Tag Archives: short story

Jan14

Penny Pinching Tips for the Morally Bankrupt by Libby Marshall– a Review

Posted on by
Standard

Let me first say, I think I would love to spend a day with this author. She has a very vivid imagination, a clear love for Cold Stone Creamery, and a disturbing way of looking at many regular occurrences in all of our lives.  And I don’t say that in a bad way.  🙂

This book is a collection of short stories and some even shorter views of things we all experience, but certainly don’t think about in strange ways. At least not until they’re pointed out by Libby Marshall.  Then it’s so obvious that she observes events and normality in a different way than most of us.

Some of the stories are poignant and some are really funny in a twisted way. I won’t say which I felt was which lest I be judged for my giggles.  

I enjoyed these little tales and vignettes during my lunch hour and on small breaks from work. They are just short enough to fill in gaps in the day when you need a little smile….or a bit of melodrama. 🙂

Some of my favorites—by no means an exhaustive list—are “Witnesses of Historic Moments Who Missed the Point; 90 Day Fiancé: Dracula; A Man Goes on His First Date Since His Wife was Hanged for Witchcraft; Please Continue this Conversation as Normal or I’ll Be Forced to Assume it was About me; Yes, of Course I’m satisfied by just the Tip of this Piece of Cheesecake; and Yelp Reviews of the Chuck E. Cheese Haunted by the Spirit of Princess Diana.

There are so many more awesome little tales in this book. I recommend it highly for its sense of fun as well as the author’s sense of humor and her appreciation for the ridiculous. I really enjoyed this one.

Jun17

New Story Sale

Posted on by
Standard

I recently sold another short story- this one is called Music Hall, Music Hell.  It’s for an anthology called Happy Hell-o-Ween; Underworld Tours.  I wrote it in a couple of hours (after getting up three times in the night to jot down notes) and then let it simmer in my head for the day. I edited it that evening and submitted it. In 18 minutes, I had an acceptance.  The editor called it “a gem”-  made my day.

It’ll be out in September, 2011, I believe as it is a Halloween Anthology.  Check out the other books at the publisher’s website. I’ve got stories in several of them. I’m in Dear Valentine;  Christmas in Outer Space; Free Range Fairy Tales; Halloween Dances with the Dead;  and It Was a Dark and Stormy Halloween.  There are some amazing writers there.  http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/WhortleberryPress

Sep6

Another Short Story Done and Submitted

Posted on by
Standard

So, I subscribe to http://www.duotrope.com/  It’s a great site.  They have a lot of information about different magazines and literary publishers as well as calls for anthologies. You can even keep up with your submissions there and they calculate how many days your submission is out. They keep great statistics.  Every week, they send a reminder email of new markets, closed markets, reopened markets, and deadlines.  And if you report an acceptance, your name goes in that email with a congratulations.

This week, I noticed a call for Thanksgiving stories. First time I’ve seen this particular call. It was for a humorous mystery. Since I like to write light and love humor in my short stories, I thought it over on Saturday night. On Sunday morning, I woke up with the first line in my head.  Didn’t find the time to write it til today- labor day- I hope it is as funny as I think it is.  I finished it, edited it and submitted it all in one day.  I  usually mull it over more than that, but what the heck, gotta live life on the edge once in a while, right?

Won’t hear til after September 30 as that’s the deadline. Will keep ya posted when I know a yea or nay. Here is a pic of my Thanksgiving theme:

Sep4

Submitting Another Short Story

Posted on by
Standard

I have just submitted another short story under my real name. It’s not a romance, so it goes under my real name. It’s one I wrote ages ago and that I recently revamped. I’d planned to submit it to StorySouth, a journal that publishes authors and stories from the South but I didn’t get finished with the rewrite before they closed submissions in June because I was making a mad dash to add words to one of my romance manuscripts. They reopen on September 15 but I found another market to submit to today which is the Gulf Coast Magazine. So, I sent it in. They both take simultaneous submissions, so if it isn’t accepted by the 15th, I’ll submit it to the other as well.  Check them out: http://www.gulfcoastmag.org/     http://www.storysouth.com/

Jul14

Costa Rica

Posted on by
Standard

Used the research I did for a full length manuscript that my alter ego is writing for a fun little short story.  I decided to put the info to good use by writing something short to submit under my own name. I hope it will be accepted. I think it is a fun little story. Submitted it late this afternoon.  The guidelines were under 6000 words, romance, jungle theme.

