Monday, November 21, 2016

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU ALL

Quote: Have faith and be strong in the continued process of your life.


I love this time of year, for the love of cranberries and stuffing, but it is also a time to reflect on our lives, and to maybe see the glass half full, in spite of what is still ahead to get through. Concerning those hardships, dreams and plans, try to savor a few treasured moments in the now. 

My WIP, although they remain a continued process, I'm happy to say, this thanksgiving I'm happy to have some extra space for writing them, along with a little reading.






Happy holidays, everyone!

Thursday, September 1, 2016

Jacqueline Howett interviews guest author Henry Herz

I'm happy to announce we have author Henry Herz as our guest here today. Also he is promoting two new books.






Here is the Amazon link to view Henry's new book for September. There you'll also find many of his other wonderful books.

https://www.amazon.com/Henry-Herz/e/B0067AVNJY

The title,  LITTLE RED CUTTLEFISH By Henry, Josh and Harrison Herz. Will be released  on September 15th  2016.

Pre-order is available.


The title, Mabel and the Queen of Dreams was published on July 28th 2016

















So, on with the interview.



Q. Where do you come from?


I grew up in upstate New York, moved to Washington, DC after college, and then migrated to the warmer climes of San Diego, CA by stepping through the back of an enchanted wardrobe.


Q. What made you write this book?


I got the idea to write a picture book based on a scene from Shakespeare. As I researched, I came across that oft-forgotten (at least by me) scene in Romeo and Juliet in which Mercutio waxes poetic about the little fairy queen Mab. Queen Mab affects sleepers' dreams as she flies past, and I thought, what a great premise for a bedtime picture book. Plus, I love getting young readers interested in fantasy, and the idea of writing an urban fantasy bedtime picture book was irresistible.


Q. What other books have you published?


MONSTER GOOSE NURSERY RHYMES (Pelican 2015) – these fractured nursery rhymes substitute mythological creatures for some of the characters.


WHEN YOU GIVE AN IMP A PENNY (Pelican 2016) – a medieval fantasy homage to Numeroff's classic.


MABEL AND THE QUEEN OF DREAMS (Schiffer 2016) - Little Mabel was an expert at not going to sleep. She knew all the best bed-avoiding excuses. “I’m thirsty. I need to use the bathroom. Will you tell me a story?” Mom ALWAYS fell for that one. But Mom had the Queen of Dreams in her quiver of bedtime tales. The fae queen paints children’s dreams, so she can only visit when their eyes are closed.


LITTLE RED CUTTLEFISH (Pelican 2016) - Little Red is off to deliver a fresh basket of crab cakes to Grandma Cuttlefish. Everything goes swimmingly . . .at first. While Little Red might be safe from any big, bad wolves, she has to look out for something even more dangerous: the hungry tiger shark!

Luckily, this cuttlefish is anything but cuddly, and Little Red has a few tricks hidden up her tentacles. She’ll camouflage, squirt ink clouds, and use her quick reflexes to outwit that pesky shark and deliver her crab cakes unharmed.


DINOSAUR PIRATES (Sterling 2017) – Dinosaurs are good. Pirates are good. So, Dinosaur Pirates should be really good! The literary equivalent of Reese's Peanut Butter cups, with a positive message about thinking outside the box.


Q. Which authors have had a significant influence on your writing?


Two groups of writers have influenced my writing. The first group consists of picture book authors who have mastered the medium. People like Maurice Sendak, Jon Klassen, Doreen Cronin, Jane Yolen, Aronld Lobel, Peter Reynolds, Deborah Underwood, Tammi Sauer, and Philip Stead.


The second group are fantasy novelists. I hope someday to craft sentences like J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Robin Hobb, Patrick Rothfuss, Maggie Stiefvater, George R.R. Martin, Lev Grossman, Neil Gaiman, Gary Schmidt, Alexander Lloyd, Kevin Hearne, Peter Beagle, Roger Zelazny, and Ursula Le Guin. I can dream, can't I?


Q. Do you have any other books you can talk about that you're writing?


I have some really fun manuscripts out on submission. NEVER FEED A YETI SPAGHETTI is a rhyming picture book that details what happens when two goblin children throw their mom a monstrous birthday party. Hint: it gets messy. TOP OF THE HEAP is the story of how a little dung beetle proves he is the most helpful of all the farm inhabitants. That's how he rolls.


