Book Talk: *I Pray Hardest When I’m Being Shot At*, by Kyle Garret

Book Talk: *I Pray Hardest When I’m Being Shot At*, by Kyle Garret

This week and next, I’ll be posting my reviews of the Indie Lit Awards Biography/Memoir short list, working my way up to the top two. (Also—Have you entered my Blogiversary Giveaway?) I Pray Hardest When I’m Being Shot At Kyle Garret (book website) Hellgate Press (2011), Paperback original (ISBN 1555716865 / 9781555716868) Nonfiction (biography/memoir), 200 pages Source: publisher Reason for reading: Indie Lit Awards Short List (Biography/Memoir), Memorable Memoirs Reading Challenge Opening lines: “This is a […]

Sunday Salon: Welcome to My 5th Blogiversary Party–and there are gifts!

Sunday Salon: Welcome to My 5th Blogiversary Party–and there are gifts!

My first post on The 3 R’s Blog was on March 16, 2007. The second post went up on March 18–five years ago today. (And then I didn’t post a third time until April.) A few days ago, I reflected on some of the developments I’ve seen on the way to this milestone. On my blogiversary itself, I shared a snapshot of my very first post. But celebrations are best suited for weekends…welcome to my fifth […]

Song Lyric Saturday: “Everyday I Write the Book”

Song Lyric Saturday: “Everyday I Write the Book”

Welcome to Song Lyric Saturday, a new feature for my NaBloPoMo month of March–and it may make occasional appearances even after that’s over, but we’ll see how it goes. I’m not a big fan of short stories in traditional form, but when they’re set to great melodies and last for under four minutes, sometimes they really work for me.  In addition to one of my favorite book blogs (hi, Gayle!), I associate “Everyday I Write the […]

Friday Foto: Time Capsule! The Very First Post

Friday Foto: Time Capsule! The Very First Post

I can’t actually re-create my very first blog post. The original URL no longer exists, since I switched to a custom domain in 2008. I’ve changed templates a couple of times during the last five years, and Blogger doesn’t even seem to have my original “Minima” template available any more. However, using my stripped-down “test blog,” I’ve come up with a decent facsimile of what went up in this space five years ago today. Clearly, […]

This Veteran Reflects on a Milestone Blogiversary

This Veteran Reflects on a Milestone Blogiversary

This is published post #1668, dated March 15, 2012. Post #1 was published on March 16, 2007. That averages out to .91 posts per day over five years. Five years of blogging! Who saw THAT coming? Five years ago, it certainly wasn’t me. And sometimes I still feel like a newbie who’s playing catch-up, and will always be a few steps behind no matter what; the online world changes so fast. On the other hand, […]

A Blogiversary party to plan…

…and a linkish placeholder post today. Blame NaBloPoMo for my not taking the day off entirely, since I was sick yesterday. i’m feeling a little better and will be back at work today, but I haven’t felt up to much in the way of thinking and writing for the last few days. But I need to get up to speed soon, because I’ve got a five-year Blogiversary party to plan! The actual Big Day is […]

Blogger’s Choice! Lose One: Words or Pictures?

Blogger’s Choice! Lose One: Words or Pictures?

Prompt for Friday, March 9, 2012: Would you rather lose your blog or lose your photographs? More either-or, but this one’s a pretty easy call for me: I’d handle losing the photos much better than losing the blog. That brings up another question: do you back up your blog regularly? I need to set some sort of schedule for that, because I’m quite sure that I’m overdue. I’ll do that tonight. I’m just days from […]

Blogger’s Choice! Pick One: Readers or Comments?

Blogger’s Choice! Pick One: Readers or Comments?

Prompt for Wednesday, March 7, 2012:Would you rather have more blog readers or more blog comments? The theme for NaBloPoMo this month is “Whether,” and most of the writing prompts so far have posed either-or questions. Such questions are not among my favorite things–I’ve always preferred multiple-choice to true-or-false (or the equivalent). Some people take a more black-and-white perspective on life, but I’m more into the shades of gray. Having said that, I’m taking today’s […]

Sunday Salon: Indie Lit Awards Preview

Sunday Salon: Indie Lit Awards Preview

We’re a week away from revealing the winners of the 2011 Indie Lit Awards, and the panels who will choose those books have been busily reading and discussing their short lists for the last few weeks. We’ve been asked not to post our reviews of these books until after the big announcement; look for those starting on March 19, but I’d like to introduce the finalists in my category, Biography/Memoir. These books have already had […]

Song Lyric Saturday: “Wonder”

Song Lyric Saturday: “Wonder”

Welcome to Song Lyric Saturday, a new feature for my NaBloPoMo month of March–and it may make occasional appearances even after that’s over, but we’ll see how it goes. I’m not a big fan of short stories in traditional form, but when they’re set to great melodies and last for under four minutes, sometimes they really work for me.  In a week when we observed International Women’s Day, ten days into Women’s History Month, it shouldn’t […]

Friday Foto: Horsing Around in Hollywood

Friday Foto: Horsing Around in Hollywood

(I did a little horsing around with this photo, too, as if you couldn’t tell by the funky colors… Have you tried the editing tricks on Photoshop Express?) I didn’t realize that the LAPD had its own Mounties until I saw a couple of them on Franklin Avenue one afternoon last week. I snapped this photo with my phone when they were facing in the opposite direction. (Yes, I was in my car, having just […]

It’s International Women’s Day, and She’s Out of Control!

It’s International Women’s Day, and She’s Out of Control!

Today is International Women’s Day, and I’m going back to a post I published on this date in 2011 as a jumping-off point. I’m sorry to say there hasn’t been a lot of positive progress since then. Source: wildgypsies.tumblr.com via Malina on Pinterest March is Women’s History Month – a time to reflect on where we’ve been and consider where we go next. As the saying goes, those who forget history are doomed to repeat it…and those who […]