HOBBIES FOR EVERYONE!

Everyone has a hobby, no matter how strange

It may seem to others who think you're deranged.

Collectors especially are looked at askew,

What's normal for them seems crazy to you.

An oologist collects eggs, which makes them quite reckless

Especially when they're eyeing your breakfast.

A dipterist collects flies, much like a spider.

If they spin their own webs, does that make them a writer? (Some pig!)

My hobby is harmless, I collect funny words.

And I'm gobsmacked by the ones I find most absurd.

English is chockablock with odd words, I'm chuffed to say.

I feel panurgic, like I could do this all day.

I'm not knackered or peckish, though it seems dodgy to you

I could lollygag all night on a word like jejeune.

The world is on fire and it may seem Quixotic

To spend my time on words so exotic.

If you prefer someone who seems like they care  

Find an arctophile, they collect teddy bears.

But I'm a logophile and I won't apologize.

Just be grateful I don't collect flies,

Blast from the Past--The Witches of Eastwick!

Time travel with me to 1987 when the film "The Witches of Eastwick" debuted with its musical score by John Williams and its coven of lovely witches played by Cher, Susan Sarandon, and Michelle Pfeiffer. When the trio conjure up the perfect man (played by Jack Nicholson with a maniacal, diabolical flair) their lives spin out of control, delightfully at first, but then the danger becomes apparent.

Who will win this battle? Listen to me join the discussion on the Literary License podcast episode of "The Witches of Eastwick"--where we delve into both the book and the movie. 

You can find the podcast here:

Podbean:

https://literarylicense.podbean.com/e/season-2-episode-27-witches-of-eastwick/

Soundcloud:

https://soundcloud.com/user-734008474/season-2-episode-27-witches-of-eastwick

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1MTUMxTOLBd6kfrDGN69hH?si=YQhayp22THCz9EhkQXtV5g

iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-literary-license-podcast/id1275942080?mt=2

Halloween Tradition :-O

In what has become my Halloween tradition, allow me to share with you a creepy little film that you shouldn't watch alone...

Before he became the iconic Joker, Heath Ledger spent a month in a hotel room trying to find the character. This film imagines that transformation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3saW2-1F7gs

Being the change...:-)

For those of you who don't know, I have an alias: Barbara Markley. This is my maiden name and although I've been married for almost 32 years I still use that name for work and for my activist alter-ego. Yes, I'm an activist who is passionate about many causes but the one that takes most of my time is gun safety. When you live in a country where you are 25 times more likely to die from gun violence than in any other developed nation, and you live in a state (Florida) where a child is shot every 17 hours on average, you feel compelled to take action.

I started a program called Lock it Up!, a non-partisan program to protect children and teens from unlocked guns. This program is through the Broward League of Women Voters' Gun Safety Committee, which I chair. I was thrilled when WLRN, our local NPR station, did a feature story on our project this week. 

Check it out: 

http://www.wlrn.org/post/surprising-allies-address-outsize-role-guns-play-deaths-soldiers-and-kids 

The Bookworm Drinketh :-)

Love this blog! The Bookworm Drinketh not only reviews books, but pairs them up with alcohol. How fun is that? Their motto? Give Tea to the Tillerman, but booze to the Bookworm!

Thanks, Nicole, for the great review and for showcasing my guest blog post.

https://thebookwormdrinketh.com/2018/09/16/cozy-sunday-death-by-didgeridoo-by-barbara-venkatarman-with-guest-post-from-author/

Calling All Audio-Book Lovers :-)

Do you love audio-books? Then you should check out AudioFile Magazine, a great online source of audio-book reviews. Their website is www.audiofilemagazine.com. 

While you're there, you can read their new review of my audio-book, "Jeopardy in July (Jamie Quinn Cozy Mystery #5). They love my narrator, Fay Annette, and so do I.:-D

https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/146732/

MODERN DAY GENIE

A modern-day genie, beautiful to behold

Spinner of dreams and broken promises

Make your wish, it will be granted.

Music, dance, math, science,

Friendship, revenge, sorrow, joy.

Crave love? Swipe right

Oh, how you need this

How hollow and empty you are without it

You can never let it go

Until one day you find

You are one with the genie

Another slave

Of technology.