A Sticky Situation

checklist-310092_150Sometimes, as fellow writers, we are asked to participate in groups and events that have the potential to result in hard feelings or damaged relationships.  We authors can be a sensitive bunch, for all that we are told to develop thick skins.  I ought to know. Yet, without the feedback from our fellows how are we to know when we are missing the grade?

There are two conflicting urges we must deal with concurrently when offering our opinions on the work of others. This is especially so when we are in personal contact (as opposed to writing a review where we are not known to the author). Our first impulse is to be helpful, supportive and encouraging. But if we are to meet that goal it is imperative that we also be honest. If our honest feedback has to be less than glowing it puts us in a bind. This is even more so if the situation involves more people than yourself and the author on the hot seat. Continue reading “A Sticky Situation”

Video Trailer: Mr. Pish’s Woodland Adventure

Mr. Pish's Woodland AdventureMr. Pish, the adventurous Jack Russell Terrier, leads readers on an expedition into the forest in Mr. Pish’s Woodland Adventure. With full color photographs and engaging text geared to promote outdoor learning, Mr. Pish shows how easy it is to experience nature no matter where you live. Mr. Pish even teaches kids how to make their own “Great Explorer’s” scrapbook! Soon to be an app!

Mr. Pish’s Woodland Adventure, the educational children’s book by K. S. Brooks, is available from Amazon.com, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble, and other online booksellers.

Don’t forget, you can cast your vote for trailer of the month on June 28, 2014 at 1 p.m. Pacific time.

Malapropisms, Spoonerisms and Oxymorons

Lovely words, aren’t they? They’re names for rather lively and entertaining word usages. Let’s just have a look at their origins and what they mean.

SistineMalapropisms

Malapropisms are named after Mrs Malaprop, a much-loved character in Richard Sheridan’s comedy play, The Rivals, written in 1775. She’s the play’s heroine’s aunt. She’s moralistic, pedantic and somewhat prejudiced, but she’s best known for her misuse of words: a trait of which she is completely unaware. Her quirk became known as Malapropisms. Here are some examples of her entertaining blunders:

Continue reading “Malapropisms, Spoonerisms and Oxymorons”

Book Brief: Harry Danced Divinely

Harry Danced DivinelyHarry Danced Divinely
by Marian D. Schwartz
Genre: Literary Short Stories
Word count: 73, 606

There were some things Lillian Levinson couldn’t say, even to herself.

In the collected Giffort Street stories, you’ll enter seven gracious homes on an elm-lined street. You’ll meet the Stan and Adele Heussler, whose marriage begins to fall apart after they buy a magnificent antique bedroom set; Dale Kenway, who can’t tell anyone the reason he doesn’t want to be called a hero; Saul Penner, who realizes that the first neighbor he meets after he moves in is a bigot; the Danahy family, who are battling each other over the Vietnam War; and Bernice and Arnold Whittaker, who are unaware of how their trusted nanny is shaping their daughters’ lives. In the title story, Harry Danced Divinely, the lack of a tea bag makes an elderly Jewish woman decide to teach her spoiled adult son a shocking public lesson.

The stories Harry Danced Divinely, An Authentic Hero, Neighbors, and The Queen Anne Bedroom Set are exclusive to this book. A Perfect Nanny and the novella War Zone, which are available as singles, are also included.

This book is available from Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble. Continue reading “Book Brief: Harry Danced Divinely”