Author: L. A. Lewandowski

Lois Lewandowski graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in Political Science and French Literature. A passion for life lived well is reflected in her novels, Born to Die-The Montauk Murders, A Gourmet Demise, and My Gentleman Vampire, giving readers a glimpse into the world of the beau monde. Lois lives in Tampa, Florida. Learn more at her lifestyle blog, and her Amazon author page.

Holy Head-Hopping!

2009.06.08.treefrogMy name is Lois and I am a head-hopper. Admitting that I am afflicted with this ‘disease of the pen’ is the only way I can begin the healing process.

The truth is, there is quite a bit about the craft of writing that I don’t know. I was not a creative writing major in college. While in college I filled blue book after blue book in English and French, analyzing politics and the literature of others. Point of View was a concept as foreign to me as the book Plunkett of Tammany Hall may be to you.

Before I go any further I would like to reference an excellent post here written by IU author Chris James. When I read it the first time, and the second and third time, I tried very hard to understand all of it. Unfortunately, the way that I learn is by doing. I need to practice something over and over again until I get it right. Continue reading “Holy Head-Hopping!”

My Perception Is My Reality

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Dew drops on a spider web.

Pred•a• tor noun \pre-de-ter\ •a person who looks for other people in order to use, control, exploit or harm them in some way.

When I think of a predator the first image that comes to mind is the adorable Dilophosaurus in Jurassic Park. How sweet it looked as it established eye contact with Dennis Nedry (Newman). The cooing was so disarming. He had no idea he was dealing with a clever hunter until it unfurled its collar, spit its venom, and went in for the kill. Continue reading “My Perception Is My Reality”

Luctor et Emergo

Trust the soup of your creativity.

I wasn’t sure how to start my last post of 2013 until one evening when I was watching a replay of game six of the Stanley Cup playoffs from 2004. The Calgary Flames were up on the Tampa Bay Lightning three games to two. My family had the luck and forethought to purchase four tickets before the 2004 playoffs began. I just knew we were going to win the Stanley Cup. Seeing the Lightning win game seven and the ensuing celebration with the traditional raising of the cup over the victors’ heads is something I will never forget. How did I know they were going to win? Continue reading “Luctor et Emergo”

Thriving After A Poor Review

Rutgers graduate and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Junot Díaz gets trashed. I loved “Oscar Wao.”

It is late in the evening and you are about to make a mistake that will cause you to toss and turn all night. Sleep will elude you as you see the words dancing in front of your eyes, taunting you with their black and white judgment. There, defiling your Amazon author page, is a one-star review. Blood pounds in your veins as you read. You are naked, revealed to the world as a pretender, a poser, certainly not a writer. Your head drops to your desk, and you slip slowly into madness.

If this hasn’t happened to you yet, then you either haven’t been writing long enough or you lead a charmed existence. The one-star review is a rite of passage. No matter how great the writer, no matter how brilliant the masterpiece, someone will feel that the book was disappointing. Or they will hate it and advise others to skip it. Continue reading “Thriving After A Poor Review”