Quantcast

Keeper of Light and Dust by Natasha Mostert

April 21, 2009 by

Natasha Mostert‘s Keeper of Light and Dust is an elegant fusion of martial arts, tattooing, Eastern philosophy and medicine, and biophoton and chronobiological science set in modern London, England. Mostert deftly meshes information with characterization and plot, and there is never a dull moment in this spiritual thriller.

Some readers may find the science or Eastern philosophy and medicinal information daunting at first look, but readers will quickly become absorbed in the plot of this novel, cheering on the main characters and yelling at them when they fail to realize the dangers they face.

Mia Lockhart is a Keeper, who protects her marked fighters from danger and from failure in the ring; Nick Duffy is a skilled fighter with a lot of heart, Mia’s childhood friend, and a successful businessman with his own social networking business (KIME) for fighters and enthusiasts; Adrian Ashton (Ash) is a scientist, fighter, trainer, and vampire, though not in the traditional sense–he feeds on the chi of others.

In the following conversation between Ash and Mia, readers can garner a sense of each character’s personality and their perspective. Dialogue in this novel will have readers chuckling and thinking in the same breath.

“He shrugged again. ‘Who’s to say this light is chi? I believe it is; many scientists do not. Some are still struggling with the whole idea of light-inside-the-body to begin with. But it’s not just humans, of course: all living things emit a permanent current of photons, from only a few to a few hundred. Plants, animals. . . people.’

‘Shiny happy people. I like that. It’s very R.E.M.'” (Page 148)

The dynamic between the three characters is fluid and will have readers guessing. Readers will love watching these characters evolve and grow together. Mostert is a phenomenal writer with a gift for description. Check out the passage below for a taste of how well Mostert weaves the narrative and creates a world that is very tangible.

“Mia opened the first box. Inside was a nest of stainless-steel acupuncture filament needles–already sterilized by autoclave–and a small plastic filled with sticks of moxa: herb mixture.

She carefully touched the flame from needle to needle and ignited the moxa, causing it to smoulder. Breathing out slowly, slowly, she inserted the first needle into her skin approximately two finger widths away from the crease in her left wrist. Almost immediately she could feel the dequi sensation at the point of insertion. The second and third needles went into the be and gu points in the web between the thumb and the palm and the fourth at the base of her throat. She could feel her skin turning warmer from the conducted heat.” (Page 89)

Unlike some other novels, this novel sprinkles in some unique side characters, but those characters like Flash and Chilli stay on the periphery in their subordinate roles to help the main characters uncover the mysteries behind the deaths of several fighters and the mysterious The Book of Light and Dust.

Keeper of Light and Dust is great for readers who enjoy Eastern medicine, philosophy, and marital arts, as well as those that enjoy suspense/thrillers and fantasy/science fiction novels. However, the main characters in this novel are dealing with more than just spiritual and martial arts dilemmas, they are dealing with emotions, life-changing events, and the dynamics of friendship. This novel defies normal convention in the science fiction/fantasy category and transcends those confines to deliver a well constructed drama.

About the Author (From her Web site):

She is the author of five novels. Her latest novel, Keeper of Light and Dust (published in the UK under the title The Keeper) joins together ancient mysteries with cutting-edge science and introduces a fascinating heroine who belongs to a long line of Keepers: women who are healers, warriors and protectors of men who are engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Tattoos, quantum physics, chi and martial arts all combine in an intricately crafted plot.

Her fourth novel, Season of the Witch, is a modern gothic thriller about techgnosis and the Art of Memory and won the Book to Talk About: World Book Day 2009 Award. Her debut novel was The Midnight Side, a story of obsessive love and a ghost manipulating the London Stock Exchange. In The Other Side of Silence, a sinister computer game becomes the key to unravelling the riddle of the Pythagorean Comma: one of the oldest and deadliest mysteries in the science of sound. Her third novel, Windwalker, is a story of fratricide, redemption, ghost photography and soul mates searching for each other.

