Laura Benedict's Blog, page 15
June 27, 2017
Daily Handbasket: Blue Skies Ahead, No Matter What’s Behind
Blue skies ahead, blue skies behind.
How much time do you spend looking back? For decades my past tugged at me. I used the most unpleasant events of the past to define and judge myself. But then came the day when I realized I couldn’t move forward while I was always looking over my shoulder, dragging along every regret, every moment I felt guilty or embarrassed. Already waiting in front of me were my husband and kids, and a career I really wanted. That realization was an amazing moment of f...
June 26, 2017
Daily Handbasket: Wonder Woman at Last
Bad Ass Super Heroine, Wonder Woman
I didn’t think I’d see Wonder Woman in the theater. If a film is over-hyped, I shy away. (Never did see Titanic. I know, right?) But Husband and Son wanted to see it, so we went to the theater for an early Sunday show. There were only a few hardy souls there. In our college town, everyone is either at church on Sunday morning or hungover at home. Going in relatively unprepared was a good thing, because I enjoyed the surprise of the film. The incredible ph...
June 25, 2017
Daily Handbasket: Changes
Changing clouds
Tiny tweaks can lead to big changes. –Amy Cuddy
What are the changes you want to see in your life? Do you want more of what you have, something different, or do you simply want to change the way you look at your life? Change for change’s sake can be destructive. Plan. Dream. Test the ground ahead–and then fly.
June 24th-25th Words
Journal: 0 words
Long fiction: 560, 1371 words
Short fiction: 0 words
Non-fiction: 0 words
Blogging: 78 words
Exercise: 30 minutes yoga, 20...
June 23, 2017
Daily Handbasket: Saturday Serendipity, 24 June 17
Serendipity makes a life worth living.
Random Bits and Bobs
A group of dedicated sailors circumnavigate the globe in a Hawaiian canoe using the stars and traditional navigation methods. You’ll love the heartwarming story of the Hokulea.
Oh! Oh! Oh! My bucket list is pretty short, but I’ve definitely always wanted to do a transAtlantic crossing on the one of the Cunard liners, like the Queen Mary II. But the Ritz-Carlton may have changed my bucket list to a European cruise on one of their...
June 22, 2017
Daily Handbasket: Sylvie, A Dream, and a Savasana or Two
Sylvie on my shoulder, now.
Where does the stress in my life come from? Oy, don’t get me started. Sadly even my dreams are full of stress.
Here’s a recent one: I had to go to the grocery store, so of course I TOOK MY CAT. Not Nina, who might have at least let me cradle her in one arm as I did my shopping. I took Sylvie, the cat who detests being picked up. Sylvie has always liked to ride on my shoulders, which was fine when she was little. But she’s a hefty 10 pounds now, and she won’t le...
Daily Handbasket: The Peter Rabbit Killers’ ITW Nomination Arrives!
So happy to have the story and certificate together.
Just about a year ago, my story, The Peter Rabbit Killers, came out in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. It was my third story for EQMM, but my first from the magazine to be nominated for anything. It was quite the surprise when ITW shortlisted it for a 2017 Best Short Story nomination.
The July issue was a special one last year, and not only because it was part of EQMM’s 75th anniversary. Every writer in the issue had their crime fiction st...
June 21, 2017
Daily Handbasket: You Want to Be a Writer, But Can You Be the Boss of You?
Writer at work or child at play?
Being a full-time writer sounds like a dream job, doesn’t it? No schedule, only a deadline or two. You get to be your own boss, make your own plans. The ideas flow, one right after the other. If they don’t come, you can take a hike, or read all day. What could be better?
It’s a dream job if you’re as self-disciplined as Nora Roberts, who writes a bestselling book in 45 days, or Joyce Carol Oates, who has written over 100 books, and is still going strong. My...
June 20, 2017
Daily Handbasket: Nina, Sylvie, Beethoven, and Videos!
I took my SLR camera to St. Louis with me on Saturday, but kept forgetting it in the car. Mostly I wish I’d had it to take better photos of my nieces and nephews. All the cousins (save my daughter, who’s up east working) were gathered, ages 17 to 20, and participated in an escape room game at Escape Challenge St. Louis. I was surprised that the facility wasn’t slicker–it was quite low key. But I think that was part of the charm. The kids loved it. You can engage the imagination even in a stri...
June 19, 2017
Daily Handbasket: Long Before Writing There was Embroidery
This is needlepoint, not embroidery. Pillow cover.
I love the needle arts. Well, perhaps with the exception of machine sewing/embroidery. Sometime I’ll tell you about the machine sewing class I took when I was 18. Needless to say, it was not a success. I’m more of a hand arts person.
My grandmother once had a sewing machine, I believe, but I never saw the machine, or her sewing on it. And I think my mom knew how to sew at one time, but didn’t care much for it. But once my grandmother was in h...
June 18, 2017
Daily Handbasket: Happy Father’s Day, Dad. 18 June 17
My dad, Jerry, and me.
Honesty, faith, loyalty, love, learning from failure, and never backing down from a challenge–so many gifts from one wonderful father. I don’t know how I got so lucky. Love you, Dad–Happy Father’s Day. 
