Quote by verbal

There is too much rejection in writing.

Coffee please.

Jeff, there's too much rejection in life.

OTOH, if everything were accepted from everyone, there would be no simple way to tell good from bad, and we would drown in too much information.

Which, come to think of it … we are!

(checks coffee urn, sniffs) WHEW

I think we could use a new brew.

(Empties old coffee, rinses out machine, refills and resets, the hits ON)

OK, it should be ready in a few.

Meanwhile, try some tea. A much more civilized infusion beverage!

(checks cookie stash) Hope Sara comes in soon. Looks like we're getting kinda low here.

BTW, I finally got off my furry rear end and posted my competition entry.

It's weird. Just sayin'…

Dreaming…

OK, so let's say four and a half…

I just submitted my entry…called…

Dreaming…

(scratches chin, trying to think, but nuttin' happens…)

🙄

Good morning campers!

I see Mendalla hasn't wandered in yet, so let me get some fine Guatemalan coffee going, plus some Earl Grey tea.

(checks the cookie jars) Seems like we're OK for now. If anyone sees Sara, ask her if she has some more cookies cookin', OK?

I'm going to take a Bear-sized mug of Earl Grey back to WriterGirl's corner and see if I can't get her to inspire me with some poetry. Maybe that'll make it easier for me to think of something for the comp!

Oh man – POETRY!

About the only poems I'm any good at are Limericks.

.

An unpoetic Bear name of Jimmy

When asked to write poems would shimmy

Then stutter and stare

Look off into thin air

And beg to be let off with a gimmie!

.

Beyond the veil, eh?

Maybe a bridal story??

Hmmm…

OK, this is NOT an entry, but a certain person who will remain nameless happens to be visiting French Lick and wanted me to post this. I discarded this as too creepy, but apparently … SOMEbody LIKES creepy…

------------------------

The Assignment

Gildor opened the door. Hot summer air torched his face, and a fly buzzed by.

French Lick, he sneered to himself. What a hick name!

Flashing his plumber’s card, he entered the resort’s service entrance. His tool kit held zip ties, gags, and chloroform. He’d been sent to abduct that pair of twin sisters, and when the money was right, he always delivered…

Quote by verbal

I counted the words like 10 times. I think I’m right at 70

.

I copied it into a Word document, and MS Word thinks it's 70 words.

It's also very good.

Finding Godot

`

Godot burst through the door, head buzzing with hope – then stopped dead, disappointment bitter in his mouth.

The airless room was baking with summer heat. Turning, he found the door behind him had vanished. Only the door ahead remained.

Wiping his face, he resolved to escape. He strode forward, yanking the door handle…

.

Godot burst through the door, head buzzing with hope – then stopped dead…

Quote by gillianleeza

There are two weeks until my beach vacation. It will be nice to get away after all the stress and emotional ups and downs of planning and having a wedding in our yard. Hopefully, nothing comes up with my parents before or while I am away. Other than that, nothing exciting is going on.

Have a good weekend, everyone. Cheers.

.

Good luck with the wedding! I'm sure it will be amazing – and that everyone will behave! (for a change – families, right?)

Cheers!

Congratulations to WriterGirl, Tom, and Mendalla, plus everyone else who didn't come in 9th!

It was a fun theme, and brought out some great writing and better ideas.

Well done all.

Quote by verbal

That's a lot of cities! I don't know I could handle a schedule like that. Off to get a haircut, and run a few errands - we are off to a Brooks and Dunn concert in Denver this weekend.

I'm taking a few days off from watching the Mets. It's just too depressing. Why do they ALWAYS suck?

A coffee and a flag cookie please.

.

Why do the Mets always suck? For the same reason that the Jays suck – ownership. When a team that should win loses for a season or two, you can blame the manager. When they lose for 5-10 years, blame the GM and President. When they lose for longer than that, blame the owners.

Ever since Labatt's, the original owner of the Jays, was taken over by a foreign brewery that didn't care about baseball, the Jays have struggled to be relevant, save for one short period when they had Alex Anthropolous as the GM.

Alas, Edward Rogers fired him (effectively) in a year when Anthropolous won GM of the Year, so he went to the Braves – which is a big reason the Braves are as good as they are.

