On a recent outing to The Strand bookstore in Manhattan, I purchased four collections of short stories. Writing short stories has its own distinct challenges that differ from writing novels, and a shorter word count does not make it easier. The pacing of a short story is a particularly tricky skill. Many short stories take…
All posts by Jill M Smith
Summer Reading: One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
Award-winning author Rita Williams-Garcia tells the story of three young sisters on a summer adventure visiting their mother in California in One Crazy Summer. Visions of Disneyland and palm trees dissolve quickly when they realize their trip will be less vacation, and more adaptation to a strange neighborhood. The sisters learn about social activism, how…
Summer Reading: Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen
It’s summertime, and in addition to baseball, beach, and BBQ, let’s not forget books! Whether you have assigned reading or want to read on your own, Gary Paulsen’s Lawn Boy is a great story to start your summer off. A twelve year old boy needs some cash to fix his bike, but instead of getting…
Artist’s Date: The Strand Bookstore in NYC
Posted on Author Jill M SmithPosted in Bookstores & More, Writing, Writing Inspiration, Writing ResourceLeave a Reply
One tip from creativity guru Julia Cameron in her book, The Artist’s Way, is to take oneself on artist’s dates. One day recently, I needed a change of scenery while my family would be golfing for several hours. (Anyone else married to a golfer?) I boarded an NYC bound bus and within thirty minutes, I…
On My Bookshelf: Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns is one of my favorite novels. It begins in July of 1906, three weeks after the main character’s grandmother has died. Grandpa has an announcement: he is engaged to another woman. The main character, Will Tweedy, is fourteen at the time, loves his grandfather, misses his grandmother, but…
What I’m Reading: Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles
Posted on Author Jill M SmithPosted in Bookstores & More, Care Givers, Monthly Reads, What I'm ReadingLeave a Reply
Looking for something patriotic to read this Memorial Day? Kick off your summer reading with Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles. Set during WW1 in France, Miss Morgan’s tells the story of a group of women, most of them volunteers, who helped the citizens of France while the country was at war. In…
Writing Resource: How to Write Short Stories and Get Them Published by Ashley Lister
I thought that after writing, three novels writing a short story would be simple. I would easily crank out a short story each month to submit for publication or a contest. Little did I know that while the literary components of a short story are similar to those in a novel, writing them is a…
What I’m Reading: Italian American by Luigina Vecchione
If you are looking for a great story about family, perseverance, love, tradition, jealousy, and the American dream, look no further than Luigina Vecchione’s Italian American, the much-anticipated sequel to Greetings From Asbury Park. Both novels are inspired by real-life events and tell the story of when the author’s parents met during World War 2…
Teacher Resource: “Tender” by Cherline Bazile
Teachers, looking for a short story that can evolve into a two or three day lesson? Take a look at “Tender” by Cherline Bazile, which appears in The Best American Short Stories, 2023. Bazile’s story tells of two Black immigrant students who become friends in their predominantly white high school. The story details the girls’…
Writing News: I am a published poet!
I am proud and humbled to have two poems published in the 2024 Caldwell University literary magazine, Calyx. While my primary focus is fiction, life events inspire me to wax poetic once in a while. One poem, “A Little Bit of Everything” is a memory of my grandmother and all the little things about her…