I was very pleased when a reader contacted me and said she found Finding Lilies on Pat Cromwell’s multicultural and IR reading lists. I had never thought of the impact Finding Lilies could make on readers who enjoy reading multicultural romances. When writing the book, I not only wanted to encompass a tale of first love, but I also wanted to write about social issues that can affect anyone regardless of social, economical, or racial boundaries. It is my hope that readers will not only enjoy the intense romance between Blake and Jackson, but will also appreciate the heart wrenching situations that Blake must bravely face while working as a social worker in inner-city Atlanta.
Posted on June 24th, 2009 by Kelly Clark Baugher
Filed under: News | No Comments »
One of the advantages of setting a story in your home town or city is that you can bring in a lot of local color. Perhaps you love your landscape, or perhaps you thinks it’s drab and uninteresting, but whatever it is skillful depiction of it will engage the reader. And writers often see what others don’t until they have it described to them. For instance, a commuter might see the same people and places everyday on their journey to work without giving much thought to them, but when they read a story about those very same people and places they are suddenly brought to life.
In the new novel I’m working on, I’ve included some descriptions of my city’s landmarks and the landscape of nearby semi-rural areas. It’s important not to just describe the landscape for the sake of it, but to make it an organic part of the story. Something that is just as integral to it as the characters, the plot and the narrative.
Look around at your familiar world and see what might be worthwhile adding to your own stories.
Posted on May 20th, 2009 by Pat Turner
Filed under: News | No Comments »
Recently, I’ve been re-reading some short story classics by women writers including Grace Paley’s Somewhere else; Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery and Eudora Welty’s Why I live at the PO and Where is the voice coming from? I was taken from small town America to Mao’s China. Once again I was amazed at the power and impact the short story can have when written by geniuses of the genre. I marveled at the way Eudora Welty’s story Where is the voice coming from? was told by a racist killer. I laughed at the socialist narrator’s amusing innuendo in Somewhere else. I felt again the chill in my veins as the true nature of the “lottery” unfolded in Shirley Jackson’s remarkable work. Reading stories of this caliber is incredibly rewarding and if anyone hasn’t experienced the delights on offer by these authors I urge them to give them a try.
Speaking of short stories, several anthologies by contemporary women writers have been published by DLSIJ Press. One, entitled Stomping Ground is available as a FREE download by clicking on the tab in the Blog Roll on the right. The others are available from the publisher’s website after making a donation to a worthy charity.
Posted on March 27th, 2009 by Pat Turner
Filed under: General | No Comments »
Sam the Koala
Over the past week bushfires have devastated the Australian state of Victoria. Almost 200 people have lost their lives and thousands have been left homeless. The nation is grief stricken and is still trying to come to terms with this worst natural disaster in our history. Along with the human tragedy, it is feared that up to a million animals have been killed also. Much of the native wildlife that live in bush areas are small marsupials (koalas and wombats) who are slow-moving creatures and had no hope at all of outrunning the flames. Even the fleet of foot kangaroo population has been decimated due to the frightening intensity of the fires and the incredibly large areas the fire fronts swept down on with very little warning.
Wildlife Victoria, a wildlife rescue organization, is coordinating the rescue and care of injured wildlife. Volunteers are combing the bush for these injured animals. Sadly, many have been so badly burned they are having to be put down. Funds are desperately needed to continue the rescue efforts. If anyone is interested in donating please click on the link below to go to Wildlife Victoria’s home page. From there you will be able donate to this worthy cause. Any amount, no matter how small, will be greatly appreciated. Also, international donors can donate to the organization via PayPal from the Wildlife Victoria home page.
http://www.wildlifevictoria.org.au/cms/index.php
Sam gets a helping hand
Posted on February 13th, 2009 by Pat Turner
Filed under: General | No Comments »
There are some great devices available for reading ebooks on and most ebook publishers offer downloads in multiple formats. I have just begun experimenting with reading ebooks on my Ipod Touch. There is an excellent free application called Stanza which allows users to download a range of books directly to the Ipod Touch and Ipod Phone models. However, at present it is necessary to download Stanza’s desktop application in order to transfer ebooks already in your library across to your Ipod or those from sites that don‘t have a direct Ipod link. The creators of the desktop application say that it is a bit messy at present but they are working on it to refine it and bring it right up to scratch. They ask that people be patient until this is achieved.
Books from Project Gutenberg can be downloaded directly using the application Stanza has made available to convert the Ipod into an ebook reader. I’ve created a small library of some of these classics. Ebooks are so convenient, allowing users to carry vast numbers of them around with them at any one time. I also love the way I can access publisher’s websites any time of the day or night.
It’s wonderful reading the free classics from Project Gutenberg, however it’s good to mix the old with the new and that’s why I often go to my favorite ebook publisher sites and download some great contemporary reading. And one of the best publisher sites for quality writing and low prices is DLSIJ Press, which has been a true pioneer in promoting the works of talented women writers for over a decade. This press also has FREE ebooks and others which support charities via a small donation.
Posted on January 24th, 2009 by Pat Turner
Filed under: General | No Comments »
