Tag: Books

I’m a Slacker

It’s true. I thought I was doing pretty well until the other day when I uncovered my baby book in a box in the attic. I’d been looking for some research materials for an action-adventure novel I’m percolating in my head. Instead, I found this ancient archive of my childhood.

Brooks' Early Edition Books
K. S. Brooks’ Early Works

As I gingerly moved it out of the box, some papers fell from it. These weren’t just ANY papers. They were all cut the same size, and bound together with a plastic-coated twist-tie. They were BOOKS. On them, my mother had written lightly in pencil “5 years old.”

Not only were they books, they were books I’d made – by hand. I’d illustrated them, and they rhymed. How in hell had I managed such a thing at five years of age? Granted, there were spelling errors, but those should have been caught by my editor. And for crying out loud, I was FIVE. Continue reading “I’m a Slacker”

The Healed Writer: Impervious to Praise by Alix Moore

Author Alix Moore

Writing Heals

Writing, like other forms of creation, is a vehicle for learning our life lessons. As writers, we must find the courage to speak our own idiosyncratic truths, and learn to stand in the limelight and be seen by others without flinching or trying to hide. If we are good writers, we are tempted to stand in ego, but ego is just puffery on a foundation of insecurity, and one bad review is enough to send us crashing down into discouragement.  One of the biggest gifts writing offers us is the chance to become convinced of the value of our work. Writing invites us to learn to love ourselves, to become so solid in our self-love that no one else’s opinion of us matters.

In the beginning, of course, those opinions do matter.  We show our words to our teachers, often when we are quite young, and we are lifted or dropped depending upon the response we get from them. As we age, our writing expands but so too may our insecurity about it.  Know any writers whose books end up in the desk drawer, attracting mice?  Know any writers whose books end up unwritten, bouncing off the insides of their heads? Continue reading “The Healed Writer: Impervious to Praise by Alix Moore”

Meet the Character: Mr. Pish, the Traveling Terrier

My name is Mr. Pish. I’m a traveling terrier, star of children’s books, Facebook, Twitter, educational videos, print, radio and even television. I’ve done a lot in my 14 people years. (That’s 91 in dog years if you’re counting.) So I wasn’t really that surprised when I was asked here for an interview.

But you have to understand, I’m a dog. All I think about is food. And naps. And sniffing. And food. Did I mention food? Well, they’re using that love for food against me. I’m told there are some major treats waiting for me when I’m done with this feature piece. I can work with that!

 

Indies Unlimited (IU): Mr. Pish, tell me about traveling across country with your people. Were they hard to look after? What was your biggest challenge? Wow. Start with a hard question why don’t you? My people were very high maintenance. “Where should we stop?”  “We have to be here at this time or that time.” “What’s for lunch?”  It’s so easy for me. Put a bowl of food in front of me and I’m happy. My biggest challenge was that everyone wanted to pat me. I was supposed to look at the camera and smile while they were doing that. I’m a simple dog, I just want to have fun. It’s a big responsibility being in the right place at the right time so we can trick…um I mean teach children about important places and things. Do I get my treat now? Continue reading “Meet the Character: Mr. Pish, the Traveling Terrier”

Sneak Peek: Barbara Morrison’s “Innocent: Confessions of a Welfare Mother”

Innocent: Confessions of a Welfare Mother by Barbara MorrisonToday, we get a sneak peek of author Barbara Morrison’s memoir, Innocent: Confessions of a Welfare Mother:

Growing up in a prosperous neighborhood, B. Morrison was taught that poverty was a product of laziness and public assistance programs only rewarded irresponsibility. However, when her marriage soured, she abruptly found herself an impoverished single mother. Disowned by her parents and facing destitution for herself and her two small sons, she was forced to accept the handout so disdained by her parents and their world: welfare. This dramatic memoir tells how one woman finds and grasps the lifeline that ultimately enables her to become independent.

Innocent: Confessions of a Welfare Mother is available on Amazon.com and other online bookstores. Continue reading “Sneak Peek: Barbara Morrison’s “Innocent: Confessions of a Welfare Mother””