Eva Pasco's Blog - Posts Tagged "books"

Not trash talk, the use of insulting or boastful speech intended to demoralize another—but, “brash talk,” the milieu of writers for creating memorable lines.

In my opinion, brash talk—whether bawdy, angry, caustic, or love-struck—generates its own brand of eloquence:

From William Shakespeare’s 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream': Hermia to Lysander - “Graze on my lips, and if those hills be dry/Stray lower where the pleasant fountains lie.”

From Emily Brontë’s 'Wuthering Heights,' my all-time favorite novel: Heathcliff to Catherine – “Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living. You said I killed you--haunt me then. The murdered do haunt their murderers. I believe--I know that ghosts have wandered the earth. Be with me always--take any form--drive me mad.”

Talk is cheap—unless vivid and character driven!

One of my pet peeves as a reader is that of coming across lame dialogue which can’t hold a candle to the wind. Therefore, when writing, I try my best to avoid composing drivel, while staying true to my characters. My own worst critic, the other day, I scrolled back to chapter 10 in my WIP, editing what didn’t wash with me.

I felt a whole lot better for executing this line, spoken by my protagonist, Aida, to her best friend during a flashback scene: “Muriel, didn’t anyone ever mention that you can’t commit a murder by death wish alone?”

*You’re cordially invited to drop a line of brash talk either from your own WIP, or from a book you’ve read.

And, “literally”—what have I done before this year is over to benefit the surplus population of the Indie community?

In my capacity as a reader, I completed the 2018 Goodreads Reading Challenge: 4 books ahead of schedule, and surpassed my goal to read 25 books:
https://www.goodreads.com/user_challe...

I’ve reviewed every one of these books, and posted my reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, Authors Den, Google+, Facebook, and BookBub.

In my capacity as an Indie author, I’m participating in two holiday events on social media. In the spirit of the holiday season, I’ve pledged to donate copies of my books:

Indie Advent Calendar Event:

December 23rd – Eva Pasco, featuring 'An Enlightening Quiche' (Contemporary):

*For a chance to win a selection of eBooks every day from December 1st – 25th, you can enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway Contest by answering questions posted on the event page—starting on the 1st, and not before!

https://www.facebook.com/IndieAdventC...

Or:

https://www.facebook.com/IndieAdventC...

FYI: Nearly 400 books, and over 35 paperbacks, along with bookmarks, prints, pins, and postcards will be given away. I’ve pledged eBook copies of An Enlightening Quiche.

12 Days of Christmas Book Buying Event (December 13th – 24th):

Readers will buy one Indie book per day for 12 days.
Readers only will post. Authors can list their books in the comments. Each reader will list what type of book(s) they are interested in buying, as well as a preferred price range. One can participate as a reader, author, or both.

https://www.facebook.com/events/27815...

For prize giveaways, I’ve pledged to donate eBook copies of 'An Enlightening Quiche' and '100 Wild Mushrooms: Memoirs of the ‘60s,' along with a print copy of 'An EQ' within the USA.

*Books are ideal holiday gifts for everyone on your shopping list—they’re inexpensive and their stories last a lifetime.

*Books have potential to add light and make the holiday season bright.

Oh, there's no place like home for the holidays,
'Cause no matter how far away you roam,
When you pine for the sunshine of a friendly gaze,
For the holidays, you can't beat home, sweet home.

*From: “(There’s No Place Like) Home for the Holidays”; published: 1954; best-known recordings by Perry Como

The lyrics may hold true for many of us. For some, heading home for the holidays is stressful. Assuming there’s no place like home, where exactly is “home” for the rest of the year?

If home is where the heart is, I feel at home in my native state of Rhode Island which affords me access to the ocean, my favorite place to be. Throughout my childhood and young adulthood, I felt at home in the town of Lincoln. In that regard, I’m glad I preserved details of the past by writing/publishing my nonfiction memoir collection, '100 Wild Mushrooms: Memoirs of the ‘60s' (2017).

I never felt at home in South Kingstown where I resided for 15 years because most of that stretch was spent out of town during my teaching career. These days, while my abode is homey, I can’t say I feel at home in the town of East Providence either, a stranger among many who keep to ourselves in an apartment complex.

I’ve come to believe that “home sweet home” is not tied to any particular place. It’s a headspace where we bask in the sunshine as we define it. Until we’re comfortable in our own headspace, books provide an outlet for us to lose and find ourselves while homeward bound.

I’m one of those people who can’t bring myself to consume a nonperishable food item fast-approaching or past its printed expiration date.

Yet, it’s been brought out that because the canning process locks out oxygen, canned food has the potential to stay fresh for years, far beyond the embossed date. And, get this: according to a cited business insider note, “most expiration dates are made up”.

Living in New England where we’re subject to hurricanes or snowstorms, I’ve have a tendency to overstock cans of soup, tuna, and vegetables. Then, under the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the possibility of having to quarantine for fourteen days, I’ve added powdered milk, packaged mac & cheese, and boxed rice to the stockpile.

This week, foraging inside my kitchen cupboards as part of my fall cleaning regimen, I tossed out what didn’t make the cut. If I never open that box of rice, it can stay on a shelf until 2022. I can’t say the same for the other dry goods which were discarded.

During a power failure at the height of a storm, I’m partial to opening a can of tuna and a can of green beans, using my Swing-A-Way portable opener. Mixed together on a plate with a sprinkle of salad dressing, I’ve prepared a tasty, nutritious meal in a pinch.

Pivoting from my capacity as a writer, I’ll venture to say that beloved literature has no expiration date. A book’s date of publication is analogous to the aging of fine wine, its words appreciated more and more over the years, despite the ravages of time to its cover and pages.

Long live the debut novels we Indies have written. My debut Contemporary, Underlying Notes, was originally published in 2008.

What about yours?

*My sincere appreciation if you’ve read this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: https://tinyurl.com/yycm7d2w

As regions in the United States experience the extreme effects of a polar vortex, my neck of the woods in New England faces several days of bitter cold with gusty breezes, keeping wind chills in the twenties and teens.

One way of staving off the cold is that of hunkering down with a good book to read.
Getting into the literary swing of things, I’ve undertaken the 2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge, having pledged to read 25 books. A conservative goal, I tend to double the amount pledged by the time the end of the year rolls around. As always, I prefer to read books written by fellow Indies.

Since the onset of January, I’ve read and reviewed Mancer Hollow by P.S. Winn. I’m currently reading Lost in the Fog by Terry Kerr.

In the capacity of a writer, I’m hunkering down drafting chapter 8 (1066 words thus far) of my Contemporary work in progress.

*May each of us stave off the elements by hunkering down with a good book.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco