The #WritingCommunity is Priceless

Happy March & Happy IWSG Day!
I am so thankful for the writing community and all the great friends I've made from all over the world. No matter where we're from, we can chat and laugh and share our dreams without judgment--like we're at a virtual slumber party!

Last week, I posted a self evaluation quiz about phone addiction. I was happy to see responses similar to mine. Basically we use the phone as a tool of communication and information, but we could live without it if we had to. This is probably because older generations have lived without "smart" technology. And we need to pass that revelation on to future generations, so they don't turn into zombies... ha ha

One of the best uses for the internet has been connecting with other writers. The support, advice, and shared commiseration I've received from my online writer friends has been essential to me sticking with my writing. I'm especially grateful for the continued Insecure Writing Support Group "meetings" which keep me blogging at least once a month! Thanks, Alex!

My writer friends have been especially wonderful through this latest turn of events and helping me out with my Taking Back Beast World campaign...

The Disney/Pixar movie Onward, similarly set in my Beast World, comes out Friday. So far, the reviews are not good. I'm not sure how I feel about that... I'm not going to judge it--probably won't see it until it's free on Disney +. But it's rather disappointing. Like they've ruined it for me. It also makes me want to go to Dreamworks and offer my alternative (I'm researching it, soooo hard to get a pinky toe in the door, nevermind a foot!). For now, I'm going to finish out my campaign with the help of my wonderful friends, and hope Beast World gets noticed by more folks looking for an inspirational, relatable, comical, fantasy adventure!

Last week, Jemi Fraser left me a couple of fantastic reviews -- I saved announcing them for this week as that's my campaign topic the week.

Also this week, I'm so honored to be appearing at...

• Alex's infamous blog talking about Turning Books into Movies (3/4)
• C. Lee McKenzie's blog talking about Handling Teenage Troubles (3/5)

Finally, I want to give some back and tell you about a wonderful romance writer I know...

Elizabeth Seckman

She's got a fabulous new release!

ABOUT US
by Elizabeth Seckman

Hayden Matthews is trying to get as far away from love as possible. After wasting eight years in a failed marriage, she's ready for a nice, peaceful life where she can raise her daughter to be strong, independent, and happy. But to make that happen, she must fix her own life first.

Cam Vorelli has pined for Hayden since he was in grade school. Always in the friend-zone, he stood on the sidelines, his heart breaking, as she said I do to the wrong man. A man he knew didn’t deserve her, who could never love her as he did. But what could he say? She was marrying into his family. Cam would never break a holy vow much less be disloyal to his kin.

Until he sees the bruises on Hayden. Abuse is a game changer.

Hayden knows leaving a husband like Tag, with a hot temper, a badge, and a gun will be tricky. She needs someone she can trust. Not looking for a romantic entanglement, she calls Cam, with her soon-to-be ex fearful of his former NFL cousin as a bonus.

Though Cam comes to her rescue with the purest of intentions, he won't deny fate if Hayden starts to feel the same for him...

And it's available NOW for FREE!

Kobo: FREE      Smashwords FREE       Amazon: 99 cents 

About the Author

Elizabeth is a multi-published author of books for people who are believers in happily-ever- after, true love, and stories with a bit of fun and twists with their plots. The mother of four young men, she tackles laundry daily and is the keeper of the kitchen. She lives along the shores of the Ohio River in West Virginia, but dreams daily of the beach.

Facebook/ Blog/ Website

You'll love her style. Take it from me.

Don't be afraid to ask your friends for help. 
We're all ready to be there for each other!

Hope your March is off to a Springy start!

Anti-social Socializing - Do we have a problem?

We devour information. We crave attention. We're ravenous for comments and "likes."
I'd say we have an addiction problem.

I am resistant to change. Youth demands it.

Just like rock-n-roll was from the devil.
And too much TV was going to rot your brain.
Smart phones are going to turn us into zombies...

Sounds crazy, but there's always some truth to the fear of change. The "what ifs," the unknown, the dangerous possibilities. Similar to the rise and fall of cigarettes and prohibition--and now e-cigarettes and marijuana. We humans want what we want and eventually accept the change, for better or worse.

So how can we keep our values, our brains, and our souls intact when warning bells are instinctively making us resist such ominous changes?

