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# Julie Tetel Andresen

Julie Tetel Andresen is a romance author, romance novelist, romance writer, linguistics professor & global traveler. Discover her romance books and insights on language, storytelling & culture.

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## Posts

- [Julie's Adult Book Club](https://julietetelandresen.com/julies-adult-book-club/) - Why This Matters Why launch an adult book club? Because we live in Durham. This summer I spent three months in Japan. I loved it. The people are wonderful. So is their food. Fantastic public bathrooms. Clean streets, zero litter. And their train system is amazing. Two days after returning home I went to the
- [Busan, Korea](https://julietetelandresen.com/busan/) - A few days after arriving in Osaka, Japan, I flew to Busan, Korea. It was my opportunity to visit Hae-Young Kim, a dear friendfrom North Carolina, while she was in Seoul visiting family. Hae-Young took the title image of me looking out onto the harbor. We're relaxing at the very cool Momo's Coffee. Why Busan?
- [Love In The City Trilogy](https://julietetelandresen.com/love-in-the-city-trilogy/) - Restaurants - Romance - Risk New York City Three luscious bites of the Big Apple
- [Shapeshifter Series](https://julietetelandresen.com/shapeshifter-series/) - Werewolves - Werepanthers - Werebears London - Miami - Tokyo Cool - Creative - Compelling
- [The Forest Breeze Triology](https://julietetelandresen.com/the-forest-breeze-triology/) - BSDM - Motorcycle Clubs - Mixed Martial Arts The beauties of Vietnam Sexy - Sultry - Satisfying
- [And Heaven Too, Newly Relevant](https://julietetelandresen.com/and-heaven-too-newly-relevant/) - 2020 is the year of Artemisia Gentileschi - or, at least, she is the current queen in one corner of the art world. I'll point out that I've known about her for the past 30 years. Since I made one of her paintings the central plot point in my 1990 historical romance And Heaven Too.
- [The Upside of Generative AI](https://julietetelandresen.com/the-upside-generative-ai/) - Let's consider the upside of Generative AI. But first, let's acknowledge that technology is not the problem. It's what people do with technology that can be problematic. And second, new forms of media do not eradicate old forms. Movies didn't replace theater. TV didn't replace radio. So, come on down, AI, and join the party!
- [The Downside of Generative AI](https://julietetelandresen.com/the-downside-generative-ai/) - The downside of Generative AI involves the danger of copyright infringement. And the threat to the livelihoods of many, if not all, working visual artists and writers. If you need to refresh your memory about Generative AI and/or copyrights, see: A Few Things To Know About AI We distinguish first between copyrighted images and copyrighted
- [Memorable Books I've Read Lately](https://julietetelandresen.com/memorable-books-ive-read-lately/) - I've read a lot more books lately than I've listed here, but these are the memorable books I want to share: Memorable Books #1: Little Fires Everywhere (2017) by Celeste Ng I’m not going to lie. The only reason I picked this one up was because the author’s name appeared in the New York Times
- [Climate Change Name: Hurriquake](https://julietetelandresen.com/cliimate-change-name/) - The latest climate change name: Hurriquake. It happened yesterday in Southern California. Hurricane Hilary coincided with a 5.1 earthquake. Note: earthquakes aren't caused by climate change. But I imagine people in California might have good reason to wonder if they are. In any case, the term counts as a linguistic blend. Credit where credit is
- [Vizcaya Estate - Exploring Miami](https://julietetelandresen.com/vizcaya-estate-exploring-miami/) - Vizcaya Estate lies at the northern end of Coconut Grove. It sits pretty on Biscayne Bay. The principal building is a Venetian-style villa. The structures dotting the estate follow architectural suit. The formal gardens are an Italian Renaissance landscaper's dream. Construction began in 1914 and continued until the completion of the gardens in 1923. Yesterday
- [A Few Things To Know About AI](https://julietetelandresen.com/a-few-things-to-know/) - A few things to know about AI. Since the topic is everywhere these days, I want to understand it. Writing about a topic helps me think through it. I hope that reading about the topic will help you think through it along with me. The July 14 issue of Science magazine inspired this blog. The
- [English in Romanian Media - Observations](https://julietetelandresen.com/english-in-romanian-media/) - English in Romanian Media is hardly a new topic. The question isn't whether English is finding its way into Romanian. The question is: How pervasive is the phenomenon? If you're not paying attention, you might not notice a lot. However, over these past few days, I decided to pay attention, and I'm struck by how
- [The Black Sea - Three Points of View](https://julietetelandresen.com/the-black-sea-three-points-of-view/) - The Black Sea has been on my mind for the past few days. Odd, perhaps. Or maybe not so odd because I'm in Romania. A brutal war rages just beyond Romania's northeastern border. Geography matters. As you see, six countries surround the Black Sea: Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, and Georgia. The uncolored space between
- [Prince of Transylvania - and Now a King](https://julietetelandresen.com/prince-of-transylvania-and-now-a-king/) - If you guessed that the Prince of Transylvania is now Charles III of England, you're right! And you might have guess it from looking at the title image. (Courtesy of Quora, no copyright infringement intended.) If the genealogists are right, the most (in)famous Romanian of all time, namely Vlad Țepeș aka Vlad the Impaler (1431-1476),
- [Back in Bucharest - And Happy About It!](https://julietetelandresen.com/back-in-bucharest/) - After a three year absence (Drat you, Pandemic!) I'm back in Bucharest. I didn't know what to expect after such a long time away. But after only a day or two I realized I still love it! Back in Bucharest The title image tells a story. The phrase Ca la noi la nimeni is short
- [Sorry: A Word With Global Uptake](https://julietetelandresen.com/sorry-a-word-with-global-uptake/) - Most of my adventures these days happen in my arm chair. Watching foreign-language dramas on various streaming services. I've watched enough now to have noticed a curious phenomenon. Of course, I've long been aware that English is currently the world's donor language. However, I've now become aware that one word in particular has had broad
- [Indie Reader Discover Award: Paranormal](https://julietetelandresen.com/indie-reader-discover-award-paranormal/) - Money for Nothing This month Money for Nothing received an Indie Reader Discover Award for 2022. And it won in the category Paranormal. Fun! What did the judges say? "Julie Tetel Andresen's second installment of the Shapeshifter Series, Money for Nothing, is a truly tantalizing murder mystery and fantasy novel complemented with a bit of
- [Yaroslav the Wise - Why He Matters](https://julietetelandresen.com/yaroslav-the-wise-why-he-matters/) - Yaroslav the Wise (c.978-20 - 1054) was Grand Prince of Kyiv from 1019 until his death. He married Ingegerd Olofsdotter, the daughter of Olaf Eriksson, King of Sweden. Yaroslav's father was Volodymyr. He, among other things, brought Christianity to his realm (see map, below). Yaroslav's grandfather was Sviatoslav. He is known to history as the
- [Lviv, Ukraine: Historical Notes on an Historic Day](https://julietetelandresen.com/lviv-ukraine-historical-notes/) - In 2012 Phillip Carter and I visited Ukraine. We started in Kyiv then took the train to Lviv. The train ride took about nine hours. During that time we went to the restaurant car and began to write our book Languages in the World. How History, Culture, and Politics Shape Language (Wiley Blackwell, 2016). Ten
- [Sunny Isles Beach - Exploring Miami](https://julietetelandresen.com/sunny-isles-beach-exploring-miami/) - As of yesterday all Russian assets in the United States are frozen. I imagine many properties in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida are among the iciest! Here's what I wrote about this beachfront town on January 21, 2020: Sunny Isles Beach - that's Санни Айлс Бич (Sanni Ayles Bich) to the locals. Namely, the Russians. You
- [Holly Hilliard: Five Questions with the Author/Editor](https://julietetelandresen.com/holly-hilliard-five-questions-with-the-author-editor/) - I am delighted to introduce my readers to author and editor Holly Hilliard. We've known one another for the past ten years. Ever since she was a student at Duke University. We recently collaborated on a project. I'll let her tell you about it! Holly Hilliard: What authors inspire you? What kinds of stories put
- [Hibernation: Research for Wealth Whispers](https://julietetelandresen.com/hiberation-thinking-about-wealth-whispers/) - Hibernation. If you know anything about bears, you probably know they hibernate. You might also know about their love for honey and trout and salmon. And maybe you know that mama bears are, well, mama bears. You don't mess with them. Title image: Courtesy of Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska. No copyright infringement is
- [Saint Valentine's Day - Love After All: Free Download](https://julietetelandresen.com/saint-valentines-day-2022/) - Monday is Saint Valentine's Day. Cue the flowers and the chocolates. And the free romance novel I'm offering for the day! But first: How did this day devoted to love arise? Saint Valentine's Day: The Origins Roman Emperor Claudius II had a man named Valentinus executed on February 14, 269 AD. The reasons vary. One.
- [Werebears and Bear Research: Wealth Whispers](https://julietetelandresen.com/werebears-and-bear-research-wealth-whispers/) - Part of the fun of writing shapeshifter stories is to inhabit the world of the shifter animal. In Wealth Whispers - the third in my shapeshifter trilogy - it's bears. That is to say: werebears. Werebears: Do Your Research First thing to do when writing a shapeshifter story: read up on the animal. As I've
- [Online Love Scams & My Shapeshifter Series](https://julietetelandresen.com/online-love-scams-my-shapeshifter-series/) - Six years ago I first read about online love scams in a New York Times article. At the same time I met the lawyer for a professor at a local university. (I'm in North Carolina). The lawyer told me how the professor had fallen into the clutches of an online love scammer. Long story short,
- [The Great Wave Off Kanagawa: Wealth Whispers](https://julietetelandresen.com/the-great-wave-off-kanagawa-a-footnote-to-wealth-whisper/) - The title image is The Great Wave Off Kanagawa. Do you recognize it? Likely yes, since this image has the highest recognition value of any Japanese work of art. Title image courtesy of Wikipedia. No copyright infringement is intended. The Great Wave Off Kanagawa: History If I'm right, you've seen The Great Wave Off Kanagawa.
- [Rough Draft: Wealth Whispers - Case in Point](https://julietetelandresen.com/rough-draft-wealth-whispers-case-in-point/) - "Oh, so that's a rough draft. I've always wondered." This was the remark a student made in response to my comment about his research paper: "When you make your points in the order you found them, that's a rough draft." I am a seasoned writer. Another way to put it: if I'm not seasoned by
- [The Story of Gulnara Karimova - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/gulnara-karimova/) - Title Image: Gulnara Karimova Because of ongoing events in Kazakhstan in January 2022, I am reposting blogs I wrote when I visited the country in 2017: My blog scooped the New York Times by 9 months! See their story on Gulnara Karimova on April 4, 2018 Linguistic note: the name Gulnara comes from the Persian
- [Kenesary Khan: His Story - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/the-fascinating-story-of-kenesary-khan/) - Kenesary Khan . He is last khan 'king' of Kazakhstan who died fighting the Russians in 1847. He got the above statue on the banks of the Esil River in Astana in 2001. Due to the ongoing events in Kazakhstan in January 2022, I am positing blogs I wrote when I visited the country in
- [Kazakh Language/ қазақ тілі - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/kazakh-language-қазақ-тілі/) - Because of ongoing events in Kazakhstan in January 2022, I am reposting this Kazakh Language blog I wrote when I visited the country in 2017: Title image: Kazakh signs with both the Cyrillic and Latin alphabet abound. Very helpful! Kazakh Language: Getting Started In Astana I met friend and co-author Phillip Carter. Our first job
- [What You Should Visit When Traveling To Almaty, Kazakhstan](https://julietetelandresen.com/almaty-kazakhstan/) - Because of ongoing events in Kazakhstan in January 2022, I am reposting blogs I wrote when I visited the country in 2017. From 2017: Confession: Before traveling to Kazakhstan I had never heard of Almaty. Further confession: Upon deciding to go to Kazakhstan I figured I’d better look up the name of the capital. Oh,
- [Kazakhstan II/Қазақстан II - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/kazakhstan-iiқазақстан-ii/) - Because of ongoing events in Kazakhstan in January 2022, I am reposting blogs I wrote when I visited the country in 2017: Title Image: A painting of traditional Kazakh life. National Museum of History, Astana Not every country with -stan in its name is a scary place. Kazakhstan definitely is not. (Update 2022: well, maybe
- [Kazakhstan I/Қазақстан I - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/kazakhstan-iқазақстан-i/) - Because of ongoing events in Kazakhstan in January 2022, I am reposting the blogs I wrote when I visited the country in 2017: Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country in the world. It is the 9th largest in terms of area (1,000,000 square miles). It is 65th in population (18 million) In 2014 I spent
- [Yakuza Research for Wealth Whispers](https://julietetelandresen.com/yakuza-research-for-wealth-whispers/) - Wealth Whispers is Book III in my shapeshifter series. It will be out in December. In the meantime I want to share with you some of the fun I had putting the story together. I begin with my Yakuza research. First, what's yakuza? They are Japanese gangsters. The word refers either to one or all
- [Rocky Mount, NC - A Travel Blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/rocky-mount-nc-a-travel-blog/) - Your first question might well be: "Rocky Mount, why?" It's a good one. Eastern North Carolina is not typically on a tourist's radar. A Carolina beach town, sure. But Nowheresville in the middle of Nowhere? Title image: the old cotton mill campus. You can just make out from the writing on the water tower that
- [Medellín, Colombia - A Travel Blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/medellin-colombia-a-travel-blog/) - For my first foray out in the world since the start of the pandemic I chose Medellín, Colombia. I am very happy with my choice. Medellín is the capital of the Colombian state of Antioquia. If nothing else, it is known for its mountainous beauty: And has the reputation of Eternal Spring. The weather is
- [Fernando Botero - An Artistic Enigma](https://julietetelandresen.com/fernando-botero-an-artistic-enigma/) - Medellín, Colombia's favorite son is the painter/sculptor Fernando Botero Angulo (b. 1932). How do I know? When I visited the city last week, his prominence was obvious. The name of the central square is Plaza Botero. And it's chock full of his statues. I'm tempted to say "chunk full." The plaza was also full of
- [Comuna 13 - A Colombian Travel Blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/comuna-13-a-travel-blog/) - Comuna 13 is a neighborhood in Medellín, Colombia that I visited last week. Does mention of Medellín and/or Colombia bring any quick thoughts to mind? If you thought of the drug trade, the Medellín Cartel or Pablo Escobar, then you are not alone. As a traveler I have to remember that reputations have long half-lives.
- [Famous Colombians - Top Ten List](https://julietetelandresen.com/ten-famous-colombians-a-travel-blog/) - This week marks my first foray into international travel in a year and a half. That is, since the beginning of the pandemic. I am currently in Medellín, Colombia. I will start my exploration of this beautiful country by identifying ten famous Colombians. Famous Colombians: Number One Singer Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoli is a global
- [Crossword Clue Envy - I Suffer From It!](https://julietetelandresen.com/crossword-clue-envy-i-suffer-from-it/) - Today I discovered that I suffer from a condition I didn't even know existed: crossword clue envy. Would I like to see my name on the NY Times bestseller list? Sure. Would I be happy if Netflix knocked on my door? Of course. But when I came to 50 Down on a crossword I was
- [Spices and Stern Lords - By Rose Vane](https://julietetelandresen.com/spices-and-stern-lords/) - Today I'm delighted to share with you a guest post "Spices and Stern Lords" by Rose Vane. She's here to tell us about her new release, A Stern Lord for My Lady, published by Blushing Books. She has written it under the pen name R. R. Vane. The story is set in the twelfth century
- [Dead Body Count - My Tally So Far](https://julietetelandresen.com/dead-body-count-my-tally-so-far/) - "The only thing more fun than creating a character is killing one off." I've said this more than once. But since I identify as a romance writer - rather than, say, a crime novelist - I'm more devoted to keeping characters alive and together. However, this week it occurred to me to tot up the
- [Bodice Ripper: Thoughts on the Term (Re-repost)](https://julietetelandresen.com/repost-term-bodice-ripper/) - I'm re-reposting a 2017 repost of my Goodreads blog from 2014: On the term Bodice Ripper. It is my response to Ross Douthat's op-ed in the New York Times today. He uses the term to describe a wildly popular Netflix series based on a series of novels understood by their readers to be romances. And
- [My Were World - Whys and Wherefores](https://julietetelandresen.com/my-were-world-whys-and-wherefores/) - I'm currently doing the research for the third book in my shapeshifter trilogy, Wealth Whispers. This involves reading up on bears in order to envision my hero who is a werebear. It also involves thinking more broadly about my were world. I am enjoying the challenge of imagining characters fully in touch with their animal
- [On Writing: Stephen King Inspires](https://julietetelandresen.com/on-writing-stephen-king-inspires/) - I don't find books. Books find me. The one that found me yesterday is On Writing. A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King. I enjoyed reading about the events that shaped his writing life. I also admired his brutal honesty about his drug and alcohol addition. And cheered his recovery. He also made me
- [Read for Your Brain Health - You'll Be Surprised!](https://julietetelandresen.com/read-for-your-brain-health/) - After a year of watching all the goodies on all the streaming services it's time for me to return to my roots. That means: reading. There are two good reasons to read. One is: Read for your brain health. An article I read last week by Jessica Stillman reminded me of the brain benefits of
- [Join Us at the Love Conference Today](https://julietetelandresen.com/join-us-at-the-love-conference-today/) - Join us online today at 4:00. Florida International University is holding a conference On Love. The host is Phillip M. Carter, Director of the Center for Humanities in an Urban Environment. It's easy. Just click on the link, below. And Join Stream: https://calendar.fiu.edu/event/chue_presents_love#.YCwPmhNKiPQ I am one of five speakers. My talk is "The Art of
- [Valentine's Day 2021 - The Love Conference](https://julietetelandresen.com/valentines-day-2021-love-conference/) - Valentine's Day 2021 falls on Sunday. The Love Conference is two days later. Namely, February 16 at 4:00 pm EST. So, close enough! Phillip M. Carter has organized it. And I am a happy participant. Valentine's Day 2021 - Choose Your Love Many kinds of love exist. English has but one all-encompassing word for this
- [Love Conference - February 16, 2021](https://julietetelandresen.com/love-conference-february-16-2021/) - Next week is the Love Conference at Florida International University. Phillip M. Carter, Director of the Center for Humanities in an Urban Environment, has organized it. So, mark your calendars. Tuesday, February 16 at 4:00 EST. It's a zoom conference, of course. I have attended many of the conferences Phillip has organized during this past
- [Win Kyaw Zan: Five Questions With The Artist](https://julietetelandresen.com/win-kyaw-zan-five-questions-with-the-photographer/) - The title image is of Win Kyaw Zan when he and I were rolling along the Ayeyawady River, Myanmar at sunset. I was lucky to have him as my guide when I visited his beautiful country. Because of the current political situation in Myanmar/Burma, I am reposting blogs I wrote on my experiences there. I
- [Famous Burmese: Top Ten List](https://julietetelandresen.com/famous-burmese-top-ten-list/) - This post on Famous Burmese first appeared in July, 2019. After the military coup in Myanmar yesterday, I will repost over the next few days several of the blogs I wrote during my visit there. I'd like my readers to be able to inform themselves about the country from some of my first-hand observations. What
- [Your Backlist - Keep It Fresh: Four Tips](https://julietetelandresen.com/your-backlist-keep-it-fresh-three-tips/) - The world is awash in trends. We even have symbols to announce them. All industries have trends, including publishing. If you want to make a living as a writer, you need to know the marketplace. But if you're writing your stories only toward trends, your backlist may suffer. Title image: Trending hashtags, Twitter tags, buzz
- [The Anthropause - What I'm Reading](https://julietetelandresen.com/the-anthropause-what-im-reading/) - Ever a lover of new words, I came across one yesterday: anthropause. I learned it from an article in the New York Times about sea birds known as murres. The article was about the Swedish island of Stora Karlso where the murres are favorites of bird-watchers. The new word first appeared in a June, 2020
- [Daily Yoga: A Year of Practice](https://julietetelandresen.com/daily-yoga-a-year-of-practice/) - The pandemic is not over. And we haven't yet come to the year-mark on quarantine. (I count mine beginning on March 15, 2020.) Nevertheless, I'm feeling something 'yearly' this week. It could be that we're still close enough to the start of a New Year. Or, gosh, maybe something else new and refreshing started this
- ["Indian giver!" An Echo from my Childhood](https://julietetelandresen.com/indian-giver-an-echo-from-my-childhood/) - "Indian giver!" The last time I heard this phrase I must have been a kid. The tone of childish outrage still echoes. Maybe I even hurled the insult myself. In all the years since, I never thought to rethink it. Until yesterday. Environmental Biologist Robin Wall Kimmerer showed me the way in Braiding Sweetgrass. The
- [Post-Pandemic Fiction - Four Challenges](https://julietetelandresen.com/post-pandemic-fiction-some-challenges/) - For a good year and a half I've had the editorial review of one of my manuscripts sitting on my desk. The editorial letter, which is pictured in the title image, is 9 pages long. (Hint: the manuscript has lots of problems.) The Developmental Edit of the manuscript itself is full of commentary in the
- [How To Do Things With Words](https://julietetelandresen.com/how-to-do-things-with-words/) - Beliefs have consequences. Actions have consequences. Like beliefs and actions, words have consequences. Words do things. What things? J.L. Austen maps them out in How To Do Things with Words (1962). Austen was an ordinary language philosopher who taught at Oxford. He was one of several language philosophers and linguists who opened the way for
- [Dawn's Early Light & the U.S. Capitol](https://julietetelandresen.com/dawns-early-light-the-u-s-capitol/) - We all know what happened at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday this week. Over the past two days commentators have remarked repeatedly that the last time invaders stormed the Capitol was during the War of 1812. I was aware of this fact because of all the research I did for my historical romance Dawn's Early
- [Olga Tokarczuk & Other Polish Writers](https://julietetelandresen.com/olga-tokarczuk-other-polish-writers/) - I'm taking my own advice for writers: Read. Read. Read. I recently got on a Polish writer kick. And began with Olga Tokarczuk. She won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2018. So a good place to start. Title Image: Olga Tokarczuk by Adrianna Bochenek/Agencja Gazeta/Reuters. No copyright infringement intended. How did I get on
- [Skinny Bitch Wishes You Happy New Year!](https://julietetelandresen.com/skinny-bitch-what-i-learned-watching-netflix/) - To continue ringing in the New Year my theme today is alcohol. Particularly, in the context of watching various foreign language movies and series over the past 10 months. How strange it was for me to be watching a Norwegian series last week and to learn the name of my drink of choice, namely vodka
- [Counting Blessings - Count Down to the End of 2020](https://julietetelandresen.com/counting-blessings-december-25-2020/) - If I'm going to be counting blessings, I'll start with the fact that I'm safe and sound. And I have nice views. Title image: my windows onto the world. Looking north and west over Durham, NC. Even though I've become a hermit, these vistas may be helping to keep my spirits aloft. I offer my
- [Lalibela, Ethiopia - A Travel Blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/lalibela-ethiopia-a-travel-blog/) - I first posted this blog about Lalibela on July 13, 2018, when I went to Ethiopia with my dear friend Phillip. I am reposting it because 60 Minutes aired a segment on the city today, on Christmas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=excYNB26fhs 60 Minutes named their segment "Built by Angels." According to Elias Alemayehu, our guide in Ethiopia, 95%
- [Covid Comfort: Stories We Need Right Now](https://julietetelandresen.com/covid-comfort-stories-we-need-right-now/) - Title image: my physical notion of Covid comfort, namely a daily zoom yoga class. In an earlier blog, I made the point about how whatever we were doing before the pandemic, we're doing the opposite now. Most all of my pre-pandemic routines have changed. My eating habits have certainly changed. And just recently I noticed
- [Deck The Hall: Five Tips To Help Novelists Set The Scene](https://julietetelandresen.com/deck-hall-tips-set-scene/) - We all know what to deck the hall with. That's right, boughs of holly. Sure, we all know it because the song has an upbeat melody and lots of fun fa-la-las. But it's also memorable because it sets the Yuletide scene so deftly. Along with all the fresh and fragrant greenery, we hear about "gay
- [Doctors - Gotta Love 'Em and Three to Know](https://julietetelandresen.com/doctors-gotta-love-em/) - Doctors come in many varieties. On Saturday the issue of who gets to call herself Doctor arose when the Wall Street Journal ran a pretty darned stupid opinion piece. As you have no doubt heard by now, the writer of the op-ed chastised Dr. Jill Biden for insisting people refer to her by her degree.