Q. What do you have to offer other aspiring authors out there?


Never stop honing your craft. Join SCBWI. Participate in critique groups. Writing is like cooking; it’s subjective. What works for one editor won’t work for another. Don’t take offense at rejections or criticism. Never give up, but know when to stop revising and submit. A longer article I wrote on this subject was featured during the 2014 PiBoIdMo, and can be read at https://taralazar.com/2014/11/20/piboidmo-day-20-henry-herz/


Q. Is there anything else you would like to say about yourself and your work?


In addition to writing picture books, I run a blog on KidLit that features interviews with successful writers and illustrators. Aspiring authors can peruse all those interviews at www.henryherz.com. I'm active on Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter, so connect with me there!




Tuesday, June 7, 2016

A short book review, plus my poem/micro fiction, and tidbits


The silkworm By Robert Gailbraith. 4 Stars.

I enjoyed the book set in London, and the nostalgia for my own hometown made the read more pleasant, especially the pub scenes. The detective's life style, his office and team, kept my interest, along with the plot. My only quibble, it was beginning to get a little long. I felt it never really needed the extra pages. I started to loose interest with the dreary, depressing side of London. As it dragged on, I started to skip and jump pages to see how it ends. This might easily happen if I have another stack of books in front of me to read. However, the characters were interesting and memorable. The story finished well, in an excellent style of writing. It also has a great cover that suits the story well.

From the damp, gloom of London, I suggest an uplifting read to warmer climates is best after reading this one.

For those of you interested in reading more from this author, here's the USA amazon link:
https://www.amazon.com/Silkworm-Cormoran-Strike-Book-ebook/dp/B00IJJUIOM?ie=UTF8&qid=1465357344&ref_=la_B00CM8UJ86_1_3&s=books&sr=1-3




The Freedom Trail
by (C) Jacqueline Howett. 2016
Revised poem from the 90's

I took the freedom trail offered,
Merged its essence into my world,
Happiness greets my new freedom,
I'm now among working people,
Where I've learnt to be ever so humble.

       But there...
On the street- is the wolf,
His at the door, enticing me
toward the edge.

I discern, I might be facing to entertain
here and there, some fleeting ghost
wanting to play Tomfoolery.

Finally, they pass.

My happy go lucky nature- returns to remind me,
I am a warrior of the brave,
My soul can face the way.

Feel deep,
Feel the light.

The newcomers-- they have arrived.
It is here among them, I greet my destiny.






My latest, delicious health smoothie ingredients.

Half a banana, one apple, 2 cups of frozen pineapple, Two big tablespoon scoops of Greek yogurt, 1 inch of fresh ginger, sliced up. One and a half cups of water.










Garden Lovers

My garden in pots is a wonderful place where I hang out for soothing the soul. It also brings me instant gratification. You get to see the results within a few months, unlike my writings that take years. To know I'm eating a tomato from a seed, how cool is that? I got more than one hundred and sixty tomatoes, and there's still some left on the vine. I placed them in pots around the swimming pool patio -deck poles. They were suppose to be two feet high, but they grew to six feet. My strawberries are doing well, but they are sparingly giving.
 





Anyone for Tennis?
I managed to fit in a bit of time to catch up on the Paris tennis on TV. I enjoy a little tennis. I lived close by as a kid to Wimbledon Tennis courts in London, England. So close, I could hear the clapping of the crowd. The tennis courts are in a valley, so the echo of clapping hands travel. Sad, Williams never got the trophy.


My writings.
Quote: Everything has its season.
I have been working through some new ideas, and have managed to fill in some sketches to them while editing some major works. I  have also compiled a book of flash fiction, and started on some new novels in varied genre along with shorts. I'm also going back and forth editing several poetry books.



Here's a shout out to a nice link for Books  Lovers
Book chase- has a wonderful Pulitzer Prize Fiction listing link, you might want to check out.



ART LOVERS
I'm sorry I have no art works to show you at this time. I have painted a few new paintings, but I still need to photograph them properly, before any public viewing.



Well, its time for me to sign off, so I'll say, don't forget to enjoy life's little moments each day whenever possible, wherever life takes you, and whatever you're doing. Love who you are-and try to be strong. The world might not always be what we expect, but its still an amazing universe. Can you believe, here in Florida there are some cars now already on
the road that don't need a driver. That is pretty-Wow!




Sunday, January 3, 2016

A book review, and a little news.


 Quote: Better things to come along.
I'm kicking off the year with a review: The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd.
 A classic read. 4 stars.


I found the Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd, to be an intriguing, insightful and enjoyable read, written in a unique style. As we focused up close, I got a glimpse into those lazy, Southern ways with life in South Carolina. It had transported me back to the 60’s era, to an important and interesting time in American history, concerning the change that came among the desegregation period.

