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Conquering the Acropolis of Athens
A (Very Brief) History of Athens, Greece Athens, Greece is the oldest capital in Europe. The highest hill in the city, The Acropolis, consists of a flat-topped rock over one-hundred-fifty meters high with three incredibly steep sides. An easily defended fortress and military base from both land and sea, it only became a religious center dedicated to the worship of the goddess Athena much later during the rise and fall of the Mycenae civilization near the end of the Bronze Age. For the next four hundred years, Greece plunged into a dark age when little is known. What we think of as Ancient Greek civilization began around the fifth century…
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Ode to a Grecian Spring
Many countries celebrate May First as International Labor Day, but it’s more commonly referred to as Protomagia throughout Greece. Literally, the first day of May. It all started with the ancient Greeks who honored the Greek Goddess Maia, who was somehow related to a Roman goddess of fertility. Festivals and parades abound. The locals go out to the country to gather wildflowers or attempt the season’s first swim. This year it fell on a Monday, and being a major holiday, Athenians decided to enjoy a long weekend. Even the land celebrated; the countryside overflowed with flowers. Arriving in Athens later than expected on Friday, we barely had time for a…
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A LIFETIME IS NOT ENOUGH FOR MUSIC
The second book I wrote, Eli’s Heart, is a love story and more. Krissy Porter and Eli Levin meet as young teens when Eli, who is a piano prodigy, visits his older sister in Krissy’s town in Tennessee in the summer of 1953. They become good friends and are on the verge of romance, but their relationship is ended by Eli’s over-protective family. They find their way back to each other while college students and marry on Krissy’s twentieth birthday. The story continues as each of them builds a career in the music world. While Eli was born with an unusual gift for music, he also was born with a seriously damaged…
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SDP Books Reaches Milestone!
It is with great joy and pride that we announce that Shaggy Dog Productions, LLC, the publishing imprint for The Lady Writers of the Poconos, has reached a new milestone: we have released-or have in the pipeline- 30 books! This is a momentous occasion for us all, and we want to take the time to celebrate all the wonderful achievements that have led to this major accomplishment. From our very first book back in 2015, Tressa’s Treasures, we have come a long way in our mission to bring the words of the Lady Writers to readers around the world. We have a wide variety of titles in our catalog, both…
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Hidden Letters, One-Star Reviews, and Banana Bread
We have an interesting variety of reviews and recommendations for you this month! Books, tv, music, documentaries, even a favorite recipe. We’ll start with Hidden Letters, and Evelyn’s take on the PBS documentary on how modern women in China are keeping alive the tradition of Nüshu, a secret written language. Evelyn Infante I recently watched PBS’ Hidden Letters documentary: Modern Women in China Keep Alive the Tradition of Nüshu, a secret written language. For thousands of years in China, women were born to obey their fathers, husbands, and sons. The Confucian practice of the Three Obediences kept women confined to the home, their feet bound, and the only roles allowed…
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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 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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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…
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THE BOOK THAT ALMOST WASN’T
The fifth book I wrote, Memories of Jake, dealt with two brothers who served in Vietnam in the late 1960s-early 1970s, and the impact their service had on them and their families. Andrew, the older by two years, an artist and musician, enlisted from a sense of duty after his first year of college. His rakish younger brother Jacob, an athlete and ladies’ man, enlisted immediately after high school from a desire for adventure. During Jake’s time in Vietnam, where he served as a Green Beret, a helicopter crash resulted in severe retrograde amnesia. He could remember a great deal about the world, but almost nothing of his past life…
