Sylvia Plath reading Lady Lazarus.
Sylvia Plath reading Lady Lazarus.
“Illness is the most heeded of doctors: to goodness and wisdom we only make promises; pain we obey.”-Marcel Proust
I’ve been down since Thursday with what my husband calls The Crud, a hazy combination of the ‘flu, a bad cold, and general malaise. The bottom of my favourite tea canister is visible, the bag of cherry lozenges empty; work is piled high by the bed, and I am cranky. Sleep and reading have been my twin graces. I am almost ready to crawl back into the murmur and hum of the wider world. Almost. Right after I finish one more chapter each of four books and drain the amber liquid from my tea-cup.

Concrete beauty in the midst of delirium.

Concrete beauty in the midst of delirium.
When I opened my inbox the other day, this lovely award was sitting there. Just waiting to be opened. Ourmulticolouredlife nominated me for the Super Sweet Blogging Award. I’ve never heard of this one, so it is extra special! I also get to answer questions about sweets, which doubles the fun.
Here’s Where I Spell Out The Rules:
The 5 Questions:
Nominee:
The Flamboyante, because she has the sweetest blog I’ve seen.
As you probably know by now, I’m a quote collector. I have hand-written notebooks full of them (a decade’s worth), and I post one here every Tuesday. Today’s Daily Prompt: Quote Me is right up my alley.
The quote I’m spotlighting has deep meaning for me, professionally and personally. The man behind the words is the reason I walk my particular creative path (of creating, publishing, writing, and editing only for indie and small press publications), and his inspirational words guide me through every challenge and triumph. If the quote looks familiar, it is because it has pride of place at the top of the right sidebar on this blog.
“Young or old, those who have anything to say will have their own way of saying it.”-Robert McAlmon
Literary Graffiti From All Over the World [courtesy of Flavorwire]
Do you have a favourite? I’m partial to Neruda, Vonnegut, Rousseau, Hemingway, Joyce and Nabokov.
My favourite New Year’s Day tradition doesn’t involve parades or football games or overindulging in sweets. For this girl, it is all about books. Shocking, no?

A pile ‘o books and calendars.
This pile ‘o goodies is the result of my annual New Year’s Day Book and Calendar Hunt. As you can see, the 2013 edition was quite successful. I decided to by-pass literature in favour of selections from the genres of art, biography, and silent film. Here are a few of the highlights:

Egon Schiele by Sandra Forty
REASON: Egon Schiele is my favourite artist (in a three-way tie with Modigliani and Pissarro).

Frontier Madam The Life of Dell Burke, Lady of Lusk by June Willson Read
REASON: Who could pass up a book with a title like this? Continue reading
I took these photographs from inside my husband’s Saab while he was washing the car last night. The sun was setting, and the glow from taillights and street lamps illuminated the parking lot. The effect was softened through the filter of a soap-drenched window. They remind me of Impressionist paintings.
“Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing.”-Camille Pissarro
Plans for all of my 2013 writing, editing, and publishing projects are, as usual, going into a classic black Moleskine notebook/planner. This year, there’s a royal twist.

Le Petit Prince Moleskine Planner
In an effort to make A Small Press Life as solid as possible in 2013 (and beyond), we are going to add some wonderful new features to the blog. Don’t worry; what you love about ASPL isn’t changing. There is simply going to be more goodness to go around. When will this deliciousness start, you ask? Soon. This month. Stay tuned for more details.

from Little Gidding by T.S. Eliot