Tag: create

A writer’s gratitude

books, authors, book stores, women writers,Last Saturday was my book signing at the iconic book store, E. Shaver’s Book Sellers. (shaversbooks.com) What a special day!  The staff at Shaver’s made me feel so welcome.  They had a nice spot all set up where the first thing the customer saw when they walked in was my table displaying my books.

The store is a collection of cozy little rooms filled to the rafters with BOOKS!  Old, original hardwood floors that creak when stepped upon.  And outside the occasional clip-clop of horses’ hooves as carriages drove by the front door. I wouldn’t have been half surprised if Charles Dickens and his good friend, Edgar Allan Poe had walked in.

Both  my illustrators stopped by to show support. Lori Smaltz, the photographer, was there with her gorgeous coffee table book of celebrated cemeteries of Savannah (Bone Garden Enchantment).  She has done most of my photo-collage covers for my books.   Jefferson O’Neal, a wonderful artist and the illustrator for all of my children’s books, stayed and signed kiddie books with me.

During the three hour event we enjoyed meeting new people; tourists dropping in, regular customers that shop at Shavers all the time, and a few of my personal friends.  I met a lady from Sri Lanka, in remission with stage four cancer.  What a beautiful spirit she had…her outlook was so loving and positive.  Then there was Celia (a realtor with Sotheby’s) who marched in, came straight to my table and ‘browsed’ my books.  She quickly picked out two; one for her granddaughter, Mimi, and my novel for herself.  The staff told me later that she supports whatever is going on at Shaver’s and is very generous.  What a nice lady!   My hair stylist came by with her son, Cameron, (a sweetie) and they bought all of my children’s books.  Thanks! Andrea!

And then there were the four-legged shoppers!  E. Shaver’s is pet friendly and in they paraded, knowing they would be welcomed. A beautiful springer spaniel with the sweetest face.  An Airedale with a harness that said, ‘service dog’.  But you could hardly take him seriously with his one cocked up ear; making him look like he was always asking you a question.  It was a hoot!  And then little ‘Evie’, a mutt with chihuahua, wire-haired terrier and probably six other ingredients; Evie is a bounding, jumping, bundle of pure joy!

The funny, human observation that I made was that some customers would NOT look at me.  As if they thought,  “Oh no. If I look at her, I’ll have to buy something!”  Very funny,  but that’s just me and my weird sense of humor.  I was just so grateful to the owner and staff at Shaver’s Booksellers.  They have taken me in, supported my work and are willing to share their limited shelf space with my books!  I am blowing them kisses!blowing kisses, grateful, women writers, book stores

Write what you know…..or..

…or research ’till your eye balls fall out.

flappers, roaring 20's, Wild Violets, new fiction, I am working on my second novel, “Wild Violets”. It takes place during a period in roaring 20's, flappers, new fiction, Wild VioletsAmerica’s history that I am somewhat familiar with but not nearly enough as it turns out.

The story is going well, I am happy with the development of my characters.  Suddenly I realized my (sketchy) heroine had a bar during the years of prohibition.  Ops! So I quickly changed it to a speakeasy with illegal booze, which made the story even more interesting. Now Violet had to dodge the coppers and the Mob!

I have two photographs of Violet in the fashion of the day.  Not nearly enough information to write an entire story.  With a few clicks, using the Internet, I can research time lines, facts and fashion.

The fashion of the roaring twenties is fascinating. Women were just coming out of being laced up, tied up, strapped up and cinched up so tight that they often fainted from lack of air!  The tiny waists (even if you didn’t have one naturally)  and the huge bell sleeves were gone.  Suddenly fashion dictated sexy, loose soft fabrics, with a suggestion of revealing more, but still covering up the female form.

The feminist women of the 20’s were called ‘flappers‘.  They worked all day and danced all night! And Violet certainly did that!  Worked a twelve-hour day in her bar and grill, ran upstairs to her apartment, refreshed her makeup, donned her bright red dress with the fringe and piled into a town car to hit her favorite road house.  Seeking the coldest gin and the hottest jazz!

Join me at my Book Signing on Saturday!

BOOK SIGNING

dragons, elves, fairies, dragon, fairy tales, new book for your child, new fairy tales, running away, friendship            Shaver Book Sellers, on Madison Square here in Savannah has invited this author to hold a book signing.

              This event will begin at

 2PM on Saturday, November 17th.

              Shaver’s carries all of Sugarek’s children’s books, her poetry and her novel, “Women Outside the Walls”.  Also available will be most of her play scripts.

Come by and say “hello” and enjoy this historic, iconic book store that iswomen's fiction, prison, love, family, writing,  locally owned and operated.  Enjoy a beautiful fall day in Madison Square.

 

Shaver’s Booksellers
326 Bull Street (Madison Square)
Savannah

children's books, fairy tales, bullying, literacy, new books for kidshaiku, poetry, japanese, haiku poetry, pen and ink artwork

 

Writers need a break too….be certain to re-charge!

I had almost forgotten how to take a break. Spoil myself, sleep in late, eat ice cream, read some fiction over a cup of tea.

