Be Nice to the Trees, Or Else My short story "A Taste of Robins" won the 2025 Winter Hauntings competition, earning me a creepy doll and a hundred dollar award. Autumn Ware, the competition's creator (popping out behind me in the photo), claimed the hundred dollar bill was sewed up inside the doll. I am … Continue reading Be Nice to the Trees, Or Else
I'm a finalist in the January 29th Winter Hauntings competition for my short story "Taste of Robins." This is exciting, as I was also a finalist last year and am hoping this time, I'll win. Winter Hauntings required ghost stories of 1300 words or less, with a Carteret County connection. My entry from last year, … Continue reading For the Love of Trees
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
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
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
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
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
Nanny and Willie These last few days, I’ve been listening to Willie Nelson’s son, Lukas Nelson, cover “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” at his dad’s 90th birthday concert (Willie and I share a birthday, April 29th). Lukas nails it. He sounds more like Willie than Willie himself. I wish I could send the song … Continue reading Nanny and Willie
Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner It was supposed to be a reward, a reward I'd been working toward all year. The three kids who read the most books would receive a grand prize: a mystery celebration. We were guaranteed to love it. Sure, there were coupons for personal pan pizzas along the way, but … Continue reading Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner
Oh, Christmas Tree I wish I had a picture of those trees: either the coathanger one or that scraggly juniper, but this was before cell phones, and camera film was too pricey for use on a tree, be it real or otherwise. So, my memory will have to suffice. I was twelve, my brother ten, … Continue reading Oh, Christmas Tree
Jessi Waugh Writer 