New Year, New Friends, Blog Hop

Today, I'm pleased to be part of the Prism Book Group Blog Hop.

                                                         www.prismbookgroup.com

Acquiring Editor, Jacqueline Hopper, is celebrating 100,000 views on her blog with this blog hop as well as some wonderful prizes.  Like a Book Lovers Gift Pack from Prism Book Group.


As a writer I often find motivation from the humor, inspiration and camaraderie of other writers.

Inspiration:
Here's an inspiring quote for notable writer Ursula K. Le Guin.

                                                                         photo courtesy of theguardian.com

" A writer is a person who cares what words mean, what they say, how they say it. Writers know words are their way towards truth and freedom, and so they use them with care, with thought, with fear, with delight."

Humor:
Here's a bit of humor from my most-beloved Canadian author, poet and feminist, Margaret Atwood. I smile each time I read Ms. Atwood's reply when she was recently asked to write a blurb for an upcoming book that was not her own.

                                                               photo courtesy of huffingtonpost.ca

Here is her reply.

(I blurb only for the dead, these days)

"You are well-known, Ms. Atwood," the Editor said,
And we long for your quote on this book;
A few well-placed words wouldn't bother your head,
And would help us to get in the hook!"

"In my youth," said Ms. Atwood, "I blurbed with the best;
I practically worked with a stencil!
I strewed quotes about with the greatest largesse,
An the phrases flowed swift from my pencil.

Intelligent, lucid, accomplished, supreme,
Magnificent, touching, but rough,
And lucent, and lyrical, plangent, a dream,
Vital, muscular, elegant, tough!

But now I am aging; my brain is all shrunk,
And my adjective store is depleted;
My hair's getting stringy, I walk as though drunk;
As a quotester I'm nigh-on defeated.

I would like to be useful; God knows, as a girl
I was well-taught to help and to share;
But the books and the pleas for quotes pour through the door
Till the heaps of them drive to despair!

So at last I've decided to say NO to all.
What you need is a writer who's youthful;
Who has energy, wit and a lot on the ball,
And would find your new book a sweet toothful,
Or else sees no need to be truthful.

Such a one would be happy, dear Editor, to
Write you quotes until blue in the brain.
It's a person like this who can satisfy you,
Not poor me, who am half down the drain.

So I wish you Good Luck, and our author, and book.
Which I hope to read later, with glee.
Long may you publish, and search out the blurbs,
Though you will not get any from me."

(Thanks to Passive Voice for sharing this on the web last year.)

Camaraderie: 

I'm new to the group of Prism authors and my novella, co-written with my good friend Sandra Tilley, entitled Destined for Deception will be releasing next month. So please check out the other blogs listed to the right of this post.

As always feel free to comment.