Lily, brought up on a peach-farm, neglected by her father, believes she has killed her mother by accident. However, she remains unsure about what actually happened on that day, being only four years old. Throughout the story, she yearns for her mother, and subconsciously she is in search to know more about her. We also hear the story through Lily’s POV, as a fourteen year old. She decides to run away to escape her cold hearted father. She takes nothing with her but a tiny box, with items of her mother. Among the items is a photo of a Black Madonna. On the back of the photo are the words, Tiburon, South Carolina. The black servant, Rosaleen, hired to look after Lily, decides to go with her. When they pass through town, Rosaleen, attempts to place in her right to vote for the first time, with the passing of the civil rights act, but finds herself in conflict with some boys she spits at, who are racist. Trouble stirs, and Rosaleen faces jail. Lily finds a way to have her set free, and they make a run for it.

They both end up on a beekeepers sanctuary, managed by these black sisters, who each have interesting characters. They take Lily, a white girl, and Rosaleen in. Through the wise, nurturing qualities of the sister’s, Lily, in time, feels like family and opens up to tell the sisters what happened to her mother. To Lily’s surprise, it is here at the beekeepers sanctuary, she also uncovers those secrets about her mother’s life, and her death.
If you are looking to feel the sticky, heat of the South, you will find it perfectly, described in this classic read, along with the sound of bees and honey.

To those interested in more information on the book and this author, here's the USA Amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Life-Bees-Monk-Kidd/dp/0142001740





Jacqueline Howett's studio desk Copyright 2016


               I have been painting some still life, for a change.


Still Life painting of a green pepper and onion, by (C) Jacqueline Howett 2016
Still Life painting of apples By (C) Jacqueline Howett 2016

For my art lovers, more updates to my art blog, later. 

These art images are copyright images of Jacqueline Howett, and cannot be used without first obtaining permission.


THIS YEAR IT'S SMOOTHIES
FOR BETTER HEALTH


Photo by Jacqueline Howett (C) 2016


 I'm hoping to use my new blender  throughout 2016 to create some healthy smoothies.  So far, I'm keeping up the pace at least four times a week.

Here's a smoothie recipe.

1 Banana, chopped up,
One cup of Blueberries,
One apple chopped up,


A good handful of greens,
Two tablespoons flax (grounded),
sunflower seeds,
handful of walnuts, crumbled up a little.
Organic Coconut flakes, or cup of coconut milk,
3 tablespoons of Greek yogurt,
tsp of chia,
Any frozen fruit place in last.



Next, I shall try carrots with ginger and apple.



I hope in future blogs to tell you more of their nutritional values. Or I might come back later and add that note in to this present smoothie.





Photo copyright, Jacqueline Howett  2016


Hope some of you got what you wanted for Christmas! I had a pleasant Christmas. I wanted to make it personal, so I knitted scarves for loved ones in England, who I haven't seen in years. Yes, I know; what me - knit? I tell you, it was fun. I finished a scarf in two days, and so I ended up knitting three. I hadn't knitted since I was in my teens. I liked the instant gratification it gave me, to see a project completed in that short time. It was a nice feeling knowing my family might wear them through the winter and feel the love while they were out and about in the cold. I think I actually felt quite different in this process of knitting. It gave me some distance from my usual self for a change, to realize how precious is time. It made me think of early childhood too. And I  remembered my English Grandma who use to knit. However, I think my fad for knitting has now passed.

In the reflection with slowing the wheels down in my brain, it did give me a new perspective.


                                 Works in progress





I 'm also excited to have given birth to some new writings in the works, while editing other major works.

I haven't put any inspirational, writing tip links up this time for writers, but for those of you interested in editing, and staying in touch with the process of writing, my previous two blogs down have a nice list I find to be helpful.  Here's the link to that blog.
http://jacquelinehowett.blogspot.com/2015/07/a-book-review-and-awesome-great.html








I've been trying to spend a little more time outside when its sunny, for my daily dose of vitamin D. I just started growing broccoli, collard greens, and strawberries, and herbs like mint, basil, and lemon thyme. And some tomatoes from seeds. I find it so relaxing sitting among all that goodness. Sometimes I'll read a book, or catch up on blogs on my cell. However, the weather has suddenly turned cold, but it's not that bad here in Florida, and well, I can't complain with what's going on up North, and the crazy floods in the Mid West. Poor souls.






Here's wishing you all, a blessed and creative 2016, and thanks for stopping by.