Happy Thanksgiving

Have a cooky.

With a grateful heart, here's wishing you all a blessed, peaceful, and joyful Thanksgiving.

The quote is: Turn the page.

There comes a day when you realize turning the page is the best feeling in the world, because you realize there is so much more to the book than the page you were stuck on.


T. Malik.




Inspiringandpositivequotes.com

Kind of where I'm at right now.

The quotes for  "turn the page,"  with a Google search are endless. Some are really good.


So what's next in your life?


Catch you all later, guys.

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!

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.

                                          

A book review, and an awesome Great sightings poetry link from a poet I admire.

Hi all,

While I continue creating and editing, I leave you with a awesome poetry blog link, from a poet I admire, and another book review. Enjoy.


The Valley of Amazement By Amy Tan. 5 stars.



What a charming read. Amy Tan managed to transport me to a faraway land, old China, and the struggle of a Geisha girl and the choices she made that obscured her fate, yet captivates the valor and strength to survive in spite of the odds. She portrayed this life style at the turn of the century with amazing charisma. The blatant sex surprised me a little, but overall I concluded it made this type of story more real. It was daring of Amy Tan to portray the naked truth. The history and her characters were captivating and memorable. I enjoyed learning the details of the various levels in this profession amidst this culture. I felt it could have been a shorter novel. I started to grow tired toward the end and wanted their ordeal to be finished already. It is an impressive and unique story, beautifully told. The writing, without a doubt is excellent.


For those of you interested in viewing more, here is Amy Tan's USA Amazon link.

http://www.amazon.com/Valley-Amazement-Amy-Tan/dp/0062107321/ref=la_B000APXZIO_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1437849623&sr=1-3






Great sightings

Awesome Poetry Blog link- Shadow.

I would also like to give a shout out to a wonderful poet, I admire, named Shadow, and hope you will visit and read some of her awesome poetry at her blog. She sure knows how to reach the core of your soul. And she places up some amazing images with her poems.

Shadow:  http://gsp-shadow.blogspot.com



Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a great weekend.

Jacqueline.








 

I've decided to continue showing the helpful author links and fun links from my last post for convenience sake at the bottom of my post, this time around while I work on my own WIP. And I may just add a few more to the list later. They are always handy to just click on to see what new updates everyone's talking about.

Jacqueline Howett's WIP. (C) photo J. Howett. 2015.
 

So here are some helpful blogs for authors I've been stalking.



Helping writers become authors.
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com


Fiction Factor has a nice feed on 1st person.
http://www.fictionfactor.com

Jody Hedlund
http://jodyhedlund.blogspot.com


Anne R Allen
http://annerallen.blogspot.com


More on the advantages of 1st person POV
http://www.novel-writing-help.com/first-person-point-of-view.html



Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi
http://writershelpingwriters.net/



Kristen Lamb
https://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/





http://www.thewritersalleyblog.com/




Michael J. Sullivan's blog on POV is interesting.
http://riyria.blogspot.com/2011/07/writing-advice-6-point-of-view.html
also, a link on show and tell
http://riyria.blogspot.com/2011/07/show-and-tell.html



Blood red pencil
 Check out their resource links.
How Layers Can Deepen Your Story’s Impact
http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/2015/05/how-layers-can-deepen-your-storys-impact.html#comment-form



Nathan Bransford
Nathan, has created a very nice listing. A one stop place for everything.
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2009/06/writing-advice-database.html

You might also want to check out Nathan's forum with your questions. There's also varied topics you can take part in. Here's the link.
http://forums.nathanbransford.com/





More great sighting links to come, in my next post.

And here's a link for the fun of everyday living.
Photography, travel and places, people, relationships, beauty, fashion, and food. Hopefully, to inspire and motivate your zest for life. Enjoy!


Diana Mieczan' Blog   exPress-o  http://diana212m.blogspot.com/





Also,


Check out Karen Jones Gowen's blog,
Coming down the mountain: Ex pat writer Living Abroad.

Great photos of her new life in Guatemala.

http://karenjonesgowen.blogspot.com/



Genie--Paris and Beyond.
Great photography! Worth taking a look.

http://parisandbeyond-genie.blogspot.com/



EASTER IN FRANCE
 Twelve glorious days in France
http://chocolateandcroissants.blogspot.com/

This blog you must see.
Another Paris.
http://chocolateandcroissants.blogspot.com/2015/04/paris-les-boulevards-review.html





 If you have any links to add to help authors, or fun links, please place them in the comments. Thanks.