- [Tranquil Reads - Three From Japan](https://julietetelandresen.com/tranquil-reads/) - In my continuing writing recovery from my pandemic-induced writing death, I am following my own advice: Read, read, read! Luckily, I stumbled across a book the other day that took me on the exact right path. What I need more than anything right now are tranquil reads. And I found three. How delightful that they
- [Ground Yourself, Writer: Three Tips](https://julietetelandresen.com/ground-yourself-three-tips/) - We're all at home these days. And, yet, very likely feeling uprooted. From our jobs. From our friends and family. With normal life not quite in sight. Everyone is suffering in their own way. In my case, my writing chops withered. So, lately I've been digging into some pretty dry soil and nourishing it. All
- [Money for Nothing & Werepanthers](https://julietetelandresen.com/money-for-nothing-werepanthers/) - Money for Nothing is Book II in my Buy Me Love shapeshifter trilogy. I am delighted to say that it will be available at the end of this month. You can preorder now. I began the series with a prequel, The Alpha's Edge. There I introduced the were-world I intended to create. Both The Alpha's
- [Anaerobic Writing During the Pandemic: Three Tips](https://julietetelandresen.com/anaerobic-writing-during-the-pandemic-three-tips/) - Before getting to the tips, what on earth is anaerobic writing? First, it's a phrase I made up just now. Second, it plays into my long-held notion that writing is an aerobic activity. See: My Huffington Post article For me, writing is akin to breathing. And there's such a thing as being in good writing
- [Ten Famous Ethiopians - A Travel Blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/ten-famous-ethiopians-travel-blog/) - In advance of Thanksgiving, CBS ran a feature on food. The segment "Celebrating Black Influence on American Cuisine" introduced Marcus Samuelsson. Over two years ago I included him in my blog Ten Famous Ethiopians. (He's also now the title image.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghIxPREd2GI During the pandemic I am reposting blogs that once again become relevant. Here's what
- [MMA Fight Night: A Research Adventure](https://julietetelandresen.com/mma-research-adventure/) - On Saturday November 28, 54-year-old Mike Tyson will return to the boxing ring after a 15-year hiatus. He'll be fighting 51-year-old Roy Jones Jr. I wouldn't normally be interested in such a match. However, the name Roy Jones Jr. rang a bell. Turns out I wrote a blog about him over five years ago. I
- [Artemisia Gentileschi - A Painter to Know](https://julietetelandresen.com/artemesia-gentileschi-a-painter-to-know/) - On October 3 the National Gallery in London opened an exhibition devoted to the Italian painter Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1653). The exhibition runs until January 24, 2021. The title image for my blog is "Judith Slaying Holofernes" from the exhibition. No copyright infringement is intended. If you can't make it to London to see the exhibition,
- [American Sign Language - Ten Things to Know](https://julietetelandresen.com/american-sign-language/) - Title Image Creator: Evan Vucci / Credit: AP / copyright: AP2006 Today I'm reposting a blog from September 13, 2017. The original inspiration for it came from watching coverage of Hurricane Irma. The American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter at the news conference, below, received a lot of attention. My current inspiration for reposting the blog
- [Cécile Dumetrier: A Beautiful Star Now Gone](https://julietetelandresen.com/cecile-dumetrier/) - During the pandemic, I am reposting previous blogs if they have more relevance now than when I first posted them. This current blog is originally from June 24, 2016. I am, sadly, reposting it today. Beloved friend and exercise master Cécile Dumetrier passed away yesterday - September 11, 2020 - in Bucharest, Romania. What I
- [Nosferatu - Or You-Know-Who](https://julietetelandresen.com/nosferatu/) - Welcome back, Rose Vane! Her blog today on Nosferatu is her third on Romanian mythology. We hope this series sparks the imaginations of creative writers of all types. So, let's get to it! I don't want to wait until Halloween for this juicy topic. Rose Vane writes: Nosferatu: But First, Voldemort Voldemorting is a new
- [Haile Selassie - A Travel Blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/haile-selassie-travel-blog/) - This blog on Haile Selassie was first posted on June 29, 2018. During the pandemic I am reposting blogs that have more relevance now than when they were first posted. If you read to the end, you will see that the blog now serves as a tribute to Chadwick Boseman. Back to 2018 We landed
- [Ghost Marriage - What I'm Reading XI](https://julietetelandresen.com/ghost-marriage-what-im-reading-xi/) - Have you ever heard of ghost marriage? If not, what's your first guess about what it might mean? All my adventures these days are taken in my arm chair, book in hand. I am currently reading Marriage, a History by Stephanie Coontz. The subtitle: From Obedience to Intimacy. Or How Love Conquered Marriage. It first
- [Copenhagenize! - What I'm Reading X](https://julietetelandresen.com/copenhagenize-what-im-reading/) - All of my adventures these days come through reading (and taking neighborhood walks). I just finished Clay Grubb's Creating the Urban Dream. In it I came across the term: Copenhagenize. Instant enchantment! Title Image of bicycles in Copenhagen: heatheronhertravels, Wunderstock Copenhagen is the world's #1 bicycle city. Part of Grubb's vision for the urban dream
- [Iele: Mysterious Romanian Fairies](https://julietetelandresen.com/iele-mysterious-romanian-fairies/) - Rose Vane is once again our guest blogger. In this period of global pandemic, adventuresome travel is less available for many of us. So I'm reaching out to fellow writers and friends who live in wonderfully interesting places. Today we're going to armchair travel to Romania and learn about iele. Title Image by Kalab Francisc,
- [Wade H Williams - Five Questions](https://julietetelandresen.com/wade-h-williams-five-questions/) - Wade H Williams, Artist at Large, is my guest blogger today. I first became aware of his work when local Durham NC artists decorated downtown with masses of colorful murals and paintings. I approached Mr. Williams to participate in my Five Questions Series, and I was delighted when he said Yes! Although my Five Questions
- [Fates and Fairies: Mythology for Our Time](https://julietetelandresen.com/fates-and-fairies/) - I'm delighted to have guest blogger Rose Vane share her timely meditation of the role of Fates and Fairies during this period of global pandemic. JTA Title Image: A Golden Thread by John Strudwick, 1885, property of the Tate Museum, London The Fates: Some Origins In the last few months I've heard the word fate
- [Durham NC Street Art: Decorative Downtown](https://julietetelandresen.com/durham-nc-street-art-and-juneteenth/) - In my Five Questions Series I interview writers and offer them a platform for their work. It now seems appropriate to also offer space to visual artists. Over the past few weeks, the boarded-up store fronts in my town have turned into an outdoor art show. I now live in the midst of wonderful Durham
- [Tightening Your Plot: Three More Tips](https://julietetelandresen.com/tightening-your-plot-three-more-tips/) - You have a great story in mind. Really great. You sit down to write, all fired up … and then you wobble and go off the rails. With some effort you find the storyline only to get sidetracked again. Eventually you're holding a bunch of loose threads. Here are some tips for tightening your plot
- [Tighten Your Plot: First Two Tips](https://julietetelandresen.com/tighten-plot/) - You have a great story in mind. Really great. You sit down to write, all fired up … and then you wobble and go off the rails. With some effort you find the storyline only to get sidetracked again. Eventually you're holding a bunch of loose threads. Here are some writing tips to tighten your
- [African American Vernacular English](https://julietetelandresen.com/african-american-vernacular-english/) - African American Vernacular English (AAVE) has a number of names, including Black Vernacular English. For many decades now linguists have studied AAVE. They understand it not as a defective form of Standard English. Rather it is a variety of English in its own right. It has its own lexicon, grammar and syntax. Title image: William
- [Confederate Monuments / Monument(al) Mistakes](https://julietetelandresen.com/confederate-monuments/) - In these past two months I have interrupted the pace of my usual Tuesday-Friday blog postings. World and national events currently take precedence in my life over writing about my chosen topics of language, love and adventure. During this time I have been reposting blogs that are as relevant now as when I first posted
- [World Travel Pandemic Style: From My Armchair](https://julietetelandresen.com/world-travel-pandemic-style-from-your-armchair/) - My tag line touts love, language, adventure ... out of the ordinary. Over the years I've shared with you experiences I've had around the world. From Kazakhstan to Cuba to California. But now? How does one engage in world travel in the present circumstances? World Travel: The Current Reality Europe is opening back up to international
- [Eswatini: A Place to Know in the World](https://julietetelandresen.com/eswatini-a-place-to-know/) - Eswatini. You may know it as Swaziland. Or you may not know it at all. It got on my radar yesterday when a reader wrote me: "Thank you soo much Julie. Was able to download 5 books, currently reading The Temporary Bride and am loving it. Thank you soo much for your generosity, very much
- [Billionaire Boltholes: More on New Zealand](https://julietetelandresen.com/billionaire-boltholes/) - During the pandemic lockdown I'm reposting earlier blogs if they have more relevance now than when I first posted them. This one involves billionaire boltholes. Billionaire Boltholes: Present Billionaires from around the world have their escapes in New Zealand. Here's a video on this real estate phenomenon from May 4, 2020. It has had over
- [Good Scenes Have Three Elements](https://julietetelandresen.com/good-scenes-have-three-elements/) - I'm in the midst of writing Money for Nothing, the second book in my Buy Me Love Shapeshifter Series. The current scene I'm writing is giving me trouble. I need to step back and ask the question: What elements do good scenes have? So, it's back to basics. Good Scenes Develop Plot Every scene has
- [Writing During Quarantine: One Tip](https://julietetelandresen.com/writing-during-quarantine-one-tip/) - You get a sense of what I'm going to say about writing during quarantine by looking at my title. When it comes to offering tips, I usually come up with a list of 3, 5, 7 or 10. Here I am offering one. That's right. One measly writing tip for you. In these past weeks
- [Testimonials: The Decameron Special](https://julietetelandresen.com/testimonials-the-decameron-special/) - On March 24, near the start of the global lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, I had a brainstorm. I realized that I needed to make all my romance novels available for free on all platforms. Why? Stories are what keep us going, especially during dark times. In the past five weeks I've received lots
- [Writing Vision: Centering Your Saltshaker](https://julietetelandresen.com/centering-saltshaker/) - This blog on writing vision was originally posted on September 28, 2015. In this period of pandemic I'm updating previously posted blogs if they are more relevant now than when I first posted them. The person I speak about, below, is Danny Meyer, a New York City restaurateur. He blew into the national news yesterday,
- [Mood Boosting: Read a Romance](https://julietetelandresen.com/mood-boosting-read-romance/) - In January, 2015 the Wall Street Journal ran a front page article on the rise of professional cuddlers. These people might charge $1/minute to spoon. No skin-to-skin contact occurs. The cuddlers and their clients keep their clothes on. Their customers say that cuddling lessens anxiety and increases a sense of wellbeing. Cuddling is a form
- [How Romance Novels Give Me A Sense of Place](https://julietetelandresen.com/the-sense-of-place-in-my-novels/) - I love to travel, and I love to evoke a sense of place in my novels. Either I go out into the world by setting foot outside my door. Or I let the world come to me, primarily through books. This is how romance novels give me a sense of place. Note: This blog is
- [Freebies ... and Technical Difficulties](https://julietetelandresen.com/freebies-and-technical-difficulties/) - It turns out, people love freebies. How do I know? First, I'm a person, and I love them. Second, when I had the idea for The Decameron Special two weeks ago, I had no idea what kind of response I would get. But now I know. And, I can confirm, people love freebies. The Decameron
- [Paradise Found - The Pacific Island State of Vanuatu](https://julietetelandresen.com/paradise/) - In this time of self-isolation, I am once again happy that Eva Michelle Wheeler is sharing more of her recent trip to Vanuatu, an island country in the South Pacific Ocean. She found paradise! And a place that promotes good eating. Title image: The billboard says EAT HEALTHY ALL THE TIME Eva made it to
- [Exploring Vanuatu and the South Pacific with Eva Michelle Wheeler](https://julietetelandresen.com/finding-paradise-exploring-vanuatu/) - In this time of self-isolation, I'm happy that Eva Michelle Wheeler wants to share her recent trip exploring Vanuatu, and the South Pacific Ocean. Eva made it there and back to Durham, North Carolina by mid-March. Just before borders around the world started shutting down. Her posts today and next Tuesday will likely be the
- [Establish Your Game Plan: Tips for a Writing Career](https://julietetelandresen.com/establish-your-game-plan-tips-for-a-writing-career/) - Although I am no longer giving a talk to the creative writers at Florida International University on April 2, I still have Five Tips for a Lifelong Writing Career. I am posting them in installments on my blog. My fifth and last tip is: Establish your game plan. I will be giving a remote version
- [Understand Your Needs: Tips for a Writing Career](https://julietetelandresen.com/understand-your-needs-tips-for-a-writing-career/) - Although I am no longer going to give a talk to the creative writers at Florida International University on April 2, I still have Five Tips for a Lifelong Writing Career. I am posting them in installments on my blog. My number four tip for a life-long writing career is: Understand Your Needs. Understand Your
- [The Decameron Special: A Response To Our Times](https://julietetelandresen.com/the-decameron-special-for-our-times/) - What's a Decameron Special? First, I made it up. Second, it refers to Giovanni Boccaccio's The Decameron of 1353. Third, the Special means that I am offering all my books for free on all platforms. For how long? I can't say. For at least as long as we are all self-isolating. Why? Let me break
- [Pandemic Readings: Three To Consider](https://julietetelandresen.com/pandemic-readings-three-to-considere/) - While at a fancy dinner many of us like to discuss other great meals we've had. While traveling we often discuss with our fellow travelers other exciting places we've been. So if you're one who likes to enjoy a particular experience within a similar one, then you may want to read stories about other people
- [Epilogues: Your Story Garnish](https://julietetelandresen.com/epilogues-the-cherry-on-top/) - Most prologues in books I've read lately don't work for me. Not so for epilogues. I'm all for them. As the title image suggests, epilogues can be the orange twist atop your martini. Or, if you're a non-drinker, the cherry on your cake. See: Prologues: Does Your Story Need One? Every story doesn't need to
- [Prologues: Does Your Story Need One?](https://julietetelandresen.com/prologues-is-one-right-for-your-story/) - One of the most famous prologues in the English language is to Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. (See title image.) The purpose is to list and describe each of the pilgrims on their way to Canterbury. These are the people who will be telling their tales. Chaucer's prologue is an introduction to his cast of characters.
- [Trilogies: What Makes Them?](https://julietetelandresen.com/trilogies-what-makes-them/) - You already know that trilogies are sets of three stories. Maybe you have some in mind. The first one I thought of is the Jason Bourne movie trilogy based on the Robert Ludlum spy/thrillers. Then there's the Lord of the Rings trilogy based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien. It is so famous that it
- [Carbon Footprint Offsets: Important Travel Tip](https://julietetelandresen.com/carbon-footprint-offset-important-travel-tip/) - You might not have been thinking about your carbon footprint twenty years ago. Maybe not even ten. But you are likely thinking about it today. You may have an image in your head of Greta Thunberg's arrival in New York City last September. On a carbon-neutral boat. And you may remember her impassioned speech to
- [Creating Chemistry: Love Relationships](https://julietetelandresen.com/creating-chemistry/) - Last week the website Write It Sideways published a blog I submitted. Check out: Creating Chemistry: Bringing Love Relationship to Life. If you're a romance writer, you want the relationship between your two main characters to sizzle. You're in the business of creating chemistry. More precisely, you're an alchemist. In other words, there is no
- [San Basilio de Palenque - Exploring Colombia](https://julietetelandresen.com/san-basilio-de-palenque-exploring-colombia/) - Eva Michelle Wheeler is our guest blogger this week. She is taking us on a delightful linguistic journey through Colombia. Today she explores San Basilio de Palenque. Title image: Eva below I HEART being Black. Local artist, AfroNeto, created this mural. San Basilio de Palenque: The Rationale Many Colombian cities compete for the attention of
- [Colombia: A Rich Linguistic Experience](https://julietetelandresen.com/colombia-experiencing-the-country-through-language/) - Eva Michelle Wheeler is our guest blogger this week. She will take us on a delightful linguistic journey through Colombia. Title image: Eve strolling through Comuna 13 in Medellín I chose Colombia as a travel destination. The vibrant culture and natural beauty drew me. Along with the food, the history, the music, the people, the
- [Using Languages Other Than English: Writing Tips](https://julietetelandresen.com/using-languages-other-than-english/) - This week The Creative Penn published my blog on Using Authentic Dialogue From Languages Other Than English. The site, created by Joanna Penn, is a wonderful resource for writers. And I'm delighted for my work to appear there. As a linguist and a novelist I have always loved creating characters whose first language might not
- [Know Your Market: Tips for a Writing Career](https://julietetelandresen.com/know-your-market/) - I'm preparing to give a talk to the creative writers at Florida International University in Miami on April 2. The title is: Tips for a Life-Long Writing Career. I have five. And I'm posting them in installments. Today's is #3: Know Your Market Tip #1: Write Good Books Tip #2: Show Up For Work Every
- [Show Up For Work Every Day](https://julietetelandresen.com/show-up-for-work-every-day/) - Tip #2 for a life-long writing career: Show Up For Work. Every Day. Every Day. As I said in my Tuesday blog, I'm preparing to give a talk to the creative writers at Florida International University on April 2. I have five tips for them. Tip #1 is: Write Good Books. Title Image: Fred Astaire.
- [Write Good Books: Tips for a Writing Career](https://julietetelandresen.com/write-good-books/) - I'm preparing to give a talk to the creative writers at Florida International University on April 2. I have five tips for them. I will post them in installments on my blog. My number one tip for a life-long writing career is: Write Good Books. You’re thinking, “Seriously? What a ridiculously obvious thing to say!”
- [Relationship Arcs: Some Possibilities](https://julietetelandresen.com/relationship-arcs-some-possibilities/) - Relationship arcs have been on my mind since last week. My post on Opposites Attract got me started. I had just finished The Austen Playbook: An Opposites Attract Romance by Lucy Parker. The fact that the relationship arc of the story found its way into the subtitle interested me. Such a subtitle is a marketing
- [Native American Casinos: Two in South Florida](https://julietetelandresen.com/native-american-casinos-two-in-south-florida/) - Native American Casinos. They have been my research focus this week. That is, when I'm not attending to my duties at Florida International University. Title image: Guitar Hotel. Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Hollywood, Florida. It opened in October, 2019 to great fanfare. Hollywood is 18 miles north of downtown Miami. Native American Casinos:
- [An Opposites Attract Romance: A Category](https://julietetelandresen.com/an-opposites-attract-romance/) - After finishing the trilogy London Celebrities by Lucy Parker, I picked up another by her, namely The Austen Playbook. This one announces in the title that it is An Opposites Attract Romance. I decided to ruminate on the category. First image to come to mind: Danny and Sandy from Grease. Danny is the bad boy
- [Delray Beach - Exploring South Florida](https://julietetelandresen.com/delray-beach-exploring-south-florida/) - If I were a beach person, Delray Beach, Florida would be on my list as a destination. I had an impromptu adventure there over the weekend. I went to meet up with a high school friend. Delray is between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Since Brightline in Miami has a very convenient train to
- [The Barnacle, Coconut Grove - Exploring Miami](https://julietetelandresen.com/the-barnacle-coconut-grove-exploring-miami/) - The title image is the view of Biscayne Bay from the second-floor porch of The Barnacle. The screen makes the view look like a postcard. It isn't! The Barnacle is the oldest house in Miami-Dade County still in its original location. It once sat on 40 acres but now has only 5. However, those 5
- [Key Biscayne, Island Paradise - Exploring Miami](https://julietetelandresen.com/key-biscayne-island-paradise-exploring-miami/) - Title image: Cape Florida Lighthouse, Key Biscayne. Its active dates were 1828 to 1875. It became part of a state park in 1966. Key Biscayne: Going There Being in Miami since August and living in Coconut Grove, I've had many a Key Biscayne sighting. Here's a view of it across Biscayne Bay as I saw
- [Sattva Yoga: Try Something New In 2020!](https://julietetelandresen.com/sattva-yoga-try-it-in-2020/) - Title image: Brandi Baldwin who teaches Sattva Yoga at Dharma Yoga Studio. Her classes are on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:30. The address of the yoga studio is 3170 Commodore Plaza, Coconut Grove, Miami. I lucked out when I discovered Dharma Yoga Studio. They have an unlimited monthly fee of $165. Thus, I don't hesitate to
- [Remoralize: A Word for 2020](https://julietetelandresen.com/remoralize-a-word-for-2020/) - Yesterday I heard the word 'remoralize' for the first time in my life. Or, at least, I heard it as if it were the first time. A friend was talking about politics, in particular voting, and said that people needed to be remoralized. She then excused herself by saying, "I know that's not a word."
- [Views of Durham: High and Low](https://julietetelandresen.com/views-of-durham-high-and-low/) - The title image is of one of the more classic views of Durham: Duke Chapel, West Campus. But I now have a unique angle on these views. This shot of the chapel is from my condo in One City Center. To get the frame I wanted I enlarged the image so much that it no
- [New Year 2020: Looking Back and Forth](https://julietetelandresen.com/happy-new-year-2020-looking-back-and-forth/) - Gotta love the nice round New Year 2020. So full of possibilities! On January 1, I posted New Year's Resolutions 2019: A Writer's List. I approached my resolutions as gifts to myself. This morning I got up and reread what I wrote a year ago. I had three categories: Community, Writing, and Mental & Physical
- ['Moist' as a Disgusting Word: Is It Still a Thing?](https://julietetelandresen.com/on-the-word-moist-is-it-still-a-thing/) - I first became aware that the worst 'moist' was a thing in 2011 or 2012. Moist: Then I was teaching a first-year seminar in the Focus Program at Duke University which means that the students in the class were all about eighteen years old. One the day the word 'moist' came up. I don't remember
- [Singular They - It's Official: It's a Thing](https://julietetelandresen.com/singular-they-its-a-thing/) - Singular they splashed into the news on December 9 when Merriam-Webster declared they the word of the year. Of interest to the dictionary makers is the use of singular they to refer to a person whose gender identity is nonbinary, who does not identify as either he or she. Singular they takes the verb are,
- [Montrose Gardens - Hillsborough, NC](https://julietetelandresen.com/montrose-gardens-hillsborough-nc/) - This week I visited Montrose Gardens. It's located at 320 St. Mary's Road in Hillsborough, North Carolina. I made my appointment for Tuesday, not knowing it would be a rainy, overcast day. But as a world traveler I take the weather as it comes. And a garden in winter, even if much of it is
- [Urban Density: The Case Of Durham, NC](https://julietetelandresen.com/urban-density-case-study-durham-nc/) - I didn't intentionally set out to chronicle the changes that have been occurring in Durham, NC in the past few years. I more or less fell into the project. That's because I've been traveling and leaving Durham for months at a time. Thus when I return I've been amazed by the continuing increase in urban
- [Famous Miamians - Top Ten](https://julietetelandresen.com/famous-miamians-top-ten/) - I thought coming up with a list of famous Miamians would be a snap. In fact, it was not. The difficulty arose from the complexity and dynamism of the city itself. More simply said: it's not easy to figure out who counts as a Miamian. For the title image I finally chose Gloria Estefan. She
- [Rubell Family Collection - Exploring Miami](https://julietetelandresen.com/rubell-family-collection-exploring-miami/) - The Rubell Family Collection has recently moved into a new 100,000-square-foot-space in Allapattah. I visited it this past weekend. It was open to the public in connection with Miami's Art Basel December 5 - 8. The title image is Gold Barbara (from the Jewish Jackie Series) 1992 by Deborah Kass. Art Basel began in Basel,
- [Climate Gentrification - Exploring Miami](https://julietetelandresen.com/climate-gentrification-exploring-miami/) - I have just learned why my recent visits to Little Haiti and Overtown were so underwhelming: climate gentrification. These past few months I have been exploring Miami and loving my temporary home. And getting to know this city well is the beauty of being in a touristy place as more than a tourist. The story
- [Dictionaries and the World of Lexicography](https://julietetelandresen.com/dictionaries/) - Dictionaries: not the sexiest topic ever. Even the famous dictionary-maker Samuel Johnson, in the title quote, acknowledged himself to be a "harmless drudge." Nevertheless, an article in the New York Times this past weekend has inspired me. It is Latin Dictionary's Journey: A to Zythum in 125 Years (and Counting). In the 1890s Germans researchers
- [Love Triangles: Three Writing Tips](https://julietetelandresen.com/love-triangles-three-writing-tips/) - You remember the catch phrase of Pythagoras, don't you? You know, the 6th century BC Greek philosopher? Of course you remember. He's known for saying, "Every triangle is a love triangle when you love triangles." No, wait. This bit of wisdom comes by way of comedian James Acaster in his Netflix special Repertoire. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9_0_kJzIa0 Acaster's
- [Overtown and Charles Avenue - Exploring Miami](https://julietetelandresen.com/overtown-and-charles-street-exploring-miami/) - On Sunday I continued my exploration of Miami with a foray into Overtown. Overtown: A Historic African American Neighborhood The emphasis here is on 'historic.' Today Overtown looks like every other neighborhood in downtown Miami. Full of high rises and construction cranes. It was originally called Colored Town from the late 19th century through the
- [Teasers and the Poetic Function of Language](https://julietetelandresen.com/teasers-and-the-poetic-function-of-language/) - Teasers have been on my mind and my desk for a few weeks now. So have blurbs. They are both promotional tools for selling books. Perhaps the best promotional tools for selling books. They're the triggers that entice potential readers to click and buy. I'll define a teaser as a one- or two-line hook for
- [Doralzuela - Exploring Miami](https://julietetelandresen.com/doralzuela-exploring-miami/) - Thirteen miles west of downtown Miami is Doral. It has acquired the nickname Doralzuela. In recent years, the political and economic conditions have deteriorated in Venezuela. And many of that country's citizens have migrated here. In case your memory of the greater Caribbean map has dimmed, here's a refresher: Caracas is the capital. It is
- [Wynwood and Little Haiti - Exploring Miami](https://julietetelandresen.com/wynwood-and-little-haiti-exploring-miami/) - Ten years ago Wynwood was like a lot of other old-time light industrial neighborhoods in the US. A wasteland of abandoned warehouses with empty streets and urban blight. A place you wouldn't go to in the daytime, much less at night. What a difference a decade makes. Wynwood Today Today the neighborhood is full of
- [Blurb Writing II: Before and After](https://julietetelandresen.com/blurb-writing-ii-show-your-work/) - Blurb writing is difficult. But once you know the five steps, you have a chance at crafting something effective. See Writing Blurbs I: Five (Not So Easy) Steps. I'm using my just-released The Hard Bargain as a before-and-after example. Blurb Writing: Before Here's what I wrote before attending Kristin Wallace's blurb writing workshop last month:
- [Writing Blurbs I: Five (Not So Easy) Steps](https://julietetelandresen.com/writing-blurbs-i-five-not-so-easy-steps/) - Raise your hand if you're a novelist and you don't like writing blurbs. Okay, that's pretty much everyone. Most of us would say we prefer writing the 80,000-word novel to writing the 200-word blurb. (I know I've said as much.) Whether you are traditionally published or an indie author, you already know blurbs are the
- [Writing Trends: Dos and Don'ts](https://julietetelandresen.com/writing-trends-dos-and-donts/) - To open my discussion of writing trends, I'll quote the Beach Boys "Catch a Wave" from 1963: "Catch a wave / And you're sittin' on the top of the world." Lucky you, if you swim out into the oceanic literary marketplace and sense a big wave coming afar off. All you have to do then
- [Miami Beach - Exploring Miami](https://julietetelandresen.com/miami-beach-exploring-miami/) - Florida is such a strange, compelling place for me. And I am finding Miami ever-more fascinating. In my continuing exploration of the city I went to Miami Beach, aka South Beach, this week and took in the magnificence of 7 miles of white sand. It's difficult to capture without an aerial view. Here's my try:
- [Alter Egos: Thomas Edison & Steve Jobs](https://julietetelandresen.com/thomas-edison-steve-jobs/) - I am reposting this blog from October 8, 2015 in response to the October 25, 2019 opening of The Current War: The Director's Cut. This movie first appeared in 2017 but played mostly in art houses. It's about Thomas Edison who favored direct current (DC), and George Westinghouse who favored alternating current (AC). Here I
- [This & That - Two Pesky Demonstrative Adjectives](https://julietetelandresen.com/this-that/) - This & That: Basic Grammar One. Any grammar book will tell you this & that are demonstrative adjectives. 'This' indicates objects that are proximate, that is, ones near by. 'That' indicates objects that are removed, that is, ones far away. Two. 'This' can also introduce a topic. Example: "There's this guy. He always comes five
- [Little Havana - Exploring Miami](https://julietetelandresen.com/little-havana-exploring-miami/) - Little Havana 'Pequeña Havana' is a neighborhood adjacent to downtown Brickell to the west. You can't be in Miami very long without hearing about it. It also goes by the nickname Calle Ocho 'Eighth Street.' On Saturday I took a 3-4-mile stroll down its length. I began at Versailles Bakery. The boast of being the most
- [The Lifelong Writing Life: A Five-Pointed Star](https://julietetelandresen.com/the-lifelong-writing-life-a-five-pointed-star/) - Many writers dream of a lifelong writing life. The key words here are dream and lifelong. First, let me dispel any notion of dreaminess: the most successful authors will tell you its hard, wide-awake work. Second, lifelong can be your reality. My suggestions for sustaining a writing career over a lifetime are simple. And as
- [Coral Gables - Exploring Miami](https://julietetelandresen.com/coral-gables-exploring-miami/) - Title Image: The Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables seen from one of its two 18-hole golf courses. I'm living in Coconut Grove for the semester. One neighborhood to the west is Coral Gables. I explored it on Sunday. For the title image I chose the Biltmore Hotel. It was a tough choice. I could have
- [Hurricanes - Exploring Miami History](https://julietetelandresen.com/hurricanes-exploring-miami-history/) - For the past seven weeks I've been living in Miami. This means I've been here long enough for the topic of hurricanes to come up often enough to understand that they are a part of regular conversation here. For over 10 years I had reason to be in Orlando fairly often. Everyone in Central Florida
- [University of Miami - Exploring Miami](https://julietetelandresen.com/university-of-miami-exploring-miami/) - On Saturday I went to the University of Miami to attend a one-day linguistics conference. The event took place in the Flipse Building. It stands on one edge of the campus, removed from the center. Which meant I had no idea what the campus looked like. So, during the extended lunch hour I went on
- [Cross-Species Love: Some Possibilities](https://julietetelandresen.com/cross-species-love/) - When it comes to cross-species love, the ancient Greeks were way out ahead a long time ago. The title image of Géricault's "Leda and the Swan" offers one possibility. To remind you: Zeus transformed himself into a swan and seduced Leda. Well, sure. Gods can do that. Or Zeus anyway. He became a cuckoo when
- [Realistic Deadlines: How To Set Them](https://julietetelandresen.com/realistic-deadlines-how-to-set-them/) - Realistic deadlines. First, what's a deadline? A deadline is akin to a baby's due date. It's a commitment to make manifest in the world the vision in your head. Second, do realistic ones exist? Yes, as long as you know a lot about yourself as a creative writer. My take: One: Deadlines are good. I'm
- [Walt Wolfram Documentary: Talking Black in America](https://julietetelandresen.com/walt-wolfram-documentary/) - Walt Wolfram Documentary: The Producers The latest Walt Wolfram documentary is Talking Black in America. Walt is the Executive Producer. And Renée Blake is one of the Producers. Walt is Distinguished University Professor at North Carolina State University. In addition, he directs the North Carolina Life and Language Project. He is a premier sociolinguist. One
- [Writing Life: How Tight Is Yours?](https://julietetelandresen.com/writing-life-how-tight-is-yours/) - Your Writing Life: The Dream You want a writing life. You dream of a writing life. I know the dream, because I have it, too. It's the one where you're at your desk in your home office. With an ocean view, of course. And it's where you've penned any number of New York Times bestsellers.
