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Building a Fairy Garden With My Daughter
Several months ago, my daughter and I stopped into a nearby store. I was on the hunt for something in particular that I could not find. However, on that jaunt, we found something magical that spoke to the two of us: fairy garden items. We had not been in search of such items, but the mere fact that we happened upon them meant something to us both. We tend to enjoy stories of fantasy involving fairies, witches, wizards, and pirates (such as gorgeous Captain Hook in “Once Upon A Time.”) We love the mystical idea of fairies, just as some believe they have angels watching over them. When we saw…
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The Top 10 Things You Won’t Find in “Beneath the Mimosa Tree” and 8 Reasons Why Your Mother Will Like It
*** No, you certainly won’t. You certainly won’t find any of these things in my novel, counting down from number 10 to number one. Here you go… 10. Postapocalyptic survival fights (Who would dare now?) 9. Controversial issues (Jodi Picoult corners the fiction market with these topics.) 8. Good and bad witches (I’m obsessed, but the best have already tackled them.) 7. Anything about a Diet (I’m Italian and like to eat…and my characters do eat). 6. Anthropomorphism of any kind…no talking rabbits, pigs, spiders, bears, or any other animal to which you’d give feelings and emotions (Though I did kill a rather large spider on my…
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Be Careful Or You’ll End Up In My Novel…and other thoughts…
*** Sometimes I want to toss my novel out the window. I completely understand what Dorothy Parker meant when she said, “This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force.” I’ve been working on Beneath the Mimosa Tree for so long that I would be lying if I didn’t say I could throw in the towel. Writing is painful sometimes. We are hard on ourselves. But then I think of what Raymond Carver said: “Technique alone is never enough. You have to have passion. Technique alone is just an embroidered potholder.” Luckily, I have the passion. I could put my novel out…
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If You Want to Scare Me This Halloween, Make Griphook, Not Voldemort, Your Costume
In the world of “Harry Potter,” Voldemort, or rather “He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named,” that freaky, creepy, evil wizard who wants eternal dominance, hides horcruxes in an attempt to prolong his wicked life (forever), and desires to rid the world of muggles, is certainly a scary figure, indeed. But we know he’s bad. The worst. He’s The Dark Lord. It’s almost like he’s so bad he’s sort of unbelievable. I mean, there’s probably a short list of people you know who are that evil, right? Do you know anyone who fits that bill? I’d probably be hard pressed to name someone. On the other hand, the goblins are more realistic and pose a greater…