 Here's wishing you all, a creative and blessed 2015!


 

New e-mail update, a book review, and fun links with some useful writer links, WIP. If Time serves me well.....





                       Thought of the day: Take your time, just don't waste your time.  J. Howett

(C) photo by Jacqueline Howett  WIP

 I'll be catching up on a little more reading, writing and editing.
                                            


I had a period reading other authors for a solid few months, and it served as a great inspiration to my own creating and editing. I'm still reading, but I've slowed down some in order to focus on some writing. My book review selection today is:

Innocence by Dean Koontz.

What an extraordinary story. It wasn't easy jumping into this book right away. I had moments of picking it up and putting it down. Hard to grasp at first with the eeriness and the way Dean Koontz tells the story in past tense, then present in alternating chapters. Soon enough, I was completely captivated and could not stop reading. It was different from anything I have read. The unfolding concept toward the end is well worth sticking through it to get there. It has so much depth it makes you think about certain things on other levels. The writing is excellent and memorable. The essence of this story stayed with me long after. Highly recommend it.

To buy or view further, click on Amazon's link below.

http://www.amazon.com/Innocence-bonus-short-story-Wilderness-ebook/dp/B00CQZ653S/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1430587152&sr=1-1&keywords=innocence+dean+koontz


As of June my new e-mail is

JacauelinehowettAT gmail DOT com

Any hotmail connections should be erased. Thanks.

WIP

GREAT SIGHTINGS



Some helpful blogs for authors I've been stalking.



Helping writers become authors.
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com


Fiction Factor has a nice feed on 1st person.
http://www.fictionfactor.com

Jody Hedlund
http://jodyhedlund.blogspot.com


Anne R Allen
http://annerallen.blogspot.com


More on the advantages of 1st person POV
http://www.novel-writing-help.com/first-person-point-of-view.html



Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi
http://writershelpingwriters.net/



Kristen Lamb
https://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/





http://www.thewritersalleyblog.com/




Michael J. Sullivan's blog on POV is interesting.
http://riyria.blogspot.com/2011/07/writing-advice-6-point-of-view.html
also, a link on show and tell
http://riyria.blogspot.com/2011/07/show-and-tell.html





Blood red pencil
 Check out their resource links.
How Layers Can Deepen Your Story’s Impact
http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/2015/05/how-layers-can-deepen-your-storys-impact.html#comment-form




Nathan Bransford
Nathan, has created a very nice listing. A one stop place for everything.
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2009/06/writing-advice-database.html

You might also want to check out Nathan's forum with your questions. There's also varied topics you can take part in. Here's the link.
http://forums.nathanbransford.com/





More great sighting links to come, in my next post.

And here's a link for the fun of everyday living.
Photography, travel and places, people, relationships, beauty, fashion, and food. Hopefully, to inspire and motivate your zest for life. Enjoy!


Diana Mieczan' Blog   exPress-o  http://diana212m.blogspot.com/





Also,


Check out Karen Jones Gowen's blog,
Coming down the mountain: Ex pat writer Living Abroad.

Great photos of her new life in Guatemala.

http://karenjonesgowen.blogspot.com/





Genie--Paris and Beyond.
Great photography! Worth taking a look.

http://parisandbeyond-genie.blogspot.com/



EASTER IN FRANCE
 Twelve glorious days in France
http://chocolateandcroissants.blogspot.com/

This blog you must see.
Another Paris.
http://chocolateandcroissants.blogspot.com/2015/04/paris-les-boulevards-review.html




If you have any links to add to help authors, or fun links, please place them in the comments. Thanks.

 Here's wishing you all, a creative and blessed 2015!





.


. If Time serves me well.....






 I'll be catching up on a little more reading, writing and editing.
                                            
 

Note: As of April 2015, My new e-mail is jhowett13ATgmailDOTcom


 

WIP

       Here's wishing you all, a creative and blessed 2015!








.


Happy Holidays to you all!

Hi all!  I'm giving 30% off the mark up price on all my art prints for Xmas with this code: XSFKKB. They start at $36. Available from Fine Art America. Valid until the 28th December 2013.


Wishing you all the very best of the season!

Jacqueline

  Click here: Fine Art America

 

Title: Capricious. Art by Jacqueline Howett.



 



#7  Art by Jacqueline Howett  30% off all art prints.

 




Art created by Jacqueline Howett


Blessings to you all!






