Author: ejurus
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Tea, beyond the cup and saucer
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Did you know that every kind of true tea that you drink, from white to green to oolong to black to pu’erh, all comes from the same plant, in fact the top three leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant? The look and taste of the tea in your cup depends…
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Book Promo: our love\hate relationship
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Would you turn down a $175,000 prize to avoid having to do promotional activities? That’s exactly what US writer Helen DeWitt did in April. It made the news. I’ve been reading through her blog posts about this, and, without passing any judgement, she seems highly stressed by a series of…
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How quickly things change
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This is not a political blog post. It’s about how countries evolve, develop problems and work them out. Authors pay attention to these things when we’re crafting the worlds our stories play out in. I wasn’t paying a lot of attention in May, when the protests in Bolivia began –…
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From Draft to Published
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“Writing the last page of the first draft is the most enjoyable moment in writing.” Nicholas Sparks It’s alive! It’s alive! Well, sort of. I feel like a proud mad scientist, having stitched together my creation, given it its first breath of life. But it’s not ready for the world…
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On hiatus this week to finish the book
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“You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.” — Jodi Picoult Like the storm that brought Dracula to the shores of England, a storm of evil is descending on the town of Llithfaen. I’m down to the last few chapters that will decide the fate…
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Why reading a good book is better than ever
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The Wandering Companies shall know of your journey, and those that have power for good shall be on the watch. I name you Elf-friend; and may the stars shine upon the end of your road! Tolkien, J. R. R.. The Lord of the Rings The literary world has taken a…
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Bringing a dream bookstore to life
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It was the bookstore of my dreams – literally. White shelves zigzagging in and out along the walls, on a raised perimeter just a couple of steps above the central space. A treasure trove of wonderful books of all kinds, from fiction to historical. Tables in the centre with delightful…
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Be like a writer: Stop and smell the lilacs
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When I was growing up, we had a lilac shrub in the back yard, and each spring my mother would clip panicles of the lavender flowers and bring them inside. Sitting in a vase in the living room, they would fill the house with scent. The smell of things is…
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Are mirrors dangerous?
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I busted a mirror and got seven years bad luck, but my lawyer thinks he can get me five. Steven Wright Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody… How do you feel about mirrors? Are they annoying…weird…creepy? We’re in the final week of Halfoween. It’s also Folk Horror Week, something celebrated on…
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What lurks in the fog?
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Fog: “a weather condition in which very small drops of water come together to form a thick cloud close to the land or sea, making it difficult to see” Cambridge Dictionary Not long after I graduated from university, I worked on a funded project at a horticultural research station that…