Reading Writings

This time the rendezvous was with a poet Erica Goss. She has served as Poet Laureate of Los Gatos, California from 2013-2016. Her latest poetry collection, Night Court, won the 2016 Lyrebird Prize from Glass Lyre Press. She is the author of Wild Place (2012, Finishing Line Press) and Vibrant Words: Ideas and Inspirations for Poets (2014, Pushpen Press).  Here is a snippet of the chat with her. RW: Please tell us what description will fit you in real life? EG:  I'm a poet and writer interested in the the intersections between humans and nature. How do we negotiate our space in a way that does not negatively affect the natural world? What is the emotional impact of living in a world where the environment is changing rapidly due to human activities? These are questions I try to address in my writing, as well as the ongoing process of aging, relationships, and family. I also make short films based on my poems, and I'm working on a memoir about my experience growing up

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Reading David's writings are like looking into a mirror for me. The way he has chosen his subjects, be it Aaru or this book, brings out his indepth knowledge about the concepts of grief and loss. This fairytale fan fiction revolves around Snow White. It follows her life in the future. The story revolves around her reflections as she looks back and sees how her life has progressed. You need to read the story for details because if I say anything more, it will be a spoiler. David's writings don't reach out to a reader's heart, they reach out to their soul. Simple language, yet the words succeed in stirring up emotions that are deep inside. The imageries are vivid and narration is flawless. In fact, it has all the required ingredients needed for adapting it into a movie. The characters are amazingly etched. In fact, I found it easier to empathise with Queen Snow White because the grief that traumatised her is akin to the one I am undergoing. I emoted with her an

That fall was one of the coldest Black Water had ever seen. Blaire could not have been more than eleven years old. Sabrina Langford had asked her if she wanted to go walking up to the Grammercy Bridge. Grammercy had once taken trains safely from one side of the river to the other and on through the picturesque town of Black Water, but that was long ago. It was a place of little interest to two young girls and, from what Blaire had known at her innocent age, it was, at most, a place where the older kids went to kiss on Friday nights. When Sabrina suggested it as a play place that day, Blaire wanted to object, but hesitated at the thought of turning off her newfound friend. Long ago the bridge had become lifeless, but it still gave an endless series of death breaths as the girls walked along it. The water flowed rapidly, and the sound of the swishing and churning made Blaire shiver. After throwing a couple of rocks into the river, a series of familiar faces emerged. Lacey Wright, Sh

Some stories have the power to stay with you long after they have been read. This story is one of them. It reminded me of Hugh Grant's Movie Music and Lyrics. The story revolves around the life of a poet and musician, his meteoric rise, his downfall and the subsequent tryst with grappling with his loss and thereafter rising like a Phoenix. Lonnie's lyrical narration is what forms the heart and soul of this story. Kudos to the author for amazing writing. Loved the choice of words. They had the power to touch the reader's soul and stir up every emotion that exists within. This story needs to be converted into a movie because it has all the elements to be a successful blockbuster. Reading the story evoked not just imageries but also every emotion in me. The storyline made me laugh, cry, empathise, fall in love and hate all at once. I loved to love the protagonist and loved to hate the antagonist. I literally emoted along with the protagonist. Every character had a k

I read this book because of the blurb. And yes, the story didnot disappoint me. The plot revolves around a psychologist and her client. Why they got together in the first place is the crux of this book. This book is the beginning of a series and aptly begins the series well. Nan has a unique writing style. She uses descriptions in her narrations and that is where I felt she went a bit overboard. I mean, it is my personal opinion, I felt there were a few scenes which could have been edited. In spite of this, I must admit that the author has stuck to the plot for majority of the time. The descriptions do evoke imageries and the storyline is like sci-fi romance movie I mentally watched as I read along. The two protagonists have been portrayed as strong individuals with their own identities. They have their flaws and are not afraid to express their vulnerable self. The other minor characters do play a part in adding on to the storyline but the story belongs to the protagonists.

This is one trilogy I have been following. Spiritual Intervention is the third and last book in this series. I kept delaying reading it because I knew that there would be no more in this series. Yet, the concept that runs through this series is such that I had no other option but to continue from where I had left in Book Two. The plot evolves from what it was in the earlier books. I know I am sounding too cryptic but I have no choice since I do not want to give away anything. If you are reading my review on the this series for the first time, you need to begin with the Desert Son, Book One, to get into the heart of the story. The writing style is yet again a pleasant surprise. In fact Glenn amazes me. All the three stories are narrated in a manner that leaves you wonder and question the absence of monotony. Yes, the language is simple but the choices of words is what makes this story different. Imageries are powerful and evoke vivid visualisations.  I really wish a movie

