to be a similar electronic landslide in the US, where Net e-book sales in January were reported to have accumulated $69.9 million in revenue for their publishers, which amounts to a 116 percent jump from last year's total for the month. During the same period, adult hardcovers were down 11.3 percent to $49.1 million and paperbacks faced a similar reduction in demand and fell to $83.6 million, a steep drop of 19.7 percent year-on-year.

However, back in the UK, there seems to be an unlikely profiteer in the form of the supermarket. Publishers and Literary agents are more likely to keep a keen eye on what’s making Tesco’s Top 10 fiction, as sales at supermarkets and “mixed multiples”, such as high street shops like Mothercare, rose by 7% in 2010, an increase of around £14.9m in value terms.

Retailer Analyst, Kate Clavert, said: “I think there is a general trend of supermarkets taking an increasing share of the non-food spend. They can also pitch their pricing lower than the high street, which is something they can do economically. Amazon.com is now selling more e-books than paperback books, so their business has shifted too."

Public libraries - now available in pocket size

Since the spending cuts have been introduced, libraries are facing a bleak future. Are they an easy target for government cuts or are we as a society not using the services of this institution as we once did? I regularly visit the library with my young children, but other than children, students and the elderly, are the books really being borrowed as much as they once were? The libraries are pulling out all the stops to bring back local support it seems, with more in-house events such as film clubs, book clubs and craft fairs being held. There has also been an increase of computers for internet use installed within the library itself. It does seem ironic while a few people scour the shelves for a book to read, a queue is forming for people to log on to the available computers in order to check their e-mail accounts.

According to Public Libraries News, “More than 360 libraries and nearly 30 mobile services in England are under threat of closure this year as councils respond to the recession and government funding cuts.”

I hope that the libraries stay open. I take full advantage of borrowing books that would ordinarily cost me £10 from a book shop. I haven’t yet dipped my toe into the future of e-reading, I am hoping that the likes of Waterstone’s shop windows continue to burst with eye-catching books to entice me inside. But, on a recent train journey, I couldn’t help but notice a plethora of commuters sat tapping on their Smartphones or engrossed in their Kindles, a random few with a paperback or newspaper. Will the book become obsolete, down the same path as vinyl or VHS, is the future really Kindle?

Isabella Woods is a professional writer for numerous websites and publications.

Books I'm grateful for

2011-11-23T03:08:00.000-08:00

There's so much to be thankful for this year. I've got my own novel Black Cow coming out in the new year, I've got a new novel in the works, and poetry flowing from the fingertips (and a very interesting proposal on something that I can't yet talk about but is exciting me). But it's as a reader that I'm most grateful. I'm grateful for my stack of 'to be read' books. Yes, it's growing, and yes I have more books than time to read (or review) them, but in the overall scheme of things, I'm pretty happy to be in this situation. I'm thankful for Julian Barnes' The Sense of An Ending, sitting patiently, in all its slim, elegant hardbackness, on my bedside table. I'm also grateful for Umberto Eco's The Prague Cemetery, with its striking red and gilt wolf cover, promising the most erudite of terror. Then there's my half finished Catch-22 (I'll be back soon Joseph), Richard Dawkins' and Dave McKean's The Magic of Reality, beautiful enough to have on the coffee table (though I don't actually have a coffee table), the lovely Buddhistic poetry book Mountains Belong to the People Who Love Them, which is almost finished (and it's been doing me so much good that I've nearly forgotten to blog), and many many more delicious books, all plump and juicy and beckoning to me from their steamy covers.

If I don't show up at your Thanksgiving dinner, it isn't because I'm not grateful for your invitation. I'm not averse to turkey with cranberry sauce, or a lovely natter over a glass of vino. It's just that there are so many good books out right now, that all I really wanna do, is sit like a statue (let's say, like Buddha) on my plump sofa and read all weekend long. Happy Thanksgiving, and may all your stacks be enticing.

Book Blogging BooBoos: A Baker’s Dozen

2011-11-16T02:23:00.000-08:00

Guest Blog by Carolyn Howard-Johnson

I often coach authors with their blogging projects. They know it’s important enough to the health of their books to hire me, but they haven’t explored their blog’s features and they tend to go blog-happy and forget that a blog intended to market their books must stay focused on, well, books. At the very least. Actually the focus should be a little narrower than that. It should follow a track aligned with the genre the author writes in or even the specific book he or she has written.

Here are some basic rules for an author’s blog if the blog is to do more than serve as a fun hobby.

1. Map out a campaign for your blog. Reread your book. What are the themes? What do the characters do for a living? What genre is it. Make notes. I mean it. You should be able to make a list of ten or twelve essential aspects of your book. Now decide which of them you want to cover in your blog and name it according. Often your name or the name of your book will work.

2. Type “labels” or keywords into that little window-like form located under your blog post window. They help people—you know, people like READERS—find your blog.

3. Don’t spend a lot of money getting someone to design your blog page. Sure it should look good, but the free templates will work just fine. People come to hear what you have to say.

4. Don’t bury your blog on the most obscure service you can find. It should be on one that Google’s spiders visit and record. That’s one reason I like blogspot.com or blogger.com. It’s owned by Google and blog posts get noticed practically immediately.

5. Like just about anything else in your book’s marketing campaign, exposure is important. Use Real Simple Syndication (RSS Feeds) to send notifications to Twitter, your Facebook page, even your Web site.

6. Don’t choose a blog service that tells you in its terms of service that in will censure and censor what you write. (Wordpress is one of those.) What if you write chicklit? Or streetwise crime? Or just like to rant? And trust me, blog visitors tend to love a good rant!

7. You know that voice you developed when you wrote your book. Don’t lose it! You blog isn’t a high school essay.

8. One of my writing pals (Peter Bowerman) ends almost every one of his blogs with a question. It’s a good habit to get into..

9. Read. Ideas come from reading everything from The New Yorker to Time magazine to other people’s blogs. (But do check the chapter on plagiarism in the new edition of my Frugal Book Promoter (http://budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo) . It will help you navigate things like quotes and the borrowing of ideas.

10. Promote your blog by leaving comments on others’ blogs—especially if they relate to yours. But do add something to the conversation rather than using a cut-and-paste comment that obviously shows no interest in the blogger or her post.

11. Add images, widgets, or ads when you can. Some blog services help you by automating gadgets that will help with this.

12. Use a service like Google’s Analytics that helps you assess where your readers are coming from and which of your blogs attract the most readers.

13. Occasionally mention some of the other things you do on the Web, like your Web site, your Facebook Like page, and your Twitter stream.

If you are a fiction writer, read the white paper Phyllis Zimbler Miller and I wrote on blogging for fiction writers (www.fictionmarketing.com). And the chapters on blogging in The Frugal Book Promoter. Honestly, do these things and you may not need to pay me or people like me the big bucks (Ahem!) to make your blog effective.

Effective involves others—writers, readers, and other bloggers. Effective blogging connects with your other online entities. You can have fun with it. You should have fun with it. But blogging effectively adds to the joy. Think of how much more fun it will be when you look at those stats and see that your blogging efforts are in fact a viable way to market your book.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the author of Your Blog, Your Business (www.budurl.com/Blogging4Retailers), and a new edition of the multi award-winning The Frugal Book Promoter (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkProm) which has been Expanded! Updated! And is now a USA Book News winner in its own right! It’s also now available for Kindle at http://budurl.com/FrugalBkProKindle.

Am I really to blame?

2011-11-11T16:41:00.000-08:00

The Poetic Museling are blaming me as one of the guilty parties for the situation they find themselves in now. I conducted a workshop on "Developing a Poetry Chapbook from Concept to Completion," during the 2008 Muse Online Writers Conference. Some of the poets who took this workshop continued to meet after the Conference to write and critique, and collectively decided to create something that was greater than each of their individual works.

They're now assigning blame to me for giving them courage, vision, and tools to go forward with a dream to create a real book. They called me "mentor", and asked for my advice along the way as they chose and edited their poems, and I was happy to oblige.

The resulting Lifelines Anthology, written by the Poetic Muselings, is now available on Amazon. Am I excited and proud of what these poets have created out of that class? You bet I am. Do I accept the blame (and kudos)? Nah. They did it all themselves, following through what was little more than a series of prompts with guts, tenacity, talent and a lot of hard work. The resulting book is a beautiful thing, full of insightful poetry, life stories, and a great deal of vision. Well done Muselings. It was all your own doing!