Educated in South Africa and at Columbia University, New York, Mostert holds graduate degrees in Lexicography and Applied Linguistics and a bachelors in Modern Languages majoring in Afrikaans, Dutch, English and German. She worked as a teacher in the Department of Afrikaans and Dutch at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg and as project coordinator in the publishing department of public television station WNET/Thirteen in New York City. Her political opinion pieces have appeared on the op-ed page of The New York Times, in Newsweek, The Independent and The Times (London).

Interests aside from writing include music, running and kickboxing. Future goals include writing poetry, executing a perfect spinning backkick and coming face to face with a ghost.

Check out Natasha Mostert’s Keeper Game. I ended up being The Thief; I’m not sure that’s a good thing.

The Thief

Dragonfly

Your sign is the Ninja. Your code word is stealth. Your totem is the dragonfly. You are highly focused in your goals but do not believe in knocking your head against a brick wall and will rather bide your time and wait for the most favourable moment. You can be ruthless and unsentimental, but also capable of great passion. You usually succeed in what you set out to do. Your head rules your heart unless you become obsessive, which you tend to be.

Your true mate is The Healer. Your opposite sign is The Warrior.

***Giveaway***

This giveaway is international. There is 1 copy of this fantastic book up for grabs.

To enter, play The Keeper Game and leave a comment about your results.

For a second entry, leave a comment on the interview from April 20.

For a Third Entry, leave a link to where you Twitter, Facebook, blog, or advertise this giveaway.

Deadline is April 28, 2009, at 11:59 PM EST.

Check Out These Other Reviews:

Literate Housewife

A Novel Menagerie

Literary Escapism

Wrighty’s Reads

Peeking Between the Pages

Jo-Jo Loves to Read

J. Kaye’s Book Blog

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: fiction, giveaway, Read in 2009, review copy, reviews Tagged With: ,

Poem #17, #18, #19, #20, PAD Challenge 2009

April 21, 2009 by

I know; I got a bit behind on the PAD Challenge thanks to the fun 24-hour Read-a-Thon and a number of other activities. However, as promised I’ve caught up with the prompts. Check out these rough drafts.

Poem #17’s Prompt is to use this title and fill in the blank: “All I want is (blank)”

All I want is a Championship

I’m not an athlete
I used to get hit in the head
with soccer balls, baseballs, softballs.
You name it, there’s a bump on my head for it.
My coordination has never been great.
But in fantasy, I can pick the best
athletes who dunk,
players with the best jump shot,
offense with the best pick-and-roll.
I can lead the league in games won
Every week in those match ups,
but the championship slips
through my fingers. . . again.

Poem #18 Prompt is about interaction.

Welcome

Please select from the following options:
Press 1 for billing,
Press 2 to set up a new service,
Press 3 if you are having problems with your service,
Press 4 for more options.

I press 4.

Press 1 for billing,
Press 2 to set up a new service,
Press 3 if you are having problems with your service,
Press 4 for more options.

I press 4.

Press 1 for billing,
Press 2 to set up a new service,
Press 3 if you are having problems with your service
Press 4. . .

I slam the receiver down,
Pick it up, dial,
Listen to the automated choices
Hit 0, six times.
That should be sufficient.

“Hello, may I help you?”
“Finally,” I reply.
I stare at the receiver for a moment,
Wondering why I called.

Poem #19 Prompt is to write an angry poem.

Executive-Directed Benefits

More than eight hours in this office
behind fabric walls
with hiked up knees beneath my desk.
My fingers curled,
hammer keys at 60 wpm
prepping news for your executive minds.
Not your minds,
yours are empty.
Blinking eyes decide a benefits swipe.
It’s okay; your kids are grown
and have their own health insurance.
I don’t matter,
My family doesn’t matter.
Will you sit here in this emergency room,
waiting as they pull the knife from my back?

Poem #20 Prompt is to write a poem about rebirth.

Chemo

It courses through my veins
burning, searing me from inside.
I’m not sure this is medicine.
It kills the cancer in my body,
but it destroys my golden locks,
my appetite, and my complexion.

The doctor tells me I’m improving,
But I feel weak.
I slump down in my recliner,
struggle to get up
trudge between rooms.

