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Sanctuary
Lucy closed her eyes and shuffled over to the old stuffed chair that he had loved and spent most of his last hours. She stared at it sadly. Funerals could be so depressing. Only a few neighbors attended the graveside service. More out of curiosity than sympathy. No flowers, no words of sympathy. Even the vicar seemed lost for words. A plain wooden coffin buried in what would soon be an unmarked grave. Erik and I kept to ourselves. Nosiness and human nature. An annoying fact of life here. Every bone and muscle in her body ached. She gazed down at her gnarly fingers and sighed. How have I gotten…
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Why I Write About Music
In my book Memories of Jake, I introduce the reader to the elder of two brothers who served in Vietnam. The book is the first in “The Cameron Saga” and is about how the war affected the brothers and the people they love. My character Andrew Cameron is an artist. Yet music is vital to his very existence. Andrew listens to music as he paints; it inspires him. Music provides hope, comfort, and healing throughout his life, whatever challenges he must face. Music is part of the happiness he experiences. Jake, the younger brother and protagonist of Man with No Yesterdays, suffers severe retrograde amnesia in a helicopter accident, and…
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Music, History, Mystery, and Ravens
Welcome to the February 2023 edition of the Shaggy Dog View Club! It appears we’ve all been reading a lot over the past few months, and Evelyn Infante has been thinking about pretty things. Sahar Abdulaziz And This Shall Be for Music by Susan Moore Jordan is a stunning novel with complex characters and circumstances. Those like myself, who have read all of Jordan’s work, are reintroduced to the Cameron Family (The Cameron Saga: Memories of Jake, Man with No Yesterdays). The main character, Lindsey, is a talented, young, self-absorbed soprano training for a career in opera—a mind-numbingly competitive musical vocation. Everything in Lindsey’s life is plodding ahead as expected…
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A Random Day in the Life of a SDP Author
Take a moment to catch up with our resident Crime author Evelyn Infante and check out her newest novel Bloodhound Investigations The house is clean, the laundry done, and it’s raining—a perfect day for a writer who’s been procrastinating lately, to get on with the hard but enjoyable work of writing. That’s where my mind was on the day I wrote this: A Rainy Day Doing Research On this rainy day in the Poconos, what else is there to do for a writer than do research on a new story idea? Oh, and bake, but today I want to concentrate on my new book idea. I spent most…
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A New Year Means New Books!
Among plans to nurture our creative souls, the SDP authors have a lot of new books coming your way in 2023! We have mystery, history, historical mystery, music, mayhem, satire, adventure, and romance on the horizon. Whatever your reading tastes, you’ll always find a fresh take from an SDP author! Sahar Abdulaziz My 2023 writing plan is to have no plan—not to be confused with doing nothing. I want to do something. In fact, the likelihood of me doing lots of something is high. However, I’d like not to plan to do anything—more panster than a plotter, if you permit me to use a literary term to describe my future…
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A Conversation with Book Narrator Dawn O Watson
Today book narrator, author, and voice-over artist Dawn O Watson shares her insights about book narration with SDP author Sahar Abdulaziz and how she lends her voice to the spoken word. When Dawn’s not busy at her computer or narrating a book for Audible, she’s a professional dog trainer and owner of Brother of the Wolf, LLC. Sahar: I’ve read that when a person listens to something, both the left and right brain activate, and whether we read or listen to a book, the actual processing of the information occurs in the same areas of the brain. However, it has been said that audiobooks develop greater empathy in the listener.…
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Interview with Author Carol Sveilich
Today, SDP author, Sahar Abdulaziz, is speaking with Carol Sveilich—an award-winning author and blogger featured in many newspaper articles and television reports. Carol, a recipient of the 1994 ABC News Leadership Award, has also been a counselor for over 20 years, conducting large community seminars and support services for people living with persistent health challenges and chronic pain. Sahar: First off, Carol Sveilich—major congratulations and blessings on your newest publication, Reflections From A Glass House: A Memoir of Mid-Century Modern Mayhem! I recently listened to your memoir on Audible, and what fun! The narrator’s execution of your story was brilliant, and I loved how she brought your account and…
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Haute Hijab Speaks with SDP Author Sahar Abdulaziz
Haute Hijab, an online magazine dedicated to empowering women, spoke with our own Sahar Abdulaziz on “The Problem of ‘Not Taking Sides’ with Post-Divorce Relationships & Domestic Abuse.” This SDP author is also a Certified Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault Counselor Advocate, trained and qualified to weigh in on this topic. During her conversation with Haute Hijab’s contributing writer, Layla Abdullah-Poulos, Sahar explained that neutrality has no place in the face of abuse. “There is no such thing as ‘not taking sides’ when an abuse victim discloses,” explained Sahar. “All too often, people will claim neutrality when, in fact, they are looking the other way, making excuses for the abuser…
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Murder, Mystery, and Massage
Welcome to the October session of the Shaggy Dog View Club! We have a variety of experiences to recommend this month. I’ll start with what I’m watching, if only because it’s seasonally appropriate. Kelly Jensen After watching and loving Midnight Mass on Netflix last year, I was on the lookout for any new project from director Mike Flanagan. His latest offering, The Midnight Club is available just in time for the spooky season. I went in expecting more horror and came out with a new perspective on the idea of living every day as if it were my last. Briefly, it’s the story of eight teenagers with terminal illnesses living…
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Beneath the Surface Lurks Truth Masked as Fiction
The Gatekeeper’s Notebook is a psychological thriller/suspense. It’s a bold and poignant story full of misplaced love and loss, a past colliding with the present, and the unimaginable devastation caused by spitefulness, arrogance, deceptions, and buried lies. The story is about a beautiful young widow named Kalila Rahim. After the sudden death of her husband, Bashir, Kalila finds herself without life insurance, a mortgage in arrears, a neighbor from hell, all the crushing responsibilities and upsets of single parenthood, and a woman claiming to be her husband’s second wife and mother to his newborn baby. Kalila’s heart is shattered, but grief can’t put a stop to the bill collectors. Upon…
