Pumpkin Mania!
What's your opinion on pumpkins? When you first see them, do you smile, or does a chill run down your spine because you know the holiday season is upon us and the end of the year is nigh? And who says "nigh" anymore?
Mike and I enjoyed a week in Durango, despite the scary pumpkin!
When the boys were young, I totally embraced pumpkin month. I'd occasionally attempt elaborate carvings (more often, I'd draw faces with black Sharpies) and I even made a pumpkin stew in a hollowed out gourd one year. It was yummy.
These past few years, however, I've "lost that lovin' feeling" when it comes to pumpkins. Could be the association with other orange things, could be because now the fake Christmas trees are on display before the bags of candy corn go on sale, could be because I'm getting older. I love candy corn almost as much as I love Peeps, but they both make my teeth hurt now!
Maybe I just need to buy a big ol' pumpkin this year. Carve it out. Make a stew. Buy FULL SIZE candy bars and leave my lights on October 31st. Yeah. That's what I'll do.
Thanks for listening.
Meanwhile, round two of the Flash Fiction Contest I entered deliver the following challenge: Write a story in no more than 1,000 words in the fantasy genre. It must include a flashlight and occur at a dog boarding kennel! I had great fun writing it, and I'll narrate it for this month's Patreon patrons of $3/mo and higher. Round one was a blast. Listen to this story and my other monthly short stories by becoming my patron for a paltry $3/mo! I think it's a pretty good deal. Maybe I'll even do an episode about pumpkins.
UPCOMING (and maybe some past) EVENTS!
- ONGOING through October 26th, please join me and others nationwide with a voting campaign to restore the Tabor Opera House, a national treasure! It's simple: create an account (takes less than 1 minute) and hit the + sign until you see CONFIRM 5/5 VOTES and SUBMIT! Mere seconds per day can keep this project in 1st place to win $150K for restoration efforts currently in progress! Please say yes, and get started today HERE! Let me know if you'd like me to put you on my reminder email list each day through the 26th. You don't have to be a Colorado resident to vote for the Tabor Opera House! Thank you!
- October 21st at 7 p.m.: "Poetry Live @ the Paquette will feature Colorado Poet Laureate Joseph Hutchison,the award-winning author of 17 poetry collections,including The World As Is: New and Selected Poems which spans his work from 1972-2015. He is also the editor of several poetry anthologies.His presentations are consistently lively and engaging,demonstrating his passion for bringing poetry to every audience and every age group.The Local Poet Showcase will feature Rachel Kellum." (thank you, Maria Weber, for sending this info)!
- October 19-21 I will attend MileHiCon at the Hyatt Regency Hotel--Denver Tech Center! Come visit me and many other authors and chat about SciFi/Fantasy!
- November 3rd fro 09:30-3:30: Chaffee County Writers Exchange is hosting a writers workshop: Small Wonder: Object Lessons for Small Fictions with instructor Carol Samson, Professor Emerita from the University of Denver. She holds a Ph.D. in English/Creative Writing from DU and was a founding member of the DU University Writing Program. For more info, go to the CCWE Calendar!
Almost missed this shot, and should have rolled down my window! The sun and this Durango-Silverton steam engine emerged from the ground fog after several days of rain. Perhaps there's a story in this photo! If you write one, please share it with me!
AUTHOR/BLOGGER/PODCASTER NEWS!
(let me know if you have literary news you'd like to share)
Robert Goswitz's debut novel The Dragon Soldier’s Good Fortune, published by Black Opal Books on July 21, 2018, is available on Amazon now and is already getting great reviews! How's this for a description? "The Dragon Soldier's Good Fortune blends infantry action with a mystical twist. A character from Vietnamese folklore seasons this alternative history with elements of magical realism linking it to the land and people of war torn South Vietnam." I'll be interviewing this new author next month!
Cookie Murphy/Pettee has published her first creative non-fiction piece in this month's edition of Colorado Central Magazine! It's called Autumn, and it's much more than her experience with the changing of leaves. Congratulations, Cookie! Get your copy today! And for Colorado authors/bloggers, Subscribe to this wonderful regional magazine and see if you've got what it takes to be published in it!
Looking forward to interviewing Howard Levine next month too! He's the author of Last Gasp, "a page-turning thriller" that is also receiving great reviews! Stay tuned on Alligator Preserves!
BOOKS I'VE READ and WHAT I'M READING NOW
(and what I think about them...I'll just comment briefly on two or three each month)
Bronxland by Paul Thaler
I've already told you how much I enjoyed this blast-from-the-past, coming of age novel. I couldn't wait to read each new chapter to see what memories Paul would evoke. I interviewed him recently and will air his episode on Alligator Preserves this week, so check it out!
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
Wow. Since I'm enrolled in Margaret Atwood's "Masterclass" right now, I figured I should read more than just The Handmaid's Tale (which I need to re-read since it's been that long since I first read it). I'm about 60% into this story within a story within a story...and I'm awed by Atwood's ability to keep it all together while drawing me deeper and deeper into her web. Her sentences surprise and thrill me. It's hardly fair that one woman should influence me so greatly. Wow.
After readying these two books, perhaps you might try one of mine! I hear they're pretty good! I plan to dedicate the whole month of November to completing the first draft of Waterwight Breathe: Book III (and final) of the Waterwight Series! Feel free to review any you may already have enjoyed, and remember: The Holidays Are Nigh! Books make great gifts.
Have you checked out my weekly podcast Alligator Preserves lately? There are stories and interviews and insights galore!
I've also recorded seven short stories I've written, and if you'd like to hear them--and one new story per month (for as long as I can produce them!)--I humbly ask for your $3/month patronage on Patreon. It's easy and painless to become a patron of my arts, and I will love you forever. I'll love you forever regardless, but I'll love you with bonus stories each month if you become my patron.
:)
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Please send me some of your own and I'll credit you in my list!
The podcast link above is brought to you by ME, and I'm a one-woman operation! Please share it with anyone you think might enjoy what I offer each week, and become my patron. Find out how--and what rewards you will earn for being my patron--HERE! Spoiler alert: Patrons of $3/month or more will have exclusive access to a new short story I'll write and narrate every month! It'll be like buying me one gluten free brownie every month, but you won't have to deliver it (or watch me eat it)!
Please let me know if you're participating in any awesome writing contests and if you have any personal writing/publishing news you'd like to share!
Be kind to yourself.
Laurel
(here's a link to all of my books, available in paperback and Kindle. When you purchase a paperback, you will always get a free Kindle download!) |
