For our final retro cocktail of the month, I’m pulling out a holiday favorite: spiked eggnog. Drinking a glass reminds me of Christmas parties at my Aunt Effie’s house. She always had spiked eggnog in a punchbowl that I was forbidden to touch. The true recipe calls for homemade eggnog, but since I tend to…
Barb’s Blog: Writers – Don’t Panic If Twitter Dies
By this time next week, Twitter may no longer exist. Fingers crossed that rumors of its demise aren’t exaggerated. It’s no secret that I loathe Twitter. I’ve shared my thoughts before. As far as I’m concerned, it’s nothing short of a toxic cesspool awash in group think and echo chambers. The toxicity drove me to…
Seven Quotes From Seven Inspirational Women to Inspire Your Weekend
I’m one of those people who loves inspirational quotes. All you have to do is look in my office and see the signs posted on the walls. Some of the signs simple advice like “You know what you’re doing, Barb”. Others are poems and quotes that I read when I’m feeling insecure. Earlier this week…
Barb’s Book Reviews: November 2022
These reviews includes Amazon affiliate links. If you these links to buy something, I may earn a small commission. Joan by Katherine J Chen: When Sydney Young of #HFChitChat recommended Joan as our Step into the Story book of the month, I didn’t want to read it. A story about Joan of Arc minus the religion?…
Asking a Favor. Plus This Month’s Retro Cocktail!
Happy Final Friday of October. I cannot believe how quickly the year has flown by! I have a favor to ask you all. I am planning to re-launch the Barbara Wallace Bulletin in 2023. Before I do, I’d LOVE your feedback on things like frequency, content, etc. The survey takes less than a minute to…
Barb’s Blog: What Do Train Dodging and Manuscript Submissions Have In Common?
When I was a kid, my friends and I would play on the train tracks. Sometimes, we would play chicken. By chicken, I mean we would wait on the train bridge as the train was coming, then jump off as it got closer. If you were feeling super daring, you could wedge yourself…
Barb’s Book Reviews, October Edition (and Links to Help Flood Victims)
I told myself I’d step up the reading in September, but then Mother Nature decided to throw a couple hurricanes into the mix. We here in New England were spared both, but the change in air pressure gave me a nice collection of migraines. Speaking of hurricanes…. At the bottom of this column, I’ve posted…
Barb’s Blog: Retro Cocktail of the Month
Rumor has it that the gimlet was invented when British soldiers, looking to spice up the lime juice they drank to prevent scurvy, added a ration of gin. Those Brits were crafty ones. The G&T was invented to make tonic water more palatable. Apparently British nanny, Mary Poppins was wrong. It’s not a spoonful of…
Barb’s Blog: Author Seeking Squad and Connection (with Coffee)
For the past three years, I’ve been searching for a new writing crew. For a variety of reasons, my local circle has, for lack of a better word, dissolved. These days most of my writing friends live in other parts of the country. We text and video chat as often as possible, but let’s face…
Barb’s Blog: Five Life Lessons from a Cat Herder
(Note: In my online bios, I refer to myself as an amateur cat herder. This is a bit of a misnomer as the word amateur implies there’s such a thing as a professional cat herder. One can only be a professional cat herder if they successfully herd cats on a regular basis. We all know…