I wonder what my mother would make of all this social media. I can imagine her marveling at the information and the images at her finger tips. She also worry about the lack of privacy. She’d set all of her privacy settings to the max and choose carefully what to share. Of course, I don’t …
Last week, thanks to the work and help of friends and strangers, I traveled to Salem, Massachusetts for the Writer Unboxed UnConference. Have you ever been to Salem? I found it magical. Maybe it was arriving three days after Halloween and meeting people I’d known online, but had never spent time with in real life. …
The other day I listened to an On the Media radio story about the decline of the beat reporter, and one beat they covered was the obituary beat. I struck by the realization that so many papers no longer cover obituaries, and while some papers might have an online version, families have to pay every …
As I mentioned in another post, I’m reading Austin Kleon‘s book Show Your Work. A while back, I read his book Steal Like an Artist. I was attracted to his work because he uses text in his art like I do. Anyway, to earn money, I teach. Also, I’m homeschooling my kiddo. If I’m not …
Fall gives me energy. Maybe it’s all those years starting school in the fall, going to the store to buy new notebooks and folders that made me feel like everything was beginning all over again. My dad wasn’t one to take me shopping much. He was a single dad and so shopping for my shoes, …
I’m hoping to do something I’ve never been able to do–go to a writers’ conference. Writers Unboxed will hold a conference in November in Salem. Salem! I’ve always wanted to go to Salem. Anyway, there is also a fundraiser to help a group of women get to the conference. If you can help and would …
Back in the late 70’s my mother made a stop-animation film for a college class. I remember looking at the set she’d built on a table in her apartment and her warning me that if I touched it, she’d kill me. The project took a very long time. A tiny bit of film, she’d move …
Soon my art should be hanging in a gelato shop here in town. And in another month or so, I might have some work in a local festival. In October, I have another show at my favorite local coffee shop. With a group of friends I’m working on an absurd magazine (more on that another …
I’ve been trying to work on a poem for my mom, but I am insecure about my poetry. After my mom left my dad, she started writing poems. Maybe she wrote them before that, but I have no proof. What I have is a journal filled with poems dated 1975 or 1976. My mom inscribed …
My novel arrived today. I’m trying to think of something clever or insightful to say. I’m too gobsmacked. All I can manage is to wish you vast amounts of luck and deep wells of persistence in whatever dream you’re pursuing. I think Woody Allen is a jerk, but this quote of his still works for …
I wish everyone the best this holiday season. Perhaps it is a joyful time for you. Perhaps it is difficult. Perhaps it means nothing at all. Whatever your situation, I wish you all good things now and always.
My mother drew the unicorn. I can’t draw like her. I’ve always wanted to, but have yet to manage it. Do you compare yourself to your parents? Is there something either on of them did that you wish you could do? My mother started to write a novel. She had only a few chapters written …
I’ve illustrated children’s books and greeting cards. You can always go directly to my publisher, Plum Tree Books, but if you live in the US, you can order directly from me (for a while anyway). I’m experimenting with this site, and we’ll see how it goes. My illustrated things are here at Bonanza.