It’s been a very busy, productive summer. Since July first,  I’ve published twenty-one of the “Shortn’Small” series of short play scripts. Finished writing “Bertie, the Bookworm and the Bully Boys” and released my second book of poetry entitled “The World of Haiku”. Just released is my newest book, “Monologues 4 Women”, something I have wanted to write for a while now.

writers, bloggers, blog, creative spirit,      But now with the successful completion of “Monologues…” I’m  forcing (almost) myself to take
a break this week. I chose to do it at my cabin in the woods.
Fall is here and you can’t walk anywhere without the crunch of leaves under foot. There is a cheery fire in the fireplace and the feather quilt is on the bed for snuggling during night-time temperatures of 37 degrees. The Canadian geese are on the pond taking their break on the long flight to warmer climes.

The book I’ve chosen to curl up with, during my ‘pause’, is by an old friend
(or so it seems as I’ve been reading her for thirty years) Nora Roberts. It’s her latest trilogy,  Inn Boonsboro.  The thing that I love about Nora  is that she always seems to sneak in a little tidbit that only her dedicated readers would pick up on and enjoy.
In “The Last Boyfriend” the story continues as the three Montgomery brothers are putting the final touches on an old, abandoned building which they have re-purposed into the Boonsboro Inn. Each room is named for a historic, romantic couple. Nick and Nora (The Thin Man), Elizabeth and Darcy (Pride and Prejudice),  Jane and Rochester  (Jane Eyre), Westley and Buttercup (Gone with the Wind) and  Titiana and Oberon (A Midsummer Night’s Dream).

And here comes the oh-so-clever part:  The last room is named Eve and Roarke, the romantic and exciting couple from Nora’s own series,  “…….in Death” written under the pseudonym of J.D. Robb.  They’re not historic; they are iconic and they are hers!  I love clever!!

This isn’t a book review.  The point I’m making is sometimes we writers get so caught up we forget to fill our tanks, re-charge our batteries,  get centered again.  And we need to remember to do just that, give our creative spirit a little R&R.  Have you spoiled yourself lately?

‘My momma always said, “Life was like a box of chocolates….’

       We all remember this famous quote from Forest Gump……my box of chocolates are words…NEW words which I have never heard before.  Words that roll around on my tongue like a chocolate cherry cream out of my box of sweets.  For example here are some words I discovered …..

                            Tantalus: a Phrygian king who, for his crimes, was forced to stand hungry and thirsty surrounded by sweet water and fruit laden branches. I’ve seen it used loosely as an adjective: being tantalized without fulfillment.

Muniment:  a document, a title deed or charter

Muniment room: a storage or display room in a castle, church or university where pertinent historical documents or records are kept.

Entresol: a lower floor between two higher floors, between floors, mezzanine.

Cuckoo:  a common enough European bird but noted for its habit of laying its eggs in another bird’s nest which then hatched and raised the young cuckoos. The mother cuckoo never returns.  Which leads to the off-shoot of this word and description:
Cuckold:  Usually referring to the husband of an unfaithful wife.  To make a cuckold of (a husband) and it could follow that the unfaithful wife is impregnated by the lover and (like the birds) the cuckold’d husband and wife raise the child of another man.  Hence the use of the word.

When you write, never dumb it down for your readers. Remember you are writing prose. It’s okay to challenge your readers….it’s even preferred. 

As a writer, I hope that You love the flavor of words as much as I do…..
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Haiku (Renku) Poetry and How to Write It (Part 1)

haiku, smaurai, Misashi, poetry, writing, blogging, blogs        Haiku (Renku) Poetry, an ancient form of writing poetry from Japan, is very strict in its structure. One section of three lines. The first and  third lines must be five syllables. The second line must be seven syllables.  A reference to nature is usually found somewhere in the poetry. My Sumi-E ink and brushwork you see here is an ancient Japanese technique.  In Renku poetry You write three or more stanzas using the same 5-7-5 discipline.

Tip:  When I first write haiku I don’t worry so much about the structure on the first draft.  I get my thoughts down and then start editing words (syllables) until I have the correct structure  of   5-7-5.  This works best for me.

Tip: Over the centuries (and certainly in the US) Haiku has been reduced to one section of three lines.  In ancient Japan culture (11-12th centuries) a haiku had three sections of three lines.  I prefer to write in the ancient style but it is acceptable, by some, to write a complete poem in three lines.
Continue reading “Haiku (Renku) Poetry and How to Write It (Part 1)”

Take a risk with your writing

homosexuality, teenagers, family, short plays, small casts, maternal love        So my series hasn’t even been on amazon.com for a week and I am experiencing sales. Why am I telling you this?  Well, it was sort of an experiment; publishing a series of single one act scripts……..
I can’t tell you how exciting this is…..’Keep it simple, stupid’ , seems to be working for me.
 
  I guess what I’m trying to do is encourage other writers to take a risk, try a new idea, challenge yourself and your writing.  What have you got to lose?  Currently there are ten of these short, one act plays.  With more to come.teenagers, new ideas, family, Billie Holiday, monologues for women, one act play, short play,teen dating violence, teenagers, high school, middle school, one act play, short plays,domestic violencebullying, bullies, high school, middle school, teens,one act, short stage play