Smart Tech has pros and cons. It's the humans using and abusing it that make it addictive. We have to be self-aware and use self-control. Common sense, logic, and good choices need to be instilled and applied, no matter what the new mania is. Addictive behavior is bad, duh. But do you see yourself falling into it, just by using your phone?

Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

source

Are You Addicted to Your Phone??
(borrowed & revised)

1. Why do you have a cell phone?
2. How do you feel if your phone is not in the same room with you?
3. Do you sneak your phone in when you're not supposed to have it at school/work?
4. Do you treat your phone like a person?
5. Do you use your phone to check the time?
6. Could you choose between using your phone and a relationship?
7. Where is your phone while you sleep? Do you check it in the middle of the night?
8. Do you take your phone into the bathroom with you?
9. Do you feel anxiety over losing your phone?
10. Would you answer your phone in the middle of an important meeting? Or while on a date?
11. Do you call or text someone in the same house as you?
12. Do you lose track of time using your phone?
13. Do you have your phone when you are eating?
14. Do you have to check your phone as soon as it makes a noise?
15. Have you cried when you dropped your phone?

I feel good that I could answer many of those questions with no problem of conscience, and laughed at a few that I do--I check my phone for the time frequently! And we text at home so we don't have to yell, right? (still not good, we're lazy!) But some of these questions gave me pause. Especially thinking of my sons.

I'm ready to unplug more often (I'm already pretty good at losing my phone and not caring where it is) and I'm also prepared to nag my offspring to lessen their phones' hold over them... I just wonder what the next generation will tempt us with!

So, Are You A Phone Addict?

What should we do about it?
Or do you think it's that big of a problem?

PS - This week, I'm at L. Diane Wolf's blog for my Taking Back Beast World campaign, phase 2. And I'm talking about "NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN" -- how good writers create new ways to tell stories!

Thanks for your opinions! Have a great week--and unplug a little more each day!

Help! I've been Abducted by Aliens! a blog hop

Before we get to the good stuff, just want to give a shout out for my Taking Back Beast World Campaign!

This week, I'll be talking about Teenage Hijinks & Fessing Up at Elizabeth Seckman's place. (She's doing the Alien Blog Hop too!)

One of the things I love about writing the Beast World series is the variety and depth of characters. As a teacher, I get a first-hand glimpse at how teenagers behave on a daily basis. They're wonderful creatures with spunk, sneak, and sensitivity. They don't know as much as they think they do, but they're up for trying new--and sometimes risky--things anyway. That's how we all learn and grow.

Remember getting in trouble when you were a teen??

And now, my entry in my creative friend, Patricia Josephine's blog hop to celebrate Abducted Life's 3rd book bday! (Here's the list and the details)

Waste Not
by Tara Tyler

I hate my life.
Danae absent-mindedly strolls through the grocery store and plunks a can of green beans into her cart.

With three kids gone on their own and one teenage girl left who’s never around, Danae wonders what’s left of her life? Her job is boring, and so is her husband. She catches a glimpse of her drab reflection in a refrigerator door. She used to be pretty.

She feels invisible and useless. No one would notice if she disappeared. Maybe she could run away.

In the parking lot as she puts her bags in the car, a green beam of light surrounds her from above and sucks her up into the clouds.

~ ~ /  \ ~ ~

What happens to earth women at 50? This is the tenth one this week.

Half-way up, the beam stalls and almost drops her. Dor whacks the console with his fin, and it finishes reeling her in.

The dark-complected woman squints at him then looks around. “Is this a joke? Jordan?”

Dor blinks his large eye at her. Who’s Jordan?

“Jordan is my joke-playing son. Wait. Did you just talk in my head?”

Yes. He floats her to an inclined, upright operating table.

“So this is for real?”

Yes. Straps reach out and restrain her.

“How are you doing this?”

He rolls his eye. I’m a telepath and telekinetic.

“Well you need to tele-put me back right now!”

Dor ignores her.

“You look at me with that big green eye when I’m talking to you.”

He blinks at her.

“Who’s in charge here?”

I am.

“You? You’re just a kid. But judging by the state of this messy, smelly ship, I believe it. What a dump! And you have no manners whatsoever, jerking me around. Where’s your mother?”

Dor puts her to sleep. What a racket.

While he works inserting tubes and wires into the specimen, he glances around. Living alone for so long, he never cared about his entrails or used nutrition bags lying around. And without a nose, "smelly" isn’t a thing.

