A MIDWINTER NIGHT’S MADNESS

Posted on February 27, 2019 by

Alice Wetherby Pimms physically felt time pass in the coursing of her blood for as long as she could remember. Every second -tick, tick, tick- was like an invasion of needle-nosed imps nipping at the underside of her plump flesh.

Each and every moment they poked from inside sixty-thousand miles of cerulean veins, prodded the chambers of her brick-red heart, and pricked the crimson roadmap of arteries and capillaries fanning her petite frame.

 

Tick. Tick. Tick.
Poking. Prodding. Pricking.
Each moment slipping into the past, only to Continue reading →

Posted in ADVENTURES, HUMOR, VIGNETTE | Tagged , , , , , , | 15 Comments

WHAT’S ALL THE COMMOTION? A Bit Of Promotion

Posted on February 20, 2019 by

As writers, we all have our favorite writing methods. For instance, some swear by Scrivener, while others write in Word or Google docs. Some prefer to draft longhand, using colorful gel pens and notebooks.

Most of us have a favorite writing book (or ten), too. These books have helped us understand storytelling better, demystifying certain aspects of writing. Well, today I’m taking part in welcoming a new writing guide into the world: The Emotion Thesaurus (Second Edition).

Continue reading →

Posted in ADVENTURES | 4 Comments

IF I WERE A ______ LOVE POEM: A Valentine Pondering Of Sorts

Posted on February 14, 2019 by

If I were a simple love poem
I’d, first of all, want to rhyme,
then, be flawless and impeccable
in meter and time,
but since life is not perfect,
nor is this holiday poem,
I’ll continue in free-verse (maybe)
to a chorus of stifled groans.

I.
If I were a silly love poem,
I’d toss the rhyme and serve you my heart*
on a bed of mixed greens.
Grain-free. Gluten-free. Nut-free (you be the judge of that). Continue reading →

Posted in ADVENTURES, HOLIDAYS, HUMOR, POEMS | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

CUPID, THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR DAY

Posted on January 24, 2019 by

I know it’s presumptuous, and most likely, not easy.
It just might, in fact, be considered quite sleazy,
to expect you, dear Cupid, to share your day with another,
even though this worthy project has been sanctioned by your brother.

Was it Anteros, or Porthos? Of that, I’m not sure,
but the motive, I assure you, is altruistic and pure.
The idea’s to promote excitement about reading, and books,
to celebrate children, of which many are overlooked.

The aim is to gift a book, new, or lightly used,
to a boy, girl, or toddler (HERE are some that’re kid-approved).
One can donate a crateful, or leave one on a bench.
Just think of the thirst books have the power to quench!

In short, thank you, Cupid, for your blessing from above,
and for sharing with #bookgivingday, an other celebration of love.

Now that my poor rhyming skills have grabbed your attention, I recommend you visit STORY SNUG where Catherine Friess supplies you with a further list of suggestions on how to take part in this wonderful project, an interview with Emma Perry, the founder of Book Giving Day, and much more.

It’s just a couple of weeks until February 14th,
International Book Giving Day, 2019

❤ Won’t you join in on the fun? ❤

PLEASE SHARE THE CAMPAIGN

Posted in ADVENTURES, EVENTS, HOLIDAYS, HUMOR, POEMS | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

A TREASURED SECRET FINALLY REVEALED…

Posted on January 21, 2019 by

Hi everyone! Today’s an exciting day. Angela and Becca at Writers Helping Writers have revealed their BIG secret: what the next book in their thesaurus series will be.

It might seem strange for an author to not tell their readers about the book they plan to release…unless your names are Becca and Angela. They are known for writing books on showing, not telling, and couldn’t pass up a chance to do just that by waiting for the cover reveal, which is today!

So without further ado, I give you…

The Emotion Thesaurus Second Edition!

You might have heard of The Emotion Thesaurus before, or even have a copy. The original released in 2012 and quickly became the go-to guide on expressing character emotion. The book’s lists of body language, thoughts, and visceral sensations for 75 unique emotions made brainstorming character expressions and reactions so much easier.

In this second edition, the authors have added 55 entries, bringing the total to 130 emotions.

That’s not all, either. Continue reading →

Posted in ADVENTURES, BOOK LAUNCH | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

QUID SCRIBAM?

Posted on January 18, 2019 by

Why do I write? Good question.

It’s not because it’s been a passion ever since second grade when Sister Ann Michael praised my poem I WANT TO BE A DOG for its wit, rhyme, and wild imagination, or the inclusion of several heart-wrenching poems about ‘first love’ triumphs and heart breaks in my high school literary magazine, or that I even love to write—I wield my pen because I cannot escape the characters rambling in my head demanding their stories be told.

 

I write because I like words, odd words, like Continue reading →

Posted in ADVENTURES, Essay, VIEW FROM MY SOAP BOX | Tagged , , , , , | 16 Comments

#95

Posted on January 10, 2019 by

Until I was six, I thought Uncle Sally’s name was Who-Gives-A-Sh*t. Everyone called him that – the neighbors, the few friends he had, his business associates, the family – even  his mother, my Nana. She’d hoped the label wouldda’ forced her caro Salvatore to change his lackadaisical attitude towards everything.

But it never did.

I think having a nickname like that weighed on Nana’s dear Salvatore, more than the truck load of 50 pound sacks of flour he lugged on his shoulders six days a week delivering to all the bakeries in the county. Yes. I said ALL. Still, it’s no excuse for his disrespect. Some say it was Continue reading →

Posted in ADVENTURES, Essay, HUMOR, SHORT STORIES, TRAVEL/PHOTO Themes, VIGNETTE, WRITING CHALLENGES | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments