Philip Seymour Hoffman died last week by his own hand. Shoving a needle into his arm, one last time and making our world a little more pale and less interesting. Why do the brilliant feel the need to destroy themselves? The heroin was just the ‘fix’ (aptly named) dulling the pain, banishing the demons…for a little while. ‘An accidental overdose’ you say? What was accidental about him sticking the bloody needle into his arm? I ask.
And what does that say about the rest of us; living and struggling on, sometimes in quiet, brave desperation. His actions were pure selfishness and I am royally pissed off at him!
And I earned the right to be angry with him….being a survivor of suicide and the horror and confusion that follows. This man was an inspiration to all artists, actors, directors, writers, painters, dancers….he made us want to be better at our chosen craft …to aspire to his brilliance. And now he’s gone. Continue reading “Suicide by Heroin…A Eulogy”
Sherryl Woods, once again, plunges her reader into a love story, on the first page, with a sexy kiss shared by strangers on a beach. The story keeps us interested with love fraught with complications, small town politics, and charming and funny characters.
I am a reviewer who does not give the reader the entire story in my review. I hate when that happens, don’t you?! But I will promise you that you will be rooting for Abby and Seth by Chapter two. They both deserve ‘forever’ love, but with the baggage that they both carry (and I’m not talking trains here) will they be able to find a common ground?
I am so pleased when FreshFiction.com invites me to blog on their site. Here is the latest and I hope you will enjoy it.
Excerpt: ‘It was only while I was researching for my novel, Wild Violets that I learned that my mother “farmed out” my sister and brother to strangers. The term usually referred to children who were sent to a relative back in the day. In my siblings’ case it was a true indenture. My brother and sister had to work for their keep, ages six and 11….’
Okay…here’s some tough love! Get your butt in that chair and write something………..or finish something !!! You’ve read my interviews with famous, best selling authors for about a year now. And the recurring theme is DISCIPLINE!!
Forget what others might think of your scribbles…they’re yours and they’re PERFECT! And what if they aren’t perfect? So What!!?? If I thought I was going to get perfection when I first began writing, I would never have written a word. All I hoped for was to grow as a writer and keep growing with every new project. Still not perfect………….
Write a short story. Write a poem in prose. Write a play. Finish your novel. WRITE SOMETHING!!
Now, here’s the tough part. You have to be selfish to be a writer. You have to tell your spouse, or kids or friends that you aren’t going to be available for a couple of hours. And mean it!! Then go lock yourself in a room and WRITE!! Then tomorrow (or this weekend) do it again. Continue reading “New Year’s Resolution for Writers!”
I can’t believe that it was just this past September that I wrote this blog about an idea becoming a one act play and NOWI’m writing my fifth book in the World of Murder mystery series. The first four novels are available here and on amazon.com and now are audio books at audible.com So I am thinking it is worth posting this again to let my fellow writers see how an idea can grow into something pretty damn amazing!!
If you missed the story here it is again:
Let’s see….I think it was 2005 and we were in rehearsals for “Cheatin'” in Port Aransas, Texas. I was the director and we had pulled together a terrific cast. The title pretty much tells you the story line but the fun part and what made it so funny was it was set in….where else?…… Texas and was filled with good ole’ boys and girls. It was the highest grossing play for that theatre in many a year and won Best Production and Best Set Design (thanks to Janis Johnson’s contribution). I was very proud of the cast and crew! Continue reading “An Idea..A New Mystery Series! “The World of Murder””
I have a little section of my brain that resembles a hound dog. Nose to the ground, tail at half mast, she is relentless seeking a hot trail. Until she sniffs out an idea. Then the moon can hear her baying, the tail going like a pinwheel, the nose making a furrow in the soft dirt, it smells so good.
A friend shared a post with me on Google+ and it inspired me to write.
Inspiration: As some of you may know I have written 28 short plays for teenagers in the classroom.
Subjects that challenge them every day: bullying, cyber-bullying, cutting, drug use, texting and driving, date violence, breaking up, running away, etc. But I haven’t written one about the damage that an indiscriminate photo or posting can do…..forever!
When I first saw this photo, I chuckled and wondered if the teacher realized that there was a fire extinguisher behind her. Photos and gossip spreads like ‘wild fire’ on the Internet because of one supposedly innocent posting. And no fire extinguisher, fire hose, or fire truck would be big enough to put it out once it’s out there. Do our young people realize that a posting on a social network could follow them forever? College applications, job interviews, credit reports.
Stop!! Don’t Do It !! This photo will follow YOU forever!
Young people don’t think much of sending each other (sometimes) inappropriate photos. Or they say things about others (often not true) and think it’s funny, not to be taken seriously. A prank in the moment. They don’t realize that they may be harming themselves (or others) for a long time to come. THINK! Before you Post!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DON’T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS featuring INTERVIEWS with best-selling AUTHORS! “The Writer’s Corner”
So come along with me; we shall sneak into these writers’ special places, be a fly on the wall and watch them create!
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If you’re an American, this Thursday, you will sit down with family and friends to some rendition of a Thanksgiving dinner. Or you might decide to give Mom/Dad (whoever the cook is) a break and go out to eat this year. If you are carnivores you will consume great quantities of turkey, ham, giblet dressing, oyster dressing, stuffed deviled eggs, and football. If you are vegetarian you will consume delicate, beautiful, tasty dishes made with all the food groups except those that had faces. Football optional.
A bit of trivia: Historical records strongly suggest that shellfish, geese, ducks, swans, and venison were the meats of the first Thanksgivings....then referred to as the Fall Harvest Celebration which traditional lasted 3 days. Here’s how Edward Winslow described the first Thanksgiving feast in a letter to a friend: Continue reading “What this Blogger is Thankful For…”
My Random House Dictionary weighs at least seven pounds and it takes both my arms to lug it around. Its copyright date is 1966 and I think I bought mine in about 1970. Forty three+ years ago. Its pages are ‘paper-thin’ (pun intended) and very fragile. It is my reference book when I write this series: Words being my box of chocolates. Continue reading “My momma always said, Life is Like a Box of Chocolates’….or words (part 6)”
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Philip Seymour Hoffman died last week by his own hand. Shoving a needle into his arm, one last time and making our world a little more pale and less interesting. Why do the brilliant feel the need to destroy themselves? The heroin was just the ‘fix’ (aptly named) dulling the pain, banishing the demons…for a little while. ‘An accidental overdose’ you say? What was accidental about him sticking the bloody needle into his arm? I ask.
