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A Christmas gift: A taste of “the” book
What is there to say? Another Christmas marred by a global pandemic. I feel very fortunate to have managed to get away earlier this year to keep my book-writing dreams alive. There should be a real book to hold in my hands before summer (maybe even in the spring. In the meantime, here’s a small Christmas gift – a little excerpt from the still tentatively-titled Another Glass of Tea, of a different Christmas, in make-believe land. I hope you enjoy. The house was in chaos. Well-oiled chaos, but chaos nonetheless. Fiona’s whole family had joined them at the lake, including… Read more…
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Painting with words
It’s no secret I’ve always loved the written word but I’m also a bit of a Broadway nerd. Give me a good showtune to belt out when nobody’s listening, and I’m a happy camper. And if I can have a one-person kitchen dance party, well, that’s even better. Occasionally, those two loves come together. I was singing along to the soundtrack from Hamilton in the kitchen this morning when I was struck again by these words from Eliza, Alexander Hamilton’s wife, about the immense volume of writing he did over his life and how the language of his letters affected… Read more…
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The half-way point
Time is ticking away. I’m cognizant that Sabbatical 2.0 has hit the halfway mark. I’m amazed that we’re here already. It’s going very quickly. Sabbatical 1.0 was only set for four months and I can’t imagine going back to work in just four weeks. Fortunately, I negotiated in an extra couple of months into the new-and-improved version, so I’m not staring that date in the face just yet. So how’s it going? Despite being basically stuck at home, I’m loving it. I’m writing, I’m reading and I’m even getting many of those “I’m too busy to do it” jobs ticked off… Read more…
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Sharing fiction fearlessly – well almost fearlessly!
Finally, 2020 is coming to a close. Just a few more days left. Vaccines are in the offing, so there is a reasonable chance that 2021 will be better. I’m counting on it. Way back in March, when the world went crazy, I sadly – and a bit angrily – slammed the lid back on the box of my sabbatical writing plans and turn my attention back to corporate writing and communications. That worked for a while, as we were insanely busy through until at least September. But recently, the seal of that box seems to be failing. Ideas keep…
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For the love of words
It’s no secret that I love words. As a kid, my parents nicknamed me “Chatty Kathy”, but I was just as much at ease with my pencil and notebook as I was chattering away at the dinner table. I think I get this naturally. I’ve written before about how my Grandfather helped me write an April Fool’s story for a friend, and my Mum writes a column for her local newspaper. As I grew older, my pencil was replaced first by a typewriter and then a computer, but for me wordplay has always been a means of telling stories –… Read more…
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Moving Day!
Today is moving day. After carefully nurturing my public musings through their babyhood and toddler years, my blog has outgrown its original home and is ready for more. When my kids were six, they all left the safety of their kindergarten classes and headed off to a new school to begin Grade 1. It feels rather fitting that my blog (my fourth baby?) is making a move at the same age. So today, I unveil the new Act2 Scene1 in its new home. You’ll find new features, including a graphic identity, a more robust commenting feature (I do hope you’ll use it and… Read more…