- [Heather Graham - Write What You Know](https://julietetelandresen.com/heather-graham-write-what-you-know/) - Heather Graham is a highly successful New York Times bestselling author of over 200 novels and novellas. Her work crosses many genres: romance, thriller, mystery, horror, paranormal. She lives in Miami and was the guest speaker at the Florida Romance Writers monthly meeting this past Saturday. She spoke from a wealth of experience. Her topic
- [Coconut Grove - Exploring Miami](https://julietetelandresen.com/coconut-grove-exploring-miami/) - Title image: View of Biscayne Bay from the fifth-floor restaurant/bar of the Mr. C hotel, Coconut Grove, looking east. In the distance is Key Biscayne. I am loving being in Miami for the academic year and teaching at Florida International University. After spending two weeks in Brickell, I decided to move. The neighborhood had its
- [Hotness: It's Currently a Thing](https://julietetelandresen.com/hotness-its-currently-a-thing/) - Hotness. It's currently a thing in romance novels. Has been for a while. So what I'm saying here isn't new. It's rather that the story I'm reading at the moment has prompted some thinking. Hotness: No Escalation I'm talking about stories that start: Boom. First page. Sometimes the first paragraph. Maybe even the first sentence.
- [Character Goals: Define Them, Show Them](https://julietetelandresen.com/character-goals-define/) - As a pantser (meaning: I write by the seat of my pants), I like to discover my characters as I write. I love to get them up and running and interacting. Hearing their thoughts, listening to their dialogues. That's great ... for a first draft. However, the revision process requires a step back from the
- [Character Motivation v. Goals v. Obstacles](https://julietetelandresen.com/character-motivation-the-ins-and-the-outs/) - One of the most basic aspects of any story is character motivation. In any given scene. Throughout the story. Character Motivation Character motivation is based on needs. The title image offers the possibilities. Psychologist Abraham Maslow proposed this five-tier pyramid in 1943 in a paper entitled "A Theory of Human Motivation." Basic Needs. The pyramid
- [Brickell - Welcome to Miami!](https://julietetelandresen.com/brickell-welcome-to-miami/) - My first week of teaching at Florida International University just ended. Now to explore my Miami neighborhood: Brickell. I chose to hang out here for a couple of weeks. You know, fancy Miami. While I find a more permanent place to live for the semester. I had expected a more neighborhood-y vibe. Instead, it's all
- [FIU: Florida International University - My First Day](https://julietetelandresen.com/fiu-florida-international-university-my-first-day/) - My around-the-world trip is over, but the adventures continue. Yesterday I began teaching at Florida International University - known as FIU - in Miami. My first course was "Languages and Cultures of the World." The students were bright and interested, and I was delighted to be back in the classroom with them. The title image
- [Love In The City - A New York City Trilogy](https://julietetelandresen.com/love-in-the-city/) - My Love in the City trilogy is now available on your preferred e-book platforms. The trilogy contains two previously published books: DeMarco's Cafe and Love After All. The third one, The Hard Bargain, is new. Love in the City: The Hard Bargain Carla Pereira is an actress who needs a job. Arthur Wexler is a
- [Writing Voice: Five Tips for Finding Yours](https://julietetelandresen.com/writing-voice-five-tips-for-finding-yours/) - This blog on writing voice starts with a list. Adele, Nora Jones, Frank Sinatra, Maria Callas, Mick Jagger, Lady Gaga, Whitney Houston, Shakira, Bob Dylan, Cristina Aguilera, Sean Combs.... The list could go on endlessly. Elvis, Usher, Sarah Mclachlan, Lil Nas X. They open their mouths to sing, and you immediately recognize their voices. A
- [Oina and the Origins of American Baseball](https://julietetelandresen.com/oina-and-the-origins-of-american-baseball/) - Oina is the traditional national sport of Romania. I'd heard of it but I didn't understand it until last week, when my Romanian teacher gave me a reading about it. Then all sorts of things started clicking. The title image of the vintage Romanian postage stamp is a big huge clue. Oina: What Is It?
- [Heroes: The Qualities of Good Ones](https://julietetelandresen.com/heroes-the-qualities-of-good-ones/) - Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, colors and creeds. They don't all look, talk or act alike. However, they do have a characteristic journey. They also share certain qualities. Marcus Aurelius, in the title quote, calls for deeds not idle discussion of what makes a man good. Nevertheless, for the purposes of getting your
- [Realistic Obstacles: Tips for Creating Them](https://julietetelandresen.com/realistic-obstacles-tips-for-creating-them/) - You want your characters to face realistic obstacles. You want them to encounter challenges and meet adversity. These obstacles create the conflict you need for your story to progress. Since I write mainly romance, the central conflict will always be between the hero and heroine. They will have different motivations and want different things. The
- [Famous Bulgarians - Top Ten](https://julietetelandresen.com/famous-bulgarians-top-ten/) - This past week I hung out in Balchik, Bulgaria. Thus I had the opportunity to speak with the locals about famous Bulgarians. Once again, I had lots of fun with my project. People the world over like to name who among them deserve a claim to fame. Famous Bulgarians Historical: Inventors Saints Cyril and Methodius
- [Balchik, Bulgaria - An Adventure Blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/balchik-bulgaria-adventure-blog/) - Balchik, Bulgaria is a resort town on the Black Sea. The name has various spellings, which include: Balcic and Balchick. The reason for the variations derive from the fact that Bulgarian is a Slavic language written in the Cyrillic alphabet: So the name comes out as балчик. Thus, how to transliterate the letters is up
- [Caribbean Romance: The Hard Bargain](https://julietetelandresen.com/caribbean-romance-hard-bargain/) - What place in the world is more romantic than the Caribbean? My latest romance, now available on your preferred e-book platforms, is The Hard Bargain. The middle third of the story takes place in the British Virgin Islands (BVI). I've been to the Caribbean four times: twice to Puerto Rico, once to Cuba, and once
- [The Hard Bargain: Story and Process](https://julietetelandresen.com/the-hard-bargain-my-process/) - My latest release, The Hard Bargain, is now available on your preferred e-book platforms. I love the cover. Both crisp and dreamy. It is part of my Love and the City trilogy. The Hard Bargain: The Story The Hard Bargain a modern-day marriage of convenience story. Marriage of convenience stories are a version of the
- [Love and the City Trilogy - Available Now](https://julietetelandresen.com/love-in-the-city-trilogy-available-now/) - The Love and the City trilogy is now available on your preferred e-book platforms. It brings together three stories, two previously published and one new one, all of which are set - you guessed it - in New York City. Love and the City: The Hard Bargain The new story is The Hard Bargain. It
- [Acasă din nou în Bucureşti - Adventures](https://julietetelandresen.com/acasa-din-nou-in-bucuresti-adventures/) - Acasă din nou în Bucureşti - Back Home in Bucharest. Note: acasă = 'at home' I'm in the fourth month of my around-the-world Adventures with a longish stay in Romania until the end of August. I've owned a condo in Bucharest since 2006. My current one is near Piaţa Dorobanţi. The title image is of
- [Hotels Around the World - Adventures](https://julietetelandresen.com/hotels-around-the-world/) - Title image for Hotels Around the World: the key card to my hotel room in Doha, Qatar I evidently forgot to turn the card into the front desk. It now decorates my desk in Bucharest. Travel tip: I have chosen an international hotel chain where I stay in big cities whenever possible. Oh, yeah -
- [Doha in a Day - Adventures in Qatar](https://julietetelandresen.com/doha-in-a-day-adventures-in-qatar/) - Title image: Doha, Qatar skyline seen from the balcony of my hotel room across the bay. Why Doha? From Myanmar I aimed for Romania for the rest of the summer. I figured I could fit in one more stop on my around-the-world ticket. Qatar Airways offered an easy flight from Yangon to Doha, so I
- [Myanmar, Me and The World - Adventures](https://julietetelandresen.com/myanmar-the-world-and-me-adventures/) - Title image: My guide, Win, took this picture of me in front of the Tayok-phi Temple in Bagan, Myanmar. When he showed it to me, I was put in mind of a similar picture of me - always with my umbrella. Here I am in 2016 in front of Guri Amir, the tomb of the
- [Inle Lake Vistas - Adventures in Myanmar](https://julietetelandresen.com/inle-lake-vistas-adventures-in-myanmar/) - Alo Taw Pawk 'Wish Fulfilling' Pagoda on Inle Lake, central Myanmar is the title image. Everywhere you look are amazing Inle Lake vistas. Inle Lake Vistas: Pagodas Like everywhere else in Myanmar, this scenic lake is dotted with pagodas. Cruising into the village of Win Yadanar, we passed these: Another view: Some cause for concern.
- [Inle Lake Villages, Myanmar - A Travel Adventure](https://julietetelandresen.com/inle-lake-myanmar-a-travel-adventure/) - The title image for Inle Lake Villages: water hyacinths growing thick on Inle Lake in central Myanmar. Inle Lake is famous for its villages, indigenous crafts and the fishermen who are out every day from dawn to dusk: Inle Lake Villages: Floating Villages A comparison to Venice is tempting. The streets are, indeed, waterways. Everything
- [Bagan Life, Myanmar: Four Aspects](https://julietetelandresen.com/bagan-life-myanmar-four-aspects/) - The more time I spent in Myanmar, the more I wanted to learn. It helped to have a great guide in Win Kyaw Zan. He taught me about four aspects of Bagan Life. Bagan Life: Beauty Thanakha. The young woman in the title image is wearing it on her face. She has just made a
- [Bagan - Adventures in Myanmar](https://julietetelandresen.com/bagan-adventures-in-myanmar/) - A quick flight from Yangon took us to Bagan. It is the city of 4444 temples and pagodas, mostly from the 13th century. The title image is of Narathihapatae Phaya. It is also called Tayok-pyi < ta 'Mongolian' + yok 'strong energy' + pyi 'run away' + phaya 'temple.' It is unfinished. Here's the story: In
- [Yangon - Adventures in Myanmar](https://julietetelandresen.com/yangon-adventures-in-myanmar/) - After Singapore I flew to Yangon (once called Rangoon). Driving away from the airport, I saw a billboard for Myanmar (once called Burma). It welcomed me to the 'Country of Gold.' I saw the same billboard a week later when I was leaving the country . It was only then that I fully understood the
- [Lush Urban Luxury: Singapore](https://julietetelandresen.com/lush-urban-luxury-singapore/) - Lush Urban Luxury Lush urban luxury. These three words sum up Singapore. Singapore is tropical with abundant rainfall, high humidity and two monsoon seasons. I hate the sun, but I love the tropics. So I opened my umbrella and started walking around. This shot, below, typifies my experience. As if there isn't already enough vegetation
- [Singapore: It's A Place To Go](https://julietetelandresen.com/singapore-its-a-place-to-go/) - Why Singapore? One. In 2016 I visited Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Within the first half-hour of my tour, my guide starts talking about how dirty KL is and how clean Singapore is. I think, "Hey, I should have gone there!" Two. Two years ago I saw Amazing Hotels. Life Beyond the Lobby on Netflix. Their first
- [Shanghai, China: A Dense Urban Forest](https://julietetelandresen.com/shanghai-china/) - After a month in Japan, I moved on to Shanghai. For the title image I chose the Huangpu River view of the city's financial center with the distinctive Oriental Pearl TV Tower spiking the skyline. The sky was overcast for the three days I spent here. Shanghai: Getting Started I did here what I normally do:
- [Passive Voice: What's the Big Bad Deal About It?](https://julietetelandresen.com/passive-voice-whats-the-big-bad-deal-about-it/) - Passive voice: when someone (or thing) is acted upon (P = passive) by someone (or thing). The man is pushed (P) off the cliff by the Finger in the Sky. The man is the recipient of the action. Active voice: when someone (or thing) acts on (A = active) something else. The Finger in the Sky pushes (A) the
- [Famous Japanese: Top Ten List](https://julietetelandresen.com/famous-japanese-top-ten-list/) - Where to start? There are so many famous Japanese. Title image: Ieyasu Tokugawa (1543-1616), founder of the Tokugawa shogunate that effectively ruled Japan from 1600 - 1868. I did not, however, include him on my list below. I focused on more recent figures. But, as historical figures go, Tokugawa was a bad ass. Famous Japanese:
- [Kyoto, Japan: A Tranquil Treat](https://julietetelandresen.com/kyoto-japan/) - Iwasakisan and his wife, Yoshiko, took Gerard, Rimi and me to Kyoto for a day-trip. Here is Iwasakisan at the lunch we had that day. He is a totally cool guy. But now I am ahead of myself. Kyoto: Genkō-an Temple First we went to the Zen temple of Genkō-an. Every view is curated, I
- [(Un)translatables: Japanese Top Ten](https://julietetelandresen.com/untranslatables-japan-top-ten/) - (Un)translatables - my term - are words in one language that may take a paragraph to explain in another language ... and still not quite get it right. (Title Image: Hokkaido University, kanji: 'Japanese language') All languages have them. Japanese has some really good ones. (Un)translatables in Japanese: The Bad #1 . hikikomori hiki =
- [Nara, Japan - Tōdai-Ji Temple](https://julietetelandresen.com/nara-japan-todai-ji-temple/) - Nara, Japan: Going There, Getting There Question: What to do on a Sunday afternoon? Answer: Hop a train and go to Nara. It's the capital of Japan's Nara Prefecture in south-central Honshu. It was the capital of Japan in the 8th century. The reason to go there is for the statue of the 8th-century Virocana Buddha,
- [Futon Daiko: Japanese Portable Shrines](https://julietetelandresen.com/futon-daiko-japanese-portable-shrines/) - Futon daiko is the word in Japanese for the kind of portable shrine pictured in the title image. Last week there was a futon daiko festival in Akashi, a town a good hour or more west of Osaka. My son, Gerard, is somewhere in the title image, but I can't tell you where. futon = bed;
- [Famous Koreans: Top Ten List](https://julietetelandresen.com/famous-koreans-top-ten-list/) - When I go to a new place, I now practice anchoring my experience by finding out about the country's famous people. I always ask locals for suggestions. Naturally, I asked Koreans for some famous Koreans. However, I didn't have to ask anyone for my #1. Famous Koreans: Historic King Sejong (1397-1450) is my first famous
- [Seoul, Korea: Second Twenty-Four Hours](https://julietetelandresen.com/seoul-korea-second-twenty-four-hours/) - So, now we're in Korea, and we've had one 24-hour cycle under our belt. What happens next? Seoul, Korea: The Four Seasons I had read about the Charles H. bar at the Four Seasons, Seoul. It's known to serve one of best martinis on the planet. But you have to know where to go, because
- [Seoul, Korea: First Twenty-Four Hours](https://julietetelandresen.com/seoul-korea-first-twenty-four-hours/) - Last week I did something very Japanese: I had a quick get-away to Seoul - and never mind the fact that for me Japan was already the get-away! The trip was the idea of my son, Gerard, and his fiancée, Rimi. We had a great time. Ask any young Japanese woman what to do in
- [Nishinomiya: My Japanese Neighborhood](https://julietetelandresen.com/nishinomiya-my-japanese-neighborhood/) - I arrived in Japan last week, my major stop being Nishinomiya where I'n visiting with my younger son, Gerard. Nishinomiya is between Osaka and Kobe, and I've been here before. I specifically requested my lodging to be Yakkoryokan. Because it's a popular place, Gerard made reservations here for me a long time ago. Since it is
- [Nishinomiya Shrine: Easter Day Reflections](https://julietetelandresen.com/nishinomiya-shrine-easter-day-reflections/) - Sunday, April 21, was Easter. Gerard and I went to the general meeting of the Nishinomiya Shrine. It is located in none other than Nishinomiya City. Nishinomiya Shrine: The Shinto God Ebisu The shrine honors Ebisu, the Japanese god of fishermen and luck. He is one of the Seven Gods of Fortune, which makes him
- [Sakura: Cherry Blossom Viewing in Osaka](https://julietetelandresen.com/sakura-cherry-blossom-viewing-in-osaka/) - Sakura: Sakura-no-toori nuke Sakura: the Japanese word for cherry blossom. These delicate pink petals featured as supporting characters in my previous blog on Himeji Castle. The thing to do last Friday night in Osaka was to go to the Osaka River walk and view the cherry blossoms. So that's what we did. Sakura-no-toori nuke is the
- [Himeji Castle: Pretty in Pink](https://julietetelandresen.com/himeji-castle-pretty-in-pink/) - I arrived in the Osaka area of Japan (specifically: Nishinomiya) late Thursday evening. The first thing we did on Friday was to travel west for an outing at Himeji Castle (hime = 'princess' + ji 'road'). It's the only original castle - do I have this right? - in Japan that has not been somehow
- [Seattle WA - a quickie travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/seattle-wa-a-quickie-travel-blog/) - The title could have been: Seattle WA? The first day of my 5-month trip around the world began with a resounding THUD! I never made it out of Durham, NC because of storms. However, my luggage did. My luggage and I finally met up in Seattle on Tuesday. On Monday my prospects for getting off the
- [Packing For A Long Trip: Five Tips](https://julietetelandresen.com/packing-for-a-long-trip/) - Question: How to go about packing for a long trip? Answer: You don't. Yesterday I left Durham, North Carolina to begin my fifth trip Around The World. My route is continuously Westbound. First and only stop in the U.S.: Seattle, Washington, where I am today. Before I got on the road, a friend asked me,
- [Universe Creating: Five Questions to Consider](https://julietetelandresen.com/universe-creating-questions-to-consider/) - If you write paranormal, fantasy or speculative fiction, you create universes. Universe creating is fun ... and challenging. Title image: PBS Nova. I'm about to start the second novel in my shapeshifter Buy Me Love trilogy, so world-building is on my mind. I established the world of the trilogy in the short story, The Alpha's
- [Character Voice: Five Tips to Diversify](https://julietetelandresen.com/character-voice-diversifying-yours/) - Yes, this is a post on creating a distinctive character voice. But first, take a good look at this: A friend sent me this page from the Amazon 365 New Words-a-Year desk calendar her mother gave her for Christmas. At first I was bewildered to receive such a weird thing until I read it and got
- [Maria Kuznetsova: Five Questions with the Author](https://julietetelandresen.com/maria-kuznetsova-five-question-with-the-author/) - We're delighted that Maria Kuznetsova is participating the Five Questions series. She is a talented writer with an exciting debut novel, Oksana, Behave! Maria Kuznetsova: Penguin Books (Random House) is publishing your first novel, Oksana, Behave!, this month. What do you want readers to know about the story? I'd want them to know that the
- [Writing Exercises: Seven Suggestions for All Skill Levels](https://julietetelandresen.com/writing-exercises-seven-suggestions-for-all-skill-levels/) - Writing is an aerobic activity. To be in writing shape you have to write. You don't decide to run a 10K then tie on a pair of running shoes and expect to make it to the finish line. You have to train for it. Creativity is a muscle. You have to exercise it. Moving through
- [Compelling Openings: A How To](https://julietetelandresen.com/compelling-openings-a-how-to/) - A beginning writer recently asked me how to create compelling openings, thus prompting this blog. I have chosen to explain what I did to write Chapter One of John Carter's Conundrum. I chose it because my editor noted at the end of the first chapter: "You're writing to all your strengths here." So, now I
- [Writing Burnout: Five Tips To Deal With It](https://julietetelandresen.com/writing-burnout-five-tips-to-deal-with-it/) - Writing burnout. It happens. Burnout is beyond block. Writer's block occurs when a blank wall descends in your brain, and you can't think of anything to say or write. If there is such a condition, it is a mild one. I've gone so far to say that it does not exist. See: Writing as an
- [Traveling Internationally for the First Time: Five Tips](https://julietetelandresen.com/traveling-internationally-for-the-first-time-five-tips/) - On April 8 I'll start traveling internationally again. First stop outside the U.S.: Osaka, Japan. I'll be out of the country for five months. Title image: Arrivals, Kansai International Airport, Osaka. Here's what I've learned in my many jaunts around the world. Traveling Internationally Tip #1: The Big Obvious Your passport and credit card(s). You're
- [Caroline Hagood: Five Questions with the Author](https://julietetelandresen.com/caroline-hagood-five-questions-with-the-author/) - It is always a pleasure to have talented authors share their work and their process with me and my readers in this Five Questions series. My guest today is poet, essayist, scholar and professor Caroline Hagood. Caroline Hagood: How do you describe your latest work Ways of Looking at a Woman? Do you call it an
- [Language Matters Symposium: Duke University](https://julietetelandresen.com/language-matters-symposium/) - Language Matters: The Event Today Friday March 8 a symposium at Duke University entitled Language Matters honors my scholarship. In particular the symposium focuses on the book I wrote with co-author Phillip Carter. The title of the book is Languages in the World. How History, Culture and Politics Shape Language. The event takes places in the Holsti-Anderson
- [Adam Schwartz: Five Question with the Scholar](https://julietetelandresen.com/adam-schwartz-five-question-with-the-scholar/) - Adam Schwartz is Associate Professor of Language, Culture and Society at Oregon State University. He is one of three speakers on the symposium panel "Language Matters" at Duke University on Friday, March 8, 2019. "Language Matters" is in honor of me - yes, me! Hae-Young Kim, Chair of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, organized the
- [Oakland, California - A Travel Blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/oakland-california-travel-blog/) - Oakland, California is a big eye-opener. Whatever Oakland's reputation has been in the past, I'm a witness to the fact that today it's the Bay Area's Brooklyn. It's prosperous, dynamic, young, up-and-coming. I chose for the title image the iconic Tribune building in downtown. Oakland, CA: Downtown Downtown is a collection of impressive buildings. In
- [Old Gold Mountain - My Street Experience](https://julietetelandresen.com/old-gold-mountain-travel-blog/) - Old Gold Mountain is the name for San Francisco in Chinese, seen in the title image. As mentioned in the previous post, gold was discovered in California in the 1840s. This is my walking-around-the-city blog. It's my kind of tourism: wandering around to see what I can see. My street experience falls into four categories. Old
- [San Francisco, California - A Travel Blog Top Ten](https://julietetelandresen.com/san-francisco-california-travel-blog/) - After visiting my sister and brother-in-law in Carmel Valley I spent the weekend in San Francisco. Just for the fun of it. There are many ways to visit a city as complex and rich as San Francisco. In this first post on the city I'll approach it through a list of tourist's must-sees: San Francisco
- [Carmel Valley, California - A Travel Blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/carmel-valley-california-travel-blog/) - It's not a hardship waking up to sunrise in Carmel Valley, California. The title image is what's right outside my bedroom window. Just a few days after moving into One City Center I went to visit my sister and brother-in-law who live in Carmel Valley. I've written about the area before in a series of
- [Durham By Night: An Urban Adventure](https://julietetelandresen.com/durham-by-night-an-urban-adventure/) - Now that I've moved into my tree house on the 21st floor of One City Center I want to share with you my experience of Durham by night. I now have perspective on the city from a wholly new point of view. Durham By Night: Outside my bedroom window The title image is of the
- [The Chick-Lit Heroine - Two No-nos](https://julietetelandresen.com/the-chick-lit-heroine/) - Chick-lit Heroine: Her Profile The chick-lit heroine has a recognizable profile. She either possesses a fashion sense. Or she has a bestie who can trick her out when the need arises, namely for a Big Date. She is either serially unlucky in love. Or she has divorced (probably recently) a cheating scum-bag. She either already
- [Move In Day: One City Center](https://julietetelandresen.com/move-in-day-one-city-center/) - After months of delays, move in day to my new condo has finally come. It is, in fact, today. Move In Day: Before Entry Hall. The view is to the north. The kitchen is at the end and around the corner on right. The washer/dryer and machine unit are behind the louvered doors. Kitchen. Decent
- [Venus Trilogy: My Latest Regencies](https://julietetelandresen.com/venus-trilogy-regencies/) - In Regency Romance I wrote that I love to read and write Regencies. So why not write a Regency Venus Trilogy? What's a Venus trilogy? I didn't know until I made it up. And I didn't set out deliberately to write one. Instead, I became intrigued by the idea of a naked woman in the presence of
- [Seven Habits of Highly Successful Authors](https://julietetelandresen.com/seven-habits-authors/) - Highly successful authors develop seven habits: Seven Habits #1: They are voracious readers How often do I have to say it? All the time, I suppose. Reading for authors is like eating for athletes. You can't run a marathon if you're on a no-or-low-calorie diet. It's not just about calories, though, that is, if I'm
- [The Romance Novel as an Art Form](https://julietetelandresen.com/the-romance-novel-as-an-art-form/) - This post on art form was first published on July 16 2014. Here's a bold thought: the romance novel is an art form. Yes, it’s an art form like any other. It’s a very popular art form. In terms of numbers of practitioners, it’s at a polar opposite from, say, avant-garde artists who are, by
- [Backstories: Why They Are Important](https://julietetelandresen.com/backstories-important/) - Backstories. First, what are they? They are akin to a suitcase an actress will pack for a scene where she needs to be carrying one. But she won't necessarily open it. Packing the bag is one way for the actress to establish her character for herself. The underwear she chooses may never be revealed. But it
- [Pamela George: An Environmental Artist](https://julietetelandresen.com/pamela-george-environmental-artist/) - Title image: Pamela George in her own illustration as a diver. Pamela George brings three firsts to our Five Questions series. First, she is a children's book author. Second, she is her own illustrator. Third, she is an environmental artist. We are delighted that she is willing to share her experience of making her charming children's
- [Cover Art: My Most Perplexing Problem](https://julietetelandresen.com/cover-art-my-most-perplexing-problem/) - Cover Art and Advertising The title image is a famous ad for French champagne by Publicis Conseil. When I looked it up I was surprised to see that it was from 1989. I would have thought it was much older, like from the 1930s or 40s. So I guess its relative newness makes it an
- [Character Arc: How To Create One](https://julietetelandresen.com/character-arc-create-one/) - For this blog on the character arc, I'll rewrite the title quote. If you find a path with no obstacles, don't put your character on it. We don't want to read about someone whose path is strewn with rose petals. We do want to read about a person who has to face obstacle after obstacle.
