As those sunny summer days wind to a close, we start to wonder where the time went. I like to recall those days spent with head in the clouds, those hours sitting by the pond reflecting on life, while life reflected back at me. Our submissions this month are all about such head-in-the-clouds moments. Thomas Healy starts our offerings with his short story “Switzerland,” in which we see a man who sits all day by a fountain, lost in thought. To where does his mind venture? Where would yours go? Next up we have the poetry of Paula Bonnell. She ponders the “somedays” of life alongside vivid descriptions of nightmares past. Read along to see where her eyes and mind bring you. For our art this month, we feature the inspirational images of Jessica Edouard…
Emily Harstone says Writers Must Be Readers
There are essentially two schools of thought about how to become a writer. The older European school says read, read, read. The newer American school says, go to college – in particular a graduate creative writing program – and study to be a writer. Emily Harstone (a nom de plume) wrote the following article, “Why Writers Need To Read To Be Writers” for the AuthorsPublish website [if you’re a writer and you aren’t a member, you should be]. Following AuthorsPublish guidelines, here is an excerpt from Emily’s article. Go to the article link above to read it in its entirety. “When I was a child I read one book every day. And by a book, I mean a one hundred to two hundred page novel. Usually it was part of a series. Often it was nothing that would…
Podcast: “Confessions of a Troll” Part 4
Here’s the last excerpt from Artemis Greenleaf’s delightful coming-of-age novel/podcast. If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve listened to over the past four weeks, please visit Podiobooks to download the entire novel [or the remaining chapters – you get to choose!]. When you visit Artemis’s site or podcast, please remember to praise and reward the author’s work with a review and a tip. Thank you. We really do appreciate it. Please click on the arrow below to listen to Part 4 of “Confessions of a Troll.”
“Fear of Commitment: My Relationship with Writing, Time and Discipline” by Rachael Allen
Time moves differently when I’m home from college. An hour at home means deciding what to do, watching two Food Network episodes at my grandparents’ house, driving to the beach, or puttering out half-sentences at my computer that I tell myself I’ll finish later. An hour at school means completing a homework assignment, attending a newspaper meeting, reveling in this unusually lengthy chunk of free time, or simply talking with roommates right before bed, making me lose sleep but feel the good tired of a full day. This discrepancy in time is a welcome product of summer and its lazy days of food excess, television and marathon reading (most recently for me, Emma Cline’s The Girls and, of course, the latest Harry Potter). It’s also a product of place. School is an academic environment of…
Podcast: “Confessions of a Troll” Part 3
As author Artemis Greenleaf characterizes it, here is Part 3 of her novel-podcast: “Wherein Cai and Steve become blood brothers.” Oh, brother, do they ever! Please click on the arrow below to listen to Part 3 of “Confessions of a Troll.”
Partners in Caffeine: The Best Coffee This Side of Arcturus
We’re partners in caffeine-imbibing with a real coffee shop, the Cafe Monte Alto in Plymouth, New Hampshire. It’s a very cool place on Main Street, across the town green and down the street from Plymouth State University. They grow and sell fair trade coffees from their plantations in Peru, and boy, it’s a great coffee! We’re fortunate that their various roasts are not only outstanding, not only 100% Arabica shade grown, not only reasonably priced, but also available by mail order from their website. I never want to be without Monte Alto’s Dark Roast, so I order it in five-pound bags! We have a link to Monte Alto on our Home page. The owners are not only artistes in coffee roasting, but also love to have artists hang their work on the cafe walls and exhibit on their…
“Coffee in the Moonlight” by Paul Germano
Her name rolls off my tongue like a sweet puff of smoke. She is a potent mix of innocence and caution with vibrant black hair, smooth alabaster skin and a slender willowy frame. She seems completely unaware of her own beauty. And she is here, in my apartment. She was reluctant, at first, to stop by. She had heard far too much about me from a misguided co-worker who had raised the red flag. She wouldn’t say his name, but I knew who did the trash-talking. When time permits, I’ll have a little chat with him, make sure he knows not to stick his nose in my business. She stood there, yesterday afternoon, in the drab grey-carpeted hallway of our stuffy downtown Syracuse office building, her body swaying, reluctance in her soft voice as she…
Book Review: “Secrets Can’t Be Kept Forever” by Stephen Seitz
I recently attended “Bookstock 2016,” the Woodstock, Vermont, annual book festival. Many of us authors had our published works on display, for sale, and it was there I met author Stephen Seitz and his wife Susan. He’s written quite a few novels in the mystery genre and as we talked I became more interested in reading his work. I bought this one, Secrets Can’t Be Kept Forever, in paperback. The story begins innocently enough, focusing on the trials and tribulations of Ace Herron, the crime reporter for a small local newspaper that’s been bought by a media conglomerate. In the course of his work he learns of a father who has embezzled a large sum from his employer, kidnapped his son, and taken off for parts unknown. Ace pursues the story, which takes many surprising twists…
Francoise Menebrode: New York Photography
Editor’s Note: Just as Paris is alluring, fascinating, filled with wonder to a visiting American, so is New York to the foreign visitor – in this case Francoise Menebrode. Some people spend their time filling their eyes and ears with the sights and sounds of travel, but for a visual artist, the richest experiences are found looking through a camera lens. Francoise captured her visual impressions of New York from behind her Nikon, then devoted herself to hours in front of her computer and Photoshop, rendering her images into unique works of art. Herewith are her evocations of one of the world’s greatest cities. Please click on each image to see a larger view. * * * * * * Francoise Menebrode is a photographer,…
Our First YA Podcast: “Confessions of a Troll” by Artemis Greenleaf
Enter the world of Mordecai “Cai” Peterson, a regular ole everyday teenager who is about to fall down a social media rabbit hole. This is one heck of a fun podcast, whether you’re a young adult or an old one, like me. You can watch a well done video preview of “Confessions of a Troll” on Artemis Greenleaf’s website here. It’s a novel that’s been turned into a podcast from our friends at Podiobooks.com. Artemis Greenleaf, she of the lovely name, is indeed a real person and this is her real name. She lives in a small town near Houston, Texas. And if a woman writing in the first person as a 16-year-old boy isn’t enough for you, it’s read by an Englishman whose first name is Andrew. And very well read, I might add….