Home Again~ A Short Story

 Death can turn your life upside down. It wasn’t easy saying goodbye to my parents, and then it was time to let go of my childhood home. I was driving to meet a couple who might want to buy it.

 On the car ride, my mind was spilling over with childhood memories of past holidays: the chaos of a house full of cousins, people laughing, sharing stories, and enjoying their time together. My vision blurred as tears filled my eyes. How could I say goodbye to it all? My entire childhood—my past?

 When I arrived, I hurried up the sidewalk to the house, twisted the key in the lock, and flung the door open. I was home.

 I stood gazing at the staircase my brother and I used to race down every Christmas morning. I stared into the living room. In the corner of that room, there were indentions on the carpet where my dad’s recliner sat for as long as I could remember. I could still see him leaning back with a book on his chest and his glasses pulled down on his nose, snoring.

 I went into the kitchen where Mom spent many Sunday afternoons baking cookies. I don’t think I could put a number on the peanut butter sandwiches, glasses of Kool-Aid, and warm fresh cookies my friends and I enjoyed in that kitchen. Oh, and the aroma of fresh rolls and a turkey baking on Thanksgiving that wafted out of that kitchen still made my stomach growl.

 I walked over to the sink and gazed out the window at the backyard. Outback sat an old rusty swing set. My brother and I tried to see who could swing the highest. Of course, it wasn’t so run down back then. It was green with white stripes at one time. I smiled as I thought back to the time I fell off the slide and bloodied my knees. My dad rushed out to me, wiped away my tears, took me inside, and put bandages on my wounds.

 As I stood there reminiscing, a quote came to mind from one of my favorite authors, Thomas Wolfe. He said, “You can’t go home again.” I always thought that quote was correct, but the more I thought about it, I had to disagree. While another family will own this home, and I’ll never be able to walk through those doors again, this house is only a structure. I’ll always be able to return home as long as I have my memories. Time spent with my family is what made that house a home.

 I can close my eyes and go home to my memories anytime.

FREE BOOK WITH COUPON!

Two posts in one day!

Free Book! Use coupon code LGETZ and get Stories to Wrap Your Mind Around: Volume 6 free through September 15th or when the 50 free coupons run out, whichever comes first. 

The catch? There's always a catch! 😟 You can only use this coupon for Smashwords   But you can download the book and read it on any Epub reader.

Taste of Freedom

Phyllis finds the perfect ingredient for her stew and gets her taste of freedom.

Hunting the Scullywiggins

The last memory Ben has is hunting the scullywiggins. He awakes to find he's being detained in an unfamiliar location.

Give It a Few Days

Cheryl may have a valid reason for rejecting the truth.

  East of Omaha

A case of mistaken identity that is truly twisted and unfortunate.

The Crayon Box

Even though he may seem innocent, this young boy has a distorted

 I'll have other promotions coming up soon!

If you do read it, please consider leaving a review. 💖

Happy Reading!

Flashlight Soldiers~ Poem

  

They are the flashlight soldiers,

And always come prepared

With pockets bulging with batteries

And the vow to “not be scared.”

 

They hunt beneath a moonlit sky

 Shadows lurking in the dark

Neutralizing them with their light beams

To banish them from the park.

 

The hunt continues for many hours

Until the night air carries their name

Halfheartedly, they say their good-byes

Agreeing tomorrow, they'll continue the game.

 

Once inside, they brush their teeth,

While protesting their bedtime, they yawn.

The cicadas sing in the cool night air

As night shadows creep across the lawn.

J. Jenks~ A Flash Fiction Story

Detective Jeremy Jenkins had spent forty years solving some of the police department's most difficult cases, but the company forced him to retire. He probably would have had ten more good years if it wasn't for the car accident that left him paralyzed. The sixty-seven-year-old man now lived in a three-room apartment with his companion, Chumpy, his pet monkey.

 Some say that old J. Jenks, a name his coworkers gave him, had gone a little crazy. He stayed cooped up in that small apartment with a monkey. But J. Jenks continued to work cases from his apartment window.

 "That wraps up the case of Lady in Yellow. She is not cheating on the gentlemen in 425. I've discovered the other gentleman caller is her brother." Jeremy closed his tattered old briefcase, rubbing his thumb across the gold engraving of his initials J.J. just like he had done when closing a case years ago. "Chumpy, it's time to find a new case." Jeremy wheeled over to the window and watched the apartment building across the street.

 "Chumpy, my binoculars!" He snapped his fingers.

 Chumpy leaped over to Jeremy with what he demanded and perched on Jeremy's shoulder. "You see that boy? That man just threw a mysterious package in the dumpster. I think I found our next case: The Dumpster Delinquent. It may have been drugs."

