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I haven’t seen a real roach in years, but this fella brings back the sounds of infestation like a perfect soundtrack to a tried-and-true spaghetti western! Ties in perfectly to the memories of my upper east-side apartment and the hissing radiator! Thank you, Linda!

Those mean eyes! This is awesome!

He’s a mean looking one! But cute.

Wow, what a wonderful description. I had these creepy little roommates waaaaaay back in the early days, in my first ever apartment. Apparently the whole building was infested. Good times.

Thanks, Catherine. In the first draft he was a little too sweet looking. My hubby pointed out that he needed to look a bit more menacing. Good advice!

Hee hee, thanks, Madre. Tom talked me into making him look edgier. I like him this way.

So appropriate for the fall season! You are so talented!

Good on you for trying to learn! 6 yrs of my kids in the pep band, and I still don’t get it!

a) Almost certainly; b) definitely certainly; c) is there a greater degree of certainty?

But sometimes one of the answers is no and you get a pleasant surprise.

good story and a pretty fly sketch too :P

OMG!

I keep a can of hair spray handy. If you spray them they can’t fly and are easy to swat! To justify this unfair carnage I remember the diseases flies carry!

Don’t put out any fly traps or we won’t get to read these great posts!

Hmmm, good idea. Thanks!

Thanks, Kev!

I know! Sheesh! (0:

Hee hee, thanks, Julie!

I just love floaty boy.

Too funny! I can’t imagine sleeping with the floaty, LOL.

Wonderful – keep scratchin’, kid!

Love this little dude! Hugs, Lorlinda

Cute.

Brilliant! When can I read one of your stories?

Soooo love this!

Well done, ADORABLE illustration, as usual!

Don’t think I saw this one. It’s a winner. Cute lil Meercat!

love it :)

I’ve always liked your banner! One thing I dislike about many blogs is the pictures that make the site so slow to load (I have a very slow computer). This is a blog about the written word so it doesn’t need lots of pictures.

I’d like to see your opinion of Nell Speed’s “Tucker Twins” books – or at least the first one.

I like that I can actually navigate the blog without having to wait on drop-downs, etc.

I like the concept of the current banner, but if you wanted to update the site a little, I’m sure that would be fresh and attractive! New graphics can be exciting even if they’re similar in theme. But actually your site has always been enjoyable for me, no particular issues with the design.

If you’re actually dissatisfied with the design, then you should change it, but I found out today that WordPress is so much more annoying than it used to be, formatting-wise, so heads up for that.

I come to you for book ideas to read, so I’d only be suggesting things I’ve already read, and I guess I don’t need your opinion of those! ha ha he he
But for others who might like her, you could try Anna Balmer Myers “Amanda: a Daughter of the Mennonites”, “Patchwork; a Story of the Plain People” & “Madonna of the Curb”
I found her while looking for Amish like books in the public domain.
Her people are plain or Mennonnite,
Amanda was good.
I’m about 1/3 through Madonna, and I’m liking it so far. It starts in a New Jersey slum and takes the 11 y.old heroine to a reformatory for girls. I loved this part. But now she’s looking for her roots and is heading to Lancaster PA.

I like the plain look of the site. But if you want to go fancy, I’m behind you!

I love your banner!

I hasten to add that the reason I don’t visit the site and so see the banner etc. is that I read your posts in LiveJournal. So I do see every post!

Thanks! I’m not thinking of changing the layout, or adding lots of pictures, just maybe getting a new theme and banner.

I definitely want to give those a try, although my failure to get through the Molly Brown books was kind of disheartening.

I don’t want to do a functional redesign, but I though it might be a good idea to make things look a little nicer.

Thanks! That’s pretty much how I’m feeling about it–everything works, but I would like some nicer graphics. Sadly, I don’t think my skills have improved since I created the last one.

I’ve never gotten all that deep into the technical side of WordPress–or at least, I’ve done more of that with the website at work than with the blog. All I really want to do is change the theme and come up with a new banner.

Those sound like fun. And I’m always open to recommendations, although this time around I’m really looking for things I should have read/reviewed but haven’t.

Also, you were asking about the illustrations in the banner, right? The guy at the desk is from The Mysterious Shin Shira. The girls are from an illustration in a piece in a comic strip reprint magazine. I think the magazine is in a box right now, but when I find it I’ll post the whole picture, which is pretty cool.

Thanks. It’s just been looking pretty amateurish to me lately.

That’s what RSS is for!

I’ve never read the books or seen the series. Only so many hours in a week…. Hope you recover soon!

Well, you did better than I did. I gave up on it after about 100 pages.

Yeah, I expect it’s worth it for a lot of people–people who are more into fantasy and everyone being miserable than I am–but it wasn’t for me.

That was probably a wise choice.

I couldn’t finish reading GoT either. I think it’s GRR Martin’s writing style, which I found somewhat pedestrian. He has these sweeping dynastic storylines, but the style isn’t up to the same level. Whereas someone like Heyer can take a relatively flimsy plot and transmute it into an unputdownable novel simply because of her inimitable style.

I dunno. In my case it was simply that I hated all the characters. Every single one of them was obnoxious.

