Blogging

I'm sure at this point you probably thought I'd completely forgotten about my little blog here. It certainly was a very long hiatus. But, the truth is, I needed the break and I've also been rethinking the format. I've been reassessing the value of where I spend my writing time and I realized I wasn't making the best use of it here. That's not to say that I don't appreciate my readers, I'm eternally grateful for your attention. But, the goal has always been writing professionally, and I had to take some time and evaluate whether or not this blog was helping me reach that goal or hindering me.

If I am to continue with this blog, the posts I write will have to increase in quality. Which may mean a slightly less frequent schedule. I may also have to move. The address as it stands now is a bit of a mouthful and not especially memorable. So, I guess what I'm saying is, there's going to have to be an overhaul. Which is good, although it also means that it will take a little time. I'm hoping you will continue to visit me, and that your loyalty will be rewarded by a much better blog. Stay tuned, and please keep checking back!

Vacation

Just a note to let you all know that I'll be on vacation for a few weeks. Not a "real" vacation, I'm not going anywhere, but just a vacation from this blog and a few other obligations. I've been feeling a little burned out for a while now and I think a short rest is just what I need to sort a few things out. See you soon!

Happy Long Weekend!

Today, being Friday, is usually a day for Five Sentence Fiction. But Lillie McFerrin, who posts the prompts, is taking the long weekend off and therefore so am I! Therefore I will wish you all a great long weekend and see you next week!

Monday Book Review - The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

Welcome to Monday and this week's book recommendation.

THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD by Agatha Christie

 

I've recommended Agatha Christie before. Last time it was MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. Well, this one blows my previous recommendation right out of the water. It was SO GOOD. For the past few days my husband has listened to me go about my business, all the while muttering to myself "I still haven't figured out who murdered Roger Ackroyd".  Now I know. And you need to read this book because it will blow your mind.

What is the key to a truly good mystery? When the author gives you everything you need to solve it and yet you still can't do it. And when the identity of the murder is finally revealed, your jaw drops to your shoes. This is a truly good mystery. And it doesn't matter if mysteries aren't usually your bag, read this one anyway.

Looking for a read that will leave you open-mouthed for hours? You've found it.

Five Sentence Fiction - Feather

Welcome to Friday and this week's edition of Five Sentence Fiction. This week's prompt is feather. If you'd like to learn more about Five Sentence Fiction, or give it a try yourself, just visit Lillie McFerrin Writes. Enjoy!

The feather in her hat wasn't there for decoration. It was a key (and a clue if you were looking for one). It was long and black, shining where it sat perched with a flower on the brim. It was her feather, taken from one of her long wings and placed there, her only way back to her true form. Without it, she'd remain a human forever, never again able to fly.

Voila! I hope you enjoyed this little tale. If you're still in the mood for more Five Sentence Fiction, just follow the links below. Don't forget to follow my blog and come find me on twitter @MelanieKCole. Have a great weekend!

Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Whimsical
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Companion
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Lucky
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Furious

French Obsession

I'm mildly obsessed with Parisian culture. It happened when I started planning my five year wedding anniversary - a trip to Paris. I read all the blogs, started taking French and read every single Parisian based memoir I could get my hands on. And when I got there? It was just as wonderful as I'd hoped. We had an amazing vacation, were even mistaken for natives a couple of times (mon dieu!), and returned home with tons of pictures and trinkets to remind us of our time there.

It was so wonderful, in fact, that my adoration of Parisian sophistication has persisted. I still read the blogs and am often heard to exclaim over how the table manners here in restaurants just doesn't compare to Paris. (Seriously though, it doesn't. Every time I go to a restaurant it feels like I've entered a mess hall. Just because a place is crowded doesn't mean you have to yell. Just lean in a little closer and talk a little softer. The ambience is better and it's more romantic.)

Lately I discovered a wonderful little Parisian shop online that specializes in only the very best skincare, makeup and hair products. The owner has a store in Paris but also ships worldwide via her online store (it's called Oh My Cream!). I can't resist it! I painstakingly translate the articles in their online magazine and browse through the products, entranced. If only I'd known it was there when I went last summer!

There's just something about the French. I'd love to go back to Paris again, as well as travel through the rest of France, but there's a few different places I need to see first. In the meantime, I will continue to prowl the blogs and shop online, pampering myself with little tastes of French elegance.

Monday Book Review - The Language of Flowers

Welcome to Monday and this week's book recommendation.

THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

 

This is a really unique story, in which a young woman, Victoria, uses the old Victorian meanings for flowers to convey feelings she's not comfortable saying out loud. While she struggles with her own past, and her lack of trust in others, she's still able to help the customers who visit the flower shop where she works, using flowers and their secret meanings to guide them through their own problems. Using a blend of flashbacks and the present, the mystery of Victoria's past is slowly revealed and the question remains, can the flowers she uses to help others help her as well?

I loved this book. I almost didn't read it, at first I was put off by the title (it sounded a little ... flowery), but it came highly recommended by another author I love, and once I read the summary I was hooked. Which is also what happened from the first page. Diffenbaugh has created a one of a kind character, someone who is lost and alone, damaged seemingly almost beyond repair. And yet, she has this beautiful gift with flowers, a gift that could lead to her own salvation as well. It's magnificent.

Read this book. You won't look at flowers the same way again.

Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Whimsical

Welcome to Friday and this week's edition of Five Sentence Fiction. This week's prompt is whimsical. If you'd like to learn more about Five Sentence Fiction, or give it a try yourself, just visit Lillie McFerrin Writes. Enjoy!

She was too old to ride on the carousel, she knew that, but it didn't mean that she didn't want to. She did - more than anything. She wanted to sit astride one of the magical frozen horses, going up and down, round and round, all in time to the soft, tinkling music. 
She could see the one she wanted, looking for it each time it came around, a beautiful golden horse with a red saddle and white mane. And for some reason, one she couldn't quite name, she felt like it wanted her too.

I hope you enjoyed this little story. Don't forget to follow this blog and come find me on twitter @MelanieKCole. If you're in the mood for more Five Sentence Fiction, just follow the links below. Have a great weekend!

Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Companion
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Lucky
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Furious
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Misunderstanding

Kicking It Into High Gear

This is the last month of my mentorship. I have only four weeks left to pick the brain of my mentor and absorb every ounce of her wisdom that I can. And as you may know, nothing motivates me like a looming deadline. I've decided to kick it into high gear for this last month and get as much as I possibly can out of the time I have left.

It's already been a wonderful experience. I was blessed with a knowledgeable, patient, kind, encouraging and talented mentor. I have nothing but positive things to say about her and our time together. I feel like I've grown a lot and am better able to take on the editing that is still required of my manuscript. I'm noticing a lot more in the books I read, taking note of what works and why, and where scenes and plot can be improved. On the whole, I feel like I've become a better writer and that with practice I will continue to get better.

That's why I'm kicking it into high gear for this last month. This is another chance to improve my self discipline and fortitude. If I can give it everything I have for this last month, then I know I will have taken complete advantage of this opportunity and not held anything back. It's a challenge, and I do so love a challenge.

Monday Book Review - By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept

Welcome to Monday and this week's book recommendation.

BY GRAND CENTRAL STATION I SAT DOWN AND WEPT by Elizabeth Smart

 

I found out about this book from 101 LETTERS TO A PRIME MINISTER by Yann Martel. I had heard of it before but I didn't realize what it was about or its significance. It's the story of an illicit affair between a young woman and a married man, told in some of the most beautiful language I've ever read.

Every page is exquisite. It's poetry, pure and simple. Smart's choice of words is incredible. Her work is groundbreaking. When it was first published it was banned in Canada for its "immoral" content, but you can't deny that it's a work of art, well worth the read. 

I don't always love the classics, often finding them rather dry and boring, but this was different. It's beautiful, plain and simple.

Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Companion

Welcome to Friday and this week's edition of Five Sentence Fiction. This week's prompt is companion. If you'd like to learn more Five Sentence Fiction, or give it a try yourself, just visit Lillie McFerrin Writes. Enjoy!

I flapped madly at the covers, looking underneath at the big brown eyes staring back at me. People were always shocked when I told them my dog not only insisted on sleeping on the bed but underneath the covers with me. But they didn't understand how happy we both were with the arrangement. I sighed and snuggled back up against her. Yes, we were both happy with the arrangement, aside from the occasional bout of dog gas. 

Inspired by a true story. I hope you enjoyed this little tale, if you did I hope you'll follow this blog and come find me on twitter @MelanieKCole. If you're in the mood for more Five Sentence Fiction, just follow the links below to read past editions. Have a great weekend!

Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Lucky
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Furious
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Misunderstanding
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Sunshine

I'm Back

You might have noticed (at least I'm hoping you did) that I didn't post anything for Five Sentence Fiction Friday and nothing for Monday's Book Recommendation. I wasn't so much away from my computer, as my computer was away from me. I bought a new laptop two weeks ago and I had to return it to my tech savy cousin for a few days while he fixed a small bug. All is well though, and I love my new little machine.

