A Wonderful SUCCESS!!!

By Tina Glasneck

Thanks to everyone that showed up on the 15th. The "Celebrate with a Book" Author Book Fair was a success!

It was a complete pleasure for me to not only meet these amazing people, but to also have an opportunity to work with them. Our spirits were high and merry!

Below are some of the wonderful pictures featuring the authors at their tables.

Did you stop by the fair?

I hope you have enjoyed this adventure as much as I have, and that you've been able to discover many new authors and the wonderful tales that they weave.  Thank you for taking the time out to "Celebrate a Book" with us and may your holiday season be merry and bright.

The Ten Second Commute

 The Ten Second Commute.

Jennifer Anne Gregory

As a freelance writer it’s a given I work from home, or, if I hitch a plane to England, my mother’s. Mostly my day goes a bit like this and I hope my publisher has suddenly lost the ability to read.

Plan to write.

Get dragged down the road by the Mastiff and Anatolian (dogs).

Respond to e-mails.

Plan to write.

Get dragged again.

Do laundry ‘coz being at home I see it pile up.

Eat lunch.

Plan some writing time.

Text, skype or call my mother to apologize for not texting, skyping or calling since the last time a full moon fell on the third Wednesday of the month.

Plan dinner.

Plan to write the next day.

Plan to convince those nearest and dearest that I do, in fact, have a job.

At some point a friend informs me via e-mail that I have it easy. Being a writer I must have lots of time on my hands.  She wishes she could just take ‘time off.’ Really?

Make that both of us.

A 121212 GIVE AWAY! ENTER TO WIN!

121212

Today is the magical date of 121212! There are sure to be tons of mass weddings, and a lot of LUCK!

I love numbers and am very partial to one in general. I've always had a thing for numbers divisible by 3. Maybe I fall into the category of the superstitious, but today I want to pass on some of the amazing luck to you.

A Woman Named Charles

June Pair Kilpatrick

When we experience some degree of success, large or small, our minds frequently turn back to a person, perhaps a teacher, who helped steer us in the right direction. The grads of old John Marshall High School in Richmond can hardly get together without Miss Charles Anthony's name coming up. Among us, particularly the writers, she is still a legend although she's been gone for fifty years.

In my senior year there, I was assigned to the journalism class, presided over by this legend, a no-nonsense teacher who held a master's degree in English from Columbia and, with her class, put out a newspaper called The Monocle. The Monoclewas so good that it is the one high school paper included in the Library of Virginia's Newspaper Project.

Reflections

*MY DEAR ROSA JEAN* is about a woman's survival and eventual recovery from child abuse that had led to domestic violence in her adult life. Through the eyes of the protagonist, Rosa Jean, this serious issue is shared with her aunt. Coming from a different perspective, her Aunt Grace supports and influences her to further recovery and spiritual growth.

What is the Process of Writing a Novel - Part 2

"One of the things I have learned over the years as I have grown in my writing is just how important it is to also grow as a reader.  As such, I have become more involved with the reading and writing communities that are available to me (and you)."

This is the continuation of Chris revealing his twelve steps to writing. To view part one. which includes steps 1-6, please check out his prior post.

A 12 Step Novel Writing Process

Part 2: Steps 7-12

The False Tree

By Wendy Custer

My family has made a special tradition each Christmas season of cutting our own tree.  Every year there is a disagreement between my husband, Jerry, and our oldest son, Carter.  Carter grew up having a White Pine Christmas tree and Jerry despises White Pines.  When we got married and joined our families five years ago, the dispute began!  Some years Jerry wins and others he gives in to Carter's wishes.  This year, since our regular farm was no longer in business, we found a new tree farm.  On the way to find the perfect Christmas tree, the old discussion made its way into the conversation.  

"What kind of trees do they have?" Carter quizzed.

Jerry quickly returned, "Real Christmas trees!"

"White pines are Christmas trees!"

"No," Jerry teased, "White Pines are false trees!"

10 Days and counting...

LESS THAN 10 DAYS UNTIL....

"Celebrate with a Book" Author Book Fair

Come one, come all to the first annual Regency Square Mall Book Fair, where twenty Virginian authors will sign their books. 

Signed books make GREAT gifts! Find the perfect gift for the book lover on your list. There will be something for everyone, ranging from children's books to romance. 












When: Saturday, DECEMBER 15, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

Where: Regency Square Mall - right outside of the J.C. Penney on the first floor.

1420 North Parham Road  Richmond, VA 23229

The voices in my head

Mechele Armstrong

My husband once said to me to be careful who I talked about characters to because some people might think I'm crazy. LOL I'm not crazy, I'm a writer!

When I was little, I had lots of imaginary friends. I also played elaborate games with my stuffed animals and even the crayons in my crayon box. The crayon box was a kingdom and each color had a part to play in the story.

All of this translated into having characters in my head. I think it's why I love to read so much, because I can live with those characters throughout the story and if it's written well enough, the characters do seem like they live with me. I almost hate to finish because I don't want the characters to leave me.

Daddy's Christmas Angel

by Mary Montague Sikes

Descriptive Blurb: In Daddy’s Christmas Angel, seven-year-old Kathleen Ryan connives to have her father meet her second grade teacher. However, the only commitment David Ryan wants is to his daughter, and Angie McAllister wants no commitment other than to her own independence. Will Kathleen’s schemes change both of their minds and lead to romance? Can she manage to change all three of their lives forever? Think “Sleepless in Seattle” meets “Love Story”.

Embedded in the Past – U.S. Civil War Correspondents

By Donna Dalton

The idea for my historical romance THE REBEL WIFE evolved from our current-day journalists chronicling the Iraq War.  I wondered about the “embeds” of the past and decided to research the newsmen of the American Civil War. 

I credit Brayton Harris’ BLUE & GRAY IN BLACK & WHITE with much of what I will talk about today. The information he provided regarding the newspapers in the Civil War was invaluable.

Many of the correspondents who covered the War at the beginning were already considered experienced newsmen.  As months turned into years, those veteran journalist were joined by novices and by war’s end some five hundred had served as “special correspondents”.  Only a handful of the original newsmen were still in the field in 1865. Along the way, some died, victims of a combat in which they were unlucky spectators . Nearly fifty were held as prisoners of war. A few were promoted to editor and pulled back to the home office. Some were fired for incompetence; others banished from the Army for breaching the rules. Most were just plain worn out.