beverlymagid

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So far beverlymagid has created 58 blog entries.

Historical Fiction Author Beverly Magid: Writing, Research, and John Lennon

This week my guest is historical fiction author Beverly Magid. Before writing her first novel, Beverly was a journalist and an entertainment and celebrity PR executive. She interviewed many luminaries, including John Lennon, Jim Croce, and the Monty Python gang. As publicist, she represented clients in music, [...]

By |2023-10-13T23:00:07+00:00November 13, 2017|Interview, Press|

Read As If Your Writing Depended On It – It Does

It's hard to believe I haven't posted since July 2, but life and writing have continued at a fast pace. After a week in Idyllwild's Fiction Writing this summer, I actually went back to my novel. I should say I re-began my novel and have been at [...]

By |2023-10-13T23:56:25+00:00November 21, 2015|Beverly's Blog|

History brought to life through storytelling – By Judy Reeves

When a good story with compelling characters also brings history alive for me, I am hooked. Sown in tears is such a book. We may learn the facts about Czarist Russia in the early twentieth century – the pograms, and the devastation of Jewish communities by the [...]

By |2023-10-13T23:57:37+00:00March 23, 2015|Review|

Why do all those eureka moments only come at three am in the morning?

I had written narratives of the characters, description of the location, background of their history- everything but a story. For months this had gone on, while I fretted that nothing new was occurring to me, that it all seemed so dry and stale. Been there, done that. [...]

By |2023-10-13T22:48:28+00:00August 18, 2014|Beverly's Blog|

Happy New Year’s Everybody!

Janet Fitch always said when I was in her workshop, that you must write an hour a day, no matter what. If you didn't exercise the muscle it would atrophy. 2014 has tested that theory to the extreme for me. It's been so hard to even sit [...]

By |2023-10-13T23:59:33+00:00February 19, 2014|Beverly's Blog|

Are words as tasty as cookies?

I haven't posted since August and here it is December, with Chanukah just past and Christmas and New Year's on the way. How could it be 2014 when I haven't gotten used to writing 2013 on checks or correspondence? To be perfectly honest the last date I [...]

By |2023-10-13T23:59:56+00:00December 6, 2013|Beverly's Blog|

I’LL ALWAYS NEED MY LIBRARY

I've just signed up to participate in a book festival sponsored by the Friends of the Duarte Library to sell my novels, SOWN IN TEARS and FLYING OUT OF BROOKLYN (It's October 5, 10am-4pm, Duarte is just past Pasadena, if you're in California). I've done book reading/signings [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:00:55+00:00August 24, 2013|Beverly's Blog|

FOR WOMEN ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL

The protagonists of my two novels (FLYING OUT OF BROOKLYN and SOWN IN TEARS) have been young Jewish females, at different historical times, but both faced with problems of independence and changes in their lives. With the controversy kicked up by the book, "Lean In" by Sheryl [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:01:47+00:00April 21, 2013|Beverly's Blog|

Private Writing in A Public Place

Writers, writing teachers all have touted writing in a public place. Sometimes alone, with a partner, timed, untimed - it's all done with the idea that once you put your pen to paper (that's assuming you can still use a pen or pencil) you keep writing for [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:02:15+00:00March 23, 2013|Beverly's Blog|

GRAND AVENUE PARK BOOK FEST

Just imagine a beautiful Los Angeles afternoon, downtown in the new green space called the Grand Avenue Park, just between the Music Center and City Hall, holding the first annual Book Festival. It was a tribute to independent book publishers, sellers, authors and poets. Music, games and [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:02:46+00:00March 3, 2013|Beverly's Blog|

To Sequel Or Not To Sequel

I've found in the two novels I've written, that my story is an on-going journey for each of my characters. Some writers I'm sure like to tie up all the details in a book, so the reader knows exactly what the ending is and where the characters [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:03:13+00:00January 24, 2013|Beverly's Blog|

What a way to start the New Year!

Hacking, auto mishap, computer glitch - what a way to start the New Year. But with today's technology, these have become normal events to be endured and overcome. Even technology can't be relied on. I remember the first time the computer went out in the midst of [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:03:39+00:00January 9, 2013|Beverly's Blog|

Sometimes it just takes a good book…..