 Startled by the microwave beeping, Jeremy dropped his binoculars. "Chumpy, my pasta dinner," He ordered, snapping his fingers. Chumpy rushed to the microwave, retrieved the bowl of pasta, and took it to Jeremy.

 As Jeremy ate, he watched the alley to see if anyone came to pick up the package, but no one showed. The trash truck came and emptied the dumpster. "Another case closed, Chumpy. The package was ordinary trash."

 Jeremy jotted a few notes and closed his briefcase. He stared out the window. Tears filled his old, tired eyes. "I was one of the best back in the day," he muttered.

Where'd You Come Up With That? ~ Wednesdays!

I usually write these posts with one story in mind, but I'm doing things differently today. I'd like to write about coming up with ideas in general. 

If you've ever seen Ray Bradbury Theater, he says he'll never run out of ideas because he's surrounded by items that inspire him. (he's one of my favorite authors btw!)

This is spot on. A writer's brain is always in story mode, so anything a writer hears, sees, or even smells can trigger an idea. Sometimes it is just a title that comes to mind, and the story shapes around it. Other times it's an idea that has been done before, but needs a new twist. 

My short story, East of Omaha, was inspired by Bob Seger's song. "On a long lonesome highway, east of Omaha" That line made me think of hitchhikers, but it has to be a twist on the usual tales of picking up strangers. And the story has a different type of driver and hitchhiker encounter. One that ends up with some mistaken identity. 

My short story, Taste of Freedom, started with the title. I like the sound of it, but needed a story to fit. I had an idea for a story about a wife who goes a little berzerk. She goes to great lengths to get rid of her husband and literally gets her taste of freedom. (yes, there may be some cannibalism involved 👀)

Some ideas come from strange facts I've read. I have a title and story that came to mind when I read that a person can die from smelling farts in large volumes. 

The story I'm working on is entitled, "The Mason Jar Murders," and it's a crime/detective story. It is also a bit bizarre--as you probably guessed! 😂

Ideas pop up everywhere when a writer's brain is constantly in story mode! 

Happy Reading!

Rejection Is a Four Letter Word!

 

If you're a writer, I'm sure you'll agree that rejection is a four-letter word. No one likes rejection, and when you're a writer it's a normal part of everyday life. 

At first, I let rejection get me down. I doubted my ability to write. I've taken long breaks, but I always come back to writing. I love it! 

So, I don't deal with it the way I used to.

I used to take every rejection to heart until I had an epiphany. The editors, the people behind the rejection letters, are just opinions. What one editor doesn't accept, there are many more editors out there with differing opinions. 

I can't expect every person to like every story or book I write. It takes work to find the right editor, publication, and the right audience. 

So, I'll read the rejection. If it comes along with some notes and suggestions, I also consider them. But, at the end of the day, it's my story and if I like it, somewhere in this large world other people might love it, too!

Everyone has opinions and that's okay. I'll keep writing and remember rejections are one person's perspective.

Happy Reading!

Classic Movie Mondays!~ Alfred Hitchcock Hour

 Alfred Hitchcock is most famous for the movies he directed, but let's remember those one-hour little movies in his television show. While they technically aren't movies, they are entertaining, thrilling, suspenseful, and fun just like his movies. 

I've watched all of them thanks to streaming services that allow us to watch almost anything. Before streaming services, I watched the show on the Thriller channel through my satellite company, and the same episodes repeated often. At the time, my favorite episode was "How to Get Rid of Your Wife."

The episode starred Bob Newhart as Gerald, a mild-mannered man with a nagging, annoying wife. Gerald also loves another woman who doesn't know he exists. He puts together a plan to be free from his wife, which is absolutely genius! 😎 The episode is not only thrilling and suspenseful but also funny. I mean what else would you expect from Bob Newhart? He was the perfect choice to play Gerald. 

If you get the chance to watch it, please do! You won't be disappointed. 

The Newhart episode does remain one of my favorites, but the episode I watched recently knocked it out of the top spot. The season 3 episode, "An Unlocked Window" has it all~ it's scary, suspenseful, and a twist ending with a red herring to throw you off. 

 Oh, how I love an ending I didn't expect! 😀 

Everything about this episode was perfect. The house in the story reminded me of another spooky old place- The Bates Motel. So, from the beginning, you know someone creepy is going down in that house that gives off  Norman vibes. 

The man living in the house is ill and has two nurses caring for him, Stella and Betty. And, it just so happens that a serial killer in the area is killing nurses. Eeek!