Free (Literary) Lunch

2011-11-05T19:47:00.000-07:00

Way back in my undergrad days I attended a launch party for Alison Armstrong's The Joyce of Cooking. It was a heady affair for me, not least of which because I was in the midst of my very first graduate level class in James Joyce, having become rather smitten with Ulysses, and I felt utterly, absolutely accepted as an equal there, thanks to a very kind introduction by my then teacher Sydney Feshbach, who later became president of the James Joyce Society in NY where the launch was held. I've since had at the back of my mind that I would also like to do a literary cookbook of some description - combining my love of books with a love of eating (and even greater of love reading about people eating). That hasn't really happened, not least of which because I'm not a chef, but I did put together a fun little cookbook titled The Literary Lunch: Recipes for a Hungry Mind, which involved scouring some of my favourite books and developing recipes based on meals that characters actually ate. Most of the books didn't provide recipes, but I had a go at formulating my own and tested each one and they were all pretty nice. Most are easy - only one was a little complex and that's in keeping with the complexity of the novel that inspired it The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann. So here's the one complex recipe from the book. If you'd like the other easier ones, you can have them for the not very complex price of $0. To grab a copy just drop by my website http://www.magdalenaball.com and sign up for my newsletter there (I don't send out many - just updates when new books come out - and don't worry - I'm not that prolific!) and a copy will be yours. Happy cooking!

From The Magic Mountain

He dressed conscientiously for the evening meal, and sitting n his place between Miss Robinson and the schoolmistress, he ate: julienne soup, baked and roast meats with suitable accompaniments, two pieces of a tart made of macaroons, butter-cream chocolate, jam and marzipan, and lastly excellent cheese and pumpernickel. As before. He ordered a bottle of Kulmbacher. But, by the time he had half emptied his tall glass, he became clearly and unmistakably aware that bed was the best place for him. (83)

Magic Mountain Macaroon and Butter-Cream Chocolate Pie

Butter Cream

Ingredients

1 tbsp cocoa

12 tbsp very soft butter

1 tbsp hot water

2 egg yolks

½ cup sugar

In an electric mixer bowl, mix the cocoa and water. Then add the egg yolks and sugar. Place the bowl in a pan of hot water over medium heat, beat with an electric mixer until the smooth and shiny. Then beat in the butter until smooth. Set aside.

Pie Pastry

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups flour

¾ tsp salt

7 tbsp cold butter, cut into pieces

5 tbsp ice water.

In a food processor (put into the freezer 10 minutes beforehand), combine flour and salt. Add butter and process until like bread crumbs. Sprinkle water on and process into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out and fit into a greased 9 inch pie pan. Crimp the dough to form a decorative border (using a fork). Prick the pastry with a fork. Chill for at least 30 minutes before filling and baking.

Filling

Ingredients

2 cups single cream

8 oz dark couverture chocolate

½ cup sugar

8 oz ground almonds

2 egg whites, whipped until stiff

Bring the cream to simmering point in a saucepan. Put the chocolate into a bowl and stir in the hot cream. Keep stirring until it has combined to form a sauce. Stir in the almonds, and sugar, and let cool to room temperature. Gently mix in the whipped egg whites until combined, and place in the tart shell. Bake at in a preheated 350ºF or 180ºC oven for 45 minutes until the filling has set and is slightly puffed. Cool on a pie rack. When cool, pipe butter cream frosting around the edge and over the top in a lattice effect. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Blooming Red Finalist in USA Best Books Award

2011-11-02T00:18:00.000-07:00

BLOOMING RED ANNOUNCED AS A FINALIST IN USA BOOK NEWS “BEST BOOKS 2011” AWARDS

LOS ANGELES – USABookNews.com, the premiere online magazine and review website for mainstream and independent publishing houses, announced that Blooming Red has been placed as a finalist for poetry in THE USA “BEST BOOKS 2011” AWARDS on November 1, 2011. Awards were presented for titles published in 2010 and 2011.

Jeffrey Keen, President and CEO of USA Book News, said this year’s contest yielded an unprecedented number of entries, which were then narrowed down to winners and finalists. Winners and finalists traversed the publishing landscape: Simon & Schuster, St. Martin’s Press, Random House, Penguin, Harper Collins, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, McGraw-Hill, John Wiley & Sons and hundreds of independent houses contributed to this year’s outstanding competition. Keen adds, “Our success begins with the enthusiastic participation of authors and publishers and continues with our distinguished panel of industry judges who bring to the table their extensive editorial, PR, marketing, and design expertise.” Keen says of the awards, now in their ninth year, “The 2011 results represent a phenomenal mix of books from a wide array of publishers throughout the United States. With a full publicity and marketing campaign promoting the results of the USA ‘Best Books’ Awards, this year’s winners and finalists will gain additional media coverage for the upcoming holiday retail season.”

Of Bloming Red, reviewer Joyce White said "Reading these two award winners is like partaking in their womanhood, tasting their femininity, and meeting their past head on. Their poems cry out for their inner child who still wants Santa to come visit them, you know...equality for all; and, I agree with Carolyn who says "[in] Einstein's less than balanced world...we would be less than dead." Maggie writes of abundance and waste, of gluttonous dyspepsia...of the inability to digest joy when others are hungry, what cannot be created or destroyed...a huge database of Christmas past (found in the attic)...random messy knowledge curse of recall becoming parcels he could leap...with only one present leading him to greatness...with anticipation turning to memory before weeping eyes...a house full of dreams, visions and desires, each glass ball becoming a wish, taken from the tree of life we decorate at Christmas...super connections pulsing, through the anti-matter of your tired brain, wrought with nostalgia and wrung through time's dryer...Once the paper's gone, it's just us again, tired, spent, remembering life...one tap of the keyboard a newbie springs forth...no sacrifices in blood here...this is a rational zone so many years on fertile. Make your holiday great and read your family Blooming Red. It is a great holiday stuffer!"

A complete list of the winners and finalists of The USA “Best Books 2011” Awards are available online at http://www.USABookNews.com.

Great Spooky Lit

2011-10-28T15:28:00.000-07:00

Here in Australia, we don't celebrate Halloween very much, but try telling that to my daughter, who has been planning her costume since last Halloween. Of course I like to celebrate every occasion by reading - but maybe I'll make my books just a wee bit spookier than usual. Here's a little list of three scarily wonderful books that readers who don't want to tip over into the horror genre can still enjoy when everything else is too light and upbeat.

First off the bat is Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Take your pick - they're all good and all spooky, but I'm going to recommend The Prince of Mist just because it's his YA book, quick and easy to read, and spine tingling, even at the end.

Then there's Neil Gaiman. You could go with The Graveyard Book, but actually Coraline is the more disturbing because more like a universal nightmare. Those button eyes and mother-not-mother still haunt me when I think about it.

Finally, from the archives, there's Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. I'm going through a little Stevenson revival at the moment, and as with The Prince of Mist and Coraline, what works so well in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is the universal chord that the book touches. We all have a touch of Hyde in us (though hopefully not to the same extent) - that evil twin (the not-mother, the spurned clown) who takes us near the edge. We can almost understand, empathise with, and even see ourselves slipping into that bad guy role. Bwahahaha. Happy Halloween.

Extreme Reading

2011-10-16T02:46:00.000-07:00

I'll read anywhere. Even on a windy sand dune with

pockets and shoes stuffed full of sand, and children's voices mingling with hungry gulls in the background. Here I am reading John Flanagan's last Ranger's Apprentice book number 11: The Lost Stories. I've got an interview with John next week and although I wouldn't normally be drawn to these kinds of 'boys own' adventures, my twelve year old loves them and I agreed to read the books and interview John on his behalf. I have to say that I've been enjoying the books very much, even to the point of ignoring my kids shouts to come and roll down the dunes with them (um, tempting as that was), since I had to see what Rangers Halt and Will did next. I did eventually put the book away and made it up and down the giant dunes multiple times, Will and Halt accompanying me all the while.

I like encorporating the scene of my reading into the whole fictive experience. Sitting in a beautiful remote landscape (and this one was truly beautiful) while reading about smashbuckling daring deeds is part of the fun. The wind in my hair mirroed the wind in my characters' hair as they rode their talking horses, and fought battle after battle against pirates, roamers, "moondarkers" and highway robbers, leaving their world a safer place. Where's the wildest place you've ever read? The most inhospitable or exquisite conditions? Do you require a 'fine and private place' to read or can you drop everything anywhere and dip into that lovely fictive world?

