Category: Guest Posts

The social networks are buzzing about the demise of the publishing industry. Some claim that eBooks have overtaken printed books in sales. We’ve all heard from both sides and you can’t find a discussion on LinkedIn that doesn’t tap into this thread.

I’ve recently completed a stint as a volunteer for the Miami Book Fair International, the largest book fair in the country. This eight-day literary party was amazing on many levels. First, it takes place in Miami. As a resident of Miami I can say that Miami is not the most literate and book wielding city in the country. To see hundreds of thousands of people lining-up to celebrate books is mind-blowing. People from all corners of the globe, of all ages, from all races, congregate to talk about—BOOKS. Continue reading “Is the Traditional Book Dead? by Jim Devitt”

Today, my buddy JD Mader shares a story with us. He has a soulful noir style that just so beautifully accesses the pain and emptiness and loneliness and darkness that is part of the human experience. See for yourself:

She

By JD Mader

She was the kind of girl who could laugh when no one else was laughing without appearing foolish. She was tall. She wore tall boots and clothes that fit just right. She made you feel terrible about yourself, and you loved it. She was six feet of fierce intimidation with just enough vulnerability to really make the backlash snap. You loved her. You loved her for the moments of tenderness that slid like a greased ace between the overwhelming drama that coated both of your lives.

Some people know how to smoke cigarettes and some people don’t. You can’t smoke a cigarette furtively. You can’t do it brazenly. It has to hang off your fingers. It needs to look like it could fall at any moment, but won’t because it is an extension of your hand. You need to smoke it gently. The smoke needs to become your shroud. Your veil. She knew how to smoke cigarettes. Continue reading ““She” by JD Mader”

With today being Saturday, a nice long lay-in was the way to begin the day. Followed by a nice long shower. Take it slow, it’s the weekend. The body goes into super slow-mo and the brain kind of follows. But that wasn’t such a great thing today, seeing as I wisely or unwisely decided to sign up for NanoWrimo this month. It began well. A nice sprint in the first week. Yes, my characters were buzzing in my brain, leaping out on to the page, whispering in my ear, doing funny things in my head. One of them is a dog so now and then he was voofing like crazy. What can he do now? Yep he was chasing a Frisbee all over the page. This is fun, I thought.

Cue week two. Not bad. Not as much gung-ho, here I go as week one, but hey, that’s ok, it’s still fun really. The characters were still living. Sort of. In funny land. Continue reading “The Carrots Stole My Plot Bunnies! – by Vickie Johnstone”

Nervous, I shoved my fingertips in the front pockets of my denims. Striding toward the door to my first chapter meeting, the darn skinny jeans crept down from the weight of my hands. I inched my fingers around to draw them up, hoping no one would notice.

A perky voice sounded behind me, “Hello, you must be Susan.”

Caught adjusting, I swallowed the first words that came to my mind for wearing the pesky denims and answered, “Sure am!”

I soon discovered I didn’t have to impress the folks inside the conference room. They welcomed me with absolute acceptance. Continue reading “Special Guest Susan J.P. Owens on the Benefits of Local Chapters”