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Hey Everyone!!!!
Check it out! I did up a movie trailer for MUSINGS! It's loaded on to YouTube for all the world to see! Post your comments about what you think!
Friday, March 23, 2007
Author Interview with Jan Verhoeff
AN INTERVIEW WITH: Jan Verhoeff
1- Do you believe in Muses? And if so, who is your Muse?
Yes I do. My Muse is most often my youngest son. For some reason he just says the most inspiring things. I write about all the kids, but he seems to make the news more frequently, and with more verve and power than the rest of them. However, I have to admit, the other three are logical thinkers, and he's a creative mind.
2- How important is writing in every day life? Do you write because you have to or because you are inspired to?
I write because there is no other option, for me. I write because it is my work of choice and I'm inspired.
3- What is the one piece you've written that you're most proud of? What makes it so special to you?
The Oreo Story. It's my favorite because of the simplicity of comprehension and the real value it brings to my life.
Make sure to check out Jan’s blog and web site by visiting the following links:
AUTHOR WEB SITE: http://janverhoeff.com
AUTHOR BLOG: http://janverhoeff.blogspot.com
A Little Food For Thought
A Little Food For Thought
By: Jamieson Wolf
MUSINGS has been a dream of mine for quite some time. In reality, from conception to fruition, MUSINGS has been a project of mine for about three years. That’s a long time to be haunted by a whole lot of Muses; but seeing the magazine completed and out there, with such good feedback, makes me realize that all the hard work was worth it.
But the question remains: Why did I do it? Why did I spend three years brainstorming and roughly two months putting the magazine together, canvassing for submissions, etc? Well, to quote a well known phrase: I had a dream.
I’ve always wanted to do a magazine. The idea has always appealed to me, but I didn’t know how to go about it. How DO you make a magazine? What should it be about? Where is the focus? These were all questions I considered. Having self-published quite a few of my books, I learnt a lot from other writers, friends. I had to teach myself something new. .
MUSINGS has been a dream of mine and I decided to pursue that dream. I wanted to have a magazine, a publication, where those that wanted to be published could be; where the love of the written word was the focus. I didn’t want to leave anything out. I wanted poetry, any kind of fiction, columns, and reviews. There are so many kinds of words out there so why should I limit the magazine to just one kind of literary form?
The truth is that, for whatever reason, my Muse pushed me to make MUSINGS a reality. I’m still not sure why she did it (yep, my Muse is a woman. She’s awfully nice, has tons of ideas, but she can be a liiiitle pushy sometimes) but I’m glad she did.
Because of MUSINGS, I have had the pleasure of meeting and working with some of the best writers I have come to know. Their writing has touched me, moved me, and made me laugh. Perhaps this is why my Muse pushed me to start MUSINGS; to mature, to grow. To live.
And isn’t that the greatest Musing of them all? Food for thought indeed.
But the question remains: Why did I do it? Why did I spend three years brainstorming and roughly two months putting the magazine together, canvassing for submissions, etc? Well, to quote a well known phrase: I had a dream.
I’ve always wanted to do a magazine. The idea has always appealed to me, but I didn’t know how to go about it. How DO you make a magazine? What should it be about? Where is the focus? These were all questions I considered. Having self-published quite a few of my books, I learnt a lot from other writers, friends. I had to teach myself something new. .
MUSINGS has been a dream of mine and I decided to pursue that dream. I wanted to have a magazine, a publication, where those that wanted to be published could be; where the love of the written word was the focus. I didn’t want to leave anything out. I wanted poetry, any kind of fiction, columns, and reviews. There are so many kinds of words out there so why should I limit the magazine to just one kind of literary form?
The truth is that, for whatever reason, my Muse pushed me to make MUSINGS a reality. I’m still not sure why she did it (yep, my Muse is a woman. She’s awfully nice, has tons of ideas, but she can be a liiiitle pushy sometimes) but I’m glad she did.
Because of MUSINGS, I have had the pleasure of meeting and working with some of the best writers I have come to know. Their writing has touched me, moved me, and made me laugh. Perhaps this is why my Muse pushed me to start MUSINGS; to mature, to grow. To live.
And isn’t that the greatest Musing of them all? Food for thought indeed.
Interview with Dorothy Thompson
INTERVIEW WITH DOROTHY THOMPSON
Thank you for having me on Musings, Jamieson!
You’re very welcome! Now, on to the questions!
1- Do you believe in Muses? And if so, who is your Muse?
Ahhhh...the incredible muse who pops into my life at the weirdest darndest times. I could be asleep and there she is. I could be somewhere without paper and pen and there she is. But the one thing I do love about her - even though she loves to play surprise visits on me when I'm least expecting it - is that without her, I'm like a ship without a captain, a rainbow without colors, a road trip without a map. Who is she? Someone very, very important. As a writer who thrives on that incredible rush when the words are coming so fast, it takes every effort to get them down before they disappear, she's my lifeline of whom I feed upon to help me tell a story. Without her, I'm staring at a blank piece of paper, not knowing which direction to go. With her, we are soul mates on the same path going in the same direction and thriving on the energy and the passion only true soul mates possess.
