Phyllis Whitney, RIP

Posted by on Feb 16, 2008 in dish | 0 comments I was surprised to read in today’s RWA eNotes that longtime author Phyllis A. Whitney–she retired from writing at 94!–died last Thursday, February 8, at age 104 (read the NYT obit here). Ms. Whitney’s Guide to Fiction Writing–out of print, but available on the resale market–was one of the first useful writing reference books I ever read. (As an aside, the...
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Best Romantic Movies

Posted by on Feb 14, 2008 in dish | 3 comments It’s only fair that if I crack on the worst romantic movies of all time, I have to cough up a list of the best. Presented for your approval, my selected list. For now. I know there’s something I’ve left off.Notting Hill – Just about pitch perfect. How can you not love a soundtrack that starts off with Elvis Costello? Hugh Grant is at his stammering best as William, the...
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Worst Romantic Movies?

Posted by on Feb 11, 2008 in dish | 4 comments I have to admit to several giggles when reading Kim Morgan’s “Loathe, Actually”–a rundown of the 10 most disappointing, yet still beloved, “classic” romantic comedies. Now I’m not saying I haven’t seen all of these (I have) or fallen for them (yep, cried buckets at several), or don’t own (I taped, bought, or was given half this list), but Ms....
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A Little About Talent

Posted by on Feb 9, 2008 in dish | 0 comments One of my favorite cartoons used to be Kudzu, drawn by the wonderful and infuriating Doug Marlette. Marlette, who died in a car crash last year, had a gift for pissing nearly everyone off with his political cartoons, which means that he got it. I was perusing his website yesterday, doing some research for my AP class, and came across this breathtaking bit of wisdom regarding creativity:Practice,...
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Deep In the Mines

Posted by on Feb 8, 2008 in dish | 1 comment I’m always behind in my reading. Always. I finally get around to reading the hot popular thing a couple of years late, when it’s no longer hot and or quite so popular. Harry was staring into the Goblet of Fire when I finally read about the Sorcerer’s Stone, for instance.So of course it’s long past the publication date by the time I crack the cover of Barbara...
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