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Category: Blog on Writing & Life

REVIEW: The Color Purple – Musical Revival

Opening night for THE COLOR PURPLE in Dallas ended with a cheering crowd and a standing ovation at the Winspear Opera House in the downtown Dallas Arts District.  THE COLOR PURPLE is a Tony Award-winning musical revival based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Alice Walker. The story spans the years 1910 through 1940, and the Grammy-winning score expertly infuses the musical flavors of that era, everything from gospel, jazz, ragtime, and blues. For those unfamiliar with the source material, the opening scene of THE COLOR PURPLE may come as a jolt. The casual manner in which 14-year-old Celie…

REVIEW: Once On This Island – A Vibrant Tale in Storm-Ravaged Paradise

  Opening Night for Once On This Island Opening night for ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, brought Caribbean heat to chilly North Dallas at the Winspear Opera House in the downtown Dallas Arts District. I was excited to attend since Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty’s catchy lyrics and island rhythms won the 2018 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical with this captivating production. Storm-ravaged Tropical Paradise ONCE ON THIS ISLAND is set on an island in the French Antilles, although we never find out precisely which one. Even before the show starts, we quickly realize that the world of…

Author Interview: 4 Questions with Offbeat Traveler, David C. Kravetz

Planning a Road Trip? Check out David C. Kravetz! Like me, David C. Kravetz loves road trips to offbeat and overlooked places. By sharing his playful travel and nature photos online, this self-proclaimed “selfie king” spreads cheer everywhere he goes. I truly admire David’s eagle eye for quirky goodness. Anyone who enjoys offbeat and overlooked road trips needs his “Less Beaten Paths” series. If you’ve visited my site before, you may already be familiar with David C. Kravetz. He wrote an excellent guest post (All About Jackalopes), and I interviewed him when his first book, Unique Town Names, was released. David’s also featured on…

REVIEW: ONCE – A Folk Music Fairy Tale

  Opening Night Ovation for ONCE Opening night for ONCE,  a multiple Tony award-winning folk musical, ended with a cheering crowd and a standing ovation at the Winspear Opera House in the downtown Dallas Arts District. Onstage Pub and Jam Session If you’re someone who frequently runs late, make sure you come early for ONCE. If you arrive after the show starts, you will not be allowed to enter for a full 30 minutes. The show is very quiet at the beginning and latecomers could disrupt the plot for the rest of us. The other reason to come early is…

#IndieBookmas A Holiday Gift Guide Featuring Books by Indie Authors

Need Gift Ideas for Book Lovers? Scroll down! #IndieBookmas is a Holiday Gift Guide for Readers Books make great gifts! Here’s a list of Indie Authors you can support by buying their books this holiday season! To help you, each author describes the type of reader who will like their books. What kind of readers are on your list? Need a gift for Aunt Sally, the genealogy buff? How about your little brother who loves scary movies? Scroll down the list to find the perfect books to give to the people on your Christmas list this year. (And if you’re…

Author Interview: 4 Questions about Andrew Crusoe’s Hawaiian Travel Memoir

Craving travel adventure? Check out Andrew Crusoe! Thanks to the Internet, I’ve made some wonderful friendships with other writers; I count Andrew Crusoe as one of them. Back in 2015, I even had the pleasure of meeting him in-person. (Scroll down for proof!) When we first met, we were both primarily travel bloggers. Now, we are both book authors and speakers. It’s been fun to see how our lives and our writing have evolved! Andrew’s latest book project is a memoir about his life on Hawaii called Ten Thousand Hours in Paradise. I really enjoyed it! In addition to following…