THE IDES And IDEAS OF FEBRUARY

STAGES

The reading of SPIRIT OF THE HOUSE brought me some wonderful feed back and the delight of knowing everyone in the audience agreed it was a good start and wanted to see and hear more and also agreed it needed to be a full length play.  It is now back in the gestation chamber until all the enchanted creature books get into print.

Reading the list of new theatre attractions reminded me most of what is new is old – I saw the originals of so many of these plays!

I grew particularly nostalgic about “Arcadia” which I saw at Lincoln Center as Otis Guernsey’s guest.  I was particularly interested in ir as it had Lord Byron involved…and Lord Byron was involved with my long time favorite poet, Percy B. Shelley.  In fact, I think one of the best plays I ever wrote was about their relationship. It was a musical done back in the days when I lived in Longmeadow, MA and Ed Cerveny was the composer. Nothing ever came of it – and I wonder what ever came of him?

Bad weather and a still aching body from my big flip flop in the snow made me cancel attendance at new play, so no new stages to discuss just now.

PAGES

I finally finished reading a novel called Harmony Bay about a small town unlike any I’ve ever lived in or visited.  No back biting, no jealousy, no gossiping. Just nicey nice people with wonderful things happening to them. It’s almost a fairy tale in itself!  While some chapters, especially near the end, have tension and excitement, for the most part the book is just a lovely idyll. Unfortunately, with my tendency towards drama, it is not my flavor of tea – I prefer a bit more tempest in my teapot. Author Tom Gahan eagerly shares all his knowledge of sailor’s knots, reseeding shell fish in endangered areas, and much more.  He has a keen eye, a unique ear and a descriptive flair to emulate. If you want to escape our money grubbing, nasty partisanship and bitterly warlike world, take the trip to Harmony Bay!

Also finished reading Accidental Billionaires which was written like a novel and shows the author's great talent to get inside many people's heads. Didn’t care much for the story line…maybe because how one makes money by using and losing friends is not one of my favorite topics.

My quote re writer’s block can be accessed on http://blog.drshannonreece.com/2011/02/07/50-tips-for-blowing-past-writers-block. I am also quoted in the article about Selling Direct, part 2 in the February issue of IBPA INDEPENDENT. Both of those and $2.50 will get you a local bus ride in NYC! Still, its nice to be noted and quoted! Egoes, too, need feeding.