Posted on by Dakota Star

From Ideas to Instagram

43c89e_e7889c63225d47ee9090b3de07a28898_mv2Recently, I’ve had a couple people talk to me about writing a book. Do you know someone with a work in progress and questions to go along?

I’m hosting a workshop on July 27th at the Storyteller’s Cottage in Simsbury. Great venue and lots of information. Learn about tools to help prepare a manuscript for publication and then navigate the process of marketing a book after publication.

This workshop presents writers with the tools to prepare a manuscript for publication and then navigate the process of marketing a book after publication. Come learn from a real published author!
Topics include:
  • The Right Fit: Opportunities on websites such as Submittable, preparing manuscripts, and deciding between a traditional publisher, and indie publisher or self-publishing.
  • The Wait: Once accepted, what usually happens and how to navigate the process of publication. What to expect from publishing companies and editors. Revising and editing.
  • After publication: A marketing platform is vital these days. We will take a look at some of the most popular ways authors market their books from traditional bookstore signings to blogs, to Instagram.

From Ideas to Instagram! Saturday, July 27th / 1:00pm – 2:30pm.

https://www.storytellerscottage.com/

 

Posted on by Dakota Star

To Watch or Not

Summer is upon us and that means plenty of time to binge watch shows.  Here are a few to consider or not…

Horror/Supernatural/Dark Comedy/Etc.

NOS4A2 (AMC)

Yes! Top pick. Really enjoyed the first episode and hope the show keeps up the momentum.  Great casting with Vic, a working class Massachusetts’ teen, who has the supernatural ability to find lost things. This includes evil. Creepy and human in all the right ways.

Lucifer Season 4 (Netflix)

Yes! Netflix did a good job getting this show back on track. I loved season one but then quickly lost interest. Too many new characters were added, especially supernaturals. The plot strayed from the crime cases and love interest between Lucifer and Chloe, which was why I watched. Season four is solid with only a few minor missteps. I hope it continues.

The Silence (Netflix)

Meh++++. Prehistoric creatures hunt human prey by sound. A deaf teenager and her family try to survive and find safety. If you liked A Quiet Place, you’ll enjoy this movie. I thought it had less plot holes but lacked some of the suspense of A Quiet Place.

The Discovery of Witches (AMC)

Meh. I have to say I went in with high expectations, excited to watch the show, but the books are so much better. Read them instead. Weak characters who fall in love too quickly. Diana Bishop is a witch who doesn’t want her powers, but somehow she accesses to a book, Ashmole 782, that all the supernaturals want. Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode) plays a vampire who offers help and more. I like Matthew Goode, but he doesn’t do it for me as an ancient, mysterious vampire.

Dead to Me (Netflix)

Meh. Christina Applegate does a good job as a grieving woman who lost her husband in a hit-and-run accident, but I couldn’t connect with the characters, their over-the-top grief, or the decisions they made. After two episodes I wasn’t invested and called it quits.

 

Romance

90 Days the Other Way (TLC)

Yes! I love this train wreck of a show. I can’t believe what people will do to have a significant other. A sixty-year old woman develops true feelings with a thirty-year old Indian man. Why not move to India with a life savings of only $6000 to be with him? Nothing could go wrong. Marry that man in South Africa with a gambling addiction and criminal record? Why not. I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Isn’t It Romantic (Netflix)

Yes! Critics didn’t like it, but I did. I went into the movie thinking I would hate Isn’t It Romantic and turn it off after a few minutes, but I got caught up. Natalie (Rebel Wilson), an architect,  is overlooked on the job. Knocked unconscious during a mugging, she wakes to find herself the leading lady in a romantic comedy. I enjoyed the satire that pointed out the flaws of romantic comedies while also acknowledging why people love them.

Always Be My Maybe (Netflix)

Meh +++. No surprises but worth watching. A cute, feel good romantic comedy. Childhood sweethearts don’t speak for 15 years. Sasha, a successful chef, runs into Marcus, who works with his dad in their heating and cooling business. Sparks erupt but time and career choices keep them apart. Not much substance but the acting by Ali Wong and Randall Park was on target. I enjoyed it.

Bachelorette (ABC)

Meh. I love to hate it. All the characters keep this season moving along at a decent pace. The men are testosterone filled and Hannah is as silly as she is crazy. DVR the sucker so you can skip the commercials and the boring conversations.  

Wine Country (Netflix)

Yuck. A huge fan of Parks and Rec, I had high hopes for this. I was irritated right from  the start at how frumpy all the characters appeared and how cliche the script was from lost jobs to horrible husbands. As a woman of a certain age, I hope this is not my future.

 

Posted on by Dakota Star

No Easy Keepers

I opened my printer the other day to scan some new author contracts only to find that an old paper plastered to the glass. With dog pee. The urine had not only glued the form to the glass but managed to find its way into the inner workings of the machine.  The desk and printer sit next to my bed and it all clicked. No wonder I smelled urine but couldn’t find anything to clean up.

printer

Miraculously, the machine worked and continues to do so.

I had Buster, our latest foster dog, to thank for the lovely aroma and the clean up. I love you Buster!

Thinking over all the foster dogs my husband and I had these last few years, I realized that there are no easy keepers, but I cherished my time with all of them and every little disaster was worth it for the lessons learned.

Buster wasn’t planned. I hadn’t wanted another foster in April of 2019. I worked full time as a teacher, adjuncted at Norwalk Community College and attempted to find time to write. But every time I checked the Save One Soul website and saw Buster’s picture, I felt the pull to do something.

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Buster was nine years old and spent his entire life in a shelter after being found next to his mother who had been hit by a car. His sister had been adopted the year before. I couldn’t let him spend another day in the shelter. I took a leap of faith. We brought Buster to Connecticut to foster and within a month he was adopted by a wonderful retired couple who had a lot of time to dote on him.

There are times in our lives we all need to take that leap of faith, whether it is writing something out of our comfort zone, taking on a personal challenge, or submitting a book to a publisher even with the dread of rejection looming. Buster has taught me the importance of taking the leap. You might get peed upon, but you might also end up doing something great.