Someone once told me, “Say what you mean and mean what you say.” It’s a bit cliched, yes, but it’s a maxim I try to follow, particularly because I’m a writer and words are, in many ways, my life. In today’s world, that level of sincerity is sorely lacking. I hear it every time I’m out in public. People say things they don’t necessarily mean, words that more often reflect societal values or expectations rather than a genuine belief or…
I just finished watching Letters to Juliet, the charming Romantic Comedy starring Amanda Seyfried and Vanessa Redgrave. Set in Verona, Italy, the home of Juliet Capulet of Romeo and Juliet fame, the movie begins shortly before Sophie, an aspiring journalist, discovers a fifty-year-old letter to Juliet hidden in an outside wall of Juliet’s home. The letter was written by then fifteen-year-old Claire Smith, who has decided to run away from a passionate love of Lorenzo Bartolini. After reading the letter,…
Some time back, I was discussing submitting stories to short form fiction magazines with an author friend of mine. When I mentioned the high rejection rate for the paying markets, he was appalled. An average 97-99% rejection rate? What author could weather that? The truth is, though, that writers face a ton of rejection no matter which path we take. Aspiring authors used to query agents or, rarely, editors and publishers, a process that usually took years before a manuscript…
Some people know what they want out of life, seemingly from birth. My sister is one of those. From the time she started school until today, she’s devoted most of her time and energy to becoming and being the best teacher, coach, and parent she can be. She’s wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember, and her single minded devotion to that duty has driven her to levels of success others can only dream of…
The story of Rose Red has been mangled since its first telling. Here’s how the story really went, as taken from a hand-written account handed down from generation to generation in my family: Once upon a time, there lived a woman named Rose Red. It so happened that Rose Red’s father inherited a house built by his grandfather in a distant realm. Knowing that Rose Red loved history and needed a quiet space in which to work, her father asked…
Photo: My dad playing guitar, sitting next to my brother. That’s me on the right. My father is a singer-songwriter. When I was little, he toured with a songwriters’ group I have since forgotten the name of. Folk singers, I think. Well, it was the ’70s, so that’s a good guess. Back then, we lived in a two-story, concrete block house with wooden floors and walls, and an iron-railed balcony perched atop the downstairs porch. Mom never would let us…
There comes a point in time when enough is enough, and I have just reached that point on the issue of sexual harassment. The tipping point was a blog post by an author I respect who chose to single white men out as the ones who’ve had their heads buried in the sand all these years. No, sorry. That’s just more propagandic malarky which, deliberately or otherwise, obfuscates the crux of the problem. Sure, white men have been just as…
I come from a family of many stories. When we can’t find one appropriate for a situation, we make one up on the spot. I tease my dad that he kissed the Blarney Stone one time too many, as good a reason as any as to why he’s such a great storyteller, but the truth is, some people have the gift of story and he’s one of them. One of his stories revolves around Pontiacs. Dad has been a fan…
Growing up, I must’ve had the strongest female role models of any woman alive, except maybe my sister, who was blessed with the same set. Nanny, our paternal grandmother, lost her first husband to Nazi gunners during World War II, her eldest daughter at a tender age to a tragic accident, and her second husband to drink. She developed rheumatoid arthritis in her late thirties, the most severe case her specialists had seen at the time, and eventually died due…
Header image: Smoke has become a real problem across Western North Carolina and the surrounding areas as wildfires burn in several national forest locations. Photograph courtesy of Cris Bessette. A roundup of interesting books, movies, and tidbits, some old, some new, and some stuff I just wanted to share.