Now, in his first book of nonfiction, Percy challenges the notion that literary and genre fiction are somehow mutually exclusive. The title essay is an ode to the kinds of books that make many readers fall in love with fiction: science fiction, fantasy, mysteries, horror, from J.R.R. Tolkien to Anne Rice, Ursula K. Le Guin to Stephen King. Percy's own academic experience banished many of these writers in the name of what is "literary" and what is "genre." Then he discovered Michael Chabon, Aimee Bender, Cormac McCarthy, Margaret Atwood, and others who employ techniques of genre fiction while remaining literary writers. In fifteen essays on the craft of fiction, Percy looks to disparate sources such as Jaws, Blood Meridian, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo to discover how contemporary writers engage issues of plot, suspense, momentum, and the speculative, as well as character, setting, and dialogue. An urgent and entertaining missive on craft, Thrill Me brims with Percy's distinctive blend of anecdotes, advice, and close reading, all in the service of one dictum: Thrill the reader.

    Planning ahead is the best way to ensure success when you're trying to eat healthy, but figuring out what to make and eat each week can be overwhelming. Healthy Meal Prep does the work for you with 12 clean-eating meal plans that guide you through preparing a week's worth of wholesome, balanced meals in just a few hours. Learn simple strategies for making meal prep work for your goals, budget, and lifestyle. Stock your fridge with single-serving breakfasts, pre-portioned lunches, and ready-to eat-snacks-- and you won't be tempted to grab unhealthy meals on the go. Head-start staples and delicious prep-ahead dinners keep weeknight cooking to a minimum. Complete nutritional information for every recipe and meal plan are also included.

    Drawing on a wide range of  great writers, from Philip Roth to Antonin Scalia to Jane Austen, How to Write a Sentence is much more than a writing manual—it is a spirited love letter to the written word, and a key to understanding how great writing works.

    I have to talk myself into bravery with every sentence, agreed Cynthia Ozick, sometimes every syllable. E. B. White said he admired anyone who has the guts to write anything at all.An author who has taught writing for more than thirty years,In The Courage to Write, Ralph Keyes, an author who has taught writing for more than thirty years, assures us that anxiety is felt by writers at every level, especially when they dare to do their best. He describes the sequence of courage points through which all writers must pass, from the challenge of identifying a worthwhile project to the mixture of pride and panic they feel when examining a newly published book or article.Keyes also offers specifics on how to root out dread of public performance and of the judgment of family and friends, make the best use of writers' workshops and conferences, and handle criticism of works in progress. Throughout, he includes the comments of many accomplished writers -- Pat Conroy, Amy Tan, Rita Dove, Isabel Allende, and others -- on how they transcended their own fears to produce great works.

    When they’re not nodding, they roll their eyes.Time to slash the Pinocchio strings and turn them into real people. Award-winning author Kathy Steinemann provides the tools. She cuts through the so-called rules and offers simple solutions.Too many repetitions of “little”? There’s a cure for that. Do you rely on “very” too often? There’s a cure for that too. You’ll find the remedies in this book’s dispensary.Should you ever use anything other than “said” to attribute dialogue? Are exclamation points taboo? The answers might surprise you.Learn how to harness body language, purge hackneyed adjectives, and draw on the environment for ambience. No more wooden characters. You’ll transform them into believable personalities that your readers will learn to love. Or hate.Get in the driver’s seat, relax, and enjoy your journey—with Kathy Steinemann’s book as your GPS.

    Provides new insights and observations from Vogler's pioneering work in mythic structure for writers.