Once the woman is set, Dor cleans up. If his boss popped in for a surprise inspection, he’d get demerited. In a way, the woman helped him. He looks at her.

In her peaceful stasis, she reminds him of his mother.

He wakes her up.

~ ~ /  \ ~ ~

my poorly attempted alien sketch!

Danae scowls at the little purple, scaly alien, hovering next to her with his flippery fins for hands and feet, plus two more on his head and a third overgrown one, flopped down covering half his huge eye like a rebellious teenager trying to look all that.

She sniffs at him and looks away.

I apologize.

She huffs.

It won’t be long.

She raises an eyebrow at him. Noticing the wires and tubes, she’s wary and frightened.

Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you.

She frowns. Darn telepath.

He checks the monitors.

“You must be lonely.”

It’s not bad.

“You remind me of my son.”

He blinks at her. You are like my mother. Our world is similar to yours.

“Selfish leaders and wasted resources?”

Yes. How’d you know?

“Seems appropriate. So why’d you take me?”

We need harvesters.

“You’re harvesting…” She laughs. “I hate to disappoint you, but my well is dry.”

Dor laughs in her head. Oh, we don’t want your eggs.

A bright light flashes in Danae’s eyes, hypnotizing her.

~ ~ /  \ ~ ~

Dor has the lobotomizer delicately remove her brain and replace it with a hard drive. His eye smiles as the brain is placed in a jar.

Just like my mother.

Hope you enjoyed it. And take some time to check out the others!

Brought to you by...

ABDUCTED LIFE
by Patricia Josephine

Savannah Janowitz’s perfect life was destroyed the night she and her boyfriend vanished without a trace. A year later she reappears—alone. With no memory of what happened and strange, new abilities manifesting, Savannah struggles to rebuild her life.

Evan Sullivan was changed by the horrifying experiments. Now he hides in the shadows and watches Savannah rebuild her life without him.

Neither can let the other go. Once reunited, Savannah and Evan see a glimmer of their old lives. As they face what happened to them together, they realize aliens aren’t the only danger out there.

Someone closer to home is watching, waiting for the right moment to tear them apart.

Amazon   Smashwords   B&N

Catch up with Patricia:

Website   Twitter   Facebook   Instagram   Newsletter   Goodreads

Have a great week!

If you like #Pixar 's Onward, You'll Love BROKEN BRANCH FALLS

This IWSG post is brought to you by the Taking Back Beast World Campaign - Phase 2. Stand up to your Bullies!

You may or may not know, but there's an animated film coming out next month: Onward by Disney/Pixar. Last summer one of my sons saw a sneak peek trailer and showed me because it reminded him of my Beast World series.

When I watched it unfold, my heart sank. I literally started to shake and freak out! Even more crushing, some of my fave actors are the voices. The stories are different, but the setting is the same, identical. I knew I had to do something. And the Taking Back Beast World Campaign was born.

It was a great success for little old me, pushing me to publish WINDY HOLLOW, BW #3. I shook things up, made new friends, got great new reviews, started a weekly chat, sold more books, and got noticed by Pixar (they basically said I was nobody and told me to stop bothering them...Ha!) I don't want to sue, I just want recognition!

Now on to Phase 2. The movie comes out Mar 6, and it's time to speak out again. I'm so excited to have an awesome writing community of friends backing me up. I have big ideas, but not a lot of time and money to carry it all out, so I'm doing what I can. I re-published BROKEN BRANCH FALLS and am working on CRADLE ROCK. I've organized lots of posts and interviews and reviews and social send-outs.

I may even "protest" at a theater--not a bashing Pixar protest, but a total publicity stunt. If the news caught it, that would be great! It all depends on if I can get some folks to help me. Most people don't like confrontation or attention.

My goal is to get Beast World noticed. I'm going to display the comparisons in a positive way:

• If you like Disney/Pixar's Onward, you'll love BROKEN BRANCH FALLS by Tara Tyler

That way, it's a win-win!
And here are some more comparisons for you...

