Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Interview with author Anne Frasier!

My interview with Anne Frasier, super talented author of the chilling thrillers Pale Immortal, Garden of Darkness and more, will post tomorrow, Thursday, October 23rd, at Texty Ladies. I hope you’ll stop by to find out more about Anne and her books!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Flash Fiction

I’ve posted my flash fiction piece "Cat Pranks" at Texty Ladies today. A little something light. :)

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Interview with writer and artist F. Magdalene Austin

Please join me at Texty Ladies today for my interview with amazing artist and writer F. Magdalene Austin of Sundrip Journals!


She’ll share how art and writing have helped her as a survivor of abuse.


Please stop by and check out her beautiful art and encouraging words!


http://www.textyladies.com/


~ Pamela

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Finally Back

I obviously haven't been back here since I took my five days off of blogging. An odd thing happened during that time. Once I no longer felt I had to blog, all sorts of ideas about blogging popped into my head. I ended up getting sick during that time so all the hours I thought I'd have each night to do research, write and draw ended up being spent in bed. I couldn't keep my eyes open past 9:00 p.m.

For the week ahead, I'll be posting a book review and a library feature. I'm also adding books to my library at Library Thing (see sidebar) and updating other items in the sidebar.

I hope you'll check back. :)

Monday, August 11, 2008

Time for a Break!

I'm taking a break from all blogging beginning tomorrow but will return next Monday, August 18th. I've been feeling a bit hollow and empty of late, very uninspired, and I think I just need time to refuel. My son is staying with my sister this week so I plan to use this opportunity to do a little drawing, writing and research. I also plan to get to that reading I've held off on since that is what inspires me most often. When I do come back, I'll have more book reviews, some library features, updates to items in the sidebar like Rudi Jr.'s book picks, additional links in the Blogroll, etc.

Please come back and visit me next week when I should be inspired and recharged! Have a wonderful week!

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Meeting Jim Lee!

My post today at Texty Ladies is about my husband's and my experience meeting the hugely talented comic artist, Jim Lee, this past weekend! I hope you'll take a look!

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Miss You Already


Indya
1987 - 2008
It's a very sad day for me. My beloved cat, Indya, passed away this morning. She was 21 years old and my constant and faithful companion. Indya was with me through the highs and lows and I will miss her forever. It was peaceful for her in the end and for that I am very grateful. I'll write more about my feisty and independent little girl but right now, it is too much. Until we're together again... sweet dreams and pleasant slumbers, my friend.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Exciting Texty Ladies News!

Please stop over at Texty Ladies today, where I've posted about using art as therapy for people with disabilities. You'll see some amazing art and hear about what it can do for all of us!

I'm thrilled to tell you that Dianna Love and Mary Buckham will be guest blogging at Texty Ladies tomorrow! They will be discussing PACING - DEAD AHEAD...OR JUST PLAIN DEAD and hope to see both writers and readers. They'll have tons of information as well as door prizes! All you have to do is post a comment to be entered into the drawing. It should be lots of fun so I hope to see you all there! :)

Monday, July 21, 2008

BOOK REVIEW: Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett



Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett

Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Berkley (April 1, 2008)

First in the new Booktown Mystery Series

(from back cover)

Stoneham, New Hampshire, was a dying town until community leaders invited booksellers to open up shop. Now, its streets are lined with bookstores - and paved with murder…

When she moved to Stoneham, City slicker Tricia Miles was met with friendly faces. And when she opened her mystery bookstore, she was met with friendly competition. But when she finds Doris Gleason dead in her own cookbook store, killed with a kitchen knife, the atmosphere seems more cutthroat than cordial. Someone wanted to get their hands on the rare cookbook that Doris recently purchased — and the locals think that someone is Tricia. To clear her name, Tricia will have to take a page out of one of her own mysteries — and hunt down someone who isn’t killing by the book…


Lorna Barrett has crafted a fun read with a great cast of characters and a very charming setting. For booklovers, what better place could there be than a town filled with bookstores? When a fellow bookstore owner is murdered, Tricia becomes the prime suspect. Since the town sheriff is convinced Tricia is the murderer, she must solve this whodunnit herself.

You might solve this mystery halfway through the book but you’ll want to read on for some unpredictable plot twists. Our heroine is likeable, although at times, a bit negative. Heck, wouldn’t you be if you were accused of murder! A surprise visit from Tricia’s sister, Angelica, explores their strained relationship and sibling rivalry. Tricia’s employee Ginny and daily customer Mr. Everett are enjoyable characters with a great deal of potential which I hope will be developed in future books.

