Why I Write - Or Paint - Or Sculpt - Or Sleep

An artist finds something so spectacular, so amazing, so bizarre, she's at a loss for words. That's when she has to do something about it, like paint a picture.

I took up short story writing in earnest, oh, about three years ago.

Many lit mags come out in December, esp. around the Winter Solstice.

So, it was not surprising that I heard from two places telling me my work was published.

He Died in the River is a true story about my friendship with the late Eddie V. Read the story here. 

  
Here's the Delaware River in New Hope, where my dad owned the legendary Now and Then Shop. I could write volumes on my late father.

I submitted this story to the following lit mags.

Bartleby Snopes, no character development, June 18, 2014

Main Street Rag, June 23, NO

Fiddleblack NO

Zone 3 August 6 NO

Ray's Road Review, submitted Aug 6, accepted Dec 5

plus a few others. If they didn't like it, I don't submit there again, as I thought this piece was one of my best.

How did I get the idea for my ALS story, A Fine Notion?

Read it here. The great thing about it is it's published in a new venue for me. Hektoen International Medical Journal.

One day I was driving to my favorite park Lake Galena and was aware of the delicious 'clicking' sound of the turn signal.



I realize I use a rather firm hand on it. I even thought, if someone is mad, they could break it. So, the story concerned the 'pressure' on the turn signal.

Galena is fascinating bc it's a man made lake. When I'm out in a boat, I'm always aware that underneath is an entire buried city.

Thing was, who was the character who was gonna take a last look at this magnificent space?

My writer friend Allan Heller's dad died this year of natural causes in a nursing home. I transformed his dad into my main character and took off with the entirely new character.

Betsey Kirk and I pedal in our paddleboat.

 Okay, here are some rejections for A Fine Notion. This is how I record them.

bellevue lit review  march  24 14 - several mos

DYING GOOSE 3 24 14

blackbird march 27 2014

fiddleblack June 26, 2014  no

zone 3 – August 4, 2014 NO on September 19, 2014

resubmit to hektoen August 8, 2014

Yes December 22, 2014

literary review, fairleigh Dickenson

October 17, 2014

very very long wait

bodega November 23, 2014

Am working on a couple other short stories. Once you get a taste of this, it's impossible to stop.

Just had a delicious lunch, a chicken dish with lots of veggies. While I eat, I listen to Gone Tomorrow, a Jack Reacher novel.

  Extremely gory! But that's not my beef with it. Reacher is his usual consummate wise-guy asshole, but the book is, well, boring. He happens to get on subway where he speaks to a woman who shoots herself in the head. It's a spy novel that harks back to the Afghan. Of course Reacher fought there and won a number of medals.

Am on the last disc, 11. Two women are trying to knife him to death. He does get cut, bad, in the stomach, but then turns the tables by severely wounding Svetlana, who lies dying. Now the arch-enemy, the beautiful Lyla, is lunging after him.

The biggest bill I get is for Homeowner's Insurance. $920 due in February.

I'm thinking of not renewing it. Do not tell anyone! People will think I'm crazy.

But there is no danger here. Plus there's a $500 deductible.

I asked Michael LaBarbera who supplies New Directions with D & O insurance, for a recommendation.

He told me what homeowners he uses, so I contacted them.

They were $900 MORE. He just wrote back suggesting I try Farmers or Liberty Mutual.

 Wanted to show you my new lavender colored nails, which match my lavender carpet. Am eating a breakfast omelet with spinach and scallions.

 My socks got dyed purple when I was dying my new curtains.

Two plastic bottles of Rit did a nice job on these thick white curtains I bought at Penneys.

My friend from childhood, Nancy Wolen, sent me this handmade b'day card by her friend Arlene, who's 91. When I sent her a Happy B'day card today, I enclosed a tea bag from Celestial Seasonings - Country Peace - plus to bookmarks made by my friend Beatriz.

My great friend Walter Straus, born in 1918, is packing up and will move back to Regency Towers from Sicklerville N J.

Can't wait!



Yesterday I hadn't a drop of caffeine, yet my sleep was none too good.

Am reading a crime-thriller of the late Tom Toohey by

Robert Crais. "Joe Pike" is the zenlike detective. It's probly one of Crais's worst books.

If you'll excuse me now, am going upstairs to read myself to sleep. I love snuggling under my down comforter and my dad's tiger blanket from when he lay dying.

Naturally, I'll stare at my lavendar nails awhile.