 Fine Art America

 

Just a note:

 

I know many of you are wondering where I've been for so long, and why isn't  my novel, The Greek Seaman back up on Smashwords and Amazon, but to to tell you the truth, my circumstances have been kind of tough lately. I've also been having some health issues on and off for a while now. I'm not good at telling the world this kind of news. I'm usually a private person, but it has interfered with my energy out-put, so I just wanted you all to know why. 

Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate it!     JH

 

A poem by Jacqueline Howett

To whom this rhythm of our hearts seek?

Art work by (c) Jacqueline Howett

To whom this rhythm of our hearts speak?

To whom the river of our hearts to seek?

Amidst the empty shell now peaceful sleep,

No longer flow the tears on earth to weep,

A new beginning, a new peak to reach,

The struggles upon upward climbs, who greets?

And this revealing light beneath my feet,

Each step knows we have crossed a timeless fleet.

(c) By Jacqueline Howett



Art work by (c) Jacqueline Howett

Thanks for stopping by my blog. Your comments are always appreciated!



Art lovers- This weeks Tuesdays Art View painting is titled - Capricious.
http://jacquelinehowettart.blogspot.com



My Art is now available as prints at Fine Art America

I'm sure you have all noticed, how much I've been into an art craze, lately. Its been lots of fun changing hats for a while. Well, I just wanted everyone to know,  you can purchase my prints for as low as $36. Greeting cards, poster, canvas and metal media are also available.


 Most Tuesdays I have an art view of my art on my art blog:          http://jacquelinehowettart.blogspot.com/




Title: colored gold. Acrylic on canvas. (c) Jacqueline Howett

            The original is also available for 'Colored Gold'  Size w:16" X H:20" X 05" Price:$1,600 It was created with thick texture, and heavy layers of acrylics on a black background.  Prints now available at Fine art america. Contact me by e-mail for the original. 
       
                                            Fine Art America - Prints






Title: Warrior. Art Print  now available at Jacqueline Howett (c)  Fine Art America. Original NFS.



   Fine Art America - Prints

Contact: jacquelinehowett@yahoo.com

                                                Thanks for stopping by! I hope you like the art!



       If you're passing by facebook, I'd appreciate your liking my art fan page. Thanks Jacqueline.


                                     https://www.facebook.com/ArtByJacquelineHowett

JACQUELINE'S FISH- VEGE- GARLIC- SOUP RECIPE.

Jacqueline's fish, vege  garlic soup.

 I usually cook this soup, once a week.

Cut up 3 large carrots, 2 celery, 1 onion, and boil in a quarter of water in a medium saucepan. When they really start to cook, add 1 chopped potato, then 1 green and yellow zukini, (optional.) Or any other vege you desire. Add a few bulbs of garlic, (also optional.)

Add herbs: dash of pepper, marjoram, dash of cilantro, oregano, thyme, (Tiny dash of salt - optional.)

Top up with 1/4 of vege broth, or chicken broth. I like using vege broth.
Add a piece of Cod or Haddock, or any other white fish you like. Cook until fish breaks up. Voila!



I like to eat this soup mostly clear, but you can add cream if you like, or a dash of milk, with a nob of butter at this stage, or if you prefer it red, just add tomato sauce or just a tin of crushed tomatoes, and a tiny dash of tabasco.



Serve in bowl, drizzled with olive oil and stir.  I like to pour in the olive oil last, these days, to get the full benifit from the oil, as heating olive oil on high heat is no good for you, apparently. (Dash of lemon juice - optional).

Enjoy!
Jacqueline

Inspirational piece on "Detachment" by Jacqueline Howett



Buddha-Detachment.  Photograph by (c) Jacqueline Howett.

                                                   


WHEN YOU LEARN NOT TO WANT THINGS SO BADLY, LIFE COMES TO YOU.   - Jessica Lange.



I took this picture while living in Maine. I placed a huge Buddha under a tree, next to my herb garden. It was a time in my life I wanted to understand detachment from all things, feelings, etc., and letting go of all I had learnt, or processed through my life up to that point. I was seemingly opening my mind to see various points of view that I was normally closed to.

Funny enough, it was a time I still went to church every now and then. One day, after a period of time had elapsed in my growth, I sat in church and a strange impression came over me. I had a shaved head like a Buddhist monk. I think I knew then my initiation was over. Soon after, I left Maine and came to live in Florida. Florida had been a state I was thinking I might go to live, after I found myself shovelling snow for the first time. But before all that happened, I thought I heard Jesus talking to me, saying, it was okay to be with Buddha and other spiritual roads of understanding for a while, but in the end he knew I was from his flock. 

