 Red Room Writer Profile
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Jess Wells's Blog
November 23, 2009
- In reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s delightful Eat Pray Love I stumbled across the chant she relies on: Om Namah Shivaya. ‘I honor the divinity that resides within me.’There’s a huge divide (in my mind, anyway) between creator religions and Buddhism and since I’m a Buddhist, most of the chants and prayers to god-figures don’t really work for me. This one is quite the exception, ...
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November 8, 2009
- I’m wondering why anyone would start to write when the book that lives inside your head before you start writing feels so perfect? At the stage before you write your characters are vivid and witty and they transition from one emotional moment to the next without awkward pause or stumble. You can see the whole book in your mind, all the unique insights (oh, don’t you love them!), layered ...
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October 23, 2009
- Join us in honoring one of the brilliant founding voices of new literature, Judy Grahn, in a special event Friday, October 30th at the Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th Street at Mission, in San Francisco. The Judy Grahn All Hallows' Eve ExtravaganzaAn evening of performances paying tribute to Judy, her work, and the release of her new book The Judy Grahn Reader. Date: Friday, October 30, 2009 ...
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October 13, 2009
- If you write historical fiction that’s based in a timeframe prior to the invention of the car (and most is), here’s a tip: learn to ride a horse. It was virtually the only mode of transportation for most of our characters and the experience of riding long distances and/or the relationship that one had with a horse can add to your historical fiction. The good news is that I’ve found a ...
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September 25, 2009
- What a jewel: Ramble Redhead interviews authors for a 1-hour online radio show. How long has it been seen you've been able to be the center of attention and prattle on about yourself, your writing, what you love in the world, where you grew up and some of the wild times you've constructed for yourself? Here's a link to the show ...
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September 7, 2009
- Thrilled to say that my story, "The Rookery" is included in the beautiful and terrifying new collection of 'dark erotic stories' edited by Susie Bright. Here's the opening: "The birds in the rookery know when royal sex is being had. They puff out their chests, molt violently and dig their talons into the perch posts. The dust and mites fill the air to choking. Even when hooded, if ...
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May 23, 2009
- At the marvelous Saints and Sinners Conference in New Orleans, a young man asked me whether it was reasonable for his partner to rent an apartment separate from the house to remove him from distractions. And of course one always thinks up a better answer/better scenario after the questioner ducks back into the crowd and I’m left without their email address. So here’s my (improved) answer: ...
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April 30, 2009
- Terrific, witty new contest at Smith Magazine: can you write your memoir as a mother in just 6 words. I imagine that it's inspired by the Hemingway challenge that he could write a complete story in six words ("Baby shoes for sale. Never used." Or was that "baby crib"? Either way, a heartbreak, briefly said.) Of course if you have teenagers they'll complain that you could ...
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January 17, 2009
- I’d like to offer additional questions for discussion at the Key West Literary Conference: Historical Fiction and the Search for Truth. Much of the discussion has centered on two questions: a) why write historical novels and b) what are the requirements of accuracy? How about: Eras in the past are marked by more than just a difference in fashion or modes of transportation; there have been ...
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December 21, 2008
- My friend bemoans the fact that he feels blue at Christmas, his mood so at odds with the bright lights and cheer, but to me, his malaise seems entirely in keeping with the nature-based roots of the winter holidays.In northern countries until the very recent past, this was the season when we stared down death on the long nights and the deep cold. Everything that could be harvested had been ...
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November 16, 2008
- Kevin Cantwell, a warmly gracious and insightful professor from Macon State College, says that when his first-year students choose to write historical fiction, he knows they’re in trouble. A week later he sees them on campus, laden down with books of research and when pressed, they can describe setting and historical objects, but not the plot, the key conflict, the character arc that builds a ...
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October 11, 2008
- Ignore for a moment the amount of solitude writers require, how we insist on the best room with the best light for our offices, how we ditch out on parties and trips to the in-laws for a chance to work on our novels, how we suddenly get an idea and get out of bed or refuse to go out even though we’re dressed with our tickets in our hand. The real problem with dating a writer is that ...
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September 5, 2008
- The new anthology of erotic gothic short stories by Susie Bright has a name, a home, and a final list of contributors. I'm honored to be included with my story, "The Rookery", a tale of a father and son in the 1300s struggling with mortality, responsibility, and the thrill of the chase. The book will be released in October by Chronicle Books. The line-up of authors in the anthology ...
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August 24, 2008
- As we prepare for the last day of vacation before the new school year (in my family’s case for the beginning of high school) I’d like to say hats off to all the parents who have gotten through another summer without homicide, suicide, or patricide. To all the moms who didn’t fling fireplace tools over the junk food ground into the upholstery and the dads who didn’t take off their belt ...
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July 18, 2008
- Hey, check out chapter one of my new novel, The Mandrake Broom, in the "Article/Story" area. It sets the scene in Italy 1465 and introduces you to Luccia, the protagonist, her mother and godmother and the rising troubles for women doctors. I'll be posting more chapters as time goes on.
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