WEP & Stories of the Night

Sirens shattered the night.

Nessie leapt from the bed and threw on trousers and a shirt over her nightgown. She rushed into the next room to find George sitting up and little Moira sleeping peacefully.

“Mama? Is it time to go?”

Nessie kept her voice calm and ruffled his hair. “It is. You know what to do. I’ll get your sister.”

George threw back the bedclothes and scrambled out. Her little man quickly pulled pants and a shirt over his pyjamas and then grabbed the small bag from the closet.

Moira kept sleeping while Nessie wrapped her in a blanket and hugged her to her chest. Then she picked up her own bag and slung it over her shoulder.

The blackout curtains were already closed, so less than a minute from the first siren wail, they were out of their tenement and hurrying down the stairs. They quickly crossed their tenement's back yard to the shelter.

An explosion sounded not far off and had George moving closer to her side. He let out a relieved sigh when they crossed into the protected room. They moved quickly to their usual spots and started tracking their neighbours. No one was going to forget a sleeping baby ever again. Even as she thought it, Nessie watched Ivy walk in. George quietly counted the children as they followed their mum. When he got to seven, he smiled at Nessie. “She’s got them all this time,” he whispered with a smile.

When everyone was inside, lanterns were lit and the door was closed. For a while they chatted quietly with each other while everyone settled in. Over the past year, they’d become used to the unknowns.

Were their husbands and sons and brothers safe? How many hours would the bombs rain down tonight? Would their windows be blown out again? Would their tenement buildings be standing when the all-clear siren rang out?

George patted his bag. “Can you read everyone a story, Mama?”

“You choose one tonight.”

His six-year old face serious, he looked through the tiny collection and pulled out the worn copy of Heidi that her mother had read to Nessie as a child.

The group fell into a routine of sorts. Nessie read a chapter. Old Bill played his violin. Sadie sang a song. Nessie read another chapter. More songs. More stories.

Moira woke when Kathleen played her harmonica. It was always the little girl’s favourite part.

When the all-clear siren rang out, the adults exchanged relieved looks. No bombs had sounded like they were close enough to harm their homes.

As they trudged out of the shelter, the sun was rising over the tenements, bathing the grey buildings in warm light. George laughed. “It’s so pretty Mama.”

Moira spread her arms wide. “Boo-ti-ful. It’s boo-ti-ful Mama.”

Old Bill patted George on the head as they walked backed to their building with its windows and bricks intact. “You and your sister are right, my boy. It’s beautiful. Life is beautiful. Remember that.”

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Tagline - Even when sirens shatter the night

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The above is part of the WEP Challenge for April - Life is Beautiful. This is another movie I haven't seen. (Yes, this is a theme. I don't watch a lot of movies I'm afraid.)

The above piece is based on stories that my mom (Lizzie from Dancing With Dementia) shared. She grew up in Aberdeen Scotland in WWII. She and her family spent a lot of time in bomb shelters during her formative years. The neighbours did indeed forget a baby one time and were unable to check on the child until the all-clear sirens rang. The windows had all exploded that time and the baby had been sleeping near the window in a buggy. The blanket was covered with glass shards, but the baby was unscathed. Life can indeed be beautiful!

I hope you'll check out the other stories through the link and I encourage you to join in the fun. We're always looking for new voices in the challenge!

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PS - if you missed it, the latest Bloo Moose Romance released yesterday!

Reaching For More

One interfering mom,

one fake relationship,

and one stalker who doesn't like it at all

Get your copy!!

IWSG & My Winding Road to Publication

The Insecure Writer's Support Group is the brainchild of Alex J. Cavanaugh. He, his clones, minions, friends, and fellow authors make it an amazing event every month.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

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April 5 question - Do you remember writing your first book? What were your thoughts about a career path on writing? Where are you now and how is it working out for you? If you're at the start of the journey, what are your goals? 

I do! A couple of decades ago, I decided to write a book for fun. I'd always been a voracious reader, but I'd (strangely) never written fiction before. Probably the dearth of creative writing in school had a hand in this.

