Old Movie

He misses his child's birth for more compelling reasons,
and she's ok with it.
She places the newborn in his arms,
and when that's not enough,

she insists he rest with them in the birth bed.

Still, this isn't enough, and she's okay with it.

Anxiety

Is anything truly and sincerely
that bad

right now...

Excerpt from CATCH A THIEF

Connie Murphy strolled into the Food and Drug Administration's Long Island Resident Post after a week vacation sporting a golden tan and a good mood. That is, until she met the new supervisor.

For the Boy

You've seen one, you've seen them all.
I'd hadn't seen any in years. Still,
you always enter from the back,
always from an unfavorable parking lot,
and always in the red-light district.

Shame

I was exhausted

dragging a robe.

The ex and I

yelled and argued

and powdered

the newborn's ass.

Gateway Science Fiction Books

The question of what the best science fiction book would be to hand a young reader to get them hooked on science fiction novels is an interesting one. Usually, I would expect that many teen readers nose around the sci fi genre after watching Fantasy movie series like Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, and the classic sci fi movie series Matrix, Terminator, Star Wars and Hunger Games.

Monday September 13^th 2021

There were lots of Boomers and X-rs

some Silents

on that flight

some Millennials

to include the petty officer

and the rest were busy children.

Vanity

I can deal with the ear hair.

I can abate that.

That much is easy.

Organ Harvest

Suburban versus train rural county road anywhere North Dakota. All teenagers one "survivor" one brain-dead flower of hope to anyone but herself on life support.

The Children

While my beloved dog
was still alive yet dying
and knew she was dying
she and I witnessed an event.

The Encounter

A woman watches her next-door neighbor walk across the well-manicured lawn to greet a group of friends. This was a mistake. Why did I let Alice talk me into coming to this party? I'm not ready. I feel like everyone's staring at me. Like… that man over there.

Vanity Too

Time is the most important thing a reader gives you. Compared to the time investment, the cost of a book is a pittance. But life is short and when a reader gives you their time, that's a precious gift. A writer should never squander that.

Diary of a Grandmother

Several times in the book, Sasha describes her apartment in a fashionable area of St. Petersburg, Russia, which she completely renovated. It had beautifully restored mahogany trim, a luxurious bathroom, and upscale kitchen appliances. But how had Sasha been able to afford it on her salary? Granted, she was a DNA specialist, but such an apartment would have been beyond her reach. Sasha mentions that she bought the apartment with her inheritance. A hidden diary reveals some secrets and the source of the money.

Hide and Seek

In Hide and Seek, the Food and Drug Administration receives an anonymous tip about TanDur Pharmaceuticals keeping duplicate books. Connie is sent in undercover to gather information. At first, everything appears normal, except for a mysterious locked room. Then Connie asks one too many questions...

On The Road to Catmanduel

According to Wikipedia, "a road movie is a film genre in which the main characters leave home on a road trip, typically altering the perspective from their everyday lives." Frequently this involves exploring the theme of alienation . All this often enmeshed in a mood of actual or potential menace. All of which helps to create intimacy and tension between the characters.But this is only background for this story.

HATTIE'S ADVENTURE

Dogs may be more essential to a writer than a pen. Dogs and babies fall into the same category. Beyond the fact they are so darn cute… you never really know what they are thinking. They can't completely express what is running through their heads. As humans, we find it impossible not to express for them. To fill in the unspoken sentence, so to speak. But babies grow up.

Dogs represent that unspoken covenant between the writer and the reader. As a writer, we can never really know what our readers are thinking. But when we make that connection between the author and the reader… there's nothing else like it. All you have to do to see the joy of that connection is look into the eyes of a dog when you figure out what it wants. Readers who connect with your stories have the same eyes.

A Poem

The most famous name associated with the search for immortality was the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León, Legend says that he was told by a native American that a fountain of youth could be found on the island of Bimini and that it would restore youth to anyone who drinks or bathes in its waters. The native was probably a poet.

Looking for Writing Contests?

The Writer magazine list of contests with deadlines from tomorrow to the end of 2021.
Mary Heather Noble won the Creative Nonfiction "The Human Face of Sustainability" essay contest for "Acts of Courage." She received $10,000 and publication in Creative Nonfiction.

LCRW Inklings

What if there was a place you could meet your fellow writers virtually? What if there was a place where you could read your draft work to others, without having to edit it or spend hours using a spell checker? What if there was a place you could help other writers with their work… no prep necessary? Now there is. Every Tuesday 8 PM