Post-weekend Poetry 045: The Novel by Linda Eve Diamond

Welcome to Post-weekend Poetry and the forty-fifth poem in this series. This week’s piece welcomes back Linda Eve Diamond and perfect timing for those of us embarking on NaNoWriMo this Thursday.

The Novel

I want to write…

…but the pen is so far away…

Across miles of minutia,
snacks, a telephone,
the world outside,
a winding superhighway.

As I binge my time away,
I contemplate my novel—
my navel—

Why the neighbor
mows the lawn at dawn
… and then again at noon.

I imagine the finished novel
discovered one day in its entirety
inside my head and heart
by a coroner.

He’ll find blood rich with story
characters in my capillaries
irony woven through my veins,
plot twists on the matter of my brain.

He will fall in love
with the writer I never was.

He’ll say it was true of me
like so many others he’s seen—
She had a novel inside her.

***

I asked Linda what prompted this piece and she said…

I was asked in a radio interview when I’d be writing “the novel”. When I had another interview coming up on the same show, I thought about that question and wrote this poem. I then told him I had just completed “The Novel.” Was that cheating? 

I wouldn’t have said so. I loved it. Thank you, Linda.

Linda Eve Diamond is the author of several books in the areas of business, education, self-help and poetry.

Her work (and play) earned two awards from the International Listening Association and a Coffee House Press Poetry Award.

Her poetry and essays have been published in journals, anthologies and online.

Her websites are: http://LindaEveDiamond.com, http://ListenersUnite.com, http://www.thebeautyofpicturebooks.com.

Her collection ‘The Human Experience’ is available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

***

If you’d like to submit your poem (40 lines max) for consideration for Post-weekend Poetry take a look here.

The blog interviews will return as normal tomorrow with non-fiction author Frank Newby – the five hundred and thirty-sixth of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, bloggers, biographers, agents, publishers and more. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further. And I enjoy hearing from readers of my blog; do either leave a comment on the relevant interview (the interviewees love to hear from you too!) and / or email me.

You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything. You can contact me and find me on the internet, view my Books and I also have a blog creation service especially for, but not limited to, writers.

Unfortunately, as I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t review books but I have a feature called ‘Short Story Saturdays’ where I review stories of up to 2,500 words. Alternatively if you have a short story or self-contained novel extract / short chapter (ideally up to 1000 words) that you’d like critiqued and don’t mind me reading it / talking about and critiquing it (I send you the transcription afterwards so you can use the comments or ignore them)  on my ‘Bailey’s Writing Tips’ podcast, then do email me. They are fortnightly episodes, usually released on Sundays, interweaving the recordings between the red pen sessions with the hints & tips episodes. I am now also looking for flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays and poetry for Post-weekend Poetry.

 

Post-weekend Poetry 037: ‘The Problem with Interrupting’ by Linda Eve Diamond

Welcome to Post-weekend Poetry and the thirty-seventh poem in this series. This week’s piece welcomes back Linda Eve Diamond.

The Problem with Interrupting

She said I couldn’t love you
He snapped a quick reply:
You said you did, you lied to me, but then all women lie.

With that, he gathered up his things and spewed a harsh goodbye.
She would have loved him always, but he had one awful flaw.
He interrupted her every sentence, her every little thought.

But oh, how she cried when he walked out the door.
The rest of her sentence would have been more!

I asked Linda what prompted this piece and she said…

I write a lot about listening. I wrote this one and posted it for fun at http://ListenersUnite.com as a “cautionary tale.”

Thank you, Linda.

Linda Eve Diamond is the author of several books in the areas of business, education, self-help and poetry. Her work (and play) earned two awards from the International Listening Association and a Coffee House Press Poetry Award. Her poetry and essays have been published in journals, anthologies and online. Her websites are: http://LindaEveDiamond.com, http://ListenersUnite.com, http://www.thebeautyofpicturebooks.com.

Her collection ‘The Human Experience’ is available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

If you’d like to submit your poem (40 lines max) for consideration for Post-weekend Poetry take a look here.

