I’ve been writing and playing music for a long time. Half my life. The stuff I’m the most proud of is parceled up under the name The Flying Black Hats. When I was in my early twenties, my best friend Pat and I lived in the Mission in San Francisco. Neither of us wanted to play live anymore (we are old band mates). But we played and wrote music all the time. That was just what we did on weekends. We’d get some booze and write songs. We were introverted music nerds.
Meet the Author: Pat Valdata
Pat Valdata received an MFA in fiction writing from Goddard College. She has two published novels: Crosswind (Wind Canyon Books, 1997) and The Other Sister(Plain View Press, 2008), which won a gold medal from the Árpád Academy in 2009. Her poetry chapbook, Looking for Bivalve (2002), was a finalist in the Pecan Grove Press chapbook competition. In 2009, three poems from the chapbook were set to music and performed in New York City by composer Dennis Tobenski.
Pat says her writing strength is in providing descriptive detail that lets her readers picture the characters, setting and action in her books. “People who have read The Other Sister tell me that they couldn’t put it down, which is wonderful to hear, so I guess I am good at telling a compelling story, which is really what I try to do.” Continue reading “Meet the Author: Pat Valdata”
Give Me A Dramatic Truth or Give Me Death! by Bill Johnson
To satisfy an audience a story must ring true. One way to create a story that rings true is for the storyteller to understand how to create characters and situations that embody what I call dramatic truths.
Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz wants to find her way home, the Tin Man a heart, the Scarecrow, a brain, the Cowardly Lion, courage.
Rocky wants to be somebody.
The Velveteen Rabbit wants to be real.
Harry Potter wants to fit in.
Each character embodies a truth that defines them. These truths are dramatic because they are in need of resolution. Will Dorothy find her way home, Rocky become somebody, Harry fit in, the Velveteen rabbit become real? Continue reading “Give Me A Dramatic Truth or Give Me Death! by Bill Johnson”
Video Trailer: Rachel Rossano’s Word and Deed
This is the video trailer for Rachel Rossano’s historical romantic short story, Word and Deed.
Word and Deed is available at Amazon.com and Smashwords.