Category: Books
Posts about books — mine and others’. Behind-the-scenes notes on writing them, reviews of the ones that shape my thinking, and reflections on what gets put into print and what doesn’t. Browse the full catalog on the Books page, or read select titles free on-site in the Library.
-
A Movie an English Major Can Love
I took Shannon and her boyfriend to see “V for Vendetta” last night and loved it. I was cheering in my seat during his 5-minute introductory V-alliteration speech, which covered every possible V-word in the dictionary and vexed me very much because it brought back memories of the last time I alliterated, ironically to the…
-
The Lending Library Is Closed
Copyrighted by Lorna Tedder. Originally published in Third Degree of Freedom. I like to share my unusual taste in literature, particularly with my friends, many of whom I’ve lent some of my favorite books with nothing more than the request that they share their insights and have a short conversation with me about what they…
-
Spoilers — Memorable Moments
Copyrighted by Lorna Tedder. Originally published in Third Degree of Freedom. Vicki Hinze and I have been talking about her upcoming book, Her Perfect Life, which is destined to be a movie. It’s about a female POW who returns home to her perfect life and finds it isn’t there anymore. I’ve been there with Vicki…
-
You’re Going to Love Me Whether You Like It or Not”
There’s a reason why ethical pagans do not believe in doing love spells to get their man and why “good Christians” don’t pray to God that a certain someone will love them. It has to do with trying to control the destiny and will of someone else instead of just nurturing the relationship and letting…
-
“What’s Up, Doc?”
One of my favorite running jokes in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series was the absolute terror that Anya (Anyanka, the Vengeance Demon) had in regard to rabbits. Of course, creator Joss Whedon (Angel; Firefly; Serenity) is a god among writers and as a writer myself, I have him most definitely on my to-meet-him-one-day…
-
Life Without a Map
I keep thinking about what Mark said about maps: that they show you where you are but not where you’re going. You never really know where you’re going until you’re already there. From the Bookshelf Rite of Awakening — Southern Gothic with bite, Book One of the Rites of Passage. Available direct from the author…
-
Wonder-ment
I awoke at exactly 5:55 a.m. It was the dream that woke me. From the Bookshelf Rite of Awakening — Southern Gothic with bite, Book One of the Rites of Passage. Available direct from the author → Or read it free in my online Library. Why am I dreaming about him? I’ve let it go.…
-
The Fresh Hell of PDAs
They’re doing me a favor. They think. They don’t like being alone. They’re not comfortable being alone. To them, it’s the same thing as lonely. They don’t want me to be alone and therefore lonely, and so here comes the invitation. From the Bookshelf Rite of Awakening — Southern Gothic with bite, Book One of…
-
A Test of Friendship
Some lessons, I just have to be tested on again and again to make sure I learned it the first 500 times. Easy lessons are worthless, it seems. And the hard ones that need reiterating really hurt, even when I think I’ve got it already. Just having to be tested again is painful. But I…
-
Ready or Not?
I’m ready for a new man in my life, but something holds me back. I know…it’s me. The fox walks halfway into the woods and every next step after than is one coming out of the woods. But what exactly is it that keeps me from taking another step? From the Bookshelf Rite of Awakening…
-
Lighting a Candle in Pure Oxygen
As much as I hate to admit it, during my second singledom, the absolute best thing for my man-woman relationships has been to build them slowly, sometimes agonizingly slowly. Some of these relationships never took root in a foundation of friendship, and so they fizzled—thankfully—before ever blossoming to romance. I’m glad of that now. It…
-
“The Treat” Me Right
My relationship with The Treat doesn’t fit any other model, and maybe that’s what makes it so special. From the Bookshelf Rite of Awakening — Southern Gothic with bite, Book One of the Rites of Passage. Available direct from the author → Or read it free in my online Library. Since I asked him for…