I think it would be fun.
Meanwhile, have you checked out Librarything.com? They have groups (a message board) there, with at least one group that is similar: “Tattered but still lovely”: https://www.librarything.com/groups/tatteredbutstilllove
Of course, moderating your own group allows you to retain control over who posts there, which may or may not have some appeal…

That group definitely looks interesting, although it skews later than we do here. And I really enjoy the group name.

I am definitely interested in a discussion board!

My choice would be for a mailing list, because I always forget to go check message boards.

But something of the sort would definitely be cool!

How about a Goodreads group? It offers message board categorization of discussion topics, can be set up with a moderator if you wish, AND sends an email (to every member who wishes to receive them) any time anything is posted, making it easy to follow conversations.
Whatever you choose, I’ll be signing up for.

I read the blog regularly and would love a message board:)

Mailing list like Yahoo groups (although since Yahoo seems to screw around with them all the time maybe not Yahoo) and not message board, please.

I love your posts and everyone’s comments but message boards and I just don’t quite jive.

Thank you.

Yeah, I kind of feel the same way. The nice thing about Google Groups is that they can also sort of be used as web forums, so I’m experimenting with that.

Being in a Goodreads group was actually my most recent bad experience with a message board. Getting an email that requires you to go to the website is infuriating.

Yeah, I feel similarly. People on the Google Group I used to moderate were always talking about moving to a message board, but one of the most active members refused to move to anything that wouldn’t let him respond to posts by email, and I was pretty deeply in sympathy with him.

LOVE her!!!!❤️❤️❤️

every single thing about this is PERFECT!!!!

Thanks Susan! Hee hee!

Awww, thanks Lo!

What a cutie pie!

Reblogged this on Little things and commented:
I love Linda’s work. And why not a ballerina pig, eh?

adorable!

Lilly gives this picture two thumbs up!

Excellent start of a plot—it’s up to you to write it. WRITE
what you would love to read . . .start tonight. Good luck!

Maybe it’s time YOU wrote a book, with all these elements! I think you’d do a great job.

Meanwhile, I just finished reading E. Nesbit’s The Lark, her last novel (1922). It’s about two young women thrown upon their own resources to make a living. It is available through Amazon in a book titled “Delphi Complete Novels of E. Nesbit” and it’s only $2.51 for the ebook version. I would love to read your review of it.

No, I’m not an aspiring novelist by any means :) I hope to write a book some day, but it will be non-fiction.

I’m really not a fiction writer. I try, occasionally, but I’m much happier with non-fiction. The Lark sounds cool, and if I hadn’t apparently left my kindle at home today, I’d download it now. Thanks for the recommendation!

Now that’s a book I want to read! But as it doesn’t exist – I don’t think – I’d like to recommend Up the Hill and Over by Isabel Ecclestone Mackay. The elements don’t quite match, but something in your description makes me think you’ll like it. Published in 1917, you’ll find it gratis at the Internet Archive.

If you want to read it, you should write it. :)

I think my ideal early 20th century novel involves a spy, a mystery, a grumpy old lady, cocktails, romance, and a woman who wants to be a journalist.

Grace Livingston Hill’s “Emancipation of Aunt Crete” and “Cloudy Jewel” are pretty close-ish. Actually, a lot of her books (and her aunt’s, Isabella Alden, focus on characters remaking themselves– but they also tend to end up with marriage, and are centered around finding Jesus.

Looks like it’s on Gutenberg, too. I’ll check it out. Thanks!

I feel like your ideal early 20th century novel definitely ought to have been written by Mary Roberts Rinehart.

People keep saying I should just write it, but I really don’t do that kind of writing. If I ever write fiction, it’s fanfic of no more than 4000 or so words.

I’ve actually only read one of her books, and it wasn’t a super religious one, but I have a copy of Cloudy Jewel somewhere and I’ve been meaning to read it for a while.

LOVE!!!! Hahahaha!

This is fabulous!

These guys are great!

Wise owls. Ha, ha, ha! I think you’re a wise owl for being so clever in thinking all this up. Hugs, Lorlinda

Thanks so much!

Thanks Nita and thanks for stopping by!

Thanks Laura!

Awww, thanks Lor! Wise or a goofball? Walking a thin line there, hee hee!

love these guys

I think it’s cute and old-fashiony. Way cool.

Real pencil! Cool!

Cute snowman! Saving up for an air-conditioner before summer rolls around again.
I love the feeling of drawing with a pencil (I mostly sketch in ink recently), but I’m too lazy to use the eraser!

Way cool Lady!!!

the old fashioned way!! nice, i think it has his charmes…the sketch and the snowman!

I Like the pencil drawn ones the best. Love that pencil!

How adorable Is he saving up for a walk-in freezer for the summer months?

Thanks Vick! Funny, I did it the old fashioned way too!

Thanks, Robyn!

Thanks! That’s funny, I am the opposite, erasing is such a big part of my drawing. I wish I could be more deliberate and use it less.

Thanks Madre!

I guess it’s good to use an actual pencil once in a while to keep your hand up. You never know when the power might go out!

Hee, thanks Madre. I like both, but the pencil does have it’s undeniable charms, doesn’t it?

Hee! hee, Thanks! I love your tid bits of story ideas!

Glad you do Your imaginative sketches spark the imagination! Great “picture prompts”