My husband rubs my shoulders,
prepares my first solid foods.
Kelly green veggies, steamed.
Protestant carrots peppering my plate.
I can taste nothing,
But over the weeks, the fresh
ground emerges from the farmstand veggies.

My muscles charge slowly
like my cell phone in the wall.
Rose returns to my cheeks
And my eyes no longer droop.
The doctor smiles as hair stubs emerge.
I’m ready.

What did you write today?

For more information about the challenge, go here.

***Giveaway Reminder***

Don’t forget to enter The Traitor’s Wife giveaway, here and here.

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: national poetry month, poem-a-day challenge

Interview with Natasha Mostert, Author of Keeper of Light and Dust

April 20, 2009 by

Today is the kickoff for the Natasha Mostert tour of Keeper of Light and Dust, which I offered to review at the request of Sheri at A Novel Menagerie. I want to welcome Natasha Mostert to Savvy Verse & Wit and to thank her for taking time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions. Readers, you are in for a real treat.

Without further ado, here’s Natasha:

1. Have you always been interested in writing fantasy/science fiction novels? And what about the genre draws you to it?

I like building worlds, which is probably what attracts me to fantasy. However, even though I write about concepts that are considered quite fey, I make sure to embed these ideas into a realistic narrative. I did the same with Keeper of Light and Dust. The book is set in the world of martial arts and very often in martial arts fiction, characters will manage all kinds of incredible physical and mental feats: run up perpendicular walls, float above the ground while engaging in mystical sword play, mesmerize their opponents with a single stare. I did not want to go that route. My characters are real people – in fact, they are composites of fighters I know. I’m their biggest fan — for almost seven years I’ve been following these men and women from fight to fight. I know the problems and injuries they face when training. I know what it smells like in a fighter’s dojo! I understand the rivalries and camaraderie of their world and I hope I have managed to portray this environment accurately. There are of course, mystical elements in Keeper, and my heroine is in possession of a pretty cool skill, but I work very hard not to turn my characters into super heroes.

As for the science bit: well, my novels are idea-driven. With me it always starts with an idea and then I build the book around it. Usually, what happens is that I’ll read a work of nonfiction, which will kick my imagination into overdrive. Before I wrote Keeper I happened to read – quite by chance – a book about light emissions inside the human body. I never knew that all of us carry tiny fugitive pulses of light inside of us and the idea was so mind-blowing that I immediately knew I wanted to use it in my story. And so I created the character of my villain – a biophotonic expert who has cracked the secret of how to steal the light and vital energy from his victims and make it his own.

Many fantasy writers like to use recurring characters and themes. It is important to me not to repeat myself. Each of my books, I hope, is unique in its own right. It would be far easier to write sequels and keep to the same formula, but I would find that boring and I like to challenge myself and my readers. I think I’m lucky in that the people who like my work are the kind of readers who are adventurous and who are willing to follow me when I enter uncharted territory.

2. I noticed on your Website that one of your future goals is to write poetry. What has kept you from realizing this goal? Have you worked your way toward meeting this goal yet?

Poets are the Zen masters of the writing world. When you write a poem every word counts and there is no room for fat or flab. That kind of discipline is daunting to a writer of prose! I’ve written poetry for my eyes only and maybe one day I’ll find the courage to send it on to my editor. But it is not only lack of courage that keeps me from pursuing this dream, it also lack of time and the demands of having to make a living. My days are so filled with fiction writing and promotion that I hardly have time for anything else. Writing poetry is time consuming. Time – sadly – is the one thing I don’t have.

(I can completely relate to the time-consuming aspect of poetry she discusses here, but I also wouldn’t mind checking out her poetry. Wouldn’t it be vivid and fantastic?!)

3. In keeping with the poetry theme (since it is National Poetry Month here in the U.S.), have you kept up with any contemporary poets and could you name some of your favorites? If you haven’t, please name some of the less contemporary poets you enjoy.

My favourite poets are Philip Larkin and e.e cummings. Pablo Neruda is wonderful, I’m just sad I have to read him in translation. I love the Metaphysical poets – Donne, Marvell, Herbert – and in my first book, Midnight Side, their poetry forms a leitmotiv throughout the narrative. My native language is Afrikaans and my favourite Afrikaans poet – probably my favourite poet, period – is a man by the name of NP Van Wyk Louw. His poetry is stunning.

