Absenteeism

Well, I've been away for a while, and for good reason!  I had a baby! 

It's time to start getting myself back on the reading and writing track.  So, here I am.  Writing.  Let's see where it takes me.

Review: The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant (read in 2006)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A few years ago I was reading allot of fiction about historical women. The book that opened the door to what I call my "female centric phase" was The Red Tent by Anita Diamant.

I want to put in a caveat right here that while I really enjoyed this book, it is not for everyone. Some people can't get past the first couple of chapters. There are many graphic depictions of physical and health related issues that are common to all women - cycles, pregnancy, birth.

Aside from the fact that I felt the writing was engaging I enjoyed the perspective this book gave me on what it meant in the past to be part of a community of women. Through the eyes of Jacob's daughter Dinah this novel takes the reader into the real lives that lay behind the book of Genesis.  Reading between the lines Anita Diamant embraces the truth of the bible, mixes in some real history, and invents characters and events that reflect the common issues and experiences of modern women.  The book made me laugh and cry - but in ways I didn't really expect. It made me cringe, and it also made me want to embrace my womanhood in a new way.

I would not recommend this book for men, anyone with a weak stomache, or anyone who wants a really fast paced plot.

This is a great book for people who are interested in biblical history, women's issues, or enjoyes novels that depict the intricate dramas of daily life.

See more of my bookshelf at Goodreads.com

Review: Peony in Love by Lisa See

Peony in Love by Lisa See
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this novel. Well written, this poignant account of love and longing is actually a story within a story. Peony is a young girl who is betrothed to a man she has never met when she meets and falls in love with the boy next door. Cloistered within the walls of her father's home and constrained by the values of her society she sees no way out of her situation and becomes consumed by an epic love poem. When she literally dies of heartache the plot takes a fascinating turn into supernatural realms.

Fast paced and multi-dimensional this book left me feeling more emotions than I could keep track of. I recommend it as a good love story, a good ghost story, and a fascinating insight into the history of Chinese society and women.

See my entire bookshelf on Goodreads.com

I WON! I'm a Winner. Things are gonna change I can feel it. :)

I finished NaNoWriMo, and I won!  Hooray for me!  Frankly I think anyone who made a good attempt is a winner, even if they didn't make it anywhere near the 50K mark.  Not everyone needs to meet a target like that, especially if they are new to the idea.  This is my third year trying and my first year finishing.

I finished with a total of 52,077 words.  Of course I fully intend on throwing out about 40% of those and the remainder is in serious need of revision!

I'm not going to focus on the problems right now; I'm reveling in my success.  I learned something really exciting about myself during nano this year - I can write allot of volume really quickly!  I also learned that when I just shut-up and write (JSAW) I can be very creative.

The story that I started for nano is epic, and I don't intend on having it finished any time soon.  I want to really let this story and the characters settle into themselves as I go though the process of finishing and revising my story.  So I think I may just lay it aside until March and focus on other smaller projects in the meantime to further develop the skills I've unleashed this November.

I am also continuing in some writing groups that were spawned from our Atlanta nano write-ins.  If you are interested, please register leavesinsheaves.com to see our calendar or email me through the site.

On Day 20 of NaNoWriMo I finally caught up with the suggested daily word count with 33,387 words.  By immersing myself things that relate to my own characters and plot I've been able to piece together much more of the story they want to tell.

Following the narrative lifetimes of a family across 15 generations and through three story arcs, I am exploring the emergence of a new societal construct. The world as we know it will end, bringing about the demise of the world economy, major political institutions, and entire countries. The ensuing battle for survival against all odds will force people to return to their roots and find a more simplistic way of life. Will successive generations found a new industrial age, or a paradise as yet undefined?

While I know I will be meeting my goal for NaNoWriMo 2010, I also believe it will be several months longer before I finish even the first draft of my new story.  I'm terribly excited about it, but don't expect it to be reader-ready until 2012 at the earliest.  So, wish me luck, and if you are interested follow along to see if I make any more progress reports for this project!

NaNoWriMo - Only 17,000 words behind!

 

So, I'm 12 days into NaNoWriMo.  That's almost halfway! I'm not even 1/10th of the way to the finish line, but I am working on a really great idea.  The problem is finding the time and focus to get it down on paper.  I've only had two writing days, and no more than 2 hours either time.

Today I'm camped out a ChocoLate Coffee for four hours trying to get 5K words.  That wouldn't get me caught up, but it wouldn't hurt.  If I could get in my daily goal, and three more days at 5K I would actually be able to win this thing!

I need to get back to work!!!

Review: An Unholy Alliance by Susanna Gregory

An Unholy Alliance by Susanna Gregory
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I picked this novel up from the library at random and really enjoyed it. Part murder mystery and part historical fiction this fast paced plot kept me interested from cover to cover.  The author painted a thrilling and dynamic picture of life in the post-plague eta, and managed to include elements of horror and suspense without becoming gruesome or banal.

I am thrilled to find that it is part of a series and can not wait to find out what sort of trouble Matthew Bartholomew finds himself in next!

See more of my reviews and ratings on Goodreads.com

Professional Networking: How to Get Started, How to Succeed

Professional Networking: How to Get Started, How to Succeed has been published! Written by Michael Murray, in partnership with Angel as writing assistant and editor, this book is the first in a series by the President of CONTROL-POINTE, Inc.™

LEARN THE TOOLS & TECHNIQUES YOU NEED

TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN A SUCCESSFUL

PROFESSIONAL NETWORK

The ability to effectively network is one of the most critical areas of career management. Through social, family, professional, and technological networks we interact with a wide variety of people, and exchange vast quantities of information every day. By learning to harness the power of networking we can increase our ability to make decisions, find opportunities, and build relationships that help facilitate successful career management.

Professional Networking: How to Get Started, How to Succeed is the first book in the Career-Pointes™ series, which aims to provide clear, concise, and easily accessible information to help you move toward your personal and career goals. Without overwhelming the reader, this guide provides the essential principles of networking that will be useful for people at any stage in their career and with any level of networking experience, regardless of their networking goals.

Praise for Professional Networking: How to Get Started, How to Succeed

"... a great resource for those who are curious about this thing called networking.

... a great resource for those who realize networking is a critical part of career management or job search and they don't know how to get started."

Val Markos, Ph.D. - Organizational Psychology
VMark Consulting

NaNoWriMo - again! already?

OK - didn't I just get finished with a book? Yeah, OK, so I was helping, editing, and it was non-fiction anyway. I'm exhausted anyway! It's almost National Novel Writing Month (less than 23 hours to go), and I have to start out with a bang to meet the average daily word count of 1667 - especially when I work in the fact that I won't get much done on weekends, and I have to go away for a couple of days over Thanksgiving... This brings my personal daily average goal to 2632. That's TOUGH to accomplish day after day! To make this all vastly more intimidating: I have NO idea what my novel is going to be about. I have no characters, no plot, no theme - I don't even have a genre picked out. What's a wrimo to do?

First Book Published!

The past three months have been some of the most hectic of my life. I've been partnering with my father as he wrote a book. This will be the first book published for either of us, and I am really excited and proud of us both! We've finally finished the formatting and ordered the advance copies of the published book. I can't wait to post more information and a preview.