Quirks in the Night

I’m not particularly adept at using my phone – bad eyesight and fumble fingers - so when a character or a line of dialogue or a story idea strikes in the night, I don’t bother reaching for my glasses or my phone. (Besides, there’s a very good chance I’ll knock one or both of them off the nightstand anyway.) 

Instead, I nudge my husband and he’s got his phone in his hand, email open, ready to take dictation in the middle of the night. The next day, I open my email and voila! There are my thoughts, all nicely typed out and legible. (Of course, that doesn’t mean it makes sense, but that’s on me not my husband.) 

It's just one of the many, many . . . um, let’s call them, quirks . . . of mine that my husband puts up with. This month, we’ll be married 26 years, and while he is now, apparently, my personal assistant/secretary, he still is and always will be, my rock and my wings.  

WRITING

I’m playing with ideas for some upcoming themed submission opportunities, one for a drabble and one for a short story. Another short story idea is waiting patiently for its turn. 

 

Progress is being made on a longer story/novella. It’s slow going because I’m still fleshing out backstory and foundational stuff, trying to fill in as many plot holes as I can now so I don’t fall into them later. I’m considering doing my own version of NaNo later this summer to get down a first draft. 

READING

Loved the delightful and heartwarming middle grade novel Old School by Gordon Korman. Five stars and easily one of my favorite books of the year! And I also really liked Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5) by Suzanne Collins. It took me back to when I first read The Hunger Games.

 

WATCHING

TV – Thoroughly enjoyed A Man on the Inside (with Ted Danson, on Netflix)! Fun and funny, heartbreaking and heartwarming. Looking forward to Season Two! And, at pretty much the opposite end of the spectrum, is the dark but absolutely compelling, Adolescence (Netflix.) The acting blew my mind. 

 

Movie – My hopes for The Companion were that it would be solid, a pleasant enough way to be entertained for a couple of hours. Turned out to be way better than I thought! Dark and creepy, yes, but also a whole lot of fun in a weird twisted way. 

 

*****

Are you handy with your phone? Any tips for old Fumble Fingers here? Do you have someone in your life who encourages and supports your creativity? If you’ve done your own version of NaNo, how did you set it up and how did it go? Read or watched anything good lately?

The Summer of Making Strides

For a lot of people, the summer is about relaxing and vacations. But since doing anything "normal" would be too easy – and easy stands no chance against my overthinking ogre of a brain – my husband and I mostly spend this sweat-storm of a season with our heads down, trying to get stuff done. 

 

WRITING

Novel/novella – a draft WILL be done by summer's end. I will write through a hurricane if I have to (but, please, let's hope and pray I don't have to!)

 

Mailing List – a mailing list will – hopefully! - be set up by summer's end. I know, I know, I should've done this so long ago. Part of the delay was laziness, some just procrastination, but most of it was that overthinking ogre brain again. 

 

This post - "The Thing That Sticks Out" – by Austin Kleon reminded me how uniqueness in a story should often be cultivated, not squashed. 

 

WATCHING

Movie – "Knock at the Cabin" (2023, directed by M. Night Shyamalan) – I really enjoyed this. It was suspenseful, unnerving and unsettling, all things I love in a story. 

 

READING

Two recent favorites for you:

LONE WOMEN by Victor LaValle (historical fiction/horror) 

CROW MARY by Kathleen Grissom (historical fiction) - I was lucky to get my greedy hands on an ARC of this one. 

 

TORTOISES

The tortoises celebrated their 14^thbirthday! Banana was enjoyed by all! 

 

*****

 

What are your summer plans? Any suggestions or tips for setting up a mailing list? Read or watched anything you enjoyed? Celebrating anything?

 

Is That Progress I See?

Lately, progress is like some elusive legendary creature slinking around beneath the sea. I catch glimpses of it, only for it to then flick its tail at me before disappearing back into the deep. 

*****

WRITING

Published - My 400 word story, DEAD LINE, up at Dread Stone Press.