Musing on the Muse

2011-10-08T22:06:00.000-07:00

Every year I participate in the Muse
Online Writers Conference as a presenter, and every year it seems to get just a little bit bigger. The first year I presented, I ran a poetry workshop. A group from that session were so inspired, from each other as much as me - I encouraged them to critique one another and they really jumped into that, that they formed a poetry writing group called Poetic Muselings that continued to work together. Their anthology titled Lifelines has just been accepted for publication by Inkspotter Publishing. Am I proud? You betcha. This is about the best outcome a writer teacher could hope for, and is due in large part to that wonderful rarified air of a conference that transcends space, linking a group of individuals towards a shared goal. I've since run workshops on characterisation, workshops on writing a query (and several of the people on that course have gone on to have the books they've queried accepted by traditional publishing houses - yay!). This year I did a joint week long workshop with the wonderful Karen Cioffi on "Creating and Building Your Author/Writer Online Presence". It was a big, full-on course that went from website and content creation through to article marketing, SEO and keywords, podcasting, creating ebooks, online commerce, and information marketing. Kind of like a one stop online platform bootcamp. Any one of those topics could have run in a full week workshop, but our ambitious attendees got stuck in and worked hard, setting up or tweaking their websites, creating and submitting keyword rich, optimised articles, and even creating their own podcasts. I was so inspired by both Karen and our attendees, that I completely revamped my own website during the week, moving it to a new platform and giving it a fresh new look. There were many different workshops held, dealing with topics as diverse as shoestring marketing, writing suspense, working social media, developing a unique voice, obtaining contacts, writing flash fiction, fantasy, horror, self-publishing, creating worlds, espionage, and even creating monsters. If I had the time, I'd probably take every one of the courses. As it was, I was busy teaching my own! But one of the benefits of the Muse, is that all the workshops and documentation remain visible for several weeks afterwards, and you can bet I'll be trawling the boards to gather in as much of this collective store of knowledge as I can. If you didn't make it this year, there's always 2012.

Writing, Fear, and Yoga

2011-10-02T02:07:00.000-07:00

Though it may look like the writer isn't doing much, sitting for hours in front of a laptop, the brain is heavily engaged. The work is often emotionally demanding, taking us places that we're afraid of but need to go, and forcing us to look into the black heart of our deepest fears to uncover truth in our characters and situation.

It takes great courage to walk the difficult path of the artist, and often the effort is physically exhausting. Fear is always tracking you, and the closer you are to reaching your writing goals, the more intense and insidious that fear can become. Fear is a great shapeshifter, looking like block, like the need to research, like being too busy to write. It can stop your story in its tracks just when you're about to make a breakthrough. My latest work in progress is particularly challenging, taking me to dark recesses of the past, exploring notions just beyond my intellectual capabilities, and forcing me to rethink what I know about fiction. Every writing session is hard. That's how I know I'm on the right path - because it it were easy, I wouldn't be pushing myself, growing, or moving my skills to a higher bar. So how does one cope with this fear in all of its incarnations? How do you push through it towards completion?

My biggest ally against fear is to move my body. Exercise of all kind helps, but for me, there's nothing quite like either swimming, or doing yoga - two forms of exercise that have a mental impact on me. Both swimming and yoga are what I call breath practices, because they rely on regular and focused breathing. It's often too cold for me to swim. I don't much like heated indoor pools (the chlorine doesn't agree with me), so I tend to do a lot of yoga. Yoga is amazing for writers. Here are three reasons why yoga is a natural ally for the writer:

It helps teach us to see writing as a practice, rather than an end point. We keep moving along the writing path, growing, changing, and pushing towards wisdom and expression. It's not possible to fail, no matter how hard it is, when you have this perception. Showing up for practice is all that's needed.

It teaches you to breathe. Ah, breath. How simple and yet how powerful. Breathing is the perfect antedote to fear. I first found out how powerful it was when I was in labour with my first child, screaming in pain. An angel of a midwife came to me and taught me to breath slowly, deeply, with my full body and I calmed down and got to work. I've turned to breath again and again in times of stress, strife, and fear, and it never fails to remind me of the transience of each moment and the need to work, calmly, through panic.

It teaches patience. Sometimes the right words take time to come. You have to keep showing up, doing the exercises, stretching, breathing and working towards the vision.

Yoga teaches me to see my writing as work that has to be done - a responsibility and positive impetus rather than a vanity (another manifestation of fear). So next time you're struggling with the dragons of fear -- call it what you will: block, self-doubt, other priorities, "no-time" -- try taking a 30 minute yoga break and see if that doesn't help. Breath through it. Even when it hurts. Then back to work. The world is waiting for you to change it.

Bright Star

2011-09-29T16:05:00.000-07:00

I know it's two years old now, but last night I watched Bright Star, and this morning my daughter, who watched it with me, was so inspired (she's a romantic thing) that we've spent a very pleasant morning reading the poetry of Keats, complete with my handwritten college scribbles from the Norton Anthology of Poetry (Third Edition), which has stayed with me for many years and comes out surprisingly often (I love my Kindle but can assign no such sentimental value to the books it contains). The film was lovely, romantic as one would expect, and firmly grounded in and defined by Keats' work. Normally my poetic tastes tend towards the moderns and post-moderns. But I've enjoyed re-discovering the romantics today. In honour of the film, and of my daughter's sudden and quite satisfying interest in the poets of the romantic era, I thought I'd provide you with the full text of the poem that gave the film it's name. By the way, my daughter had me look up Eremite for her, and for those of you who don't know, it's a religious recluse. As usual, Jane Campion, you've outdone yourself.

Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art —
Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night
And watching, with eternal lids apart,
Like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite,
The moving waters at their priestlike task
Of pure ablution round earth's human shores,
Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask
Of snow upon the mountains and the moors--
No--yet still stedfast, still unchangeable,
Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast,
To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,
Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,
And so live ever--or else swoon to death.

Banned Books Week Virtual Read-Out: Joseph Heller's Catch 22

2011-09-25T22:22:00.000-07:00

Banned Books Week runs from Sept. 24 – Oct.1, when readers around the world are encouraged to celebrate books that often get banned in various places around the world. There are other books that have been banned more often than Catch-22, but it's Catch-22's 50th anniversary, and it's looking pretty darn good for its age. I just got sent this lovely new edition by Random House, with a soft matt finish cover and have been enjoying it immensely, not only for the sharp spotlight it shines on the kind of overt bureaucratic absurdity that is no less relevant today than it was 50 years ago, but also because of the superb writing. For example, check out these two sentences: "Hungry Joe was a throbbing, ragged mass of motile irritability. The steady ticking of a watch in a quiet room crashed like torture against his unshielded brain." Is that superb characterisation or what? Catch-22 was banned in Strongsville, Ohio in 1972 and that decision was overturned in 1976. It was also challenged in Dallas, Texas (1974) and again in Snoqualmie, Washington (1979). Here's a little clip I prepared for the global 'read-out' in which I read about the "catch" (the best catch there is...):

Open the pod bay doors, HAL

2011-09-23T22:09:00.000-07:00

Perhaps this isn't the first time that a fictional construct has been cited in a court case as prior art (art in this case, being used in a literal sense), but it's the first that I've heard of it. Of course I'm talking about the patent dispute between Apple's i-Pad and Samsung's Galaxy Tab which have cited the images in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey as evidence of prior art. The implications of this are interesting to me, and I wonder whether it will elevate art to a new level in terms of the relationship between conception and development. Does a visual hypothesis equate to pre-conception. Of course it's a long way from an imaginary conception to a working prototype and it appears that the German courts have rejected the Kubrick Defence, which is, of course, not called the Clarke defense, since it's design that we're talking about here. In other words, it's the visuals in the film, and not the description in the book that has been cited. Nevertheless, the very fact that it was raised creates an interesting hornet's nest about the 'hypothesis', industrial design, and artistic conception and the interrelationship between them, particularly from a legal point of view. As an author, I'll be watching the ongoing outcome with interest, and thinking about the power of art in new ways.

ps: I loved 2001 - one of the very few instances where I felt the film was better than the book.

Healing the World with Poetry (guest blog)

2011-09-21T04:46:00.000-07:00

by Joyce White

Poetry makes an excellentconversation beginning with a lump in the throat then spilling out like liquidhoney so sweet, savory, ending in the most natural wisdom, To be a poet, youneed to know when to listen and when not, as well as begin every day with amoment of silence, during the day listen to the children who are always on, wecan learn as much from them as they us,

Poets need to befriend isolatedthinkers, to enjoy their gift of gab, to recognize universal truths, listen totheir intuitions, and welcome the muses that are their best fans,

Poets need to give credence to the“unseen” and to know that there is no coincidence, and be appreciative of freewill,

Poets need to ride the winds withglee that blow through their minds, and to write those thoughts down beforesomeone else does or before they're forgotten all together.

Poets need to learn to appreciatethe sun setting, a bird call, a quiet garden, a clear sky, and a creativeeffort with an unambiguous pen. Genuine poetry can communicate before it isunderstood, the unknown healing all wounds of reason.

Words are healers whether weare writing them, singing them or reading them. Of course, a loving friend canbe a healer. A song can be a healer. A celebratory greeting card can be ahealer. We all enjoy healing through the music of words and images.

Both reading and writing poetry areforms of therapy for the reader and the writer. Writing poetry is an excellentway to pay renewed attention to the masters and their art. They inspire us toturn their art into “our art” through films, paintings, poetry or even claysculptures. None of us write alone without carrying on our back the whisperingsof others.

There is no such thing as writer’sblock when we use others ideas to inspire us. Poetically speaking, I think mostpoets are like honey bees hungrily searching through a grand buffet ofliterature, film and/or art for that speck of pollen we can turn into honey.Besides authoring two books, I had a lot to say and needed a way to say it, soI started experimenting with poetry.

