Presenting: J. Kaye's Book Blog

J. Kaye's Book Blog

J. Kaye's Book Blog's banner reads: J. Kaye's Book Blog, Where Reading Takes Priority . . . what an apt statement! There are books and authors and reviews and give aways galore. If you love books, then get yourself on over there, where books are King and Queen and Subjects, and you can nab a copy of a book you are interested in to boot.

It's a bright active blog that's fun and enjoyable to visit. At the bottom of the blog are clickable "buttons" - spend some time perusing J. Kaye's site through this venue.

Read about J. Kaye and how the book blog began . . . J. Kaye’s Book Blog has been in existence since May 2007. So many changes have happened since then - one being my reading habits. I remember challenging myself to complete one book a week. Looking back now, it’s hard to believe I grew up with a learning disability. And because of a childhood trauma, I still can’t read out loud very well if I know there is another person in the room. This includes my kids. Blogging has given me a way to keep track of what I’ve read. Doing so has increased the amount of books I read in a week. Even my reading speed has improved. The improvement has not been enough to compare to a normal reader. To compensate, I gave up television in 2008. Considering what was on, it wasn’t a huge sacrifice.

I love what J. Kaye writes here, as it is my own mantra! . . . The key is desire. With that, you can accomplish anything. The minute “I can’t” is uttered, your inner light goes out, the door to the universe closes, and you’ve just made that statement a reality.

To find out how you can have a book reviewed, such as: Before sending in a request to review your book, please understand the risks involved. • I am a book blogger with a big mouth, not a professional book reviewer. I post my opinions here as well as on Amazon.com, Twitter, and Facebook. I also have RSS feeds going to a few Ning groups. Look at the very bottom of this page to see those. I also add books I like to GetGlue.com.

Book Give Away Rules.

I first "met" J. Kaye when contacted not only to give away a copy of Tender Graces, but I was a guest on J. Kaye's blog as well. What fun! The commenters asked questions and I answered them -- what writer doesn't want to talk about writing? Even when we are shy and reclusive (as I can be), the chance to talk about the writing from the safety of our leather chairs is too rich to pass up . . . thank you J. Kaye for the opportunity, and thank you commenters for coming round to ask questions and to nab a copy of TG.

J. Kaye wrote: Kathryn Magendie’s poetic voice will tug at your heart as she paints a realistic picture of a time gone by. Fans of Southern Literature will cherish TENDER GRACES.

Here I go round in circles....there I go round like a bird up in the sky

Happy Fourth of July!

Last night I went to GMR's opening night of Til Beth Do Us Part - I loved it! The actors did such a marvelous job -- do you know how hard it is to do comedy? Especially "slapstick" comedy. I was so proud of GMR.... If you are in the Asheville, NC area, call Asheville Community Theater and reserve a ticket! Heck, I have a free comp ticket -feel free to email me and ask for it and I'll arrange to leave it at Will Call for you!

I am going to be at Malaprops Bookstore and Cafe in beautiful downtown Asheville NC on August 15, 2009 at 7PM - please come by and support me at my booksigning if you will be in the area - I'd love to meet you face to face!

I am now on the Author's Page of the Louisiana Book Festival! It is official! I am so excited! As to your comments below *smiling* I am not real sure whether I will be on a panel or speaking, although I did receive an email that implied that; however, until I receive a note telling me for sure I'll be speaking and in what capacity, I am going to assume I will be there as an author at a table with my books and whatever else happens is langniappe (as they say in Louisiana!). So, stay tuned. If you will be in Baton Rouge on October 17, please come to the Book Festival and say hello! Wally Lamb will be there . . . I've never had the pleasure of meeting Wally Lamb. And I've heard Chef John Besh who I have a crush on *teehee* will be there.

I forgot to add: The Haywood County Book Fair -I'll be there! August 1 from 9AM to 5PM!

Y'all have a great weekend! I should have another "Presenting!" tomorrow, and I'll be coming round to visit. *MUWAH*!

google image : http://www.djcobraentertainment.com/images/4th.jpg

Friday Shoot Outs: Celebrate Life . . .