- [Creating a Scene ... In a Good Way: Five Tips](https://julietetelandresen.com/creating-scene-good-way/) - Creating a scene. Funny how you can interpret the phrase two ways. Either you're at a fancy restaurant in the midst of a humdinger of a quarrel with your partner. Or you're a playwright, screenwriter, or novelist in front of your computer. If you're in front of your computer, you want the scene you're writing
- [Novels and Movies and Plays, Oh My!](https://julietetelandresen.com/novels-movies-plays/) - I chose the title image for this blog on novels from one of the most famous movies of all time. I modeled my title on the rhythm and exclamation of one of its most famous lines. We writers derive inspiration from all sorts of places, including the visual arts. It's entirely normal that our imaginations are also
- [New Year's Resolutions 2019: A Writer's List](https://julietetelandresen.com/new-years-resolutions-2019-a-writers-list/) - New Year's Resolutions, ugh. Lose weight. Join a gym. Straighten out finances. These are worthy resolutions to be sure. But they're not for me, because they feel punitive. I'd rather give myself goals that feel more like gifts. Trite but true, this time of year is perfect for recalibrating our lives. In my case I've
- [Audiences: Who Are They? Where Are They?](https://julietetelandresen.com/audiences-who-are-they-where-are-they/) - Because this blog on audiences opens with a classical reference, I chose for the title image the Greek theater in the ancient city of Epidaurus. Credit: greekfestival.gr. Audiences: Ancient Wisdom Aristotle is famous for saying: Audiences are made not found (Rhetoric, 4th century B.C.). He means that, both in real life and on the stage, we
- [Christmas Romances: What I'm Reading Now](https://julietetelandresen.com/christmas-romances/) - There are a zillion Christmas romances out there. Nothing for it but to wade in and read what I can read. I'm on the hunt for blazing hearths, hot toddies, and the scent of pine to inspire warm and fuzzy love stories. And let's not forget the mistletoe. Christmas Romances: A Christmas Gift by Sue
- [Regency Romance: My Most Recent](https://julietetelandresen.com/regency-romance/) - The Regency Era The Regency is the period in British history when King George III was incapacitated and his son ruled as Prince Regent. It began in 1811 and ended in 1820 when George III died and the Regent became George IV. Many authors treat the Regency as a more expansive time period than just
- [Best Gifts for Writers: Five Suggestions](https://julietetelandresen.com/best-gifts-writers-five-suggestions/) - Best Gifts for Writers lists abound these days, and I've read a bunch of them now. It may well be that some writers want a literary tee-shirt. I do know that some writers have a writing tee, but I don't know whether they take inspiration from one with a famous quote. Same goes for a
- [Writing Inspiration: Where Do You Find It?](https://julietetelandresen.com/writing-inspiration/) - My short answer to the question: "Where do you find writing inspiration?" is: Everywhere. In other words, I don't think of writing inspiration in terms beautiful sunsets or waves lapping the shore. However, since the evening sky and the beach are included in "Everywhere" then, sure, they count as places to find inspiration. My overall
- [First Draft: Five Tips For Improving Your Story](https://julietetelandresen.com/first-draft-five-tips/) - You've produced the first draft of your story. Now what? First Draft Improvement: Tip #1 Live by the Russian motto, suggested by the title image: The first pancake is always lumpy. There are various ways to translate the phrase, and the adjective 'blob' also works. So. Your first draft is a misshapen blob. Instead of
- [Ending: Where To Finish Your Story](https://julietetelandresen.com/ending-story/) - Ending your story is not necessarily easier than beginning your story, but the difficulties surrounding these two story moments are different. My previous post was Beginning: Where To Start Your Story, whose major lesson is: Start your story as close to the end as possible. Okay, where is the end? Story Types and Endings Since
- [Beginning: Where To Start Your Story](https://julietetelandresen.com/beginning-start-story/) - Archimedes said: Tell me where to stand and I'll move the earth. The writer says: Tell me where to begin and I'll tell .... Ahhh, that's the problem. Where is the beginning of the great story you want to tell? Beginning: The Oldest Chestnut The oldest piece of writing advice in the world is: Start
- [Romance Conventions: Know Them, Have Fun With Them](https://julietetelandresen.com/romance-conventions/) - Romance conventions are the storylines, situations and characters that make a romance a romance. They are also sometimes called tropes or commonplaces. They are salient enough for Jenn Northington of Book Riot to make the Romance Bingo card in the title image. Any version of the hero's journey - a romance, for instance - bends
- [Pittsboro, NC: A Piedmont Day Trip](https://julietetelandresen.com/pittsboro-nc-piedmont-day-trip/) - If you're in Central North Carolina, aka the Piedmont, this Thanksgiving you might consider visiting the charming, post-Revolutionary town of Pittsboro. It's a little less than twenty miles south of Chapel Hill on US 501. I went with friends in October. As I look out the window today on this holiday weekend, I see the
- [Authentic Dialogue: Ten Tips For Beginning Writers](https://julietetelandresen.com/authentic-dialogue/) - This post is a companion piece to Interior Monologue and focuses on authentic dialogue, particularly as it pertains to the romance genre. Authentic Dialogue: Tip #1 Here's a shocker: when writing a scene of dialogue there actually has to be dialogue. Sound absurd? Indeed, it does. But I can't tell you how many times I've encountered
- [Interior Monologue: Tips and Techniques](https://julietetelandresen.com/interior-monologue-tips-techniques/) - In novels, like in movies, we get to know characters through their words and actions. In novels, as opposed to movies, we also get to know characters through what they think and how they feel. These thoughts and feelings come out through interior monologue. Access to characters' interiors is one reason people often say, "I
- [Crazy Rich Asians - Read the Trilogy!](https://julietetelandresen.com/crazy-rich-asians-trilogy/) - I just finished reading the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy by Kevin Kwan which consists of Crazy Rich Asians, China Rich Girlfriend and Rich People Problems. As one of Kwan's characters might describe it: Tons. Of. Fun. The trilogy is a smart, super sophisticated three-issue version of Us Weekly. First, you get pages and pages of visual images
- [Fiction Writing as a Way of Life: An Event](https://julietetelandresen.com/fiction-writing-way-life/) - Fiction Writing as a Way of Life was an event sponsored by the Blackburn Series at Duke University on Wednesday, November 7. It featured Maria Kuznetsova and Lucy Corin who are left and right, respectively, in the title image. I love the title of the event: Fiction Writing as a Way of Life. Yes, Way
- [Secondary Characters: Five Tips for Creating Them](https://julietetelandresen.com/secondary-characters-five-tips/) - Main characters are the prime movers of your story. Their goals and motivations fuel the plot. Secondary characters are there to provide support for the main action, to generate a subplot, and/or to help develop thematic material. In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy are the main characters. The secondary characters are: Jane Bennett,
- [Lucy Corin: Five Questions with a Multigenre Author](https://julietetelandresen.com/lucy-corin-multigenre-author/) - Lucy Corin is a short story writer and novelist, and she also teaches at the University of California, Davis. Her short story collections include One Hundred Apocalypses and Other Apocalypses and The Entire Predicament. Her first novel is Everyday Psychokillers: A History for Girls, and her second, Swank Hotel, will be out next year. She
- [Halloween Romances: On Holiday Themes](https://julietetelandresen.com/halloween-romances/) - Halloween romances are a more vexed sub-genre than I would have thought. However, after reading a bunch this week, I now know they have two big problems to surmount. [Get started writing your own Halloween romance with my complete guide on writing a book.] First, effective titles are restricted by a limited number of holiday-related
- [Karen Finley - Poet, Playwright, Painter, Performance Artist](https://julietetelandresen.com/karen-finley-performance-artist/) - Title image: Left: Karen Finley book cover of Shock Treatment (2015); Right: Image from the performance "Don't Hang the Angel" (1985) Yesterday (Thursday, October 25) Karen Finley gave a heart-felt and eye-opening presentation at Duke University in the course "Performance Art: History and Theory" taught by Professor of Art and Art History Kristine Stiles. Finley's
- [Trendy Charlotte, NC - A Hipster's Tour](https://julietetelandresen.com/trendy-charlotte-hipsters-tour/) - Trendy Charlotte, NC. I continue my quest to chronicle mid-sized American cities undergoing a Renaissance or, rather, a full-blown explosion. The title image is of downtown Charlotte, with the pointy-top Duke Energy building in the middle-ground center left and the spiky-top Bank of the America building in the background off-center right. Since I'm far from
- [One City Center: Come On A Preview Tour With Me](https://julietetelandresen.com/one-city-center-preview-tour/) - This week I got a preview tour of One City Center, 110 Corcoran Street, downtown Durham. Outside there's more Bull City imagery, with the Durham Bull in front of Bulldega, which you can see on the ground floor corner (still under construction). Four flights up is the wework sign. The entrance: The lobby: Here is
- [The Lawyer and the Romance Novelist](https://julietetelandresen.com/lawyer-romance-novelist/) - How does this one go? Let's see .... High-powered divorce lawyer who doesn't believe in love meets master carpenter who moonlights as a romance writer, sparks fly .... No, this post isn't about meet-cute scenarios. It's about a romance novelist who is also a lawyer. In real life. Seven of them, in fact. I have
- [Bull City, NC - A Holy Moly Moment](https://julietetelandresen.com/bull-city-nc/) - Bull City = Durham, North Carolina. If you're curious, read how Durham got its nickname. Me, I'm more interested in what's happening here now. Look at the title image again. I can hardly imagine a more ordinary building. Let's call it 'unpreposessing.' The address is 1107 West Main Street, and it sits right across from the
- [Famous North Carolinians: Top Ten](https://julietetelandresen.com/famous-north-carolinians-top-ten/) - When I land in a new country I like to ask the locals who their famous sons and daughters are. Well, I just returned home to North Carolina after being abroad for 4 months, and it occurred to me to make a list of famous North Carolinians. Famous North Carolinians: Off the Top of My
- [Hounslow, Western London - Join Me On A Tour](https://julietetelandresen.com/hounslow-western-london/) - Before flying to JFK, I had the day in London to do what I wanted, and what I wanted was to visit the neighborhood right next to Heathrow airport, namely Hounslow, where I had chosen my hotel. Title image: A British Airways plane on its approach to landing near the back parking lot of my
- [Leaving Bucharest - Getting on the Road Again](https://julietetelandresen.com/leaving-bucharest/) - Today I'm leaving Bucharest. The title image is the International Departures board today at the Henri Coandă (Otopeni) Airport in Bucharest. I'm waiting for my Check-in counter to be posted. Leaving Bucharest First stop: London where I'll spend the night and the next day. I bought my business class ticket with American Airline points (plus
- [Love and Sex: Let's Figure Out How To Talk About It](https://julietetelandresen.com/love-sex/) - Love and sex. This is a March 2016 blog I am reposting in the context of the Ford-Kavanugh hearings in Washington, DC this week and in response to all the high school "boys will be boys" nonsense some people have been bandying about. There are many disconnects in modern American public discourse. I’m not referring
- [Bucharest Churches: From Mini to Massive](https://julietetelandresen.com/bucharest-churches/) - This blog is on Bucharest churches. However, the title image is a work from Romanian artist Dan Perjovschi with an image of Casa Poporului 'The House of the People' in the background and the legend 'A Small Population With Such a Large House' (1995). It is from the Post R collection at the Nasher Museum,
- [More Memoirs: What I'm Reading IX](https://julietetelandresen.com/more-memoirs-what-im-reading-ix/) - Lately I've been reading memoirs and have already written a post on them. Now I have more memoirs to share. More Memoirs: Trevor Noah Born a Crime (2016) Loved it. Absolutely loved it. Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show, offers a gripping account of his childhood and young adulthood in South Africa. Born in
- [Claustrophobia: Consider the Health Benefits](https://julietetelandresen.com/claustrophobia-health-benefits/) - If you're curious why the Empire State Building is the title image for a blog on claustrophobia, read on. Claustrophobia: I suffer from it. I don't feel it much in movie theaters, and I can tolerate being on planes (just barely - check out these tips), but the image, below, of an elevator measuring 100
- [Infamous Romanians: Guess My Top Five](https://julietetelandresen.com/infamous-romanians-guess-my-top-five/) - I've done Famous Romanians and Illustrious Romanians. Now it's time for Infamous Romanians. The inspiration for this blog came from a court ruling earlier this week in Alba Iulia, Romania. For the title image I chose Vlad Țepeș (Vlad the Impaler). He was the model for Dracula. This mural is at the corner of Știrbei
- [Urban Spaces: A Look at Bucharest](https://julietetelandresen.com/urban-spaces-bucharest/) - Urban Spaces Title Image: From the collection Dan Perjovschi Post R (1995) at the Nasher Museum, Duke University. Gift of Kristine Stiles. The caption reads: Always Between Two Empires Perjovschi is making a political point about Romania's always squeezed position in the world. If you do not know his work, check out his Instagram. He
- [Street Signs in Bucharest: Read 'Em ... and Weep?](https://julietetelandresen.com/street-signs-bucharest/) - Street Signs title image: a sign shop on Șoseaua Ștefan Cel Mare It's always good to know the language of the country you are traveling through or living in because it's helpful to know what's going on in the public sphere. Street signs tell a good story. Here are a few examples in Bucharest I've encountered
- [My Bucharest Neighborhood: Visit It With Me](https://julietetelandresen.com/bucharest-neighborhood-visit/) - On Sunday morning this week I went on a walking tour of my Bucharest neighborhood where I've lived for the past 10+ summers to see if I could see it in a way that might interest you. The title image is of one of the main shopping streets on Piața Dorobanți. My Bucharest Neighborhood: The
- [Integrame: Romanian Through Rebus](https://julietetelandresen.com/integrame-romanian-rebus/) - Integrame are my current leisure-time obsession. They're theme-based crossword puzzles that I can kinda, sorta do in Romanian. Look at the title image where I gathered a bunch of integrame collections I've worked through. UȘOARE and UȘURELE are both versions of the word 'easy.' Look further and you'll see pentru începători 'for beginners' and NIVEL abc
- [Romanian TV News: I'm Watching!](https://julietetelandresen.com/romanian-tv-news-im-watching/) - I watch tons of Romanian TV news. I like to keep up with what's going on here and I like to have Romanian in my ear. The title image is from today of Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, right before giving a speech related to the Note at the end of this blog concerning the Romanian
- [Illustrious Romanians: Ten Plus Two To Know](https://julietetelandresen.com/illustrious-romanians/) - Two years ago I made a Famous Romanians list. It's time for another one. This time I'll call them Illustrious Romanians. Dracula is arguably the most famous "Romanian." However, because he's a literary invention I'm not putting him on the list. Although Dracula is based on the historical figure Vlad Țepeș (1431-1476) ), I'm not
- [Romanians Abroad - Mitingul Diasporei Part II](https://julietetelandresen.com/romanians-abroad-mitingul-diasporei/) - Today's blog about Romanians abroad is a follow-up to last Friday's post on the protest organized by the Romanian diaspora in Bucharest on August 10th. Linguistic note: miting is the Romanian word for 'protest,' evidently a borrowing from English 'meeting'. Thus mitingul diasporei translates as 'the protest of the diaspora.' Title image note: a CursDeGuverarne English-language
- [Romanian Diaspora Protest - Mitingul Diasporei Part I](https://julietetelandresen.com/romanian-diaspora-protest/) - After Lisbon I got myself to my condo in Bucharest ... and found a few clothes in my closet, so that was nice. I dove right into life here. Last Friday, August 10, the Romanian Diaspora organized a protest. The diaspora is comprised of some millions of Romanians who have left the country to live
- [Portuguese Customs - A Travel Blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/portuguese-customs-a-travel-blog/) - Portuguese customs: I'm not talking about their Christmas cakes or the songs they sing. Nothing so interesting! No, I'm talking about trying to get a package from back home through international customs. Travel Tip #1: Don't bother having anyone send you anything. You're likely to spend undue time and money replacing specific products. Portuguese Customs:
- [Lisbon, Portugal and Sightseeing - A Travel Blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/lisbon-portugal-travel-blog/) - After the trials and tribulations of Angola, we flew to Lisbon where we parted company, Phillip to go on to Madrid, me to stay in Lisbon for ... well, was it for a visit? That's for the next blog. But since I had to be there anyway, I did go for a visit. The title
- [Ten Famous Portuguese - A Travel Blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/ten-famous-portuguese-travel-blog/) - It all started with Ten Famous Serbs, when out of the blue I asked our guide for his top ten. Now wherever I go I ask a local for his or her top ten. In Luanda Carla helped me with Ten Famous Angolans. In Lisbon I had fun with the people at the Concierge Desk
- [Lusophonia - A Travel and Linguistic Blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/lusophonia-travel-blog/) - The question can now be asked: What the heck were we doing in Angola? And why was our next stop Portugal? The answer is: a curiosity to experience a part of Lusophonia, namely Lusophone (= Portuguese-speaking) Africa. The title image map tells the story. How did we come up with this idea? Well .... we
- [Ten Famous Angolans - A Travel Blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/ten-famous-angolans-a-travel-blog/) - We arrived in Luanda to have our passports confiscated and our luggage stolen. This misfortune affected our visit. As a result, my Top Ten Famous Angolans List is a post-script to the country rather than a preview. Famous Angolans in Politics Queen Nzinga Bandi Ngola Mbandi Nzinga Bandi Kia Ngola means 'the Queen whose arrow
- [Angola, Scenes from the City - A Travel Blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/angola-scenes-from-the-city-a-travel-blog/) - The title image is a blue tile depiction of the coastline of Angola with a Portuguese ship approaching. The legend says: Ethyopia Occidental. This was our travel through-line (so we have now told ourselves). We went from Ethiopia Oriental in East Africa to what was called Ethiopia Occidental in West Africa. Angola is from the
- [How to Travel in Angola for Seven Days](https://julietetelandresen.com/luanda-angola-seven-days-travel-blog/) - "This is Angola." We heard this phrase a lot after we took a direct flight from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to arrive in Luanda, Angola. While you travel in Angola, this phrase is uttered at the moments when the situation facing you is utterly inexplicable. By the way, in the title image, Seja Bem-Vindo in Luanda
- [Ethiopian Culture: Three Facets - A Travel Blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/ethiopian-culture-three-facets/) - Title image: Sunset over Lalibela and a beautiful Ethiopian culture. Our visit to Ethiopia was wonderful from all points of view: well organized by our excellent guide, Elias Alemayehu, visually stunning and vastly informative. Three aspects of Ethiopian culture are striking: Ethiopian Culture: The Food I like Ethiopian food because it is rich in diverse
- [Ge'ez Ethiopian Script - A Travel Blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/geez-ethiopian-script-travel-blog/) - Ge'ez is the Ethiopian script in use all around the country. Ethiopia is the only sub-Saharan country to have its own script and it is hundreds of years old. You might be tempted to call it an alphabet, but it is really a syllabary, where each symbol represents the combination of a Consonant + Vowel.
- [Semian National Forest - A Travel Blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/semian-national-forest-travel-blog/) - Semian National Forest was a highlight for me in Ethiopia. Why? The title image tells the story. I identify with primates. Feet on the ground, grunting, lumbering primates. Other people identify with dogs, cats, horses, you-name-it. But for me it's apes and gorillas ... and then there's me communing with a baboon in Ethiopia. Happy!
- [Gondar, Ethiopia - A Travel Blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/gondar-ethiopia-travel-blog/) - Title image: Gondar Fortress, site of scenic ruins The next stop on our Ethiopia tour is Gondar, the center of power for the Ethiopian kingdom between the 13th and 17th centuries. Gondar: On the Way On the way from Bahir Dar to Gondar we stopped at the community of Awra Amba, which is a kind
- [Bahir Dar, Ethiopia - a Travel Blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/bahir-dar-ethiopia-travel-blog/) - From Addis Ababa we made a quick 45-minute plane hop to Bahir Dar to the north. One of the attractions of the area are the Blue Nile Falls, pictured in the title image. Bahir Dar: Blue Nile Falls A good hour or more outside of town we bumped along an unpaved road (aka "an African
- [Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - A Travel Blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/addis-ababa-ethiopia-travel-blog/) - We were delighted to fly from Istanbul and to arrive at the airport in Addis Ababa. Ethiopia is truly the Land of Origins: of humanity, of language and of major parts of the Judeo-Christian tradition. Historical note: Addis Ababa means 'New Flower' in Amharic and has been the political center of Ethiopia for only the
- [Sultanahmet, Istanbul - A Travel Blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/sultanahmet-istanbul-travel-blog/) - On my second day in Istanbul I ventured out of my neighborhood of Beyoğlu and walked across the Galata Bridge spanning the waterway known as the Golden Horn in order to get to the Asian side of Istanbul and the neighborhood of Sultanahmet. I chose the Galata Bridge as the title image. The upper tier
- [Beyoğlu, Istanbul - A Travel Blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/beyoglu-istanbul-travel-blog/) - This time around in Istanbul I'm staying in the neighborhood of Beyoğlu. It's on the European side of the city and is considered the "newer" part of town. In the past I've stayed in the neighborhood of Sultanahmet on the Asian side of the city. This is the older part of town. The title image of
- [New Adventures - A Travel Blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/new-adventures-travel-blog/) - My entire life I've sought new adventures. As a kid I loved exploring my neighborhood. As an adult I love exploring the world. The title image is of my itinerary in Ethiopia next week. Today I'm embarking on a three-and-a half-month trip outside the US. First stop: Istanbul. From there Addis Ababa. New Adventures: Decisions,
- [Memoirs: What I'm Reading VIII](https://julietetelandresen.com/memoirs-im-reading/) - Just this past week I've been gobbling up memoirs. As opposed to autobiographies which chronicle an entire life, memoirs focus in particular on one aspect of a person's life. Memoirs: Steve Martin Born Standing Up (2007) I love stand-up comedy and just happened on Steve Martin's account of his 18 years doing stand-up: ten learning, four
- [NASCAR: On the Last Lap?](https://julietetelandresen.com/nascar-last-lap/) - Title image: The speedway display at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Charlotte, North Carolina. NASCAR stands for: National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. This past weekend I went to Charlotte to visit my older son and his family. We've all lived in North Carolina a long time, and he has lived in Charlotte already
- [Hillsborough, NC - A Travel Blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/hillsborough-nc-travel-blog/) - Title image: Old Orange County Courthouse c. 1844, Hillsborough, NC. Over Memorial Day weekend I was invited to a garden party in Hillsborough, NC. Before showing up at the party I decided to do a walking tour of the main part of town. My idea was that you don't have to go half-way around the
- [The Subconscious: A Writer's Best Friend](https://julietetelandresen.com/subconscious-writers-best-friend/) - First I said a Plot Buddy was a writer's best friend. Then I added Self-Knowledge. Finally, I'm asserting it's The Subconscious. I'll now claim these three to be the Writer's Trinity. Today is the next installment in my Recovering Creativity quest guided by Julia Cameron's Vein of Gold. Working with the Subconscious: Grab-Bag Collage We
- [Self-Knowledge: A Writer's Best Friend](https://julietetelandresen.com/self-knowledge-writers-best-friend-2/) - Oops! I already identified the Plot Buddy as a writer's best friend. Now I need to enlarge my notion of 'best friend' to include self-knowledge. Consider this the second installment in my quest: Recovering Creativity. I reiterate my hope that the account of my quest will inspire you to go on one of your own.
- [Characterization: Seven Tips for Beginners](https://julietetelandresen.com/characterization-five-tips-new-writers/) - I'm always looking for new authors. I tend to try a new one every couple days. Even when I don't know the book I'm reading is the author's first, I can often tell a new writer by a few newbie characterization quirks. Characterization Tip #1: Avoid the First Chapter Mirror Scene A beginning writer is
- [Jan Cox Speas: One of My Heroes](https://julietetelandresen.com/jan-cox-speas-one-heroes/) - If you're a writer or any other kind of artist you might like to take a look at Austin Kleon's Show Your Work! which addresses the pleasures and perils of creativity in the age of the Internet. One of his suggestions is for writers to share their influences. I regularly share What I'm Reading Now, but
- [Plot Form: Want to Try a New One?](https://julietetelandresen.com/plot-form-want-try-new-one/) - I love adapting to my writing craft ideas from artists other than novelists. For instance, I've learned a lot from painters. Recently I ran across the work of Paula Vogel, a Pulitzer-prize-winning playwright and her student Sarah Ruhl, also an accomplished playwright and a MacArthur recipient. Vogel identifies six plot forms and Ruhl adds a seventh
- [Reclaiming Creativity: The Beginnings](https://julietetelandresen.com/reclaiming-creativity-beginnings/) - I'm in the process of reclaiming creativity, and I want to share my journey for any tips you might find useful. Reclaiming Creativity Tip #1: Your Need is Your Need If you feel the need to reclaim your creativity, then you do. Simple as that. I can't tell you why, exactly, I feel this need.
- [Kentucky Derby: The Facts and My Fiction](https://julietetelandresen.com/kentucky-derby-demarcos-cafe/) - Kentucky Derby: The Facts The 144th annual Kentucky Derby will be held this Saturday, May 5. It has two nicknames: Run for the Roses and The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports. The Derby is held at Churchill Downs, Louisville Kentucky. The length of the track is 1.5 miles (12 furlongs, 2.4 kilometers). The field
- [Diversity Problem and the Romance Industry](https://julietetelandresen.com/romance-industry-diversity-problem/) - Last month I ran across this headline: The Billion-Dollar Romance Fiction Industry Has a Diversity Problem. I was surprised by the headline until I read the accompanying article. The article, written by NPR's Emily Sullivan, was not actually about romance fiction as a whole. It was about a particular organization, namely Romance Writers of America
- [How A Romance Novelist Uses Chiaroscuro](https://julietetelandresen.com/chiaroscuro-romance-writing/) - Origins of Chiaroscuro The term chiaroscuro comes from the Italian words 'light-dark' and refers to the use of contrasts of light to create a sense of three-dimensional objects and figures. I have chosen to illustrate the term with The Matchmaker by Dutch Golden Age painter Gerritt van Honthorst (1592-1656) as the title image. It is, perhaps, a
- [Durham, NC: The Old and The New](https://julietetelandresen.com/durham-nc-old-new/) - Title image: Durham NC: Partial sykline from the south. Any image of downtown Durham has to include railroad tracks. The glass-and-steel building on the left is One City Center. In the center of the title image you'll see Durham's current slogan painted on the red brick building in the middle: Find Your Cool. It replaced
- [Billionaires and Dukes: Romance Writers, Let's Talk](https://julietetelandresen.com/billionaires-dukes-romance-writers/) - The current romance hero "it" guys are billionaires along with their historical romance equivalents, dukes. You put the word 'billionaire' or 'duke' in your title, and you're guaranteed to sell X-more books. Quick, think of some billionaires. My immediate list: Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos. Hm. They aren't really romance cover
- [Plot Buddy: A Writer's Best Friend](https://julietetelandresen.com/plot-buddy-writers-best-friend/) - What's a plot buddy, you wonder? It's the pal who loves to hear about your stories as you are writing them and enjoys pitching in and helping you with your plot. It's wonderfully inspiring to simply talk out loud about your story and bounce ideas around. It's a bonus if your plot buddy is also
- [Stay Organized While Writing a Series: 4 Tips](https://julietetelandresen.com/stay-organized-writing-series/) - I’m loving connecting with all the smart authors and bloggers I’ve met online. This is a guest blog post by Renee Regent with her tips for how to stay organized while writing a series. Stay Organized While Writing Whether you begin writing with the idea for one story or have the entire series of books pre-planned
- [Writing Discipline: 5 Tips for Professional Writers](https://julietetelandresen.com/writing-discipline-5-tips/) - Writing discipline: no professional writer can do without it. Writing Discipline Tip #1: Know Your Biorhythm Every writer has a biorhythm, and every writer's biorhythm is different. It may take some time to find your optimal time of the day or night to saddle up and get to work. I remember reading a successful author's
- [Toya Richardson: Five Ways to Get Writing](https://julietetelandresen.com/5-ways-get-writing/) - Toya Richardson is my guest blogger today. Writing for me has been a continual learning curve, one that will continue I’m sure. These are some of the processes I go through, which may be of use to you. Toya Richardson: Get Writing #1 Coming up with and writing the story is the easiest part of
- [Heraldry: London College of Arms](https://julietetelandresen.com/heraldry-london-college-arms/) - Calling all romance novelists who write Medievals! You can brush up on your knowledge of heraldry by checking out the London College of Arms, aka College of Heralds, pictured above and located at 130 Queen Victoria Street. Heraldry: Origins A herald, or herald of arms, was originally a king's or other nobleman's messenger who conveyed
- [Korean Language: A Duke Symposium](https://julietetelandresen.com/korean-language-diaspora-duke-symposium/) - On Monday March 26 Hae-Young Kim, the Chair of Asian and Middle Eastern Languages at Duke University, organized a symposium on the Korean language. It was entitled "Politics of language and identity: Korean speakers in the peripheries of the national and transnational." In the title photo you see, from the left, the three speakers: William
- [How to Make a Kissing Scene Special](https://julietetelandresen.com/make-kissing-scene-special/) - ....even if you’ve already written dozens of them. Today is a guest blog by romance writer Devika Fernando on the art of writing a great kissing scene. “A kiss is a secret told to the mouth instead of the ear.” - Ingrid Bergman When some people find out that I write romance novels, they ask
- [Fridging versus The Grieving Widower](https://julietetelandresen.com/fridging-v-grieving-widower/) - Fridging versus The Grieving Widower merits the subtitle: The Troublesome Pattern of Killing Off Female Characters. We writers know that the only thing as fun as creating a character is killing one off. Here I'd like think about what we're doing when we're killing off a character, especially a female character. What is Fridging? The
- [Graphic Novels: The Prince and the Dressmaker](https://julietetelandresen.com/graphic-novels-prince-dressmaker/) - I don't usually read graphic novels probably because so few of them involve romantic plots, but I did run across Jen Wang's The Prince and the Dressmaker (2018) because the New York Times crossword blogger I read, namely Rex Parker, recommended it as a romance. As it happened, one of her graphic novels led to another.