• If you liked Game of Thrones, you'll love EFFIGY by M.J. Fifield
• If you like the Hallmark Channel, you'll love the MAGUIRE'S CORNER series by Heather M Gardner and HOOSIER DAD by Elizabeth Seckman
• If you liked Melrose Place and Vampire Diaries, you'll love THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR series by Christine Rains
• If you liked Battlestar Galactica, you'll love CASSASTAR by Alex J. Cavanaugh
• If you liked The Outsiders, you'll love NOT GUILTY by C. Lee McKenzie
• If you liked Murder, She Wrote, you'll love MURDER AT THE MARINA by Ellen Jacobsen
• If you liked The Great Wall, you'll love DRAGONFLY WARRIOR by Jay Noel
• If you liked American Pie, you'll love THREE DAVES by Nicki Elson

There are many more, but that's all I could think of at the moment. Share yours in the comments!

I won't give up. I'm up for the challenge. And I'm always happy to have more helpers, or just give my posts a share. We "nobody" writers have to stick together and not let the big bully mega-corps walk all over us.

Thanks for your support!

Tara Tyler Talks #Goals and Remember Blog Hops?

Anyone fall of the Resolution Wagon yet?
I hope not! Keep at it all month and it SHOULD become a good habit.

I was really feeling the need for New Year's Resolutions this year. The treat train finally came to a stop, and I totally purged my pantry. Better eating is Goal #1 and my method is--if I don't buy it, I can't eat it!

Speaking of goal-setting, one of my writer friends appropriately pushes forward any goals not met the year before. As surprises, emergencies, and other life stuffs jump out at us throughout the year, our goals get shoved aside. Sometimes this is for the better. Maybe we weren't ready to publish yet, which is just one more step toward the worst part of books--the dreaded marketing... Not to mention, some unexpected experiences can add quality to our writing. No worries, we deal with what comes and adjust accordingly. So don't fret if you can't reach all your goals.

The first step toward achieving goals is to write them down (and I love lists). So here are my broad Writing goals for 2020:

• Taking back BEAST WORLD Campaign, Phase 2 - a subtle undercut jab at Pixar for appropriating my unique setting. Would love to have you JOIN THE CAUSE!
• Repub Cradle Rock, Simulation, and Disposal (and tweak Windy Hollow) -- 2 down, 4 to go!
• Publish GERTRUDE - the Nerdy Princess
• Write first draft of CONDUCTION, Pop Travel #4
• Polish and Submit FARTHER ALONG, Christian YA
• Connect more with writer friends by posting more often
• Market more... ugh.

My process: chip away at this list on the weekends and go gung ho during the summer.

What are your goals for this year?? 

Let's help each other stay on track. I'll be checking in more regularly this year. Hopefully that will help!

One way to connect more... Remember Blog Hops? I was just reminiscing about how much I liked them and how I met new writer friends when we used to do them... and BLAMMO!
Patricia Josephine is having one!

Valentine's Day is ABDUCTED LIFE's birthday. To celebrate, Patricia's asking us to write a little story about being abducted by aliens... sounds like fun! I'm making the time.

Here are the deets:

• Possible approaches: Government report. First person encounter. Stowing away on an alien spaceship. Maybe write it from the alien's POV. Go to the Outer Limits!
• 500 words or less. 
• Posts will go up the week of Valentine's Day.

I hope you join in! Sign ups for the blog hop
(This prompt also fit right into another contest I happened to find, so I already wrote my story--submitted to the contest too. Love when that happens. Thanks, Patricia!)

Good luck with your Goals & Keep Writing!

Tara Tyler Talks about #StarWars (spoilers!)

Happy New Year - bla bla bla

But seriously IWSG-ers, I hope you have a great 2020. If things are going badly, I hope you find a way to turn them around. If things are going well, keep up the good work!

January is a time of reflection. I want to raise the level of my blog from a once-a-month series of IWSG entries to more frequent and more substantial posts. I want to be more engaging!

And so, I give you my first post for 2020--

Let's go to the Movies??

Consider STAR WARS. (NOTE - Spoiler Alert! Plenty of annoying spoilers ahead)

There's nothing like the opening burst...

There's also nothing like the original trilogy. Sure, special effects are better now, CGI is amazing, and meeting new characters is always fun. BUT, just like the last season of Game of Thrones was rushed and lacking, this latest Star Wars trilogy was full of spontaneous, easily foiled threats and not much substance or explanation. I'm sorry to say, True Star Wars fans have been let down.