It takes persistence, patience, and brains to win consistently. Neither the Mets nor the Jays have that.

And Mendalla, I would strongly suggest that you pick your battles. If you're getting ragged, skip a city or two, stay on the ship and relax. Most of those "10 cities in 11 days" cruises don't show you all that much since you're in each city for such a short time.

(looks around, finds the place empty)

I've got some Kona coffee in the urn, and Red Rose black and Kettl Uji Genmaimatcha green teas brewing today.

So far, I think I've got a decent chance of making the Top 10 in the current competition! Of course, it would be great if more people joined the fun, but then I expect there will be a last-minute rush.

Let's hope so at any rate!

Chilly here this morning: 10C, which is 50F, but it should warm up as the sun rises.

Enjoy the day, y'all, because it's Spring!

Quote by verbal

Nice to see a new batch of stories! Looking forward to reading them.

And congrats on the Girl and Bear book, James. I enjoyed those stories.

Not much new here. Critique group tonight, which means I am reading and critique most of the day. It does get in the way of a productive day.

Time to make the donuts. I’d love a coffee.

It's not published yet. I'm working on release next month, in time for beach-time reading lists.

I'll be sure to let everyone know. It will be offered for free on Kindle for a limited time, and I would appreciate it if people could comment on Amazon about the book.

I'll let y'all know when it's about to launch.

Thanks!

And an Original Earl Grey tea for me, please, Ape!

Quote by Mendalla

And FYI, folks, besides James' comp entry, Sara's is up now, too.

https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/childrens/millys-adventure-2

And thick and fast they came at last…

He was born. She lived. They died – together.

OK, so the moderator must have felt particularly generous today as my comp entry has been approved!

Find it here:

If Only …

I realize I've been a bit of a stranger, but there IS a reason: Bear and Girl.

I'm putting it together in a book, and I've hired a publication company to help produce, but more importantly, market it. I hate marketing. It was the one part of my job I didn't like – promoting myself.

Anyway, another part of the reason I'm here is that I've just submitted my comp entry, and am anxiously awaiting approval or rejection. I hope the mods like it!

I'll let folks know when it hits the street – one way or the other.

Meanwhile, I'll check for GF cookies, and grab a cup of Cream of Earl Grey tea, then mosey on back to Sara's Spot and set for a spell!

Quiet in here.

OK, well, I've got a nice Ethiopian coffee perkin' away, plus some Kenyan Darjeeling tea in the pot, plus some…

BIRTHDAY CAKE!

It's Sara's birthday, everybody!

Happy Birthday, girl!

Hmmm…doesn't seem like there's any coffee or tea going, so I'll get things started.

Costco Lavazza beans, and Red Rose and Earl Grey White Tips tea are brewing today – and, as always, hot chocolate and mini-marshmallows are available.

Less than a week 'til Christmas! I have all the presents for Lady Jay – now I just have to wrap them!

She does all the presents for everyone else, so…

I have an idea for the last 2-3 chapters of the Bear & Girl stories, but so far haven't had time to work on them. I'll get there - I hope.

Enjoy the holidays, in whatever shape, form, or flavour you take them! Merry Christmas!

Hey there, hi there, ho there! I'm as welcome as … well, as I am, I guess.

I just wanted to alert you all to Elyse's story. I just finished, and almost got quite tearful. Almost. A little bit. But not really…

Loving Her In Silence

Hey there, hi there, ho there – I've been rather absent of late. Busy RL.

Today especially. We babysat our 3-year-old granddaughter for most of the day while her parents went to Stratford (Ontario) to see Much Ado About Nothing. The tickets and babysitting were an anniversary present.

They said it was a great production, which is good because Lady Jay and I will be seeing it in October.

Anyway, everyone enjoyed the day, everyone is exhausted, and everyone is probably going to pile into bed early tonight.

I was sorry to hear about Bob Barker as well. He was a mainstay when I was a kid and home sick from school. And I was surprised later in life to hear that he was such a big advocate of animal rights. He paid to have three elephants flown from Toronto, liberated from the Toronto Zoo, and retired to an animal sanctuary in California, I believe.

