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Muffins and Mayhem, Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life
AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win: Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader
Dear Reader,
She's young, she's talented and she's set out on her dream of becoming a literary critic. I met Kate Padilla when a Google Alert popped into my email box. I had the alert set up to let me know if anything new showed up on the Internet about my book, Muffins and Mayhem, and to my surprise, Kate reviewed my book in the magazine Alimented. I didn't invite Kate to be a Guest Columnist because she reviewed my book. I invited her to talk to us today, because, at such a young age (compared to my 57 years), I was so impressed with the goals she's set for herself, and her talent and dedication.
Welcome to the book clubs, Kate. Take it away...
I remember when I first decided that I wanted to be a literary critic. I was sitting in the cafe at my college, sometime near the end of junior year, and in the midst of finals, friends and hazelnut lattes, I was thinking about the upcoming summer. I realized that, like the summers and school breaks previous, I would get to read whatever I 'wanted' and I wouldn't have to think about characters, plot lines, or themes. But, for the first time in my three years there, I wanted to think about what I was reading. That, incidentally, was also the day I opened my blog: lifebythebooks.
A book review, or a movie or music review, helps others understand a perspective behind the art. I am a creator as much as I am a consumer, but when I read a book for review my primary focus must be: "What issues will my audience find relevant?" For some, it's the struggle between what is appropriate in society and what is right, as it was for Skeeter and the maids of Kathryn Stockett's The Help. For others, it's the comfort of reading the true stories of a woman live her life through the food she creates for others and for her own family (This may sound familiar to the readers who have also read our own Suzanne Beecher's Muffins and Mayhem).
But I can't sugar coat: life is not easy for a critic. I'm still in the early stages--only two years out of college--and I'm trying to find my way. For one, there's the external struggle: many journals and magazines don't take a chance on us newcomers, and the ones that do don't really provide an easy way of making a living from it. I read somewhere that it's important to distinguish yourself, even in the type of material that you review. And so I decided to take on the memoir. Another hurdle: many literary journals don't print memoir reviews.
But there's also the internal struggle. I love writing fiction. For my entire life, up until my junior year of college, I was dead-set on becoming a novelist. I wanted to be what is known as a "serious writer," whatever that meant. And I have to admit that it's a bit difficult writing fiction with a critic's eye. If I think too hard, I start trying to control the little nuances that a critic will pick up, and I try to direct the maze that this will undoubtedly create.
I'm still trying to figure things out. But isn't that the point of it all? And I'm progressing a little each year. This year will hopefully bring me more opportunity to review; and, I'm happy to say, I just finished my first short fiction collection.
--Kate Padilla
Send an email to Kate and she will reply.
[email protected]
http://lifebythebooks.wordpress.com
Kate Padilla graduated from Dordt College in 2010 with a degree in English. She spent a year and a half as an Executive Assistant for a technology start-up in Austin, Texas and has found within her a passion for entrepreneurship as well as for reviewing. She currently lives in Spencer, Iowa, with her husband and two pugs.
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
http://www.muffinsandmayhem.com/
AUTHORBUZZ: FAR FROM HERE (Fiction) by Nicole Baart
How long do you hold onto hope?
Danica Greene, a pilot's wife wrestles with that very question. When her husband vanishes into the Alaska wilderness, Dani is left to pick up the pieces of a ruined life. But as details of the disappearance fall into place, she realizes that life and love are more mysterious than she ever imagined.
Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on FAR FROM HERE to find out more about the book and the author, Nicole Baart. Send her an email, she'd love to hear from you.
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