The nurses are understandably on edge and Stella goes through the house to lock all the doors and windows. Okay, here's where the suspense comes in. The nurse closing the basement windows gets scared by a cat, so she forgets to lock one of the windows! 👀 Throughout the show, we get glimpses of the unlocked window flapping in the wind. *Red Herring*

The suspense comes from us knowing the window is open, and the jumpy, frightened people in that house just waiting for a killer. One lady, the housekeeper,  goes absolutely crazy with fear and keeps drinking alcohol, so we don't if she's out of her mind when she sees or hears scary things. 

This image with the crazy housekeeper and Betty is frightening and while watching you don't realize it until the end. 

The two nurses are frightened, but you get the sense that Betty is level-headed and isn't letting the serial killer news bother her.  I thought she was older and had been around a while so she 'ain't skeered' 

All the chaos in the house, the fear, the phone calls and the flapping window lead to an open door, footprints, and someone is in the house! 👀 How did this someone get in? 👀 Stella arms herself with a fireplace poker and creeps down the stairs. She hears a man's voice, so she slowly makes her way downstairs. She sees the door is open and she's about to call the police when she hears Betty.

Stell finds Betty gasping on the floor. She tells her the killer was in the house. The door is still open. Did he run back out? Is he still inside? When Stella kneels to help Betty, she is attacked by the killer.

SPOILER ALERT! If you've never seen it and plan to watch it, don't read below this point! 

Stella is attacked by Betty! She struggles with Betty and then in a dramatic ending scene, Stella pulls off Betty's wig and exposes her as a man. The killer has been in the house the entire time and that is CREEPY! 

That's why I love this episode. I seriously had no idea Betty was a man and did not expect him/her to be the killer. I expected the killer to come in through the window and sneak up the stairs. And, at first, I thought he did until Stella pulled off Betty's wig and ripped her dress exposing her hairy chest. 

I loved every minute of this show. Seeing it for the first time, unless you can tell Betty is a man, you wouldn't suspect her. I honestly did not. 

Even though I know how it ends, I'd watch it again! 😊

Even more updates!

 I have updated my pages on where to buy ebooks and children's books. The picture books are less pricey at Barnes & Noble, but I don't have an ebook format for picture books on B&N, yet. I'm still working on it.

On Amazon, the picture books are also available as ebooks and on Kindle Unlimited. So, you can read them for free if you have it. ❤

The adult ebooks are no longer on Kindle Unlimited because I can't enroll them now that they are available on many other platforms. I hope that's a good thing! 👀

Stories to Wrap Your Mind Around: Volume 6 will be available on September 1 as planned. I'm still working on editing for The Bindlestiff Myster, but I hope to have it available in October. 🙏

My next product is Opal and Ali. I started writing this one a long time ago, and I had 5 out of 10 chapters. I lost all but 2! I had writing saved on a disc that no longer works. I don't know if it's degraded or what, but I am not happy about it. 😡

Luckily, I still have some handwritten notes and an outline for all chapters, so I'll start again! I've made the cover. I love book covers on Canva. I think it'll inspire me to write!

 

I haven't written out a blurb or summary, yet. But, it's a children's story about a little girl who finds an unusual friend in the garden of her new home. 

It's not a picture book but a children's first chapter book. 

I'm sure I'll be back soon with more updates!! 

Happy Reading!

More updates!

More updates!

I'm writing to post about my most recent publication in the April issue of 100 Subtexts Magazine. Thanks to the editor, John Harper, for including my shape poem, Time, along with other wonderful talented writers. 

You can find the issue here: 100subtexts Magazine issue 21

 

In other news! Stories to Wrap Your Mind Around: Volume 6 will go live on Amazon Kindle on September 1st. 

Taste of Freedom

Phyllis finds the perfect ingredient for her stew and gets her taste of freedom.

Hunting the Scullywiggins

The last memory Ben has is hunting the scullywiggins. He awakes to find he’s being detained in an unfamiliar location.

Give It a Few Days

Cheryl may have a valid reason for rejecting the truth.

East of Omaha

A case of mistaken identity that is truly twisted and unfortunate.

The Crayon Box

Even though he may seem innocent, this young boy has a distorted sense of fun.

More updates coming soon!

Happy Reading!

Updating- Finally!!

It's been a long while since I've updated my blog. I'm getting all the new books listed as well as any updated covers and links. 

I have new books to add- Yay! And publications- Yay! 😁

I've added my books to other online selling platforms, so I'll link a few here. 

Barnes And Noble 

Kobo

Smashwords

Everand

Hoopla

Palace Marketplace

Fable

And of course Amazon

I'll continue to get the books listed on other platforms and share links as they become available! 

Happy Reading! 

 

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