Jen Selinsky's Blog

Last Friday morning, our business had our annual holiday party at the local IHOP.

Even though we were used to having these events at another location, that didn't stop us from playing our game of Dirty Santa, in which people can choose to open a new gift or steal someone else's.

Those who know me best know that I am not really into decorations or ornaments. So, if anyone brings a book as a gift, I am likely to try and steal it away.

This year, I ended up with a handmade journal which is very beautifully crafted! While others fought over stuffed animals and animatronic ornaments based on Star Wars characters, I was very happy with the gift I received!

Even though this book will never be published, I wanted to include a small review on my blog:

The Christmas Journal by Michelle

The Christmas Journal is a hand-made treasure trove tantamount to the many pop-up books for sale in bookstores. The work has many fun features, including: Christmas recipes, checklists, pullout tabs for gift tags, and other holiday memorabilia. Journals such as this are a must have for anyone who likes to write or for those who need a little extra help tracking their Christmas to-dos.

Though this review can never give full justice to the item of beauty which is now in my possession, I wanted to at least tell the rest of the world what I think of this precious and unique gift.

Since my Jen's Good Reads blog only covers books, I wanted another place, besides Amazon, to post my review of The Orange Albaster Mushroom's album Space & Time. Hope you enjoy my review!

Ironically, I first found out about The Orange Alabaster Mushroom's music when I was searching YouTube for some new psychedelic sounds. The album's cover art popped up, and my eyes were immediately attracted to it. I looked at the title of one of the songs, "Tree Pie," which made me curious enough to want to give it a listen. Since I am a big fan of classic rock, I automatically assumed that the song was from the '60s, but I was shocked, and pleasantly surprised, to find out that I was off by a few decades. Space & Time was actually released in 2001! Intrigued, I knew that I had to listen to more, and it wasn't much longer until I became a fan. I highly recommend the album to anyone who is a fan of classic rock. Space & Time is definite proof that some people actually do make 'em like they used to!

This short work, by Vrajesh Dave Wind, tells the story about of a man named Peter and his longing for human contact. His lonlieness gets the best of him, and Peter begins to stare at a white wall. He is soon surprised and delighted to see the white shadow, which emerges from the wall, take the form of a curvacious woman. Peter becomes fascinated with her and admires her nude figure as she bathes. It is only when she turns into a black shadow that he loses interest. No matter how much the woman tries to talk sense into Peter, he has to discover, for himself, that things are not always what they appear to be. Though some might be confused about the plot, The White Shadow provides insight into certain human behavior and issuses which are still very important today.

As some of you might already know, I am a big fan of the band Genesis. They have inspired so much of my work over the years, including one poetry book about the entire band and one each dedicated to Steve Hackett and Peter Gabriel.

Though I have started taking notes and collecting them for a potential Genesis biography, which will be called A Trick of the Tale, it seems that is a very slow work in progress...

In the meantime, however, I have started a blog in honor of the band's 50th anniversary, Genesis: Inside and Out. Please feel free to give it a look: https://genesisinsideandout.wordpress...

If you find that you like the site, please feel free to recommend it to other fans!

Hello, everyone. It's been entirely too long since I've posted anything to this blog, but I want to let all of you know about another one I've started.

It's on WordPress, and is a Q&A forum. I have a set list of questions, and those who are interested can contact me via Facebook.

For those of you who would like to take a look, it is here: https://jensfavoriteauthors.wordpress...

A few days ago, I was very happy to receive an e-mail from Steve Hackett, (of Genesis) thanking me for the copy of a book which I had sent him.

The title to which I am referring is none other than "Twilight Alehouse," a book of poems which I had written while listening to the music of Genesis. I also threw in a copy of a poem, "Brighter Days," which was featured in the February edition of "Explorer Magazine."

Since Steve's birthday is February 12, I wanted to wait for a while after that day so that my gift would stand out a little.

I have to be honest and say that I didn't expect any acknowledgement of the gift received, but I am certainly glad that I did. This just goes to show that my work can reach anyone if I am able to get it into the hands of one of my role models!

I'm going to do something slightly different with this blog and ask you, the reader, to respond to a question.

Some could say that there is a debate among readers of both fiction and non fiction. Typically, fiction readers go for the fantasy--something which helps them escape the woes of their daily lives. This also gives the chance to live vicariously for a character, or possibly even two or more characters.

Some readers of non fiction prefer to get the nitty gritty concerning real stories, but this could also serve as a type of "fantasy" for these readers since they become the subject of the book. It is not their reality; the reality belongs to the subject(s) of the book.

Having said all that, it is now time to explore a slightly different area. As I have stated above, many fiction authors focus on fantasy. First of all, because the books are fiction, and second of all it's because that (presumably) what their main demographics want to read.

