I am scheduled to be on "Lit Chat" on Twitter

I am thrilled to be scheduled for an upcoming edition of Lit Chat -- #litchat on Twitter.
I had the privilege of meeting the moderator at a recent writing retreat, and I enjoyed hearing wonderful excerpts from her novel.

I'm scheduled for March 2 --Friday -- from 4 to 5 p.m. EST.
I hope to see you all there. Lit Chat has some wonderful discussions and great guests. It's definitely worth a follow if you use Twitter.

My favorite literary leading men

Okay, I meant to put this up before / around Valentine's Day, but it's still a fun post...so I wanted to go ahead with it anyway.

This is not an exhaustive list by any means, and I have kind of drawn a lot from the "classical" literary school, but I would love to hear your additions. But for the sake of simplicity, let's just make it a countdown, shall we?

8) Robin Hood.
Sense of social justice? Check. Giving to poor? Check. Looks good in tights? Check.

7) Heathcliff (Wuthering Heights)
Obviously in desperate need of therapy, but who cares? There's something about a brooding man who needs to be helped. Maybe I'm in the one in desperate need of therapy.

6) Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird)
Forget Obama. Forget Romney. Forget Ron Paul. Atticus Finch is the guy we need in the White House.

5) Sydney Carton. (A Tale of Two Cities)
A far better thing that he does than has been done before? Self-sacrifice, unrequited love, it's all there.

4) Cyrnao (Cyrano de Bergerac)
Confession: the first time I read this (in high school) I cried. If you can write that like, I don't care about the nose!

3) Rhett Butler (Gone with the Wind)
I challenge you to find a more lovable rake.

2) Jay Gatsby (The Great Gatsby)
The tortured hero who has everything and nothing. And it didn't hurt that he was played by Robert Redford in the move version.

1) Mr. Darcy (Pride and Prejudice)
Okay, you saw that one coming, didn't you?
I have to include this fan fic cartoon from "Hark! A Vagrant" --a delightful collection of cartoons by Kate Beaton. Check out her website here.

Rainy Days are Great for Writing

There's a saying that if you don't like the weather in North Carolina, don't worry, it will change in five minutes. I confess I've had my heating and air conditioning on in the same day. That's one reason that my allergies are driving me crazy, and everyone I know has/ has had/ just gotten over / is fighting off a cold.

Yesterday I didn't need a jacket. Today it is  a dreary, cold, rainy day.
And I love it.

I love writing on rainy days. I love looking out my home office window on to the golf course (it's all very Faulkner-esque) . I love the sound of rain. I love being in lounge pants all day. I love being in my fuzzy bathrobe. I love looking out at the bright holy bush, and how its red berries contrast to the gray sky. I enjoy watching the unusually fat squirrel hop along my back porch, probably examining the cockpit of my kayak and wondering if he could build a nest in there. I'm smelling the remnants of a winter berry scented candle, and something about this symphony of senses, coupled with a hot cup of coffee and glass of orange juice (vitamin C to thwart said cold season), there's something about it that just begs: "Tell me a story."

"Tell me a story."

I LOVE my readers! Valentine's Giveaway

To THANK all my readers for their support---these Kindle titles will be FREE during Valentine's Day (and the day before)--13th and 14th.

Remember you do NOT have to have a Kindle to read these. You can download a FREE Kindle app through Amazon to use on your computer, phone, etc.

 

Details: The books given away for FREE are: "Leaving the Comfort Cafe," "Ten Thousand New Year's Eves and the short "The Shangri-La Chamber of Commerce Welcomes You."