But in truth, humans like to makeeverything a game especially writers and poets. We play connect-the-dots withwords and feelings, paying close attention to the sound and flower of ourmemories, as well as their arrangement on the page. I play connect-the-dotswith sentences, images and/or word pictures.

I’m always looking for an initialthought burst, a memory or a feeling I can blow out of proportion and use in agrand over-indulgent way when writing poetry. “You may discover your best poemswhile writing your worst prose.” says Joyce Carol Oates. “As soon as youconnect with your true subject, you will write.”

If I had to describe my inner poet,I’d say he looked at the world a little eschewed. He lives patiently in me,giving me fragrant hope where there was once none. He inspired me to writealthough it never occurred to me I was a poet. I come by using words forhealing by instinct.

I’ve read an author must be likeGod, present everywhere but visible nowhere. Somerset Maugham says, “If you cantell stories, create characters, devise incidents, and have sincerity andpassion, it doesn’t matter a damn how you write.” Samuel Johnson says, “The twomost engaging powers of an author are to make new things familiar, and familiarthings new.”

When the right words come, they areas beautiful and unsought as country wild flowers. There are many ways of beingartful. To write poetry I sometimes start out with the words, “I am…or I amsilly…or I am afraid…or, I am not like anyone else. You can also write a PetPeeve Poem, by reacting to a common, everyday annoyance like the phone ringingwhen you’re in the bathroom! Choose a subject that really irritates you enoughto be memorable or humorous.

Decide if you want your poem to beserious, playful or sarcastic. There is something about our milestones that begto have their passes marked on paper even our annoyances and mishaps. Our onlygoal is to be truthful, and if we can fake that on paper, we’ve got it made.Mark Twain says, “Most writers regard the truth as their most valuablepossession, and therefore, are most economical in its use. Elvis Presley says,

“Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it isn’t going’away.”

John F. Kennedy, speaking at thededication of a library for Robert Frost, less than a month before he wasmurdered: “When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of hislimitations. When power narrows the areas of man’s concern, poetry reminds himof the richness and diversity of his existence. When power corrupts, poetrycleanses, for art establishes the basic human truths which must serve as thetouchstone of our judgment. –John Fitzgerald Kennedy October 26, 1963, AmherstCollege

John Fox at Poetic Medicine says,“What words roll off the tongue or look like treasures on the page waiting tobe opened? What words excite you as you say them, make you want to laugh attheir sound or shout them out? Treat words as if they were paint, clay or wood;allow words to be a physical material to shape, mold, chisel and blend. Liberate simple, seemingly ordinary words from the prison of habit (forinstance, how they are used—or misused to make us consumers!) and free thosewords to breathe fresh air together.”

Say this:

…say threshold, cottonmouth, Russianleather,
say ash, picot, fallow deer, saxophone, say kitchen sink.
This is a birthday party for the mouth—it’s better than ice cream,
say waterlilly, refrigerator, hartebeest, Prussian blue
and the word will take you, if you let it,
the word will take you along across the air of your head
so that you’re there as it settles into the thing it was made for,
adding to it a shimmer and the bird song of its sound…

–Marilyn Krysl from SayingThings

Follow your heart andimagination…and circle five words from the list below and include them in apoem. Here are a few words from Poetic Medicine on my website to get youstarted for your artistic pleasure:

dance	music	earth	Tiger	farm	buckle
trees	monkey	peace	Love	whisper	falcon
plucks	amaze	cook	Regrets	urge	blast
smile	sadness	hands	Listen	caress	splendor
sing	animal	asleep	Purrs	sour	earth
magic	dreams	boat	Snake	leaf	blaze

My website, www.wingedforhealing.com would enjoy reading yourpoems, articles and essays that you have written. In addition, we are acceptingphotographs of original artwork as well the stories of how they were born inyour mind and how they brought you healing. Contact my website and let yourhealing become stepping stones to healing for others.

Marketing Workshop: Creating and Building Your Author/Writer Online Presence

2011-09-16T05:05:00.000-07:00

The Free Muse Online Writers Conference is just about here: October 3rd through October 9th, and Karen Cioffi and I will be presenting a week-long workshop for the conference.

Here are the details:

Workshop Title: Creating and Building Your Author/Writer Online Presence:
From Website Creation to Beyond Book Sales
Presenters: Karen Cioffi and Maggie Ball
Date: October 3 -9
Register today at: http://themuseonlinewritersconference.com/

Description:

As an author or writer, it’s a certain bet that you have something to sell; it may be your book, your skills, or your experience and knowledge. In order to sell what you’re offering, you need to create and build your online presence. Join Maggie Ball and Karen Cioffi and learn: how to create an effective website; how to create effective content and what to do with it; a bit about SEO and keywords; how to create a podcast; how to create an e-book; how to create Buy Now buttons on your site; and how to attract customers.

Here is the breakdown of the daily topics from October 3rd to the 9th:

3A. The Bare-Bottom Basics (Creating a Website)
3B. Creating Content
4. Article Marketing
5. A Bit About SEO and Keywords
6. Podcasting
7. Creating e-books for Freebies and for Sale
8. Creating ‘Buy Now’ Buttons for Your Site/s
9. Attracting Customers Through Informational Marketing

The week-long conference is free and this will be an information packed marketing workshop with an extensive workbook and lots of goodies. I hope to see you there. And, there will be lots of other writing and marketing workshop, live chats, and manuscript pitching opportunities - it's really an event all writers can benefit from.

So, click on the link and register today:
http://themuseonlinewritersconference.com/

Writing as Nostalgia

2011-09-09T23:34:00.000-07:00

It starts small, as something inchoate. You don't know why you're drawn to a topic, a setting, a subject. There's just something compelling--a magnetic field that pulls at you as you begin to type. Much of my work starts with this kind of magnetism. As the subject begins to come together, the streets turn into New York City in the 1980s, or a small hamlet in Tasmania, or The Grossinger's hotel in the 1940s Borscht Belt. The themes, the plots, the characters are all driven by instinct and nostalgia. Something in me wants to explore the correspondences, the connections. The whole process of writing, fiction and poetry at least, for me has an undercurrent of nostalgia that is becoming clearer as I move deeper into my third novel, an exploration of the creative urge, love, loss and time travel through the DNA wormhole that links the 1940s and 2011.

The more I think about it, the more I realise that this is a motivating force for many authors, not just myself. We need to find a spot that we've somehow missed, to explore a notion that bugs us, and then, like a grain of sand in an oyster, to pearlise it and create something that is no longer personal and lost, but universal and found. I've been exploring this notion, not only in my own work as I aim my fingers into the past, but in the work of others as I traverse literary landscapes that work best when they invoke a similar nostalgia in me. The sense of loss that motivates the characters is familiar and relevant to the modern reader regardless of whether the book is set in Victorian England or a mythical planet in the constellation of Kasterborous. Reflecting on the past by exploring its meaning to the present and that disassociative, uncomfortable sensation of not being able to ever get back to that point creates a visceral sensation that is empathetic and powerful. There's something there that you have to pick at. Something Proustian in the taste of those madelines, or the smell of that long forgotten perfume.

It's suprisingly painful, both as reader and as writer, to go to that place, and explore the sensations, knowing that this is all we have left of the past. Bringing it back to life, at the same time as we distance ourselves from it through irony, creates a very post-modern type of novel that I'm finding to be increasingly relevant to the modern sensibility.

The Joy of Reading: is it really such a hard sell?

2011-08-20T00:17:00.000-07:00

“We shouldn’t teach great books; we should teach a love of reading.” - B.F. Skinner

Last week, in the Chronicle of Higher Education Alan Jacobs raises the old "nature versus nuture" chestnut by stating that it's impossible to teach children to love reading. Taken at face value, Jacobs may have a point. After all, by the time a student reaches university, they've already decided what kind of person they are and attempting to "inculcate the practices of deeply attentive reading" or instill a 'love' is no easy task for a teacher, and may be outside the scope of a class built around a specific text or era. But I have to say that I strongly disagree that genetics are the only indicator of a love of reading and that one either has the reading gene or they don't. Surely if a sense of humour is a learned trait, influenced by family and cultural environment, then a love of reading must also, at least partly, be learned.

Deep love comes, not only with a natural inclination and innate capability for sustained attention to story, but also with positive experiences, ideally those that happen early. I doubt that even the most dedicated genetic ("nature") proponent would argue against the notion that parents can influence a child's feelings towards reading. Reading outloud, early, and with enthusiasm has got to have an impact on how children feel about reading. Living in a household filled with books, enriched with off the cuff quotations, and where the pre-bedtime read-outloud moments are among the most enjoyable times in the day would have to make a huge difference over one where books are considered solely the province of academia - to be used for learning and not entertainment. Once children make that all-important connection between 'story' - the magic of narrative and discovery, and texts, then the move to reading becomes a natural one.