Murder is Binding is a nice start to the Booktown Mystery Series. It's a fun, cozy read with an interesting plot, evolving heroine and promising supporting characters.

“Move over Cabot Cove. Lorna Barrett’s new cozy creation, Murder Is Binding, has it all: wonderful old books, quirky characters, a clever mystery, and a cat named Miss Marple!” –Roberta Isleib, author of Preaching to the Corpse and the Advice Column Mysteries

“A mystery bookstore in a sleepy New England town, a cat named Miss Marple, a nasty murder and a determined heroine make Barrett’s delightful debut mystery everything a cozy lover could want and more. Bravo!” –Leann Sweeney, author of the Yellow Rose Mystery Series


-Crossposted from Texty Ladies site.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

It took me 2 1/2 hours to complete last night's post. I kept falling asleep and had to start over and remember what I was going to say. I wanted to include more information in that post but it will have to suffice. Maybe next time, I'll post in the morning. Sheesh!

Monday, July 14, 2008

Suzzallo Library

Does this look like a setting in the next Harry Potter movie or what? Actually, it's the Suzzallo Library in Seattle, Washington. I look at this picture and think about sitting at one of the tables at night, the massive sconces glowing and an old tome sitting open before me. Perhaps it tells romantic tales of an ancient adventurer or contains spells and magic elixirs that I must memorize for later use. Whatever the case may be, I'm sure reading it in this library would be quite a treat!

The Suzzallo Library was named for Henry Suzzallo, who was president of the University of Washington until he stepped down in 1926, the same year the first phase of the library's construction was completed.

A glass and concrete addition of 125,000 square feet was added to the north and east sides of the Library in the years from 1961 to 1963. This addition completely enclosed an earlier addition of 1947 that was built to provide much-needed storage.

The Seattle Times reported, "it is pronounced by experts to be the most beautiful reading room on the continent, and is ranked among the most beautiful in the world."

For more on the Suzzallo Library, see the following:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzzallo_Library

http://www.washington.edu/alumni/columns/sept02/suzzallo1.html

The photo of the Library was taken from: http://curiousexpeditions.org/

Weekly Update

When you are growing up, there are two institutional places that affect you most powerfully-the church, which belongs to God, and the public library, which belongs to you. The public library is a great equalizer. ~ Musician Keith Richards

Why have I never stumbled upon that quote before?

I'll be posting more often here this week. We had family staying with us over the weekend and I didn't have time for posting.

My next post will feature a library I'm sure we all wish we could visit. You'll have to wait until tonight for that. ;)

Rudi Jr. will be adding to his YA & Children's Book Picks this week. I've had some trouble with the slideshow but I'm sure we can get it fixed.

Okay, I'm off. I hope you have a fantastic day and that you check back late tonight or tomorrow for my first library feature!

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Cozy Corner

If you've scrolled down this Home Page, you might have noticed the heading "Cozy Corner" in the sidebar. There's not much going on there right now but eventually, I'll be featuring cozy mysteries in that section. I love a deep, mind-blowing read just like the next girl, but sometimes, a good, light mystery with loveable characters and a happy ending are what the doctor ordered.

Don't you love it when you discover a book that takes you to a place and a group of people you'd like to visit regularly? You'd like to drop in and catch up on the dirt; see what crazy shenanigans the heroine has gotten herself into lately? I do and that's why I created the Cozy Corner so I can share some "vacation" locations with you. ;)

If I post a review in the main posts, I hope you'll comment and let me know what you think of that particular book and also share titles of other great cozy reads.

Shopping Option

I've added a new feature here that I hope you'll enjoy. If you look below the "BOOKSTORE" heading in the sidebar, you can click on the various categories to browse and purchase books from Amazon. It will appear as if you've gone away from my site but you'll still be here. I'll continue to add new categories as I have time. I know how much I love to browse for books and maybe you do, too, so, I hope this shopping option will be of use to you. Have fun!

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Library World Tour


"Make thy books thy companions. Let thy cases and shelves be thy pleasure grounds and gardens." - Judah ibn-Tibbon (12th century)

Entering a library is like stepping into a magical world where anything can happen. For me, it's like a feast for the senses and more. The butterflies that flit about my stomach then race through the rest of my body thrill me as I look around at the books before me. The anticipation of discovery is almost too much to bare!

Sliding a book off the shelf, I read the title and slide my hand lovingly over the cover. This one is a hardcover with engraved lettering and no pictures. It may sound kinky but I just love touching books, fabric hardcovers, slick and glossy softcovers...just about anything will do. The smell of fresh print is exciting and the musty odor from older books tell of great history.

