Darn, I broke a nail, Pam the realtor said to the empty house. She carefully moved the tray of baked chocolate chip cookies from the oven to the kitchen table. She checked her watch. I will have to fix my nail later she realized. The potential home buyers would be there in 10 minutes. Pam …
I have not worn makeup since mid-March, since this pandemic began. But I put on mascara and lipstick and curled my hair to see Judy Blume. By “see” I mean through my computer screen for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Summer Spectacular happening now through August 4. This conference normally occurs in …
Two weeks ago I was interviewed by a colleague. This was a change for me. As a writer, I’m typically the one questioning others. As I answered each question about a program or group I’m involved with, her face lit up with astonishment. “I cannot believe you’ve accomplished all that in a year’s time,” she …
Another wonderful surprise – I am one of the winners for the 2015 Summer Magnolia Quarterly Writing Contest. I received this certificate in the mail today along with prize money and a gift card toward receiving an author’s book in the Gulf Coast Writers Association. What an honor! This contest was a short, short (only …
July has been an incredible month for me and for my writing endeavors. So far August is shaping up nicely too. I received word on Saturday, August 1st that I was the contest winner for the Omniverse Short Story Contest. Over 150 stories were submitted but my piece, “Spit Tour” won. This story (although fiction) …
I just finished writing a children’s book. The actual time spent writing the book only took about two hours. The research and preparation I did prior to my writing took about 20 hours – several visits to the library, a 2.5 hour documentary and many internet searches. The editing work I did after those first …
The days of the week invoke certain feelings for me. If I wake up realizing Sunday is actually Monday, my mood changes drastically. This is how I talk to each day of the week, like I know each one personally: Dear Monday, You sneaky little b*tch! You just slipped right out from under me. Why …
Below is a short story I wrote last year. I’ve submitted it to two different publications but have not found a home for it yet. In the mean time, I thought I’d share it here. Although I was inspired by a few real work experiences in the story, the characters and the outcome are entirely …
I entered the Florida Humanities Council Micro-Fiction Contest a month ago. When I saw the ad for it in Forum Magazine, I couldn’t wait to learn more and enter. The micro-fiction contest offered up one sentence, “They named the gator…” Then contestants like me had to finish the story in 250 words or less. This …
This was a fictional short story I wrote for a contest in the Fall of 2013. The topic could be on anything but it was urged to be about a woman or women. The rules stated it had to be less than 800 words. I thought I’d share it here… ——————————————— Title: Seamless Meredith was …
