Spooktobertfest – Where Have You Been?

Jackie and Dani have prompted me to write a 300 word Flash Fiction piece using the following words:  cobweb(s), cauldron(s),  jack-o-lantern(s), ghost(s), razor(s).  The story can be scary, comical, romantic, whatever I choose. Just be creative!  They will pick a winner on October 31, 2012.

Where Have You Been?

I grabbed the knob and pushed the door open.  Now, that is odd, the door was unlocked.  A cold breeze smacks me in the face as I push open the door.
“No way should it be this cold with the fire going.” I said out loud to no one, but just as I suspected, the fire wasn’t lit.
The room was dark except for a small candle whose light was struggling to shine beyond the jagged smile carved into a jack-o-lantern.
I walked into the corner and looked into the cauldron.  As, I reached out my hand, I could faintly sense the warmth, but it was clear, the fire had been out for a while. 
A brave spider had already begun to form a cobweb from the top of the pot to points unknown.    
A glint of light, bounced off an object lying on the floor.  I reached down to pick it up.  “Ouch.” Now who would leave a razor on the floor? The razor goes into the pot. 
I tasted the creamy sweet blood oozing out of my finger.  “Good year.” I laugh at my own joke.  But, then stop.  My own laugh echoing off the walls even made my skin crawl.   Something is clearly wrong. 
A draft from an unknown direction swiftly moved through the room and extinguished the small candle.
And, then it made perfect sense.
“Harry, where have you been?”
Never hire a ghost to be your night watchman.  They are notoriously unreliable, especially at night.    

Ok, so there you have it. My little story in 300 words or less.  I don’t know why, but it makes me laugh every time I read it.  I hope you enjoy it, too. And, click on the badge to visit and enjoy other Spooktober Fest stories.  

 

Tattoo Tuesday – D. Savannah

D. Savannah is such a creative soul.  And, when she shared with me her tattoo story, I had to share it with you.  Ironically, today is the anniversary of her marriage to her now ex-husband.  Read on and experience the irony.

Thanks for sharing D. Savannah.

My Tattoo

By D. Savannah George

1.  How old were you when you got your first tattoo? 
29 ½.
2.  What made you want to get your first tattoo?
My (now ex-) husband had always wanted to get a tattoo, but his mother had been firmly against it. She even burst into tears at the sight of a fake, temporary tattoo he’d put on his arm or something.  So, when he turned 30, he decided it was high time he got a tattoo, because, after all, 30 is practically grown-up, right?
I had never had any interest in getting ink. I got my first while he got his first. His took 3o minutes. Mine took two and a half hours.
3.  How many tattoos do you have?
I have seven (in order of getting them): wolf howling at the moon, Native American design, right stomach; Japanese Kanji for courage, left shoulder; turtle with the universe in its belly, right lower back; infinity symbol with a turtle, left hip; tree of life, right shoulder; feather with quill and birds, left shoulder (around kanji); “Open a vein”, right wrist.
4.  What is your tattoo story? If you have more then one tattoo, tell me your most recent or your favorite tattoo. 
I got my second tattoo when I got divorced. I got my third when I moved to the ocean. I got the fourth when I remarried. The last three have to do with my art and writing. If I start at the first one, and go on to the 7th in order, they circle my body, like invisible rings. They are all, except for the first two, original. (My idea, someone else’s actual drawing.)
My tattoos are the story of my life. I like that people wouldn’t know I have tattoos unless I show them – they are all (except the one on my wrist) easily hidden with clothes. But I also like that I can show off the three on my shoulders if I want to. (I have to drop trou to show the other three.) (Which I’ll gladly do, if you ask nicely enough.)
My favorite has got to be #6. My artist (who also did #5) free-handed it on my back, and it surrounds #2. It also feels the most “me” (whatever that means).
I had no idea tattoos were so addicting! But I promised my (current) husband I’d stop at seven, so I guess I will.
5.  Tattoos on a significant other, like or dislike?  Why?  
Like, obviously. Ironically, my ex-husband’s current wife has none, and my husband has none, and I’m pretty sure he just tolerates them on me. Also, my ex-husband only has three tattoos, while I have seven.
BIO
D. Savannah George has a tendency to be verbose, so writing short blog posts is good exercise for her brain. She is a multi-disciplinary artist – she writes, paints, crochets, takes photographs, and makes beaded jewelry, bookmarks, and notecards. She has published several short stories and a number of poems, as well as numerous articles in various newspapers and magazines, and has won several awards for her writing. Her first book, A Spicy Secret, #22 in the Annie’s Attic Mystery Series, will be released in January 2013. She also serves as a book editor for authors and several small publishers.
 