The Rise of Skywalker was a great action-adventure sci-fi movie, no doubt. My hub even liked it, and he's not a big SW fan. But my closet-nerd son and I felt a disturbance in the Force. So many story lines were severely under-developed and conveniently explained away with a glib comment for us all to accept. It was full of miraculous, impossible saves; instant armies, easy escapes, and predictable rebellious behavior... I felt like I was watching a teenager's spoof seeing what he could get away with--wouldn't it be cool if this happened!

Most egregious irritations:

• Poor Fin - so much potential wasted--they made this guy do nothing but annoy everyone, "Rey!" 
• And the Planet-Destroying Cannons upgrade on a surprise fleet of Star Destroyers--where did they come from? Santa? But the placement of the cannons gave me a chuckle. It was like they all got a kick in the crotch... that magically destroys the whole ship **eye roll**

There was No build up. No anticipation. No time to wonder what might happen, we know what's going to happen. As a writer, you know what I'm talking about.

I had more complaints, but I won't torture you further. And there were some good moments.

• I really liked the new female characters, but there wasn't enough time to expand on them. I would've been happier if they'd split it into two films just to give us some backstory and character development.
• Palpatine was a great twist. But what were all those zombie fans??
• Funny thing, I liked Kylo Ren's character arc (Frankly, I would've chosen him over Rey as a true Skywalker.
• It's just a good thing Chewy didn't die! (Told you there'd be spoilers!)

One saving grace for Star Wars fans: The Mandalorian is fantastic! It has everything the new movies don't, plus awesome LOL scenes and Baby Yoda!


Movies in general lately are lacking in quality and depth. Sequels, Spinoffs, and Remakes are the currency of the day. Over the holidays, I also saw JUMANJI 2 which was pretty terrific, better than expected, but still a sequel, with a teaser of another is in the works. And here are the previews we saw:

>>Scooby Doo origins              >>Mulan live-action              >> Dr. Dolittle upgrade

>> Black Widow spinoff              >>"new and improved" Ghostbusters sequel

Absolutely nothing original.
Money is the biggest motivator which is understandable since it is a business. But the industry isn't taking chances on anything new...

So I call on YOU, fellow writers!
Keep writing. Keep improving. And try a Screenplay! Submit to contests. Put your awesome works out there for these sheltered producers living in their Hollywood Bubble. They need us! (I just submitted JOLISSA to an animated screenplay contest!)

Okay, I think I've talked enough.

Oh, yeah. One last thing -- I'm putting together a team!

Disney/Pixar's Onward is coming out soon (you may remember me mentioning how they "stole" my Beast World concept) So I'm starting Phase 2 of my Taking Back Beast World campaign. I re-published BROKEN BRANCH FALLS!! And CRADLE ROCK is soon to follow.

If you're up for helping me promote the ORIGINAL Fantasy Creatures in High School, here's the new FORM
Thanks for your support!

And don't forget to join us for the #WedWrant Twitter chat tonight at 7:30 PM EST - be sure to use the hashtag!

Blessings a-plenty in 20-20!

Worth Saving?

I expected more from this job. I know CPR. I have on my hazmat bodysuit. I’m ready to save someone!

But at Scud Beach, there are no vacationers with debris from all the bombings littering the shore.

“Hey! Get out of here! Private property!” I yell at some local urchins picking around for anything they can sell. I’m more of a security guard.

I see a little guy chasing a ball on the crumbling cement bridge overpass. Another scavenger, no doubt.

The ball bounces down the stairs and stops, like it’s waiting for him. The kid calls to it like a pet. Weird! Before I realize it they are both in the water! The kid is flailing and goes under.

This is it! I run and dive into the waves. I can’t find him. My only rescue all summer and I’m blowing it!

I look deeper. Something scrapes my leg. I try to keep searching but it hurts like hell! Images swirl and I sink.

I wake up leaning on the rusted bridge support. The kid smiles at me.

“Thank you,” he says.

“Who are you?”

“I am the Pearburst sent from Mother Earth to see if hope remains.”

That was my Campaign entry. It was a real challenge! And here is another part - a poetic blurb about the story.

Mother Earth has been abused

She has naught left to give

Her pearburst she sends out to seek

If man deserves to live.

