We here at TSR want to take this moment to say how grateful we are for all of your encouragement, interest and support over the last year. Your comments and your visits are much appreciated.
And we hope we gave you something in return! A few chuckles? Some book recommendations? A creepy-crawly shiver or two?
We wish you all a wonderful holiday season!
See you in 2026!
I used to be guilty of saying, oh well, the year’s almost over, why bother trying this or that or the other thing. But a couple of months ago, I heard about the 100 days countdown to the end of the year, and seeing that number made me realize, hey, there’s still a big chunk of time left! It’s not only 100 days, it’s still 100 days.
As of the writing of this post, there are over 55 days left in the year. So, instead of giving up, let’s get going!
WRITING
I’m working on the story collection, a drabble and a flash fiction/short story. This story is a little different for me in that it’s heavy on dialogue, but since that’s how it came to me, I’m going with it.
READING
I’ve been on a reading roll lately!
The Private Jet by Sarah Goodwin - an adventure/survival thriller that will have you turning pages so fast you’ll get paper cuts but that's nothing compared to what happens in the book!
Runner 13 by Amy McCulloch - another survival/adventure thriller that will make you feel like a slacker unless you, too, are an ultramarathon runner racing through the Sahara Desert.
The Hitchhikers by Chevy Stevens – will leave you second guessing that road trip you’re considering…
59 Minutes by Holly Seddon – left me emotionally wrung out in the way only a really good read can. (I received an ARC in a giveaway. Expected publication date 11/18/2025.)
TORTOISES
The tortoises never fail to amuse me. At the vet for their check-up, their very different personalities were on display. They needed to have their beaks and nails trimmed, and while Larry wanted no part of it, Mrs. Larry acted like she was getting a facial and a manicure/pedicure.
WATCHING
We’ve had some good luck lately with Netflix. Two movies – The Thursday Murder Club was enjoyable and The Woman in Cabin 10 was very suspenseful. A limited series – Hostage – was utterly gripping.
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How are you approaching the end of 2025? Have you read or watched anything good lately? Do your pets amuse you?
What do spooky season and birthdays have in common?
It’s scary how they creep up on you!
It’s once again birthday month around here – how did that happen?! - when I try to get all my devilish little ducks in a row for the rest of this year and on into the next.
I will do this by taking a bit of a blogging/social media break, eating cake, and wondering how many old episodes of Project Runway it will take before Tim Gunn’s catchphrase Make It Work, once again becomes my go-to mantra for writing, for life, and for everything in-between.
Happy October, everyone!
I'm glad it's September, even though around here it’s still hot, humid and hurricane season. This summer drained me of oomph. I feel wrung out, much like my sweaty gym clothes after a long plod on the “dreadmill.” I blame the heat. (I usually get to a point every summer where I blame the heat. For everything.)
So, this is me, falling forward – not very gracefully - into fall!
WRITING
The second session of Camp Draft did not go well:
* The drabble I wrote and subbed received a rejection.
* The longer short story with the road trip theme never even got out of the garage.
* The novella is apparently no longer about a cursed island, but is instead about a deserted island because everyone on it has left due to boredom.
In September, I hope to
* Get back to some flash fiction, writing and maybe subbing.
* See if I can save that cursed island.
* Start making some strides in putting together another collection of my stories.
READING
I’m still behind on my 2025 Goodreads Challenge, but Wally Lamb’s incredible The River is Waiting and Shari Lapena’s page-turning suspense She Didn’t See it Coming helped move me closer to my goal.
WATCHING
My husband and I had a “28” movie marathon – we re-watched 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later before watching the new 28 Years Later. In my opinion, the first movie is still the best of the bunch by far.
We really enjoyed Woman of the Hour (starring Anna Kendrick) over on Netflix. A creepy thriller made even creepier because it’s based on real crimes.
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How did your summer go? Any plans or projects for fall? How’s your oomph level? Read or watched anything lately you’d recommend?
Last month, I was at Camp Draft, where a number of writing projects were going to get done. Unfortunately, early that month, anxiety roared in like a swarm of angry mosquitos sending me cowering under my bunk, whimpering, with my arms over my head. But, thankfully, my protagonists are braver and smarter than I am, and they eventually lured the swarm away with some Key Lime Pie ice cream (I’m not sure this would work in real life but here, at Camp Draft, weirdness often works.) Coincidentally, this is also how my protagonists lured me out from under the bunk so we could get back to work.
What got done:
The Longer Short Story – a solid rough draft!
The Drabble – written, revised too many times to count and submitted!
What did not get done:
The Novella
So, I decided another session of Camp Draft was in order for August. This time around, we’re going to:
* Finish the nightmare road trip – aka The Longer Short Story – and revise it until it stops chanting “are we there yet?” so I can hopefully submit it.
* Explore that cursed island where the Novella lives, and hang out with two of my protagonists and let them tell me all the secrets, or at least the ones they know about. This project will be about progress, and even though I’m not exactly sure what that looks like, I’ll know it when I see it.
Hopefully, August will be free of angry mosquitos. But I’m going to stock up on some of that Key Lime Pie ice cream, you know, um, just in case….
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How’s your summer going? Having fun? Getting projects done? Staying cool, calm and collected? Hiding from angry mosquitos?
I definitely feel a draft, and not just the one from the a/c. By the end of July, the first drafts of two stories should – fingers crossed! – give me more chills than the Key Lime Pie ice cream I like too much.
Welcome to Camp Draft!
Where:
* I will dive into my novella, featuring a cursed island.
* I will most likely get car sick writing about a road trip gone very, very wrong.
* And I might dabble with a drabble.
Also, here at Camp Draft:
* The only counselors look a lot like tortoises.
* The only activities are jumping over plot holes and napping.
* My bunkmates are kid characters who are way braver than I am.
* And the s’mores look – and taste - like cake.
Here I go!
For a lot of people summer is about relaxing and vacations, but for me, it’s usually when I pretty much hibernate in my air conditioned hidey-hole. This summer is all about:
SALADS and lighter meals. It’s about getting healthier on the inside. You’d think as a vegetarian I’d have this down but, since pasta is my go-to pal, not so much.
STORIES! Writing my own, of course, but reading and watching them, too. Stories are everywhere!
SWEAT. And I don’t mean by just sitting out on the lanai in the Florida summer. I mean the kind I get when I hang out with my old frenemy, the dreadmill . . .
Now, of course, life happens and hurricanes howl through, so this is only a loose plan. But I’m giving it a go!
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WRITING
I finished and subbed a drabble. I made a little progress on the longer short story and a little more progress on the novella.
READING
I’m behind on my 2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge. For some reason, I’m struggling with reading this year. But since part of this summer is all about stories, I hope to remedy that soon enough.
WATCHING
TV – My husband and I are thoroughly enjoying My Best Friend’s An Animal [National Geographic, Hulu] So many amazing animals and people out there! (I’m always a little wary of animal shows because I don’t like when they show the gory side of nature. This one doesn’t.)
Movies – We really liked Neighborhood Watch (with Jeffrey Dean Morgan), and The Drop was an entertaining way to spend an hour or so.
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What are your summer plans? Do you have any go-to (vegetarian!) lighter meals/salads? Or cookbooks, websites, etc. you like? Any favorite workouts or ways to make gym time go faster? Any suggestions for non-gory animal or nature shows?
