Anne Faye

I love looking through old newspapers both for the historical portrait that they offer as well as their potential for story ideas. Newspapers.com is a new service which offers archives of many different papers from the 1700s to now - imagine the possibilities! It is a fee-based service, but it does offer a 7 day trial period. If you are a history buff or a writer searching for your next great idea, it might be worth a look.

I saw this tote bag at a bookstore recently and burst out laughing. Turns out there is a whole CafePress shop dedicated to the merchandise! http://www.cafepress.com/+i-like-big-books-and-i-cannot-lie+gifts

I haven't posted on this blog in a while, but I saw this today and thought it was an interesting concept. Grammarly.com is trying to do a group National Novel Writing Month, in which different writers each add 800 words to a story. You have until October 25th to sign up to take part. Find out more at GrammoWriMo: Let's Get Ready to Write

Please welcome this guest post by Karina Fabian, author of the new book, Mind Over Psyche . Every now and then, we have Tabata week at the gym I attend. If you don’t know Tabata, think of it as being in labor: 20 seconds of hard pushing and pain, followed by ten seconds of rest. Of course, drugs are discouraged and your trainer might not appreciate it if you snarl, “This is your fault!” but it only lasts an hour, and then you’re done until the next day. Sometimes, I enjoy going to the gym, but it had been a crazy week, anyway, and my motivation was low, even less so for Tabata, but I went. Why? Even though I didn’t look forward to going, I enjoyed having gone. That’s how it goes with writing sometimes. There are plenty of times when I don’t feel like writing. Sometimes, other things in life seem much more important, whether planning a surprise for my husband’s retirement or doing dishes. Sometimes, it’s looking at my Amazon sales and realizing that, should something ho

I was sitting at the computer card catalogue at my local library today and reached for a piece of scrap paper to write the call number on. When I flipped it over, I realized that this was what I was writing on - a small piece of library history.

I used Grammarly to grammar check this post, because even someone who edits for a living can use a second set of eyes. No doubt most of you are familiar with the concept of “Paying it Forward.” In Catholic terms, it could be considered just good old-fashioned generosity. We are kind to others and try to help others, whether or not we receive any repayment for it. We trust that God will treat us with the same generosity we show towards others. How, then, can we pay it forward in our writing careers? In the July/August 2013 issue of Writer’s Digest , thriller and young adult author Jordan Dane shares how she keeps a framed sticky note on her desk. It has one word on it: “Fantastic.”   It was written by bestselling author Sharon Sala who encouraged Dane and helped find her an agent. This is a beautiful example of paying it forward. Dane writes, “When I asked how I could repay her kindness, she said, ‘Do the same for someone else.’” Not all of us are bestselling authors with t

Looking for a different sort of wedding dress? How about one made of book pages? That's what designer Jennifer Pritchard Couchman did with this dress. Read more about it at The Dress Made of Books.

I submitted "The Rose Ring" to Reader's Favorite a while ago for review. They offer quick turnaround on reviews if you pay for them, but I chose to utilize the free service. I had used it with "Through the Open Window" and was pleased with the service, and I was just as pleased this time around. As a writer it is wonderful to know that someone has read and appreciated something one has written. And seeing that I designed the cover as well, I was gratified that she found it attractive. Truly, this review made my day. Reviewer Brenda Casto had this to say. The Rose Ring by Anne Faye is certainly a book with a pretty cover, but the story that unfolds is emotionally charged, keeping me riveted until the end. Julia Manning has carried the hurt of being left at the altar ten years ago by her then fiancee Zach Richards. To get through her days she works as an assistant manager at a bookstore and also volunteers to read at a local nursing home. Julia's m

I came across this quote in A Step of Faith: A Novel (Walk) by Richard Paul Evans: There are far too many people for us to think about each of them during our short stay on earth - like the thousands of books in a library we haven't time to read in an afternoon. But this is no excuse to cease browsing. For every now and then, we find one book that reaches us deep inside and introduces us to ourselves. And, in someone else's story, we come to understand our own.

I'm so pleased to announce that The Rose Ring has been awarded the Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval!

My favorite independent bookstore is Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley, MA. I get to browse there on a regular basis due to a standing commitment in the beautiful. Village Commons where it is located. It is always something to look forward to. When I was there a couple weeks ago, I snapped this photo of their sign. I really think it is a work of art! If you ever happen to be in South Hadley, this bookstore is one place worth checking out!

Several prominent Catholic writers will speak at the fifth annual Catholic Writers’ Conference LIVE taking place August 7-9, 2013, at the Garden State Exhibit Center in Somerset, NJ. Sponsored by the Catholic Writer’s Guild and the Catholic Marketing Network (CMN), and held in conjunction with CMN’s annual retailer trade show, the Catholic Writers Conference LIVE provides Catholic writers with a prime opportunity to meet and share their faith with editors, publishers, fellow writers, and bookstore owners from across the globe. The theme of this year's conference is “The Year of Faith.” Speakers at this year’s conference include authors Patti Armstrong (STORIES FOR THE HOMESCHOOL HEART), Teresa Tomeo (Ave Maria Radio, WRAPPED UP, EXTREME MAKEOVER), Michelle Buckman (RACHEL’S CONTRITION, MY BEAUTIFUL DISASTER), Randy Hain (THE INTEGRATED CATHOLIC LIFE), Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle (EWTN, CATHOLIC PRAYER BOOK FOR MOTHERS), Ellen Gable Hrkach (STEALING JENNY), Regina Doman (RAPUN

A friend of mine posted this image on Facebook today. It's about buying a piece of art, but the same holds true for buying a book as well. Thank you to those who allow me to keep creating.

