Broken In By Horses I was no more qualified to tend those fifteen horses than I was to write two novels, but I did it anyway, because I enjoyed it. Also, no one else was jumping for the job. It was poor pay and worse conditions - sweaty, stinky, sticky work (the horses, not the … Continue reading All the Horses
Horace of the Horses I met Horace beside a sewer pipe. It was a brand new sewer pipe; Horace was connecting it to my house, digging its trench with his backhoe. When work was done for the day, I offered him a smoothie, since I'd just made one for myself. And by smoothie, I mean … Continue reading Horace of the Horses
MAD About Comics The other day, my mother handed me a Hartman suitcase she'd found in her attic. Even without opening it, I knew exactly what lay within that smooth leather treasure box. My comics once lived at my father's house, in the top two drawers of my dresser. When I left for college, those … Continue reading MAD About Comics
Hot Writer Summer It's been a month since I last posted. You deserve better, readers. But let me tell you what you've missed: It's summer. In coastal NC. It's hot. The kids are home and every thought is interrupted by someone yelling, "Mom, this remote control won't work!" or "Stop touching me!" (that was me). … Continue reading Hot Writer Summer
Wed to Water Water. Its molecules bind and bubble, strongly pulling one another into droplets, rivers, oceans, and human bodies. We're made primarily of water, and our aqueous aspects yearn to join the flow, to dissolve and just float. They say the human body can vary in hydration from 50-75%. I propose that the more … Continue reading Wed to Water
Meeting My Role Model As the school year wraps up, I'd like to reflect on my first year of substitute teaching. It's been interesting. I've mostly taught at the primary school, since my kids are there. Despite eleven years as a high school teacher, I was not ready for "the littles," especially Kindergartners. My first … Continue reading Meeting My Role Model
The End of the World I'm currently reading Where'd You Go, Bernadette, a book recommended by my friend Shazam. It's an engaging read - interesting format and great build-up. The **** is about to hit the fan, and I'm enjoying my front-seat view to the chaos. What Bernadette doesn't realize is that it's unwise, dangerous, … Continue reading The End of the World
Who Stole My Meat? I'm halfway through writing a post about comic books, and it's an important topic, to be sure, and I promise I'll get to it soon, but right now, I have something more urgent to share: One time, someone stole all our meat. I'd forgotten about it - let bygones be bygones, … Continue reading Who Stole My Meat?
Heroic Instincts In the novel I just edited (yet again), my main character encounters life-threatening danger. It's a fight or flight situation, an opportunity for heroic valor and lightning-fast reflexes. If this was fantasy, action, or sci-fi, she would kick ass and take names. But it's historical women's fiction, and there's a third option, one … Continue reading Heroic Instincts
Prayer for Judgement I got pulled over last week for running a stop sign in my neighborhood, where a police officer had been sitting all week, waiting for someone to run that stop sign. Since I knew he was there, I didn't run the stop sign. Also, I don't run stop signs. He said I … Continue reading Prayer for Judgement
Jessi Waugh Writer 