When my kids were napping, I wrote a Star Trek TNG fan fiction novel. It focused on a planet with terrible "human" rights violations and Geordie was the MC although the entire cast had parts and POV chapters.

I'm sure it was angsty and terrible, but I had so much fun writing it. Because my kids were little, it probably took me a year or two or three. I don't have a copy of it anymore but I wish I did.

I wrote entirely for fun. My foray into research on writing told me writers needed agents. I thought only famous people like actors and sports stars had agents, so I put the thought of being a writer out of my mind...

Until a few years later when I wrote another novel for fun. This one about a journalist who wrote about Jane & John Does in the morgue. I don't have a copy of this one either. *sigh*

Several years later, I stumbled across Agent Query Connect and in the forums, I learned that regular people do write books and thought Hmm, that's probably for extroverts and brave people.

Then I started to learn the craft. That took a decade or so before I figured out my voice and what stories I really wanted to write. I played around with writing YA, MG, steampunk, SF, mystery... At one point I spoke to two agents about my YA steampunk book, but decided I didn't want to make the required changes necessary to play the traditional publishing game.

When dementia slammed into our family, I started writing snippets of our journey. These coalesced into a book and I finally decided that maybe I could put my books out there.

Then I took a risk and entered an anthology contest and my short crime story was chosen, giving me a confidence boost.

Now, I'm having a blast writing books I like and publishing them when I'm ready (2 more releasing in the next little while). I love being a wide Indie Author and plan to continue for a long while yet.

How about you? Have your tastes as a writer (or a reader) changed over the years? Ever write fan fiction?

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Reaching For More

One interfering mom,

one fake relationship, 

one stalker who doesn't like it at all

Built Of Second Chances

He’d thought she was dead.

 

He’d changed his life to hunt down those who’d killed her.

 

But everything he’d thought was a lie.

IWSG & Great Twists

The Insecure Writer's Support Group is the brainchild of Alex J. Cavanaugh. He, his clones, minions, friends, and fellow authors make it an amazing event every month.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!   

March 1st question: March 1 question - Have you ever read a line in novel or a clever plot twist that caused you to have author envy?

I'm continually impressed by other authors. I've always loved mysteries and remember devouring Encyclopedia Brown. When I moved up to Agatha Christie novels I was enthralled. I think Christie is the queen of plot twists. And Then There Were None. The ABC Murders. Murder On The Orient Express. The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd...so many!

I also love a clever first line (It was a pleasure to burn) and a line that pulls me right into the character's heart. So many of my friends here at IWSG know exactly how to do these things well!

But, envy? Nope.

That's not part of my personality. I will be enthralled, impressed, and brought to tears, but I won't wish I'd written it. Instead, I'll cheer on the author and then dig deep to try to create my own magic.

How about you? Any favourite first lines? Any favourite authors who pull off those magical twists?

WEP & With The Wind

This was where they’d met. Janie smiled as she looked over the view. It hadn’t changed that much over the decades.

Tom had been hiking with his buddies on their summer break, she'd been alone. They were all on the coast for the summer, working jobs in the tourist town. Tom had been working at a souvenir shop, she’d been at the fudge shop across the street.

But they’d met on the top of this hill. The hike had been worth it for the view alone. Meeting Tom had made it the best hike of her life. They’d often joked about what they’d have missed out on if they hadn’t made that hike at the same time all those years ago.

No holding hands or stolen kisses in the shadows between the street lamps. No dances on the beach or anniversary trips back here. No kids or grandkids.

They’d been so lucky, so blessed. And today was a day to celebrate that. A day to look back on all the kisses, all the stolen moments, all the laughter. Even the tears.

Jane walked to the edge of the bluff and shook the tube the funeral director had given her. Tom hadn’t wanted a fuss. The man had never wanted a fuss.

With a tear slipping down her cheek, Jane opened the tube and watched the last of Tom’s earthly body slip away on the wind.

But he’d never really be gone. How could he be? He’d become a part of her just as she’d been a part of him. She’d carry him along with her and make sure the little ones knew all about their gramps.

Jane blew a kiss to the wind. Whenever she felt the breeze, she’d know Tom was kissing her back.

