Book Review: The Midnight Disease

Book Review: The Midnight Disease – The Drive to Write, Writer’s Block and the Creative Brain

By: Alice W. Flaherty

The cover caught my eye, the content blew my mind! This is an incredible book of deeply researched and experienced investigations of the creative mind and the troubles that prey upon it. The full spectrum of maladies of a writer from block to hypergraphia and too much writing is covered. The author is a neurologist and a writer, so her dissection of the writer’s mind comes from both a scientific and an artistic creative base. In the pages, Alice Flaherty reveals her own struggles with writer’s block and the journey of healing she undertook to balance her brain, understand its impositions on the writer, and give advice wrapped in a deeply knowledgeable text.

I found the need to read this book when I was highly alert as the rich content was deep and required my thought and process to discern the wealth of information. I have not struggled with either end of the writer’s spectrum and can’t say why I was drawn to explore it. For whatever reason I am all the wiser and take away a deep resolve to care for the writer within, for the brain that produces and the spirit that inspires.

Like a clockmaker who figures out how to make a clock tick the hours, Alice Flaherty has taken us into the depths of the mind to figure out what makes a writer tick. I recommend this book for its intellectual look at the process of writing.

What’s Happening in Storytelling?

What’s Happening in Storytelling? Face-to-face, traditional storytelling is back. I couldn’t be happier. I have been so fortunate to return as a guest presenter to classrooms. One thing I share is multicultural awareness through world folktales and stories. The world has a rich wealth of stories. An example I love to share is a comparative… Continue Reading

My Book Family is Growing

This summer my book family will grow with the edition of Christmas Letters that will be launched on July 29 at The Vineyard and Hillyland in Scotland, CT. If you are new to my writing or have missed a title let me introduce you to the family. How Far is Safe? was my first novel… Continue Reading

Review: Project Solomon

Book Review: Project Solomon By Jodi Stuber and Jennifer Marshall Bleakley   A poignant true story of an inspired partnership between Jodi Stuber and her horse Solomon has rippled across a broad community. What can rescue horses do for people who need rescue? Jodi answers that through her prayerful narrative of a life enriched through… Continue Reading

Review Slater Mountain – The Journey

Book Review: Slater Mountain – The Journey By Judy Ricketts-White   Judy writes Slater Mountain from her deep reservoir of equine and horsemanship knowledge. Each chapter is a full lesson in the communication between horses and humans. This technical wisdom is imparted through a believable and engaging family story of life on a horse farm… Continue Reading

Review of The Stargleamer

Book Review The Stargleamer  by James Omar Hansen   The Stargleamer is a perfect read-aloud to accompany your family’s Christmas traditions. There is enough shadow to keep the reader or listener attentive and curious, enough gleam to put a sparkle in a child’s eye. There is a Dickens-type journey meeting characters of the holiday and… Continue Reading

Interview with author Carolyn Stearns

Carolyn, what are you currently working on as an author? I am working on revisions to my new novel Christmas Letters. I have a self-imposed timeline to get it out by late summer – early fall. The push is due to the fact that it is a Christmas-time story and after January sales and readership… Continue Reading

Book Review: Railroad Stories by Jim Kissane

Book Review: Railroad Stories by Jim Kissane

Review of: The Story of Industrial America 1850’s – 1950’s Railroad Stories Vol. 1 By Jim Kissane   Railroad stories have drawn a faithful following of fans, but this volume breaks the barrier with its broad range of railroad-connected subjects. Ghostly tales, Christmas stories, coming of age, westward expansion, and farming all find a coupling… Continue Reading

New Book Coming

Working my way toward the final production and publishing of Thirteen Spooky Stories. I am still looking for the perfect photo for the cover. I would prefer to use a local spooky photo. A foggy moment at Gardner Lake a moment on the airline trail with wispy fog or eerie light, a winter night at… Continue Reading

Why Spooky Stories

Why Spooky Stories?   I have been asked, why tell spooky stories? I immediately ask the person to define spooky for me. I have found that often the term spooky is closely misaligned with horror, it is not horror,!  I don’t tell, write or read horror, it’s not my thing. I think of spooky as… Continue Reading

Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Are you afraid to walk in the dark, dark.   When something goes bump in the night do you shiver?   Does a wolf howl raise your heart rate?     Do you love a campfire and story?                                                  I’ve got a story for you!   In fact, I have Thirteen Spooky Stories      … Continue Reading

Review The Great Red Horse Trilogy by Helen Scanlon

Now and then a great horse comes along and is remembered and celebrated for who he was to a breed or sport and its people. UC Ringmaster was just such a horse. The UC is for the University of Connecticut where he was born. I just had the pleasure of recalling those days as I… Continue Reading

250 Years, One Family, One Farm

I am going down a research rabbit hole. My quest is to develop a Mansfield Historical Society display that honors the Stearns family in Mansfield, CT. for 250 years. How does one condense 250 years of living, farming, generations, wars, and weather into an exhibit? I’m trying… The family purchased this farm in 1772. Tonight,… Continue Reading

