Jett moved the table outside the cabana and let the curtains fall, enclosing them in a gauzy cocoon. The candles danced on top of the picnic basket in the corner as he sat down beside her on the rug.
To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow. -Audrey Hepburn PLANTINGFrom the minute I saw this San Diego apartment balcony, I knew I wanted to create a cozy, plant-filled space where I could sip my morning coffee and enjoy a glass of wine or a cocktail at sunset. While I often envision such things, I'm also a horrible procrastinator. For some reason, I balk at making decisions and then, gasp, pulling out the credit card. It could be I worry about buyers remorse. It could be I'm just cheap. Who knows?Anyway, the spirit moved me…
"Putting a book together is interesting and exhilarating. It is sufficiently difficult and complex that it engages all of your intelligence. It is life at its most free." --Annie Dillard, THE WRITING LIFE If only I could write as well as Annie Dillard. Right now, I'm writing on my balcony, in a not dissimilar way to a moment she describes in her book THE WRITING LIFE. Her balcony overlooks deciduous trees; mine a multi-laned San Diego road. But there are birds here, too. Like women peering through a shop window at a fabulous pair of shoes,…
Yummy blackberry basil mojito perfect for hot summer nights. https://youtu.be/HTX-fwr9ylMSo, there you have it. A blackberry basil mojito. For a stronger drink, use less club soda. For a lighter, more refreshing drink, use more. And don't forget the ice!Let me know if you try it and how it turns out. XoXo,Shelley
I'm starting something new on the blog. It's called Off the Cuff. Here I write about sundry topics on my "off days." Basically, I'm venting. So beware. However, I also attempt to find a silver lining or a way forward. Also, there may be references and footnotes. Yeah. It's that kind of thing. Today's Off the Cuff topics: Social media, for the most part, no longer serves me. And people are crazy. ***** Social Media "Whoas " For a few weeks, I've posted notices on Facebook pointing to my website, encouraging people with whom I'm "friendly"…
Rose wine for Friday Happy Hour. A strawberry and orange slice...is nice. Happy Friday Happy Hour. After noodling around with my Rosalie rewrite stuff today (I am having so much trouble figuring out exactly what kind of story I'm writing. Is it redemption? Maturation? Eek!), I went for a walk in the nearby park and am now out on the balcony with this nice, refreshing rosé. I added the strawberry on the rim and a blood orange slice floating on top. This adds maybe a teeny bit of nuanced flavor, but mostly it is what I call…
✍ Historical Fiction: Escaping into the past through literature. Photo by Shelley Burbank How's your Wednesday going? Today's the day I try to write about writing...so why do I have a picture of John Jakes's 1993 historical novel, HOMELAND, posted up there? Simple. Because I haven't left my desk all day, so my world is pretty much limited to my screens, my shelves, and my imagination. And as of yet, I can't take a photo of my imagination, although it might be a tad more bizarre than this book cover. I recently learned that my Wattpad novel Rosalie…
Today, I’m thinking about Slow Media. There’s been chatter lately about a “cashless society” where we can only make purchases using apps and cards. Every so often, news of a shocking data breach comes to our attention (more on this later), and we discover our information may have been sold or given away to unknown entities. We hear of a new app or service and want to participate, even though we know it mean, sigh, yet another password and yet another AI tracking, analyzing, using, or even selling our preferences, shopping habits, interests, and reads/views.
Friday Happy Hour Video https://youtu.be/if1USdBVr0MI have to admit, I cracked myself up watching this. I hope you enjoyed this ShelleyBurbank.com LIVE performance, lol. Feel free to comment. I comment back. Happy Weekend, my dears! Cheers, Shelley
Good Writing Wednesday, friends. I am resisting the urge to put an exclamation point up there after the word “Wednesday.” My natural instinct compels me to do it, but I’m in editing mode these days and more aware than usual about things like punctuation. I’m also trying to get away from using the word “peeps” in an effort to sound more mature, i.e. my age. What’s next? I actually start using moisturizer on a regular basis?