Sotto Voce's Blog, page 2

 

When I read and write, I prefer zero distraction—no music,no conversation. This is amusing to me because I can multitask with everythingelse. I can fully concentrate on driving while listening to complicated storiesor music or basically doing everything else, but not reading or writing.

When silence is not an option, my other way to do it is toblank out on the surroundings. I wrote my first book while confined in a smallspace with my parents blasting music and movies. They were there for ...

 

Locky: I found this stick, can we bring it home?

I used to chuckle atthis meme, thinking it was not true, I am capable of making friends!

How introverts makefriends:

They don’t

An extrovert found them, liked them, and adopted them 

Then, a few days ago, Ianswered a question on X about stray dogs we befriended on the beach. I toldsomeone I was happy I still had the chance to meet a stray who had been adoptedby a kind-hearted person, and she asked me how. This stray, Molly, was adoptedb...

 

This is an interesting short story collection. The tales areshort and fast-paced. At times, I could see the endings and twists coming,others, not so much. They don’t always provide satisfying endings, andsometimes, they end abruptly, but for some reason, I don’t mind them. Thestories feel classic from the way they are told and unfolded, which feels likenarration. They never dwell too long on the characters and plots, and thisworks fine for short stories.

There are some typos, like missin...

Just a few days ago, I reached out to an old friend fromhigh school. We haven’t been in contact privately for 30 years (gasp). It wasonly during COVID time we had a group Zoom call (it was a nightmare for me, andI had only done it once voluntarily) between several ‘close’ high schoolfriends. Close as in, three decades ago. To be honest, I struggle to findsimilarities now because we all studied in different places, took up differentmajors, and grew up with different adult aspirations. The v...

 

Two celebrations!
My buddy, sunshine, and best friend Locky celebrated his tenth birthday yesterday. We went to his favorite beach, named after him (Google magic), and I gave him a haircut, a hand-drawn birthday hat, treats and toys. Long may he reign and many happy returns.  


I'm also happy to announce that my newest book is ready for pre-order. I was too afraid (please keep this a secret, I want to be fearless in Locky's eyes!) I'd expect something by setting up a pre-order, but then again, I'd...

 

It's great towrite about things without first-hand experience. Research, reading about them,just like today when my search history is full of questionable things like howto knock someone unconscious, collapsed lung recovery, which side is moredamaging when you stab a neck… Yeah, I have asked around before, and this isthe problem with every writer who doesn't write in normal, harmless genres. Mysearch history is sparkling, totally not a serial killer's vibe. Definitelynormal, move along, ...

 Blogger is moody today and doesn't allow me to upload pictures.

Here is the complete post elsewhere: https://sotto.substack.com/p/grandma-...

When I adopted Locky, I had given up my desire to have a dogbecause I traveled frequently. Then, a colleague who found out asked me to takehim because they had too many dogs at home (with a new puppy litter). It camewith a perk that Locky could stay with them anytime I traveled. I hesitated. Iliked bigger dogs and almost adopted one from a shelter, ...

 

My second job working abroad was with a big corporation. Thefirst one didn’t really count, it was a start-up, and the company went bankruptin less than a year. However, it gave me some credentials to apply forpermanent residency in that country. This second job in this corporation wassomewhat related to my field, but I wasn’t very good at it yet (It was a newskill). I had no idea why they hired me after multiple interviews, maybebecause it wasn’t a common skill back then, and I was a fres...

A tricky book to read. The stories are both all over the place and never going anywhere, about everything and about nothing. They jump from real and fictional characters, back and forth, from different periods without warning, from another love of her life to another love of her life. Then the book switches to current political affairs, then something about movies, then a long preach about things that, I have to say, underestimate readers’ intelligence, drawing shallow conclusions, and poorly in...

 

I don't go to Twitter daily. I tried to, but I must be in agood mindset to log in. It used to be miserable; I would 'sit' in the cornerbecause I had no one to talk with, and my posts were not seen. Well, now myposts are still mostly unseen, and I am crawling, barely existing, but at leastit's more enjoyable now. I've made some connections with other genuine authors,and although only a few of them see my posts, it's okay. I prefer quality overquantity, thankful my circle is decent and supp...