Marcia King-Gamble's Blog, page 56

The Makeover – Literary Style

By Robin WeaverAll of us watch those shows (even if we don’t always ‘fessup).  You know the ones I mean.  A frumpy stay-at-home mom and a Goth-lookingcollege student walk onto the set. An overly bubbly announcer introduces somewonderful product and an amazing makeup artist. Then, voila.  A curling iron and a bottle of hair gel later,Frumpy and Dumpy are now the hot momma who could play Mrs.

Once upon a time ...

 I have so many half-started and half-finished stories under my bed, metaphorically, I need a stepladder to get to my pillow. Each and every one of them is worthy of rescue, not because of scintillating prose or clever twists, but because the characters deserve their happily-ever-after. Starting with the first story I ever wrote in which the heroine retreats to the recently inherited house of her

A free novella by Paty Jager

After years of being asked to put short stories in various anthologies, I finally put them all together in what I call my Western Duets. All of the stories are historical western romance. Some have secondary characters from my historical western romance novels and others were just ideas that crept into my conscience, and I decided to write a short story. Some of the stories deal with holidays and

My Quiet New York ... by Anna Taylor Sweringen

Being a native New Yorker the roar and rush that is thenormal pace of the city ran in me from sunrise to sunset. I took for grantedhow the city never sleeps, even if I rarely took advantage of the attractionsthat draw most tourists there like the Chrysler Building and Radio City MusicHall.New York at NightYet amid the famous and infamous pace attributed to NYC, thecity gave me a

Freedom and Independence to Follow My Dreams

by Diana McCollum(This first appeared as a blog on Windtree Press)I live in a country the, USA, where I can enjoy the freedom and independence to follow my dreams.My dream is to write and publish stories that I love for others to enjoy.The job of writing is an independent job. I don’t have a ‘boss’ or a time clock or a paycheck! Once I sell a book to a publisher, I will have a boss, a deadline

A Picture Paints 70,000 words by Janet Raye Stevens

Story ideas can come from anywhere, a dream, a memory, arandom comment overheard in a coffee shop. As for my romantic WWII-set timetravel, Beryl Blue, Time Cop, the idea came from this picture I found inan antiques shop.A good time was had by all!Now, it’s no secret I’m a World War II history buff, sowhen I saw that picture, I had to buy it (two dollars!). My first thought was,what would

My Bucket is empty....

 This month's topic made me think.Really think.What are your bucket list trips...I am a homebody by nature. I like nothing more than being in my own house, sleeping in my own bed, and using my own shower. I have all the things I love and need surrounding me in just the place I want them. I know where my toiletries are without thinking; I can pull the correct pot I need from the cabinet without

A Calming View and Dreams .... by Delsora Lowe

Visiting my son’s house withthe wonderful view of a cove that leads out to the Atlantic Ocean, withsailboat’s white sails bobbing on the water beyond the jut of land and a tinybridge leading to an island, always calms me.On a very hot day in Maine, Isit under the ceiling fan in the cool living room that lets in the ocean breezebut not the heat of the sun. And I listen and watch and dream

Returning to Where My Heart Races and Quiets by Heather Michet

Oh, Europe!  Ah, l’Italia!!!  Thank you for welcoming me home once again.  It’s been waaaaaay too long, 22 years exactly.While I currently reside in the US, my soul belongs in, or to, Western Europe.  If you went by my DNA chart, you’d think I’d be landed somewhere in Deutschland.  But that’s not where my heart simultaneously slows down and speeds up: I relax into a less frenetic pace, a deeper

To Boldly Go...

 Hi, I'm Pippa Jay, author of scifi and supernatural stories to engage your emotions.I hate refering to something as a bucket list, so I just have a travel wishlist. Top of the list was Iceland. The plan was to go at Christmas for my 50th birthday, but COVID got in the way. Instead we took a road trip up to Edinburgh and back, stopping at different castles on the way there and back, and taking