- [Tipping in the United States: Not a Pretty Story](https://julietetelandresen.com/tipping-united-states/) - I learned the unhappy history of tipping in the U.S. only within the past month. Then I was inspired to write this blog upon reading an op-ed piece by Danny Meyer, the highly successful New York restaurateur who was my model for Gino Milano, the hero of Love After All. Tipping customs vary from country to country.
- [New Adult Romance v. Mature Adult Romance](https://julietetelandresen.com/new-adult-romance-v-mature-adult-romance/) - Have you read New Adult romance? When I’m in the mood, it’s tons of fun. New Adult Romance The major characteristics of New Adult romance usually include: Present tense, first-person narration, often only from the heroine’s POV, sometimes split between hero and heroine; A big, broody hero who is likely a tough guy in a
- [Jan Romes: Feed My Romantic Side](https://julietetelandresen.com/jan-romes-romantic-side/) - Today is a guest blog by romance writer Jan Romes. Writers, regardless of the genre they write, thirst for real life situations and real characters to give truth and zest to their fictional stories. That's where I found myself at the beginning of 2018. I wanted and needed something genuine to spark my creativity. Yesterday,
- [Write With Vigor: Seven Tips](https://julietetelandresen.com/write-vigor-seven-tips/) - Rosie was a riveter not a writer, but still she symbolizes for me the idea for us authors to write with vigor, which I take to mean strength allied with determination. Write With Vigor Tip #1: Read How do you improve your tennis game? The answer is obvious. You play with someone who challenges you
- [Sell More Books: Five Tips for Writers](https://julietetelandresen.com/sell-books-tips/) - All writers, whether traditionally published or indie, want to see their books fly off the shelves, whether real or virtual. What to do to sell more books? Sell More Books Tip #1: Consistently create content In order to build an audience and then grow it, you have to consistently create content, whether it's short stories,
- [MeToo Monologues - Duke University](https://julietetelandresen.com/metoo-duke-university/) - First thing to do: distinguish MeToo Monologues from the #metoo movement. Two weeks ago I wrote on the #metoo movement in a post-Valentine's Day blog. The #metoo movement is a social media effort mobilized to highlight the problem of sexual assault and harassment, particularly in the workplace. In contrast, MeToo Monologues is a undergraduate production
- [Five Questions with Ammar Habib](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-ammar-habib/) - Female authors are typically featured in my Five Questions series, so readers may be surprised to get a male perspective this time around. Ammar Habib is an award-winning author from Lake Jackson, Texas. Writing has always been a passion of Ammar’s since he was in elementary school. 1. As a best-selling and award winning author, you
- [#metoo: Yoohoo, Over Here!](https://julietetelandresen.com/metoo/) - #metoo and Valentine's Day Two days ago was the first Valentine's Day since the #metoo movement began. Bill Maher made this point on his show last Friday (February 9) in anticipation of the 14th. Listen to the exchange between Bill Maher and Bari Weiss, a columnist at the New York Times: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6lCPvwiIqo As a romance
- [Valentine's Day - February 14, 2018](https://julietetelandresen.com/valentines-day-2018/) - Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Time for a gift to my readers (see link below). It's also the day when exactly what was said about it the year before is trotted out again: Valentine's Day: Origin Saint Valentine was martyred on February 14, 269 AD by order of Emperor Claudius II. The reason varies. The future
- [The Future of the Māori Language - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/future-maori-language-travel-blog/) - Kia Kaha Te Reo Māori 'Learn the Māori language' Kia Kaha Te Reo Māori is the theme of New Zealand's official Māori language week for 2018. Since 1975 the government has sponsored such weeks as part of the effort to keep Māori alive. How is the effort going? Māori language history In the 19th century
- [Safer Internet Day February 6, 2018](https://julietetelandresen.com/safer-internet-day-february-6-2018/) - Safer Internet Day started in 2004 as a European Union SafeBorders project. It is celebrated on the first Tuesday of February by about 100 countries worldwide. The US joined the campaign in 2013. Ahead of Safer Internet Day the Journal of British Social Work has just published an article on the benefits of social media
- [Black Women's Humor: Sass and No Sass](https://julietetelandresen.com/black-womens-humor-sass-no-sass/) - This week J Finley of Middlebury College gave a fantastic talk entitled "Yaaas but no. Black Women's Sass as a Discourse Genre." It got me thinking about black women's humor in general. First, J Finley defines sass: It is a response to pressure to stay in one's place. It is a way to speak back to
- [Foreign Accent Syndrome: Is It Real?](https://julietetelandresen.com/foreign-accent-syndrome-real/) - Foreign Accent Syndrome? I learned about it yesterday while watching a stand-up special on Netflix, and Tom Segura told a joke about it. Foreign Accent Syndrome: Quick and Dirty Research Immediate google search. It seems Foreign Accent Syndrome is a thing - a rare neurological condition with no known cause and no known cure. The syndrome apparently
- [Endangered Languages: A Health Issue](https://julietetelandresen.com/endangered-languages-health-issue/) - Endangered languages are intertwined with world-wide social, physical and mental health issues. I offer three examples: Endangered Languages #1: The Case of Mayan in Guatemala An already-available February 2018 issue of The Lancet, a well-known medical journal, has an article concerning endangered languages and the health outcomes of their speakers entitled "Indigenous languages and global
- [Harith Iskander - Malaysian Stand-Up](https://julietetelandresen.com/harith-iskander-malaysian-stand/) - Harith Iskander, a Malaysian, won the Laugh Factory Funniest Person in the World in Helsinki, Finland in 2016. I discovered him just now. I've been editing my old travel blogs and just finished the one I wrote on Globalization Through the Lens of Malaysia in May, 2016. I took a break, switched on Netflix, and found
- [Inspiration for Writers: Check Out These Artists](https://julietetelandresen.com/creative-inspiration-writers/) - Inspiration for writers often comes in the form of classic books like Writing Down the Bones (1986) by Natalie Goldberg and Bird by Bird (1994) by Anne Lamott. Read them if you haven't already. You are sure to enjoy them! I recently found inspiration for writers in two sources unrelated to writing. Comedians Who Inspire The first
- [Eight New Zealand Movies - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/new-zealand-movies/) - This blog is about New Zealand movies - not about movies set in New Zealand only as a backdrop, such as Lord of the Rings. I got my initial list of seven New Zealand movies from the three Māori people I met in Rotorua: Stacee, Tiana, and Karangawai Tiana was in a Māori immersion school
- [Milford Sound, NZ - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/milford-sound/) - Title image: Milford Sound. Just to the left of center is Mitre Peak, so-called because the top resembles a pope hat. You go to New Zealand for the adventure and the spectacular scenery. Sometimes you get a twofer: the adventure and the scenery all in one. That is what I got when we decided to
- [Queenstown, NZ - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/queenstownnz/) - Title image: Lake Wakatipu with Queenstown nestled around a bay, South Island. The chain of mountains across the top has the memorable name: The Remarkables In our North Island journey from Auckland to Rotorua we saw plenty of gorgeous countryside. For instance, a twenty-minute drive from our hotel in Rotorua gave us this view Green
- [Te Puia and the Māori Language - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/rotorua-maori-community/) - Title Image: Te Puia, a geothermal center in Rotorua owned by the Māori. The geyser viewing comes at the end of the evening's entertainment. My trip to New Zealand was inspired mostly by wanting to look into the Māori language situation. It is often talked about in linguistic circles as being an example of a
- [New Zealand Top Ten - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/ten-things-know-new-zealand/) - Ten Things to Know about New Zealand - NZ is in the southwestern Pacific Ocean and is part of Oceania, along with Australia, Indonesia, Guam and Fiji. It has a north island and a south island. This is the first time I've been to NZ, and it is at every moment beautiful and eye opening. 1.
- [A Day in Auckland - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/a-day-in-auckland/) - Title image: Auckland harbor, with Sky Tower in the middle The M Social hotel on Quay Street is great - I highly recommend it. It is newly renovated and the location cannot be beat, seeing that it is across the street from the ferries and in the middle of the downtown action. The view of the
- [Ten Famous Kiwis - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/ten-famous-kiwis/) - Title image: kiwi birds pecking at slices of kiwi fruit Before I relate my adventures in New Zealand I'll point out 10 famous New Zealanders you might know - or, at least, should know. In a country of 4.7 million people, these 10 stand out: Notable Women 1. Kate Sheppard (1847-1934) was the most prominent
- [The Business Class lounge and NZ - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/in-transit/) - LAX = Tom Bradley Los Angeles International Airport I'm on my way to Auckland, New Zealand, having begun my long trip in Orlando, Florida. As I moved through many airports I was put in mind of what a student of mine, Vinod Chugani (hi, Vinod!), once told me, "I feel most at home in international
- [In the Category Best Alphabet, the Oscar goes to ....](https://julietetelandresen.com/category-best-alphabet-oscar-goes/) - Gotta love a good alphabet. This is a repost of a blog on Goodreads from June, 2014. I was put in mind of it because I just watched My Happy Family, a film on Netflix that takes place in Tblisi, Georgia, which I visited in June, 2014. I loved the movie. Note: The buildings in Tblisi
- [T-Secret and the Don Quijote Awards](https://julietetelandresen.com/t-secret-don-quijote-awards/) - On Saturday night I attended the 20th annual Don Quijote Awards gala hosted by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando and Prospera, an economic development nonprofit providing assistance to Hispanic entrepreneurs. What was I doing there? The wonderful Orlando skin care company Tamahra's Secret, aka T-Secret, was founded by my dear friend, Gail Kent,
- [The Red Palace - A Short Story](https://julietetelandresen.com/the-red-palace-3/) - Below is a link to The Red Palace. It takes place during 1857 and involves events surround the Sepoy Rebellion against the British East Indian Company. Prince Badar Ali encounters Elizabeth Wilkins under unusual circumstances and sets in motion a sensual game. To his surprise Elizabeth learns to play it very well. Is it one
- [Sexual Misconduct: Tragedy and Comedy](https://julietetelandresen.com/comedy-tragedy-sexual-politics/) - The topic of sexual misconduct continues to dominate the national dialogue. The pervasiveness of the phenomenon is nothing less than a tragedy. In my blog last week, Your Body, Your Writing, I wrote: "Romances are comedies, however serious in tone or however harrowing the events the characters undergo may be. They are stories of union, togetherness,
- [Happy Thanksgiving 2017](https://julietetelandresen.com/happy-thanksgiving-2017/) - I'm thankful for friends and family around the world: My older son, Francis, and his beautiful wife, Jennifer, and their precious son Henry in Charlotte, North Carolina: My younger son, Gerard, and his wonderful girlfriend, Rimi, in Nishinomiya, Japan: My sister, Carol, and brother-in-law Phil in Carmel Valley, California: Uh ... almost. Carmel Valley is
- [London - Travel Through Time With Me](https://julietetelandresen.com/london/) - Title image: Westminster Abbey (1245) in the foreground, Big Ben (1859) and Houses of Parliament (1870) in the middle ground, the London Eye (1998) to the left background and the Gherkin (2001) in the extreme background and just to the right of Big Ben. I love making my settings a character in my stories. London
- [Your Body Chemistry, Your Writing - Three Tips](https://julietetelandresen.com/your-lower-back/) - This blog is concerned with the sacral chakra, second from the bottom. It's all about Your Body Chemistry, Your Writing. [If you're looking for more tips on writing a book, visit my complete guide on writing a novel.] Irish writer and poet Christy Brown was born with cerebral palsy and learned to paint and write with
- [Car? Get Rid of Yours and Join the Cool Kids](https://julietetelandresen.com/not-owning-car/) - Guess who doesn't own a car? Lena Dunham, Tina Fey, Ricky Gervais, Quincey Jones, Vincent Kartheizer, Dan Savage, David Sedaris and Barbara Streisand. Neither do I, as I said in my last blog Three Tips for a Youthful Body and Mind. My decision to go carless happened by accident. And, no, I don't mean car accident. Before going
- [A Youthful Mind and Body - Three Tips](https://julietetelandresen.com/three-tips-youthful-body-mind/) - How to maintain a youthful mind and body even if you never encounter the title image: The Fountain of Youth by German Renaissance Painter Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1546 This topic would typically yield a listicle of 10 items, but I figure you already know them: eat well, get __ (you fill in the blank) hours of sleep a
- [Five Questions with Selina McLemore](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-selina-mclemore/) - Authors are usually featured in my Five Questions series, but authors who read this blog can benefit from hearing from talented editors. Selina McLemore is an excellent editor who specializes in romance. I have worked with her in the past couple of years. Her feedback has been invaluable. 1. Writers often know they want to
- [Skylar's First Birthday Party](https://julietetelandresen.com/skylars-first-birthday/) - The title image is one of the many banners hung at Skylar's first birthday party. In 2002 I signed up to be a Big Sister in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program in Durham, North Carolina. I was lucky enough to be paired with Vanessa who was twelve years old at the time. Fifteen years
- [The Magic Flute - A Live in HD Met Performance](https://julietetelandresen.com/the-magic-flute/) - Tenor Charles Castronovo as Prince Tamino with Julie Taymor's bear puppets in the 2017 Metropolitan Opera production of The Magic Flute - A Live in HD Met Performance I'm not much of an opera person. Give me an American musical with its snappy song and dance. It's hard to outdo Nancy Kwan in the 1961 movie
- [Writer's Block: Five Tips to Break Through](https://julietetelandresen.com/when-youre-stuck/) - It happens to all novelists. Our story seems to be going great and then we hit writer's block. How do you break through the writing block? I have various ways: Take A Walk Because writing is an aerobic activity I sometimes need to get my physical lungs in motion to boost my writing capacity. Taking
- [What I'm Reading VII - Amor Towles](https://julietetelandresen.com/im-reading-now-vii/) - This week I read A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. In a word: delightful. I could also say that reading it was like eating the fluffiest of soufflés, but instead of it melting in my mouth I could actually sink my teeth into it. Double yum. I know this book was on the New York Times
- [President Price's Inauguration](https://julietetelandresen.com/president-price-inauguration/) - West Campus, Abele Quad, sets up for the inauguration. Image Credit: Duke Chronicle Yesterday - Thursday, October 5 - the new president of Duke University, Vincent Price, was inaugurated in a ceremony on Abele Quad in front of Duke Chapel. Vincent Price, Duke's 10th President President Price came to Duke from the University of Pennsylvania
- [Five Questions with Helen Barton](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-helen-barton/) - Helen Barton is a commissioning editor at Cambridge University Press, one of the premier academic publishers in the world. Although the readers of this blog tend to be commercial fiction writers, a great editor is a great editor, and Helen's perspective on how she works and what she's looking for is valuable to all of us.
- [On Count Nouns and Mass Nouns](https://julietetelandresen.com/on-nouns/) - We English speakers are sometimes surprised to discover that we split our perspective on how we view things in the universe. As it turns out, we make a clear distinction between count nouns and mass nouns. Count nouns are – not surprisingly – nouns you can count: one book, two books, three books, and so
- [Get Started Writing - Putting Pen to Page](https://julietetelandresen.com/getting-started/) - Title image: The blank page, symbolizing the problem of how to get started writing. Over the weekend, while discussing my blog with a friend, I asked what she would like me to address concerning the writing process. Her reply was immediate: "How do you get started writing?" She is a commercial real estate agent who
- [Op-Ed - Ten Writing Tips](https://julietetelandresen.com/writing-op-eds/) - An Op-ed gets its name for being an opinion piece that originally appeared opposite the editorial page. An editorial page editorial is signed by the board, while an opinion piece is signed by an individual. The term is also sometimes thought to be an abbreviation of opinion-editorial. Athletes before taking the field and ballerinas before going
- [Narrative Medicine - Why It's Important](https://julietetelandresen.com/narrative-medicine/) - Title image: MK Czerwiec, aka the Comic Nurse who is involved in narrative medicine. We fiction writers sometimes underestimate the value of our own work - or, at least, I do. I sometimes have to remind myself that we humans understand our world through narratives and that if you can tell a good enough story,
- [Cover Reveal!](https://julietetelandresen.com/cover-reveal/) - This blog is the book cover reveal for one of my favorite new authors, Rose Vane. I've read two of her stories in manuscript form, but I haven't yet read the one she recently sold to Carina Press, A Deep Dark Call. A gloomy manor in nineteenth-century Wallachia (the Romanian Principalities). An English governess who
- [Words of Wisdom for Beginning Novelists](https://julietetelandresen.com/words-wisdom-beginning-novelists/) - This semester for the second time I am in charge of a novel course/workshop at Duke University. Because I'm giving the students some of the same writing advice I gave last year, I'm reposting my words of wisdom from a blog in 2016. The other day one of the students commented, “You guys, I’m not
- [Elizabeth Kubler-Ross - a Pioneer](https://julietetelandresen.com/elizabeth-kubler-ross/) - Elizabeth Kubler-Ross (1926-2004) was a pioneer on death and dying. My blog focuses on travel and writing and other upbeat topics. However, today I'm taking up the downbeat topic of dying because in the last few weeks I've been speaking with people who have recently lost loved ones, and I hope my own experience with loss
- [Five Questions with Sherrie Dillard](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-with-sherrie-dillard/) - I've followed the teaching and writing of Sherrie Dillard for many years, and I'm delighted for her to participate in my Five Questions series. Whatever your view of spirituality you are sure to benefit from Sherrie's clarity and insights. I've read all her books and her latest, Sacred Signs and Symbols, is now on my
- [Pickpocketed! - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/pickpocketed/) - It happened. A couple weeks ago I was pickpocketed in Bucharest, Romania. I was not in as obviously vulnerable a position as the woman in the title image. In fact, I thought I was doing everything right, and yet .... I had gone to the ATM and made a withdrawal before meeting a friend for
- [Va, petit livre - Go, little book](https://julietetelandresen.com/va-petit-livre/) - Go, little book. This exhortation from an author to his newly published book has been rattling around in my brain for some decades. I had thought it originated with one of the 19th-century French symbolist poets like Rimbaud or Mallarmé, because I first heard the phrase as Va, petit livre. I had also thought it
- [5 Amazing Airports - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/5-amazing-airports/) - Believe it or not, I hate to fly. Really hate it. But I do it. The good news is, there are plenty of amzing airports I actually like. I like the energy of airports. I like seeing all the places listed on Arrivals and Departures. Jakarta? Vladivostok? Hey, maybe! There are plenty of amazing airports
- [Weird stuff in Japan - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/variajapan/) - TItle Photo: The Ritz Hotel – Koshien/Nishinomiya. This blog could easily be titled Weird Stuff in Japan. I’ll kick the weird stuff in Japan off with a brief discussion of: Love Hotels The Ritz was the second hotel I stayed in during my two weeks in Japan. My son had the first inkling the Ritz
- [Five Questions with Robyn Peterman](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-with-robyn-peterman/) - I’m having so much fun connecting with all the smart authors and bloggers I’ve met online. This is the latest entry in my series of conversations with other romance authors, who join us to share about their creative process, their habits, their inspiration, and more. Our guest today is Robyn Peterman who loves to write paranormal
- [Addiction Recovery - Go to Central Care Mission](https://julietetelandresen.com/central-care-mission/) - Addiction recovery: tough subject. Central Care Mission: great place. Here's my story. When my younger son, Gerard, left the US in 2012 to live in Japan, I inherited his car. I haven’t owned a car since 2005. (No holier-than-thou point to make here. I don’t want to think about my carbon imprint given all the
- [Folk Dress and Folk Etymology](https://julietetelandresen.com/folk-dress-and-folk-etymology/) - Title Image: Traditional Romanian dress. The focus of this blog is the linguistic phenomenon known as folk etymology. Last week, a well-known pharmacy in Romania launched a campaign that drew my attention. Farmacia Catena advertised that from June 22 to June 24, if you come into one of their stores wearing a traditional folk blouse,
- [Five Questions with Candice Bundy](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-with-candice-bundy/) - I’m having so much fun connecting with all the smart authors and bloggers I’ve met online. This is the latest entry in my series of conversations with other romance authors, who join us to share about their creative process, their habits, their inspiration, and more. Our guest today is Candice Bundy who loves to write paranormal
- [Sake: Ten Things to Know](https://julietetelandresen.com/10-things-to-know-about-sake/) - Title picture for sake: My son, Gerard, and his girlfriend, Rimi, opening a bottle of shōchū at Torisan, our favorite izakaya ‘neighborhood restaurant’ in Koshien When in Japan you’ll want to know that: 1. Sake Sake is the generic Japanese word for ‘alcohol.’ Everything alcoholic counts as sake. 2. Sake What you mean by sake
- [Five Questions with Rose Vane](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-with-rose-vane/) - I’m having so much fun connecting with all the smart authors and bloggers I’ve met online. This is the latest entry in my series of conversations with other romance authors, who join us to share about their creative process, their habits, their inspiration, and more. Our guest today is a dear friend of mine from Romania,
- [Observations on the Japanese Language](https://julietetelandresen.com/two-observations/) - Japanese Language: Baby Steps 日 ‘sun’ + 本 ‘origin/tree’ = Japan 日本語= Japanese Language I’m in Japan now. Sure, I can say ohayō gozaimasu ‘good morning’, arigatō gozaimasu ‘thank you very much’ and order basic food items, e.g. I have shōchū rokku ‘(Japanese) vodka on the rocks,’ down. Beyond that, I make
- [The Tiny House Movement and Japan](https://julietetelandresen.com/the-tiny-house-movement-and-japan/) - Title Image: A tiny house is a structure of either 400 sq. ft. or 600 sq. ft. or less Tiny House: United States This week I stepped into my room at the Yakku Hotel in Koshien, Japan and was immediately put in mind of the tiny house movement in the United States and all the
- [Kimberly Theobald's Boutique in Carmel, California](https://julietetelandresen.com/a-great-boutique-in-carmel/) - Kimberly Theobald owns Ami, a wonderful boutique in Carmel, California. Note: Addresses in Carmel do not have street numbers. The most accurate address for Ami is Delores between 5th and 6th. In addition to writing about the local sights and history when I travel, I love bringing attention to great local businesses. Last summer I
- [Five Questions with Tabitha Barrett](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-question-interview-with-tabitha-barrett/) - I’m having so much fun connecting with all the smart authors and bloggers I’ve met online. This is the latest entry in my series of conversations with other romance authors, who join us to share about their creative process, their habits, their inspiration, and more. Our guest today is Tabitha Barrett. 1. You’ve been writing stories since
- [Monterey in Monterey County - travel blog part iii](https://julietetelandresen.com/monterey-county-part-iii/) - Today is about the town of Monterey, which is on the Bay, so you’re looking at it. Just as Monterey County is rich in beauty, artistic endeavor, agriculture and fishing, so the town at its center has an equally rich heritage. Monterey has four historical layers. The Costanoan Rumsen Ohlone Tribe lived on the peninsula
- [Salinas in Monterey County - travel blog part ii](https://julietetelandresen.com/monterey-county-part-ii/) - “Monterey County Part II” could also be called John Steinbeck Country. The places at issue are the agricultural communities of Salinas, Castroville and Watsonville as well as the town of Monterey. We’re into Grapes of Wrath and Cannery Row territory here. If Part I was about artists and Hollywood stars finding this beautiful corner of
- [Carmel in Monterey County - travel blog part i](https://julietetelandresen.com/monterey-county-part-i/) - “Monterey County Part I” could also be called Clint Eastwood Country. The places at issue are the picturesque town of Carmel-by-the-sea and Carmel Valley. I’m lucky enough to be staying this week in Carmel Valley. Here’s my view: The reason Eastwood comes so easily to mind is because he was once mayor of Carmel. Eastwood is
- [Universal Orlando Theme Park Research](https://julietetelandresen.com/theme-park-research/) - Hot tip: If you want to go to a theme park in Orlando and avoid massive crowds, then go on a Wednesday in May. I went to Universal Orlando May is an off month, I’ve been told, in that it comes after spring break and before school lets out for the summer. And people often
- [Buy Me Love Out Today](https://julietetelandresen.com/buy-me-love-out-today/) - Today we released my newest romantic suspense novel, Buy Me Love. This book is the first book in my Buy Me Love shapeshifter series, and the heavy crime and mystery element to the book was really fun to research and write. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Purchase Buy Me
- [Sense of Smell - a Writing Tip](https://julietetelandresen.com/sense-of-smell/) - It is a truism that beginning writers stick fairly closely to the senses of sight and sound and tend to ignore the sense of smell. I, therefore, challenge beginning writers to try their hand at a werewolf romance. The minute werewolves come into the picture the sense of smell steps forward since it is a
- [Five Questions with N.L. Hoffmann](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-n-l-hoffmann/) - I’m having so much fun connecting with all the smart authors and bloggers I’ve met online. This is the latest entry in my series of conversations with other romance authors, who join us to share about their creative process, their habits, their inspiration, and more. Our guest today is N.L. Hoffmann who loves to write paranormal novels
- [Where To Use Metaphors & Similes In Your Writing](https://julietetelandresen.com/metaphors-and-similes-2/) - Have you ever compared two objects or places within your writing? If so, then you've used metaphors and similes to bring your vision to life. However, do you know which one you used? From Shakespeare: Metaphor It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Simile O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!
- [Five Questions with Lori Devoti](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-with-lori-devoti/) - I’m having so much fun connecting with all the smart authors and bloggers I’ve met online. This is the latest entry in my series of conversations with other romance authors, who join us to share about their creative process, their habits, their inspiration, and more. Our guest today is Lori Devoti, a romance and fantasy writer. She also writes
- [Theresa Caputo -  On Psychics](https://julietetelandresen.com/psychics/) - Theresa Caputo puts on a show. The phrase rattling around my head right now is: “Reader, I married him.” This is a famous quote from Jane Eyre, and the ‘him’ is, of course, Mr. Rochester. My version today is: “Reader, I went to see her.” Yes, the ‘her’ is Theresa Caputo, the Long Island Medium.