The blog interviews will return as normal tomorrow with multi-genre author Rinah Lidonde aka Christina Ow – the four hundred and eighty-second of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, bloggers, biographers, agents, publishers and more. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further. And I enjoy hearing from readers of my blog; do either leave a comment on the relevant interview (the interviewees love to hear from you too!) and / or email me.

You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything… and follow me on Twitter where each new posting is automatically announced. You can also read / download my eBooks and free eShorts at Smashwords, Sony Reader Store, Barnes & Noble, iTunes Bookstore, Kobo and Amazon, with more to follow. I have a new forum, friend me on Facebook, like me on Facebook, connect with me on LinkedIn, find me on Tumblr, complete my website’s Contact me page or plain and simple, email me.  I also now have a new blog creation service especially for, but not limited to, writers.

Unfortunately, as I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t review books but I have a feature called ‘Short Story Saturdays’ where I review stories of up to 2,500 words. Alternatively if you have a short story or self-contained novel extract / short chapter (ideally up to 1000 words) that you’d like critiqued and don’t mind me reading it / talking about and critiquing it (I send you the transcription afterwards so you can use the comments or ignore them)  on my ‘Bailey’s Writing Tips’ podcast, then do email me. They are fortnightly episodes, usually released on Sundays, interweaving the recordings between the red pen sessions with the hints & tips episodes. I am now also looking for flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays.

 

Post-weekend Poetry 030: Snowed In by Linda Eve Diamond

Welcome to Post-weekend Poetry and the thirtieth poem in this series. This week’s piece welcomes back Linda Eve Diamond and I thought what better topic on what should be a hot balmy summer’s day (she says, it’s gloomy and raining) than snow. This poem is taken from Linda’s collection The Human Experience (2007).

SNOWED IN

One cup of cocoa
lonely for another
to steam with
touching lips
with the clink
of a china kiss.

Chess men lie in wait
for white nights
to bring warm hands to play
by candles’ subtle firelight
in a white-skirted house
on a street of puffy clouds.

The queen would cry
if she could
little tears on wood.
She knows that it’s snowing
yet two candles sit unlit
yearning for lost flames
and the cocoa is cold
and alone.

I asked Linda what prompted this piece and she said…

I wrote this while snowed in alone in NJ. I finally picked up my chess set, candles and cocoa and moved us all to sunny Florida. I’m happy to report that the candles found their flames, the queen has never been happier, and the cocoa is warm and loved. 

Thank you, Linda.

Linda Eve Diamond is the author of several books in the areas of business, education, self-help and poetry. Her work (and play) earned two awards from the International Listening Association and a Coffee House Press Poetry Award. Her poetry and essays have been published in journals, anthologies and online. Her websites are: http://LindaEveDiamond.com, http://ListenersUnite.com, http://www.thebeautyofpicturebooks.com.

Her collection ‘The Human Experience’ is available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

If you’d like to submit your poem (40 lines max) for consideration for Post-weekend Poetry take a look here.

The blog interviews will return as normal tomorrow with thriller / crime author Jacqui Rose – the four hundred and thirty-third of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, bloggers, biographers, agents, publishers and more. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further. And I enjoy hearing from readers of my blog; do either leave a comment on the relevant interview (the interviewees love to hear from you too!) and / or email me.

You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything… and follow me on Twitter where each new posting is automatically announced. You can also read / download my eBooks and free eShorts at Smashwords, Sony Reader Store, Barnes & Noble, iTunes Bookstore, Kobo and Amazon, with more to follow. I have a new forum, friend me on Facebook, like me on Facebook, connect with me on LinkedIn, find me on Tumblr, complete my website’s Contact me page or plain and simple, email me.  I also now have a new blog creation service especially for, but not limited to, writers.

