Blog Posts for Victoria Zackheim

Elizabeth Lyon: Giving Back

Victoria Zackheim — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:19:37 -0700

Many of you have met Elizabeth Lyon and have enjoyed her quick wit and openness, while an even larger number of you have used her books on writing and editing...for your own writing and for your students'. I received this email and thought we might get something moving for Elizabeth. About six weeks ago Elizabeth was diagnosed with severe osteoarthritis of the spine. She will have a full ...

Drop in to Kepler's Writer's Blog...I'm hosting all week!

Victoria Zackheim — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:16:34 -0700

http://wellreaddonkey.blogspot.comI'm here all week posting new messages daily, touting new books and recommending some old ones. If you've got a book you want to mention, come on over!

Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime? Wait...Make That $110,000

Victoria Zackheim — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 16:42:19 -0700

Obama won, he's burning the midnight whatever-people-burn-now-that-candles-are-deemed-bad-for-the-eyes and, despite what a few aging white men declare, he just might succeed. So why am I occasionally beset by just a wee hint of bitterness? Do any of those guys (yes, I do mean Republicans) take responsibility for the last eight years of shoveling our bodies into a deep hole out of which some of ...

(UN)HEALTH INSURANCE FOR WRITERS

Victoria Zackheim — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 06:36:55 -0800

I had dinner with my mother last night and we talked about health insurance. Between Medicare, extended care, and standard insurance for the kind of necessities required by a woman in her late eighties, her monthly costs exceed my monthly mortgage payment. There were several very knowledgable people in this conversation and they agreed that she has no alternative. As for me, I'm engaged in ...

How do writers make ends meet?

Victoria Zackheim — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 11:21:28 -0800

How do writers make ends meet?In this miserable economy, most of my writer friends are doing what I do: teach, scramble for freelance editing and writing work, pray, whatever works. Masha Hamilton, author of the bestselling Camel Bookmobile, has come up with a unique idea: converting part of her home into a B&B. I've been there and it's lovely, so if anyone you know is going to Manhattan ...

What happened to 2008?

Victoria Zackheim — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 08:10:22 -0800

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm just getting used to writing "2008" and it's almost over. How did that happen? Okay, I fell down a flight of stairs and had a concussion, and I admit that my memory is just about back to normal after four months of "What's that word that means 'looking inside yourself'?" and "What's the title of my novel?" and assorted lapses ...

Bad Reviews

Victoria Zackheim — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 10:20:56 -0800

I posted an essay about bad reviews (wretched reviews) and it's generating some very interesting comments. So rather than recreate them on this blog, come on over to the essay and share your thoughts!

Wretched reviews...of the great and not so great.

Victoria Zackheim — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 11:50:20 -0800

Here's a place to comment, share review experiences (good and bad), and generally applaud or lash out at all those *&E#T% reviewers....oops, getting off-track here...and I'm a reviewer. Oy. So, have you got something to share? Thanks!

What a day!

Victoria Zackheim — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 11:33:49 -0800

I realize that I'm echoing many such declarations, but...did anyone believe, only four years ago, that Democrats would go into the voting booth in 2008 and be able to choose between a woman and an African-American? I heard two people talking in the local espresso hangout, one of them complaining that, with Hillary in the White House, it will be like having Bill there. Excuse me, but didn't ...

The Power of Human Kindness

Victoria Zackheim — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:58:06 -0800

If you doubt the goodness of the human spirit, take a look at what happened last week. The call went out for bloggers to mention Patry Francis and her novel...and more than 400 blogs answered. Sure, it's wonderful that the book's Amazon.com numbers fell (or rose!) to the 300s, but what moves me far more is the collective goodness that came from this. Authors and bloggers...and authors who are ...