Historical Exhibit

Telling and Showing the Stearns Family History in Mansfield 250 Years I am preparing a historical exhibit for the Stearns Family’s 250 years in the town of Mansfield. What a journey as I research and sift the ages. Winnowing down this collection of dates, photos, artifacts, and mementos to what will be displayed is difficult.… Continue Reading

Writer’s Journey

I’m on a writer’s journey and the view is fine! I walked a road with little to no recognition of the writer’s landscape. Finally, I am cresting the first hill. I have published my first book! That book was written part by hand in a notebook and finished on a laptop after I typed in… Continue Reading

The Finish Line

The Finish Line   The last push, the final mile. A runner knows there is the last kick, an adrenaline-pushed spike to complete that last bit when that goal comes into sight. Authors know that as well. Here I am looking at the finish line for my new novel Mystic Girl. I have the anticipatory… Continue Reading

Review The Broken Violin By M.B. Tosi

Review The Broken Violin – Book One The Early Path Series The Revolutionary War  by M.B. Tosi Westbow Press 2017   My sleep was invaded, peace gone. I wrestled with the blankets and couldn’t find comfort. I rose to a state of semi-consciousness in a tangle of blankets. A hint of the scent of straw… Continue Reading

New Year Photo Scavenger Hunt

Time for some individual or family fun. Make it a competition or do it for arts sake. Join in to get out of the house. Share your photos on social media with the hashtag #PhotoScavengerHunt Scavenger Hunt Photo Checklist   Take the Photos Share the Fun! Brought to you by www.carolynstearnsstoryteller.com People ☐ Volunteering ☐… Continue Reading

Review of Pirates; The Pursuit and Captivity of Captain Jack Scarfield

It has been a long time since I read this kind of story, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was surprised at the outcome and stayed up late reading to see the characters through their battles. There was no attempt to hide the gruesome nature of the time in history when pirates were the scourge of… Continue Reading

Estate Sale Glimpse to the Past

Estate Sale Glimpse to the Past Saturday morning errands included getting gas. As I left the station there was a homemade sign for an estate sale in nearby Hampton CT. Why not go for a ride. I love the village of Hampton Connecticut. Parts of this town seem untouched by time. The Main street is… Continue Reading

Covered Bridge and My Book

Covered Bridge and My Book             It’s Saturday and that means a dozen errands that added up over the week and eat in to writing and family time. I try to add some side adventure, curiosity or food stop to make the necessary more enjoyable. Today we were off to get repair parts for the… Continue Reading

Editing – Labor of Love

Editing – Labor of Love   Writing is a labor of love. Lately it is the labor piece of that saying that has caught my attention. I have to get my edits done and they are a long slow labor to go through the manuscript. It is during the work of edits that I once… Continue Reading

Winter Homecoming

This post is dedicated to all who work outside in winter weather. I appreciate your dedication to animals, agriculture and essential services. Orange bottom clouds scud across the evening sky carrying the last bits of sun and first flakes of snow. The wind howls in the tree tops like angry sea waves. My breath is… Continue Reading

I like Walking in September

Why Do I like walking in September? Walking as a healthy habit is a good thing but I wane in interest as summer temperatures soar. High humidity and relentless sun drive me to the shady front porch and passive activity. September renews my love affair with walking. The sun is still warm, sometimes even hot… Continue Reading

Coping in Covid19 Times

Covid19 – Corona Virus Isolation My heart feels gray. Seems a strange day, gray outside and a snowy start.  There is so much anxiety, stress and drama in the world. It is real and it permeates even the healthy with a pending sense of doom. When will the other shoe drop… I am trying to… Continue Reading

A Christmas Tree Story

Sharing a short fiction story for your reading pleasure and wishing you the best of the season. A Christmas Tree Story By: Carolyn Stearns The wind blew over the hill in bursts of violent cold. The snow was trampled along the paths, but between the rows of Christmas trees, the snow lay deep and untouched.… Continue Reading

Day 15 NaNoWriMo 2019 Novel Challenge

Today is day fifteen. Yes, I’m fifteen days into a novel writing challenge. www.nanowrimo.org challenges writers each November (they have for 20 years) to write a 50,000 word novel in thirty days! October I did a little preparation. That came in the form of making some character bios and thinking about my story line- the… Continue Reading

On the Hunt for Nature

                                                                    I hunt with a Samsung 8 android phone. My quarry a clandestine meeting with nature along a country road. I walk for health trying to keep in mind the goal of 10,000 steps a day for health and fitness. My usual course is on the road between my home and our family… Continue Reading

What’s This NaNoWriMo?