 

Novel/Novella - I had to rethink and redo so much of it these past couple of months. I really hope it will be worth it and a better story will result.

 

Two fun and inspirational posts for you:

"10 Things Lego Has Taught Me About Story-Building" by P.A. Cornell, over on the Writers Helping Writers blog 

 

"Are You Giving Yourself Writing Credit?" by Jessica Conoley, over at Jane Friedman's blog. 

*****

 

WATCHING

Movies - We really liked "Jerry and Marge Go Large" (Bryan Cranston, Annette Bening, and Rainn Wilson.) Sometimes, the dark corners of my mind need some light shone into them. 

 

TV – "The Night Agent" on Netflix was great! My husband said it reminded him of "24" (the original series), which is one of his all-time favorite shows. So enjoying "Not Dead Yet" with Gina Rodriguez – funny, quirky, heartwarming and heartbreaking, all in 30 minutes! 

 

*****

 

Have you seen progress – on anything! - lately? What keeps you going when the glimpses of it are few and far between? Have you watched anything you'd recommend?

Decisions, Decisions

Well, 2023 is marching on, isn't it?

            

WRITING - 

The POV in this first draft of the novel was killing me. I went with Main Character 1 then went with Main Character 2 then back and forth and back again. I thought their narratives were equally compelling, in different ways, but both had weaknesses. I finally just decided to listen to what the story wants because, as usual, the story really does know best. So as of now – realizing this will probably change with editing and revising - not only do I have two POVs but also a Prologue. Sigh.

WATCHING – 

Movies – I was disappointed in the last couple of movies I watched. And this was after watching the previews and checking out the ratings/reviews. One movie was so bad not even a well-known, excellent actor could save it. Another started off really good then morphed into something so weird I have no words for it. 

 

MENTAL HEALTH – 

Back in January, I mentioned that one of my goals was to work on managing my anxiety. I decided to change that up a bit and focus instead on cultivating calm and finding the tools to calm myself - mentally, emotionally, physically - when I need to (and believe me, I need to often!) I'm trying to meditate and listen to/read/watch more positive things. 

 

TORTOISES – 

My husband and I often take the tortoises when we sit on the patio. My husband is usually settled out there before me and, lately, Mrs. Larry has taken to sitting under the chair next him - my chair. We're not sure if she's keeping my husband company or if she's keeping an eye on him, but once I come outside, she walks off, as if saying he's my responsibility now. 

 

*****

How do you decide a story's POV? Have you seen any good movies lately? Any suggestions for cultivating calm?

The Sweat Sock of the Summer

Well, July was one slimy, stinky sweat sock of a month around here. Any progress made - on the miles challenges, on writing, on you-name-it – is pretty much gone. 

 

Thankfully, it was – for us, anyway – mostly first world problems, everything from minor health issues to my beloved coffeemaker of 10 years brewing its last cup. It was more that the problems just happened to arrive all at once, like a gaggle of unexpected guests, flinging their luggage everywhere, taking up all the space, all the air.   

 

So, August has to be better, right? Right! At the very least, it will be caffeinated. 

WATCHING – 

TV – "The Old Man" on FX/Hulu – it's a little slow, but the acting is excellent!

 

MOVIES - We re-watch JAWS every July 4^thand always love it. We also re-watched and enjoyed GOONIES and STAND BY ME. 

 

 

READING – 

THE PATIENT'S SECRET by Loreth Anne White – dark and twisty!

LISTEN TO ME (Rizzoli and Isles, #13) by Tess Gerritsen – I've missed this series!

A RIP THROUGH TIME (A Rip Through Time, #1) by Kelley Armstrong – the beginning of a time travel mystery series I look forward to continuing! 

 

*****

 

How was your July? What do you do for coffee? Do you have any recommendations for coffeemakers, that kind of thing? Read or watched anything good lately? 

Pasta or Progress?

