Blog

The expression ‘You can’t judge a book by its cover’ is right. It is not a good idea to prejudge the value of something or even someone simply by outward appearances.

But being humans, we like to make quick assessments. The Caveman probably did not think, ‘Does that tiger really look hungry or is he just curious.’  He judged the book by the cover, tiger stripes.

So, book covers are important. They create a brand for the title and draws our attention. It is the first, maybe not the fairest way, to judge a book. 

Continue Reading "Best Book Covers of 2016" →

I think Ageing is an extraordinary process whereby you become the person that you always should have been.

-David Bowie

Twenty years ago today, on my 25th birthday, I woke up in a lousy apartment in the city and when I turned on the bathroom light I was greeted by a sink full of roaches. Happy Birthday Joanie.

Today, I turned 45.

And I woke up to one grumpy dog and one VERY excited puppy.

I had to get two groggy girls off to two different school in two different directions at the same time. I did a load of laundry, emptied the dishwasher, took one VERY excited puppy for a walk and then went to work.

I loved this morning! So much better than being 25, right?

Continue Reading "It’s Not What’s Over, It’s What’s Next." →

Learning isn’t always easy

Ever had the dream of an exam or project due and you’re not at all prepared? Maybe you’re not even a student anymore but the dream still lingers.

Why is that? Maybe it’s just human nature to want to do or learn something that challenges us. There can be some anxiety in learning something new because, by definition, you have to start from a place of not knowing.

Continue Reading "Crunch Time: Train up at the library" →

Let's share something we KNOW we all have in common.

The LOVE of reading. Family Reading Night is Thursday November 17th!

Continue Reading "#DPPLfamiliesRead" →

November is National Novel Writer’s Month (NaNoWriMo) and DPPL recognizes those who write.

We host write-ins every Tuesday night during this month for aspiring writers.

Folks who participate in NaNoWriMo aim to write a novel during the month of November.

The goal is to write at least 50,000 words (that is about 1666.67 words a day).  

Thousands of people sign up and take part across the world. The idea is that if you write fast and focused it doesn’t give the inner critic time to sabotage your efforts. You can go back and clean it up in December or January if necessary, but November is all about getting the words and ideas down.

The NaNoWriMo website has many useful tools including a community where you can get feedback, help with a plot, do research or just see what others are doing.

Continue Reading "We Have Local Authors (and you could be one too)" →