Posts by Donna Miscolta
Why and How I Made a Book Trailer
“Look, Mom. I wrote a book!” Approval from Mom. That’s all we want, isn’t it? Well, maybe when we were three and Mom equaled the world. But now, isn’t it the world’s attention we’re really after? Okay, maybe not the world. But some very modest portion of it. A sliver. Because writers spend a good…
Read MoreCreativity, Acting Out, and Just Plain Acting
Like most parents, I wanted to nurture my children’s creativity. At the very least, I aimed not to blunt it. Blunting it was a very real possibility during their fractious, rebellious years (which lasted from about age two to twenty) when I just wanted to command them to stay within the lines. Both of my…
Read MoreHigh School Reunion
I’m pretty sure only ten people knew who I was in high school. When I wasn’t invisible, I was pathetically visible—shy and socially inept, with an exceedingly poor aesthetic when it came to reconciling the fashions of the day—mini-skirts, hot pants, platform shoes—with my scrawny limbs. I clung to my textbooks like a life raft…
Read MoreMestiza, Mexipina, Miscolta—An abbreviated family history
When my mother Dolores and my aunt Magdalena were teenagers in San Diego, all ablush and keen for social pursuits, they were turned down for membership in the Filipina Debs Club. Purportedly, they did not qualify because they were mestizas. They were part Mexican, the fault of my grandmother. My grandmother Francisca was born in…
Read MoreJames Not-the-Movie-Director Cameron
I’m married to James Not-the-Movie-Director Cameron. While being married to a movie director would certainly have its advantages for a writer who naturally sees the cinematic potential for her novel, being married to James Not-the-Movie-Director Cameron has its own rewards—a website, for example. First, I should say that my husband’s middle name is really Stuart.…
Read MoreWriting Friendships
Meeting other writers is one of the pleasures of attending writing conferences. The pleasure is increased when those meetings, whether in-person or on-line, continue long after the conference ends. One of the first writing workshops I attended was the Napa Valley Writers Conference in 2000. Participants are advised to have a car since lodging is…
Read MorePost-party Views
On the day of your own party, can you really be coherent and composed, attentive to guests and mindful of the manners you surely possess but which seem to have taken an unexpected leave of absence? The answer for me is a resounding no. I was overwhelmed by the show of support for Wendy Call…
Read MoreJune 21
June 21 is the date of the summer solstice, the day with the longest period of daylight and officially the first day of summer. All due to the tilt of the earth’s axis. It’s the time of the year when the naked bicyclists pedal through Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood, the sweat of their buttocks slowly erasing…
Read MoreThe Day Job
Most writers have day jobs. Many teach, some wait tables, some build things. I have none of those skills. I work in the public sector. That’s not meant as a corollary. It just means that in the same way that I stumbled upon writing as an avocation, I stumbled upon Project/Program Manager as my occupation.…
Read MoreLaunching a Daughter, Launching a Book
Gestation and birth are words often used to describe the writing and publishing of a book. The book is the baby, the creation of it is a gestation, and the presentation of it to the world is a birth. This is not an analogy I’ve ever used myself. Having gestated and birthed two children, it’s…
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