4. Do you listen to music while writing? What would be your top five songs on a playlist for Keeper of Light and Dust?

Yes, I do listen to music when I write. Music is oxygen. My addiction to music is probably due to the fact that I grew up in a home where music was all-important. My mother is a voice coach for opera singers and when I think back to my childhood, all my memories seem to be set to music. The house was always alive with it.

A playlist for Keeper of Light and Dust? Let’s see:

As this book is a fusion of Oriental mysticism (chi) and cutting-edge Western science (biophotonics), the perfect theme song for this book would be the song Alive by Chinese singer, Sa Ding Ding. Her songs are an intriguing blend of Western and Asian traditions. For those readers unfamiliar with her work, may I suggest that they treat themselves and take a look at the dramatised YouTube video of this song. Just type in Sa Ding Ding and you’ll get to it. (I think this is the link to the video she refers to.)

Keeper is also a story about fighters! These guys live in a gritty world and their training is tough. My song for them would be the theme song from Halo2. Also, that old Rocky classic, Robert Tepper’s song, No Easy Way Out. This last one is maybe just a tad cheesy, but it works!

My heroine, Mia Lockhart, is a healer and a person whose life is steeped in mysticism. I can imagine her listening to Loreena McKennitt’s music: songs such as The Mummer’s Dance or All Soul’s Night. And then there is Tori Amos’s Strange Little Girl, which would be perfect for Mia! Mia’s parents died tragically and there is an undercurrent of sadness to her life.. I can imagine Concerto for Oboe in D Minor: Il Adagio as being the soundtrack.

As for my villain, Adrian Ashton, he is obsessed with finding the secret to living forever, and therefore Alphaville’s Forever Young would be his anthem.

5. If you could pick any other profession, in any time period, what would you choose and why?

Oh, I want to be James Bond! Or at least, the female equivalent. Intrigue, adventure, spying, glamorous locations. Why? Well, I spend my days staring at my computer screen in desperation, snacking obsessively and talking to myself in the mirror. I think this explains it.

6. Please describe your writing space and whether you would consider it your ideal writing space. (Feel free to include a photo or two for the readers, some readers really get a kick out of visuals) Also, what’s the centerpiece of your writing space?

Virginia Woolf famously said that a woman needs a room of her own if she is to write fiction. For me, that is pretty essential as well, and I’m so lucky that I have an office with a stout door I can close.

On a good day my office looks whimsical (I hope), on a bad day it looks like the playground of someone who needs serious help: stacks of paper and printouts, photographs, boxing paraphernalia, sagging pin boards with too many newspaper and magazine clippings, objects d’art made by my godchildren, CDs, many, many little bottles of hand sanitizers (neurotic, don’t tell me, I know) and books, books, books.

The centerpiece is definitely my boxer’s speedball! It has pride of place and whenever I become spaced out from too much writing or find my creativity blocked, it only takes a few minutes of tapping out a rhythm on the ball to get me going again.

As an added treat, Natasha sent along this photo of herself and her friends:

Thanks, Natasha. What great answers! Dear readers, check out my review of her latest book, Keeper of Light and Dust, tomorrow, April 21, and an international giveaway.

***Giveaway Reminder***

Don’t forget to enter The Traitor’s Wife giveaway, here and here.

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: Interviews Tagged With:

Mailbox Monday #26

April 20, 2009 by

Welcome to Mailbox Monday, sponsored by Marcia at The Printed Page. Boy, I am tired after yesterday’s read-a-thon. I haven’t stayed up that late since the Olympics were on television. I decided to take the lazy way out and photography my stack of books I received over the last week, rather than search for covers all over the Web. Ok, let’s check out these books.

mailboxmonday4.20

Here’s the list (Bottom Up):

1. 2 copies of Reunion by Theresa Fowler for a May Tour; You guessed it, one’s for a giveaway.