Unfortunately, as I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t review books but I have a feature called ‘Short Story Saturdays’ where I review stories of up to 2,500 words. Alternatively if you have a short story or self-contained novel extract / short chapter (ideally up to 1000 words) that you’d like critiqued and don’t mind me reading it / talking about and critiquing it (I send you the transcription afterwards so you can use the comments or ignore them)  on my ‘Bailey’s Writing Tips’ podcast, then do email me. They are weekly episodes, usually released Monday mornings UK time, interweaving the recordings between the red pen sessions with the hints & tips episodes. I am now also looking for flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays.

 

Post-weekend Poetry 022: Geometry 101 by Linda Eve Diamond

Welcome to Post-weekend Poetry and the twenty-second poem in this series. This week’s piece welcomes back Linda Eve Diamond.

Geometry 101
You’re too rigid,
said the circle to the square.

Said the square to the circle,
I don’t care.

At least I make a few good points
while you spin round and round to no avail.

Into the night they fought and compared,
but beneath the arcs and angles, they cared.

In time, the square became less pointed
and the circle, painfully more jointed.

In the end, they were a wreck of tangle.
The only one standing was the triangle,
who came to three profound points:

- A square is not a circle.
- A circle can’t be cornered by a square.
- A circle and a square should never dare
to fall in love.

I asked Linda what prompted this piece and she said…a long night of insomnia (and probably the shapes in the dark of a round lamp, a trinket box, and a triangular alarm clock). 

It was great, thank you, Linda.

Linda Eve Diamond is the author of several books in the areas of business, education, self-help and poetry.

Her work (and play) earned two awards from the International Listening Association and a Coffee House Press Poetry Award.

Her poetry and essays have been published in journals, anthologies and online.

Her websites are: http://LindaEveDiamond.com, http://ListenersUnite.com, http://TheBeautyofPictureBooks.com.

Her collection ‘The Human Experience’ is available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

If you’d like to submit your poem (40 lines max) for consideration for Post-weekend Poetry take a look here.

You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything… and follow me on Twitter where each new posting is automatically announced. You can also read / download my eBooks and free eShorts at Smashwords, Sony Reader Store, Barnes & Noble, iTunes Bookstore, Kobo and Amazon, with more to follow. I have a new forum and you can follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook, like me on Facebook, connect with me on LinkedIn, find me on Tumblr, complete my website’s Contact me page or plain and simple, email me.  I also now have a new blog creation service especially for, but not limited to, writers.

Unfortunately, as I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t review books but I have a feature called ‘Short Story Saturdays’ where I review stories of up to 2,500 words. Alternatively if you have a short story or self-contained novel extract / short chapter (ideally up to 1000 words) that you’d like critiqued and don’t mind me reading it / talking about and critiquing it (I send you the transcription afterwards so you can use the comments or ignore them)  on my ‘Bailey’s Writing Tips’ podcast, then do email me. They are weekly episodes, usually released Monday mornings UK time, interweaving the recordings between the red pen sessions with the hints & tips episodes. I am now also looking for flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays and poetry for Post-weekend Poetry.

 

Post-weekend Poetry 015: ‘The Cobbod Cold’ by Linda Eve Diamond

Welcome to Post-weekend Poetry and the fifteenth poem in this series. This week’s piece welcomes back Linda Eve Diamond and ‘The Cobbod Cold’ taken from her collection The Human Experience (2007)

The Cobbod Cold

Dothig like a cold to bake you blue,
dostalgic for days whed you were sball.
Bob would bake chicked soup
ad kiss your forehead whed she tucked you id.

A good bad will take care of you
serve you bango juice ad cababile tea.
But the chicked soup frob a cad
is dothig like the way bob bakes it,
ad your good bad thinks you called hib a cad
whed all you said was cad-cad-cad of soup

Ad you wand do be robandtic
but your nd-ndose flows ad bubbles.
Dot good for abbiadce,
dor is your teary eye.

You’re achey, you’re drippy,
your braid is buddled.
Baby you feel like a baby
for feeling like you wadda die
frob a cobbod cold.

So you get lost in sob busic,
that’s good bedicid.
Sing that song about barbalade skies.

