A Births B by Joy E. Rancatore Birds chirp. Butterflies flit. Blooms open. Birthdays bring candles, and books find the spotlight. April begets Beauty. April happens to be my birth month, which is fantastic because it is an extremely LITERARY month. Recently I did a...
More than once or twice, I’ve heard an author apologize, “I’m just self-published.” That phrase hurts my heart. Why? Because what I hear beneath their choice of words and tone is something I want them to hear: “I wrote something straight from my heart that I believed...
Perhaps I’ve convinced you that writing book reviews is worth your time. I hope so! Over the past few months, I’ve experienced frustration with poorly written or unhelpful reviews, irritation with reviews whose ratings are based on personal preferences—from people who...
When I say “author,” what comes to your mind? Do you hear the clicking of a typewriter drifting from the open window of a cabin in the woods? When you zoom in through the window, do you see a room with a crumpled paper-littered floor, a half-empty...
In a few days, it will be a whole new year—again. Each year goes by faster than the last, and that’s why I think it is supremely important to reflect on the past year’s accomplishments and failures and then look forward to new...
Writers care.Genuinely.These past few weeks I’ve been reminded just how caring and giving the writing community can be and how beautiful writing with purpose is.Sure, we’ve got the bad apples. Every bushel does. For the most part, though, when you stumble...