2. Annie’s Ghosts by Steve Luxenberg from the publisher for the WWII Reading Challenge.

3. This One Is Mine by Maria Semple, which I received from the author for review.

4. Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult; I won it from Book Club Girl

5. Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji, which I received for review from Authors On the Web.

6. An Equal Music by Vikram Seth, which I received from Jenny Brown at Shelf Love; I won it from her giveaway.

7. More of Me Disappears by John Amen, which I received from the poet and founder of Pedestal Magazine.

8. The Painter From Shanghai by Jennifer Cody Epstein, which I received for a TLC Book Tour in June.

9. The Air Between Us by Deborah Johnson, which I won from Book Club Girl.

10. Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel, which I got from Library Thing Early Reviewers. Who knew they would actually give me more early reviewing books.

I also took a photo of a special treat I won over at Scobberlotch during Karen’s one year book-a-versary!

leatherjournal

What did you get in your mailbox?

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: mailbox monday

Conversations & Connections 2009 Recap

April 19, 2009 by

Well, it’s been more than one week since I attended the one-day writer’s conference–Conversations & Connections, in Washington, D.C. You can find my previous posts about the conference here and here. I do have a few photos to share with everyone as well.

They changed up a few things for this year’s conference, adding craft lectures for beginning writers on sentence structure, sex scenes, and combating writer’s block. There was an early snafu, but I think the organizers adapted well and filled in the vacant space left by Amy Hempel, the scheduled featured speaker.

Anna and I headed to the first panel on Juggling Point of View, which was populated with writers/teachers and authors. While I did learn quite a bit about the techniques to use in my stories and novel concerning how to choose a point of view that fits the story I am telling, most of the information I gleaned from the session came from just two of the panelists. C.M. Mayo (she is second from the right in the photo), author of The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire, provided the most clear-cut information to the audience. She teaches workshops at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Md., so that may have given her an edge on the other panelists. (I’ll be hosting a tour for her book next month! And it was great to chat with her for a bit in person and tell her about my spot on her virtual tour.)

As writers, Anna and I were very interested in the Writer’s Block craft lecture and what techniques we could learn and use to keep ourselves in the writing groove. What I found most intriguing is that one of the exercises, which is based upon a parlor game, is something we have done at parties with friends. It was amusing to hear someone teach this in a craft lecture. The concept is simple. You start with one sentence and as the paper makes its way around the room (or in our case most of the time, as the laptop makes it across the room), each person adds their own sentence based upon the previous sentence. The trick is you can’t look too far back and you don’t know what comes next. Other techniques included borrowing phrases, words, and whole sentences from some of your own favorite works and mashing them up into your own paragraph; this wasn’t as effective for me. And the age-old, use these 3-4 words in your own story and you will write for 5 minutes or so. It’s interesting to see how people use the same four words in a story. I have to say that these exercises warmed up my writing brain, and I was ready to go…but unfortunately, there was more conference to be had!

We went to lunch at Bertucci’s because again we could not locate Chipotle….though we did find the Portuguese Embassy! Then we headed back to the conference for speed dating with editors, and I got some great advice from an editor at The Potomac Review about my novel and where it should lead off. I didn’t get to use Anna’s pass because we bumped into an old colleague and poet, Gregg Mosson. Naturally, I had him sign his book, which was one of the free book choices at this year’s conference, and we chatted about what was going on in our lives. It was great to catch up and learn about his good fortunes.

After this interlude, it was off to the main room for the “featured speaker who wasn’t.” Instead, we got a real treat, listening to Gregg read his poems and Susan McCallum-Smith read from her short story book. It was a great addition to the lineup and I hope they think about replacing the featured speaker with this format instead.

It was equally great to hear the impromptu readers answer questions about their books, publishing experience, and goals.

Dave Housley from Barrelhouse magazine led the readings and the question-and-answer session that followed. I think everyone in the audience could tell that he was none too happy that the featured speaker cancelled the morning of the event.

The final session of the day, other than the end of conference Book Fair, was on Writing Sex Scenes. This was the best of the sessions for me. I learned a great deal about when sex plays a role in a story and when it is simply in there for no reason other than the writer was carried away. It was great to see the difference between a coming of age sex scene and one that is based upon relationships–the instructors were really fantastic at showing what nuances in the scene expressed something about the emotions of the characters.

