Carly's Ramblings Blog - Style

A Childhood memory & My Bookshelf

Welcome To My Reality - October Prompts

37. Share a scene or memory from the house you grew up in.

I flicked on the light to the basement and felt my palms sweat with nerves. Kerry, my cat, rubbed against my legs and I picked her up burying my face in her fuzzy body a moment before moving carefully down the steps. I talked to her... nothing memorable, but the sound of my voice added dimension to the dark shadows the light didn't reach. I walked with Kerry in my arms exploring all the nooks and crannies before setting her down. She continued to follow me to the area when my blackboard and two school desks were set up. My dolls were still propped in the desks from when I last played down here. I moved to the blackboard and began to 'teach' my math lesson... a chance to go over what I learned in school that day and be the teacher instead of the student.

Kerry would stick around, but after awhile she would go back up into the light of the upper hallway that lead to the basement stairs. I didn't mind. I was not so afraid now. I was even used to the huge oil furnace cranking on. I also knew if I called her she would come running.

38. What books are on your bookshelf?

Over the years I have had to scale back my bookshelves... we don't have the room for all the books I by and most of my romance novels get sold to used bookshops or donated. I have kept all my Jill Shalvis comtemporary romances. I love her stories and her style. I find her characters authentic and her story lines worthy of study so that I can improve my own writing. She is joined by a few Carly Phillips and Lori Foster.

I have a collection of writing reference books - it is quite extensive but I will list my favourites here:
The Gotham Writers Workshop Writing Fiction: The Practical Guide From New York's Acclaimed Creative Writing School.
Immediate Fiction by Jerry Cleaver
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamont
The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron - I have most of her books
Writing Down The Bones by Natalie Goldberg - I have most of her books
On Writing by Stephen King
Writing Tools: 50 Essential Tools for Every Writer by Roy Peter Clark
Escaping Into The Open: The Art of Writing True by Elizabeth Berg
The Kick Ass Writer by Chuck Wendig
You've Got A Book In You by Elisabeth Sims

I have all but 2 of these:
http://toolsandtoys.net/guides/books-to-make-you-a-better-writer/

I also have a collection of teaching resources. I like to stay current... all I need is my own classroom so I can put my readings into practice.

My oldest book is a book of hymns that belonged to my Gramzie's brother, Uncle Alec. She gave it to him for Christmas in 1924.
I have my mother's copy of The Taming of The Shrew that she read in high school - back in the 1950's.
And one book I bought at a garage sale... it was an ABC book that belonged to my Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Barrett.