I asked Linda what prompted this piece and she said…

I wanted to write about the common cold in the language of a cold.  Not only do we suffer with the cold itself, we suffer the frustrations of having our m’s changed to b’s and many of our n’s to d’s, and, overall, sounding just plain silly. But dere’s do cure for de cobbod cold or de way id bakes us talk so fuddy.  So, we might as well just have fun with it. 

I loved it! Thank you, Linda.

Linda Eve Diamond is the author of several books in the areas of business, education, self-help and poetry. Her work (and play) earned two awards from the International Listening Association and a Coffee House Press Poetry Award. Her poetry and essays have been published in journals, anthologies and online. Her websites are: http://LindaEveDiamond.com, http://ListenersUnite.com, http://NationalPictureBookWeek.com. You can also read more of Linda’s poetry here.

If you’d like to submit your poem (40 lines max) for consideration for Post-weekend Poetry take a look here.

The blog interviews will return as normal tomorrow with poet Wanda Lea Brayton – the three hundred and twenty-eighth of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, bloggers, biographers, agents, publishers and more. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further. And I enjoy hearing from readers of my blog; do either leave a comment on the relevant interview (the interviewees love to hear from you too!) and / or email me. You can also read / download my eBooks and free eShorts at Smashwords, Sony Reader Store, Barnes & Noble, iTunes Bookstore and Kobo. My eBooks are now on Amazon, with more to follow, and I also have a quirky second-person viewpoint story in charity anthology Telling Tales.

I have a new forum at http://morgenbailey.freeforums.org and you can follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook, like me on Facebook, link with me on LinkedIn, find me on Tumblr, complete my website’s ‘Contact me‘ page or plain and simple, email me.

 

Post-weekend Poetry 008: ‘Funny World’ by Linda Eve Diamond

Welcome to the new Post-weekend Poetry and the eighth poem in this series. This week’s piece is an unlucky poem, especially for today, the 13th February, entitled ‘Funny World’ by Linda Eve Diamond and is taken from her collection The Human Experience (2007).

FUNNY WORLD 
Life is funny, so they say, when fate seems cruel.
I’m not sure I always get the jokes from here.

I seem to get burned when cosmic wit hits.
I’m the straight man in life’s slapstick bits.

Punch lines sometimes bruise a little,
but I’m sure it’s very funny.

Yagotta laugh they say erelse you’ll cry
‘cause it’s so damn funny.

I asked Linda what prompted this piece and to tell me a little about her writing…

I don’t recall this poem being inspired by anything in particular. The expression, “Life is funny,” struck me funny one day, and the bad-luck character, bruised by punch lines, just tumbled out into a poem.

My writing began in corporate training, basic skills, and technical materials. From there, I began writing business and educational books. I also began writing a great deal about listening and communication skills and started a website dedicated to listening skills at ListenersUnite.com. My latest book, E-Z Spelling (Barron’s Educational Series, 2011), was my 10^th. I’m now shifting my focus more toward poetry, creative writing, and creating a new series of poetry videos. For anyone interested in updates, I have a monthly newsletter and links to my social networking pages on my Website, http://LindaEveDiamond.com.

I loved it! Thank you Linda.

Linda Eve Diamond is the author of several books in the areas of business, education, self-help and poetry. Her work (and play) earned two awards from the International Listening Association and a Coffee House Press Poetry Award. Her poetry and essays have been published in journals, anthologies and online.

Her websites are: http://LindaEveDiamond.com, http://ListenersUnite.com, http://NationalPictureBookWeek.com. You can also read more of Linda’s poetry here.

If you’d like to submit your poem (40 lines max), poetry-related review or guest blog for consideration for Post-weekend Poetry take a look here.

The blog interviews will return as normal tomorrow with romance novelist Kathy Holmes – the two hundred and seventy-ninth of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, bloggers, biographers, agents, publishers and more. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further. And I enjoy hearing from readers of my blog; do either leave a comment on the relevant interview (the interviewees love to hear from you too!) and / or email me. You can also read / download my eBooks and free eShorts at Smashwords.