As much fun as blogging can be, I wish I could just sit with you in a cafe, Dear Reader, and talk about books and the literary life for awhile. –Shelley Burbank What do you think of the Oz earrings? Aren’t they cute? I adore them, not least because my friend Wendy, a fellow writer… Continue reading The Earrings of Oz
Category: Good Life Crazy Times
Writing Life: Heading Over the Rainbow
Writer’s Brain I don’t know about other writers, but if I spend too much time researching, reading, recharging, or goofing off rather than tapping away at my keyboard doing actual writing, I get as agitated and depressed as a Kansas farm girl watching her balloon-ride home drift away into the heavens. This is my state… Continue reading Writing Life: Heading Over the Rainbow
Book Review: THE SECOND MOUNTAIN by David Brooks
Every so often I come across a book that not only speaks to the very concerns with which I am most engaged at the moment but also bounces me off in a completely unexpected direction. Read on to hear how David Brooks’s book, THE SECOND MOUNTAIN, left me feeling more committed to the idea of… Continue reading Book Review: THE SECOND MOUNTAIN by David Brooks
Writing Life: The Cozy Comfort of Knitting
When you find yourself distracted and upset by the outside world, sometimes there’s nothing better than picking up a couple of hefty needles and a skein of soft, bright, bulky yarn. Read on to hear about how a simple knit stitch project like this comfort shawl can lift your spirits in crazy times. March.… Continue reading Writing Life: The Cozy Comfort of Knitting
Writing Life: Spring Cleaning My Tech
“Out of clutter find simplicity. From discord find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity” –Albert Einstein Every so often, the need to simplify, downsize, and clarify, grabs hold of me and I become a whirling dervish of activity: selling tableware, giving away books, tossing files from filing cabinets, bundling up old clothes to… Continue reading Writing Life: Spring Cleaning My Tech
Short Story: Something Sparkly in a Little Velvet Box
Just for you, my dear readers, a Valentine’s Day short story with a happy ending. XOXO, Shelley SOMETHING SPARKLY IN A LITTLE VELVET BOX ******** “I have bad news.” Henley’s voice faded in and out, the cell service in that part of Florida spotty. I pressed the phone against my ear. “What did you say?”… Continue reading Short Story: Something Sparkly in a Little Velvet Box
Author Q & A: Nancy Gardner
Nancy Gardner, whose new novel, DREAM STALKER just came out in both ebook and paperback, likes to garnish her mystery stories with a paranormal twist. DREAM STALKER is the first in a series of three books the New England author has planned. It tells the story of Lily Scott, a modern-day Salem witch who is… Continue reading Author Q & A: Nancy Gardner
Author Q & A: Nicole Gabor
An Interview with Former NYC Runway Model and YA Author, Nicole Gabor “I think it all started with a feeling of what I wanted to say,” Nicole Gabor types as we begin our online chat interview. Although it would have been fun to dress up and meet in person somewhere in New York City–at a… Continue reading Author Q & A: Nicole Gabor
Writing Life: Cozy Butterfly Project
[UPDATED March 2022] So, awhile back I had the idea of starting a comfort shawl project that would allow myself and others to encourage women engaged in the hard work of transforming themselves and their lives. A couple years ago, as an enthusiastic but scattered knitter with basic to intermediate skills, I’d been drawn to… Continue reading Writing Life: Cozy Butterfly Project
Guest Post: Quivering with Life, or Making a Fatal Blunder?
I have just spent what turned out to be my entire morning (after my requisite cup of coffee), at the water’s edge on an Adirondack chair with my feet in the lake. As an outsider looking in, it seemed as if there was peace and serenity all around me.