If you want to find out more about D. Savannah George, visit her at:
www.dsavannah.com
www.dsavannah.com/blog/
twitter: @dSavannahcreate

The feather quill with the birds is absolutely beautiful.  Thanks again D. for participating in Tattoo Tuesday.  

If you want to share your tattoo story.  Let me know in the comments. 

 

My Weekly Update – The Secret to Winning NaNoWriMo

Yes, ladies and gentleman. This is the one and only Nanowrimo prep post I am going to pen for you this year.  Frankly, the only one you will need.  I have the secret to winning Nanowrimo.  Now, I haven’t actually participated in Nanowrimo.  But, I have won Junowrimo and Campnano in 2012.  So, that make me an expert on these month long writing challenges in 2012.

But first, the advice. Here it goes. All the advice you’re every going to need.  And, I do mean all.

Insane and Uncontrolled:  Surviving NanoWrimo
Nanowrimo – an insight for the first timers
My 10 Not So Secrets to Winning Nanowrimo
12 Thoughts about Nanowrimo
5 Ways to Silence Your Inner Editor
Nano What-O?
Nail NaNoWriMo – start now! 3 old hands share their tips
@WriMo is a Must Read for #NaNoWriMo
Who’s Doing #NaNoWriMo?  We Are!
Coincidence? Maybe, Maybe Not.  #NaNoWriMo
How to Prepare for NaNoWriMo:  Should You Outline Ahead of Time?
How to Plot for #NaNoWriMo (Pantser Style)
My Junowrimo Daily Journal – my blissful writing adventure
My Campnano Daily Journal – my challenging writing adventure
Scrivener NaNoWriMo 2012 Offer – really the best WP for writers
National Novel Writing Month – the official website
 

There are many more post, sites and books dedicated to helping you prepare for Nanowrimo.  Take a few hours, read through some, skim through others.

But, you came here for the secret, right?

Come November 1st, forget it all.  Just sit down and write. And write and write and write. 

If you want to follow my progress during Nanowrimo, come back and read My NaNoWriMo Daily Updates.

Good luck fellow NaNoWriMo writers!

New Followers – Thank you!
JK at Nice Weekend Books
Anna at In Between the Speakers
Susan Roebuck 
 
Next Weeks Schedule
Tuesday – Tattoo Tuesday – D. Savannah
Wednesday – Sydney Quotes the Movies – Dark Shadow
Friday – Spooktoberfest – Still trying to figure out how to do this without having nightmares for a week after.  Stay tuned!
Sunday – My Weekly Update – November Schedule  
 

Did I miss any good NaNoWriMo advice?  Share some of your favorites in the comments. 

Sydney Aaliyah Writes – Write Practice – Longing

Write Practice #3 – Longing – Write for fifteen minutes about longing.

Do you remember back when you didn’t have to worry about setting an alarm? Do you remember a time when you stayed up late and didn’t care about the consequences the next morning? A time when you just woke up because your body was done sleeping?  I remember and I long for those times.

Today I had to drag myself out of bed after staying up way to late. My alarm didn’t go off, which set in motion a series of almost late events that caused me to have mini panic attacks even 4 hours later.  This is my life. This is what it has become.

