Author Archives: Deb Gorman

About Deb Gorman

Deb Gorman is an author, blogger, and speaker who escaped from a 9-5 job in the medical field to pursue what she really loves—words, words, and more words. A lifelong resident of the Pacific Northwest, she writes fiction and non-fiction in between long walks through orchard country with her husband, Alan, and playing with their German Shepherd, Hoka. You can catch up with Deb on her website, debggorman.com, and email her at debster145@gmail.com

Reader Friday-Curiouser and Curiouser

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Authors are a curious species. By that, I mean we’re curious about the world around us, not that we’re weird! Ahem!

This is a link to a really cool site that will make you curiouser and curiouser. https://www.rd.com/list/weird-facts/

Image by LeeoMax from Pixabay

 

 

 

Did you know that Donald Duck’s legal name is Donald Fauntleroy Duck? True story. (From Wikipedia)

 

 

 

 

And Walt Disney was the first voice of Mickey Mouse? And Mickey was the first non-human Oscar winner.

Or, how about this—Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz was originally a blonde, but the powers that were thought it made her look not so much like a Kansas farm girl.

All true.

But, here’s the one I really like, because I’m one of those height-challenged folks.

People are taller in the morning than they are at night. Really!

Courtesy of https://ar.inspiredpencil.com

“When you wake up in the morning, you’re about one centimeter taller. That’s because at night when you’re lying down, the spine stretches and decompresses. But throughout the day, the soft cartilage between your bones gets squashed and compressed…”

 

So, at least in the mornings I can claim to be tall . . . cool!

TKZers . . . what weird, random fact can you share with us this morning? And how will you write it into the story you’re working on?

 

 

Reader Friday-Final Words

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Authors and writing craft teachers often discuss first lines in books and movies. First lines are mighty important, no doubt about it.

But what about last lines? Not a narrated line, an actual character line that is the last one spoken. IMHO, the last spoken line has the potential of staying with the reader/viewer for a long time.

Aside:  We watched a movie the other night. It was good (not great, though) until the last scene. I don’t know what the screenwriters were thinking, but it took the Oscar for the stupidest last scene/lines in sixty-five+ years of my movie-watching career. I’m not even going to dignify it by belaboring the point.

But I will say this. If you’re tempted to watch Air Force One Is Down—don’t! (Not to be confused with Harrison Ford’s Air Force One…)

Enough of that.

Question for the day is what is your favorite-of-all-time last line of dialogue in a book or movie?

Here’s mine…

 

 

Your turn, TKZers!

 

 

Reader Friday-I Saw What You Did

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Tell us something cool about yourself that no one else knows…or, very few people know.

I’ll start.

My car wasn’t as cool as this one… 🙂

I once drove in a stock car race. It was fun! I got to go really, really fast around our local race track and I didn’t even crash. My three young kiddos watched from the bleachers with my parents. My drag-racing, desert truck-racing Dad was the instigator. In the blood, I guess.

 

Would I do it again? No sirree Bob! (Well, maybe…)

Your turn! Do tell, and have you written about it?

 

Reader Friday-Character for a Day

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Remember the old TV program called Queen For A Day? (I might have just dated myself…)

It ran from 1945-1964. From Wikipedia:  “Queen for a Day was an American radio and television game show that helped to usher in American listeners’ and viewers’ fascination with big-prize giveaway shows.” I remember watching it on the old B&W. Do you?

Let’s play that game, but with a writerly/readerly twist. Instead of Queen for a Day, let’s play…wait for it…Character for a Day. You game?

Here’s how it goes–but, alas, no big prize money in the offing–just some good, old-fashioned fun. And God knows we could use some fun.

Pick a character you would like to be, either from your own book, another author’s book, or from a movie. But not just any character, please! Pick one whose spirit speaks to yours.

Here’s my pick…Tauriel, Lord of the Rings…beautiful and lethal!

 

 

 

 

Okay, TKZers…your turn. Tell us what character you want to be for just 24 hours. And, tell us why…1, 2, 3, GO!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reader Friday-What’s Your Rallying Cry?

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Motto: Adage, aphorism, maxim, rallying cry.

Famous people are famous for their mottos. They spew them out when they’re in front of a microphone and their fans.

Here’s a few: (Photo credits to Pixabay)

Question for TKZers this morning.

What are the words you live by no matter the circumstance that might arise in your world?

Here’s mine: This is all temporary.

(Click to view on Amazon)

  • Let’s hear yours. That thing you think when all is sunshine and roses–or, when the bottom drops out of your life.
  • How does your motto show up in your writing? Do you choose to read stories that illustrate your motto?

 

 

Reader Friday-Caption This!

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Don’t you just love playing with words and ideas? I do! As authors, one skill we work hard to develop is using words that evoke pictures in the readers’ minds. This morning, let’s flip that around a bit, and use a picture to evoke words. Photographers and painters are masters at that, right?

There’s a game going around social media called Caption This! I thought it’d be fun for us to compete this morning, and come up with some original captions for this picture.

Caption This!

 

 

Go ahead. Stare at it for awhile and let your creative juices flow. What is this image saying to you?

 

 

 

 

Reader Friday-Those Characters Who Charm Us

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We talk a lot about characters here at TKZ.

  • Development of said.
  • Protagonists vs. antagonists.
  • Relationship-building.
  • What makes them tick.

 

But what about those characters in books and movies who are usually in a supporting role, waiting in the wings to charm us, perplex us, and teach us? I’m talking about those other species of characters–the non-human ones.

 

Here’s mine…

 

 

Real charmers, these two!

 

 

 

TKZers: What (or who) is your favorite non-human character in book or movie? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reader Friday-Let’s Go To The Oscars!

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Here’s your Reader Friday assignment for today…

Pick your favorite character in your favorite book—one that has not yet been made into a movie—a book written by you or by another author.

 

Now pick an actor to play that character in the upcoming movie. Give us the name of the book, the character, and who gets the part.

And, inquiring minds want to know: Why did you choose that book, that character, and that actor?

Bonus question: Name the actress in this photo, the movie, and the year she won this Best Actress Oscar. Should be a slam-dunk for most of us…

 

Reader Friday-One Book

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I’ll bet a paycheck (if I had one…) that everyone reading these words today has more than one book on the bookshelf.

More than twenty? Or a hundred?

So…I have a question for you.

If you were allowed only one, 1, uno, une book on your shelf, what book would you choose?

 

 

If a wicked, wicked genie popped up in front of your face and said, “Choose only one book or die a thousand deaths”, what would be the title of that book?

Cue Deb’s fingers drumming . . .

(My answer in the comments–wouldn’t want to give you any ideas!)

🙂

 

Reader Friday-You Were There

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Have you ever wished you could have been physically present, on-scene, an eyewitness to an historical event? Preferably with notebook and pen in hand, of course!

I have. I gave it some thought, and here’s where my imagination took me:

 

Paul Revere’s ride.

Washington crossing the Delaware.

The signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The first moon landing.

The first Major League Baseball game ever played. (According to my research, the first Major League game ever played was a National Association contest between the Cleveland Forest Cities and Ft. Wayne Kekiongas on May 4, 1871. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong on this…)

The first car rolling down the street. Or…

The Wright Brothers’ flight.

TKZers, please feel free to add your own!