2- How important is writing in every day life? Do you write because you have to or because you are inspired to?
I believe in writing every day whether it's your latest novel or simply a few musings on your blog. They say practice makes perfect. It's like anything; the more you do it, the better you become. I write when I'm inspired, not because I have to. When I am forced to write, I can't say it's my best work. Let it come naturally. Let an idea or a thought come to you by surprise and feel the excitement. Get caught up in it. They are the novels, or the articles, or the poetry, that end up being your best works overall.
3- What is the one piece you've written that you're most proud of? What makes it so special to you?
You know, this is funny. The one piece that just jumped out of my memory as the one I was the most proud of and most special was a simple little book I made in second grade. I had no idea I wanted to be an author, but if you could just feel how proud I was when I presented my homemade book to my teacher and having her read it out loud to the class, it boggles the mind thinking that years later, it would become my profession. I'm also especially proud of a book I didn't write completely, but several authors and I wrote, that has opened so many doors for me and also unearthed a talent I never knew I possessed. That book is Romancing the Soul, an anthology of true soul mate stories that I put together in 2001 and was published by Zumaya Publications in 2004. That one I'll always keep close to my soul because it was because of a certain special someone in my life who encouraged me to get this book out there. And, what is probably strange to anyone reading this, he did this from "the other side." I guess you'll just have to get the book to find out! ;o)
Thanks for dropping by, Dorothy! Make sure to stop by Dorothy’s blog and web site at the following links:
AUTHOR WEB SITE: http://www.dorothythompson.net
AUTHOR BLOG: http://www.overthehillchick.blogspot.com
Muses Love Walking
One of my books is going to be re-published, so I wanted to come up with a new title. But my mind was as dry as a New Mexican desert. I tried typing up a few possibilities without success. I thought: This is a disgrace. Is this all I am capable of? In a vast space of unfertile land, my thoughts refused to share anything with me, as if I were an intruder.
Maybe I had not been particularly attentive to my Muse lately. From my experience Muses are selfish, demanding, volatile creatures, as moody and unpredictable as Turkish jihn. Nevertheless, I surrendered to an act of kindness and decided to take her out for a walk. Besides, my daughter was my pulling my arm, begging to be taken out to bike.
As my daughter pedalled away ahead of me, I began to negotiate with my Muse, who obviously needed some placating. I was soon distracted by the blossoming tulips and bumblebees heavy with nectar. A magpie perched on the branch of a magnolia tree in full bloom caught my eye. The sweet tang of early spring was everywhere. I felt my senses tantalized, my mind instantly relaxing. Gradually, as the act of walking kept my legs moving one after another, my creative thoughts began to flourish with as much youthful beauty, freshness and grace as the tulips in the well-kept gardens around me. Most surprisingly, a torrent of ideas for titles rushed through my mind, which actually was quite annoying because I didn’t have pen and paper and I have a terrible memory.
When we do it alone—that is, with only our Muses for company—there is something powerful in the act of walking. Walking makes us connect with our inner self, our subconscious. In fact, walking can be for many a form of meditation. I didn’t even have to talk further with my Muse. I could feel her mellowing as she walked with me, gently giggling like a cherub with a balloon in one hand and an ice-cream cone in the other.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
An aMUSEing Puzzle!
Looking for a fun way to waste a few minutes? Why not try this fun puzzle that features the cover of our new MUSINGS issue!
Welcome to MUSINGS: A Blog of Words
Welcome to MUSINGS: A Blog of Words!
So, what is A Blog of Words? Well, it's the companion to MUSINGS: A Magazine of Words. Recently, we published our newest issue! It also happens to be our biggest most wonderfully word packed issue ever! There's tons of poetry, short stories, reviews, columns and interviews to satisfy even the most needy word junkie!
So, why a blog? Well, I thought it would be a great idea for Contributors to MUSINGS to have a place to share other works, other words that they were inspired to write. It's also a good way to let everyone know what we're doing, what the submission deadlines are, that kind of thing.
It will also be a place of information! The blog will feature short interviews with authors about their work and what inspires them to write. There will also be the occasional writing tip, observation, etc. As long as it has anything to do with words, it will be posted here.
So take a look around, click and enjoy. Make sure to download your very own copy of MUSINGS: A Magazine of Words and indulges yourself! Spring is finally here!
So, why a blog? Well, I thought it would be a great idea for Contributors to MUSINGS to have a place to share other works, other words that they were inspired to write. It's also a good way to let everyone know what we're doing, what the submission deadlines are, that kind of thing.
It will also be a place of information! The blog will feature short interviews with authors about their work and what inspires them to write. There will also be the occasional writing tip, observation, etc. As long as it has anything to do with words, it will be posted here.
So take a look around, click and enjoy. Make sure to download your very own copy of MUSINGS: A Magazine of Words and indulges yourself! Spring is finally here!
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