Great read:

I am reading the latest issue of The Los Angeles Review (volume 6, Fall 2009) and, wow, am I having a good time. It's the first time I've ever read the journal, but it won't be the last. It's filled with terrific stories, stories by Alicia Gifford (one of my favorite writers), Ethel Rohan (another favorite of mine), Michael Czyzniejewski (a writer I've only recently discovered and am completely enamored with his work), Steve Almond (a writer who, of course, I've heard of but never had the pleasure of reading before now), and a ton of others I can't wait to read.

Character names

I was reading through some old stories, stories that I wrote 2 and 3 years ago, and a funny (or maybe interesting is a better word) realization hit me: the same character names appear again and again. The characters, themselves, are different, but the name Pete or Peter shows up a lot, as does Lily (Lilly) and Claire. I have no idea why. Maybe these were MY names in a different life. Ha.

Reconnecting

Over the past two weeks I've reconnected with not one, not two, but THREE old friends. For one, it's been over 25 years since I last spoke with her. The planets must all be aligned because, although I'm a Leo, I tend to be on the shy side, reserved. Reaching out is normally not my thing, but I have to say that it feels really, really good.

Who do you need to reach out to?

Great reads:

I am going through my backlog of literary journals and this past weekend I came across 2 great stories in Cream City Review. They're from the Spring 2009 issue (I know... they're a little "old" but I gave fair warning with the word "backlog" - heh) but don't let that stop you. These are well worth the read:

"Hunger" by Clifford Garstang: This central character-only story includes a few key interactions and is wonderfully full and has terrific depth.

"This Way I Don't Have To Be" by Shelly Oria: The format is one I've not seen before - mini sections within 3 larger sections. But the story is intriguing and told with an openness that's compelling so that by the time you get to the 4th or 5th mini section, you skip right over the section breaks as though they're not even there.