What lies inside these covers is the best part of all. Who knows what adventures await should I decide to steal a few moments and jump inside its pages?!

Each week at Rudigirl's Book World, I'll talk about a different library. It could be from anywhere around the world. It will be fun to learn more about some of the places I love best! I hope you'll join me on my world tour of libraries and comment me with your thoughts or suggestions for future stops.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Rudi Jr.'s Book Picks


I'd like to introduce you to my son. We'll call him Rudi Jr. That's not his real name but he's using it here. Rudi Jr. will be posting his picks for great YA/Teen and Children's books. He might also add a random post here and there, possibly a poem or short story.
Rudi Jr. loves stories as much as I do and I think he'll have some great advice on what to look for on your next trip to the library or bookstore! Look for Rudi's picks in the sidebar under "Rudi Jr.'s Book Nook" or anywhere on this blog where you see Zeus. :)

Friday, June 27, 2008

Unusual Home for Books



How cool is this? I would have loved to have this as a young girl. Not only is it a super cool bookshelf, it's also a hideout or fort. You could have your bed behind it or a giant beanbag chair where you could get comfy and read.

I'm not sure anymore where I found this pic but it was somewhere on the Internet while searching the word "books." I'll come back and post a link if I ever find its origins.







Update and Plans

Call me insane, but I have five blogs and several other personal journal/diaries set up online and I just want to create more. I'd like to just create one where I can put everything but I haven't found a free version of anything that has been just right to do that. Oh, I could probably do it but it wouldn't look or function the way I want it to. Ah, well. I just started another blog about all things paranormal. I'll post about it more when it's up and running.

Here at Rudigirl's Book World, I have many things in store. Hopefully, this weekend, I can implement some of those ideas. Those of us who love books also love bookstores and libraries so I plan to feature a different one each week and tag or categorize them for future searches. That's all I'm revealing for now. ;)

The contest winner for the Texty Ladies Monday Mix Contest has been posted so please check out the winner. I can't wait for next week's contest!

That's it for now. Until next time...

Monday, June 23, 2008

Writing Contest

I promise this blog will not be my pimpin' place for all things Texty Ladies! But, I must let you know about one thing:

My Texty Ladies blog is now holding a weekly contest in the Monday Mix. We post a picture and ask that people write about it using 200 words or less. It can be in the form of a song, poem, short story or whatever you like. On Wednesday, we’ll post the selected winner on our Home Page and also on our Monday Mix Winners Hall of Fame page. The winners will receive a little something from the Texty Ladies as well. Said “little something” will be mentioned at a later date as it is not yet ready.

I hope you’ll go to Texty Ladies to get more details and submit an entry. I can’t wait to read it!

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

"One Night With You" Contest!

My friend Jane E. Jones is running a contest at our Texty Ladies blog. She's giving away a free copy of her newly published ebook, "One Night With You". It is available now at The Wild Rose Press under the Scarlet Rose line. All you need to do is watch her book trailer and comment on that post by the end of Monday, June 9th. A winner will be drawn Tuesday, June 10th.

Today's post at TL is Jane's interview with erotic romance author, and self-described romantic heretic, Rob Graham. He's an interesting guy so you should check it out!

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Texty Ladies

Well, I certainly haven't done much with this blog, have I? This was to be my site for posting book reviews, writing exercises and all things literary.

My new group blog, Texty Ladies, has taken up a good portion of my free time and so I haven't done a very good job of keeping up with my other blogs. Over at Texty Ladies, my writer friend Jane and I (the blog started out with three of us) are blogging about writing, music and art. Here are our daily themes:

Monday Mix - A grab bag of stuff about music, art, writing, book, hot guys, what ever tickles our fancy!

Talkative Tuesday - Interviews with writers, artists and musicians. We've had some fantastic interviewees so please have a look-see.

Wild Wednesday - This originally started out as Wild Design Wednesday where Kayko would post tutorials, however, she's no longer blogging with us so Jane has taken over and is posting about a variety of subjects.

Thoughtful Thursday - This is my weekly column. So far, the subjects have varied. I'm still working out what type of column this will be: informative, persuasive, life stories or what-have-you.

Fiction Friday - We will eventually be posting a continuing story on Fridays. Until we're ready, we will have guest bloggers on this day. Once the story gets rolling, we might switch the guest blogging to another day.

I hope you'll stop by Texty Ladies and have a look. Please feel free to comment!