It was a time my mother had just died, and when I first came to that house, I remember digging my herb garden with just a tiny, table spoon. Everyone told me to use the garden tools in the garage, but I wasn't there yet. I was thinking maybe of my mother as I turned the soil. However, later, I did use the tools and created a beautiful garden of serenity. It was also a time of amazing creativity in my life. Everything I did was not planned, it just happened spontaneously. I think I had for a time, everything I ever wanted, but I still felt empty in the big picture of the world. I still hadn't fully realised all. Looking back, I had awkward, uncomfortable parts about myself, something inside that was holding back, and I also realised how shallow I still felt about certain issues. There were other times I felt like Alice in Wonderland. I had a certain stage fright about facing reality in my learning new ropes. In many ways the pendulum can swing the other way, by being to detached from reality, or the world. I guess my journey at that point could only go so far. 



It's true to a degree, that saying, "You can only understand life backwards." I had so much to be thankful for back then, but I was still not developed enough. I realised little things about myself. How critical I could be about the lives of others. (Much of this from how I was brought up, that I was now peeling away, but it was hard to do.) Wisdom takes time, and much of that may hopefully develop with age. Each segment of our lives is a gift. And yes, maybe it's not seen to be so at the time. We only have to look at the way everyone thought in the fifties, sixties, seventies, eighties, nineties, wow!

Anyway, it was a time I had nothing. It was like living in an invisible world, (Detached.) And yet, in a few short years I had accomplished so much. I was given so much of what I always wanted. But most of all, the "time" and "space" to do it- in various pockets of time with a certain ease. I created art cards and sold them in book/gift stores. (This I remember I always wanted to do, ever since a very young girl. I had passed a shop outside of a London Museum that sold geometric looking art cards. OMG! I knew I wanted to do that! I recognised it in my soul, but had no words for it at the time, or how it would come about. Then out of the blue, as a matured woman, I had art exhibitions, wrote novels, poetry, created my poetry book and placed that in local stores, I had become quite the gourmet cook, I biked around Maine and enjoyed the scenic wonders with my health at its Marathon peak, and I had suddenly acquired friends who I went to dinner with, or hang out with.

 I basically got the things I thought every normal human being had. I was living the dream to a degree. Life was good living in the moment. And yet, every now and then, there was an undercurrent reminding me there was more to it. A wild in me, still searching in my soul. More living to do.
I think what I'm trying to say, is that there are times in our lives when everything comes together. Passages of time when you get to experience all those things you felt in your soul you wanted. Not all at once, but over a time span. And then there are other times, nothing happens, it might seem. There's another learning process going on, unconsciously. And here I guess I shall place the quote: "When you learn not to want things so badly, life comes to you."

There are some places, and people in our lives, more so than others, that seem to have passed on to us the best of memories, and who took part in the unfolding of many of our dreams, without our realising it until much later.


                                            
Did you get to do all the things in your life yet? or are you still waiting? No, it's not a bucket list, necessarily. Most things will come in some shape or form. How they come as we grow, is another matter. What was it that you really wanted and got? And once you had it, how did it make you feel? Were you still empty inside? Did the glory moment pass all too quickly to really complete you and make you satisfied? Or was it a wow moment? How long did it last?  Here's the key. "The essence of the way is detachment."

On the other hand, you'll get to experience things, you never thought of doing, like maybe a ride in a hot air balloon or something. (Maybe that will have more to do with getting a grand picture of things, or how wonderful life can be, or how small we are, or simply about overcoming certain fears.) At other times a lesson might turn into a gift. Actually, detachment has many meanings, when I think about it, but I just can't express them all into words, as they float on by- right now. We live in a time when we want everything "now." Maybe detachment is learning to let go a little more, or not hold the reigns of life too tightly, or it maybe a way of thinking you're ready to let go of towards a greater realisation of self, or it might be in this day and age a greater detachment from social networking. A relationship. And the big one is, finding a new way to breaking bad habits.

I'm sure many of you will have your own version of detachment that will trigger off thoughts that you never thought would be connected to such a word, like some of my versions. Whatever detachment is to you, I hope at some point it will make your life better.



I've started one of those creative visual boards. You know, where you cut out pictures of stuff you still want to see happening in your life on to a board. I guess you could do the same by cutting and pasting images from the net, and create a collage visual board that way too into a document.


