I’ve been experimenting with the personal essay. You have been warned.
Category: Humour
5 Booky And Bloggy Things I Need To Tell You, Sloppily Slapped Together
I have some things to tell you. They might even be interesting. However, none of these things would warrant a full post on their own, so I’m employing a cunning and never-before-seen trick of grouping them together. Today’s post concerns political tactics and vote-bashing; the Dublin Writer’s Conference; the fiction of literary fiction, and why it’s SO difficult to be right all the time.
Why You Should Never Live With A Husband From A Women’s Fiction Novel
Ever feel like nobody’s listening to you? Ever feel like nobody understands how you FEEL? Well, maybe you need to get yourself a Women’s Fiction Husband (TM). They’ll understand you right off the page. Every home should have one!
…Or should it? What would this mean in terms of arguments? Spontaneity? Your couch? Your KITCHEN?
An Unfortunate Break-Up With My Brain
I had a little chat with with my brain, who told me in no uncertain terms that I had abused it and it was really unhappy with me. That’s it in a nutshell, really. It’s hard to write an elegant introduction when your brain doesn’t love you anymore.
Why You Should Never Live With A Historical Fiction Hero
Historical fiction can be a refuge for people exhausted by modern problems or fearful for the future. A panacea for all today’s ills. Nobody is more reassuring than the hero of a historical fiction novel – the man who has the answers to everything whilst somehow also understanding the consequences of his actions.
But what would it be like to live with a historical fiction hero? Would it make life simpler? Or might dead pigeons and his fear of toasters make it a generation gap too far?
Is Your Reading Beating Up Your Writing?
We’re told that by far the best training for writers is reading. But what happens when what you’re reading is being a big bully? Tempting you with sweet nothings? Calling you names? Interfering with your confidence and ability to write? I have a conversation with an unbearably smug book to explore the concept, and discover something nasty.
Why You Should Never Live With A Romantic Hero
Romantic heroes. Sigh. All that tortured power in a designer shirt. So much angst and wealth. So little practicality, and mental health. Because they’ve been hurt before – y’know? But you would never do that. It’s different with you.
But what really happens after ‘The End’? When dietary fibre and la vie quotidienne get in the way? What would it really be like to LIVE with a tortured romantic hero?
Even New Yorkers Know That Money Can’t Buy Everything
So you think that being thinner or richer would make you happy? Read this, and don’t even weep for a second.
The Sensational 2017 Review Of What Hasn’t Happened Yet
I will be far too busy at the end of this year to look back over what happened in the book world in 2017, so I’m doing my review now, before any of it has happened. Those of you familiar with this shtick may be aware that my 2016 advance review may have accidentally heralded the apocalypse. Sorry about that. I’m not proud of it, but I’m afraid I can’t promise you sunshine and bunnies in 2017 either.
Ho Ho Oh! It’s The Christmas Book Title Generator
I’m guest-posting over on Anne R. Allen’s blog this week with my book title generators – featuring the all-new Christmas Book Title Generator. If you’re feeling deprived of fun at any time over the next 3 weeks, this might be for you. And if you’re not feeling deprived of anything, this is definitely for you.
Tara Sparling writes 