Category: A Writer’s Take……

Cheets, the Effervescent Elf

I haven’t talked about Cheets, the lovable elf for some time and less about the book I wrote just for him.

Cheets was the first character to hop into my brain one morning at 3AM.  By the time I had stumbled to my computer he had introduced me to several other of his friends in the fabled forest.   I began the series with Emma’s quest to help an enchanted unicorn, Rainey. After the ‘Exciting Exploits of….’, Stanley,  the Stalwart Dragon ran away from home and, lost, ended up in my forest.  The fourth book, ‘Bertie, the Bookworm….’ is the story of the reading group being plagued by BULLIES.

children's plays, kids, stage plays, new

“The Exciting Exploits of an Effervescent Elf”, with beautiful full color illustrations. Available here, www.amazon.com and your local book store.

In this stand alone sequel to Emma and the Lost Unicorn, Emma is held captive in Patsy, the Banana Spider’s web. Continue reading “Cheets, the Effervescent Elf”

Where will your writing take you?

Billie Holiday, jazz, stage play, one act play,              I was going through some old photos to update my gallery here on my site and I came across this wonderful production shot of Latrelle Bright, as Billie Holiday.  The Renaissance Guild in San Antonio, Texas featured “Scent of Magnolia” in their OneAct Series back in…..gosh, I want to say 2003.  Originally I was the playwright, Latrelle was directing it and we had an actress who could sing.  We lost our actress so Latrelle (an accomplished actor) stepped in as Billie Holiday and I stepped up as director.  Happy Accident time!  She was fabulous!  Sang all of Billie’s songs acappella. Who knew she had such a lovely voice?  Standing “O’s” every performance with lots of tears from the audience. (A writer’s dream)

Latrelle is now a happy resident of Chicago (where it all started for me with this script; funny how that worked out) and is pursuing her teaching career in the performing arts.

What a journey Billie and I have had.  Originally I wrote this stage play for a friend Continue reading “Where will your writing take you?”

Skip to the Head of the Line

bookstoreMy book store is just a click away!  USE THIS CODE 336699 AND GET 10% OFF of any BOOK purchase UNTIL November 31st.   The Web Site has a new feature: you can now buy an autographed copy of any book directly from the author using your Visa, MasterCard through PayPal. And you don’t need a PayPal account to use it. It’s so easy!

Scripts about bullying and other teen issues.  Great for the

Ten Minutes to Curtain, Vol. I, II, & III
Ten Minutes to Curtain, Vol. I, II, & III

classroom!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fiction.  The new mystery series, ‘The World of Murder’ with Detectives O’Roarke and Garcia.artofmurder_cover (2)

 

 

WOW.BanW._wow (3)Don’t miss “Women Outside the Walls” 

 

 

 

 

and”Wild Violets“fiction, women, flappers, prohibition, San Francisco, roaring twenties

Continue reading “Skip to the Head of the Line”

Interview with best selling author, Anne Gracie (part 2)

Q. What makes a writer great?

Anne's band, the Platform Souls
Anne’s band, the Platform Souls

A. I think unforgettable stories and characters. People talk about beautiful turns of phrases, and lovely writing is a joy to read, but unforgettable characters and wonderful stories makes a writer’s work live on. Dickens created some of the most unforgettable characters in literature, and some amazing stories and so his work lives on, even if people don’t read him — his characters and stories have entered popular culture so deeply that people who’ve never heard of Dickens know Scrooge and Miss Haversham and Fagin.

Q. and the all important: What does the process of going from “no book” to “finished book” look like?

A. I think the important thing is to push on. Writers (IMO) tend to give up for two basic reasons — 1) they endlessly tweak and fiddle with the writing, and never get to finish the story. Perfectionism gets in the way. But the best piece of writing advice ever comes from Nora Roberts, also arguably the most prolific and successful writer of popular fiction in the world: “You can fix a bad page but you can’t fix a blank one.” So you need to push on and make yourself finish, even if you think it’s horrible. Then you can either fix it, or work out why it doesn’t work and learn from it. Writing, as with all things, takes practice. Not all the books you write will be publishable — some books have L-plates on them. But often the story idea is good and later, when you’re better at creating the architecture of a novel, you can revisit that early idea.
2) The second reason people don’t finish is…. Continue reading “Interview with best selling author, Anne Gracie (part 2)”

FREE BOOK GIVE-A-WAY! The World of Murder

Frnt.COVER.tasteofmurder_11OCT‘The Taste of Murder‘ has just been released and ‘The Art of Murder‘ (revised) has a new cover and two new chapters.

YOU CAN WIN A FREE BOOK!  Just like my page on Facebook www.facebook.com/writeratplay
and follow me on Twitter  @writeratplay4.  Write a comment about this post letting me know which book you would like to receive and your USA mailing address. artofmurder_cover (2)A contact email would be good.

In Book 5 in the series The World of Murder, Detectives O’Roarke and Garcia have a cold case dumped on their desk. Despite their objections that they ‘don’t do cold cases’ their Commander tells them that they do now since the new Mayor has asked for them…. Continue reading “FREE BOOK GIVE-A-WAY! The World of Murder”

Interview with Australian author, Anne Gracie

TS: I have been reading Anne Gracie for YEARS…no, decades!!  I love her stories!  And I admit quite freely that I’m a junkie for historic romances.  Anne’s characters are rich and full and funny.  So I must tell my readers, fans, friends and tweeters that it is a thrill for me to now be able to interview her!

