In October, I entered a 250-word flash fiction contest. That story got me to the semifinals. In November, I submitted a new story for the semifinal round. That one didn’t make the top 5 stories, so I didn’t make the final round. But! The feedback from the judges show it was well liked, plus I…
Today is New Year’s Day, and resolutions are flying around as wildly and perhaps as carefree as dandelion seeds near a daycare. Okay, that might not be the best analogy. The point is, lots and lots of people are setting goals for themselves for the coming year. Mine is a continuation of last year’s, because…
I hope you’ve all had happy, relaxing (ha!) holiday seasons so far. Our Christmas day is really three parties crammed into one day, which is super fun for an introvert like me. So my plans for the next few days look something like this: Aside from all the socializing and copious amounts of wrapping paper…
I’ll explain the story behind this story at the bottom of the post, but I’ll say at the start that it had to include three things: comedy, eating an apple, and grandchildren. Enjoy! The Lonely Apple “We’re done, Grandpa!” Lucy heaves the paper bag full of newly-picked apples onto the porch. The deep red fruit…
Time for another 99-word flash piece inspired by this week’s prompt over at Carrot Ranch: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story about the Day of the Dead. It can be the Mexican holiday, a modern adaptation of it, a similar remembrance, or something entirely new. Enjoy! Dia de los Muertos She…
Originally posted on Allison Maruska:
Last weekend, I published this post about why we stop reading books. Many of you submitted insightful comments, and as I read through them I realized something: many of our “reading pet peeves” can be boiled down to the author doing one of two things. Not bad, huh? Just avoid…
I decided to pull a few prompts from these cards, and should inspiration strike, write a post on one. Obviously one sparked an idea, or this would be the shortest post ever. But before I get to the topic at hand, allow me to share the three possibilities. Judging from the title, you can probably…
You guys! This past weekend was an exciting one: Dreams of Justice has a cover! And a blurb! And a pre-order link! Excuse my while I celebrate. Now, let’s get to the good stuff. Ryan over at A Writer’s Path Book Cover Design did a killer job on the cover. I can’t stop looking at it.…
I had the privilege to read early a book as compelling and provocative as its title suggests. Unashamed: Musings of a Fat, Black Muslim is the memoir of model and fashion icon Leah Vernon. It’s a gritty, raw telling of her life’s journey, starting as one of five children to a single mother in Detroit…
A critique partner messaged me a couple of days ago. Great questions! Lots of things are happening, and I thought a quick update post was in order so those thinking I went *poof* is limited. And to start things off… 1. Belts What do belts have to do with authoring, you may ask. The answer is…
