I'm Just Me...

I've made it to the first rung of the ladder! At least I think I've made it to the first rung. You wanna know how? One little thing - PERSEVERANCE. Plain and simple. Perhaps simple is a misnomer, because it wasn't simple - at all. It took years of effort, tears, dwelling in and reliving the past and dare I tell you, quite a lot of belly-laughing my way through writing the pages, but alas, m y debut novel, TheThingInTheChair is published and out in the world growing its wings.  It's a bawdy, rollicking memoir and I don't hold much back! It's quite the break from the norm for me, but working on it the last twelve years, I had to share my story of living with TheThingInTheChair with all who are curious. I know many of you out there have your own TheThingInTheChair and will easily relate to my journey and those of you who don't will find it hysterically baffling that anyone can be THAT . If you're curious to know what 'THAT' is, here are e...

It's been a long while since I've written on this site, but I'm baaaack, as they say. No, no need to go into boring details as to why I was away, but suffice it to say it's been traumatic over these last few years though I haven't given up on my writing. Actually, things are moving in the right direction - finally. I'm traveling up the mountain instead of tumbling down the cliff, so all's well in this Writer's world! The truth is, I may have been invisible for a while, but I wasn't gone completely. In fact, writing is like breathing to me, so since I'm still kicking, I must've been writing, just nothing worth going on about, until now. To start, great news!! My son, Shaun is published! Apple doesn't fall far from the tree. He's an intense and brilliant Poet and his very first published book of poetry titled, Hope In The Dark is here: https://www.breakingruleswritingcompetitions.com/store/p23/Shaun_McCarthy_-_Hope_In_The_Dark.h...

   This year alone, I've completed a humorous Memoir, two novella's and nine short stories and I have two novels in progress, plus I edited a full-length novel for a close friend and I've been submitting short stories and flash fiction to competitions, so it's been a busy year so far, and all that while, I'm living as normal a life as possible, just like every one else. To say, I love what I do would be the understatement of the year, because I far more than love it. I eat, breathe, sleep, and even shower with it and I don't regret any of it. I find it takes a great deal of commitment to write daily and a ton of discipline, and I take the greatest joy in having deadlines. So I thought I'd take a few minutes to share with you what I'm learning while writing in different genre's and different styles as I travel along in this journey.    I'll begin with the short stories, and I'll tell you why I love writing them so much. At first, the process...

   Wow, what a ride!    Over the course of the last few months I've been furiously working on my humorous memoir, 'TTITC' and I'm happy, no, exhilarated to say, "It. Is. Finished." I wrote the last word two days ago and I still can't breathe. Though to tell you the truth, I didn't think I would feel so sad over it at the same time. I'm happy and ecstatic, true, but those emotions are tinged with a feeling of sadness. Perhaps this is a natural reaction in saying farewell to a book that I've nurtured and coddled over the last six or seven years. One that I've cried and laughed over, hated and loved, treated carefully and ignored for months on end, but in the end, one that I always came back to. Working day and night, many a night burning the midnight oil over and not truly knowing if I'd ever finish or not. I don't really know, beings it's the first full-length novel I've completed and one that is so intensely and personall...

   Just a meander . . .        I lay back on my blanket, having a moment in the Sun. I go from ordinary to extra o rdinary, and close my eyes! I feel the Sun warm my bro wning skin, dancing on t he surface of my body like butterflies alighting and dancing across m e . I hear the gentle sigh of the breezes as they move past my ears, and I'm enchanted by the sound. The birds are ch irping happily in the boughs above me, as the sun dappled tree tops gently s way. I am whisked away to imagination, a nd, it, is, extraordinary!    There's so much more to life, I know, then four walls and struggles, as I transport my mind to . . .     T he freedom to be myself, deep, unfettered, unwa v ering. Take the time to under stand me, not just know me, but know me. Dig deeper to get to me. Share t hose parts of yourself with me and let's trust each other with our deepest , most honest truths . T rue freedom. To be w ho I am, and know t...