I am so often years behind in my reading. For instance I just read Wallace Stegner's "Crossing to Safey," a novel about four friends, which is quiet, observant, with great depth, but little action. His descriptions are infinite and beautiful, writing the way I'd like to, with [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:04:07+00:00December 26, 2012|Beverly's Blog|

Impressions in Ink – Sown in Tears – Review

Sown in Tears Title: Sown in Tears Author: Beverly Magid Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform on 18 September 2012 Genre: Historical Fiction Labels: Russia, Russian History, Jewish History, Early 20th Century, Revolution Format: Paperback Age: Adult Pages: 194 Rating: 5 Stars Summary: Rural village of [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:04:36+00:00December 13, 2012|Review|

I’m not really a cruise person, but……

This Thanksgiving I joined friends on a week-long cruise. We all started the conversation, by saying, "I'm not really a cruise person but...." Then we all agreed to go, seven adults and two kids. I believe it's the obligation of a writer to experience different cultures, taste [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:05:05+00:00December 3, 2012|Beverly's Blog|

Spotlight On Beverly Magid – Part II

You've self-published both of your novels, what advice can you give authors considering going this route? If you’re as impatient as I am regarding agents and traditional publishing, self-publishing is a great venue and no longer stigmatized by either the reading public or the publishing industry. Case [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:05:57+00:00November 15, 2012|Interview|

Editor at American Jewish Librarian raves about Sown in Tears

This gripping book opens with a scene of a raid on Jewish village in Czarist Russia as local peasants unleash a torrent of violence against its occupants. The reader is thrust int the cruel world inhabited by Leah Peretz, the main protagonist, as she and her husband, [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:06:30+00:00November 8, 2012|Review|

Who Me, Interviewing John Lennon?

I'm always amazed at the people who start out in life knowing what they want to do and where they're going. Sometimes I've envied their focused passion while I was still all over the place, going from one career to another. But lately I've been reflecting on [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:07:01+00:00November 2, 2012|Beverly's Blog|

Spotlight On Beverly Magid – Part I

Beverly Magid, before writing her novel, was a journalist and an entertainment and celebrity PR executive, who interviewed many luminaries, including John Lennon, Jim Croce and the Monty Python gang, and as a publicist represented clients in music, tv and film,  ranging from Whoopi Goldberg, John Denver and Dolly Parton to [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:07:28+00:00October 15, 2012|Interview|

Historical fiction writer Beverly Magid

A Writer of History  ~ by M.K Tod Several weeks ago I connected with Beverly Magid who has written two historical fiction novels. Like many others, Beverly has chosen the self-publishing route and I thought it might be interesting to feature a few authors who have taken that path. [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:08:21+00:00October 11, 2012|Interview|

Giving Birth To A Book

Not being a mother, it's probably dangerous to equate anything with giving birth to a child. Mothers around the world will gird up and unite in taking me down for my presumptuousness. But to a writer, a musician, a painter or any creative person, the time and [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:08:46+00:00October 9, 2012|Beverly's Blog|

How did you come up with that idea?

With my new book, SOWN IN TEARS, now out and available, I was asked what made me interested in the setting of Russia, 1905. Before you focus on an idea for a novel, you have to be certain that you can live with that story for many [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:09:15+00:00September 21, 2012|Beverly's Blog|

Choosing the right book cover

If you're self publishing, one of the tasks you will have is choosing the proper book cover. I looked at dozens of them and in a lot of cases I found myself underwhelmed by what I saw. Granted, I didn't know what the books were about, but [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:10:22+00:00August 26, 2012|Beverly's Blog|

Why Can’t I Proof What I Wrote?

If you've ever had to proofread anything that you've written, be sure that you hand the job over to someone else. Even that isn't foolproof (no pun intended). Get two people to do the job. With my first book, I actually thought I could read and pick [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:10:46+00:00August 14, 2012|Beverly's Blog|

Too Easy to Send

So like everyone does, I forwarded an email which extolled the Italian athletes for holding a minute of silence last week in memory of the 11 murdered Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics, as well as a French athlete who showed his Hebrew tatoo which translated to [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:11:41+00:00August 6, 2012|Beverly's Blog|

The fun of self-publishing?

