7 concepts that violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman can teach authors

Last night I attended an orchestra rehearsal of the PMP (Perlman Music Program) in Sarasota. Each year, 12 to 20 year-old musically talented students from around the world attend a two-week program taught by Itzhak Perlman, the internationally acclaimed violin virtuoso. As he conducted the rehearsal, Mr. Perlman would stop the orchestra to suggest alternate…

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Friday, December 10: Nassau, Bahamas

Thursday, December 9: Day at sea This morning’s server did bring me a bran muffin, but not toasted. As the Rolling Stones said, “You can’t always get what you want.” We attended the luncheon dinner theater Presumed Innocent, an improv comedy show about a murder aboard the ship. This was a lot of fun and…

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Wednesday, December 8: St. Thomas

Wake-up call at 6 A.M. At breakfast I asked for a bran muffin. Our server asked why I would order that. Apparently she dislikes these so much that she does not serve them; instead, she brought be a pastry basket, which I did not want. By 8:15 we were cued up on the pier in…

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Tuesday, December 7: St. Maarten

Shortly before 7 A.M. the change in the engine’s drone as it entered Marigot Bay awakened me. An hour later the St. Maarten officials cleared the ship, and the crew lowered the gangplank for passengers to disembark in Philipsburg, the capital of St. Maarten. After smearing ourselves with sunscreen and eating Eggs Benedict for breakfast,…

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Cruising the Caribbean

Saturday, December 7. At 7:00 A. M O on Saturday, my sister, Doris drove us to the Cruise Connection pick up point (McDonald’s on Cattleman) where we started our Caribbean Cruise. Unaccustomed to rising so early, Dennis was “off” most of the day, unable to sleep on the 4-hour bus ride to the Norwegian Cruise…

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Creating a book cover that screams “Pick me up”

This is the first in a series about book covers. The second is Use font to create a high-impact book cover. The third is Use harmony to create an appealing book cover. I’ve been researching how to create a book cover. I am planning a travel book series and would like the cover themes to be consistent…

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To engage readers, use a Facebook Profile—Not a Page

When I created my platform, the consensus was to separate the personal from the professional by creating Facebook Fan Pages, which is what I did. I have a Profile  (personal) Page and an Author’s Page,. Most people use a Facebook Profile Page to exchange information, make Friends, and check up on what others are doing; on…

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Keeping records is crucial for nonfiction authors

My husband is researching his father’s WWII paratrooper activities. Since his father was interviewed by Cornelius Ryan for his book The Longest Day, we visited the Cornelius Ryan Archives at the Mahn Center in the Alden Library, at the Ohio University  in Athens, Ohio (left). For his book, Mr. Ryan placed an ad in newspapers…

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Use voice to breathe life into nonfiction writing

This is the third post in a series on voice. The first is Are you courageous enough to find your voice?  The second is Using voice in nonfiction writing. “There are no boring subjects, only boring writers.” ~ Barry Lane I want to write travel memoirs that read like fiction. I want my readers to become…

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Using voice in nonfiction writing

This is the second post in a three-post series on voice. The first is Are you courageous enough to find your voice?  The last is Use voice to breathe life into nonfiction writing. Voice is important to all genres of writing, but, according to Richard D. Bank, “In writing nonfiction, the voice is critical because…

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