Of course reading will be easier for some children than others, and that may well be genetically determined. As Mem Fox argues beautifully in her book Reading Magic, it is incumbant on parents first, and then teachers, to share their own passions and help children and students make the link between those moments of joy when you immerse into story, and the 'book'. Teaching of literacy has to be infused with love - love for the children and love for the books. Inbue your teaching with meaning, reality, vitality and passion as Fox puts it and children will get it.

I personally started school with an innate great love of reading that was encourage and strengthened by my parents and their early praise of my reading and their own joy of the written text (and I still get that little frisson of pleasure when I read a book like Little Bear, Where the Wild Things Are, or Ping -- books that my parents read to me often when I was very young), but a few great teachers who shared my joy in books strengthened that love considerably. The opposite also might have happened if I had been thrown into classes with bored teachers who passed on their dislike for what they were teaching. Fortunately that didn't happen. To suggest that teachers don't have a truly powerful potential impact on children's love of reading is to severely and incorrectly I think, downplay the value of our teachers. When my sons, both great book lovers, come home from school and tell me that English is boring, it makes steam come out of my ears and a tendency to reach for the phone to call the school. Sustained dullness in a lesson that should be filled with drama, enthusiam and moments of self-recognition, self-expression and greater understanding (and of course laughter) will dampen and put back many a child's love of reading.

By the same token, a wonderful teacher can change the way a child (or student) looks at books - enabling a connection between other forms of entertainment (after all, films and television are often based on stories; popular music is often built on poetry), and awakening a desire for more. So let's not overplay the limitations of genetics and underplay the value of teaching. A good teacher can indeed teach students to love reading, not by having "reading loving lessons", but rather by sharing their own enthusiasm for books, encouraging children in their attempts, and finding existing loves and linking those to the written text.

Full Writer's Sanctuary show

2011-08-09T17:28:00.000-07:00

Following is the fully embedded Writer's Sanctuary Show in which Carolyn Howard-Johnson and I read lots of work from our new book Deeper Into the Pond and one each from Blooming Red. This includes the previous guest, author Tony Rodriguez. The text for the longish poem I read - the one dedicated to David Foster-Wallace, "Coming Back" is below the show widget. Hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed chatting.

Listen to internet radio with World Wide Word on Blog Talk Radio

Coming Back

i. She sat straight on the bar stool legs crossed tightly

stared abstractly through the buzz surrounding her in the stillness she created within that spot

a magic trick you couldn’t create if you tried

opened owl eyes into grief creating emptiness inside the rowdiest bar in the neighbourhood.

No one dared point a finger.

We tried not to look at her but it was hard.

So we looked out of the corner of our eye when we walked past, our heads thrown back fake laughter all the while drawn towards the silence of that pain the peripheral gravity that wouldn’t let us settle into our evening of forgetting.

The louder the laughter the deeper her pull.

Still she sat against the clinking glass ice cube slide and when it was too much truth we linked arms and left her there alone.

When we returned, she was gone.

ii. I thought about him all day

immersed in his voice, the knock-knocking intensity that gripped the inside of my head.

I understood (almost, really just almost) after staying in that horrible wave of truth and power and no stillness whatsoever where the words move around your body in tightening magnetic fields that won’t let up

not even for a breath

no breaths.

He strangled for a simple breath, begging in his very last line, for someone to tell him how

I wanted to tell him

speaking calmly

in and out that’s all but he was already breathless

off the page

to a place (no place)

with no fear no more sound.

iii. This is the last one

no cause for celebration no rockstardom

because what you’ve made won’t last

the eternity sleep

nothing profound

in ice

the crystalline inorganic solidity of it

your life stopped

at its most fragile, beautiful point

poised for so much more

than just success

that relative, reprehensible word that masks and tears your life into diamond dust needles.

Upcoming Radio Show (come and join us)

2011-08-01T16:58:00.000-07:00

Writers’ Sanctuary

Celebrates the Divine Feminine

with

Authors Magdalena Ball and

Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Hosted by Kim McMillon

Tuesday, August 9, 2011, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM, PST

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/onword

(San Francisco, CA), August 1, 2011 --- Tune into Writers’ Sanctuary on Tuesday, August 9^th at 4 PM as host Kim McMillon interviews authors Magdalena Ball and Carolyn Howard-Johnson on the power of the divine feminine in poetry and prose. Magdalena and Carolyn will read from their latest collaboration from the award winning Celebration Series, Deeper into the Pond. This book celebrates, supports, and inspires women.

The divine feminine is conjured with, “the glass wing butterfly reveals only flowers  beneath her wings. You, my dear, the one  who lives in my own domain opague.” The reader is brought into a world that is vivid, and alive with emotions and feelings, that speak to the mystery that is woman.

To ask a question of the guests during the show, please call (718) 508-9717. To learn more about the program, go to http://www.blogtalkradio.com/onword.

Goodreads Book giveaway

2011-07-26T14:51:00.000-07:00

Don't miss our Goodreads Book Giveaway for a beautiful hard copy of Deeper Into the Pond. Go, now, press the button and be in it. I hope it's you! (another sample poem follows).

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Deeper Into the Pond

by Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Magdalena Ball

Giveaway ends July 31, 2011.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Jupiter’s Moons
(listen to audio version by clicking on title)

If I pushed through this mortal cage
flew out past the atmosphere
to find you
my chalky friend
would you reach through the icy crust
of Europa
wet from your briny ocean
your extremophile heart
growing larger from the contamination
of an all too early touch.

Would it be enough
in the transitory evolution of your life
to link up
our temporarily compatible minds
dancing through the lava flows of Io.

Could you teach me
to breathe
thin oxygen
Jupiter's magnetic field
raining onto the surface of Ganymede.

When we part ways
kissing goodbye on Callisto
would you cry Gallilean tears
against my endless female needs
for atmospheres, oceans

sun hunger
while you, older, stronger
colder
disappear
a momentary connection
like an unscratched itch
in my forgotten past.

Walking Through Walls Virtual Tour Stop: Successful Writing Strategy: Know Your Intent by Karen Cioffi

2011-07-24T20:16:00.000-07:00

Intent is a crucial factor in success. But, what exactly does this mean?

To succeed in anything you need to know what you want, what you’re striving for. And, that knowledge has to be clearly defined.

An unclear destination or goal is similar to being on a path that has very low hanging branches, an assortment of rocks that may hinder your forward movement, uneven and rugged terrain, branches and even logs strewn across the road; you get the idea. You kind of step over the debris, look around or through the branches, you don’t have a clear view of where you’re going.

A clear cut goal is akin to walking on a smooth and clear path. No goal related obstacles to hinder your forward momentum or vision.

But, let me add to the sentence above, while intent is crucial, it’s an active and passionate pursuit of your intent that will actually allow you to achieve success. It reminds me of a passage in the Bible at James 24:26, “Faith without works is dead.” While the intent is there, if you don’t actively take the needed steps to get from A to B, walk-the-walk, rather than just talk-the-talk, you’ll never reach your goal.

To realize your intent, it would be beneficial for you to create a list of questions and statements outlining the specifics to that intent.

A few of questions you might include are:

What is your ultimate success goal?

What does the obtainment of your goal mean?

After picturing it, what does success look like to you?

How will you reach your goal?

So, how would you answer these questions?

As a writer, perhaps your goal is to write for one or two major magazines. Maybe you’d prefer to be published in a number of smaller magazines. Possibly you want to author a book a year and have them published by traditional publishing houses. Or, maybe you want to self-publish your own books at a faster or slower pace.

Maybe success to you is to make a comfortable living, or you may be very happy with simply supplementing your income. Maybe you want to be a professional, sought after ghostwriter or copywriter. Maybe you want to be a coach, a speaker, offer workshops, or present teleseminars. These are some of the potential goals for a writer.

Whatever your vision of success is, you need to see it clearly, write it down (it’d be a good idea to also create a vision board), and take the necessary steps to get you where you want to be.

If you find you have a realistic success vision, and are taking the necessary steps to achieve your envisioned intent, at least you think you are, but you still can’t seem to reach the goal, then perhaps your efforts aren’t narrowly focused enough. Maybe your success vision is too broad. Wanting to be a writer is a noble endeavor, but it’s a very broad target and kind of like shooting a shotgun compared to shooting a rifle or gun. With a shotgun you may hit a broader target, but it won’t be with the effectiveness and direct force of a single shot aimed at a one focused target.

Try narrowing down, fine tuning your goal. Remember, it’s essential to be specific and focused.

It might be to your advantage to create success steps that continually move you forward on the path to reaching your ultimate goal.

For someone new to writing, the first step on a writing career would be to learn the craft of writing. You might give yourself a year or two to join writing groups, take advantage of writing workshops or classes, write for article directories, or create stories. You should also be part of at least one critique group. This would be your first step to achieving your success vision.

