Month: March 2013
Mary Pope Osborne’s Norse Myths
Much like Greek Mythology, the Norse myths have inspired grand operas, art, literature, and comic books. This mythology of the Northern climes is primarily derived from the Icelandic Eddas, which date to the 13th century, though the lore is far older in origin. These tales of gods and giants, dwarves and elves—light and dark—inspired the operas of… Read More ›
Mary Pope Osborne’s Greek Myths
Thousands of years old, Greek myths have been told and retold countless times and in countless ways, inspiring works of art, music, literature, and film. Many of us first encounter these tales of wonder as children. So it is no surprise that many authors—from Nathaniel Hawthorne to Bernard Evslin to the D’Aulaires—have presented collections of these… Read More ›
Cocktail Special
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a Shillelagh cocktail! Named for the Irish tool, a wooden cudgel, the Shillelagh (pronounce shee-lay-lee) comes in two versions. The first is technically known as an Irish Shillelagh, and the second is simply a Shillelagh. Both drinks have been around for some time—since at least the 1990s. You’d think an Irish Cream… Read More ›
To Catch a Cat
“Something told him he would never feel safe again.” Eleven year-old Robin falls prey to peer pressure. He wants to fit in at school and with the popular kids so he agrees to steal a neighbor’s cat. In the process, he is witness to a murder. He escapes with the cat, Leif Erickson, but fears… Read More ›
Writing Challenge 15
It’s time for The Poisoned Martini’s latest Writing Challenge! As a means to inspire writing, The Poisoned Martini is featuring an image to spark creativity. Such images, because of their visual nature, vividly speak to writers and spark ideas for writing. The idea is to view the image below and to write a scene, a… Read More ›
Branded
Could this film be considered a horror film for those working in PR, marketing, and advertising? Touted as a sci-fi thriller set in a dystopian future, Branded (2012) plays more like a satire about society and the love/hate relationship with advertising. A brief prologue introduces a young Misha Galkin in early 1980s Moscow. After seeing… Read More ›
Branding for Writers
We, as writers/authors, are our own brands. In most cases, our brand is our name (or the name we chose to write under). In the past, the chances of your name (or chosen pseudonym) being the same as another author’s were slim. However, with today’s internet, chances are you’re competing with others who share your… Read More ›
Friday Cocktail
If you think of March Madness when you think of this month, then this Friday cocktail might suit you, enjoy the Cheshire Cat! “The Cat only grinned when it saw Alice. It looked good-natured, she thought: still it had very long claws and a great many teeth, so she felt that it ought to be treated… Read More ›
The Poisoned Martini 