When I write, I sometimes listen to music. The music fits either the mood of the story or the personality of the characters. The other day, I had the chance to collaborate on a music show with London DJ Claudio Fiore and with my publisher, Plum Tree Books, that tells the story of the music …
My novel launched today! (Here at Amazon.) Since the story is set in the summer of 1985, I’ve been thinking back to those high school days. What were you like in high school? I wasn’t popular. I liked to be in the art room with a sketch pad or a book. The drawing posted here …
Today I finished chemo. One surgery remains. The toxins will leave my body, my hair will grow back, and I’ll get to call myself a survivor. But aren’t we all survivors if we make it to another day? I don’t know, but I find survivor a strange thing to call myself. Many people are kind …
by Marta Pelrine-Bacon copyright 2011 Clarice possessed a fascination for sharp, glittering things. In her upstairs room she kept knives, needles, and razors hidden in a red box under her bed. Almost every one of them was stolen. Her mother couldn’t even abide the sight of cutlery and the sight of blood made her faint. …
Nodding, Fran stepped into the circle. She took a deep breath and lay down in its center. Staring up at the stars, she thought about the dirt pressing into her hair and the bugs that might be nearby. She didn’t believe in Milla’s ideas, her rituals, or chants, and she sometimes thought Milla was close …
My adult ESL class is reading The Great Gatsby. I teach the advanced reading class and the goal of the class is to prepare the students for university. I also assign essays related to Gatsby, articles about the American dream and the like. Students in past classes enjoyed the novel. Some students even liked the …
When I was a kid (and for many years after), I would’ve said my biggest fear was spiders. As a teenager I’d lock myself in a room if that’s what it took to get away from a spider. Spiders still cause me breathing trouble. When I started sending my writing out into the world, I …
Wow. My publisher has finished the cover of my novel. After writing, submitting, and waiting, it is hard to believe my novel is actually going to be out in the world. Not out because I handed a copy to a friend, but out for anyone to read. My novel is leaving me. We’ll see …
Well, not really. And I’m not someone who tries to talk to the dead because I don’t think they’re listening. But anyway, Plum Tree Books wrote about poetry and death–two things often seen together–and the post suggested trying to write a poem with the title I Can Talk to the Dead. I am not a …
I know this ridiculous, but what if the Doctor’s companion was a cancer patient. She could run around between chemo treatments and lose her hair. I don’t know. It’s crazy, but maybe it would be nice to see patients with certain illnesses on film out in the world doing things. And by doing things I …
Today was the summer solstice. A year ago today, we had our housewarming party to celebrate moving into our very first house. A week from today I’ll have my fourth chemo treatment (12 more to go after that). Before I’m done with chemo, I’ll have another book out that I’ve illustrated. Soon after I finish …
We all have a story why we write or make art or create whatever it is we create. How far back does the story go? Does my story go back to the first book I fell in love with? (Watership Down) Does it go back to my mother’s love of books? My grandmother’s love of …
I hid the babies in my closet. There were three–baby rabbits that fit in the palm of my hand. The stray cat that had taken to sleeping in our carport had killed their mother, and my step-sister and I found the babies in the dirt by the pool. N. wasn’t living with us anymore, but …
First off, for the record, I never watched the Fear Factor reality show. Well, once when visiting my dad, but in dad’s house we watch whatever his wife wants to watch–even though there are four TVs in the house. End of discussion. In any event, I’m not a big fan of fear. I’ll watch a … Continue reading
I write. I make art. I also send my son to speed skate competitions. My son hopes to attend the national speed skating competition this summer. With hard work, good luck, and a little help from the friends far and wide, we might raise the money to send him to Lincoln, Nebraska where he’ll skate … Continue reading
It’s that holiday again. Every holiday seems to come with issues, right? New Year’s Day has its resolutions and people who mock resolutions. It makes Facebook hit us with the-year-in-review, which for some folks is more of a reminder-of-heartache-loss-and failure. Thanks, FB! Valentine’s Day makes some lovers happy, makes some lovers guilty (gifts? argh!), and … Continue reading
Against my better judgment, I’m participating in Story-a-Day May again this year. (If you’re giving it a try, let me know!) I love Story-a-Day because it motivates me. I like the pressure. It’s why I like NaNoWriMo as well. With no pressure, I’ll just sit and stare into space, dismissing every idea and distracting myself … Continue reading
I didn’t know that much about Ann Richards while she was governor of Texas. I’m not from Texas, after all. I learned about her from my husband. When I met my husband-to-be, he had a picture of himself standing with Ann, a picture we still have and display. She was a strong leader with a … Continue reading
Hermione Granger stood up for the weak. She helped. She fought the good fight. Clara Barton did the same. In 1881 Ms. Barton founded the Red Cross. The suffering of soldiers in the Civil War didn’t just distress her, it moved her to action. She had leadership skills and charisma and never thought of herself … Continue reading
What’s on your mind today? I’ve been thinking about my work-in-progress. Well, I have multiple WIPs. Right now I’m focused on a sci-fi fairy tale. I want to finish the manuscript, go back to my Fairy Tale Asylum story and then to drafts of other stories. So many stories fluttering around in my head. I’ve … Continue reading
