Danny and Andrew

Love this story. Daniel J. Daniels is a most fitting name for such a sophisticated pooch!!

danny the dog

I found Andrew about thirteen years ago down in Miami. Nowadays we live on a boat in Fort Lauderdale, but I’m originally from Miami. Andrew, as far as I know, has always lived in Fort Lauderdale.

I was six months old and I wanted to go out and see the world. I wasn’t getting any younger and the lure of the road was calling to me. So, one day when no one was looking, I just took off. At first, I had a grand time. I’d sniff my way up one street and then down the next. I met up with a few other dogs, chased a few cars, and thought to myself, This is the life. But after a day or so, I started to get hungry and, unlike the home I had left, the humans I ran into had no desire to feed me. I did get…

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No Flies On This Feline – by Zoe the Cat…

Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

No Flies On This Feline

Greetings, friends! Zoe here with a “good news/bad news” story for your reading pleasure. To those of you who don’t know me from Adam—or I should say, from Eve—allow me a brief introduction. My name is Zoe, and I live with my human, Emily. I write stories about my adventures, but sometimes my adventures are not all that much fun.

For example, take my trips to the veterinarian to get my nails trimmed. These outings are an adventure alright—for the staff. For me, not so much. For me, they are pure agony. I’ve written about this before, but during my most recent visit, something different happened and that’s what I want to tell you about today. However, for you to fully appreciate this story, you need to know what happened at a previous appointment.

Several weeks ago, while on my way to the torture chamber…

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He Said, She Said-Dialogue Tags

Writing your first novel-Things you should know

At this point in the game, you probably know what a dialogue tag is. It is a phrase placed at the end of a quote to identify the speaker. It should mimic speech’s natural rhythm and make long dialogue-runs digestible.

When using dialogue tags, it is  recommended that you keep them simple. There is nothing wrong with the word ‘said’.  Don’t give in to the urge to use every big word you know. If you do, you will end up with a big, clunky, mess. The wrong tag can overshadow the words spoken and draw your reader out of the story.

Example:

“You hit my car!” she screamed.                                                                                                  …

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A Literary Prayer

Andrew Joyce – living on a prayer.

Andrew Joyce

My name’s not  important, but it’s up there somewhere. So I guess it ain’t no secret. Anyway, this is what I gotta tell ya. And I don’t have much time. You see, I escaped my confinement, but goddamn it, they’re on my trail. I’ll be dragged back to my computer when they catch up, so I gotta spit this out while I can.

I’ve written a book or two, I’ve been there and I’ve done that. But over time, I went kinda crazy. I wanted to … no, that’s not right … I had to … I needed to … write the best damn novel since The Grapes of Wrath. Yeah, I know, that’s why I said I went crazy. So crazy I am.

I broke off human contact. I disconnected all wires that invaded my abode. I went old-school. I kissed girlfriends good-bye. I shook hands with friends…

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Zoe – Behind Closed Doors…

Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

Greetings, dear friends in The Land of Zen! The other day, I was thinking about something that causes me great stress. I wanted to share my thoughts here, because I figure some of you good people may relate. And maybe, if I am lucky, some of you may have a few words of wisdom to share with me.

Before I go any further, though, an introduction may be in order, although I find it hard to believe that I am not, by now, known far and wide.

My name is Zoe the Fabulous Feline, and I write about life with my human, Emily. No, scratch that (no pun intended). I write about my life and adventures, and, occasionally, Emily makes an appearance in my stories, as she will, briefly, in this one.

So . . . what I was thinking about is this: closed doors. And how much I…

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MEET CHARLES E YALLOWITZ

Latest book by a very prolific author of fantasy. Check him out!

lucinda E Clarke

My guest this week is a name that often pops up on my social media as he’s very ‘into’ marketing and very successful at it too.  Charles has a new book out and we have timed his guest post to coincide with the publication.  But first a little about this weeks author.

Charles Yallowitz was born and raised on Long Island, NY, but he has spent most of his life wandering his own imagination in a blissful haze. Occasionally, he would return from this world for the necessities such as food, showers, and Saturday morning cartoons. One day he returned from his imagination and decided he would share his stories with the world. After his wife decided that she was tired of hearing the same stories repeatedly, she convinced him that it would make more sense to follow his dream of being a fantasy author. So, locked within the house under…

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Marion On My Mind – Guest Post by, Emily Gmitter…

Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

“Sing it out … sing it out!” My sister Marion would encourage me as I practiced a song I’d hoped to perform at karaoke some night. “That was beautiful! You should absolutely sing that one!” she continued, scrunching up her face and pumping her arm in the air with earnest enthusiasm.

Then came the day when I realized she was tone deaf. How did I learn that? Well, we had another sister, Lena, who, age-wise, fell between Marion, the oldest of eight children, and me, the middle child. Lena encouraged me just as Marion did, but Lena loved to sing, too, although we’d never heard her do so.

One day, Lena decided she would take singing lessons. Marion and I were then routinely treated to Lena’s practice sessions which consisted of repeated—and memorable—renditions of You Light Up My Life.“Sing it out … sing it out! That’s beautiful!” Marion…

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