This week, 7 – 13 March, Smashwords is having a sale! Their 12th annual Ebook Week is to encourage readers to find new books, enjoy more reading, and to promote authors. All of my books are 50% off this week only – so click here and head over to check them out! If you’ve already read one or more or my books, please leave a positive review if you enjoyed them – reviews go a long way to generating more views, and more readers! Thank you! Enjoy, and pass the word!
Filed under Publications, Sales, Promotions
With more and more people self-isolating during this time, reading is a great way to escape the confines with our imagination. I’ve just released a free short story, called “The Merging: It’s a heightened reality fantasy story just over 7,000 words long; if you’d like to download it, just click on the image below! Enjoy, and let me know how you liked it in the comments below!
Filed under Publications
Below is a short story written by an old friend, and I’d like to share it with you, by kind permission.
“A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family.
“The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on. As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche.
“My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey.
“But the stranger… he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies. If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn’t seem to mind.
“Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)
“Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home – not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our long time visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush.
“My Dad didn’t permit the liberal use of alcohol, but the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly, and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing… I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked… And NEVER asked to leave.
“More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents’ den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.
“His name? We just call him ‘TV’.”by Larry Ellsaesser
Filed under Articles
Recently I came across Pixar’s rule #19, quoted in James Scott Bell’s book, “How to Write Short Stories (and use them to further your writing career)”. It’s an excellent book, and one of a few of his I’ve got in my Kindle collection. But this rule reminded me of the whole list, full of good advice for storytellers whether their format is film or novel (from flash fiction to tome). Most writing advice boils down to things like focus, self-discipline, detail work, and honing one’s craft to the best it can be – and that is an on-going process, a habit, an addiction. It needs to be a passion. Honing our craft means covering all the bases – grammar, syntax, plot, character, vocabulary, pacing, theme-building, and so, so, much more! If you’ve got a weakness in your writing skills, the good news is that you can always improve it! Make it a strength! So be inspired, and keep writing!
Filed under Articles, Lists, Nuts & Bolts, Plot Thots & Profiles
Stephanie Huesler 