I can't tell which has more holes in it – my attention span or the colander I use to drain pasta. Yum . . . pasta. Smothered in sauce, topped with cheese. Maybe some ravioli. No wait, baked ziti. And garlic bread. And . . . oh. 

 

See what I mean?

 

WRITING - 

I rearranged my office furniture in an effort to minimize distractions. So now a blank wall stares back at me every time I look over the top of my computer. This might actually be working because I wrote and subbed a flash fiction story for a contest, and I started making notes on a novella. 

 

WALKING – 

I mentioned back in January that my husband and I signed up for two virtual challenges, 100 miles each. Well, we also signed up for a third one – 202.2 miles. (Don't even ask me how this happened. I'm pretty sure my husband distracted me with cake.)

Stats so far = 

43/202.2 miles (walking only)

0/100 miles

0/100 miles

 

WATCHING – 

Movie – SCREAM (2022] aka SCREAM, "The Requel", was a fun romp down memory lane, and it made me want to re-watch the old SCREAM movies again, at least the first one.

READING - 

I'm in the middle of Twenty Years Later by Charlie Donlea – enjoying it so far!

*****

 

What creative project - writing or otherwise - are you working on? What do you do for exercise/fitness? Have you read or watched anything lately you enjoyed? 

The Year is Young

Even though I have managed to stall out already, I am not giving up. The year is young – even if I am not – so I am revving up and getting going! 

WRITING – 

I'm focusing more on writing-related work lately. Yes, some of that is pure procrastination, but it's also because I have a couple of ideas simmering on my brain's back burner that are not ready to be served yet. 

I'm cleaning up some around the blog. Since Blogger is less user-friendly than it used to be, I'm streamlining things a bit. I want to keep it easy for readers to navigate and for me to update. 

 

WATCHING – 

TV – Downton Abbey was a huge hit around here, and now we're watching Longmire. (Yes, I know we are waaaaay behind the times. Trendsetters we are not.) 

 

Movie – See for Me was better than I expected. A solid thriller with a couple of nice twists.

  

READING – 

I really enjoyed These Silent Woods by Kimi Grant Cunningham. It was a little slow going for me in the beginning, but I absolutely loved the last chunk of the story.

 

*****

 

How's your year going so far? Have you stalled a bit or are you revving right through? Are you happy with your blog/website and/or its host? Have you read or watched anything you'd recommend?

Frog Moments

As I write this post, it's raining outside and two baby frogs are hanging out on my office window. They startled me at first because, as you all know by now, when I see something moving at the window, my first thought is monster/psycho/zombie. But now I'm enjoying watching them, enjoying their company. (And as long as they stay outside, they're adorable.) 

 

I mention this moment because it made me smile. I've been kind of "meh" about stuff lately, everything from reading to writing. There are some reasons and there are no reasons, if that makes sense. I've struggled with this before, but this time around, I'm having trouble shaking it. So I'm trying to focus on positivity, on things that make me happy, laugh, bring me joy, and I thought I'd share a few recent examples in case you all also need a "frog moment" or two.

 

WRITING 

Here are three posts that should - hopefully! - shake off any writing blues:

Advice for the Demoralized Writer by James Scott Bell 

Stay in the Fight by John Gilstrap

The Most Significant Choice of Your Writing Career by Jessica Conoley

 

 

*****

 

READING

How about a feel good read that includes books, libraries and a cast of quirky characters you'll love to root for? Then make a note to pick up The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson! (I got my hands on an ARC – it's out 8/31/21.)

 

 

*****

 

WATCHING

We went old school and thoroughly enjoyed re-watching "Jaws" and "Jurassic Park." We're also re-watching "Seinfeld" from Season 1 – still hilarious! 

 

I have fallen hard for "Firefly Lane" (Netflix.) It's not my usual thing, and I'm not exactly sure why I enjoy it so much, but hey, not everything needs to be analyzed to death, right? Unfortunately for me, I thought it was a self-contained show, so when the last episode ended on a cliffhanger you can probably imagine the angst and drama in my house when I realized what was happening. And yet, I am so in if there's a Season 2!