It is never easy to write about loss and pain. And if it concerns a child's turmoil, the task becomes equally difficult. The plot revolves around a child who finds it difficult to accept the death of her father. In fact, she believes that her father us alive. This entails her to enter a fantasy world in her attempt to bring back her father. The ugly teapot is what she uses as a companion along with her dog. The language is definitely not child- friendly, hence while narrating the story to younger children, due care needs to be exercised. The narration has a bit of smooth flow to it, however, I felt that there were places where it failed to touch a chord in my heart. This is my opinion because there were times when I wanted to empathise with the little girl but I couldn't. I say this because I have seen my child grieving her father's death. I have seen the phases she underwent, from non-acceptance to denial, thereafter insecurity followed by fear and feeling unloved

To be honest, this is the first medical fiction I have read, barring a love story set up with a medical college in a backdrop. What sets this book apart is the way it follows the life of a young medical student during his life in a medical college. The plot revolves around the ups and downs in the life of a medical student through his medical traing in a medical college. To be honest, David included every little information on branches of medicine in his narration. This turned out to be a bit of a problem. I have been a student of humanities throughout. Hence, the medical terms were a bit difficult to understand. There were medical jargons as well which continued to add to my woes. The language used acted as a small deterrent in my comprehension. There were slight jerks in the story which could have been avoided thanks to the issue I had with medical terms. However, I must admit, this story helped open up a whole new genre for me. The characters are well developed. Sadly, th

Poetry has the power to touch a chord in your heart and leave it strumming for the rest of your life. This collection of poems is not your usual happy romcom kinds. It has the power to scare you, to show you your inner self. The themes around which powms are penned are serious in nature. To be honest, I felt that each poem was a topic being discussed during a session in a night court. What I liked about the poems was the fact that there had a subtle hint of reality. Every reader could associate with one poem or the other. Erica's writings are simple yet with the power to reach out to people's hearts. Written in free verse these poems had the power to captivate every reader and inspire them to dabble in poetry. The imageries used are vivid. The poems have similies, metaphors, allegories, refrains. However, you need to read them to find out. I could not pick favourites because each one was beautiful. No poem can justify itself unless it evokes emotions. Every poem had

There are stories that make you think long after they have been read. This collection of stories are just that. Each one of them had the power to make me ponder. The best part about this anthology was the way plots differed in each story. In fact, each one revolved around a sub-theme of the main theme. Yes, the main theme revolved around depicting negative emotions. It encompassed fear, anger, hatred, sorrow, pain, hurt, distrust; name it and it was there. The writing actually left the readers wanting more. Jeremy's narration definitely kept the reader guessing for more. The best part about his writing style was use of words that helped bring out the essence of each story. The stories were not complete in themselves, as in, they left many questions unanswered, and thats where the beauty of this anthology lies. Every story created an imagery of a different kind. Some created vibrant visual imageries, while others created aural and tactual ones. On the whole, an excellent

Vishwamitra by Dr. Vineet Aggarwal Indian Mythological Fiction ~ Book Blitz ~ 11 th August, 2017 When Satyavati, wife of Rishi Ruchik, exchanges with her mother the magic potion for bearing a child, they change not just their children’s destiny, but also the history of mankind. Born of this mix up is Vishwamitra, the son of a Kshatriya, who strives to become a Brahmarishi—the ultimate and most powerful of all Gurus. Vishwamitra is the powerful story of a brave but stubborn, haughty yet compassionate, visionary king of Aryavarta who not only acquires material wealth through military conquests but also becomes one of the most well-known sages of all times. Goodreads I Amazon 5 lesser known facts about Vishwamitra Almost everyone would have heard the name of Vishwamitra and some may even know of his dalliance with Menaka, or the role he played in the Ramayan but even those who are familiar with his name, may not know these five things about him: V

Humor involves surprise and misdirection, and requires that the reader, or the listener, not take things too seriously. Consider the third verse in Bob Dylan’s song, “Memphis Blues” for example: Mona tried to tell me Stay away from the train line She said that all the railroad men Just drink up your blood like wine An' I said, ‘Oh, I didn't know that,’ But then again, there's only one I've met An' he just smoked my eyelids An' punched my cigarette At this point in the song, Dylan doesn’t wait for you to get the joke; he charges into the chorus, “Oh, Mama…” while his droll juxtaposition of “eyelids” and “cigarette” is just beginning to take shape in your mind. This sudden change of direction makes the refrain even wittier. Many of us think of intelligence as the comprehension of truth and beauty, and that mirth lies in some separate region. I don’t. Humor expands the intellect, making it more complete and satisfying. Intelligence without humor is