In the form of boy and ball,

Pearburst with protector

Gather fruits of worthiness

But mostly sour nectar

Ragamuffins fend for selves

The rich ignore their pain

When lovingkindness can’t be found

It’s time to start again.

Until a youth brings hope to bear

A selfless act he makes

He gives his life to save another

Do more have what it takes?

Kick start Monday - Fade to Orange

Shadows crept across the wall through the skylight, the lone window of the dim lab. Kellian had only two hours to come up with a cure or Victor would exile him to Siberia.

He was no babysitter. Foolish, spoiled boy. He told him not to touch anything. Kellian glanced at the unconscious, orange six-year-old hellion. Innocent in sleep.

As Kellian stirred one more possible solution, Victor burst in with his two thugs. Early.

“What have you done?!”

“I told you this was no place for a child! I turned around for one second and…”

“No!” Victor rushed over to his son.

“I am working on an antidote. But what he drank should not have affected him this way.”

“You drink it!”

“But how will I…?”

“Drink it!”

Kellian shook his head. No use arguing. He should have studied computers. He picked up the flask of orange liquid.

“Wait! I know what happened.”

Victor smiled. “Drink it.”

“But…” Victor knew too. Kellian’s shoulders sank. He drank it.

As he fell to the floor, grasping his throat for air, nose bleeding, the devil child sat up and laughed.

Kellian’s eyes found the photo of the beach he longed for and everything faded.

So that was Rachael's first campaign challenge, hope you liked it!

Now I must tell you all about some upcoming events...

• Monday, 2/27 - I hope you will stop by as I am hosting Laura Josephson and helping with her RISING series book launch!
• Tuesday, 2/28 - Alex's release party!
• Wednesday, 2/29 - Blurb me! I am celebrating you all, my 300+ followers. Drop by and leave me a few words about your latest WIP and win DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth!
• But Rachael has a bigger list of things to do here

rAndoM thUrsday! - Shiny New Blogs

To me, anyway!
I thought I'd highlight some of the new blogs I have found since participating in the Campaign, the Pay it Forward fest and the Insecure Writer Support Group. These are some blogs with spark that I didn't get to pass awards on to yet!

• Adventure Writes by Mel Fowler
• Angela Brown
• Angela Orlowski-Peart
• Cherie Colyer
• Creative Type by Avery Marsh
• Finding Joy in the Journey by Sheri Swift
• the QQQE by Matthew MacNish
• Wordsmithing by Elaine Smith

I also finished DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth over ther the weekend. A great book, with a disappointing end. I doubt I would read the sequel, not for a long time anyway. But my opinion is tainted because I read it too soon after HUNGER GAMES. These books are eerily similar, strong teen girl heroine in warped dystopian future who has to overcome odds to save the world by rebeling against the system with lots of violence. How's that for a one sentence summary? Anyway, they were both told very well and had opposite approaches to the romance so worth reading and each are great books that I would recommend, just don't read them close together!

And, if I make it in time, I am entering a mini synopsis critique contest put up by Cherie Colyer, one of those new fab-blogs I just listed. Spots are limited, so if you have a good query-size summary you want advice on, get over there!

Lastly, are you a word nerd? take this quiz at Writer's Digest to see =)

Hawaiian Getaway

Campaign Time! Rachael's Third and final challenge - and it's a doozy! Details here, they are specific and crazy! It's 300 words minus title and opening =)

Hawaiian Getaway.

Some vacation.

My wife went to the spa and left me with our three whiners. At least they’re getting along, for now, and I can enjoy this tempting Kona brew that I’ve been craving since I woke up. I take my first sip of the bold, Hawaiian coffee. Ahh.

Maybe this isn’t so bad. Let Alexis relax and come back happy.

I should revel in this rarity of nothing to do. I recline in the cushioned chaise, my feet caressing the powdery sand. I close my eyes and let the cool sea breeze rustle through my shirt. The waves crash in steady rhythm and the sea gulls call,

“Daddy!”

Wait, that wasn’t sea gulls.

My eyes pop open. A shapely figure runs toward me. Am I dreaming?

I refocus and see she is carrying my seven year old.

I hop up and meet the nine year old ahead of them. “Daddy, Aiden got hit by a volleyball!” Alyssa shouts.

“I wan-tacise sorr-ai,” the young woman says in a strange accent. Aiden stares with glassy eyes at the wastopaneer of the girl as she sets him down. My 13 year old, Aaron, is transfixed with the same expression.