 

 

*****

 

WALKING

I'm really struggling with the walking challenge, but I'm determined to keep going, to make at least some progress this summer. 

 

Miles walked as of 7/30/2021 = 187/500 (Click here for what this craziness is all about.)

 

Seen on a walk . . . around the house to the patio - 

Hibiscus  

Photo by Madeline Mora-Summonte 7/2021

Hibiscus -

Photo by Madeline Mora-Summonte 7/2021

 

*****

 

If/When you feel "meh" what do you do? Do you have any recent "frog moments" you'd like to share? Any suggestions for feel good books/movies/TV?

 

Hello, July!

Whooosh! That's the sound of summer flying by. (And believe me, that's the fastest moving thing around here. If the tortoises and I had a race, I would not put money on me to win.) Still feeling behind and overwhelmed, but I'm working on having a more positive and grateful mindset overall and that's definitely helping. 

 

WRITING

My story, "Twisted," is out now in INFECTION: DRABBLES 1 (LEGENDS OF THE NIGHT). If you like your apocalyptic zombie fiction bite-sized (ha! get it?!), give it a try! 

 

** AVAILABLE ON AMAZON **

*****

 

READING

The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker is chilling, compelling and heartbreaking. The author does an amazing job of humanizing a horrifying character. With a few simple lines, she makes you re-examine everything you thought you knew, making you not necessarily forgive the character but feel for them. 

 

*****

 

WATCHING

Movies – We really liked "Awake" on Netflix. 

 

*****

 

WALKING

We participated in a virtual 5K that raised money for sea turtle conservation and research. During this sweat-soaked stroll, we saw so many turtles - crossing roads, sunning on banks, sticking their little heads out of lakes. They were totally cheering us on! 

 

Miles walked as of 6/30/2021 = 166.5/500 (Click here for what this craziness is all about.) 

 

*****

How's your summer going so far? Made progress on any projects? Have you read or watched anything you'd recommend?  

Hunkering Down

The plan for this summer is to pretty much hunker down and Get. Things. Done. Somehow, life – and that includes everything from health to writing to cleaning - has gotten away from me. Keeping things on track is like herding tortoises back inside the house from the patio (believe me, it's harder than you think.) Time to start moving in a positive direction again!

 

WRITING

In publication news, my flash fiction story, "The Perfect Match", is in Shallow Waters Vol. 7: A Flash Fiction Anthology, and I have two drabbles coming out this summer in anthologies from Black Ink Fiction. 

 

I actually "attended" my first StokerCon – the big conference for horror writers - from the comfort of my own home. I watched panel after panel and learned so much. I took pages and pages of handwritten notes, all of which I'm hoping I will be able to decipher. 

*****

 

READING

We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker is a little more of a slower paced book than I usually read but the writing! The characters! The revelations toward the end! The ending! The book just blew me away. 

***** 

 

WATCHING

Movies – "Rent-A-Pal" was creepy, sad, and unsettling.

 

TV – We finally finished watching "Justified" and overall absolutely LOVED it! The last episode was excellent and the very last scene was just perfect. 

***** 

 

TORTOISES

Larry and Mrs. Larry are now 12 years old! They celebrated by having one of their favorite treats – banana!  The rest of us had cake.

***** 

 

WALKING

Seriously, what was I thinking? Why did I let my husband convince me to do this 500 miles walk? Why didn't we just do the 100 miles? We'd be done already! Why did I think I could do this? (Okay, whiny rant over. For now.)

 

Miles walked as of 5/31/2021 = 137.2/500 (Click here for what this craziness is all about.)

 

***** 

 

Any projects – creative or otherwise – you plan to tackle this summer? Have you read or watched anything great lately? How about a pep talk, a butt kick, or a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup . . . or two? I need all the help I can get!

