slovakia

Learning Slovak Online

When I married Denisa, I had a simple goal: become fluent in Slovak. That goal never really went away, but I’ve been absolutely terrible at accomplishing it. I tried several things over the years. Bought a text book. Tried to set small goals. Bought kids books in Slovak. But it just hasn’t happened. I speak some Slovak, but nothing more than caveman level stuff, really. Sixteen years, and I’ve been a pretty big failure at that. Other things always seem to get in the way. So for the last while I’ve tried to alter my approach. “Become fluent in Slovak”

Family Pictures

I hinted on Facebook a month or so ago that we’d just taken family pictures in medieval garb in downtown Trencin, and that I’d share them with you when I got them. Well, I have them, and today is an insanely busy day, so it seems like a perfect candidate for a “Show Pictures Instead of Writing a Post” day. These are just a few. I’ll be sharing more on Facebook tomorrow or soon thereafter. Denisa and I are very happy with how they turned out, which is good, because we’re not exactly “Get dressed up and hang around town

A Slovak Easter: Wine, Whips, and Water

(Well, technically it’s not really “wine,” just general alcohol, but I’m an obsessive alliterator, what can I say?) Yesterday, as most of you know, was Easter. And while Denisa and I have done a pretty good job teaching our kids about the ways various holidays are celebrated in Slovakia, there was one we hadn’t really informed them about. Until dinner last night. We were all sitting around the table, chowing down on some ham and potatoes, and I asked the kids if they knew how Slovaks celebrated Easter. Both confirmed that they had no clue whatsoever. Denisa, meanwhile, was less

An Underground Railroad in Trencin in World War II

Today’s post is going to have to be a short one, alas. I got a migraine yesterday evening, soon after posting about how “It could always be worse” on my blog. *Coincidence?* I think not. (For a laugh, check out the comments on Facebook for that post. They’ve started to reflect the Monty Python sketch quite well . . .) In any case, looking at a computer screen and thinking aren’t exactly high on my list of “Things that Make Bryce Feel Good” today, so thankfully there’s a link I’ve been wanting to share with you since I came across

Special Article Written by Yours Truly–Diversity in Fantasy

I was invited to write an article on diversity in fantasy for Forever Young Adult. I’m quite pleased with how it turned out. Here’s the first bit. Click on to read the whole thing. Exploring the Unknown: Diverse Settings and Folklore in YA Sometimes it seems that current YA is drowning in a sea of cookie cutter folklore. Vampires and werewolves and zombies, oh my! And when I’ve spoken on panels at conferences about how to come up with ideas for novels, a question I get time and time again boils down to, “How do I make my (vampires/werewolves/zombies) unique?”