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.