Someone posted today that when Bob Barker reached the Pearly Gates, he was greeted by a whole host of animals, saying, "Come on down!"

Fitting.

Red Rose and a GF cookie, please, while I repair to the rear.

Nice to see everyone here. I understand Kat is riding out Hurricane Idalia at her condo. She reports that they're safe – I hope it is so!

Quote by gillianleeza

Glad you are back to normal, Jeff. Concussions can be scary. My youngest played rugby in high school and college and had two serious ones. Luckily he stopped playing and recovered, but it took a while.

I've been cleaning out more closets and found a lot of Magic the Gathering cards and Warhammer stuff that my boys left here. I'll keep it in the attic for now and give them a timeline for coming to get it. Not sure how that is going to work for the one living in Germany. Luckily I have the room to keep it, but it's fun to poke at them about getting all their stuff out of our house.

I'll have a few cookies and a glass of lemonade. I'm enjoying a peaceful night on my own. Quiet is good to have at times.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Cheers!

It's like the joke about the Catholic priest, Anglican minister, and rabbi who are at an ecumenical conference. The three friends are having a drink in the bar, and, unfortunately, the subject of abortion comes up. The priest and the minister argue back and forth for some time while the rabbi stays strangely silent.

FInally, the two turn to him, and say, "You're an intelligent man, and you've heard all the arguments. When do you think that life begins?"

The rabbi tugs his beard and reluctantly says, "Well…I've always felt that life begins when the kids leave home and the dog dies."

Manic Monkey? Is that like Outraged Ouranutang? Or Cheery Chimp? Or Gothic Gorilla?

Just asking…

Hey, Happy Birthday (today) Verbs! Hope it's a good one, with a nice, low number!

Quote by verbal

Thanks for the setup James.

Nothing new here. Hot and sunny, write and walk, watch the Mets lose. I grilled salmon chicken and corn last night - we are noshing on that all day. Or rather, I am, Talia is at work. Just me and the cats.

It’s my birthday this week!

Enjoy the day everyone.

Many happy returns – and I don't mean Mendalla – verbal! Hope you have a good, non-specific birthday!

And welcome back, Mendalla. Sounds like you enjoyed yourself AND are glad to be back, which is the best way to end a vacation.

Gonna post any particularly good photos? We don't need to see 2,000 pix, but maybe 3 or 4 would be nice!

Good afternoon, everybody! I've got some Colombian dark roast beans in the coffee pot, and pots of Darjeeling and Irish Breakfast teas to go with Sara's Scrumptious Cookies!

I'll take a mug o' Irish Breakfast with a couple of GF cookies and hide around the back, perchance to read…

Morning, all! I've got some Sumatran dark roast perking in the coffee urn, and some Orange Pekoe and Darjeeling teas brewing in pots to get things started. And, of course, we have Sara's Munchies to tame our tummies!

I have a new Bear & Girl story out with the improbable title:

Girl, Not Frog

Meanwhile, I'm going to grab a mug of Orange Pekoe, and wander back and set for a spell!

Hope everyone's day goes well!

So, Mendalla is off on vacation – in Iceland, no less. Hope his travel has been smooth and his visit there enjoyable!

I'll just put on some Ethiopian dark roast, plus a couple of pots of Earl Grey and Orange Pekoe (black) teas. And, of course, we have Sara's Scrumptious Goodies to enjoy!

I'm going to take a Bear-sized mug of Orange Pekoe and a couple of GF cookies back to Sara's Spot and see what I can see. Hope y'all have a great Saturday!

So, I managed to sneak a story past the moderators again. Either that, or they took extreme pity on me. Either way, it's been published:

The Worthless Girl

Mark Twain once put it perfectly:

"Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it."

That's a far cry from "My country, right or wrong," and even further from "My party, right or wrong."

Pantsing a story, as Jeff puts it, is pretty much the way I write stories. I start with a germ of an idea, decide who the characters are, and then start writing and see what happens, letting the characters do the real work.

It works for me. But then I stole the idea from Stephen King, who has been known to write the odd story.

Some of them VERY odd.

On that note, I've just submitted my latest Bear & Girl story for publication. Hope it's accepted!