As I’m sure you all realized by my last Mailbox Monday, I did indeed by something at the book fair. I couldn’t resist Reb Livingston’s poetry book. Overall, we had a great time and are looking forward to next year’s conference and BEA, if we can get there.

Speaking of BEA, anyone live nearby? Anna and I are not that familiar with NYC, so we’d appreciate some advice, looks like the cheapest will be for us to fly into Long Island Airport…Any thoughts? Drop me an email.

***Giveaway Reminder***

Don’t forget to enter The Traitor’s Wife giveaway, here and here.

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: Events, writing conference Tagged With:

Dewey’s 24-hour Read-a-Thon 2009, Part Three

April 19, 2009 by

I got up for the last couple of hours to start reading again and here I am filling out the final survey. I may have only finished one book, but I’m okay with that.

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?

Hour 18 when I finished my first book. My eyes were hurting, I was tired, and I really needed a break.

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?

The Keeper of Light and Dust is a fantastic book and I was engaged the whole time, minus some self-induced interruptions. James Patterson novels should have been on my reading list too, since I can never put those down.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?

No suggestions here. I really had a great time and enjoyed most of the challenges, but when you are in the last hours its hard for your brain to think or be overly creative.

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?

I really enjoyed the mini-challenges and the hourly updates. It kept me motivated.

5. How many books did you read?

I read 1 book…sad I know. But I did start The Mechanics of Falling by Catherine Brady this morning.

6. What were the names of the books you read?
The Keeper of Light and Dust by Natasha Mostert

7. Which book did you enjoy most?
I only read one book, so I guess it can only be one answer: The Keeper of Light and Dust by Natasha Mostert

8. Which did you enjoy least?
None, though I didn’t like the fact that I only read one whole book.

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?

I was a reader this year.

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
I’ll definitely participate next time, though I’m not sure if I will be a reader or cheerleader…this staying up is brutal! Yet, fun.

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: 24-hour Read-a-Thon, Events

Dewey’s 24-hour Read-a-Thon 2009, Part Deux

April 19, 2009 by

Hour #13:

HOLY COW, I made it to the halfway point. I cannot believe my stamina and I’m not even tired yet. I guess it helps that I normally stay up late on Saturdays to begin with.

Anyway, the purpose of this post–other than to continue with my hourly or bi-hourly updates–is to complete the Midway Survey:

1. What are you reading right now?

Keeper of Light and Dust by Natasha Mostert, which I have been reading since the challenge began! Still reading it, but there are only 83 pages left!

2. How many books have you read so far?

I’m still working on book #1; I guess you could say that I’ve been a bit distracted by The Girl, the challenges, the cheerleading, and Twilight and Moonlight DVD breaks.

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?

I haven’t even thought that far ahead. I’m looking forward to finishing this book.

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?

The only special arrangements I made was having an audiobook in the car because I knew we had about a 45 minute ride from my house to Anna’s. Gotta keep reading, and Janet Evanovich is a good break from reading.

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?

There have been a number of interruptions between Cheesecake, Chipotle, and Little Caesar’s Pizza…and that’s just the food. I think you can already guess what the other distractions were given previous answers.

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?

How cheerful people are when they comment on your blog even when you have been so engrossed in reading that you really haven’t been commenting that much. Ok, that an concentrating when there are so many Vampire movies I would rather be watching…lol OK, salivating over.

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?

I don’t have any suggestions…but that could be because I’m having a tough time concentrating.

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?

I think I should probably have started off with shorter books, rather than starting with a 300+ page book.

9. Are you getting tired yet?

Not tired yet, but I have had two cups of coffee for breakfast, a few sodas, and a bunch of green tea! Perhaps that has helped keep the brain muscles working.

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?

I think the distractions have helped a lot. I may have given up sooner in the challenge. This is my first read-a-thon, and I think reading in a group has been helpful! We find ourselves reading passages out loud…that has been interesting.

Stay tuned for more updates in this post!

