Author Archives: Marion

What I Did This Weekend

Posted on October 28, 2018 by Marion

What did I do this weekend? Drank basil martinis. Ate good food. Sang “Happy Birthday” to Spouse. Read books. Took a nap. Walked between trees. Took pictures. Listened to ravens.

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Suicide Squad; Who Needs the Joker?

Posted on October 25, 2018 by Marion

(SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS. The film came out in 2016, but if somehow you haven’t seen it and you’re planning to watch it now, skip this column unless you don’t mind spoilers.) I have one question about the movie Suicide Squad; … Continue reading →

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Art Trails Westcounty; 2018

Posted on October 21, 2018 by Marion

On Saturday Kathleen and I headed out to visit some of our favorite west county artists’ studios as part of Art Trails. I haven’t gone in a few years. It was nice to get back to it. Once the fog … Continue reading →

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Aluminum Leaves; Update #1

Posted on October 16, 2018 by Marion

I got an email from my editor that she reviewed my revisions to “Aluminum Leaves,” the novella Falstaff Books accepted, and the story was being sent on for copy-editing. This is exciting! My revisions satisfied her questions and there are … Continue reading →

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The Black Tower by P.D. James; is it Dated, or is it Me?

Posted on October 14, 2018 by Marion

I just read The Black Tower by P.D. James. I thought it was a re-read for me and that I had read it at some point in the dark and distant past. I was less of sure of that after … Continue reading →

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Raising the Stakes; Orphan Black

Posted on October 11, 2018 by Marion

“Raising the stakes.” It’s something genre writers think about (hear about, read about) a lot. With some genres, like thrillers, mysteries and romances, the common wisdom is that action has to start very soon on the page and, to paraphrase … Continue reading →

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Television Tuesday; The 13th Doctor Makes Planetfall

Posted on October 9, 2018 by Marion

Doctor Who is a very old British science fantasy show. It follows an alien character called The Doctor. The Doctor travels around in a time/space vehicle called the TARDIS, which stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space but really … Continue reading →

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The Not-the-Julia-Child-Kitchen; Japanese Eggplant

Posted on October 6, 2018 by Marion

The Japanese eggplant caught my eye because they were beautiful, so I bought some. I thought they’d make a nice saute to go with the salmon that night, and I was right. Eggplant is a chewy vegetable with a subtle … Continue reading →

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Television Tuesday; The Miniaturist.

Posted on October 2, 2018 by Marion

The Miniaturist showed on PBS Masterpiece last month. You may be able to find it On Demand. The three-part adaptation of Jessie Burton’s novel and book-group favorite was beautiful, borrowing unabashedly from the visual style of the Dutch Old Masters; … Continue reading →

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The Professional Writer, One Model

Posted on September 30, 2018 by Marion

I follow a lot of writers on Twitter and Facebook, and I read quite a few writers’ blogs. It’ll be no big surprise that lots of well-established writers, at least genre writers, still have day jobs. They sell their work … Continue reading →

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