   Okay everyone, on my mark. Ready with the paddles? Clear! PaCHA.     Blogs body jumps with the jolt, but remains lifeless.    Again! Ready? Clear! PaCHA.     Blogs body jumps yet again, but still nothing is happening.    One more time. Ready? Clear! PaCHA.     Okay, that's great everyone. Good job! I think Blog's got a pulse now, and welcome back . . .       I know I've been away for quite awhile and there's no excuse, but you knew I'd be back, didn't you? Of course you did. Well, here I am. My apologies to you all if you have missed me. I'll give you a brief rundown. Life happened. Life handed me too many curve balls to keep up with since last Summer and something had to give and my social platforms were the targets, especially my Twitter and blogging habits, but the good news is, I've dealt with all that was handed to me, successfully, might I add and now I'm here again, and it's ...

  Last night, I had an epiphany for a new short story, and I'm very excited about this! It isn't that I don't have ideas for stories all the time, because I do. No. The epiphany came because, well, I realized my mashed potatoes are finally looking ' right ' to me!   Do you remember the movie, 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind?' Remember the scene where Richard Dreyfus was building a plate full of mashed potatoes trying to make something he knew in his spirit was correct, but couldn't put into words, or a plate of mashed potatoes what it was he was trying to show to his wife? Well, last night, I was playing the role of Richard Dreyfus!    A few years ago, I gained knowledge of a place that I know inside of me is real, and yet, in a sense, not real at the same time. Inside of me, I know what it is I want to show you, but I can't quite make it connect with my words, because I realize, there are no words to describe the essence of that place. For ...

   Wait for it! It's quite the ride at the end when you read it !       It's been a busy day for me here on the East Coast of North America, and I'm just sitting down to my laptop for the first time today, and it's Four-thirty in the afternoon! It's too late in the day to really delve into writing either of my books, or edit a short story or Two since it's almost the dinner hour, and then I'm going to visit with family after, so what's a girl to do? Well. . . if you're me, you sit to write a blog! And so, that's what I'm doing.     Today's Blog doesn't really have anything to do with writing, other than, I'm writing it, so instead, it's going to be a meander through my thoughts. Well, maybe it's about w riting too, and to use the words of the antagonist in my book, 'TTITC,' "I'll get to it then!" Okay, here we go! Here's what I've been thinking about today -       Is it only myself, or ...

  I was recently told 'I think too much.' Aren't we supposed to be thinking? Digesting? Conversing? Communicating? And thinking some more? Isn't that the silliest statement ever? I mean, think about it?   I think so. I think thinking is the only way to resolve issues, make decisions, live our lives wholly. Thinking is the basic core of our selves. Without thoughts, how does one know anything? Without thinking , how does anyone ever solve an issue, create a new product, or write a book ? W a r s have been started because someone didn't think of the consequences. People have died, because no one thought about the cost of a life. Without thinking, how does anyone put one foot in front of the other and decide to take a step ; either backwards or forward ? O ne must think about which direction to travel. Don't you think? Do you agree?   And so, I've been thinking.    It's been an interesting year so far. As of today, a great deal of eye -opening conclu...

Once upo n a time there was a turkey,  one that I'd pick out with mom , The turkey was moist and delicious, but whose name was n o t said to be 'Tom.' Every Thanksgiving she'd say it, that it was time to go and  fillet it. Before that, Tom ran around every beginning, of Fall , trying to keep his head. He knew Turkey lover's abounded, w ith great dismay, he knew he'd be dead . He felt lying on a table, on a platter surrounded by fil ling, was a most unsuccessful outcome , for a turk ey accustomed  to thrilling. His hens he did lay, on bright chilly days, They'd cluck and they'd buck, and roll in the hay and afterwards, he woul d run away, The hens did lay his eggs, and then have to beg,  to have him come sit on the nest, so they could have a rest. Tom did what he did, and what he did was the best, but after T hanksgiving, he was just like the rest. He fed us our meal, and then his car cass to lay, as we turned ou r attention t...

  Okay. I know I've been absent for a few weeks, but , as with everyone else, life is busy, as usual. I won't bore you with al l th e tasks which begged for attention, and all the issues that have cropped up, but there is one very special task I've been tending to, which to me, is one of the most important of all, and that's my 'works in progress'! Yes. I said, " works ." I'm not going to share the title of these two books just yet . I'm not ready to fully unveil or disclose them at this time, but I'll tell you a bit about each, and, to the one which is a h umorous m emoir, I've given an acronym. And that is, 'TTITC ' . I know you don't understand what it stands for, and for now, that's okay, but I have no doubt that when the title is shared, you will enjoy it!   Let me start with the book that ha s the farthest t o go, and is taking the back burner temporarily, solely for the purpose of all o wing me time t...