Spring . . . Back

Even though we were supposed to spring ahead last month, I pretty much fell waaaaaay back. In time, that is.

 

WRITING

I'm pretty sure the last time I wrote poetry was when I was in college  - over 20 years ago, people - so imagine my surprise when I managed to create some horror poetry for a contest. 

 

***

 

READING

I am so looking forward to upcoming releases by some of my long-time favorite, auto-buy authors: Mother May I by Joshilyn Jackson, The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon and Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian. 

 

***

 

WATCHING

Movies - The nostalgia volume was turned to high around here as Pretty in Pink and Footloose had me tapping my feet. I somehow managed to feel both young AND old at the same time. 

 

TV - When my husband and I heard about the death of Larry McMurtry, we looked at each other and said, "We're watching Lonesome Dove this weekend." I read the novel before the mini-series came out, and it's safe to say it's easily one of my all-time favorite books. I fell in love with the mini-series when I first watched it back in 1989. Did it hold up for me in 2021? You better believe it! How could it not with Larry McMurtry's writing and starring actors like Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, and Danny Glover, to name just a few. 

 

***

 

WALKING

Hooray for progress! When I first started, I averaged about 1-1.5 miles each outing. Now, I average about 2-2.5 miles, and I’m inching up to 3. 

 

Miles walked as of 3/31/21 = 83.6/500. (Click here for what this craziness is all about.)

 

*****

Traveled down memory lane lately? Seen either of those movies or the mini-series? Made progress – no matter how little! - on any projects?  

March-ing On

My "one word" for 2021 is FOCUS. To be honest, it's not working all that well. My thoughts are like Yahtzee dice - spilling out from my mind, scattering everywhere. But hey, we're only in the third month of the year. That's still plenty of time to work my word! 

 

WRITING

I recently redid my Writer's Manifesto. I love that it reminds me HOW I want to write, HOW I want my writing life to feel, to look. This time around, I emphasized having more fun and trusting the creative process. 

 

***

READING

Two books I ended up liking more than I thought I would – Shiver by Allie Reynolds and The Woman Outside My Door by Rachel Ryan. I was pleasantly surprised to get so caught up in them! 

 

***

WATCHING

Movies – "Come Play" was my kind of creepy and "Freaky" was the kind of campy horror movie that reminded me of "Scream." 

 

***

WALKING

Seen on a walk: 

Photo by Madeline Mora-Summonte, 2021

Okay, I actually see this every day . . . because it's in front of our house! We had this bougainvillea planted soon after we moved in because we wanted a spot of color, one I'll hopefully be able to see from my office window soon. But we never realized how many people would enjoy our little tree, too. One lady even told my husband that she looks forward to riding her bike by it every day. (Fingers crossed my husband and I won't ruin it with our not-so-green thumbs . . . .) 

 

Miles walked as of 2/25/21 = 51/500. We passed the first official milestone! (Click here if you're wondering what this craziness is all about.)

 

*****

Do you have "one word" for 2021? If so, how's it working for you? Do you have a Writer's Manifesto or going to give one a try? Have you read or watched something that surprised you with how much you liked it? Is there anything on your route that brightens your walks or drives? 

Forward into February

For some reason – and no reason – January had me stymied at almost every turn. Even so, I'm choosing to focus on the positives! Here are some highlights: 

 

WRITING 

Since one of my stories tied for first place in a Crystal Lake flash fiction contest in 2020, I was invited to participate in their Best of the Best challenge, only open to contest winners. Let me just say this: Whew! That was some tough competition! My story didn't win or place, but I'm honored to have been included in that bunch.

 

***

READING

2021 started with the suspenseful The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard. It not only gave me the creeps, but also offered a creative twist to the alternative POV structure. So well done! Loved it!

***

 

WATCHING

TV-wise, we're trying some old-but-new-to-us shows, like "Justified." I can't even begin to tell you how much we're enjoying it! [Please no spoilers in the comments! We're only up to season 3 or so.]

