Knock-Out Hero I was at my niece's birthday party last week (her mom took the picture above), when a former student asked me, "Have you ever saved someone from drowning?" The young lady had just finished describing a rescue she'd witnessed. She'd felt helpless, unsure of her swimming abilities and unable to help a friend … Continue reading Knock-Out Hero
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
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
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
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
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
It's Nothing Main Street Rag Literary Magazine published my poem “It’s Nothing” this month in their Winter 2023 issue, bless their dear hearts. I hate to tell them, but “It’s Nothing” isn't literature. It's a poem about my old truck. I loved that truck, with a visceral and romantic love. What other reason could there … Continue reading It’s Nothing
Where you been, Old Blue? It was 2am on a rural highway near Greenville, NC. Farmland stretched for miles. I was in my twenties, driving a friend home from the clubs, when I saw a dog walking by the side of the road. He was just trotting along like he owned the place, a pointer … Continue reading Where you been, Old Blue?
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
Jessi Waugh Writer 