This is one series I would love to follow. The first part titled The Buried Symbol was an unputdownable read. I picked this book to continue from where I had left in part one. And I was in for a pleasant surprise. The plot took off from the cliffhanger in the earlier volume. There is a sudden twist that gets introduced and that changes the entire perspective of the reader. To describe what it is would entail spoiler alerts. Hence, do read this book to know more about the story. The narration took me by surprise. I was expecting a similar flow like the earlier work. However, this one was different. The pace set and the tempo followed in the narration was very different. And that is the USP of this book. The writing is engrossing like book 1 but yes, with a different twist and treatment. In this continuation, the storyline narration does have the power to evoke wonderful imageries. Hence, it is a delight for the reader. The main characters are the same. However, they do evolve

My name is Andrew Joyce and I write books for a living. I would like to thank Reading writings for allowing me to be here today to promote my latest, Yellow Hair, which documents the injustices done to the Sioux Nation from their first treaty with the United States in 1805 through Wounded Knee in 1890. Every death, murder, battle, and outrage I write about actually took place. The historical figures that play a role in my fact-based tale of fiction were real people and I use their real names. Yellow Hair is an epic tale of adventure, family, love, and hate that spans most of the 19th century. Through no fault of his own, a young man is thrust into a new culture just at the time that culture is undergoing massive changes. It is losing its identity, its lands, and its dignity. He not only adapts, he perseveres and, over time, becomes a leader—and on occasion, the hand of vengeance against those who would destroy his adopted people. Now that the commercial is out of the way, we can

I met an amazing author Amy Deason. She loves to create colourful characters, locations and situations. Here is a peek of my rendezvous with her. RW: Thank you for agreeing for this interview. Tell us something about yourself. What description will fit you in real life?  AGD:  I have always loved reading since I was 3 years old and once I learned to write, I never stopped. Becoming a published author has always been my dream and right now I have 2 full length novels out as well as a short story. Currently I live in NW Arkansas with my wonderful husband of 5 years and my 3 children. RW: That is amazing. How does it feel to be a published author? What are your preferred genres? AGD:  It feels amazing to accomplish my dream of becoming a published author. I am currently writing in the suspenseful romance genre. However, there are other genres I would like to explore in the future. Writing can be difficult. For example when characters refuse to open up and talk to you. But

Every seasoned novelist will tell you that there is absolutely no substitute for a good editor. An editor doesn’t just alert you to mistakes in spelling, grammar, sentence structure and punctuation; editing goes way beyond that. Your story needs to be consistent, factually correct, clear, and succinct. This might sound obvious, but when you are dealing with a 90,000 word novel, there are plenty of ways to muck it up on every single page. So. You’ve written your first novel, or maybe you’ve just completed a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. Chances are you’ve read it several times, and it looks good to you. You’re excited about it. You’ve created a likable story or perhaps you’ve made some kind of definitive statement. Now you want to have it published. Hold your horses, Kemosabe. This last sentence is a perfect example of why you need an editor. I know what “Kemosabe” means, but do you? I was raised on The Lone Ranger and Tonto, but if you are considerably young

There was something in this book that inhibited me. I genuinely didn't get the creeps. Instead I felt repulsed with too much of porn. The plot was unclear since the beginning for me. It started with the protagonist and subsequently many characters were introduced. Maybe I missed the clarity in the storyline. The language was at times a bit too graphic to digest. I am not used to such language. There were jerks in the narration. The imageries conjured up were definitely not the kind that give the creeps or happy feeling. Sadly, this story was neither a young adult genre because it was too graphic nor a horror since it didnot frighten. There was not even a single character who stood out. Really sorry Shelby, but I could neither emphatise with the protagonist nor could I hate any character. In fact there were a few characters whose presence I couldnot understand. To sum up, I read the story for the sake of the author. It was definitely not my cup of tea. Maybe I was not

There was something about driving an ancient Dodge Caravan packed with all of my worldly possessions, including my four year-old son and my cat, that reeked of failure and desperation. The back of the minivan was crammed with duffel bags of clothing and cardboard boxes filled with pirate action figures, perfume bottles, matchbox cars and race track pieces, sketchbooks, a remote-controlled dinosaur, mascara wands and eyeliner pencils, markers and stubby crayons; and black garbage bags stuffed with everything else: David’s rocket ship comforter, my flat iron, winter coats, story books, sandwich baggies full of earrings, and half-eaten boxes of Little Debbies that were probably smushed by now. I’d sold my bed, couch, and kitchen table for a fraction of their worth and had given my TV to Stacy for all the times she’d watched David for free. I’d also asked her to hold on to my rocking chair, the one piece of furniture I couldn’t bear to part with, until I could come back for it. I’d ta