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Tagline: Gone isn't always gone

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The above is part of the WEP Challenge for February's prompt Gone With The Wind.

Confession 1 time: I've never read the book. I've never seen the movie. I doubt I'll ever remedy that 🤷  It's never been something that appealed to me. But I love the title!

For the WEP challenges, I almost always draw inspiration from the title or the words. I've done that again with this prompt and probably will for the rest of the prompts (because I haven't seen most of those movies either!).

Confession 2 time: As many of you know, my mom was placed into palliative care a few weeks ago. She passed peacefully and painlessly shortly afterward. I wrote this piece before any of that happened. I almost wrote a new piece, but decided to leave this as is. I'll be thinking of Lizzie whenever I touch the wind.

I hope you check out the other entries in this month's challenge and I really hope you'll enter your own piece. We're always eager for new writers to join in!

The IWSG & Covers

The Insecure Writer's Support Group is the brainchild of Alex J. Cavanaugh. He, his clones, minions, friends, and fellow authors make it an amazing event every month.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!  

February 1 question - If you are an Indie author, do you make your own covers or purchase them? If you publish trad, how much input do you have about what goes on your cover?

I made the cover for Dancing With Dementia. I loved the experience of learning how to use photoshop and create layers and elements. I enjoyed finding just the right image and choosing fonts and colours.

What I didn't enjoy? The time commitment! And while the result is fine and portrays what I want it to portray, I'm sure the cover will get an update at some point.

I have a talented family member who is terrific with graphics. She enjoys studying fonts and putting the images together. She loves the challenge of branding the series and keeping the look of each series separate. I LOVE the results of her work and I was more than happy to turn over the job of designing covers to her.

What about you? Any talented family members helping you out in your business? Anyone great with graphics and fonts and the rest?

Sleep well, Lizzie

My first published book was Dancing With Dementia: Recognizing and Coping with the Early Stages of Dementia.

The star of the book is Lizzie. I used an alternate name for Mom to protect her privacy but the stories in the book are all real.

Lizzie was a firecracker - from her early days growing up in Scotland throughout WWII to her time in a local nursing home where she was often the highlight of the day for many people.

Dementia is a cruel and nasty disease. The last few weeks have been difficult for Lizzie as she mostly lost contact with the world around her. She was put into palliative care and fell into a peaceful sleep. She passed away Monday morning without experiencing any pain.

Lizzie was known for her sense of humour, her adventurous spirit, her oh-so-colourful language, and her big heart. We will miss her sass, her spunk, and her stories.

Sleep well, Lizzie. Sleep well.

IWSG & Words

The Insecure Writer's Support Group is the brainchild of Alex J. Cavanaugh. He, his clones, minions, friends, and fellow authors make it an amazing event every month.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!    

January 4 question - Do you have a word of the year? Is there one word that sums up what you need to work on or change in the coming year? For instance, in 2021 my word of the year was Finish. I was determined to finish my first draft by the end of the year. In 2022, my word of the year was Ease. I want to get my process, systems, finances, and routines where life flows with ease and less chaos. What is your word for 2023? 

Love this question!

2020 was the first year I chose a word. I decided I would take the big step and start publishing my books. My word that year was RISK.

In 2021, I chose FORWARD. In 2022, I kept the same word, FORWARD.

Since 2020, I've been living outside my comfort zone. Putting books out in the world is terrifying!!! For 2023, I want to keep stepping forward, keep risking, keep trying new things. I've signed up for one course with that in mind.

But, I also want to keep sinking into Me. For the first few years of this writing gig, I assumed that my way was wrong because it seemed like everyone else was doing it differently. (Everything from ideas to drafting to revising to genre to publishing to marketing). I'm learning to believe the advice I've given my students over the years: Follow your gut, listen to your heart, keep your mind open.

So for 2023, I think I'll choose BRAVE.

I want to be brave enough to follow my own path. Brave enough to learn and to try new things. Brave enough to reach out for opportunities. Brave enough to say No when things aren't right for me or when my plate is already overflowing.

How about you? What new things are you wanting to try this year? Is saying No difficult for you as well? Are you going to be brave with me?