What’s this NaNoWriMo?   I’m back! After a long hiatus from my blog I am returning to bring you interesting articles and a glimpse at my view of the world. If you are looking for storytelling, after-school, family fun, agriculture or animals they are lurking here within my posts old and new. You could get… Continue Reading

My Roots Are Showing; Collecting and Telling Historical Family Stories

July 21-24, 2016 The National Storytelling Conference will be held in Kansas City MO.  The host organization is the National Storytelling Network. www.storynet.org their twitter handle is @nsnstorycon  There will be a steady update of happenings from the National Conference where storytellers from around the country and even a few from around the world will… Continue Reading

3 Reasons to Attend Connecticut Storytelling Festival

Only three reasons? It is hard for me to choose three reasons to attend the Connecticut Storytelling Festival, but here I go. http://www.connstorycenter.org/festival.htm 1.) 2016 Festival Headliner Tim Lowry; is funny, interesting, educational, and a general character, a historical speaker bringing history to life! http://www.storytellertimlowry.com/ Well that is a mouthful, but you will see Tim… Continue Reading

Power In the Classroom – Storytelling Ellis Island

The room hushed, eyes all looked expectantly toward the guest. She stood at the front of the classroom, took a deep breath and held the trance a few extra seconds. Her words spilled out. At first the words came in a soft trickle then stronger as the story grew. The story character climbed the gang plank… Continue Reading

Fiona’s Viral Post

      Her name is Fiona, she is one of many beautiful calves at Mountain Dairy in Storrs/Mansfield Connecticut. www.mountaindairy.com  What is so special about her has been the reaction a photo of her received on Facebook. Mountain Dairy is our family farm. My grandchildren are the 11th generation. I take care of social media for… Continue Reading

Take Back Childhood

Can you count 10 moments in childhood that you remember as being near perfect? Here are some of mine. These memories have a new job…. #1) Lazy summer days, no agenda, just staying outside all day! #2) Ice Cream Cones – take it back tonight, go out for ice cream! #3) Swimming, the Beach or… Continue Reading

Fair Season, I Have The Story

Children grow up! One minute you are wrapped up in a whirlwind life filled with kids. The next minute you sit back and watch other people working with their kids, and it’s too quiet.          No time of year makes me realize that more, than fair season. We were one of those families who brought… Continue Reading

Prompt July 4 Family Stories

 July 4th and you are planning a picnic. Nothing newsworthy just some family and friends coming over. This year make it special,  collect a few memories from your guests. Ask ahead for a couple of favorite recipes to prepare and share. Be sure everyone gets a copy of the recipe to take home. Then ask for the story behind… Continue Reading

50 Objects 50 Stories, Connecticut Historical Society

  Connecticut Historical Society had a great idea! They have a new exhibit that highlights 50 varied objects from Connecticut, along with the story of the object. The objects themselves are a varied lot, they range from a Space Suit to a Revolutionary period diary of State Hero Nathan Hale and on to a Pepe’s… Continue Reading

Ancestors at Sea

Did your ancestors work  the sea? What immigrant ship did your ancestors arrive on?  Tell family stories with accuracy to detail, with a visit to a nautical museum or website. Here are some places to begin your voyage of discovery, the family stories from the sea. The whale boat above, is an image from Mystic Seaport,… Continue Reading

5 Ways to Preserve Family Stories

The teen sat on the park bench, hungry, tired, jobless, a boy of New Haven, Connecticut. He wondered what the world would hold for him. He sat staring into space, after awhile his focus landed on a beautiful girl across the street, near the corner of Church and Chapel Streets. She was made of wood! It was… Continue Reading

5 Tips for Memorial Day Family Stories

Memorial Day 2015  Who in your family has a story that needs to be collected before it’s too late? How did they serve our nation? Where were they sent in the service? What branch of the military were they in? My father; the late Herman F. Marshall, a member of the U.S. Army, during WWII.… Continue Reading

A Fairy Tale from a Family Story

You finally have the kids bathed and in bed. They have had a glass of water, you read a story and they still won’t sleep. Don’t despair they need a family story from the best storyteller in the world – YOU! HOW? What Fairy Tale, Aesop Fable or Mother Goose story  or folk tale are… Continue Reading

Family Recipes, 5 Questions for Family Stories

  Food and Family, the two can hardly be separated.  Family events and every day suppers hold lots of food memories and they are a good place to start collecting family stories too. Everyone has a food story to share! Are you ready to collect a family story? You can ask your kids your elders… Continue Reading

A World of Storytelling Radio

A World of Storytelling Radio

      I need a little company when I’m in the office for extended hours. I tune into “A World of Storytelling Radio”, you can too, just click here: http://www.live365.com/stations/storytellingradio   WHY?  It’s simple, we all need a story, a little something that speaks to our common humanity. You may tune in when a poignant love story… Continue Reading

What Does Your Family Sound Like?

Every family has a certain playlist. That constant background music or noise that is seldom acknowledged. When I was a teen I babysat for a family, it was a no TV house, the constant background there was classical music piped softly to every room. It was a serene household, but I always had to fight… Continue Reading

Ties to a Shipyard Story

Allen, that is a family name, my Paternal Grandmother was Pauline Allen Marshall. She was from Port Greville, Nova Scotia Canada.  Here she is as a young woman in Rye New Hampshire.   She came to the United States as a young teen to work in the Amoskeag Mills in Manchester, NH. Allen is an… Continue Reading

Revolutionary Family Stories

From “The British are coming , the British are coming”, to  “We the people”, the time of the American Revolution spun a great many family stories. Some of the names, faces and characters are well known from our history lessons. Many are unknown and buried in  a couple of centuries of dust.      To unearth… Continue Reading