http://ptbertram.gather.com Recent Articles on Gather by Pat Bertram en-us Copyright Gather Inc 2009 Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:08:53 GMT 2010-01-06T17:08:53Z en-us Copyright Gather Inc 2009 http://www.gather.com/images/header/logo_gather.gif http://www.gather.com/ http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977951771 How was your writing week? What are you focused on now and what do you hope to be focused on next week? What are your writing concerns? What writing activities have you been involved with this week? . . . Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:55:19 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977951771 Pat Bertram 2009-12-17T18:55:19Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977939814 How was your writing week? Or rather, how was your writing fortnight? We missed last week because of Thanksgiving, and we will miss December 24 and December 31 for obvious reasons. But that's . . . Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:13:08 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977939814 Pat Bertram 2009-12-10T00:13:08Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977931319 Is there such a thing as an anniversary before something happens? A pre-anniversary? The first chapter of A Spark of Heavenly Fire begins on Friday, December 2, which means the year in which the story . . . Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:58:52 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977931319 Pat Bertram 2009-12-04T21:58:52Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977928482 How was your writing week? Or rather, how was your writing fortnight? We missed last week because of Thanksgiving, and we will miss December 24 and December 31 for obvious reasons. But that's . . . Thu, 03 Dec 2009 06:32:30 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977928482 Pat Bertram 2009-12-03T06:32:30Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977912990 Daughter Am I is a quest novel -- a hunt for truth, a hunt for self, a hunt for gold -- so what better way to celebrate the end of my Daughter Am I blog tour than with a treasure hunt! Unlike Mary, . . . Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:19:12 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977912990 Pat Bertram 2009-11-23T00:19:12Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977907913 How was your writing week? What are you focused on now and what do you hope to be focused on next week? What are your writing concerns? What writing activities have you been involved with this . . . Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:46:17 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977907913 Pat Bertram 2009-11-19T06:46:17Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977903627 Can you believe it? This is the thirtieth day of my Daughter Am I blog tour! Only five days left. Oh, dear . . . what am I going to do with all that free time? As if I don’t know. For one thing, . . . Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:27:10 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977903627 Pat Bertram 2009-11-16T21:27:10Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977901363 My Daughter Am I blog tour is winding down — I have seven days to go (eight if you include today) and I don’t know whether to be sad or to rejoice. Since my promotion . . . Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:26:04 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977901363 Pat Bertram 2009-11-15T02:26:04Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977897138 How was your writing week? What are you focused on now and what do you hope to be focused on next week? What are your writing concerns? What writing activities have you been involved with this . . . Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:12:21 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977897138 Pat Bertram 2009-11-12T06:12:21Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977896904 Sometimes it amazes me that there is an entire world one can enter through the portal of a electronic box. The only reason this doesn’t always amaze me is that I tend to take the Internet for granted, . . . Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:38:53 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977896904 Pat Bertram 2009-11-12T02:38:53Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977891327 This seems to be a slow weekend here on the Internet. I can never figure out where people disappear to or why. What could possibly be more fascinating than roaming cyberspace?  I realize . . . Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:22:29 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977891327 Pat Bertram 2009-11-08T21:22:29Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977889223 The other morning I was staring out the window at all the leaves on the ground, marveling at how so much come from almost nothing. A bit of water, a bit of soil, a bit of sun, and something exists where . . . Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:04:41 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977889223 Pat Bertram 2009-11-07T01:04:41Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977886040 How was your writing week? What are you focused on now and what do you hope to be focused on next week? What are your writing concerns? What writing activities have you been involved with this . . . Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:25:52 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977886040 Pat Bertram 2009-11-05T06:25:52Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977885873 Yesterday, I wrote about Tripping Over Words and Other Things , and this is to bring you up-to-date on my trips. I went yak hunting again today, but the only black beasts I saw were:   . . . Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:14:11 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977885873 Pat Bertram 2009-11-05T04:14:11Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977885782 Sesame Street is forty years old today. When the program first launched, it was touted as a show to help kids learn and to show them that learning is fun. I never understood why they needed talking toys . . . Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:38:06 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977885782 Pat Bertram 2009-11-05T02:38:06Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977883889 Today when I was out walking I took a rockier route than I normally do. I wanted to photograph some shaggy beasts that live down the road. I was paying more attention to the creatures instead of where . . . Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:17:48 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977883889 Pat Bertram 2009-11-04T02:17:48Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977882410 One of the guest stops on my Daughter Am I blog tour is the Second Wind Publishing Blog. I talk about a fan letter (well, fan email) I received, and cite a quote by John Cheever, “I . . . Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:00:36 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977882410 Pat Bertram 2009-11-03T04:00:36Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977879736 Sheri Parks, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland, says that many teens today have had years of exposure to violent video games and media images, which studies show desensitizes them to . . . Sun, 01 Nov 2009 02:31:42 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977879736 Pat Bertram 2009-11-01T02:31:42Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977878590 I had a bit of a scare this morning. I checked my blog as usual found a comment on my “ Origin of the Grim Reaper” bloggery from someone named Robert Weniger, who said: You Plagiarist. I . . . Sat, 31 Oct 2009 02:27:50 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977878590 Pat Bertram 2009-10-31T02:27:50Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977876370 “It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.” — Carl Sagan Is this true? When it comes to the cosmic universe, . . . Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:17:56 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977876370 Pat Bertram 2009-10-29T19:17:56Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977875366 How was your writing week? What are you focused on now and what do you hope to be focused on next week? What are your writing concerns? What writing activities have you been involved with this . . . Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:51:31 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977875366 Pat Bertram 2009-10-29T05:51:31Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977874648 I did not come up with that great title for this bloggery, my host today, L.V. Gaudet, did. (Since you are all familiar with the title of my new book, Daughter Am I , I know you get the gist.) I’m . . . Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:04:10 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977874648 Pat Bertram 2009-10-28T20:04:10Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977873272 Though it is actually night here, it's still day ten of my Daughter Am I blog tour. The reference to night and day reminds me of one of those standardized tests I took when I was in second grade. . . . Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:18:12 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977873272 Pat Bertram 2009-10-28T01:18:12Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977870873 Day nine of the Daughter Am I blog tour, and I am still going strong. I actually went to bed before midnight last night, and I’m a bit more rested. Good thing — there is a lot going on today! . . . Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:31:09 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977870873 Pat Bertram 2009-10-26T18:31:09Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977868684 I made it through the first week of my blog tour!! I’m getting to the hard part, though. I have several interviews coming up, and it’s challenging to keep from making identical responses to . . . Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:23:57 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977868684 Pat Bertram 2009-10-25T01:23:57Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977866999 My blog tour is really starting to heat up! Lots of activity, more than I’m used to, that’s for sure. To start out, I am a guest at the blog of my good friend Joylene Nowell Butler  author . . . Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:17:52 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977866999 Pat Bertram 2009-10-23T17:17:52Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977865588 The Internet is such a wonderful place. Today, day five of my blog tour, I am in Florida with author Nancy J. Cohen talking about dialogue. Virtually speaking, that is. Physically, I am in Colorado, listening . . . Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:40:59 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977865588 Pat Bertram 2009-10-22T20:40:59Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977864441 How was your writing week? What are you focused on now and what do you hope to be focused on next week? What are your writing concerns? What writing activities have you been involved with this . . . Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:32:39 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977864441 Pat Bertram 2009-10-22T04:32:39Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977863581 Mary stared open-mouthed into the hole in the wall. Instead of the dining room, which should have been on the other side of the wall, there was a windowless room not much bigger than a walk-in-closet.  . . . Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:46:51 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977863581 Pat Bertram 2009-10-21T17:46:51Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977861943 Again I will be at Malcom's Round Table discussing Daughter Am I , but this time we will be focusing on the quest angle. The hero's path, the mythic journey, the quest -- these are all different names . . . Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:51:51 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977861943 Pat Bertram 2009-10-20T17:51:51Z