Enjoy your week! Jacqueline Howett

Nucking Futs and tidbit links

Nucking Futs was inspired in part by my misfortunate viral mishap written up in the Guardian last year.  Now playing at Bats Theatre in NZ, from 12th-21st. The Play is a comedy about Life and Literature online. With its trademark dark humour, full.stop.theatre uses Nucking Futs to explore how the internet can feed delusions of grandeur and prey on people's naivety for the amusement of others.

Written by Cherie Jacobson and Alex Lodge
Directed by Ed Watson
full.stop.theatre

at BATS, Wellington
Until 21 Apr 2012


Hi Guys,
Being I'm a bit of a Playwright myself, I thought I'd share this! And seeing that I haven't written anything as yet on my blog about Plays, why not start here?

Apparently this dark comedy Play had a full house and was hilariously funny! I wish I could have been the fly on the wall, but I don't think I'll be catching any flights to New Zealand to see it. I guess were just have to wait and see if it plays in a theatre near me! There are two main reviews. In reflection I found John Smythe's review to be quite interesting. John Smythe is the managing editor and critc of theatreveiw.org.nz.  His also a writer of plays for stage, television and film.

Have a great day!

Jacqueline





Links to reviews




Nucking Futs – from the team that brought us Tea for Toot – is inspired by the phenomenon of independent writers self-publishing e-books online in the virtual (but not exactly virtuous) minefield of blogs, Facebook, Twitter and 'reality' television.


Cleo has launched herself with a romance novel called Her Moist Abyss, which involves caving. A subsequent incident at a Whanganui Writers Week Q&A session – captured by way of a prologue – has led to her taking time out to meditate at what she is pleased to call a spiritual retreat and health spa.
She has also hired "a documentary crew to make a self-promotional film about ‘the woman behind the words'," as the media release puts it. The detail of who is paying what for this is glossed over, but it does become apparent Cleo has not retained any sort of editorial right over what footage gets used and how. She is not allowed to call "cut" and Chip the cameraman keeps saying he can make no promises about what may or may not be used, although it is not clear who he answers to or who holds what rights over the accumulating footage (or do we call it bytes these days?).

Comment excerpts from John Smythe's review.

Thanks for that, Martyn.  I do have a note about Rod's Reads, following the first Insecure Writers' Support Group scene and before the reveal about Raoul. I just didn't clock it as the catalyst for "the whole show". Perhaps I missed a time-shift thing, or was it a bit of backstory exposition. Does Cleo respond to the Rod's Reads review, and to the responses to her responses, within the present action of the play?
I'll come again on Tuesday (prior to Other People's Wars) and if I realise I have factually misrepresented the play, I will add a correction to this thread.  
"On the second viewing I do see how Nucking Futs aims to confront the phenomenon of internet cruelty. Right at the start Cleo reports that she got a bad review on Rob's Reads but she's carted off before she can give us the guts. Later she and Diane deliver some expository reportage on what happened. But nothing in the present action of the play allows us to either empathise with her outrage or fear for what will happen to her, given her behaviour.

(Spoiler alert) Chip the cameraman and Raoul/Trent the predatory blogger do collude to exploit the delusional vulnerability of Cleo. Chip is a film school grad trying to get a break (so presumably is doing this for nothing) and Trent … Well I still don't see why he is going to all the trouble of physically entering her life to mess with her. (ends) I mean most 'meanness by meme' happens on the net in a series of mindless passing moments where the perpetrators don't stop to think about the actual person they are making fun of. That is the nature of what the play sets out to explore."

Yes it's quite entertaining – very sometimes – in its idiosyncrasy. But there is little drama, no build up of tension and so no release, built into the dramatisation. And there is no opportunity to engage empathetically with Cleo. If the play allowed us to first feel tempted to laugh at Cleo, then realise the ridicule had gone too far and feel compassion for her, while questioning our own attitudes and responses, it would be much more effective, theatrically and socially.
As it stands we just get to appraise the situation objectively. 


Click Here to read the full review by John Smythe 
http://www.theatreview.org.nz/reviews/review.php?id=4700






About LIfe and Literature online: review
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/local-papers/the-wellingtonian/arts-entertainment/6693595/Downloading-a-meltdown







Bats Theatre: Tickets.
http://bats.co.nz/

For those of you unfamiliar with my side of the facts back then, concerning the Big AL incident, I wrote a blog titled: In retrospect. A public, viral announcement: 

http://jacquelinehowett.blogspot.com/2011/05/in-retrospect.html

Do feel free to Tweet this post!