My young adult fantasy novel, Two Moon Princess (Tanglewood Press), came out in paperback this week.Many adults I've mentioned this wish me good luck, but they don't even consider reading my book. They assume they wouldn't like it because it's marketed for young adults.This assumption baffles me. To say a book is Young adult (YA) means teens can read it, but that doesn't mean an adult cannot enjoy it too. Reading young adult [...]
by Chrysa SmithThis Sunday, I made my debut as an adult acolyte (aka: altar server). While I can proudly say that I didn't spill a drop of wine on anyone's Sunday best, I can also say that while it is a pretty neat spiritual experience, downing more than a sip of church wine in early morning reminds me of two things:-there's a good reason for sommeliers-I need to address the beverage service that [...]
A Middle Aged Woman Laughs at Fear and Has Some FunBy: Mary Fran BontempoEighteen inches.By my calculations, that was all that lay between me and a proliferation of finned, scaly, claw-wielding creatures ready to enjoy a tasty human for dinner.The eighteen inches? The approximate depth of the bright yellow kayak purchased by my husband for the express purpose of having “fun.” And I found myself perched precariously in the front of the two [...]
A Middle Aged Woman Laughs at Life--and DadsBy: Mary Fran BontempoI opened the bathroom door to find my husband sitting on the side of the bed.“What are you doing?” I asked.“Oh, just being a dad,” he replied.“What do you mean ‘just being a dad’?” “I’m waiting my turn.”“Waiting your turn for what? What are you talking about?”“I’m waiting my turn to use a bathroom. All of them were occupied.”“Okay, I get that, but [...]
And I'm wearing it right now. Do you have any funny beach stories? Click on the red 'comments' below & tell us about one.
"The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there." This, the first sentence in the book The Go-Between by L. P. Hartley describes perfectly for me the mood of the Argentinean movie The Secret in Their Eyes.For one, it takes place in Argentina, a foreign country, literally. Because it was filmed in Spanish, has English subtitles. But the "foreign" quality of the film cannot be translated so easily. The formal way [...]
'A woman is like a tea bag. You can never tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.'-Eleanor Rooseveltby Chrysa SmithI just got a notice that June is National Iced Tea month. And, in doing a little research, found out that the iced variety of my favorite drink is another clever American invention. USA! USA! Oh, excuse me for the little cheer, but I love stories about American food [...]
