Monthly Archives: September 2019

The Wand That Rocks the Cradle is Available

Posted on September 29, 2019 by Marion

The Wand That Rocks the Cradle is available on Amazon. The eight-story anthology features tales of the fantastical — and families, two things that can bring you strength, or make you nuts, or both. Our editor picked a variety of … Continue reading →

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A Bestseller List

Posted on September 29, 2019 by Marion

I’m on one. It’s from the Petaluma (population, 60,000) Argus-Courier, for Thursday, September 26. Here’s a link to the actual article. I think this may say more about the book-buying habits of people in the month of September than it … Continue reading →

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Raven Black by Ann Cleeves

Posted on September 26, 2019 by Marion

I recently posted a review of a book by Quentin Bates in which I lamented the fact that the writer did not choose to immerse us in his setting (Iceland). At the other end of the immersion continuum is Ann … Continue reading →

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Television Tuesday: Country Music

Posted on September 24, 2019 by Marion

Ken Burns turned his detail-oriented documentarian’s eye to American music for his latest PBS documentary, Country Music. The show runs four sixteen hours, in eight two-hour segments airing on KQED Sunday nights. Burns start before the turn of the 20th … Continue reading →

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Meeting and Greeting

Posted on September 22, 2019 by Marion

I did my first Author Meet and Greet. Copperfields in Petaluma was welcoming! The table and a book-stand was already in place when I got there a few minutes after 1:00 PM. Amber and Ray greeted me. (Amber told me … Continue reading →

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Making Chocolate Leaves

Posted on September 19, 2019 by Marion

Betsy Miller brought aluminum-colored chocolate leaves to the launch party, and Brian Fies said, “Marion, take these to every book event. They are your secret weapon.” Betsy showed me how to make them, and lent me the chocolate mold and … Continue reading →

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Frozen Out: it Left Me Cold

Posted on September 17, 2019 by Marion

Quentin Bates is a British writer who has written a mystery series set in Iceland. Bates lived in Iceland for ten years during the 80s/90s, and he and his wife live there part time now. He has translated several Icelandic … Continue reading →

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When Characters Wander Off

Posted on September 15, 2019 by Marion

I don’t mean in the literary sense, where you the writer, on impulse, let the characters turn down that narrow lane, or jump on the bus to Ithaca, New York even though that’s nowhere in the plot, or even on … Continue reading →

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Let’s Do a Writing Exercise

Posted on September 11, 2019 by Marion

First of all, a quotation: “He rode into our valley in the summer of ’89. I was a kid then, barely topping the backboard of father’s old chuck-wagon. I was on the upper rail of our small corral, soaking in … Continue reading →

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Television Tuesday: The Iron Baby

Posted on September 10, 2019 by Marion

(These shows have been cancelled on FOX, and I watched them On Demand. I think Netflix has cancelled them too.) I’ve now watched Iron Fist, Season One and Marvel’s The Defenders, Season One. there is no escaping Danny Rand, aka … Continue reading →

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