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Happy Halloween Books

10/27/2013

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Halloween is strange holiday. The root of the name is Christian, Hallow's Eve, or the eve of All Saints' Day. Like Christmas, it has been adopted by the secular world, although it has much more of the naughty than the nice.

At the start of the 11th century, the pope decreed Hallowmas to be a 3-day holiday, lasting from October 31 (All Hallow's Eve) until November 2.

Oddly enough, this is the same time the Awesome Indies are running their fantastic 99 cent sale on some of the best (and often scariest) fiction available today. What a coincidence! 
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You can also find It's Just Lola there. This is the first time Lola has been willing to go home with a new friend for only 99 cents. It took me a long time to convince her that no one would consider her cheap if she took part in the sale. After all, it's a party.

"But why three days?" she asked. 
"Because Hallowmas was three days to encompass the Celtic festival of Samhain, which was on November 2. The Celts contributed the great idea of dressing up in costumes and masks." 

"Can I wear a costume?" 

"Lola, you're a virtual person. You travel on the internet to visit new friends in their e-readers. You can wear whatever you like."

"Maybe I'll dress as me." We both laughed.
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Where do you find inspiration?

10/2/2013

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Truman Capote, author of Breakfast at Tiffany’s and In Cold Blood claimed he did all of his writing lying down. His first two drafts were written in longhand in pencil. The third draft would be done in bed with the typewriter balanced on his knees. He probably would have sold his soul for a laptop.
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James Joyce, Irish author of Finnegans Wake and Ulysses, among other works.
Capote wasn’t the only author to write in bed. Edith Wharton, who wrote The House of Mirth and The Age of Innocence, preferred her bed over a desk. She would release the completed pages to drift to the floor. A secretary later collected and typed them. James Joyce, the famous Irish author, wrote in bed at night, as did Marcel Proust.

But none of these bed-writers hold a candle to Dame Edith Sitwell. She, too, began her writing by lying down, but she not on anything as ordinary as a bed or couch. She chose an open coffin as the place to gain inspiration. Reading the following poem, I think she did quite well with it. (Find the entire poem here.)
       Still Falls the Rain by Dame Edith Sitwell
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Ray Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 451 in a basement typing room he found at UCLA where he could insert a dime into the typewriter and buy thirty minutes of typing time. Was that the precursor of the internet café? 

This fascinating video tells how he wrote the book for $9.80 in dimes.
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    RAMBLING BLOG
    A collection of random thoughts that sometimes include writing and books. 

    Dixiane Hallaj

    When not writing, I dabble in painting and pottery. My favorite thing to do is hang out with family over good food and amusing conversation.

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  • Home
  • BOOKS
    • It's Just Lola
    • Aunt Nellie B
    • Born a Refugee
    • Checkpoint Kalandia
    • The 5th Wish
    • Short Story Anthologies >
      • Short & Happy (or not)
      • Spies & Heroes
    • Nonfiction
  • Online Store
  • NEWS/Media
  • About Dixiane / Contact Us