I had the pleasure of visiting The Mount several (many!) years ago. At the time, it had fallen into disrepair and was undergoing extensive renovations, but you could definitely see the beauty. I'm sure that now it is truly breathtaking. I saw this advertised online today and must say that this has been added to my dream to-do list. A Private Library Tour at the Mount

Gene Logan has this to say about The Catholic Imagination: Such an imagination is one that stems from faith – from a belief so powerful that it demands expression. It is something that needs to be shared in prose or poetry or any art form that bears witness to Our Lord’s presence in this world. In prose writing, God’s interaction in human nature is often couched by the writer in a story that imitates life in a moving and plausible way. It is identifiable and relates to the readers as something familiar and reassuring about their faith and the nearness of God in their lives. The leap of faith that sparks the Catholic imagination is instilled in artist. It inspires the desire to imitate that way of life embedded in God’s love and trust. It is a faith that is freely embraced and yearns to be given voice by the writer in words or more generally by the artist in some other form. Please read the full post at The Catholic Imagination and You

Billy Coffey has an interesting guest post on Rachelle Gardner's blog: The One Thing Every Writer Needs He writes: Writing no longer brought me joy. To admit that feels like a confession. Even a week later, I find I cannot not write those six words straight through. My pen stopped between “longer” and “brought.” My hand went to my forehead, as though I was trying to hide myself. Writing has become a pillar of my life over the years, just as much as family and faith. To have one of those pillars shake and buckle was not an easy thing to endure. Writing is what I do. In many ways, it’s who I am. To find the delight and purpose gone from it brought a sense of hollowness. . .  There are few callings higher than that of a writer. We inspire through story. We remind others of truths that have defined humanity since the beginning. We provide a necessary break from the monotony of the everyday. We create worlds. The words we string together serve an invaluable function:

Neilson Library at Smith College in Northampton, MA is currently featuring an exhibit called A Place of Reading: Three Centuries of Reading in America . This exhibition illuminates the rich history of reading in America that showcases—through books, broadsides, woodcuts, etchings, lithographs, watercolors, etc.—the places and events that particularly prompted the act of reading. By exhibiting these material and visual objects of the past, and in exploring the geography of reading, we hope to raise new questions—and answers—about readers and reading in America. A Place of Reading is a collaboration between the Smith College Mortimer Rare Book Room and the Center for Historic American Visual Culture at the American Antiquarian Society , which has loaned most of the items on display. Main themes of the exhibition include: the Colonial Home; Revolutionary Taverns; North/South/East/West: Newspapers, Periodicals, and the Popular Press; and Reading at the Front: The Civil War. In

I received the Friends of the East Longmeadow newsletter via email a few days ago. In it was a link to their Library Wishlist . This new site allows libraries to create "wish lists" and solicit donations for improvements they would like to make to their library. Check out http://www.librarywishlist.com to search for your favorite library and ways that you can help!

Last week my explorations took me to the Springfield (MA) Cemetery where I came across this stone. I'm pretty sure that this is the oldest one I've ever found - it dates from 1664. Another stone truly caught my interest however. It was almost as old - unfortunately the sun was very bright and the deep shadows wouldn't allow me to capture a good photo, but in front of it was a very modern statue with some flowers. Someone remembered that person - after all these years. I wonder what that story is.

If you'd like to read all the mistakes I made while trying to record an audio version of The Rose Ring , please read my post for the Catholic Writer's Guild: How (Not) to Record an Audio Book

The saga of how this audio book got made is quite the comedy of errors, which I am sharing on the Catholic Writer's Guild blog this weekend. The best laid plans as they say . . . But, here it is, The Rose Ring , read by yours truly. It's a huge file, but it works!

Back when Through the Open Window came out, I sent copies to both the East Longmeadow and Springfield (MA) Main Library. The East Longmeadow library plays a prominent role in the story and the main characters also take a visit to the Springfield Quadrangle (of which the Springfield Library is a part). I had checked a while later and the book wasn't listed in the on-line catalog so I figured both libraries had simply given the book away. I hoped they found a good home. Fast-forward three years. Just for fun, I plugged my name into the Cwmars catalog and lo and behold, there it was at the Springfield Library. Of course, I needed to go take a trip to visit my book. I may never see one of my books in a bookstore, but I got to see one at a library! I even checked it out! (I plan to bring it back tomorrow.)

Julia entered the nursing home, signed in on the volunteer form, and then, as was her custom, made her way to the chapel on the first floor. Ever since she had started volunteering there several years earlier, she had made a habit of stopping by to pay a short visit before embarking on her visits. Part of it was upbringing. Her mother took her to visits to Church all the time when she was little. They would go, spend a few minutes, light a candle and pray. She had always loved the quiet and peace she had found in those moments. Part of it was fear. She loved to come and visit the residents, read to them, and listen to their stories. It gave her life a small sense of purpose and she was happy to help, but it took all of her courage to walk into those rooms. As she herself aged, she found it even harder. No longer was she an indestructible young woman. Well into her thirties, she knew that the years passed by like a speeding train and that this was what life might hold for you as