The Pyrenees---Southern France

The Pyrenees---Southern France

Friday, December 30, 2011

Memoir, Anyone?

a painting of my granddaughter; the artist is her daddy,
Jason Reynolds
    


       A picture is worth a thousand words. And a well-written story paints a picture with words.

      Memoir (and) has a call out for submissions. If you are a writer who enjoys writing slice-of-life stories, get busy. You don't have much time. The deadline is February 16, 2012.

      To find out about the guidelines, go here.

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Why Are There Samsonites Under My Eyes?

        The other night I babysat for my granddaughter. It was a late night; I did not get back home until 2:30.

         Now granted, I fell asleep on my daughter's couch after Riley was sound asleep. I drooled. I snored. I did my normal routine whenever I'm in a semi-reclining position.

        However, when I got home, I read until 4, and was tempted to read even later. What was the book that kept me up?  It was Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay.

         Imagine you are being taken away for the afternoon by the police because you are Jewish...Imagine you agree to keep your brother safe by locking him up in a cupboard...Imagine you don't get back later that day--and you are the only one who has a key to the secret hiding place...where your brother is.

        I had to read--unmoving except for my fingers turning the pages--until I got to the end. I recommend this book. It highlights a moment in history that is not well known, it's the story of an American in France, it's the story of a woman becoming liberated in various ways. 

           Below is a video interview of the author. When I read this novel, I thought of how fortunate we are--in this country, at this point in history.  Have a marvelous holiday--if you are celebrating now--and have a great end of 2011!