Hour #16:

Here’s my short little update. We were in the car listening to Janet Evanovich, and we are now on Disc 7 of 8, so we’re nearly finished with that book, but doesn’t look like that one will be finished in this read-a-thon.

But I’m home, and I’ve decided that the drive along I-70 is really boring and tires people out. I’m waning here a bit, but I am determined to at least finish one book for this challenge. Wish me luck!

Here’s a photo of our lunch scarf-fest!

Hour #17:

Life in the Thumb is hosting the latest challenge where we must complete this phrase: You know you’re participating in a READ-A-THON when:

1. You carry the book to the kitchen, pour milk into coffee with one hand while keeping your eye on the page and overflow your coffee mug.

2. You don’t pay as much attention to your blog as you normally do, fail at commenting and cheering others on, and forget to pee.

3. Read passages out loud randomly to your husband who just looks at you like you are out of your mind or have suddenly contracted a weird form of tourettes.

4. You’ve driven 45 minutes to a friend’s house to spend the day reading while your husbands get to wait on you hand and foot while you read.

5. While you are in said car on the trip to the friend’s house you are listening to an audiobook and reading from a hardback at the same time–boy your brain gets tired with all that double duty!

6. You start to stare at the floor and wonder what it would be like to be your dog or your cat. (see photo)

Hour #18:

I finished my first book for the Read-a-Thon, Keeper of Light and Dust. That means I read 301 pages. Not bad for a first timer. I’m headed to bed for a few hours, but will be up before the read-a-thon ends. Keep reading everyone.

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: 24-hour Read-a-Thon, Events

Dewey’s 24-hour Read-a-Thon 2009

April 18, 2009 by

Welcome to my very first attempt at the Dewey’s 24-hour Read-a-Thon; I thought about all those times that I was going to participate when Dewey was alive, and I missed out on those chances. But I’m doing it now.

What you can expect from me today in terms of blogging is some updates to this post throughout the day, so keep checking back.

I’m primarily going to be reading some review copies, short stories, audiobooks, and poetry books. I have no particular page goal or book total that I hope to achieve. I will be checking for the mini-challenges and other blogger’s updates; I see the hubbub feature growing in the near future! Overall, I just want to have fun.

Meme Hour #1:

3 Facts About Me:

1. I love my Keeshond like he’s my kid.
2. I love books, and I think it’s becoming an addiction.
3. I really love poetry and I hope to in some small way broaden the audience for poets publishing work today.

Where I’m reading from is my living room couch, the car as I head to Anna’s later today, and her couch or floor or somewhere.

I’ve answered all the other questions for this meme above. Now let’s get reading!

Hour #2:

Not much reading happening here as I get ready to head over to Anna’s in Baltimore, but I have gathered the no-bake cheesecake, the veggies and dip, the green tea, strawberries, and some bread sticks. I’ve got a ton of books in my bag, but we’ll see how many I actually get through over her house. 🙂

The laptop will be coming along, though I hope I can hook it up, if not it’s my multimedia movie/music distraction when I need a break! See you all on the Web again soon.

Hour #3 & 4:

Ok, so the last hour the hubby and I were in the car “reading” One for the Money by Janet Evanovich. Yes, I resorted to audiobooks while in the car, but that counts as reading, right?! I don’t discriminate anyway.

Now we’re at Anna’s house and The Girl is taking a break with the scooter outside, and Anna’s on the couch wrapped in a blanket reading. I’m blogging, obviously, but the Men are out getting us Chipotle for LUNCH! WOOHOO. I like this read-a-thon stuff. Keep commenting, and I will be back on the Internet soon. I hope these updates aren’t boring you! I’m reading Keeper of Light and Dust by Natasha Mostert for those interested! I really love this book!

Hour #6:

This is hour six, and I am still reading the same book, but that’s OK. My main goal is to finish this book and maybe read some poetry later today. However, I did decide to take a cue from The Girl and draw a comic for the Hour 6 Mini-Challenge at Sophisticated Dorkiness. If you haven’t read this blog before you should, Kim does a great job. Anyway, here’s my comic creation below based upon Natasha Mostert’s Keeper of Light and Dust:

Well, it’s back to reading! Have a great time. We’ll be posting about our adventures in cheesecake later!