    They can transform an ordinary tasting dish into an incredibly delicious dish. All spices originate from plants. Some are used entirely but some plants have specific parts that are used, like the flowers, roots, barks, leaves, stems and seeds. Making spice mixes at home is a lot cheaper than buying them in the store, especially when you buy large quantities of them. Just buy a big bag or container of each individual spice and start mixing them at home. Store them in jars and you won’t have to buy any spices for years to come. And with the variety of these spice mixes you’ll be able to use them for anything and make everything so much more delicious!Some spices like garlic and cinnamon don’t only improve the taste of the dishes but also help in preserving due to their ability to limit bacterial growth. Lots of spices, like turmeric, ginger, garlic, cloves and many more are also very healthy, they contain antioxidants and various other nutrients depending on the spice and herb. They can possess anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and immune-boosting properties. All the recipes in this book are dry spice mixes only and have been categorized according to the region where these spice mixes originated. You’ll find spice blends from all over the world, including spice mixes for desserts. So go stock up on some spices and get ready to taste an amazing array of new flavors in your home cooking.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Tags: spice mix recipes, spice mix cookbook, spice mix recipe book, spice mix book, seasoning recipes, seasoning cookbook, seasoning recipe book, seasoning book, seasonings and spices cookbook, seasoning mix recipes, spice mixes seasoning cookbook, spices cookbook, spices recipes, spice recipes, spice cookbook, herbs and spices for healing, spice mixes recipes, mixing spices, mixing herbs, spice blends, blending spices, italian spices, mexican spices, african spices, indian spices, european spices, dutch spices, french spices, spanish spices, asian spices, japanese spices, chinese spices, middle eastern spices, dessert spices, american spices, italian seasoning, mexican seasoning, african seasoning, indian seasoning, european seasoning, dutch seasoning, french seasoning, spanish seasoning, asian seasoning, japanese seasoning, chinese seasoning, middle eastern seasoning, dessert seasoning, american seasoning, spice god, spice bible, masala, dried spices.

    And with this book, she's here to help you do the best writing of your life--and live your best life while doing it.Using a fresh new approach to Joseph Campbell's archetypal Hero's Journey, Levin reveals how to be a hero in the narrative of your own process. She weaves together wisdom drawn from her years as a life coach for writers and an editor at the world's biggest publishing house with behind-the-scenes stories from a panoply of best-selling authors and career entertainers. With over thirty exercises designed to help you reinvent your creative process from the inside out, this book will show you how to:Identify your biggest challenges and render them powerlessStart a project that you love--and stick with itDesign a structure for writing regularlyWhether you're a first-time writer with a brand-new project or a seasoned pro, you'll reach the end of this book feeling fulfilled, inspired, and ready to mentor the next writer on their creative journey.

    But with New York Times bestselling author Philip Athans and fantasy giant R. A. Salvatore at your side, you’ll create worlds that draw your readers in--and keep them reading! Just as important, you’ll learn how to prepare your work for today’s market. Drawing on his years of experience as one of the most acclaimed professionals in publishing, Wizards of the Coast editor Athans explains how to set your novel apart--and break into this lucrative field. From devising clever plots and building complex characters to inventing original technologies and crafting alien civilizations, Athans gives you the techniques you need to write strong, saleable narratives.Plus! Athans applies all of these critical lessons together in an unprecedented deconstruction of a never-before-published tale by the one and only R. A. Salvatore!There are books on writing science fiction and fantasy, and then there’s this book--the only one you need to create strange, wonderful worlds for your own universe of readers!

    Provocative and reassuring, nurturing and wise, The Lie That Tells a Truth is essential to writers in general, fiction writers in particular, beginning writers, serious writers, and anyone facing a blank page.John Dufresne, teacher and the acclaimed author of Love Warps the Mind a Little and Deep in the Shade of Paradise, demystifies the writing process. Drawing upon the wisdom of literature's great craftsmen, Dufresne's lucid essays and diverse exercises initiate the reader into the tools, processes, and techniques of writing: inventing compelling characters, developing a voice, creating a sense of place, editing your own words. Where do great ideas come from? How do we recognize them? How can language capture them? In his signature comic voice, Dufresne answers these questions and more in chapters such as "Writing Around the Block," "Plottery," and "The Art of Abbreviation." Dufresne demystifies the writing process, showing that while the idea of writing may be overwhelming, the act of writing is simplicity itself.

    Written by literary agents and other industry professionals, 40 contributions discuss such topics as identifying selling points, conveying enthusiasm, and targeting the pitch to the right agents. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR