Hollywood Must Need Writers!

I went to see “The Amazing Spider-Man” last night.  I had assumed that I would see a continuation of the other Spider-man films.  Nope, “The Amazing Spider-Man” reverted back to the beginning, with hapless Peter Parker encountering a spider.  It appears that a super hero’s daily life of fighting crime, thwarting a nemesis, or saving … Continue reading →

What Makes a Good Book Cover?

The graphic designer gave me a first look at four cover options today.  They are all terrific!  What makes a good book cover?  From my web reading, it sounds like the cover has to intrigue someone to pick up the book as well as suggest something about what the book is about.  Obviously, the cover … Continue reading →

Why We Write

A friend at the California Writer’s Club suggested that I subscribe to two magazines.  His recommendations were “Poets & Writers,” and “Writer’s Digest.”  Of the two, only “Poets & Writers” was available on the Kindle, so that’s the one I picked to get started reading about writers.  It turns out that there’s a “Why We … Continue reading →

NY Times Commentary on Memoirs

I’ve been doing a little research about memoirs and this is probably the most discouraging article that I’ve come across.  It seems that the author thinks that our little non-famous lives aren’t worth documenting. Sorry Neil, but I disagree.  Writing doesn’t need to be an exclusive club.  I say do it!  For those who want … Continue reading →

Yardwork – A Lost Art?

I drove out of my street in Connecticut yesterday (Sunday).  I don’t think that I saw anyone working in their yards.  My childhood was much different.  Everyone spent the weekends mowing the yards, tending to flowers, gardening vegetables, working on their house, or taking care of farm animals.  It’s different now, the landscapers pull up … Continue reading →

Maps for Research

I went to the Newtown Town Clerk’s office today.  A few of my early reviewers have suggested that I document how the land around us in Newtown was converted from farmland to housing in the 1970s.  I was able to get the maps from 1961 that showed the original homestead at the time my father … Continue reading →

1st Meeting with the Illustrator

I had lunch with my illustrator yesterday.  He’s terrific!  We’ve decided on a pen & ink drawing style that conjures up memories.  He’s going to do a first pass of all the sketches and we’ll figure out how to fit them into the book design.  I went through every single story with him.  I could … Continue reading →