- [Five Questions with Laura Greenwood](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-laura-greenwood/) - I’m having so much fun connecting with all the smart authors and bloggers I’ve met online. This is the latest entry in my series of conversations with other romance authors, who join us to share about their creative process, their habits, their inspiration, and more. Our guest today is Laura Greenwood a paranormal writer from the United
- [Orlando, Florida: An Odd Mix](https://julietetelandresen.com/orlando-odd-mix/) - Beauty and the Beast, as apt a metaphor for Orlando, Florida as I can think of at the moment The first book in my new shapeshifter series is Buy Me Love, and it will be available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play Books and Kobo on May 11. On Easter Sunday I went to
- [Five Questions with Nancy Monsman](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-nancy-monsman/) - This is the latest entry in my series of conversations with other authors, who join us to share about their creative process, their habits, their inspiration, and more. Our guest today is Nancy Monsman and our interview is a little bit different than I normally do, but I know you'll enjoy it nevertheless. In addition to being
- [What I'm Reading VI - Florida Crime Novels](https://julietetelandresen.com/im-reading-vi-florida-crime-novels/) - Reading is an important part of writing. Reading instructs, and reading inspires. I’m rarely without a book. I've been on a Florida crime novels reading spree. What are you reading these days? I got on a Florida kick – to be precise a comic crime-novel spree with stories featuring mobsters, murderers, and mental cases pulling
- [Word Count and Your Story - Guidelines](https://julietetelandresen.com/word-count/) - Note: This blog on word count is a follow-up to Size Matters and How Big Is Your Canvas? where I discuss in general terms imagining one’s story in terms of a painting. I can tell a novelist is new to the craft when I encounter a mismatch between the size of the story (the word count)
- [Miami and Palm Beach, Florida](https://julietetelandresen.com/miami-palm-beach/) - The second-to-last stops on our Southeast Coast Road Trip were Miami and Palm Beach, Florida. I skipped right over this part of the trip and wrote all about Cuba, but I wanted to make sure I shared about this part of our journey too. We stayed two nights in Coconut Grove. Our hotel did not have
- [Varadero, Cuba Day Four - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/cuba-day-four/) - For our second daytrip we decided to go to the closest fancy beach, Varadero, a little more than two hours east of Havana. To the north of the peninsula is the Gulf of Mexico. To the south is the Bahia de Cardenas. The peninsula is so narrow that, at some points, you can see both
- [Zaragoza, Cuba Day Three - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/cuba-day-three/) - For those who have been to any other Caribbean island, what’s remarkable about Cuba is its size. It is much bigger than, say, Puerto Rico. Three hours to the west, in Pinar del Río, are the tobacco farms. Four hours to the south and west is the town of Cienfuegos on the southern coast. We
- [On the Town in Havana, Cuba - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/havana-cuba-day-two/) - On the town in Havana, Cuba. Day Two was our history/political day. But, first, you gotta love hotel breakfast buffets. At the Hotel Riviera it looks like this: In the tropics you get all the wonderful fruit – mango, papaya, pineapple, and guava: In the backgrounds of both pictures, you’ll see a live band. At
- [Havana, Cuba Day One - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/2451-2/) - Title Image: Spanish Embassy on San Francisco Square - Havana, Cuba So … last Tuesday morning when I woke up, I had no idea I would be in Havana, Cuba the next day. But that’s what happened. Here’s how: Friend and co-author Phillip called me to say he had a last-minute invitation to attend a
- [First-Person Narration and the Novel](https://julietetelandresen.com/first-person-narration/) - I originally published this article on my Goodreads page and I'm reposting it here. It centers on first-person narration. It is a truism that many first novels are written in first-person narration. This choice makes sense for a couple of reasons. For one, the first-time novelist is probably bursting with the story of a particular character
- [Day Tripping in Central Florida](https://julietetelandresen.com/day-tripping-central-florida/) - Take a morning walk along the St. John’s River in Sanford, an easy 30-minute drive north of Orlando in Central Florida On our road trip from Charlotte NC to Miami, the third stop (after Charleston and Savannah) was St. Augustine, Florida. Established in 1565, it’s the oldest continuously settled city in the US. It’s also
- [Cinematic Savannah, GA - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/cinematic-savannah-ga/) - Title Image: Forsyth Park, SavannahCinematic Savannah, GA - a travel blog Stop #2 on our road trip: after Charleston came Savannah, an easy few hours along scenic Low Country back roads. Quick: What do Juliette Gordon Low, Johnny Mercer and Paula Deen all have in common? Answer: They’re all from Savannah. And now here’s my
- [Charleston, SC - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/charleston-sc/) - Title Photo: The Battery – Charleston, South Carolina My friend, Delia, came all the way from Bucharest, Romania to attend the Gender, Sexuality, Feminism and the Romance Novel symposium, which I hosted at Duke University on February 10. (More on that event in a later blog.) After that it was: ROAD TRIP! I haven’t owned
- [Romance Subgenres: An Overview (Repost)](https://julietetelandresen.com/repost-romance-subgenres/) - It's still Valentine's Day week! So I thought it would be fun to share my overview of romance subgenres. My quest as a romance writer is to mine the riches of as many of the romance subgenres as I possibly can. The major division is between historical and contemporary: Historicals Location and century organize this
- [Love: What Romance Novels Have Taught Me](https://julietetelandresen.com/repost-romance-novels-taught-love/) - In honor of Valentine's Day, I am reposting this blog post from last year about what romance novels have taught me about love. In 1972 the Equal Rights Amendment was big news. In 1972 the first issue of Gloria Steinem’s Ms. magazines appeared. The next year Roe v. Wade made abortion legal in the United
- [Live Stream Gender, Sexuality, Feminism and the Romance Novel](https://julietetelandresen.com/live-stream-gender-sexuality-feminism-romance-novel/) - Live stream: the symposium Gender, Sexuality, Feminism and the Romance Novel is being live-streamed on Friday, February 10 from 2:00 - 5:00. The speakers are New York Times bestselling authors Ilona Andrews (the husband-wife writing team of Gordon and Ilona), Sarah MacLean, Alisha Rai, and Mary Bly (known to her readers at Eloisa James). The
- [The Rubenstein Library and Romance Novels](https://julietetelandresen.com/romance-novels-rubenstein-library/) - Title Image: Main entrance to Perkins-Bostock and the Rubenstein Library, West Campus, Duke University On February 10 I am hosting the Gender, Sexuality, Feminism and the Romance Novel symposium at Duke University. It will be held in the East Campus parlors of the East Duke Building from 2:00 – 5:00. A reception following the symposium
- [Romance Novel Symposium Duke University](https://julietetelandresen.com/romance-novel-symposium-valentines-day/) - Title Image: East Duke Building where the Romance Novel Symposium Duke University will be held on February 14. On Friday, February 10 from 2:00 – 5:00 I will be moderating “Gender, Sexuality, Feminism and the Romance Novel” held in the first-floor parlors of the East Duke Building on Duke University’s East Campus. I have invited
- [Buried Treasure - a Writing Tip](https://julietetelandresen.com/writers-buried-treasure/) - We writers regularly give ourselves gifts – whether we’re initially conscious of them or not – in the form of buried treasure. As we write, we leave ourselves breadcrumbs, just like in the fairy tale. But unlike in the fairy tale, there are no birds to eat them. And our breadcrumbs don’t lead our way
- [Five Questions with Alisha Rai](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-alisha-rai/) - I’m having so much fun connecting with all the smart authors and bloggers I’ve met online. This is the latest entry in my series of conversations with other romance authors, who join us to share about their creative process, their habits, their inspiration, and more. Our guest today is Alisha Rai who claims writing sexypants romance as
- [Women's March: Images from January 22nd](https://julietetelandresen.com/images-washington-dc-january-22nd/) - The Inauguration was on January 20. The Women's March was January 21. What's left when all the ceremonies, speeches and marches are over? Here’s what I saw on this wet and atmospheric Sunday morning: Let the clean up begin.
- [Geneva: Thoughts on Relative Fame](https://julietetelandresen.com/geneva-thoughts-relative-fame/) - Fame, what is it? I’m in Geneva to give a talk at a linguistics conference with an Atelier Saussure-Chomsky (atelier = workshop). A good reason such a conference is held in Geneva is because the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure (1857-1913) lived and taught here. The American linguist Noam Chomsky is, presumably, included because he
- [Kazakh Food - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/kazakh-food/) - Out first night in Astana. We had good weather so we wanted to eat outdoors and then looked for Kazakh food. Confession: the first night we chose a Georgian restaurant, the Daredzhani, not a Kazakh restaurant. In the middle of the table is a cauliflower dish with walnuts, to the back right a plate of
- [Five Questions with Ilona Andrews](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-ilona-andrews/) - I’m having so much fun connecting with all the smart authors and bloggers I’ve met online. This is the latest entry in my series of conversations with other romance authors, who join us to share about their creative process, their habits, their inspiration, and more. Our guest today is Ilona Andrews who is a New York
- [What I’m Reading V: Scandinavian Trilogy](https://julietetelandresen.com/im-reading-v-scandinavian-trilogy/) - My self-styled Scandinavian Trilogy. Reading is an important part of writing. Reading instructs, and reading inspires. I’m rarely without a book. What are you reading these days? I recently made my own Scandinavian trilogy by reading three books in a row – A Man Called Ove, Blind Goddess and Smilla’s Sense of Snow – set
- [Going to Geneva, Switzerland - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/going-geneva-switzerland/) - Title Photo: Lake Neuchâtel – viewed from the train going from Basel to Geneva, Switzerland Basel to Geneva, by way of Biel in the mountains, is an extremely pleasant two-and-a-half-hour train ride. Swiss trains are a dream. The schedule is precise, and the ride is smooth as silk. It doesn’t hurt that you have the
- [Mulhouse, France at a Glance](https://julietetelandresen.com/mulhouse-france-glance/) - Mulhouse (pronounced: moolooze) is near the top of the map in France, a bit north and west of Basel. It is in the historic province of Alsace. Since I was hanging around Basel for a few days, I decided it would be a good idea to do a day-trip to Mulhouse, France, since it’s only
- [Basel, Switzerland at a Glance - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/basel-switzerland-glance/) - Title Image: Basel, Switzerland, a view of Old Town from the Rhine River Happy New Year! And New Year 2017 has me in Europe – first stop Basel, Switzerland. I’m giving a talk at a linguistics conference in Geneva in a few days so I thought I’d expand my excursion a bit. First impression: everything
- [What I'm Reading IV: Global Romance](https://julietetelandresen.com/2221-2/) - My self-style global romance duet Reading is an important part of writing. Reading instructs, and reading inspires. I’m rarely without a book. I love reading at home. I also love reading on the road, where I spend a lot of time. I write romance, and I tend to read romance. However, my notion of what
- [English Settings III: Americanisms/Anachronisms](https://julietetelandresen.com/english-settings-iii-americanismsanachronisms/) - This blog on Americanisms is the sequel to English Settings I: Britishisms and English Settings II: British Slang. I’ll start where I started twice before: So you’re an American novelist and you’ve chosen to set your story in England. That’s great. But now here’s your problem: English. Namely, American English. It’s one thing to adopt
- [English Settings II: British Slang](https://julietetelandresen.com/english-settings-ii-british-slang/) - British Slang is a sequel to English Settings I: Britishisms. I’ll start where I started before: So you’re an American novelist and you’ve chosen to set your story in England. That’s great. But now here’s your problem: English. In my earlier blog I said that British slang was a category unto itself and completely delightful.
- [Britishisms: What Are They? How To Use Them](https://julietetelandresen.com/britishisms/) - You’re an American novelist and you’ve decided to set your story in England. That’s great. But now here’s your problem: English. You need to get a handle on Britishisms. If your story is set in France, it’s perfectly legit for your characters not to speak French if they happen to be American. However, if your
- [What I'm Reading III - British Police Procedurals](https://julietetelandresen.com/im-reading-iii/) - British Police Procedurals II: The Bill Slider Series I recently discovered and fell in love with Cynthia Harrod-Eagles’s Detective Inspector Bill Slider of the Shepherd’s Bush police station in west London and his partner – or as Slider refers to him, his bagman – Detective Sergeant Jim Atherton. The series of British Police Procedurals started
- [Five Questions with Mary Bly/Eloisa James](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-mary-bly/) - Mary Bly/Eloisa James. I’m having so much fun connecting with all the smart authors and bloggers I’ve met online. This is the latest entry in my series of conversations with other romance authors, who join us to share about their creative process, their habits, their inspiration, and more. Our guest today is Mary Bly who is
- [What I'm Reading II - Romney and Marsh Files](https://julietetelandresen.com/im-reading-ii/) - British Police Procedurals Part I: The Romney and Marsh Files by Oliver Tidy. I had a ball reading all seven murder-mysteries involving the deeply flawed Detective Inspector Tom Romney and his trusty Detective Sargent Joy Marsh. The stories are set in the Dover CID (Crime Investigation Department) on the Kent Coast, and the atmosphere of
- [How to Write About The Art of Seduction](https://julietetelandresen.com/the-art-of-seduction/) - Casanova comes to mind when thinking about the art of seduction. The title image is a partial of the movie poster for Casanova. He is an example of the Ideal Lover. I recommend Robert Greene’s The Art of Seduction to romance writers or any writer – or to anybody who is interested in seducing someone.
- [The Benjamin Franklin Effect](https://julietetelandresen.com/benjamin-franklin-effect/) - Benjamin Franklin is well known for his many famous quotes. He is less well known for knowing how to turn enemies into friends. Call it the Benjamin Franklin effect. Franklin served in Pennsylvania’s colonial legislature (1736– 1764) both as delegate and as elected clerk of the general assembly. When he ran for his second term
- [What I'm Reading I: British-Indian Romance](https://julietetelandresen.com/what-im-reading-i/) - Reading is an important activity for a writers. I'm also a devoted fan of the romance genre and read romances all the time for simple enjoyment. Any inspiration I get from the stories is icing on the cake. Right now I'm on a British-Indian romance kick. Note: See my blog Romantic International Settings in Romance
- [Five Questions with Tracey A Wood](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-with-tracey-a-wood/) - I’m having so much fun connecting with all the smart authors and bloggers I’ve met online. This is the latest entry in my series of conversations with other romance authors, who join us to share about their creative process, their habits, their inspiration, and more. Our guest today is Tracey A Wood a paranormal writer from Staffordshire in
- [Independent Publishing: Pros and Cons](https://julietetelandresen.com/independent-publishing/) - As all writers know at this point, the great changes in the publishing industry in the past 15 – 20 years have made it possible for authors, like artists in the music world, to become their own producers. Independent publishing has its pros and cons. The Pros of Independent Publishing are Obvious First, as an
- [Five Questions with Toya Richardson](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-toya-richardson/) - I’m having so much fun connecting with all the smart authors and bloggers I’ve met online. This is the latest entry in my series of conversations with other romance authors, who join us to share about their creative process, their habits, their inspiration, and more. Our guest today is Toya Richardson a multi genre writer including not
- [T-Secret: Gail Kent The Acne Maven](https://julietetelandresen.com/the-acne-maven/) - Title Image: Gail Kent, founder of T-Secret, giving a facial The best secret in Orlando, Florida is Tamahra’s Secret, aka T-Secret, a skin care salon in College Park. It’s not Orlando’s best kept secret, by any means, because it is widely known both locally and nationally and, indeed, clients fly in from around the country
- [Seven Things to Love about Orlando, Florida](https://julietetelandresen.com/seven-things-love-orlando-florida/) - For the past 10+ years I’ve owned property in Orlando, Florida. People are often surprised when I tell them how much I like the city. The surprise – which is maybe more like confusion – arises from the fact that downtown Orlando is about 15 miles away from downtown Disney. Whatever you think of theme
- [Five Questions with Mary Morgan](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-mary-morgan/) - I’m having so much fun connecting with all the smart authors and bloggers I’ve met online. This is the latest entry in my series of conversations with other romance authors, who join us to share about their creative process, their habits, their inspiration, and more. Our guest today is Mary Morgan a romance writer originally hailing from Scotland
- [Skylar’s Baby Shower](https://julietetelandresen.com/skylars-baby-shower/) - No surprise, Skylar is a girl! The decorations at the baby shower tell the story, In 2002 I joined Big Brothers Big Sisters, a mentoring program. I was paired with Vanessa, who was 12 years old at the time. Now 14 years later, we’re still together. She’s part of my family, and I’m part of
- [Five Questions with Renee Regent](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-renee-regent/) - I’m having so much fun connecting with all the smart authors and bloggers I’ve met online. This is the latest entry in my series of conversations with other romance authors, who join us to share about their creative process, their habits, their inspiration, and more. Our guest today is Renee Regent, whose debut novel Unexplained just came
- [PolitiFact: Journalism Holding Power Accountable](https://julietetelandresen.com/journalism-holding-power-accountable/) - Last week Bill Adair, founder of Politifact, gave a packed talk at Motorco in downtown Durham entitled “The Truth-o-Meter, Pants on Fire and fact-checking the 2016 election.” Adair is the Knight Professor of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy at Duke University and the founder of PolitiFact, a project sponsored by the Tampa Bay
- [Foodie Town Durham, NC - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/durham-nc-foodie-town/) - Title Image: Food Truck Rodeo, Farmer’s Market, Central Park, Durham NC. Even food truck food in foodie town Durham, NC is delicious. Fifteen years ago Durham did not have a restaurant culture, and the downtown was dead. There was only the now-closed Magnolia Grill, which had opened in 1986 on Ninth Street that could be
- [Gender, Feminism, Sexuality and the Romance Novel](https://julietetelandresen.com/gender-feminism-sexuality-romance-novel-symposium/) - Title Image: East Duke Building, East Campus, Duke University, where the symposium Gender, Feminism, Sexuality and the Romance Novel will be held. On February 10, 2017 I will be hosting a symposium on Gender, Feminism, Sexuality and the Romance Novel. It will be held in East Duke Building on Duke’s East Campus, picture above, and
- [Writing Across Languages - Try It!](https://julietetelandresen.com/writing-across-languages/) - Writing across languages is scary. Ruxie, one of my dear friends in Romania, shares two of my passions: linguistics and romance novels. About a month ago we went out to dinner, and she admitted she had written a Regency romance. Note: a Regency is a novel set in early 19th-century England. Think Jane Austen’s time
- [The (Dis)Honesty Project & Dan Ariely](https://julietetelandresen.com/the-dishonesty-project/) - In the front lobby of the new West Union building at Duke University is this intriguing structure, the Truth Box (pictured above). It's a part of the (Dis)Honesty Project. To the right of the box is a table, above which you see a silhouette of a red Pinocchio. On the table there’s a bin with
- [Romance Novel Myths: Top Five](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-myths-romance-novels/) - I originally published this blog about romance novel myths on my Goodreads page. Romance Novel Myths #1: Romance novels are stupid. Upfront: yes, some romance novels are stupid. So are some mystery novels, science fiction novels, slice-of-life novels, TV shows, magazine articles, op-ed pieces, political speeches – the list here is endless. No genre has a
- [Charlotte, North Carolina - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/charlotte-north-carolina/) - Toward the end of September Charlotte, North Carolina captured negative national attention for being the latest city rocked by protests in the wake of the shooting death of an African-American man at the hands of the police. Two days after the incidents I went to Charlotte to visit family, and I thought that while Charlotte,
- [Duke University: Under Construction](https://julietetelandresen.com/duke-university-construction/) - Title Photo: Duke University West Campus, seen from the dorm quads In April, when I left Durham, North Carolina for my around-the-world trip, I was not expecting to return to Duke University in September and find it one of the more surprising places I’ve been in the past few months. And I can say this
- [Thomas Edison & Steve Jobs: Alter Egos](https://julietetelandresen.com/repost-alter-egos/) - Last week I happened to read two books back to back. The first was Walter Isaacson’s 2011 biography of Steve Jobs. The second was Jacked Up: The Inside Story of How Jack Welch Talked GE into Becoming the World’s Greatest Company (2007) by Bill Lane, Welch’s long-time speech writer. Reading these two books in a
- [Vocal Fry/Creaky Voice: Repost](https://julietetelandresen.com/repost-vocal-frycreaky-voices/) - Note: I first posted Vocal Fry/Creaky Voice earlier this year. I am reposting it because when I was in Romania over the summer a friend described to me a new show one of her friends was watching. I said in some astonishment, “I think you’re talking about Flip or Flop.” Indeed, that was the show.
- [Five Questions with Tamara Ferguson](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-tamara-ferguson/) - I’m having so much fun connecting with all the smart authors and bloggers I’ve met online. This is the latest entry in my series of conversations with other romance authors, who join us to share about their creative process, their habits, their inspiration, and more. Our guest today is Tamara Ferguson who writes contemporary suspenseful romances and a
- [Fictional London - a travel/writing blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/london-4/) - Note: My blogs Visiting London, London Architecture, and Factual London are about factual London. This one is about fictional London. The present blog is about fictional London, that is, the London that figures as the setting for my two latest stories, The Alpha’s Edge and Buy Me Love. I thought it would be fun in
- [Five Questions with Lori Ann Bailey](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-lori-ann-bailey/) - I’m having so much fun connecting with all the smart authors and bloggers I’ve met online. This is the latest entry in my series of conversations with other romance authors, who join us to share about their creative process, their habits, their inspiration, and more. Our guest today is Lori Ann Bailey who writes historical fiction and
- [Factual London - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/1786-2/) - Note: I spent the last week of August in Factual London (which I am distinguishing from Fictional London). Visting London gives a sense of the cityscape. London Architecture praises its architecture. Here I offer further observations on my experience in the last international stop on my five-month around-the-world tour. Next I look at Fictional London.
- [London Architecture - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/london-2/) - Note: I spent the last week of August in London. Visiting London gives a sense of the cityscape. In this post I'll delve into London Architecture. Georgian (1714-1830). When I visit London, I stay in Bloomsbury, an area chock full of Georgian architecture. The hotel where I stay, the Grange White Hall on Montague Street, is
- [Unusual Travel Tips: The Bad, The Worse, The ???](https://julietetelandresen.com/the-bad-the-annoying-and-the/) - The following stories lead to unusual travel tips. #1 The Bad Around New Year’s 2010 I went to Brazil. At the Manaus airport in Amazonas State, I was looking up at the information board to find my flight home. I was going to São Paulo where I was to get my connecting plane back to
- [Visiting London - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/london-travel-part-1/) - London is my last stop on my around-the-world journey that began five months ago. You know you’re in London when … Look Right, Look Left signs are painted on the streets at every corner. Very helpful! These signs have helped me – and likely every foreign traveler – to escape disaster. Taxicabs are big, black
- [Multilingualism in the U.S. - Presidents & States](https://julietetelandresen.com/multilingualism-in-us/) - Multilingualism in the U.S. - Presidents Martin Van Buren is the only President whose first language was not English. It was Dutch. Herbert Hoover and his wife, Lou Henry Hoover, both learned Mandarin. They lived in China for several years around the turn of the 20th century. Multilingual presidents who spoke French include: John Adams,
- [Burkini - A Problem & A Solution](https://julietetelandresen.com/the-burkini/) - Bikini v. Burkini Okay, I’ll weigh in. Burqas are a problem for four reasons: A Burqa causes problems Covering your entire body all day every day leads to Vitamin D deficiency. You aren’t getting enough sun. Skeletal problems result. Due to the Vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women wearing burqas, their babies have a higher
- [Do Romance Novelists Make Money?](https://julietetelandresen.com/money/) - When discussing whether or not a romance novelist is successful, many people focus on how much money for romance novels sales the author makes. However, is that really the only piece that determines whether or not a romance author, or any author is successful.
- [Languages in the World: The Textbook](https://julietetelandresen.com/languages-in-the-world-the-textbook/) - As regular readers of this blog know, my latest academic book Languages in the World. How History, Culture and Politics Shape Language was published by Wiley-Blackwell in January of this year. Co-author Phillip M. Carter teaches at Florida International University in Miami. For professors who are considering adopting the book for their courses this coming fall semester,
- [Bulgaria: Ten Things To Know - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/ten-things-to-know-about-bulgaria/) - Bulgaria is in Southeastern Europe. I’m now in Bulgaria, at Balcic (also spelled Balchik), a resort town on the Black Sea. We’re staying at the Regina Maria Hotel with our balcony hardly 30 yards from water’s edge. See my blog: Bulgaria 5.0 This is the sixth time I’ve been here, and it’s high time I’ve
- [Balcic 5.0 - a travel blog (Repost)](https://julietetelandresen.com/repost-bulgaria-5-0/) - Balcic, Bulgaria. Cover Photo Credit: Boby Dimitrov, via Wikimedia Commons. Authorized for reuse under Creative Commons. Note: This is a repost of the blog post I wrote last year when I was in Balcic, Bulgaria. This is the fifth year in a row I’ve come with my Romanian friends to Balcic (also spelled Balchik). It’s on the Black
- [Balkan Grammar - a Sprachbund](https://julietetelandresen.com/balkan-grammar/) - Strange as it may sound, there is such a thing as Balkan grammar. The term Sprachbund ‘language league/area’ was first coined to refer to the unusual language situation in the Balkans. (Linguistic note: the word balkan is Turkish and means something like ‘wooded mountain chain’.) A glance at the map tells you there are many
- [Famous Serbs: Top Ten](https://julietetelandresen.com/ten-famous-serbs/) - My recent trip to Serbia inspired me to put together a list of famous Serbs. Some are infamous. You decide. (I’m using the spellings I saw in Serbia.) I. Famous Serbs in Sports, Science, and the Arts Novak Đoković – professional tennis player currently ranked #1 in men’s singles and modern national hero Nikola Tesla
- [Quick Trip to Serbia - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/serbia/) - Serbia is to the east of Romania, my point of reference: I spend summers in Bucharest, Romania, and when Phillip was in Spain, he suggested we meet in Serbia. It’s always great to visit a lively city, and Belgrade certainly fits that bill. See: my blog Belgrade. But it’s also good to get out of
- [Belgrade, Serbia - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/belgrade/) - Belgrade Fortress When Phillip, my friend and wonderful co-author for Languages in the World, was in Spain this past month, he suggested we meet up in Serbia. I said “Sure,” especially since Belgrade is an easy hour+ plane ride from Bucharest. We met up last week. It was no surprise that the landscape I looked
- [Romanian History seen through Castel Peleş](https://julietetelandresen.com/romanian-political-history-seen-through-castel-peles/) - When my friend, Trish, came to visit me in Romania, we went to Transylvania. On the way we stopped at the resort town of Sinaia in order to visit the fancy modern Castel Peleş. By ‘fancy’ you can see what I mean in the picture. By ‘modern’ I mean that the castle was constructed between 1873-1914
- [Transylvania II - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/transylvania-ii/) - Now that I’ve gotten the pop culture notion of Transylvania out of the way in Transylvania I, I can deal with the real place, which is not at all wonderfully creepy (shiver, shiver) but rather very beautiful and bucolic with a rich history. Transylvania is a geographic area more or less defined and enclosed on
- [Transylvania I - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/transylvania-i/) - Transylvania. The name immediately evokes weird, scary stuff. My friend, Trish, has a daughter, Caroline, who went on a talk show for kids in New York City when she was 3 years old. Somehow the subject of vampires came up, whereupon Caroline informed the host that, “Vampires comes from Pennsylvania.” Trish came to visit me
- [Famous Romanians: Ten Plus Two](https://julietetelandresen.com/ten-famous-romanians-2/) - There are many famous Romanians, and I chose Elie Wiesel for the title image. Here's my list: Famous Romanians: Historical 1. News of the death of Elie Wiesel (1928-2016), the writer and human rights advocate, on July 2 reminded me that he was born in Romania. His holocaust story Night (1960), a shortened version of
- [Torna Fratre: My Favorite Restaurant in Bucharest](https://julietetelandresen.com/favorite-restaurant-bucharest/) - My favorite restaurant in Bucharest is Torna Fratre. The address is Strada Tunari 34, Sector 2. On the banner over the entrance in the title image, you can see the word cherhana, which is a restaurant specializing in fish. Zilnic means 'daily.' Food. The first criterion in judging a restaurant is, of course, the food.
