Vocal Expressions

Your body has a way of talking to you when you're completely worn out. This weekend it shouted and I listened. My mind followed right along with it. I knew I had much to accomplish this weekend but when your mind and body shuts down all you can do is rest.  So, I laid in bed, watched TV and caught up on some of my magazine reading. But I was still tempted to do some writing...and I did just that by editing two chapters of my upcoming novel, Gotta Get It Back . I'm so excited! Well, here's hoping for a very productive week with my mind and body more relaxed. Until next time, be good to yourself!

On Sunday, March 22, 2015, I saw another great production, After the Revolution , at Center Stage in Baltimore, MD. This play was written by Amy Herzog and directed by Lila Neugebauer. It was a highly politically charged play whereby the main character (Emma Joseph) had to wrestle with balancing her ideals and doing the right thing after learning the secret of her blacklisted grandfather. Learning this family secret strained her family relationships as well as her personal and business relationships. All this while struggling to run a foundation based on what she thought was the goodness of her grandfather. It wasn't an easy decision to make and all were not pleased, but she did what was right to her. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Great actors, great dialogue, great story! So, if you're in the area and looking for something thought provoking this could be the play for you. It runs from March 18 - May 17, 2015. Synopsis: Emma Joseph is young, ambitions, talented, and about to ...

I don't know about you but this week kicked my butt. Although I was thankful for the extra hour or two of sunlight, my body needed a major adjustment. I was so tired that I feared that I was coming down with a cold that I couldn't shake. But I listened to my body, got the necessary rest and took some meds. I'm feeling much better now. Let's just say that I'll be pacing myself to be able to enjoy what lies ahead! Lesson here: take time to rest and regroup...sleep does a body good!

This week I was stuck in my home for two days because of this wintry weather. So, I was all too thrilled when Daylight Saving Time kicked in on Sunday to indicate that spring is right around the corner. Aah, what a relief to finally shed some of these layers of clothes, coat, gloves and snow boots! This also signals a time for renewal and refreshing my outlook on a lot of things. You know to put a spring in my step as I now have more sunlight to do more than come home and hibernate. Watch out world, here I come!

On Saturday, February 28, 2015, I attended the 18th Annual Bay To Ocean Writers Conference at Chesapeake College in Wye Mills, MD. I've been attending this conference for the past 4 years and I always enjoy the fresh spin that the speakers put on the topics of writing, marketing and publishing. So, this year was no different. To be honest, there were a few times I couldn't decide which session to attend but I let where I am in my writing journey dictate the final decision. Overall, the speakers did an excellent job at presenting the following sessions I attended: Building Scenes (Barbara Esstman) Science of Inspiration (Laura Olver) Fabulous Openings (Melanie Rigney) Perfect Endings (Lynn Schwartz) Getting to the Finish Line (Barbara Esstman) So, if you're a writer in the making or even a seasoned one you really should consider attending this conference next year. It will be great to meet, mix and mingle with fellow writers while honing your craft! Here are so...

Walter Mosley sure knows how to create some complex characters that leap off the page. Being a huge fan of his Easy Rawlins mysteries, I didn’t hesitate to add his recently released novel, Debbie Doesn’t Do It Anymore, to my reading list. Well, I wasn’t disappointed. Debbie Dare is the picture of a tortured soul: indoctrinated into the porn industry at a very young age, married to a man who was a former porn star and film producer until she found him electrocuted in the bath tub with a young starlet, loving a son being raised by her sister, attempting to settle her husband's debt although she is broke and the list goes on. And in the midst of all this, she has made the decision to quit the porn industry. Needless to say, this wasn’t smooth sailing because along the way, she had to deal with some unsavory characters, suffered a few bruises, and mended some broken relationships before carving out her new existence.  Loved the drama, dialogue and suspense! Two thumbs for this...

We all pay too much for cable TV. With its premium channels and other extras we have way to much to choose from. As for me, I pay that Verizon FIOS bill just so I can watch some of my favorite shows on cable like, "House of Lies," "Game of Thrones," "Nurse Jackie," "Banshee," etc. However, I rarely watch regular TV because I'm so beat when I get home and the commercials get on my nerves. Well, that's where the DVR comes in quite handy. So, I tend to DVR a lot of shows with the intention of watching them all - yeah, I know...very ambitious of me. Well, you know how that pans out. My poor DVR was close to 80% full which meant I had to start watching and/or deleting some of the shows. This weekend, I decided that I needed to catch up on "How To Get Away With Murder" and now I'm totally hooked. Viola Davis who plays Annalise Keating is one tough attorney/professor of defense law and while her students can be a bit annoying an...