The world has changed since I self-published my first book, Flying Out of Brooklyn. And that was only a few years ago. Then the word Kindle was new and who expected anyone to read their books online? Certainly not me. Then self-publishing was still a bit stigmatized, [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:12:04+00:00August 1, 2012|Beverly's Blog|

Second draft blues

I'm not sure how other writers handle it, but the second draft of my second novel is so much harder than the first one. The first, for me, concerns story, so you're lay out the skeleton of the book, deciding who lives or dies or loves or [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:13:23+00:00January 24, 2011|Beverly's Blog|

Writing in Public Spaces

While I really miss having a workshop, an alternative which really spurs the creative juices is writing in a public place, ie a coffee shop. Once a month a writing buddy and I meet and for a couple of hours forget about 2nd drafts that have put [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:13:53+00:00January 12, 2011|Beverly's Blog|

We’ve Lost Debbie Friedman

Yesterday was both sad and hopeful. Debbie Friedman, a force for healing and peace in the Jewish music world died much too soon. Her music brought us comfort, prayer and a closeness to a divine power all set to melodies which caused your heart to cry, to [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:14:15+00:00January 10, 2011|Beverly's Blog|

A New Year, A New Blog

It's a new year and I've decided to start the blog again. This time I won't expect anyone to follow it, it will just be my personal occasional comments on what I see. Sort of like the diary I kept when I was fourteen. I only did [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:14:38+00:00January 7, 2011|Beverly's Blog|

Susan Boyle, It’s All Wrong

I'm a little late to jump on the bandwagon over Susan Boyle, but I'm not interested in talking about how I teared up when I heard her sing, or whether or not she's real or a hoax perpertrated on the world of YouTube. My concern is the [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:15:02+00:00April 20, 2009|Beverly's Blog|

Birthday by the sea

I'm not quite a Pisces, I'm right on the cusp of Aires, but the ocean (actually any moving body of water) is like a meditation to me. Never learned to swim well, become panicked if my feet don't touch the bottom, but put me next to the [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:15:25+00:00March 30, 2009|Beverly's Blog|

Enjoy your freedom

It's been an eon since I last posted and since then we've had an ecconomic meltdown, the world is obsessed with Twitter and texting, friends have lost their jobs, I'm financially down and yet this morning I am smiling and feeling good. Am I crazy? Maybe. But [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:15:45+00:00March 26, 2009|Beverly's Blog|

What if you wrote a blog and nobody came

Writing is considered a solitary game, so blogging without readers shouldn't be such a catastrophe, but even when you keep a diary, you're always hoping that someone will actually take a peek once in awhile. That's why I finally decided to self-publish my novel, so that finally [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:16:41+00:00May 20, 2008|Beverly's Blog|

Talking to Your Readers

Next to actually having a good day of writing, what could be better than getting to talk to your readers or potential readers. So that makes last night, my first time of book reading, signing and selling at the Westwood Library a fully great experience. Even when [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:18:26+00:00March 7, 2008|Beverly's Blog|

Woman Writer Abroad in the World

I actually remember the excitement when JFK was President and the horror when he was asssassinated. So I understand the feelings of young voters who think they've discovered someone new, like Sen. Obama, but I also know how extraordinary it is to have a woman candidate up [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:19:39+00:00February 24, 2008|Beverly's Blog|

Promoting Your Book

According to Karen Syed, CEO of Echelon Publishing, promoting your writing could be a fulltime job, and the most important one, if you want to sell books. At the past weeekend conference of the SoCalWritersConference in San Diego, I was bombarded by information and ideas on how [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:20:16+00:00February 20, 2008|Beverly's Blog|

Workshopping

Wow! After four days of intensive workshopping at UCLA, I both exhausted and jazzed. There's nothing like focusing on nothing but writing, surrounded by nothing but writers, which to jumpstart the creative processes. First of all, I was lucky, being in a small class which had such [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:21:06+00:00February 11, 2008|Beverly's Blog|

Creative Energy in Class

There's nothing like being in class to force the creative energy. If only I could do this everyday on my own. But having a chance to work all day at writing just makes the blood flow quickly and the brain open up to all the possibilities. I'm [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:21:32+00:00February 7, 2008|Beverly's Blog|

Keep That Writing Going

Every teacher and mentor has said the same thing: you have to write everyday, even if it's just a paragraph, just sit and write for an hour. Writing is a muscle you have to keep exercising or it grows slack and soft. Sounds easy enough, but so [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:21:57+00:00February 6, 2008|Beverly's Blog|

Woman Writer Abroad in the World

First blog ever, so this is a new experience writing a public diary of thoughts. As a newly published novelist, I wanted to share my experience of the process of getting a book out there for the world to chew up and hopefully not spit out. It [...]

By |2023-10-14T00:22:28+00:00February 5, 2008|Beverly's Blog|
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