Of course, a great debt of gratitude is owed to the old one. It got me through many years, truly a reliable, grizzled old war horse that took a beating and kept on going. Of course, near the end it was literally starting to fall apart, so the time had indeed come to let it retire.

This is the first computer I've ever owned that wasn't a hand-me-down. It comes with a certain sense of pride, and a little intimidation to live up to the challenge. It's just so new. I'm not used to up to date technology, keys that don't stick, weird new interfaces. It's a touchscreen as well and I find myself cleaning the screen constantly, horrified by the greasy fingerprints I keep leaving all over it. I never realized my fingers were so filthy.

Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that I'm back and there will be no more lapses in blog posts. Which is hopefully something we can all be happy about.

Jury Duty

There's nothing quite like coming home from a long day and finding a summons for jury duty in your mail box. If I had to equate it to something, I'd say it felt like getting home, realizing that I lost my keys and then having it pour rain. Yep, that would be a similar experience.

The past two months have been... long. Normally, I'd laugh it off and say I must have pissed off karma. But the amount I would have had to say that over the past couple of months would have been disturbing. No one has this much bad karma, especially when they haven't actually done anything awful to incur said karma. Oh, I'm not saying I'm perfect. I definitely deserve the occasional stubbed toe and paper cut, but this level of crappy luck is unwarranted.

So, what shall I do? I'll admit, the desire to pack everything up, get in my car and drive far, far away is strong. But, as that's currently not an option, I guess I'll just grin and bear it. Besides, bad luck is only temporary... right?

Monday Book Review - Dad is Fat

Welcome to Monday and this week's book recommendation.

DAD IS FAT by Jim Gaffigan

 

What's not to love about a humorous memoir by Jim Gaffigan? I already love his stand up so I knew I wasn't taking a big risk reading his book. And you know what? It was awesome, as predicted. Even for a severely anti-baby person such as myself, I still found myself laughing at Gaffifan's exploits as a father of five. And the obvious love and respect he has for his wife was an added bonus. 

True, there are some parts of the book obviously borrowed from his standup, so I was already familiar with a few chapters, but it wasn't too much so I didn't feel cheated. Some of the stories he shared were just too hilarious, giving me away when I was trying to sneak read it at work. He just has a way with words, a way of describing situations and opinions that always has me in stitches. It was clever and candid and never afraid to poke fun at himself. I love that.

If you want to cheer someone up, brighten their day and make them laugh out loud, bring them this book. When I read it, I was down with a cold and even though laughing hurt my throat, I couldn't put it down for a second.

Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Lucky

Welcome to Friday and this week's edition of Five Sentence Fiction. This week's prompt is lucky. If you'd like to learn more about Five Sentence Fiction, or give it a try yourself, just visit Lillie McFerrin Writes. Enjoy!

Lucky. I sure didn't feel lucky. Not now, not looking at that disgusting plate of bright green vegetables, steam rising from them in clouds that smelled like dirt and something worse, something weird. 
Anxious to avoid another lecture on starving children in Africa, I picked up my fork, speared one of the unsettling sprouts and brought it, trembling to my lips. I took a tiny, almost imperceptible bite. 
Oh dear God... it was ... delicious!

Voila! I hope you enjoyed this weird little tale. If you did, then I hope you will honour me by following this blog, as well as come find me on twitter @MelanieKCole. If you're still in the mood for more Five Sentence Fiction, just follow the links below and read past editions. Happy weekend!



Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Furious
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Misunderstanding
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Sunshine
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Ache

The Streak

A funny thing happened this past week while I was sick. You might remember it from last Wednesday's blog post. Because I was sick and miserable, and my sinuses hurt when I laid down and tried to sleep, I spent the week reading. First, I read a full book in one day. Then, I did it again the next day. And the next. And the next. And the next. I've read eight books now in eight days and if I finish tonight's novel, it will be nine for nine.

I've always been a big reader but I have to say, this is something else. I can't remember the last time I've gorged on books like this. Possibly my honeymoon, but even then it was eight books in ten days. I've taken a weird amount of pride in it too. I'm starting to feel like my cold may have triggered a super power. Is that who I am now? The batman of reading? (That would be the most boring comic book of all time). In any case, I've decided it can't be a bad thing. Stephen King wrote in his memoir, ON WRITING, that it's important to read and write, in fact he specifically recommended spending at least six hours a day on the combined activities. No problem, Mr. King. No problem.

