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Course Instructor: Anastasia Suen |
Monday, November 28, 2011
New Year's Resolution Early!
Sent off another manuscript!
I'm also going to enter it into some contests. My local library has one and OWFI has another.
It's time to start a new story!
Monday, November 21, 2011
For Writers
Author unknown
Friday, November 11, 2011
Back to AP Style!
If you want to do any serious magazine writing, most of them require that you use the AP Stylebook. Here's a money saving tip: If you buy it as a book, it's about $20-$25. If you buy it as a one-time year subscription, it's $25. BUT, if you do the automatic renewal, it's only $15/year! Even if you find you don't need it later, you can always cancel.
The online version is much easier to use. You can do a search for terms without having to know in which section it is, save often-used terms to your own "notebook," and get updates as they occur. Very handy!
So, back I go to my AP Stylebook for a refresher! (I wonder how many mistakes I made in this entry!)
Friday, November 4, 2011
Interviewing Billie Letts
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Billie Letts |
Yesterday, I had the
privilege of interviewing Billie Letts, author of Where the Heart Is, The Honk and Holler Opening Soon, Shoot the Moon, and Made in the U.S.A. For those of you not familiar with
her work, Where the Heart Is was
selected for Oprah Winfrey's Book Club, and it was made into a movie starring
Natalie Portman and Stockard Channing.
Billie is as gracious
as she is talented. I must admit I was a bit nervous interviewing someone so
famous! In fact, I got halfway there, stopped at Barnes and Nobles to pick up
my own copy of Where the Heart Is (I read a library copy.) and then realized I
left all my interviewing notes at home! I ended up being 15 minutes late. I was
mortified! I had no number to reach her other than her publicist, so I called
that number and left a message; but I was sure when I got there, she would
refuse to see me. But she didn’t. Instead, she graciously welcomed me in.
Interviewing Billie Letts is like going to a good
movie. She’s adventurous, compassionate, and funny. She entertained me with
stories about her own life and the lives of others who provide the inspiration behind
her novels. She talked about her most treasured moments of being a famous
author as being when she reads all the letters she receives from young girls
who quit school but go back after reading her books. And, just when I thought
she was getting serious, she'd pop out a sassy joke about herself. It was delightful.
If you ever get a chance to interview Billie Letts, watch out! She will interview you back. Before I left, she found out as much about me as I did about her. I think she's looking for new characters for her next book!
NOTE: The article, "Best Author-Billie Letts," was published in the January 2011 edition of Oklahoma Living Magazine. It also including my review of Lake Tenkiller.