As a writer, I am always interested in knowing what my readers like. I want to provide them with something which will entertain and possibly even educate. Now, here comes the question: Would you rather read books which cater to fantasy, such as the story of an aspiring writer who gets his or her big break, or would you rather read a book about a writer who doesn't make it?

Before you get angry and start telling me that I'm dense, please consider the question. Very often, books and movies get criticized for being too unrealistic. I should know because I've often said so myself. Even my newest novel, Springtime in London, might fall under that category.

But, there are some others who don't want fantasy. They want reality and involved research in their fiction. I know, I said fiction, but some readers like their their made-up stories as real as possible. I, myself, do not fall under that category, but it takes many different kinds.

So, here it is that I leave you until my next post. Thank you all for your devoted readership and helping me solve another debate.

For those who say that there is no value in art, let me ask you this: If no one appreciates the art, then why are people spending billions of dollars a year on entertainment? That's a fairly simple question, right.

Let's start with the movies. Most every film takes millions to produce and release. One has to factor in all the money paid to actors, studios--money paid for advertisements to generate interest, etc.

If art has no value, then why is film such a lucrative industry? Why don't people spend more of their leisure time figuring out complex equations or trying to memorize the Periodic Table of Elements?

I'll tell you why. People want to be entertained; they want to escape the monotony of their everday lives. Fantasy helps people forget about the fact that they still have X amount of money due on their mortgage. It allows them to live vicariously through a fictional character in a fictional setting--even if only for a small amount of time.

The same could be said for books, music, television shows, and just about any other forms of popular entertainment. Otherwise, publishers, studios, record companies, and the like would certainly go out of business. Even art which is self-published still involves the receiving of royalties.

Then, there are the visual arts. Certain artists may be paid up to millions of dollars for their paintings, sculptures, drawings, or photographs. Art galleries thrive on such good business. Museum curators depend on this for the survival of their livelihoods.

I could go even more abstract than that and say that art represents mans triumphs and struggles. It reflects where we have come from, and quite possibly, can also illuminate the direction in which we are headed.

Now, are there still any naysayers out there who say that art is completely useless? I should think not!

I am very pleased to see other writers not as competition, but as friends. Some of them I've had the privilege of meeting person-to-person. Lori Soard is one of those people.

It all started when she came into my work. I was checking out her books, and I made mention of the fact that I am a writer. Lori told me that she is a writer as well, which really piqued my curiosity. She then handed me her business card, which I have kept for the last, few years.

Some time had elapsed, and I found Lori's card around the same time I started corresponding with another author friend of mine, Morgan Richter. I did not waste much time in contacting them both, telling them how much their work has interested me.

Nearly five years later, Lori has interviewed me for her site:
http://wordmuseum.com/interviews/excl...

When I was a senior in high school, I told people that abhorred television, and I did, as I avoided it almost completely. (I couldn't say the same for movies, though, as I watched quite a few.) This was in stark contrast to when I was a child, and all I wanted to do was watch TV! "Books? Who cares about those? Reading is for nerds, anyway!" I still cringe when I think back on those words, but I cannot change my views from the past.

Nowadays, I am leaning a little more toward my high attitude toward television. I seldom watch it, unless I'm with my husband. The two of us do watch a lot of movies together. Lately, it seems that I've been wanting to watch movies whose main characters are writers, in hopes that they will inspire me.

YouTube is the only thing I watch when I am by myself. I have easy access through the Kindle Fire, and on my laptop, so there is no need to figure out all the complicated gadgets my husband has hooked up to our big TV downstairs.

Granted, that does not mean that I want to watch TV when I am alone. I find it boring when I have no one with whom to talk about the programs.

Reading and writing take up much of my leisure time, so I do not have the urge to watch TV. And, when I do, there are only about a handful of shows which can capture my attention.

Having said all this, however, I want to illustrate the fact that all TV shows come from talented groups of writers. Whether one likes it or not, this is a fact which no one can deny.

Though some may make the claim that they don't care who wrote the show, their name is right there, even if only for a brief second. Most of the time, one can blink and nearly miss it, but the executives still acknowledge their hand in bringing this particular episode to life.

While most readers and writers may prefer to extrapolate meaning from the written word, there are some who like to watch television. Even if it's only in the most minute sense, they still can gather meaning from the program which is on the screen.

After all, these writers also have to flesh out their characters and develop good plotlines. And, when the writer knows that they have a potential audience of millions, that seems to only add to the pressure to write what they think their audience wants.

So, whether or not TV is your cup of tea, please remember the fact that there are a team of writers behind each show, pouring and sweating over their work just as much as any other writers. And that, in itself, is just as admirable.