Instead of trying to go directly from A to B, it might be more effective to go from A to A1 to A2 to A3 . . . to B. But, again, for each step, the intent, a clear-cut vision, and the driving passion all need to be front and center.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Karen Cioffi is an author and ghostwriter. Her new MG/YA fantasy book, Walking Through Walls, is based on an ancient Chinese tale.

Longing to be rich and powerful, twelve-year-old Wang studies the legend of the mystical Eternals. Certain they are real, he journeys to their temple and begins an apprenticeship with the Eternal Master. There he enters a world of magic where not everything is as it seems, and where he learns the magic formula to ‘walking through walls.’

Walking Through Walls should now be available through online retailers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and book stores. If it’s not yet listed, it will be very soon!

You can also order the book today at:

http://4rvpublishingcatalog.yolasite.com/mg-ya-page-2.php

To learn more about Walking Through Walls, its touring schedule and contest, and purchasing information visit: http://walkingthroughwalls-kcioffi.blogspot.com

To learn more about Karen and her books, visit:

http://www.karencioffiwritingandmarketing.com/p/karens-books.html

Please be sure to stop by Susanne Drazic’s site (http://susannedrazic.blogspot.com/) on July 27th for the next stop on the Walking Through Walls Tour.

Imitation is the Highest Form of Flattery: Poets Take Borrowing in Stride If It Increases Poetry Readership

2011-07-23T03:31:00.000-07:00

It was only a matter of time before someone stole the idea that Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Magdalena Ball first meted when they created Cherished Pulse, the inaugural book in their poetry based Celebration Series.

Of course the idea of using poetry as a form of gift or greeting card isn't new. People have been using poetry to celebrate big events like marriage, wedding anniversaries, and milestones since Homer's day, but nowadays most of the expensive greeting cards in shops are so rife with platitudes that they've ceased to have any meaning at all and can hardly be called poetry. What was new was making chapbooks into a kind of carriage trade greeting card with real poetry grouped around holiday themes. They are genuine messages that mean something. Make the books as inexpensive as a card, and as beautiful as a gift book, and you've got a gift that provides sentiment that won't be thrown out with the wrapping paper.

That has always been the rationale behind Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Magdalena Ball's Celebration series, which includes a range of chapbooks clustered around themes like Valentine's Day: Cherished Pulse (www.budurl.com/CherishedPulse ), Father's Day: Imagining the Future (www.budurl.com/Imagining ), Mother's Day: She Wore Emerald Then (www.budurl.com/MotherChapbook ), Christmas: Blooming Red (www.budurl.com/bloomingred), and the newly released feminist inspired Deeper into the Pond, suitable for any female birthday or celebration (www.budurl.com/DeeperPond ). All of the chapbooks are as inexpensive as a high end card, attractive, featuring real art, and perfect for gift giving.

So it's no surprise that others are copying the idea.

This is what happened. Three years after the release of the Celebration Series. Relationships Australia, Australian Poetry Ltd, and artists/designers Gracia and Louise have just released their own father-themed book titled Dear Dad, promoted specifically as a great Father's Day greeting card/gift. It's a little dearer than the Celebration Series offered by Ball and Howard-Johnson, but it's a great idea featuring some excellent Australian poets, and probably the tip of the iceberg when it comes to real poetry as greetings. Why not? Poetry is always a good gift.

Learn more about Ball and Howard-Johnson's work at www.howtodoitfrugally.com/poetry_books.htm .

For more about Dear Dad, visit: http://www.australianpoetry.org/blog/2011/07/19/dear-dad-2nd-edition-pre-sales.

For more information on Ball and Howard-Johnson’s Celebration series and their Father’s Day entry, visit www.howtodoitfrugally.com/more_on-Imaginings.htm.

Feminist Chapbook for All E-Readers (Carolyn's press release and a special offer)

2011-07-21T23:53:00.000-07:00

“Vivid images… distil the lives of the women who wrote them. They speak to all the stages of life—even celebrate ageing--and our roles as women. These are poems [that] will stay with you forever.” ~ Nancy Famolari

Poets living half a world apart naturally understand the value of e-books, the best way for people living anywhere in the world to access a work.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson is a Californian while Magdalena Ball lives down under (yup, though I still have a bit of my NY accent). Together they have published their fifth in the Celebration Series of chapbooks, Deeper into the Pond, A Celebration of Femininity. And now it can be read by anyone who can find a computer. (See the list of formats available below).

To make reading this lovely little booklet even easier, the two have arranged for an introductory and discounted price of $2.79.

Go to: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/75299?ref=maggieball

and use the coupon code HV73F until August 21.

Other chapbooks in the celebration series are Cherished Pulse (for Valentine’s www.budurl.com/CherishedPulse), Imagining the Future (for Father’s Day www.budurl.com/Imagining), She Wore Emerald Then (for Mother’s Day www.budurl.com/MotherChapbook), and Blooming Red (for Christmas www.budurl.com/bloomingred). Deeper into the Pond (www.budurl.com/DeeperPond) and the other chapbooks are also available as paperbacks on Amazon.

Magdalena Ball runs the highly respected CompulsiveReader.com review site. She is the author of the poetry book Repulsion Thrust, which was published to unanimous 5-star reviews. Her novel Sleep Before Evening, was a Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson's poetry appears frequently in review journals. She is listed in Poets & Writers and her chapbook of poetry, Tracings (www.budurl.com/CarolynsTracings), was given the Award of Excellence by the Military Writers Society of America and She Wore Emerald Then won its highest honor of gold. One of her poems recently won the Franklin Christoph Poetry Prize. She is also an award-winning novelist and short story writer and instructor for UCLA Extension Writers' Program.

Learn more about these inexpensive chapbooks that are meant to become your most thoughtful greeting cards ever at www.howtodoitfrugally.com/poetry_books.htm

Smashwords offers all these e-book formats: Online Reading (HTML), Kindle (mobi for Kindle devices and Kindle apps), Epub (Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo, and most e-reading apps including Stanza, Aldiko, Adobe Digital Editions, others), PDF (good for reading on PC, or for home printing), RTF (readable on most word processors), LRF (Use only for older model Sony Readers that don't support .epub), Palm Doc (PDB) (for Palm reading devices), and Plain Text.

Going Deeper Into the Pond

2011-07-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

The new poetry book that Carolyn Howard-Johnson and I have been working on is finally out! Deeper Into the Pond is the latest in our award winning Celebration Series, focusing this time on the whole notion of femininity, with a slight feminist bent. I'm also especially excited about this book because if features our gorgeous award winning cover art by the multi-talented Jacquie Schnell. You can see a sample of it to the left. I haven't yet seen the books, but Carolyn tells me they're gorgeous - perfect for gift giving (instead of a card, which was, of course, the point). Here's a little sample.

Minerva Dressing

Lavinia Fontana, 1613

There’s no rush today

languid

in full possession of your rounded body

you lift your mantle

lightly

though it’s heavy with war and wisdom

handwoven through sheer fabric.

This is your paradox

Minerva

the soft transparency of your armour

protects the innocent lines of your face

against the dreams of a child

fingering your helmet

pain and loss disturbing your reverie.

With the falling of dusk

the owl hoots

your time is already past

the child grown

wisdom folded with your hair

into the hard shield and sharp spear

the future always biting

into that soft, smooth

moment of pause.

Christmas in July

2011-07-07T02:52:00.000-07:00

Little Known Poetry History: Chapbooks, a tradition in the poetry world since Elizabethan times, are named after the itinerant chapmen who travelled from village to village selling their goods.

My writing partner Carolyn Howard-Johnson and I figure nothing is more meaningful at any holiday than a poem—a real poem, not sing-song impersonal verse from the shelves of card shops (I've always disliked that kind of card). we've also noticed that many people order imprinted holiday greetings (very expensive ones!) in July. With that in mind we're offering a great Christmas-in-July incentive to those early birds who want to gift a chapbook Blooming Red: Christmas Poetry for the Rational to cherished friends. .

But how would poetry lovers, literature lovers and those who just like something different and beautiful to use as mini gifts or greetings know if this little booklet is for them?

We've arranged to get the e-book version for 50% off until August 6. That means your sample comes to you for a mere $1.98 using the special coupon code ZZ47S when you go to http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/45393

Then, when you fall in love with the exquisite poetry and the beautiful artwork by award-winning California watercolorist Vicki Thomas, you can order 25 full paperback booklets for only $3.00 each. This is a substantial discount from Amazon’s price of $6.95 each. They become your card and gift in one and orders of 12 or more come autographed by Carolyn. That’s got to be more personal than an imprint.

You just send your shipping address with your check or money order to:

Carolyn Howard-Johnson

PO Box 1101

LaCanada-Flintridge, CA 91012-1101

Include $6. Ship charges for the continental US and $12 worldwide, any quantity. Please order before August 15^th.