- [Romantic International Settings in Romance Novels](https://julietetelandresen.com/romance-novels-and-international-settings/) - Romantic international settings are popping up more frequently in romance novels. Spurred by wanderlust millennials, are these new international locations the new mainstay in romance writing or just a passing fad?
- [Romanian Language and English: Will Romanian Survive?](https://julietetelandresen.com/english-romanian/) - The Romanian language is at issue here. In Chapter 12 of Languages in the World we introduce Jean-Louis Calvet’s gravitational model comparing the different “weights” of languages across the world, each language having an attractive power, like stars and planets. The heavier the language, the more likely people are drawn to learn it. The lighter,
- [Five Questions with Roxanne Howard](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-with-roxanne-howard/) - I’m having so much fun connecting with all the smart authors and bloggers I’ve met online. This is the latest entry in my series of conversations with other romance authors, who join us to share about their creative process, their habits, their inspiration, and more. Our guest today is Roxanne Howard who writes erotic romance with substance. What
- [Bucharest: Romanian Round-Up](https://julietetelandresen.com/romanian-round-up/) - I’ve now arrived at my major stopping place in my around-the-world trip, namely Bucharest Romania where I’ll spend the next 3 months. I’ve spent 3 – 4 months here every summer for the past 10 years, so I know the place well. Here are my immediate impressions upon returning: Romanian news. I’m a junkie. Can’t
- [Traveling Between Uzbekistan and Romania](https://julietetelandresen.com/a-tale-of-two-countries-ii-uzbekistan-and-romania/) - Here I highlight some of the differences but mostly the similarities between Romania and Uzbekistan. Differences between Romania and Uzbekistan First, Romania is in Eastern Europe, and Uzbekistan is in Central Asia. Check out the distance. Furthermore: -Romanians speak Romanian, a Romance language. Uzbeks speak Uzbek, a Turkic language. -Romanians are 90% Eastern Orthodox.
- [Five Questions with Ingrid Hahn](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-with-ingrid-hahn/) - There are so many fascinating authors and bloggers out there, and I feel lucky to be meeting many of them through Twitter and blogs. This is the latest entry in my series of conversations with other romance authors, who join us to share about their creative process, their habits, their inspiration, and more. Our guest today is Ingrid Hahn, an
- [Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/a-tale-of-two-countries-i-azerbaijan-and-uzbekistan/) - The Central Asian countries of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan share many similarities. However, as a tourist, I was struck by their differences. Note: For some, Azerbaijan counts as being in the Caucasus, along with Georgia and Armenia. However, my guide in Azerbaijan spoke of his country as being in Central Asia. The similarities between Azerbaijan and
- [Story Magic, Plot and Characters - 3 Tips](https://julietetelandresen.com/plot-characters-and-story-magic/) - To illustrate my point about story magic I’ll use The Alpha’s Edge, a shapeshifter short story I just finished writing. The Alpha's Edge observes the Aristotlean principle of the unity of time and action (plus place). It takes place in a 24-hour time period on one street in London and involves an intertwined murder mystery-romance. At
- [On the Road in Uzbekistan - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/on-the-road-in-uzbekistan/) - The sixth leg of my around-the-world tour is Uzbekistan. Note: the fifth leg was Azerbaijan. See my blogs: Azerbaijan Architecture and Complex Azerbaijan Politics. Why Uzbekistan? I can’t really say. I think the names Tashkent and Samarkand drew me. Also, the complications of ticketing an around the world trip made going other places in the
- [Complex Azerbaijan Politics - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/azerbaijan-ii-a-complex-political-situation/) - I’ve had Azerbaijan on the brain since doing the research for Chapter Five of Languages in the World. How History, Culture and Politics Shape Language with Phillip M. Carter (Wiley-Blackwell, 2016). So I had to come here ... and then became aware of the complexity of Azerbaijan politics. Chapter Five is entitled “The Development of
- [Soviet Junk: Post-Communist Clean Up](https://julietetelandresen.com/post-communist-clean-up-the-winner-is/) - My recent visit to Azerbaijan inspired this blog. As I drove through Baku with my guide, Basran, he would occasionally gesture at crumbly old buildings and say, "Soviet junk.” I’ve gained experience roaming through countries spewed by the cement mixer of communism: the Balkans (Romania, Bulgaria), Russia, Mongolia, and now Azerbaijan. How have they been
- [Azerbaijan Architecture - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/azerbaijan-i-a-lovely-architectural-surprise/) - Title Image: Flame Towers, Baku, a spectacular example of Azerbaijan architecture. I left Malaysia, and after an 11-hour flight and a 4-hour layover in Istanbul followed by another 3-hour flight, I arrived in Azerbaijan. Although I was very tired and jet-lagged, I immediately perked up at sight of Baku, the capital. Baku is a beautiful
- [Kuala Lumpur and Melaka, Malaysia](https://julietetelandresen.com/kuala-lumpur-and-melaka-malaysia/) - The fourth stop in my trip around the world is Malaysia, landing in Kuala Lumpur. The first thing you need to know is that kuala means ‘confluence of two rivers, estuary’ and lumpur means ‘muddy’. Here I am (in the photo on the right) at the muddy confluence. Note: Everywhere in Asia it is normal to carry
- [Globalization Through The Lens of Malaysia](https://julietetelandresen.com/globalization-through-the-lens-of-malaysia/) - Malaysia perfectly exemplifies today's globalization. Kuala Lumpur’s Twin Towers seen from the Traders Hotel where I stayed. Here I outline the way globalization is woven into Malaysia and the way Malaysia weaves itself into globalization. Some of my observations are not surprising. They are rather eyewitness confirmation of what we hear/read about every day. Young
- [Further Observations on Japan](https://julietetelandresen.com/further-observations-on-japan/) - Here is another listicle about Japan. This time the observations are random and in no particular order: 10. T-shirts/sweatshirts. Many people wear T-shirts or sweatshirts with names of U.S. states on them, like South Dakota or Maryland. Every now and then the shirt has the name of a college, often made-up. As for a real
- [Kinosaki-onsen – a Japanese Spa Town](https://julietetelandresen.com/kinosaki-onsen-a-japanese-spa-town/) - Onsen: The Best Thing in Japan Making good on my own rating that the onsen is the height of Japanese culture, Gerard and I went to Kinosaki-onsen, a charming spa town on a northwestern coast of the main island, Honshu. The word onsen is even in the name of the town. We did it up
- [Linguistic Residual Zone: New York City](https://julietetelandresen.com/new-york-city-a-contemporary-linguistic-residual-zone/) - Linguist Johanna Nichols has identified two types of geographic zones relevant for comparative work in linguistics: the linguistic residual zone and the linguistic spread zone. Linguistic Residual Zones A linguistic residual zone tends to be a relatively small, often geographically enclosed area. A higher number of languages from different language families are spoken here than in the areas surrounding
- [Azumino: The Japanese Alps](https://julietetelandresen.com/azumino-the-japanese-alps/) - Azumino: The Japanese Alps This past weekend my son, Gerard, and I went to a most beautiful area of Japan, specifically Azumino City in Nagano Prefecture. The XVIII Winter Olympics were held in Nagano in 1998. So this event tells you the area is impressively mountainous. It also explains why the region is called the
- [Japanese Culture Ten Things - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/ten-things-to-love-about-japanese-culture/) - I’m in Japan for two weeks. It’s my second trip to visit my younger son, Gerard, who has lived in Koshien (outside of Osaka) for three and a half years. Here are the top ten things I love about Japanese culture. Japanese Culture: Three to Start 10. Cool paper products. Not just origami, but complicated cards
- [Bay Area, California - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/some-animals-are-smarter-than-we-think-some-dumber/) - I’m in the Bay Area around San Francisco, the second leg of my trip around the world. My niece, Julia, and her family live in Mill Valley, just north of San Francisco. My sister, Carol, and her husband, Phil, live in Carmel Valley. It's about two and a half hours south of the city, around
- [Five Questions with Jillian Chantel](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-with-jillian-chantel/) - There are so many fascinating authors and bloggers out there, and I feel lucky to be meeting many of them through Twitter and blogs. This is the latest entry in my series of conversations with other romance authors, who join us to share about their creative process, their habits, their inspiration, and more. Our guest today is Jillian Chantel, an
- [Short Stories: Idea Size Matters](https://julietetelandresen.com/size-matters/) - Last week I was on the phone with an editor discussing one of my short stories The Alpha’s Edge. She told me that when she hears a novelist say, “I want to write short stories” – mostly for the purpose of getting more material out into the marketplace quickly – she always responds, “Don’t do it!”
- [My Adventure Begins in Durham NC - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/my-adventure-begins/) - This week I’m beginning my around-the-world adventure, which will last five months. I'm leaving Orlando Florida to go to Durham NC, my first stop. As a world traveler I have come to appreciate home in a way I used to take for granted. At the moment my home is Florida. In my bedroom I have
- [Are You A Writer?: Seven Questions](https://julietetelandresen.com/are-you-a-writer/) - Are you a writer? Beloved children’s book author Roald Dahl offers a checklist of seven qualities anyone wanting to make a living out of writing fiction must have. It’s found in a short piece called Lucky Break appearing at the end of The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More. I’ll quote him and
- [Married Yet? If Not, Here's a New Approach](https://julietetelandresen.com/so-who-is-it/) - Why aren't you married yet? This question crosses the minds of many women and men who want to get married but can’t seem to make it work. However, if you're in a string of short-lived relationships, lamenting over why you aren’t married may not be the right question to ask yourself. Revelations in Pop Culture
- [Verbal Attack Patterns: Weaponized Speech](https://julietetelandresen.com/verbal-attack-patterns/) - Verbal Attack Patterns. Last week at the Y I met a woman named Laura. We struck up a conversation. Among other things Laura mentioned she’d begun to do tai chi again. After a thirty-year hiatus. She told me how she didn’t like her tai chi teacher of thirty years ago. And how she hadn’t found
- [Fabio: Classic Cover Model Hunk](https://julietetelandresen.com/fabio/) - Fabio The Romance Cover Model Fabio. Just one name, and 1980s and 1990s romance novels come to mind. I first learned of him when I was at a book signing for my second medieval, The Viking’s Bride (1989) and someone exclaimed, “Oh, you got a Fabio cover!” I saw him once in the flesh at
- [Social Change: The Role of Women](https://julietetelandresen.com/women-language-and-social-change/) - For March, which is Women’s Month. The topic is social change. Sociolinguist William Labov has observed: “While most language forms are stable and customary; a few rapidly changing variables may be closely compared to fashion. Change and diffusion of fashions – in clothing, cosmetics – appears to be closer to linguistic change and diffusion than
- [Five Questions with Ranae Rose](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-with-ranae-rose/) - There are so many fascinating authors and bloggers out there, and I feel lucky to be meeting many of them through Twitter and blogs. This is the latest entry in my series of conversations with other romance authors, who join us to share about their creative process, their habits, their inspiration, and more. Our guest today is Ranae Rose, an
- [What is Vocal Fry and Why Is It Common With Women?](https://julietetelandresen.com/vocal-frycreaky-voice/) - I’m a fan of HGTV. One of the shows I like is Flip or Flop with telegenic husband-wife team Tarek and Christina El Moussa. Every time I hear Christina talk, I’m always struck by how often she uses the voice register known in the media as vocal fry/creaky voice. Vocal fry is common with women
- [Frame Analysis: The Art of Politics](https://julietetelandresen.com/frame-analysis/) - Note: I first took up the subject of frame analysis in The Articulate Executive II and here I repeat a few of the comments I made in that blog. My argument and some examples are from George Lakoff’s Don’t Think of an Elephant! We’re in high political season, and we’re all awash in rhetoric. Or,
- [Have a Problem with No Problem?](https://julietetelandresen.com/problem-no-problem/) - Last week a manager in a major communications company contacted me in my role as a linguist. He wanted to consult with me on the phrase no problem. I was game, and we arranged a phone call. No Problem: The Problem He opened by saying, “I notice more and more these days when I say
- [Cameos: Writing Myself as a Character](https://julietetelandresen.com/cameos/) - Alfred Hitchcock was famous, among other things, for his cameos in the films he directed. Cameos are, by definition, brief appearances in a work of the performing arts, and the people play themselves. The topic of this blog is the writing version of movie cameos, because I always write myself into my novels, usually as
- [Love and Language: The Connection](https://julietetelandresen.com/the-connection-between-love-and-language/) - The connection between love and language is connection. What is love? Connection. What is language? Connection. When you love someone, you are connected to them. If that person is in your presence, you are likely to connect with them physically – a touch on the arm, a pat on the back, a hug. If romantic
- [The World in Words: A Fantastic Podcast](https://julietetelandresen.com/the-world-in-words-a-fantastic-podcast/) - If you love language, you will love Public Radio International’s The World in Words weekly podcast. I’m very picky when people talk about language, and every podcast I’ve heard so far is spot on. “A death in the family” has Bradley Campbell, another producer on the show, talking about how his Honduran-born father decided to
- [Romance Novels: What They Teach About Love](https://julietetelandresen.com/what-romance-novels-teach-about-love/) - In 1972 the Equal Rights Amendment was big news. In 1972 the first issue of Gloria Steinem’s Ms. magazines appeared. The next year Roe v. Wade made abortion legal in the United States. And in 1972 the publishing sensation of The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen Woodiwiss brought the extraordinary popularity of romance novels
- [Five Questions with Emma Wildes](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-emma-wildes/) - I’m having so much fun connecting with all the wonderful authors and bloggers I’ve met through Twitter and blogs. This is the latest entry in my series of conversations with other romance authors, who join us to share about their creative process, their habits, their inspiration, and more. Our guest today is Emma Wildes, an award-winning author
- [Love and Linguistics III](https://julietetelandresen.com/love-and-linguistics-iii/) - Note: This post is part of a series. You may wish to read first Love and Linguistics Part I & Part II. The pleasure I take in exploring the many varieties of romance has two sides: the love side and the linguistic side. The love side. I love setting my stories in different times and
- [Five Questions with Linda Lee Williams](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-linda-lee-williams/) - I’m having so much fun connecting with all the smart authors and bloggers I’ve met online. This is the latest entry in my series of conversations with other romance authors, who join us to share about their creative process, their habits, their inspiration, and more. Our guest today is Linda Lee Williams, an author of contemporary
- [Love and Linguistics II](https://julietetelandresen.com/love-and-linguistics-ii/) - Note: This post is part of a series about me and my work. You may wish to read first Love and Linguistics I. Now to answer the first question people often ask me: How is that I am both a professional linguist and a romance writer? The very question suggests that the combination is somehow
- [Five Questions with Selena Laurence](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-selena-laurence/) - I’m having so much fun connecting with all the smart authors and bloggers I’ve met online. This is the latest entry in my series of conversations with other romance authors, who join us to share about their creative process, their habits, their inspiration, and more. Our guest today is Selena Laurence, a USA Today bestselling author of
- [Love and Linguistics I](https://julietetelandresen.com/love-and-linguistics-i/) - Love and Linguistics I & II are blog posts about me and my work. At the same time I’m hoping they’ll provide occasions for you to think through your passions and life career choices. I am often asked two questions: How does it happen that I am both a professional linguist and a romance writer?
- [Five Questions with Devika Fernando](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-devika-fernando/) - I’m having so much fun connecting with all the smart authors and bloggers I’ve met through Twitter and blogs. This is the latest entry in my series of conversations with other romance authors, who join us to share about their creative process, their habits, their inspiration, and more. Our guest today is Devika Fernando, an author of
- [Speak American: A Linguistic Critique](https://julietetelandresen.com/speak-american/) - Today's post features guest blogger Philip M. Carter, my co-author on the new book Languages in the World. Here he offers a critique of the phrase Speak American. In a 2015 interview with CNN, former Alaska Governor and Vice Presidential candidate Sara Palin stated that if you are in the United States, you must Speak
- [Cross-Cultural Gift-Giving: Seven Tips](https://julietetelandresen.com/cross-cultural-gift-giving/) - Cross-Cultural Gift-Giving: Nothing is more difficult. If you travel, you are going to give gifts and receive gifts. Here are a few things to know: Cross-Cultural Gift-Giving Tip #1: I’ve heard the story of a businessman from Connecticut who was invited to the wedding of his Chinese partner’s daughter. The American businessman thought it was
- [2015 Words of the Year Have Been Chosen!](https://julietetelandresen.com/2015-words/) - Every year at the Linguistic Society of America Annual Meeting, The American Dialect Society holds an open forum to choose the words of the year. On January 8, 2016, the room at the LSA conference center in Washington DC was packed with several hundred people eager to vote on the 2015 words of the year.
- [Languages in the World: Writing the Book](https://julietetelandresen.com/languages-world/) - Languages in the World. How History, Culture and Politics Shape Language began with a simple phone call. In the Fall Semester of 2010, I was in Durham, North Carolina, where I teach at Duke University. Phillip Carter was living in Los Angeles, where he was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Linguistics Department at the University
- [Spoofing Romance Novels: How To Do It Right](https://julietetelandresen.com/spoofing-romance-novels/) - Spoofing romance novels: there's a wrong way to do it, and there's a right way. I have a sense of humor. I love comedies and happily watch stand-up. I recently heard comic Lewis Black’s favorite joke: “If a man speaks in a forest and there’s no woman to hear him, is he still wrong?” Okay,
- [Boosting Creativity : Take a Road Trip!](https://julietetelandresen.com/boosting-creativity/) - What are some good ways of boosting creativity? Shake yourself out of your routine: Boosting creativity #1: Take a new way to work. Boosting creativity #2: Wear your watch on your other wrist. Boosting creativity #3: Go crazy and part your hair on the other side for a change. Boosting creativity #4: Take a road
- [Five Questions with Kimberly Lang](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-kimberly-lang/) - Happy Christmas Eve! I've had so much fun this year connecting with all the smart authors and bloggers I've met through Twitter, and look forward to meeting many more in 2016. This is the seventh interview in my series of conversations with other authors, who join us to share about their creative process, their habits, their
- [Naming Characters: Three Tips](https://julietetelandresen.com/naming-characters/) - Don’t give characters names that begin with the same initial If you have two characters Richard and Robert, it’s going to be difficult for your readers to tell them apart when reading at normal speed. It will not help to change their names to, say, Rick and Roberto. You need maximal visual contrast: Richard and
- [Five Questions with MK Meredith](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-mk-meredith/) - There are so many smart women out there writing novels for the romance genre. I love connecting with them on the Internet. This is the sixth interview in my new series of conversations with other authors, who join us to share about their creative process, their habits, their inspiration, and more. Our guest today is
- [Plot Development, Character Development](https://julietetelandresen.com/plot-development/) - When it comes to plot development and character development there is no one creative process. I was surprised to discover that the poet Yeats first wrote out in prose form what he then turned into a poem. It never occurred to me that poetry could originate in prose. I don’t know why it hadn’t, but
- [Villains: Categorizing Them in Romance Novels](https://julietetelandresen.com/romance-villians/) - You know who does good villains? Disney. Two easily come to mind: Claude Frollo the scrawny Archdeacon in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Ursula the massive sea witch in The Little Mermaid. Ruthless, self-righteous, religiously pious Frollo is super creepy – literally. As he creeps around the cathedral, spouting his doctrines and lusting after
- [Off the Beaten Path: Three Travel Tips](https://julietetelandresen.com/beaten-path/) - There is no more “off the beaten path.” In this era of global travel all paths are sufficiently beaten. About 30 years ago I heard about the pilgrimage route known as St. Jacques de Compostelle in northern Spain. It’s a route you walk and stay at hostels along the way. I thought it might be cool
- [Criticism: Three Tips for Writers to Take It](https://julietetelandresen.com/criticism-writer/) - Criticism. First: Aaaarrrrggghhh! Taking criticism is the worst. Horrible, horrible, viscera-writhing horrible. Okay, that’s done. Deep breath. The reality is: Taking criticism is a crucial way to grow as a writer. Consider the source of the criticism before you consider whether you can learn from it Take, for instance, reviews on Amazon. It’s wonderful if
- [Romance Subgenres: An Overview](https://julietetelandresen.com/romance-subgenres/) - My quest as a writer is to mine the riches of as many romance subgenres of this wide-ranging art form as I possibly can. The major division is between historical and contemporary: Historical Romance Subgenres Location and century organize this, one of the largest romance subgenres. The following time-periods qualify as romance subgenres of their
- [Thanksgiving 2015](https://julietetelandresen.com/thanksgiving-2015/) - My fantasy: In the run-up to Halloween, I see Halloween decorations with an orange and black color scheme. After Halloween I see Thanksgiving decorations with turkeys and autumn leaves with an orange and brown color scheme. Only after Thanksgiving do I see the red and green of Christmas and all the other trappings: decorated trees,
- [Know Your Value: Mika Brzezinski](https://julietetelandresen.com/know-value/) - On November 20th I attended the Know Your Value event hosted by Mika Brzezinski of MSNBC’s Morning Joe in Orlando. It was the last of a nationwide effort focused on empowering women to express their worth in business and in life. The other cities on the tour were Philadelphia, DC, Chicago, and Boston. I went out
- [How To Act Like a Local When You Travel](https://julietetelandresen.com/how-to-act-like-a-local/) - Sounds easy: how to act like a local. The problem is: when in Rome, it’s sometimes simply not possible to do as the Romans do, because you can’t figure out what’s going on. This is the sad, humbling, delightful truth of traveling. Having said that, however, I will also say that Americans traveling abroad are
- [Love After All: A Mature Romance](https://julietetelandresen.com/love-after-all-2/) - My new romance is Love After All. I love treating the setting for a story as a secondary character. A lively setting allows my main characters to shine brighter. I travel a lot and use the many places I go as backdrops for my narrative imagination. One place that can hardly be outdone for romantic
- [How Big is Your Canvas? A Question for Writers](https://julietetelandresen.com/big-canvas/) - How big is your canvas? I mean this question for writers, not painters. Writing With A Big Canvas When my children were little, I read them lots of children’s books. We all know the classics, to name just one: Goodnight Moon. I read it myself when I was a kid. Rereading it as an adult,
- [Story Ideas: How to Come Up With Them](https://julietetelandresen.com/story-ideas/) - An upfront refinement: the challenge isn’t coming up with story ideas. The challenge is coming up with your interpretation of the plot you have chosen from the finite pool of story ideas that have existed for all time. So a surefire way to come up with story ideas is to fill your head with narrative
- [Linguistic Odyssey: The Hero's Journey](https://julietetelandresen.com/linguistic-odyssey/) - My Linguistic Odyssey begins with understanding The Hero's Journey. The Hero's Journey: A 12-Step Program American mythologist Joseph Campbell established the hero's journey in his book Hero With a Thousand Faces (1949). He took inspiration from Austrian psychologist Otto Rank’s The Myth of the Birth of the Hero (1909). Campbell turned the journey into a
- [Cultural Immersion: Learn the Language](https://julietetelandresen.com/cultural-immersion/) - There is only one way to achieve cultural immersion: you have to make an effort to learn the language. Any effort less than learning the language is not immersion. It’s floating on the surface. Sure, you can get to know locals and converse with them in English. You can ask them all you want about
- [Finding Writing Time: Six Tips](https://julietetelandresen.com/finding-writing-time/) - Writers write. Writers have to write. Writers can’t help but write. The problem is: finding writing time. Here are six tips to help you expand your notions of writing, writers, and finding time to write: Finding Writing Time Tip #1 Don’t cripple yourself by imagining that if you’re not writing, you’re not a writer. If
- [Thanatos and Eros: Death and Love](https://julietetelandresen.com/thanatos-eros/) - Last month I went to a presentation by Regina José Galindo, a Guatemalan performance artist. She specializes in body art. She works on Thanatos. The event was sponsored by the Duke University Department of Art & History and Duke Latino/a Studies. The room was packed, with easily 70 people in attendance. For the past few weeks
- [Public Speaking - The Articulate Executive II](https://julietetelandresen.com/public-speaking/) - Public Speaking. Really, what I'm talking here is about speaking in public. In my years of teaching, I have always gone early to class to chat with students before the hour begins. I haven’t had difficulty getting conversation going until these past few years. Now when I walk into the room, I have to find
- [The Articulate Executive I - On Public Speaking](https://julietetelandresen.com/articulate-executive/) - If you are facing an upcoming public speech, I have a story to share with you. It involves a book by Granville Toogood entitled The Articulate Executive. Some years ago I was invited to be the lunch speaker at a meeting of the Duke University Library Board of Trustees. I was invited because several years
- [Addictions: A Sadly Topical Topic](https://julietetelandresen.com/626-2/) - To explore one side to Monte Carlo My Travels and Hollywood. To explore another, let look at the gambling. We're talking addictions - a sadly topical topic as the New York Times article attests: America's 8-Step Program for Opioid Addiction. Part of the fun of a casino is scoping out one’s fellow gamblers. In the famous Monte
- [Five Questions with Jade Lee / Kathy Lyons](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-jade-lee/) - There are so many smart women out there writing novels for the romance genre. I love connecting with them on the Internet. This is the fifth interview in my new series of conversations with other authors, who join us to share about their creative process, their habits, their inspiration, and more. Our guest this week
- [Romance Matters](https://julietetelandresen.com/romance-matters/) - Cover Photo Credit: Gerry Lauzon. Authorized for reuse under this Creative Commons license. On Labor Day I went with a friend to see Straight Outta Compton. The movie tells the story of the rise and fall of the rap group N.W.A., perhaps best known for their track F*** tha Police. Out of this five-man group
- [Mongolian Horses](https://julietetelandresen.com/mongolian-horses/) - In the early thirteenth century Genghis Khan united a variety of Mongolia’s nomadic tribes. Because of the Mongolians’ exceptional skill as horsemen, Genghis Khan was able to conquer many of his neighbors. In 1204 he subdued the Uyghur people in what is now Xinjiang, a western province of China. There he captured a scribe named
- [Deixis and Linguistic Bedrock: Look There](https://julietetelandresen.com/deixis-look/) - Deixis: what is it? In Languages in the World we have defined language as an orienting behavior that orients the orientee within his or her cognitive domain. When we think about deep time and the co-evolution of the human brain and language, we speculate that the first linguistic orientation was likely that of orientation: the
- [Five Questions with Morgan K. Wyatt](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-morgan-k-wyatt/) - I love connecting with and learning from other writers and bloggers online. This is the fourth post in my new series of interviews with some of the wonderful romance writers, who join us to share about their creativity, their work, their habits, and their passion for the genre. Today’s guest is Morgan K. Wyatt, an author of historical and
- [Anatomy of Criticism V](https://julietetelandresen.com/anatomy-of-criticism-v/) - Note: I have devoted four previous blogs to Frye’s Anatomy of Criticism (1957). Please see them before reading this: Anatomy of Criticism I, Anatomy of Criticism II, Anatomy of Criticism III, and Anatomy of Criticism IV. This blog is a postscript to Anatomy of Criticism I – IV in which I discuss Northrup Frye’s Anatomy of Criticism (1957). I have
- [Austronesian Origin Stories: The Polynesians](https://julietetelandresen.com/austronesian-origin-stories/) - The pre-colonial Polynesians, who are Austronesian, revered a supreme deity who, according to the story, huddled in an egg-shaped shell for countless ages in endless space. After an infinite period of impenetrable darkness, the god hatched himself. Upon beholding a void, he was inspired to create the heavens and the earth and all the other
- [Five Questions with Leslie Ray](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-leslie-ray/) - I love connecting with and learning from other writers and bloggers online. This is the third post in my new series, interviewing some of the intelligent and thoughtful romance writers who share about their craft. Today’s guest is Leslie Ray, an author of contemporary romance novels, including the soon-to-be-published book RUN TO ME. You fell in love
- [Anatomy of Criticism, Part 4](https://julietetelandresen.com/anatomy-of-criticism-part-4/) - Note: I have devoted three previous blogs to Frye’s Anatomy of Criticism (1957). Please see them before reading this: Anatomy of Criticism I, Anatomy of Criticism II, and Anatomy of Criticism III Here I repeat in bold type the three facets of Frye’s historical approach I outlined in the previous blog. Then I apply them to an understanding
- [Five Questions with Jan Romes](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-jan-romes/) - I love connecting with and learning from other writers and bloggers online. This is the second post in my new series, interviewing some of the intelligent and thoughtful romance writers who share about their craft. Today's guest is Jan Romes, a fellow literary blogger and the author of the Texas Boys Falling Fast series and sixteen other
- [Tibetan: Melting Snow and Protests](https://julietetelandresen.com/tibetan-melting-snow/) - As the Tibetan lama, Arjia Rinpoché, puts it, Tibet’s “language, its religion, its culture, and its native people are disappearing faster than its glacial ice.” The Tibetan language is melting. Note: The term Rinpoché is an honorific given to revered teachers and incarnated lamas; it means ‘precious one.’ In 2010 government officials in Quinhai Province
- [The Blue Hour & The Bridge of Love Locks in Paris](https://julietetelandresen.com/blue-hour-bridge-love-locks-paris/) - This fanciful blog was inspired by my first time-slip novel The Blue Hour (affiliate) . The story features Jeanne and Victor, two star-crossed lovers in 19th-century Paris, whose karmic fall-out is affecting the lives of their 20th-century reincarnations, Alexandra and Val. In the 19th century Jeanne had an admirer, Pierre, the owner of the café La Mazurka. He
- [Anatomy of Criticism, Part 3](https://julietetelandresen.com/anatomy-of-criticism-part-3/) - Note: In my previous blog posts Anatomy of Criticism Part I and Anatomy of Criticism Part II, I discuss Northrup Frye’s Anatomy of Criticism (1957). Frye identifies five genres: drama, epic, lyric, history, and novel. He distinguishes among five modes: mythic, romance, high mimetic, low mimetic, and ironic. Two uptakes: i) Frye’s notion of genre
- [Ronda Rousey: My Romance Heroine Model](https://julietetelandresen.com/ronda-rousey/) - For the latest news on Ronda Rousey as of January 28, 2018 see: Rousey had ditched the UFC for the WWE. I wrote this blog in August 2015: Ronda Rousey is currently the reigning women’s bantamweight champion of the UFC. She is undefeated, having won all of her 12 fights and all in the first round.