I miss those times when I work up at 6:00 am not because I had to, but because I went to bed at 8:30 pm the night before. Now I was 8, but still. It was nice.  My days were busy.  I had to dress all my dolls and get them ready for their 2pm tea party. I had to go out back and see if the nest I found the day before had any  birds in it. I had to run across the street to my best friends house and see if we were playing in her back yard today or mine.

But, none of this matters now. Life isn’t like that anymore.  Life will never be that simple again. Do you know why?  Because I grew the hell up.  I didn’t mean to.  God knows I didn’t want to, but it happened.

But, now that it has happened, there are fewer lazy days and there are even less backyard play dates and tea parties.

There is only 6:00 am wake up calls and workouts and meeting after meeting.  Conference calls over lunch, if I have time to eat lunch at all.  Followed by more meetings, emails, and phone calls.

If I’m lucky, and only if I’m lucky, I get an hour to watch my favorite show at night while writing or editing or blogging or doing some other activity I love to do.  Even that activity is beginning to feel like a chore because of my lack of time to fit it all in.

So, what do I do?  How do I cope? Do I just live with fitting it all in anyway I can? Do I continue to long for a time when time chased me or continue to live this life where I chase time? Is is possible to find time to do all the things I want to do instead of the things I have to do.

It is my choice. A choice that has more consequences now then it did back when I was 8 years old.  But, still my choice.

What do you long for?  Write about it. 

My Sweet Peyton! I long to hang out with him more, too.

Sydney Aaliyah Writes – Write Practice – Onomatopoeia

Write Practice #2 – Onomatopoeia and Other Fun Words to Spell

Write for fifteen minutes about a group of friends experiencing the last few days of summer. Incorporate as many onomatopoeias as you can. Post your practice in the comments, and don’t forget to leave notes for your fellow writers.
“Splash” The water crashed into the the side of the boat as we enjoy our last trip down the river. I look around to see all of my favorite people in the world in one spot. A morbid thought enters my mind that if we all die on this trip, we would be ok, because the people who would real be effected by our deaths are all right here in this boat.
“Sraabbb” The boat hit a rock and we are all thrown to the left side. It was a big rock and Mike, the most unreliable of our crew was put in the position of watching out for those type of things. In the boat anyway.  Perhaps we choose wrong.
“Frap, frap, frap” His wife, Helen, was hitting him on the back.  To bad he was wearing his life jacket, her slaps were not giving the desired effect.
“Pay attention.” I yell. Hoping my subconscious thought wasn’t going to come true.  At least I think it was subconscious.
My husband, Jeff was setting next to me and I could her the “click, click click” of his tongue as he gives me that knowing look.
Bill and Julie sitting in the back steared us to the edge at the end of our trip down river. We were going to have a bit of lunch and then each couple would head back to their prospected cities marking the end of our annual summer trip.
As the men start the fire to grill the fish we caught earlier, the women were at the back of one of our trucks making a salad.  “Chop, chop, chop, chop.”
All of a sudden, “kaboom” the grill blew up.
Fortunately, the guys were all over by the river cleaning the fish.  We all walked over to the fire to see what had happen.  “klick klick klick klick” was the sound under our feet as we got closer. A glass had fallen into the fire and exploded.  Thankfully the fire was pretty small.
I reached down to start picking up the mess and in front of me, I hear, “rattle, rattle, rattle”.
“Babe, don’ t move, there is a snake in front of you.” The snake looked at me and hissed and then turned around and slithered away. “Boom, boom, boom, boom” I was sure they could hear my heart beat in the whole park.
“What is going on here?” Julie said. I think about my though in the boat and started to feel very uncomfortable.  I don’t want to say anything and freak everyone out, but I wanted us to be careful, too.
“Squak” a huge bird swooped down and we all ducked.  “Kakaw” it came in for another pass and then flew away.
We all stood up and looking around for more incoming. We had all been together for so long, we knew what each other were thinking, we gathered our stuff and jumped into our separate cars and left.  We would say our goodbyes by text messages and pray that everyone made it home safe.
While driving home, Jeff turned to me, “I thought you said it didn’t work outside of the city.”