“It’s okay, Miss. He’ll be fine.”

“Bat I syn-batec,” she says and waves a friend over. I can’t understand a word.

“Your son was hurt?” the friend asks and checks Aiden’s eyes.

“He’s fine.” I say. Then a smell hits me. Something putrid, scrunching my nose. We all look around for it.

“Dad, what’s that smell?” It’s so bad Aaron’s attention is wrenched from the girl who has returned to the water. She walks up holding a huge fish covered in stinky seaweed and presents it to me.

“Who is this girl?”

“Dolphina. She was raised by dolphins.”

Alexis will never believe this.

I am confident I fulfilled all requirements. If you feel so inclined, you can send a vote my way (#19). This has been a great time! Thanks for reading!

I ma go krzy!

Here it is! The 2nd Campaign challenge. The title was part of it.

Write a post using these words: miasma, lacuna, oscitate, synchronisity; exact length 200. We have more time to finish and visit! Here is mine.
 

“Mom, I’m cold.”

“Isn’t the Fall air brisk? I love it!”

“Can we go inside?”

“You don’t want to watch the lacuna of the heavens with me?”

“There aren’t any stars out tonight. Anyway, my show’s coming on.”

“Exactly. You have a few more minutes. Look at the moon.”

“It’s full.”

“See the miasma around it?”

“You mean the foggy circle?”

“Yes. It portends rain tomorrow.”

“Oh.”

“And you might see your symmetric image in a puddle.”

“Uh, huh.”

“Please cover your mouth when you oscitate.”

“When I what?”

“Yawn.”

“Mom, have you been studying your word of the day calendar again?”

“Maybe.”

“Can I go in now?”

“I guess. I wish we had more synchronicity of minds. Someday.”

“Whatever.”

This challenge should have more of a variety of responses than last time. I’m curious to see how everyone goes with it! And if you enjoyed this little piece, you can vote for me at Rachael’s. Now I’m on to read, read, read!

The Waiting Room

The new challenge is here! The new challenge is here! (guess the movie)

Welcome Campaigners! and other treasured guests! Today is the first challenge for the campaign. Our lovely hostess, Rachael Harrie, has given us a fun prompt. We write a 200 word flash fiction starting with "The door swung open." An extra challenge is to close with "the door swung shut." And even better to keep it at exactly 200 words, not including the title. Done, done, and done! Relate and enjoy =)
And if you like, you can vote for me at the linky link.

The Waiting Room

The door swung open and the nurse called another name not mine. My shoulders sag as I pretend to read a dated People magazine.

I don’t know why I come early. No matter what time I arrive, I always wait at least fifteen minutes. Why do I torture myself coming here anyway? There’s nothing wrong with me.

I glance around at the other waiters. None of us wants to be here. We all dread sitting on a paper covered exam table, wrapped in paper, exposed, waiting some more to let an almost complete stranger poke our most private possessions. We are a sick society.

I’d check my emails, but we are supposed to turn off our cell phones. What is the point? No one pays attention to that rule. Just once I’d like to see what happens if everyone got on their cell phones at the same time. Will the power go out? Will the medical monitors scramble and receive alien transmissions?

After twenty minutes and several other lucky victims have gone, a nurse announces my name. I plaster on my “it’s about time” smile and follow her to the scale. My verdict awaits. Behind me, the door swung shut.

My Campaign Team!

I decided to make a list of my Campaign Team because the page with all the teams was driving me crazy! All the pictures made it take forever to open, or maybe it's just me. 

Really looking forward to the first event on Monday. It's been great to see some familiar friends and I've been getting around meeting new ones. (Please let me know if your info needs to be corrected =)

Adult Fiction, Group 4

        Meika

        Claire H
        Olumide B
        Nikki S

        Christy Farmer

        Kate Lineberger

        Kallysten

        tara tyler

        ArtistAuthorMom

        ebarrett writes
        L. G. Smith
        poems & fiction
        Ashley Davis
        Joelle Wilson
        Junebug
        Ann
        Ali Bacon
        Gary
        Len
        Neil Vogler
        Elaine Charton
        Helen
        D. J. Kirby
        Writer
        Crime (A)
        Rance Denton
        Allie
        Julie Flanders
        Elizabethanne