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How do I know I’m close to being nearly famous? Because the Internet says so...
A funny thing happened while I was Googling myself. What, you don’t Google yourself? Whatever. I’m not ashamed to admit it. I keep track of myself online, because well, really, who else is going to do...
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Where did our love go, follower #31?
I lost a Goodreads follower. Even though I’ve never been quite sure what the relationship between Goodreads authors and their followers is supposed to be, I feel a little sad about this. Sure, I didn’t...
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Learned from Jules Verne: A successful hero knows when to cry
Michael Strogoff by Jules Verne is a 19th century adventure novel. It’s less well-known than Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea or A Journey to the Center of the Earth, but I liked it better. I...
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The publishing process made me a better storyteller
Maybe I should have kept up my vigorous regimen of procrastination. Fortunately, I hadn’t given up procrastination cold turkey, I was gradually easing off it as part of a 112 step program. While I am...
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An invitation to flash fiction I couldn’t refuse
On his excellent blog, Mark Bialczak, Mark posted an interesting piece of flash fiction. He invited all comers to use the premise he had created to write a piece of complimentary flash fiction. I don’t...
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Is this the start of a flash fiction addiction?
I enjoyed my last attempt at flash fiction so much, I’ve decided to give it another try. I haven’t written much of this form before, but I am liking it now that I’ve tried it. Isn’t that what our...
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He blinded me with science: The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne
The Mysterious Island recounts the adventures of six Yankees who escaped a Confederate prison by stealing a hot air balloon. They ride the winds of a monster storm until the balloon fails and deposits...
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My humble beginnings in fiction approach their 40th humble anniversary
When I was in elementary school, the Daughters of the American Revolution held an annual writing competition for 5th and 6th graders. The story I wrote for this in 5th grade is the earliest fiction I...
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“One Little Piece” (Flash Fiction)
I’m really starting to enjoy writing flash fiction. As someone who has always kept to traditional short stories and novels, I’ve only recently dipped my toes into the pool of short-shorts. It turns out...
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I wish I would stop nagging me to join my social network
I admit it. I’m a naughty author. Despite truckloads of sound advice instructing little guys like me to use every incarnation of social media to our advantage in promoting our books, I don’t have a...
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Halloween Fiction
At the last minute, I entered a Halloween short story contest at UPLITERATE. There are about 20 stories entered. If you like Halloween stories, check it out. Unfortunately, it appears that you have to...
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Of writers, self-promotion, and Christmas
I’ve always been wary of self-promotion. As a self-published fiction writer, this leaves me in an awkward position. Self-published and Self-promotion are twins, and though they may not be identical,...
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Heart of the Family – Flash fiction
Jesse brought a little picture of himself, in case looking at him would somehow make them feel closer to their own son. They were a typical middle-aged couple. Anne, the mother gave Jesse a hug. The...
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Love Triangle – Flash fiction
(Image Credit: Russell Lee) He sipped her coffee to make sure it wasn’t too hot before setting it next to the toast he’d quartered for her. She smiled love at him through hazy eyes as he sat beside...
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I Write Like . . .
There’s a web site called I Write Like that will analyze your writing, compare it to the styles of famous authors, and kick out the name of the author your sample most closely resembles. I have no idea...
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Dream House – flash fiction
He stopped the car across the street from the house. “Why are you stopping here?” his wife asked. “You know, over the years, whenever I looked at this house, I always thought: Now that’s a beautiful...
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It’s my party and I’ll Palooza if I want to
Welcome to NookBookPalooza I’m probably way behind the times on the whole Palooza thing. Everything fun, with multiple entries is supposed to be some kind of Palooza, right? Oh, that was in 2005? Well,...
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Paper Quarter – Flash fiction
If they wouldn’t come to him, he’d go to them. Sneaking out of the home wasn’t difficult once you worked up the courage to try it. There was bus stop down the street. Harold had never ridden the bus...
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If a novel had a baby would it be a short story?
A reader once asked me if I thought short stories were smaller versions of novels with fewer plot turns. It is a good question for writers to consider before transitioning from one form to the other....
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Clinging to life in the Goodreads Emergency Room
I’m haunted by this recurring vision in which I have a sudden crisis. I am rushed to the hospital and hooked up to all the most sophisticated machinery. As the doctor hovers over me and shines a light...
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