Convertibles on cool summer mornings on Highway 276 Haywood County, Grannies on porches, Walks on the Rose Walk at Lake Junaluska

Convention of Geese, Two Friends Shadows Becoming One, Fishing at Lake J

Life on the Porch at Killian Knob in Maggie Valley, Momma Duck & Babies in Haywood County, Raise a Glass of Beer in Baton Rouge, and Let Loose the Sands of Oregon Pacific Coast

Angels of Venice, Lionheart, and Virginia Kate . . . music without words . . .

Good Morning!

I was thinking about "muses" and what inspires creativity. Though I do believe that if you wait for inspiration to come, you may spend a lot of time waiting and little time doing. For me, I see the actual doing as creating the inspiration. So, when I sit down to write, and put my fingers to the keys, and begin writing, then inspiration comes. I don't want to wait for it. I spent far too many years having to wait for my dream -- a dream I buried deep during the years I couldn't allow myself to remember what I wanted. To go around waiting for inspiration to strike me is a waste of any time I have left in this old world. I am prolific (in what I have in my files, not necessarily what will be published) only because I know I have to just sit and write; however, it is what I love to do and I find no struggle in the actual writing -- yes, there are "struggles" to being a writer, but, the actual writing is not one of them for me.

I do find inspirational surges when I am in nature, and especially when I am deep in the woods and my mind wanders as it becomes a part of all that is around me.

Music can create those surges as well. Though I can't listen to music as write, unless perhaps it is Music Without Words, and then only certain kinds and in certain circumstances.

There is this one piece of music by Angels of Venice, called (appropriately) LIONHEART that I have on a Natural Wonders cd. Every time that music played, I imagined Virginia Kate riding up her mountain, then there would be snatches of "scenes" from the beginning of the book - she'd be thrumming up the mountain on Fionadala's back, and first she'd be a young girl, but by time she reached the ridge, she was a woman, turning turning to release. The beginning of the book, where I have the part in italics (below) all came from this piece of music. I'd listen to it in my car and sometimes I'd cry -- the image of VK was so strong and so real, I'd get goosebumps. I'd say, "Go VK ... Ride! go!" and I'd dream of the day she'd be published so that you all could envision her as well. And now she is published. . . when I listen to LIONHEART now, I am still overcome, but now I know others can envision VK flying up the mountain.

I wanted to use this piece, or a portion of it, for the trailer, but there are copyright laws and all that, so I couldn't.

Here is the Angels of Venice website.

Here is (link won't work! sorry! dang!)-- I'm not sure this link will work so you can listen, especially when to the fiddles come in, that's the point where I'd get the goosebumps. I hope the music plays.

Here's one of the things I wrote to go with that music, what I visualized as the music played:

Grandma Faith wavers in the mists, the wolf calls, the owl flies, the mountain is. Up up I go on Fionadala’s back, her hooves thundering. I see my child’s eyes only, through the closet keyhole, dark eyes are open, then closed. Thundering hooves, up the mountain we ride. At the ridge I stop, take Momma from my pack. And there, with mountain song rising, with fog wetting, with Fionadala nodding her head, with the fiddles of the old ghosts of old mountain men crying, with the voices of all I’ve lost and all I’ve gained, with the mountains cradling, with the West Virginia soil darkening my feet, with Momma’s cry of “Do It!” I open her vessel, and as I twirl, turning turning turning, I let her out—she flies out with a sigh, with forty thousand sighs. As I come to rest, she settles upon me, settles upon the trees and mountain and rock, settles, then is finally stilled. The owl cries, the wolf calls, the mountain is, Grandma Faith nods. Momma is a part of it all now.

Now, you all have a good day: Go DO the day--and don't wait for inspiration, find it in the Doing.

There is the sun, do do do do, there is the sun, behind the leaves . . . .

I love how the sun shines through the leaves of this little apple tree; I do believe this is the apple tree I snapped while taking a walk with GMR and Fat Lazy Labrador along Lake Junaluska.

It's already July 1. I can't believe June is gone already. Geez. And I woke up to a cool mountain morning as if it is spring again. I've been writing outside because I know when it begins to get too chilly, I'll think, "Oh, why didn't I write outside more often, now I'm stuck inside!" *haw* So, I settle myself with my laptop and write away, with the critters and breeze and ridges and distant smoky mountains.

I have just over 84,000 words on VkBook2. Rocking along! I added a chapter yesterday that I didn't think was going to be there; a situation that I didn't at first "see" but it began to appear yesterday as I re-read a chapter. There was a glimmer there, something along the edges, and suddenly the words began backing up against my pea-headed brain and I had to release them. I then knew that the situation had to happen and I'm glad I didn't leave it out.

Did you know that snuck is really supposed to be sneaked? (and really, this one is not that big of a deal since so many say "snuck" and I said "snuck" until I found out the proper way is "sneaked" -now I can't say "snuck" - a character can, but I can't, huhn.) That could care less is supposed to be couldn't care less? That I feel badly is supposed to be I feel bad? That one space after a period/question mark after your sentences is preferable to two spaces? That I didn't say one period after an exclamation point because if you are using exclamation points!! at the end of your narrative sentences you should try to strike those suckers out and instead show the exclamation in your writing. What kinds of "grammar" or "rules" do you try to follow when you are writing? And if you do not write, what do you "notice" when you are reading?

Memories, clog the corners of my mind, misty Maw Maw colored memories . . .

The changeling-water laughed, and whispers flicked my ear. Whispers that I ignored. My head hula-hooped, but it began to feel good in a dangerous sort of way—maybe that was the magic. I was beginning to feel right happied up all a sudden. All my fear flew out to the wind with a big whoopee. Virginia Kate Book 2

Though Tender Graces is fiction, there were moments when real life slipped in, sometimes on accident, sometimes on purpose. Sometimes old memories worked their way into Tender Graces, and I'd manipulate them. Though, most times I just made things up. Sometimes I'd later read what I'd written and feel as if it was familiar, but I couldn't recall to mind an event.

This photo "inspired" a photo I did use in TG, except the kids, Micah & Andy & Virginia Kate were sitting on the couch in the living room in the holler. I'm not sure where this real photo of me and my two brothers was taken.

Then there is this photo! This woman inspired Mee Maw. The photo says it all. My Maw Maw would have a fit if she knew I as plastering this photo for all to see. For, she didn't have her wig on, which is probably what she is doing here, saying "I ain't ready -- what do you think you are doing? I don't have my wig on....!" My Maw Maw was quite the character and I get plenty of Mee Maw stories and inspiration from her - even thought Mee Maw is her own person, she carries the spirit of my grandmother Eunice.

Of course, I had the made up photos that I inserted in the story, but I wonder sometimes if they come from an embedded memory.

Here is another review of Tender Graces; thank you, Gautami.

I am rushing by this morning. 80,000 words and growing. Of course, I add in and sometimes I still take away, but I am making good progress on VKBook2. So, hi ho hi ho it's off to work I go. . .

So we gotta say goodbye much this summer....

I haven't been blogging about all the "celebrity" deaths, because I don't blog about "celebrities" and because, well, there is so much of it I tend to pull away from it. It's just not my thing. Then yesterday I'm watching the news and see that Billy Mays died. I think I was just as shocked about his death as I was with Michael Jackson's death....yes, MJ is a much bigger than life icon, but all the same . . .

I turned the channel every time Billy Mays came on - or I'd "mute" the button, but it was always with a bit of a wink and a grin. And, well . . . I feel sadness at his death. Young, verile, strong looking Billy Mays. Younger than me by two years. Healthy looking . . . at the top of his game. *sigh*

I used to write these "letter to" days on Wednesdays on my old MSN blog. I wrote one to Mays- it was all in fun, as those letters were. I was reading it last night . . . just made me feel more sad. The wink and laugh, and now . . .

Well, now I wish I could hear that big loud voice again. Damn. What a world; what a world. It's not that I can grieve over these "celebrities" as a friend or lover or family member, for I do not and cannot and do not pretend that I ever could- I have lost my own and losing your own is a feeling all its own, a feeling that is uniquely YOURS when you lose one of your own; no, I do not feel that kind of grief or sadness . . . the sadness comes from people who are removed from us, yet so very There in our lives. We see their faces, hear their voices, come to know only a part of who they are: their personifications. We do not know these people, not really. Yet, we can mourn for how they make us feel, or what they represent, or as a part of an era or time in our lives.

Ah well. What a few weeks this has been, eh?