I have 5200+ words, romance and it occurs partially in the jungle of Costa Rica.  AND I have the greatest, coolest name ever for the hero.  The name alone inspired me.  So, how could it miss?? 

Stay tuned for an update on the submission.  As soon as I know yea or nay, I’ll post.

May17

New Short Story

Posted on by
Standard

Gonna start a new one tonight-  that’s the plan, anyway.  It came to me this morning in the shower- have to work the real job first, though. Have a lunch date so can’t work on it during lunch either. I have jotted down gist of it.   I already know where I plan to submit it.  It will be one  under my real name.

Here’s a clue:  And for those of you that know how much I love the British Isles, this castle view isn’t much of a clue, is it? so, here’s another clue: there will be golden hair in this story.   Does that help?

Mar11

Feeling bad

Posted on by
Standard

Been sick and no motivation to update the blog.   I’ve been working hard on the latest novel and now that its done, I may knock out a short story or two.  While I wait for the inspiration for the next full length story.   IF I ever get to feeling like myself again, that is.  I’m counting the minutes til I can sleep.  For a long time.

Feb5

A short story for your amusement

Posted on by
Standard

I wrote this one called A Walk in the Woods for a contest to write a story with no tag lines.   Enjoy:

A Walk Through The Woods”

Man, we have been walking for hours.”

“Nah. It just seems like it since it is so hot out here.”

“These trees sure don’t give off much shade, do they, Andy?”

“Nope. And not even a breeze blowing.”

“Whose dumb idea was it to hike these woods in the ninety five degree heat?”

“That would have been your idea, Andy.”

“Yea. Blame me, John.”

“Well if he doesn’t, I will.”

“Shut up, Anna. You are to be seen and not heard.”

“You are a mean brother, John.”

“Yea. So?”

“All you two do is bicker. Stop it.”

“It sure is a long way out here.”

“Yea. My legs hurt. I’m tired. Let’s sit down.”

“No. Anna, you follow us around all the time and you better keep up or I will leave you alone out here.”

“You would not, John. Mom would kill you.”

“Well, I might and then how will you find your way back? Andy has the compass.”

“She probably can’t even read a compass if we left her with one.”

“I can so, I’m a girl scout, Andy.”

“Woo hoo. Good for you.”

“Look, over there’s a lake. Let’s get a drink of water.”

“Sounds good. I need to refill my canteen anyway.”

“It sure is hot.”

“You got that right, Andy.”

“Ahh. That was refreshing.”

“Uh, John, look over there.”

“What is it, Andy?”

“Just look over there by that tree.”

“Oh my God, what’s THAT?”

“Dunno. What do you think it is, John?”

“Geez, it sure is weird looking.”

“Do you think its dead?”

“I’m not sure. Its not moving.”

“I’m scared”

“Anna, you’re a sissy.”

“I am not!”

“John, I told you not to bring your stupid little sister out here with us.”

“My mom made me, Andy.”

“She wouldn’t have if you had told her the truth about where we were going.”

“Yea. Mom will be mad at you for bringing me this deep in the woods.”

“Shut up, Anna.”

“No. You shut up.”

“Stop it, you two. John, poke that thing and let’s see if it is alive.”

“You poke it, Andy.”

“I have to find a stick first. I’m not gonna touch that thing with my hand. Look at all that fur.”

” It looks nasty.”

“Oh for Pete’s sake, John, poke it with your sneaker.”

“You are both chickens. I’ll poke it with my baton.”

“Been meaning to ask, why would you bring a baton into the woods, Anna?”

“Because I take it everywhere so I can practice, Andy.”

“Dumb.”

“Not so dumb when I can use it to poke this thing.”

“Just do it, then.”

“All right. All right. Don’t rush me, Andy.”

“You have to poke it harder than that, Anna. You barely touched it.”

“Here then, Smarty, you do it. Here’s my baton.”

“I can’t tell if it moved under all that fur. You try, John.”

“Okay. Give me that baton.”

“HEY! Stop it! All your yakking and poking woke me up. Can’t you see I am trying to sleep, here? Have you no manners?”

“Oh My God, Its alive, RUN!”

“MOMMMA………”

“Wait for me, John!”

“I thought they’d never leave. No wonder us Yetis stay so deeply hidden. Stupid humans have no couth. I think I’ll take a quick dip in the lake to cool off and then get back to my nap. Ahh.”

END