- [Arabic and The Story of the Qur’ān](https://julietetelandresen.com/arabic-story-quran/) - What is the relationship between literacy, Islam and the Arabic language? According to Islamic tradition, the Qur’ān is a book of God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. It did not come to him in the form of a complete book but rather in parts over a period of several decades. The first part was revealed
- [Anatomy of Criticism, Part 2](https://julietetelandresen.com/anatomy-of-criticism-part-2/) - Note: In Anatomy of Criticism Part 1, I open a discussion of Northrup Frye’s key work Anatomy of Criticism (1957). Frye distinguishes among five genres: drama, epic, lyric, history, and novel. In other words, Frye does not have a notion of genre in terms of what we now call genre fiction. I have long been
- [Kurds and Kurdistan: Lines are Drawn in the Sand](https://julietetelandresen.com/kurds-kurdistan/) - The Turks have Turkey, the Syrians have Syria. Why do the Kurds not have a country called Kurdistan? Here's the story: In 1915 and 1916, while World War I was ravaging Europe, English diplomat Sir Mark Sykes and his French counterpart François Georges-Picot met in a series of negotiations. The result of these meetings was
- [Anatomy of Criticism - Part 1](https://julietetelandresen.com/anatomy-of-criticism-part-1/) - What is the difference between so-called genre fiction and so-called literary fiction? Another way to ask the question is to wonder: When did genre fiction begin to be called genre fiction? The distinction seems so clear these days when you can walk into a library, a bookstore, or search online for your favorite genre: romance,
- [The Role of Sanskrit in Philology](https://julietetelandresen.com/sanskrit-philology/) - How did Sanskrit become the pivotal language in the establishment of the Indo-European languages? In 1778 William Jones, a lawyer in London with a taste for politics, heard the news that one of four Supreme Court judge positions in India was open. The judges were all appointed in England, because by that time the Persian
- [Balcic, Bulgaria 5.0 - a travel blog](https://julietetelandresen.com/bulgaria-5-0/) - This is the fifth year in a row I’ve come with my Romanian friends to Balcic, Bulgaria. It’s on the Black Sea. This year is a bit of an extravaganza. Three of us decided to reserve one of the apartments at the hotel we always stay at, The Regina Maria. It has two bedrooms, two
- [What is the Australian Walkabout?](https://julietetelandresen.com/australian-walkabout/) - Aboriginal Australian cultures have a rite of passage known as the Walkabout. Adolescent males spend up to six months on foot tracing paths established by their ancestors. These journeys can be as long as 1000 miles, and the young men are expected to complete them without a compass. Walkabout History Although adolescent girls do not
- [Romanian Gypsies: A History of Problems & Particularies](https://julietetelandresen.com/romanian-gypsies/) - Romanian Gypsies are a problem. There, I’ve said it. Romanian Gypsies Problem #1: Their name The first problem is with their name: gypsies, from the place name Egypt. In Romanian it’s țigani. But the Romanian Gypsies don’t come from Egypt. They’re Indo-Iranian. Their proper ethnonym is Roma, more technically spelled Rroma. They’re also called Romany.
- [Story Focus: Ask Yourself a Question](https://julietetelandresen.com/enriching-story/) - When I'm writing fiction, I'm always asking myself, “What am I working on?” This question helps me to give my story focus. My first novel, My Lord Roland (affiliate), was set in mid-13th-century England. My goal was to create a reliable first-person narrator. I wanted Marguerite to offer the reader an accurate portrait of Roland, her
- [Self-Help Books: We Americans Love 'Em](https://julietetelandresen.com/self-help-books/) - I just finished Lawrence Wright’s Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief (2013). It got me thinking about a peculiarly American phenomenon: self-help books. Ralph Waldo Emerson gets the ball rolling with these famous words from essay "Self-Reliance" in 1841: “Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string. Accept the place the divine
- [Five Questions with Rachel Knowles](https://julietetelandresen.com/five-questions-rachel-knowles/) - One of the wonderful things about the Internet is the ability to connect with and learn from other writers and bloggers. This is the first post in my new series of posts, interviewing some of the intelligent and thoughtful romance writers who share about their craft. My first guest is Rachel Knowles, the author of A
- [Romania: Television and Politics](https://julietetelandresen.com/romania-television-politics/) - Since buying an apartment in Bucharest in 2006, I spend summers in Romania. Note: My extreme sport is buying and selling property in a language where I am not a native speaker and the currency has an enormous amount of zeroes. I sold my original apartment in 2007, bought another, sold it the next year,
- [Campbell's Soup Cans and the Romance Novel](https://julietetelandresen.com/campbell-soup-cans-romance-novel/) - Campbell Soup Cans: The Background Campbell's Soup Cans: painted by Andy Warhol in 1962 . The work is now displayed in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Here’s a selection: You might have also seen Roy Lichtenstein’s Drowning Girl. He painted it in 1963. MoMA’s acquired it in 1971. Like Warhol’s Campbell's
- [Monte Carlo: My Travels and Hollywood](https://julietetelandresen.com/monte-carlo/) - Monte Carlo: A Gambler's Paradise On Mother’s Day my son had the bright idea to take me gambling – big time gambling, as in the Monte Carlo Casino. We happened to be in Nice, France. Monaco/Monte Carlo is a 15-minute train ride away. Mother’s Day – or la fête des mères – in France was
- [Kentucky Derby and/or Hannukah: The Rule of One](https://julietetelandresen.com/hanukkah-kentucky-derby-romance-novels/) - What does the Kentucky Derby have to do with Hannukah? Read on. Sarah Wendell, creator of smartbitchestrashybooks.com gave a talk at Duke University in March at the Unsuitable Series, led by Laura Florand and Katherine DuBois. Laura and Katie are both published romance writers and both teach at Duke, where I also teach. The title
- [Romantic Comedy French Style](https://julietetelandresen.com/romantic-comedy-french-style/) - The weather in Paris in May is wonderful – except when it isn’t. So what to do on a blustery rainy afternoon? Go to a movie, of course. We went to Les Halles, a shopping/entertainment complex in the center of Paris, where we knew there would be 30+ movies to choose from. There we found
- [The Magic Number Is Three](https://julietetelandresen.com/magic-number-three/) - Three-ring circus. Three cheers for you! Three Musketeers. Three blind mice. Jamais deux sans trois. (Never two without three.) Aller guten Dinge sind drei. (All good things are ____ ((you fill in the blank).) Three: The Triptych A triptych is a three-part painting. The panels hinge together. It sits atop an altar. The one in
- [New Adult Fiction: All Eyes On Her](https://julietetelandresen.com/new-adult-fiction/) - Lately I’ve been reading New Adult fiction, mostly sports-themed romances. A recurrent feature of these stories has caught my attention. It’s the moment in the narrative when the heroine experiences “all eyes on her.” What Is "All Eyes On Her?" One story, featuring a college football hero, has the wildly improbable scene where the star
- [Creativity, The Web, and The Artist’s Way](https://julietetelandresen.com/web-creativity-artists-way/) - In a recent blog Jemima Kiss writes, “The web has stolen my creativity. What I need is the time and space to think.” First off, Jemima, no one forced you to log on. You gave your creativity away. However, let me soften the scold. I get it, Jemima: the web is unlike drugs or gambling
- [Gold in the Mayan Highlands](https://julietetelandresen.com/gold-mayan-highlands/) - For thousands of years the K’iche’ people, Mayan speakers, have revered the golden kernels belonging to a plant known as maize. Their sacred stories tell of the first humans who were fashioned from the bread made from these kernels and who were given the gift of language. More recently a new and very different kind
- [Motoring around Saigon: Book Research](https://julietetelandresen.com/motoring-saigon-forest-breeze-series/) - In 2012 I spent six months in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam. My goal, as a linguist, was to overcome my fear of a tone language. Vietnamese is a language with six tones. Yikes! I took private lessons at a Vietnamese language school four hours a day, five days a week, for six months.
- [Pornography: Thoughts on Romance Novels](https://julietetelandresen.com/pornography/) - Pornography: "I know it when I see it.” This phrase was famously used in 1964 by United States Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart when he ruled that the French film, The Lovers, was not obscene and therefore not subject to banning from theaters. He saw the film and did not see pornography in it. He
- [Beauty and the Beast and BDSM](https://julietetelandresen.com/beauty-beast-bdsm/) - Among the trailers shown before Fifty Shades of Grey this past weekend was the upcoming Disney remake of Cinderella. And, by the way, Fifty Shades itself is a kind of retelling of Beauty and the Beast. The question is: How many times can Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast be remade? The answer is: Infinite. Such
- [Sensitive Nerves and Romance Novels](https://julietetelandresen.com/romance-novels-sensitive-nerves/) - The things that cause an individual or a society discomfort and anxiety often provoke ridicule, scorn, and/or disregard. Romance novels provoke all three responses. They touch sensitive nerves. Note: I have addressed the ridicule in On the Term ‘Bodice Ripper,’ the scorn in Five Myths About Romance Novels, and the disregard in On Silence and Singularity
- [Authorial Distance and Margaret Atwood](https://julietetelandresen.com/authorial-distance/) - On Christmas Day 2014 I listened to an interview Diane Rehm had with Margaret Atwood about her new story collection Stone Mattress: Nine Tales. The interview made me aware of the differences in authorial distance. Note: The original NPR airdate was November 10, 2014. During the interview Atwood read the opening pages from the title
- [Outrageous Reversals, Sex and Romance Novels](https://julietetelandresen.com/sex-outrageous-reversals-romance-novels/) - I've just finished Creation of the Sacred. Tracks of Biology in Early Religions by Walter Burkert, Professor of Classics at the University of Zurich, who writes: ”We must acknowledge the highly ambivalent status of sex in all human societies, with all sorts of disclaimers, secrecy, and repression, and the concomitant possibility of outrageous reversals.” (1996:90). Among outrageous
- [Spanglish: All Languages Were Once Spanglish](https://julietetelandresen.com/spanglish/) - How did Spanglish come into existence? In 1821 Mexico won its independence from Spain and came into control of territory that extended not only over present-day Mexico but also over present-day Central America as well as large parts of present-day southwest United States. The new Mexican government continued the Spanish practice of issuing land grants
- [Creating Good Dialogue - Three Tips](https://julietetelandresen.com/three-tips-for-creating-good-dialogue/) - Good dialogue is important in any novel. In order to create good dialogue, here are three tips. Know the emotional center of your character Know how this character makes sense of the world. Then make sure the words that come out of this character’s mouth align with this center and sense. If your character is
- [Genre Self-Reference in Romance Novels](https://julietetelandresen.com/genre-self-reference/) - Ekphrasis is a venerable rhetorical device in which one work of art refers to another considered worthy of time and attention. The classic example is the description in the Iliad of the magnificent shield Achilles uses in his fight with Hector. Although the term ekphrasis is usually applied to cases where an artist references a work
- [Genre Etiquette: Politeness, Please](https://julietetelandresen.com/genre-etiquette/) - An example of good genre etiquette: Jane Austen sets the good genre etiquette tone: “If the heroine of one novel be not patronized by the heroine of another, from whom can she expect protection and regard?” Northanger Abbey The broader context of Austen’s authorial intrusion is the following: “I will not adopt that ungenerous and
- [Gone Girl v. The Romance Heroine](https://julietetelandresen.com/gone-girl/) - Spoiler alert: Do not read this blog if you’re planning to see the movie Gone Girl. It is based on the book with the same name by Gillian Flynn. A few days ago I chose a romance featuring a jaded ex-lawyer. He has seen too many of his fellow lawyers’ marriages crash and burn under
- [The Detective Novel and the Romance Novel](https://julietetelandresen.com/detective-novel-romance-novel/) - P.D. James died over the Thanksgiving weekend. She was a master of the detective novel. The lengthy obituary in the New York Times for this celebrated crime novelist includes a number of quotes from her, among others: “I came to believe that it is perfectly possible to remain within the constraints and conventions of the genre
- [The Mindy Project and Abby the Romance Writer](https://julietetelandresen.com/the-mindy-project-and-abby-the-romance-writer/) - Yay to The Mindy Project for introducing the character of Abby Berman. She appeared for the first time in the episode entitled Caramel Princess Time. Abby is smart, likeable, and a historical romance writer who describes the genre as “pornography you’re allowed to read on the subway.” Since it’s The Mindy Project, and everything is
- [The Beauty Trap - All Women Experience It](https://julietetelandresen.com/beauty-traps-i/) - There is one sort of beauty trap with which all women are familiar. Another one is literary. The first beauty trap involves the perception of a woman’s beauty, from childhood through old age, both as she regards herself and as she is regarded by others. A woman’s perception of her own beauty begins early, is
- [On Silence and Singularity and the Romance Novel](https://julietetelandresen.com/on-silence-and-singularity-and-the-romance-novel/) - Silence surrounds the romance novel. Despite being a billion-dollar-a-year industry, romance novels are absent from high-profile book reviewing venues, literature course curricula, and general discussions of literature. Romances are also invisible. They are put in bedside drawers and not displayed either on coffee tables or on bookshelves. Sometimes they sit in paper bags at the
- [Sinhala: Language and Power](https://julietetelandresen.com/language-and-power/) - In the Indian Ocean off the south coast of India is the island nation of Sri Lanka. The majority population is the Sinhalese, an ethnogroup who tend to be Buddhists and who speak Sinhala, an Indo-European language. They share the island with the minority Tamils, who tend to be Hindu. Their language, Tamil, is Dravidian.
- [BDSM: The Forest Breeze Series](https://julietetelandresen.com/the-forest-breeze-series/) - Stories in the flourishing BDSM subgenre feature clubs with elaborate etiquette and protocols. There are strict rules for how subs address Doms. Subs tend to arrive in proper undress, and they leave their shoes at the door. Play is confined to designated areas. Any scening outside of those areas is punishable, as is someone interrupting
- [Puritans and the Romance Novel](https://julietetelandresen.com/oliver-cromwell-the-scarlet-letter-and-the-romance-novel/) - Puritans in England and the United States Oliver Cromwell is the most famous British Puritan. He was the Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1653 until his death. He closed English inns and theaters for being dens of iniquity. Cromwell also had King Charles I beheaded in 1649. He has
- [Avant-Garde Art and The Romance Novels](https://julietetelandresen.com/the-romance-novel-and-avant-garde-art/) - In a previous blog post, I mentioned how romance novelists and avant-garde artists are at opposite ends of a numbers spectrum.[1] The number of people writing romance novels, novellas and/or short stories is huge. The number of avant-garde artists is small. If the number of people doing anything is more than small, then they can’t
- [Best Romance Reads: My Latest](https://julietetelandresen.com/my-recent-best-romance-reads/) - Here's my slew of best romance reads. Best Romance Reads: MC Romance Jaci J The Ride (Hell’s Disciplines MC). I noticed that some of the reviewers online complained about the many spelling and grammar mistakes. They didn’t bother me. In fact, as I kept reading, I thought they were part of the authenticity of the

## Pages

- [Linguist, Traveler, and Romance Author Julie Andresen based in Durham, North Carolina](https://julietetelandresen.com/) - Based in Durham, North Carolina, Julie Tetel Andresen is a romance author, linguistics professor & global traveler. Discover her romance books.
- [The Romance Author](https://julietetelandresen.com/romance-author/) - A Durham, NC romance author, Julie Tetel Andresen blends her love of linguistics with romance fiction through historical Regencies to paranormal love stories.
- [The Linguistics Professor](https://julietetelandresen.com/linguistics-professor/) - When I was little, I shared a room with my sister. As we would get ready for bed, I would tell her all the new words I had made up that day. Somewhere along the way I discovered that there were other languages in the world with the words already made up. And all I
- [Last One](https://julietetelandresen.com/essay-collection/last-one/) - Essay written at Vietnamese Language School Ho Chi Minh City Bài Viết số 23 Ngày 11 - 17 Tháng 6 Năm 2012 Về Bài Viết Của Chị Julie Mùa Xuân-Hè 2012 1) Hễ viết bằng ngôn ngữ mẹ đẻ là sinh viên thường viết đúng ngữ pháp nhưng thường không có những ý rõ ràng.
- [Bunica mea](https://julietetelandresen.com/essay-collection/bunica-mea/) - Bunica mea((Această compunere a fost inspirată de discursul de la deschiderea conferinței secției de Studii americane de la Universitate din București cu titlu Americans All: Of Plymouth Rock and Jamestown and Ellis Island. A fost un discurs fascinant despre istoria experiențelor imigranților în SUA.)) 127 mai 2008 Mama tatălui meu s-a născut în anii 1890 într-un
- [My Fulbright Year in Romania](https://julietetelandresen.com/essay-collection/my-fulbright-year-in-romania/) - May 2006 Where is the global etiquette book that tells the poor foreigner what not to do? A book that tells you, for instance: do not offer a Chinese person a clock as a present, because the Chinese word for 'clock' is the same syllable but on a different tone as the word for 'death';
- [Books](https://julietetelandresen.com/books/)
- [Languages and Education](https://julietetelandresen.com/languages-and-education/) - Read more about Julie and her work on language and love in podcasts, articles, and videos across the Internet! September 9, 2019 - "Professor Julie Tetel Andresen Becomes Professor Emerita of English" Interview with Quantá Holden, Digital Communications Specialist at Duke University May 12, 2019 - "Melissa Baralt on What Language Instruction Teaches Us About Global Learning and
- [Essay Collection](https://julietetelandresen.com/essay-collection/) - As Julie's work and writing has taken her to different countries and inspired different conversations, she has published her thoughts in a collection of essays (separated by region). United States Postmodern Identity (Crisis): Confessions of a Linguistic Historiographer and Romance Writer How will American English change in twenty-five years? My Fulbright Year in Romania Vietnam
- [Sportul meu în România](https://julietetelandresen.com/essay-collection/sportul-meu-in-romania/) - 28 iulie 2007 Am un sport ciudat în România: jocul de imobiliare. Am noroc - sigur - dar nu știu dacă am moștenit un talent adevărat sau acționez din orgoliu. Mama mea era o agentă imobiliară de mare succes. Anul trecut, când am cumpărat apartamentul din Brezoianu (lângă Cișmigiu), mi-a fost frică. Privind în urmă,
- [Secretul unei vieți fericite](https://julietetelandresen.com/essay-collection/secretul-unei-vieti-fericite/) - O compunere scrisă pentru Camelia 4 iunie 2008 Unul dintre secretele unei vieți fericite e să ai prieteni de toate vârstele în jurul tău. O doamnă de la Duke mi-a zis demult că secretul unei petreceri reușite e să inviți musafiri de toate vârstele. Era nemțoică, o cheama Susanne, și era soția profesorului pe care
- [Satul meu](https://julietetelandresen.com/essay-collection/satul-meu/) - 3-4-5 august 2007 (exersez imperfectul) M-am născut într-un sat de la periferia lui Chicago, exact în inima Vestului Mijlociu american. Se cheamă Glenview. În anii '50 vremea era stabilă. Aveam patru anotimpuri fixe: o vară caldă și umedă plină de țânțari; o toamnă foarte frumoasă cu aerul rece și cerul albastru-azuriu și cu frunzele de
- [Whitney (1867, 1875) und Bloomfield (1914) Abweichungen und Übereinstimmungen](https://julietetelandresen.com/essay-collection/whitney-1867-1875-und-bloomfield-1914-abweichungen-und-ubereinstimmungen/) - o. Einleitung Zweck dieses Aufsatzes ist es, den Stand der Tätigkeit in der amerikanischen Linguistik um die Jahrhundertwende in groBen Zügen zu schildern. Ich beziehe mich da hauptsächlich auf Leonard Bloomfields erstes Buch, An Introduction to the Study of Language, veröffentlicht im Jahre 1914. Bloomfield (1887-1949) drückt in der Einleitung zu diesem Werk seinen Wunsch
- [Langage naturel et artifice linguistique](https://julietetelandresen.com/essay-collection/langage-naturel-et-artifice-linguistique/) - 1982 Dans son introduction à l'Essai sur l'origine des connaissances humaines Condillac propose comme principe cohésif et structural de l'ouvrage "l'étude de l'esprit humain, non pour en découvrir la nature, mais pour en connoître les opérations, observer avec quel art elles se combinent, et comment nous devons les conduire, afin d'acquérir toute l'intelligence dont nous sommes capables".1 En
- [Les langues amérindiennes, le comparatisme, et les études franco-américaines](https://julietetelandresen.com/essay-collection/les-langues-amerindiennes-le-comparatisme-et-les-etudes-franco-americaines/) - University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill* 1984 L'histoire de 1a linguistique amérindienne, telle qu'elle se manifeste aux Etats-Unis, passe sous silence la contribution française. Exception est faite, bien entendu, des premières données fournies par les missionnaires du XVe au XVIIIe siècle, surtout dans 1a Nouvelle France. Les résumés historiques qui préfacent les grands traités de langue anglaise (Handbook of
- [Images des langues américaines au XVIIIe siècle 1985](https://julietetelandresen.com/essay-collection/images-des-langues-americaines-au-xviiie-siecle-1985/) - L'image des langues américaines au XVIIIe siècle est avant tout une anti-image. Cela n'implique nullement que le XVIIIe siècle européen ignore les langues du Nouveau Monde ou qu'une base de données y manque. Dès la Renaissance, l'Européen découvrait l'Autre, ce qui a mené inévitablement à la découverte des langues «exotiques». Par la suite, l'esprit encyclopédique de l'époque a inspiré
- [Củ Chi](https://julietetelandresen.com/essay-collection/cu-chi/) - Essay written at Vietnamese Language School Ho Chi Minh City Bài Viết số 14 Ngày 3 - 4 Tháng 4 Năm 2012 "Lịch sử lặp lại chính nó đầu tiên như một thảm kịch thứ hai là trò hề" Karl Marx Củ Chi là nơi quan trọng với người Việt Nam. Chị ̣̣Julie hiểu nơi
- [Kiều](https://julietetelandresen.com/essay-collection/kieu/) - Essay written at Vietnamese Language School Ho Chi Minh City Bài Viết số 13 Ngày 25 Tháng 3 Năm 2012 Nhân vật Kiều: Quan điểm của một người Châu Âu Ở Châu Âu truyền thống bi kịch bắt đầu với các nhà văn Hy Lạp và tiếp tục có thể là đạo Thiên Chúa. Tất
- [Pringles](https://julietetelandresen.com/essay-collection/pringles/) - Essay written at Vietnamese Language School Ho Chi Minh City Bài Viết số 21 Ngày 21 Tháng 5 Năm 2012 Lần cuối cùng ăn Pringles chị là học sinh ở trung học phổ thông … cho đến cuối tuần này. Thứ bảy này lúc ở Siem Reap và thăm quan khu du lịch xong, chị
- [How will American English change in twenty-five years?](https://julietetelandresen.com/essay-collection/how-will-american-english-change-in-twenty-five-years/) - To commemorate its twenty-fifth year of publication, Duke Magazine asked twenty-five Duke leaders and scholars to project ahead twenty-five years and imagine what life would be like for their discipline in the year 2034. Here is my contribution: No group of adults has ever said, "We sure do like the way the kids are talking
- [Postmodern Identity Crisis: Confessions of a Linguistic Historiographer and Romance Writer 1999](https://julietetelandresen.com/essay-collection/postmodern-identity-crisis-confessions-of-a-linguistic-historiographer-and-romance-writer-1999/) - My name is Julie, and I write romances. Over the years, I have sometimes felt like I am at an unofficial AA meeting where I must confess to my romance writing behavior. Other times, I have made it a political gesture to come out of the closet and admit it. As a member of the
- [Love, Writing, and Romance Novels](https://julietetelandresen.com/love-writing-and-romance-novels/) - Read more about Julie and her work on language and love in podcasts, articles, and videos across the Internet! April 8, 2018 - "How Visual Art Has Informed My Writing Career" - Guest article for Ammar Habib March 24, 2018 - "Lord Blackwell's Rude Awakening: My Process" - Guest article for Roxanne D. Howard July 22, 2016 - "Maverick
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- [Contact](https://julietetelandresen.com/contact/) - Being a travel blogger, Julie can be anywhere around the world, but she loves to connect with her readers! If you want to follow along Julie's travels, head over to the blog or join the mailing list! Feel free to get in touch through social media or email any time. Amazon Author Page Goodreads Author
- [Tips for Research Trips](https://julietetelandresen.com/tips-for-research-trips/) - Tips for Unforgettable Research Trips It's great fun to write about faraway places - especially when you've been to those faraway places! I do it all the time - and it's my favorite kind of research. If you want to set your story in a location that's unfamiliar to you, nothing beats actually visiting the
- [How to Write a Book](https://julietetelandresen.com/how-to-write-a-book/) - The Complete Guide for How to Write a Book Deciding to write a novel is like deciding to run a marathon. You might start your first race thinking it's going to be easy - believing your muscles are in good shape. But before long, you learn just how much more preparation, dedication and perseverance are
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