International best selling author, Anne Gracie
International best selling author, Anne Gracie

 

Q. Where do you write? Do you have a special room, shed, barn, special space for your writing?

A. I write in different places. I often go to my local library and write by hand. I write in my office, and sometimes in my bed on my laptop. I carry a notebook with me at all times, because sometimes a phrase or snippet of dialogue will come to me at odd times, and I don’t want to lose it.  I also go away once a year with a small group of other writers (eight of us) on a writing retreat… Continue reading “Interview with Australian author, Anne Gracie”

‘Art of Murder’, Book 1 has a NEW Look!

Book 1 in the World of Murder Series has a NEW Look and NEW chapters.  Available now here in my store and at www.amazon.com

New dynamic cover, new title, and new love interest woven through the true crime mystery.

When I wrote this less than a year ago, I thought, ‘just a murder mystery, something fun to try, a different genre,’ and then I’d move on.  Little did I know at the time that it would become a popular series and Book 5 has just been published.

So I thought the other day that I should revisit Book 1 and see what I thought about it now, 1+ years later.  And this is especially aimed at my fellow writers. Don’t ever be shy about revisiting something you’ve written; maybe you can make it better.  Low and behold I discovered that I had not given my readers enough about O’Roarke’s and Garcia’s personal lives and I had neglected to tie up some loose ends.

What I discovered with a critical look at my own work, was that there was more to write! I ended up with 6,000 additional words and  new chapters.  AND a better story!

If you liked this story don’t miss:

Book 2 ‘Dance of Murder’
Book 3 ‘ Act of Murder’
Book 4 ‘ Angel of Murder’
Book 5 ‘ Taste of Murder’
Book 6 ‘(Beneath the) Bridge of Murder’
Book 7  Video of Murder
Book 8  Shadow of Murder
Book 9 Triad of Murder (Soon to be Released) 

Available  on  e-books and Audio books.
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DON’T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS featuring INTERVIEWS with  best-selling AUTHORS!

In addition to my twice weekly blog I also feature an interview with another author once a month. So come along with me; we shall sneak into these writers’ special places, be a fly on the wall and watch them create!    

To receive my posts sign up for my blog, blogs, blogger, writer, author, playwright, books, plays,fiction  On the home page, enter your email address.  Thanks!

 

 

My Years in the French Quarter, New Orleans! Nostalgia (part 8)

New.Orl.Mist.Hand to the heavens these are all true stories of my life in New Orleans. 1977-79 was a wonderful time to live in the French Quarter.  I was working full-time as an actor (stage, radio, TV) and since that never pays anything regular, I had a part-time job as personal assistant to the publisher of a tourist magazine.  So now to the storytelling:

My apartment was a two room attic above a restored (1860’s) town house. I couldn’t afford the downstairs. (starving artist, remember)  The slave quarters on the other side of the garden was also a luxury apartment.  But I loved my little place where when you opened the windows you could look out over the French roof tops and see just the upper structure of freighters moving slowly up the river.  Late at night I would lie there with the windows open and listen to the clip-clop of the horse-drawn carriages wearily making their way back to the stables.  The tenants changed out below me and  my new neighbors, it turned out, was the mob boss’s nephew coming up through the ranks and his (high-end call girl) girl friend who worked at Lucky Pierre’s (a lounge and escort service).  I’ll tell you more about the ‘connected guy’ later.  Continue reading “My Years in the French Quarter, New Orleans! Nostalgia (part 8)”

Prologue to a Saturday Post

Saturday I will post a nostalgic piece about my years living in the Vieux Carré of New Orleans.  Full time actress, part time day job (gotta pay the rent) radio and TV talent.  Hookers, mob bosses, millionaires all supporting our live theatre productions. Rehearsing in the cellar of the Performing Arts Building, where little beady red eyes watched from the shadows.   So we will start with a little poetry to wet your curiosity:

New.Orl.Mist.Adieux My Beauty  ©

Standing outside the gate,
eager to say goodbye, remembering
all the reasons to say hello

New Orleans, that witchy woman, whose song is
loved and never forgotten, whose taste
lingers on the tongue forever.
Where love bloomed on a rain slick night

Now, as I bend to kiss the powdered, rouged
cheek, my nostrils are assailed by
the sweet odor of rotting flesh eaten
away in the darkest recesses by a decadent,
self indulgent cancer Continue reading “Prologue to a Saturday Post”

An Interview with best selling author, Elizabeth Hoyt

Elizabeth_Hoyt_headshot

Another one of my favorite authors, Elizabeth Hoyt writes historic romances with humor.

Q. Where do you write? Do you have a special room, shed, barn, special space for your writing?

A. I have an office—it’s a sun room at the back of the house. I also do a lot of writing at coffee shops.????????????????????????????????

Q. Do you have any special rituals when you sit down to write? (a neat work space, sharpened #2 pencils, legal pad, cup of tea, glass of brandy, favorite pajamas, etc.)

A. I like to have something to drink—both coffee and water, preferably.

Q. What is your mode of writing?

A. If I wrote in longhand I wouldn’t be able to read the result. 😉 I use Scrivener on an eleven inch MacBook Air.

Q. Do you have a set time each day to write or do you write only when you are feeling creative?

A. I write to deadlines. When I’m on deadline I write. 😉

Q. What’s your best advice to other writers for overcoming procrastination?

A. I find that the bowel-loosening fear of defaulting on a contracted deadline and possibly messing up my entire career is a pretty good incentive to sit down at the computer. If you don’t have a contracted deadline, you need to make your own deadline or goal because the muse may never arrive if you’re waiting on her to write. Continue reading “An Interview with best selling author, Elizabeth Hoyt”