 

Movie-wise, we watched "Don't Tell a Soul," starring Rainn Wilson. So well acted and full of great twists! 

 

***

TORTOISES

We had some cold-for-Florida weather, which meant the tortoises had to stay inside. But it finally warmed up enough for them to wander the patio, taking the occasional break to sit under the grill.

 

***

WALKING

Seen on a walk: A man, dogs on the seat next to him, pulls his golf cart up to the stop sign. Music drifts over from the cart. The song? "Sweet Child o' Mine" by Guns N' Roses. 

 

Miles walked as of 1/29/21 = 28/500. Hmm, this might actually be more miles than I walked all of last year. (Click here if you're wondering what this craziness is all about.) 

*****

How's your year going so far? Have you read or watched anything good? (Again, please no "Justified" spoilers!) Are you making progress on any challenges or goals?

The Thief, Some Science and a Couple of Contests

I don't know about you all, but this has felt like one loooooong summer to me. I am so ready for Fall! But, before we say goodbye to August, I wanted to share some things you might find interesting....

*****

I am a HUGE fan of Markus Zusak's The Book Thief. I read it years and years ago, fell in love with it, then promptly sent Mr. Zusak a gushing, geeky fan email to which he very kindly responded. So, when I heard TBT was going to be turned into a movie, I was nervous, torn between wanting to see it and not wanting to see it...until I saw the movie trailer and fell in love with it all over again. I don't even care if it's different than the book - the movie looks amazing in itself.

*****

Kate, over at My Next Life, is running a custom art contest. She just finished up a project and she's "dying to create something else." Lucky for us! You've got some time - winner announced on September 25th - but don't wait too long. Head on over and check out how to enter. (No worries - it's really easy!)

*****

Lisa Cron wrote a fantastic post, "6 Ways to Make Sure Your Reader's Brain Syncs with Your Protagonist's Brain," over at Writer UnBoxed. I've been trying to apply her Wired for Story to my WiP but her book is so meaty that I think I'm just going to sit and read it through, absorbing as much as I can first. 

***** 

Did you know that literary agent Janet Reid runs flash fiction contests? I'm not sure when her next one will be, but keep an eye out. The contests are a lot of fun and a real creative challenge. I love seeing what everyone comes up with - the talent out in the blogosphere is amazing!

And under the "toot my own horn" category, two of my entries received recognition: 

For "A Dangerous Fiction" Contest = Special Recognition for Entries that had a Wonderful Line

For the "Gone Fishin'" Contest = Not Quite A Story But Just Glorious Imagery 

*****

Are you ready for Fall? Do you plan on reading - or re-reading - The Book Thief? Will you see the movie? Going to enter Kate's contest? How about Ms. Reid's next one? Have you read Wired for Story?

The Horror! The Horror!

Even though the title of this post is from Joseph Conrad's story The Heart of Darkness, we're not going to talk about books today. (Shocking, I know.) No, I need help with something else - movies. 

I am banned from picking the next, um, five to ten movies my husband and I will watch. Why? Because the last handful I chose pretty much stunk. Now, to be fair, my husband is a good sport. He knows how much I like a good horror movie and he indulges me in my (occasionally) odd choices . . . to a point. So, I know it's gotten bad when he says enough is enough. 

What I need from you all is help redeeming myself. Plus, I just want to watch some good scary movies for a change. Here's an idea of what I like (and my husband likes/tolerates):

Jaws

Psycho

Misery

the Scream movies 

the Paranormal Activity movies

Joy Ride

Jeepers Creepers

Quarantine

28 Days Later 

The Woman in Black

Dream House

Please share your picks for horror, scary, creepy, suspenseful stuff. Nothing too gross or gory or freaky, please. Older, newer, independent, black-and-white, all fine. If you're not sure it's horror - like, I don't think Jaws technically is but it scared me! - mention it anyway. 

And please, hurry. My husband is talking about us watching some sports documentary DVDs he's got hanging around. Help!