Laura Benedict's Blog, page 45

Fiction Friday: John Hornor Jacobs's "Old Dogs, New Tricks"

Happy Day-After-Thanksgiving Fiction Friday, dear readers. Since today is also kind of a holiday, I couldn't resist giving you an extra-special treat. John Hornor Jacobs's story, Old Dogs, New Tricks, reached out and grabbed us by the collective throat here at Surreal South central, and wouldn't rest until we put it in the book. Seriously, it stalked me. Scared the hell out of my own two dogs, who made me promise to never, ever take them to Arkansas.
After you're done reading, you'll want to...

A Day to Breathe

For a moment there, I forgot to breathe. Has that ever happened to you? I used to worry about breathing a lot when I was a kid--suddenly remembering that I had to take a breath every few seconds, or I would die.  I would take control of my breath, think about breathing in, breathing out, try to make sure I was doing it right. The panic never lasted too long. But in those moments, I realized that, if I had to remember to make myself breathe, I definitely couldn't keep doing it.

Sometimes the on...

Shiny Object Saturday: Pickle Forks and Little Pigs

I'm desperate for a pickle fork. When I mentioned this on Twitter recently, a woman responded with shock: "How can you call yourself a southern girl if you don't own a pickle fork?" It's true. Pickle forks come with proper sets of silver, and preferably come to you handed down from a grandmother named Gammy. Alas, my grandmothers weren't the silver-owning types. I did receive a selection of serving forks for marriage number two, but the ex got custody.

I blame my strong desire to own a pickle ...

Fiction Friday: J.T. Ellison's "Gray Lady, Lady Gray"

What a blessing it is to have talented friends. When I called up J.T. Ellison to ask if she would write us a ghost story for Surreal South '11, she said "yes!" immediately. And what a story it is. It's not just a ghost story, it's a deliciously gruesome demon story. Yet, there's so much more to Gray Lady, Lady Gray than demons. I love the fairy tale, Gothic feel it has all the way through. That could have something to do with the castles she'd been visiting in Scotland for research for her a

Food Is Love, and I Love Everybody

Food is love. I've tried to fight it, but it's endlessly, hopelessly true for me.

This weekend, my beloved in-laws came for a visit. What did I plan? Hikes and family bowling tournaments? An afternoon of firearms fun on the family range? A Monopoly marathon? No. I planned meals. Many of them. I kept the pictured list beside my stove for quick reference. No one of the meals happened exactly as I planned, but I purchased and stocked each and every ingredient, and had my favorite cookbooks handy,...

Shiny Object Saturday: The Vapur Water Bottle

Love this water bottle for hiking and taking walks. When the water is all gone, I can roll it up, stick it in my pocket, and refill it later.

I agree with the reviews that say the water can taste a wee bit plasticky when it heats up, but it's a small trade-off for total convenience. You can probably get them other places besides Eddie Bauer, but that's where I picked up ours.

Really, is there a better excuse for getting out there to take a hike?

Fiction Friday: "For Housekeeping," from Surreal South '11

I'm trying something new here at Notes From the Handbasket. It's been a while since I've had a novel out, so my writing can be a tad hard to find. But I am so excited for you to get to know it, if you don't already, or to see what I'm doing now, if you've been so kind to read my earlier work. I plan to share a taste of it with you every Friday.
I also hope to get permission from some of our Surreal South contributors so you can get a taste of some of their work. Pinckney and I are very picky a...