Blooming Red includes my science-inspired and Carolyn’s nostalgic poetry. It also includes some humorous poems for fair measure.

For more information on any of the chapbooks in this poetry series, contact either Carolyn or me, or visit media rooms at www.howtodoitfrugally.com or www.magdalenaball.com. To learn more about artist Vicki Thomas and to see her selections of her work, go to www.vickithomasartist.com

Media Release: Letting Our Customers Choose Their Poison…or Their Layer Cake

2011-06-29T03:20:00.000-07:00

Media Announcement

CONTACT:
Carolyn Howard-Johnson e-mail: HoJoNews@aol.com

CONTACT:
Magdalena Ball e-mail: maggieball@compulsivereader.com

For Immediate Release

Letting Our Customers Choose Their Poison…or Their Layer Cake

World Wide Web—Magdalena Ball and Carolyn Howard-Johnson are poetry partners who believe in letting their customers have their poetry in whatever flavour they want. Up to now their Celebration Series of chapbooks have been available in print, for Kindle and other readers. But now most (with more coming!) are available at Barnes and Noble’s Nook.

Nook is Barnes & Noble’s answer to the Kindle--it’s an e-book reader which is available in both colour and a black and white version. The new black and white is priced slightly cheaper than Amazon’s so there has been a lot of competition between the two leading to cheaper e-books and lots of freebies! We’re all for anything that encourages reading though, so we say, bring it on. Learn more here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/index.asp

The chapbooks that are now available for Nook are:

Cherished Pulse for lovers everywhere at the special price of $3.95: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cherished-pulse-magdalena-ball/1018912754?ean=2940000818442&itm=3&usri=magdalena%2bball

Imagining the Future, for fathers and other masculine apparitions for $4.75:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/imagining-the-future-magdalena-ball/1021152596?ean=2940000904893&itm=4&usri=magdalena%2bball

She Wore Emerald Then, written with mothers in mind, is $4.95: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/she-wore-emerald-then-magdalena-ball/1020032782?ean=2940000807408&itm=5&usri=magdalena%2bball

Blooming Red, our unconventional chapbook of Christmas poetry will soon be available on Nook and so will our newest member of our inexpensive series that celebrates women called Deeper Into The Pond.

Artists who have contributed artwork for the covers of our chapbook series are Vicki Thomas, May Lattanzio, and Jacquie Schmall.

For more information on any of the chapbooks in this poetry series, contact either of the authors or visit media rooms at www.howtodoitfrugally.com or www.magdalenaball.com .

Guest blog: What is Creative Expression to you?

2011-06-27T05:27:00.000-07:00

by Joyce White

www.wingedforhealing.com

Exploring creativity and creative expression in the arts are catalysts for healing & therapy. Research by Professor Semir Zeki demonstrates that even looking at art stimulates our brains; creating the same chemical response as when we are in love. This is just further evidence that creative expression like art and writing may prove beneficial for those that are feeling down or depressed.

It occurs to me some might wonder if being creative is something we are or something we do. I imagine trying means not doing but we all use our creative license differently. In reality, many of us may have to pull from our guts a word or image, while another may seem to pull it out of the air. In any regards, practice makes perfect.

Many of us must have to work hard to find our secret place; and sadly, some never do. I’ve heard it said "Don’t let yourself die with the music still in you. " The Creativity-Portal at http://www.creativity-portal.com/howto/writing/creative.html, tells us and I agree, that “we are creating new worlds and reinventing ourselves through the details of existing ones.”

Since I am most interested in the healing aspects of Creative Expression, I write articles and book reviews for Global Healing Exchange at http://www.globalhealingexchange.net/index.php/component/search/?searchword=Joyce+white&ordering=&searchphrase=all. This is a good site for sending all kinds of healing articles like art therapy, poem therapy and articles about the psychology of man. There are even chat rooms and public forms of all kinds that welcome our questions and input.

In a sense, we will never be able to stretch our wings and fly free as artists and writers, if we let supposed ownership keep us from gifting our uniqueness to others. It takes faith in us, our gifts and our Creator to move through mental blocks like fear, negativity and self-doubt.

When it comes to writing, I think it is important we never write something that hurts your head or our heart. We need to take ourselves and our craft seriously whether we write once a week or every single day. Release is the magic word for creative expression.

Sylvia Plath says, “The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” Albert Einstein says, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

Enjoy my imagination and poem below:

As a writer I often play the "what if" game. When I'm shuffling through less than colorful thoughts, I imagine I wouldn't know if I were winning or losing with a deck of white cards, I wouldn't know when to stop, to slow or go,

I think about a white butterflies with their beauty invisible, and white clouds rolling around in a sky I couldn't see, I'm thinking about white pigeons cooing and cawing, hiding from white cats, hurling themselves into the air, all for naught,

I'm thinking about white birds looking for white worms crawling around in white grass, all white bellies hungry for their prey cannot be seen, I'm thinking of white sea-caps on white rolling seas, and a white sailboat in distress, how would it be seen? How could we help?

How would we rake white leaves on white grass? How would we learn with white chalk on a white chalkboard? We can live without many things around, but who can happily and safely live without colors like red, yellow, blue, green and brown?

It is our dark side that wants us to remain in the shadows instead of sparking light and love out into the world. Even if our dark side tells us we are bad or bad at what we are doing, we must fight for being “bad” with conviction and trust your innate needs. It is good to remember there is a crack in everything; and that is how the light gets in. We are all artists from the inside out.

We creative beings must remember we can predestine failure when we give it power over us before it even happens. It is ironic our human bodies sometimes have difficulty knowing what is imagined and what is real.

Deeper Into the Pond: Actor/Producer Wins Contest for Bookcover Art

2011-06-21T22:53:00.000-07:00

Winning Artist Says: “Life’s highway has lots of off ramps, so why not try more than a few, really enjoy the ride, and the time to enjoy the scenery by the side of the road.”

Carolyn Howard-Johnson and I am excited to announce the winner and runners-up of our first ever contest for cover art of their poetry chapbooks. When published in July of 2011, Deeper into the Pond will celebrate, support, and inspire women. Jacquie Schmall’s winning entry reflects the powerful energy of women in the process of co-creation. Thus it seemed an ideal image for a chapbook that has resulted in this, the fifth in our award-winning series.

Schmall, who lives in San Diego, developed a style she calls “rainbow geometry.” After spending time in theatre productions, and on film sets, she was compelled to paint a series of watercolors reflecting the powerful energy of women. The selected painting is one of them; it will be reflected in three iterations on the cover.

The chapbooks in the Celebration Series include Cherished Pulse (for anyone you love), with artwork from California artist Vicki Thomas (www.budurl.com/CherishedPulse); She Wore Emerald Then (for mothers on your gift list) with photographs by May Lattanzio (www.budurl.com/MotherChapbook); Imagining the Future: For Fathers and Other Masculine Apparitions (for the men in your life) (www.budurl.com/Imagining); and Blooming Red, a celebration of Christmas (www.budurl.com/BloomingRed), also featuring Thomas’s work.

Runners up in the contest are Roxanne Kahan and Cynthia Uhrich.

For more information on any of the chapbooks in this poetry series, contact either Carolyn or me, or visit media rooms at http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com or http://www.magdalenaball.com. To learn more about artist Jacqui Schmall and to see her selections of her work, go to http://jacquie-pleasecallmelater.blogspot.com/2011/06/paintings-by-jacquie.html.

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-16T15:12:00.000-07:00

It's nearly Father's Day (in the US, where my own father lives). To celebrate, I thought I'd put up another of my poems from the poetry book Imagining the Future that Carolyn Howard-Johnson and I wrote, followed by a lovely review that was just posted on Amazon this morning.

Foaming Stone

A triumvirate of fathers
on memory’s throne
no more godly than they ought
no less holy
in that wicked way of the mind.

Three ambitious men
triumviratus
struggling to be heard
against the lovely cacophony
of history.

The first, a rock
foaming DNA
his universal genetic code
sliding down the hill
impetus you couldn’t stop
even with the best inertia
you gave it everything
steamrolled flat
in glorious anger.

The second, like his predecessor
Julius Caesar
patrician and handsome
calm, cruel
the right word
always at the ready
his sword, admired
by the fireside.

The third
sells energy in a burlap sack
lightning cracks the purple sky
illumination that doesn’t last
sets your hair out
then disappears
leaving only static.

