It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like … a Book

Congrats and well done, Melinda!

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Love and Mercy

Always carefully considered reviews…

Film Mafia

****1/2

Paul Dano gives an astonishingly rich, award worthy performance as the younger, prime-of-creative-best Brian Wilson in Love and Mercy, a major film which easily takes a seat not only amongst the very best music biopics, but amongst those rare films that are able to dramatize the creative process. Essentially, the film boils down to the recording sessions for Wilson’s (with his Beach Boys) seminal Pet Sounds album, and the many scenes set inside that studio feel as authentic and inspiring as you could hope for.

Dano has been quietly achieving greatness for about a decade now. Completely invisible outside of his work (when was the last time you saw him in a gossip column, on a red carpet, or misbehaving on Twitter?), he has held his own with Daniel Day Lewis and Toni Colette, among others, and picks and chooses his roles carefully – so much so that they…

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Miniatures…

Beauty in miniature.

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AUTHOR INSIGHT: MEET FIONA MCARTHUR

Wow – this lady is amazing…

Write Note Reviews

Fiona McArthur has always loved reading and it’s fed her passion for writing. Her first medical romance novel was published by Harlequin in 2001 and now she’s on her 34th novel. She’s been nominated for the Romantic Book of The Year with Romance Writers of Australia and the US-based Cataromance Readers Choice Award and has sold over 2 million books, in twelve languages. What she loves most is women writing to her and saying, ‘Thank you. Now I understand about my premature baby’s birth and the how’s and why’s of her stay in hospital.’ Or ‘I had no idea I had those choices with my birth.’ As she says, “women are powerful, and I love to write about their amazing journeys”. Read more about Fiona here, or follow her on Facebook or Twitter.

Monique: Your novel, The Homestead Girls, has just been released. Can you tell…

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Meet Jacquelyn Mitchard

A lovely interview…

WordMothers - for women writers & women’s writing

Interview by Nicole Melanson ~

Jacquelyn Mitchard is the author of 21 books, including 15 novels for adults and teens. Her first book, The Deep End of the Ocean, was the first selection of the Oprah Winfrey Book Club, with more than 4 million copies in print in 27 languages worldwide. Her second novel was nominated for the Orange Prize, and two of her books have been made into films. A member of the 2003 Fiction Jury for the National Book Award, Mitchard is the editor of Merit Press Books, a Young Adult imprint under the aegis of F & W Media, and was the 2013 recipient of the Bram Stoker Award for a ghost story in a collection honoring her mentor, Ray Bradbury, a story also a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award. Her novels have enjoyed wide popular appeal as well as critical acclaim…

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Cordelia Jensen–What Was on Her . . .

Great blog post on an interesting writer – love the name of her book, seems so apt. On my wish list now.

whatwason...

Cordelia Jensen

This month, What Was on… celebrates the release of Skyscraping with author Cordelia Jensen!

Skyscraping has been hailed as ‘exquisite free verse poems.’ ‘Illuminating and deeply felt.’ (Booklist’s Starred Review). And Pop Crush has named it one of the 10 Best New YA Books that Explore Sexuality.

Mira is just beginning her senior year of high school when she discovers her father with his male lover. Her world–and everything she thought she knew about her family–is shattered instantly. Unable to comprehend the lies, betrayal, and secrets that–unbeknownst to Mira–have come to define and keep intact her family’s existence, Mira distances herself from her sister and closest friends as a means of coping. But her father’s sexual orientation isn’t all he’s kept hidden. A shocking health scare brings to light his battle with HIV. As Mira struggles to make sense of the many fractures in her family’s…

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Mergings

Beautiful art and words, Jean.

SOCIAL BRIDGE ~ Jean Tubridy connecting with you from Ireland

Mount Congreve Garden, Co. Waterford

drawn to the canvas

thoughts of Monet and Van Gogh

then  fallen soldiers

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Togetherness

Gorgeous photos of a poetic moment.

SOCIAL BRIDGE ~ Jean Tubridy connecting with you from Ireland

A moment of togetherness this morning at Boatstrand Harbour as a fixated seagull and I watched The Maid Maggie on the silvery sea.

The Maid Maggie

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Bloomsday

In 2003, I watched illustrious members of the Munster Literature Centre, Gerry Murphy and Pat Cotter celebrate Bloomsday with a reading in Shalom Park, Cork, Ireland.

Bloomsday in Shalom Park with a reading by Gerry Murphy, 2003

Bloomsday in Shalom Park with a reading by Pat Cotter, 2003

To quote James Joyce, whose writing is celebrated and still relevant, today:

“He swept the mirror a half circle in the air to flash the tidings abroad in sunlight now radiant on the sea. His curling shaven lips laughed and the edges of his white glittering teeth. Laughter seized all his strong wellknit trunk.

—Look at yourself, he said, you dreadful bard!

Stephen bent forward and peered at the mirror held out to him, cleft by a crooked crack. Hair on end. As he and others see me. Who chose this face for me? This dogsbody to rid of vermin. It asks me too.

—I pinched it out of the skivvy’s room, Buck Mulligan said. It does her all right. The aunt always keeps plainlooking servants for Malachi. Lead him not into temptation. And her name is Ursula.

Laughing again, he brought the mirror away from Stephen’s peering eyes.

—The rage of Caliban at not seeing his face in a mirror, he said. If Wilde were only alive to see you!

Drawing back and pointing, Stephen said with bitterness:

—It is a symbol of Irish art. The cracked looking-glass of a servant.”    

(from Ulysses, text I by James Joyce.)

 

@FrancesMForde  #FrancesMacForde  #Ulysses  #JamesJoyce  #Bloomsday  #MunsterLitCentre  #MLC  #GerryMurphy  #PatCotter  #CorkIreland

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AFCC Snapshot: Close Encounters of the Panda Kind on Closing Night

I have a Panda TV Series, I’d love to see produced…

Mum-Mum's the Word

After an eventful week at the Asian Festival of Children’s Content, I had the pleasure of attending the AFCC Closing Night dinner at AFCC Chairperson Claire Chiang’s home last Saturday. Ms Claire Chiang and her husband Mr Ho Kwon Ping were most hospitable and their children very kindly chipped in to serve the guests too!

With Ms Claire Chiang, Mr Ramachandran, Book Council Exco members and other guests (Photo credit: David Seow)

I was also delighted to meet Singapore’s favourite Giant Pandas Kai Kai and Jia Jia in the living room and could not resist taking a close-up shot with them. It was a close encounter of the panda kind since I write the Kai Kai & Jia Jia picture book series for Wildlife Reserves Singapore.

I am generally not a photo-person but since author David Seow had his camera on hand and we were chatting with AFCC Keynote Speaker…

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