Anyway, what you've been thinking this entire post is correct. I am just writing a blog to brag on my awesome reading streak. I don't care. I am. And you know what? Now I'm going to stop writing so I can go finish my book and keep the streak going. Because that's who I am now.

Monday Book Review - Calling Me Home

Welcome to Monday and this week's book recommendation.

CALLING ME HOME by Julie Kibler

 

Isabelle and Dorrie are unlikely friends. For one, Isabelle is an eighty-nine year old white woman and Dorrie is a black woman in her thirties, a single mom and a hairdresser. The bond they've formed might be unlikely, but it's strong, and it will take them across the country and back in time as Isabelle shares a story she's been carrying for her entire adult life, one she's never shared with anyone.

Loved this. Absolutely LOVED this. The characters were lovable and charming, and I especially appreciated bouncing between the two points of view. You can't get much more opposite than Isabelle and Dorrie, and yet you felt the affection they had for each other, the love. The story is richly layered, as is the setting, a small southern town in the nineteen forties. It was beautiful and upsetting and uplifting all at the same time.

This one wasn't predictable. Things didn't happen they way I expected they would and it was better for it. I felt captured by their story, and it stayed on my mind for days after I was done. Characters like these can be hard to come by, and I enjoyed every minute I spent with them. 

Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Furious

Welcome to Friday and this week's edition of Five Sentence Fiction. This week's prompt is furious. If you'd like to learn more about Five Sentence Fiction, or give it a try yourself, just visit Lillie McFerrin Writes. Enjoy!

She glanced over at her daughter before returning her eyes to the road, noting the small hands curled into tight fists, the hardened stare that was fixed pointedly out the window. She wouldn't get another word out of her, not right now.
With a sigh, she adjusted her hands on the wheel and reminded herself to be patient. This was just a rough patch, a phase; at least that's what the book said. She stole another glance at her daughter and prayed to the universe that the book was right, because it sure didn't feel like it.

Voila! I hope you enjoyed my little tale. If you did, and you feel like making my day, then please follow this blog and come find me on twitter @MelanieKCole. Don't forget to leave your thoughts in the comments section below. And if you're still in the mood for more Five Sentence Fiction, just follow the links below. Have a great weekend!

Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Misunderstanding
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Sunshine
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Ache
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Frozen

Sick

Today's post will be short. Why? Because I'm sick. I made it through this entire winter thus far without a single cold, and I think I must have gotten cocky because on Sunday, karma hit me with a sledgehammer. Seriously, I'm pretty sure an evil fairy snuck into my room at night and filled my sinuses with hot coals. And then set my throat on fire.

It's been three days so far of achy, moaning unhappiness, contemplating the vodka in the cupboard left over from Christmas. Because at times like this, it seems stupid to be sober. Don't worry, I didn't get drunk. But I did add a splash to my orange juice when I was home from work. You know, to help me sleep. (You wouldn't judge me if your throat felt like mine at the moment).

I've also managed to use the time away from work somewhat constructively. Although my brain function is limited (it's mostly gone towards continually identifying what parts of me hurt and how much), I've still managed to read two books in two days. I know I should be sleeping, and I'd love to spend this time unconscious, believe me, but here's something I've learned. It's impossible to sleep when you have sinus pain. It's just not going to happen without powerful sedatives. And unfortunately, I think I've built up a tolerance to Nyquil. It just doesn't seem to work like it used to. So, I read. And luckily, the books I've read have been good. Really good. Able to distract me for small periods at a time from the hot fiery pain in my face and throat.

So, cross your fingers for me that I'll be back on my feet soon. I have work to do, a manuscript to edit and both will be easier without the constant achy torture of this god-awful virus. In the mean time, It's back to bed.

Monday Book Review - Joyland

Welcome to Monday and this week's book recommendation.

JOYLAND by Stephen King

 

You know whenever you want a good read, it's never a bad bet to pick something by Stephen King. This is one of his newer books, only released in paperback (no hard cover) with this retro style cover. It gives the feel of an old school, hard crime and it delivers, but with typical Stephen King flair. It reads a little like a memoir, a man looking back on that one crazy summer that changed his life.

What can I say that hasn't already been said? It's Stephen King for god's sake! But really, this is a fantastic book. I love that King decided to do a project like this, it's fun and eery, suspenseful but also doesn't take its self too seriously. I gobbled it up like cookies on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Irresistible. 

If you enjoy Stephen King, then I think you'll love this. If you don't enjoy Stephen King, then I think you'll love this. It stands on its own as a fun, easy read, the perfect thing to curl up and read and forget your troubles.