A gem for Celebrating the Men in your Lives by Joyce White, Sculpting the Heart Book Reviews

Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Magdalena Ball have woven their Imagining the Future: Ruminations on Fathers and Other Masculine Apparitions on March 22, 2010, together like sisters of the same mind when it comes to the men in their lives. Carolyn begins her medley of childhood memories beginning with “All the sound in the world sucked to a waving wailing note as I perch on my father’s knee.” Later giftedly pondering, The things I didn’t know about my father, his coming and goings, the fearing he would not return. One day, only a dawn or decade ago, he didn’t.” “Then, then!” writes Carolyn, “Decades of dread (conflicts?) with names we remember and some we don't. Bosnia, Kosovo, First (!) Gulf War, Korean, Bay of Pigs, Rwanda, Afghanistan, the Berlin Crisis for god's sake. More than 300 of them, words like the bass beat of drums. Vietnam when those troops who did come home couldn't walk or wouldn't talk. I tell my grandson, then only 12, how we who remember the grunt of that war see it differently from those who marched in the Double W Wars, wars when we wanted to be there.”

Carolyn Howard-Johnson's grandson served two tours in Iraq. Her husband is a retired Army officer who served in the 1960s Berlin call up. I can hear the sober sounds of the National Anthem in the background of all her poetry, with the throat voice of Uncle Sam warning, “I want him. He’s mine. You can’t have him!” All wives and little girls cry.

Magdalena pulls metaphors out of the air with, “You recede a little more. I reach for you over thought waves little girl’s hand hung in the air your absence, finally, matches reality to imagination trying to get truth from pretty metaphors that can’t touch your flesh still young somewhere while the precious science you drank like fine wine grinds your atoms to dust.”

Carolyn Howard Johnson and Magdalena Ball have written a wonderful little memoir celebrating Father’s Day and all their sacrifices as girls and women growing up in the 50’s and together they swam through a remembered past. I recommend this little gem and I give it Five Stars for Amazon. Happy Father’s Day to all…wives, children and our husbands who take care of our very basic needs while we write poetry.

Happy Bloomsday (never too early to start celebrating)

2011-06-14T17:12:00.000-07:00

"The gliding brilliance of his voice..."

If this isn't enough to completely endear you to both Joyce and Frank Delaney (c'mon), drop by Delaney's Re:Joyce: http://blog.frankdelaney.com/re-joyce/ for the most delicious taste of Ulysses, every Wednesday, for the next twenty-two years. Yes.

Guest Blog: Tips to Keep Children Active

2011-06-09T04:13:00.000-07:00

Today's guest blog is a little different from the usual book faire. Martha Swirzinski is an author, and her children's books, Leap...Laugh...Plop and Guess...Giggle...Wiggle are all about movement and activity, so she's dropped by to talk to us about how to keep children active.

Tips to Keep Children Active

Use Outside as your Play Room

Take a nature hike – name the colors you see, pick up trash for a more pleasant environment, count different types of plants, move like the animals you see.
Visit a pick your own berry farm
Play at a neighborhood park
Ride bikes
Walk the dog together or just take a walk as a family
Teach your child how to plant a garden
Dig for worms and roly poly animals
Draw on the sidewalk with chalk

Find out what your child likes to do

Read- take a walk to the library, pick books that encourage movement throughout the story.
Draw – draw people being active and act out what they are doing
Play- Try some of the classic games like Red Rover, Red Light/Green Light, Hopscotch, Tag, Charades, or 4 Square.
Climb – a tree, a rope, a rock wall
Dance- turn on the music and DANCE!! No one is watching so be silly and have fun!

Set a positive example

Park farther from store entrances
Take the stairs
When you go to the park with your child be active with them and have fun playing.
Eat healthy snacks and meals
Take your children places that encourage walking: Zoo, botanical gardens, beach, museums, and parks.

Safety Tips

Teach children about personal space. Have each child extend their arms to the side and turn slowly in a complete circle. Make sure the arms of one child do not touch the arms of another child.
Use the concept of freeze. Play areas are often noisy so use your outside voice and yell freeze. Teach the children that when they hear the word freeze they immediately hold the pose that they are in. You can then have them sit down and regain their personal space.
Be sure that the proper fitting safety gear is worn for the activity.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Drinking water is important when children are exercising, especially when it is hot. The Centers for Disease Control recommends 10 ounces every 15 – 20 minutes.

Martha received her Masters Degree in Kinesiology from the University of Maryland at College Park. She collaborated with Dr. Anita Tieman, a mental health therapist, to develop a series of books titled Movement and More. These three books, the fourth is on its way, are perfect for babies all the way to grade school children. Using entertaining rhymes and charming pictures, these developmentally based books offer fun and creative ways for your child to move while also providing mind stimulating activities on each page. Each book focuses on a specific set of movement skills. By just reading the book, children can engage in fun and exciting movement as well as enhancing other mind/body skills. Designed to be enjoyed again and again, the pages of these books are filled with laughter, learning, movement and more.

To purchase books: www.wholechildpublishing.com

Drop by Kevin McNamee's blog tomorrow for another great Writers on the Move interview with Mari Taylor.

The Fictive Dream and why it trumps polemics

2011-05-26T05:27:00.000-07:00

Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with polemics in literature. Some of the best, most important books are inherently political, and overtly polemical. I’m thinking for example, of Salman Rushdie’s Step Across This Line, or the essays of Arundhati Roy. But neither Rushdie nor Roy employ polemics in their literature. That isn’t the same as saying that their literature isn’t political. The politics in both Rushdie and Roy’s work forms a powerful underlying theme – as can be seen by the political impact their books have had on those who’ve attacked these writers based solely on their fiction. But neither of these writers are present as mouthpieces in their fiction, which is one of the reasons their fiction is at least as powerful as their nonfiction. As a reviewer and manuscript assessor, I often come across work which has been written to make a point. It’s a kind of fictionalised polemic, where the author is arguing politics through character, plot and setting. Probably one of the best (worst) examples of this is Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead. I’m not (here) arguing against “objectivism”, but rather Rand’s use of characters as a sounding board for it. It makes for bad fiction. Her character Howard Roark is presented as an “ideal man”, but of course there’s no such thing (nor an ideal women) – just compelling characters with flaws that may or may not be endearing, and desires which may or may not be safe. Instead we have a wooden, unbelievable character using wooden, unbelievable dialogue, moved like a puppet along a contrived plot. We have a similar situation with Richard Flanagan’s The Unknown Terrorist, where the author’s argument takes precedence over characterisation, good plot, and multi-dimensional characters. Flanagan, and Rand could very easily have written excellent polemical nonfiction – both are clearly capable of it. And it would no doubt have been terrific, thought provoking work. But instead they created bad fiction.

Of course not everyone will agree with me on this point, and both Rand and Flanagan have many admirers (I actually love all of Flanagan’s other novels, none of which are even remotely polemical, although they still manage strong political messages). However, I feel quite strongly that there is no place for authorial argumentation in fiction. That isn’t to say that the author can’t have a political theme – even a strong controversial political theme – the best fiction often does. But simply that a novel's theme has to be driven naturally from characterisation and not the other way around. You simply cannot create a story and characters to present a political (or any other kind of) platform. It always comes out stilted and the characters become unrealistic sounding boards. The truth of the novel has to begin and end with the characters and you just can't have characters speaking the author's mind if you want the fiction to work, otherwise you lose the fictive dream entirely. The fiction forms its own truth and the story has to work with that truth.

Break the bond of trust between the reader and the writer – that is, the fictive plausibility of the character, the plot, and their interaction, and you break the fragile thread that holds the whole fictive process together. The fictive dream involves sympathy, understanding, reader involvement, identification, inner conflict, and character transition—all those things that make for excellent fiction. But it has to work naturally, and the work itself has to create a kind of inner truth that may well transcend the author’s own polemics. So be it. He or she can always revive those in the genre of nonfiction.

Book Geeks: on the intersection of literature and technology

2011-05-17T02:15:00.000-07:00

I admit it, I'm a bookgeek. There's no nice way to put it. I like reading more than almost any other activity (Eating comes a close second. Reading while eating is heaven, especially if it's a handful of crunchy raw almonds...). I'm also a techie. Not a clever technie mind you, just someone who likes to mess about though I am a Certified Lotus Programmer (CLP to those in the know) if anyone wants credentials. Until now I've had to keep my technie side and my literary sides distinct, but a new article on Digital Book World has convinced me to bring the geek out of the closet. The article, written by Anne Kostick, states in no uncertain terms that the authors of the future will need to be technologically minded, coming out of their garrisons to collaborate with programmers and designers. I've always maintained that my programming day job is all semantics - no 1s and 0s for me. It's about translating the inchoate into the concrete - turning fuzzy desire into a working package. That's reasonably literary, at least the way I look at it.

Writing for me today, is such a different process from what it was back some 30 years ago when I first started writing poetry seriously. I only use my pen to sign things. I research almost simultaneously while I'm writing, looking for inspiration, images, meanings or chasing threads to pull into my work. You won't catch me talking or writing in binary - I'm just not good at that. It's still all about semantics for me, whatever I do - whether on a page or on a screen. But I'm surely glad someone is able to manage the back end coding. And I take Kostick's well made point that the notion of a 'digital work' is continuing to morph. The immersive experience isn't, and won't, but how to get a reader there might well continue to change. The geek in me is excited.