Hour #8:

I’ve made it 8 hours! I’m still reading the same book, but the breaks to eat and have The Girl read to us has been good! I’m still awake…no snoozing here. Anna, on the other hand, has fallen a sleep for a nanosecond or two! 🙂 Too much quiet for her, I think. I just entered the Hour #8 mini-challenge about Loving Your Local Library. What a great challenge. well, it’s back to reading Keeper of Light and Dust!

Hour #11:

Well, we had our Jello No-Bake Cheesecake with fresh cut strawberries, and some of us had some whip cream on top as well. You should have heard the orgasmic sounds from the girls and boys. LOL And it was all very platonic! Still reading Keeper of Light and Dust, but I’m nearing the 200 page mark in spite of the Twilight-Edward distractions.

The Girl is hoping to win the comic challenge, but I’m hoping to beat her out and win the prize. It’s a friendly little rivalry we have going on here. Neither of us will probably win! LOL Anyway, its back to reading…I mean watching Edward!

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: 24-hour Read-a-Thon, Events

Enchanted Blog!

April 17, 2009 by


Savvy Verse & Wit is Enchanted, you’ve heard it here first. Mari over at MariReads bestowed upon me this cute little award!

This is what the award is about:

The only requirement for this award is that you share it with whomever you like, sharing the love is always a good thing. The blog has to show only one characteristic, caring. So, start sharing this enchanted award with five other bloggers. Let your bloggers know they have received this enchanted award. (Remember, fairies are fickle wee things, don’t incur their displeasure by ignoring their gift.)

Here are the blogs that I find enchanting:

1. Bethany’s B&B Ex Libris (I’m happy that someone else is doing the NaPoWriMo/PAD Challenge besides me–and she writes poems in two languages! Check out the quitter, lo feo de la noche, and favourites.)

2. Anna at Diary of an Eccentric (How could I forget my buddy of 14 years?! Impossible–Even if she is eccentric with a capital E! LOL)

3. Alyce of At Home With Books (who is always commenting on my posts and lurking in the shadows)

4. Iliana of Bookgirl’s Nightstand (She’s talented in more than one way, and she’s been offering National Poetry Month posts: Selecting a Poetry Book, Journaling Poem, and Book Festival.)

5. Bermudaonion (I literally think she comments on every one of my posts; I smile when I see her pop up and enter contests.)

6. Black Eyed-Susan (A new-to-me blog, and she too is participating in NaPoWriMo/PAD Challenge! Check out her short poem, I Come from a Long Line, Friday.)

7. Dar of Peeking Between the Pages (Another of those great bloggers who is always supportive, comments a lot, and I wish I could emulate her and Bermudaonion–at least on the commenting front)

There are so many other blogs out there, which ones do you find enchanting?

***Giveaway Reminder***

Don’t forget to enter The Traitor’s Wife giveaway, here and here.

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: awards

Poem #15 and #16, PAD Challenge 2009

April 17, 2009 by

Prompt #15 is to alter a favorite poem’s title and use that title to write a new poem.

I chose The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost and changed it to this:

The Onion Not Eaten

I strolled by the farm stand,
picking through the bins,
tossed aside unripened bananas,
tomatoes, and mangoes.

The wind was missing,
but the sun beat down heavily
my shoulders sweat and slump
beneath the weight of my basket.

It’s filled to the brim with great finds
from strawberries to spinach leaves.
The onions are missing,
The bin is empty.

The recipe calls for onion,
I cry, but only silence replies.
The sun has fallen behind,
and I’ve run out of patience.

I walk back to my car with full
basket, tossing it in the trunk.
At home, the recipe suffers
Not.

Prompt #16 is to pick a color, write a poem inspired by that color, and use the color as your title.

Yellow

Streaks across the windowpane
bolts of lightning
shifted right and left,
pursued.
The canary escaped from its cage.
Free.

What did you write today?

For more information about the challenge, go here.

***Giveaway Reminder***

Don’t forget to enter The Traitor’s Wife giveaway, here and here.

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: national poetry month, poem-a-day challenge