The “giraffe women” have always fascinated me. Why would any woman allow heavy brass rings to be placed around her neck? Why would any woman submit her young daughter to such a thing? A lot of it depends on the culture you were raised in, and what you were taught to believe. The Padaung women of Myanmar still adorn themselves with neck rings and are a huge tourist attraction. Is this the only reason they still wear them?
Phobias are constant, irrational fears that afflict some people. Their fear should be taken seriously. The person should never be made fun of or belittled because of their fear. But as writers, we can bless (or curse) our characters with phobias and make the story so much more interesting. What happens if someone encounters the…
Here in the United States, we celebrate Easter by going to church to rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, having Easter egg hunts, and eating the ears off chocolate bunnies. Well, maybe not everyone eats the ears off the chocolate bunnies, but that is something my husband used to do when our kids were…
Honey, that wonderfully sweet and sticky substance made by bees using nectar or pollen collected from flowers, is the only food that contains all the substances necessary to sustain life. It can also be used as a medicine. So if honey is such an awesome and nutritious food, how can someone become mad or even die…
Have you ever been caught out in fog so thick you could not see your hand in front of your face? Or maybe you were driving and the fog was so thick you could barely see where you were going. Some would be terrified at being caught in such a situation. A phobia is an…
Arsenic, cyanide, and strychnine are the classic poisons. The seemingly innocent little old ladies in Arsenic and Old Lace, one of my favorite movies, used these three poisons together in their deadly elderberry wine. One gallon of their elderberry wine contained one teaspoon of arsenic, half a teaspoon of strychnine, and just a pinch of cyanide.…
St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17. When going to school, I would always find something green to wear on this special day. I really didn’t want to be pinched, and if I failed to wear green, the inevitable happened. Who was St. Patrick, and what does green have to do with this day? St.…
If you turn and see a box of Lucky Charms, does the picture of Lucky the Leprechaun on the front of it cause you to panic? Do you shy away from parties where others might be dressed as leprechauns? If so, then you might have leprechaunophobia. The world can be a terrifying place to live…
When you look at a picture, do you just see the obvious? Or are you one of those people who dig beneath the surface to find out what is hidden underneath? Do you ask ‘what if’ questions about what is in the picture? Asking questions and digging beneath what is plainly seen is a great…
Lisa’s Writopia was created by me to be a utopia for readers and writers. What exactly can be found here? Reading is a passion of mine so you will find plenty of book reviews, author interviews, and guest posts. One can never have too many books. I write reviews on most of the books I…
