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-Wheeze- Are Ghosts Real?

Put a like on the post if you understand the wheeze reference in the title. You are also free to comment "no," and a headshake 'no' if you really understand it. If you don't, check out Buzzfeed Unsolved with Ryan and Shane (they're older now as the two have moved on to make their new …

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The Emotional Writer: Writing Angry

When I was writing my capstone project, Seedling (seriously, check it out on the page), I was much too eager to write in all of my problematic relationships and using my main character as the funnel for some personal vendettas. No, really, I melted the face off one character who was loosely based off an …

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Drowning in the Shallows

I admire John's eager love for the beach, the ever churning ocean waves, and the recklessness of swimming to far out islands and buoys barely visible from the sandy shore. A wildness comes out in him at the beach, when the sun is high and hot, the water cold and rushing up past your shins. He's extremely playful like a Labrador set free in a dog packed dog park, but I was so timid and downright terrified when first standing in the damp, cool sand.

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Beautiful Destruction on Glory Road

The following short story was one I wrote back in high school. It won an honorable mention in a county-wide contest, which was remarkable enough to post my picture in the city paper. I was surprised because I honestly hated this story, loathed this character I created, and still do. But to this day, it's …

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“It Was a Creative Shut Up”

I was sitting in our senior capstone course under the direction of our program's director. It was the course to help guide us towards our capstone presentations to showcase either a research paper or creative project based upon our knowledge and showmanship of what we had gained at Oklahoma City University. It was an easy …

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A Christmas Memory

The night was still young yet already pitch black by the time the airplane made it to its destined gate. I paced between the two areas for exiting passengers up the large and long hall of the Will Roger's Airport. The airport isn't a huge one, but with only one plane left to arrive for …

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Simple Steps

Have you ever started plotting out a draft, story, dream journal and found yourself with too complex and heavy of an idea meshed with dozens of other ideas that make you go, "Man, this needs to be an entire series!" But then you start, and the idea of creating no only one book for a story idea but three, four, or even five and you're feeling heart palpitations every time you sit at the keyboard. That anxiety is unnecessary, and what is the rule for unnecessary items in a draft?

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Halloween Costume: No Bites Given!

No, dear friends, I have not forgotten the video. I plan on getting it finished before midweek and posted by Friday at the latest, so you can watch and listen to some creepy, spooky reads for the Halloween Weekend! In my opinion, Halloween always takes a weekend, it just depends which one it's closer to. And if Halloween is on a Wednesday? Guess what week it is? Hallo-week!!!

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Short Horror Story: One For Sorrow

Hello, hello, friends! I hope all of you are having another great week in this amazing month. The weather is cooler, the days are shrinking, and the best time of year is upon us! I have to say thank you so much for everyone who has been reading these shorts and commenting, liking, and even sharing the blog to others! You don't know how much that means to someone who always wanted to be a writer but can only do it as a hobby (I planned on being a big shot novelist living in NYC when I was in high school. Let's all have a big laugh in 3...2...1...)

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Short Horror Story: Here kitty, kitty!

Hello, friends! I hope you are all having a great October so far and a good week! It has been crazy busy here so I'm afraid just the one story this week. I had a moment of writer's block when I almost posted a truly horrific piece of writing (it would only scare me to post that mess for the world to see) and had to let myself sit on it and wait until something better came to mind.

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Short Horror Story: Nana’s Piano

Due to a request by a brilliant pianist, here is a short but sweet/creepy story involving a piano. Every night at midnight, Nana wakes me up with her nightly piano recitals, music filling the house like a cold draft that remains until dawn. Every day, tired and frightful, I go to her grave and beg …

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Short Horror Story: The Little Girl Across the Street

Happy Friday, everyone! But most importantly, happy first day of autumn or Mabon to those of you who celebrate the traditional equinox! I know we are still a week from October but I've been getting very good feedback on these stories and want to keep the momentum up. I hope to post a new story each week (maybe twice, it depends on that fickle Muse of mine) and towards Halloween to create a video where I dress up and read them all at once.

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Fae Underneath the Mushroom Caps

It is Wednesday! And I'm feeling a tad whimsical, so I thought about taking a different approach to this blog today. If you know me in real life, either as a person, colleague, or writer, you know that fantasy is one of my favorite themes. Fairy tales were my favorites as a child (my Granny would read me Little Red Riding Hood every single weekend I spent with her), and even today I am a huge fan of Sarah J. Maas (Court of Thorns and Roses series) and Jennifer Armentrout (From Blood and Ash, I am obsessed with Poppy and Hawke!) So it is no surprise that my interests in fantasy sort of cross into my real beliefs.

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While I Pondered, Weak and Weary

If you went through a literature gothic phase in high school, as many literature lovers do, you recognize the title of this post from The Raven by none other than Mr. Edgar Allen Poe. It's still one of my favorite writings ever, a poem I even went to speech competition and monologued it (they said it was a poor choice for such a "common" poem as if that word could ever be applied to Poe, the uncultured fools). But it's this very line that won't shake from my head. It's hard to not think about it when some days, it's all I can feel: Weak and weary.

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Love, Yourself/Hiccups and Heart Attacks

No, I did not mistakenly add that comma. I am quoting myself (takes a lot of ego to do and admit that, right?) from the other day. I am at a new job, one that is what I dreamt for myself for years: a professional position working for some professional bosses that will lead me on a professional career (and has me dressed in professional business attire that make me feel like Pretty Woman walking down the street). Yes, there's a theme there, but anyway...

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Sticks and Stones AND Words WILL Hurt You

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me!" That's what they taught us to use as a quick response to bullying, more so name-calling and verbal teasing. I doubt this would be effective when placed in a headlock and enduring a noogie. Whenever I'd run tearfully to my parents after a sibling made a bullying poem about me (it actually was well made but at six this was not appreciated as of yet), my parents, tired from full time jobs and three kids, would say "sticks and stones, sweetie. Go back and say that to them."

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Not Enough Spoons: Life as a Book Empath

There are certain situations that require spoons, a measured amount of energy and mental wellness to get you through a span of time, an experience, a conversation, a phone call, just anything that occurs on a daily basis. Sometimes, you feel mostly tired. You have the energy to text instead of call, so you have …

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Happily Never After: True (Fictional) Love

Let me start out by saying I do believe in love. I do believe that a couple can make it work. I believe that when two people are right for each other, they can make it work. I truly love my husband and understand that a perfect relationship doesn't feel perfect 24/7. You will have your moments; one or both of you are so tired and just want some alone time but you know if you came home and they weren't there you'd be worse off than just knowing they're in the other room or on the other side of the couch. You have a disagreement; it wouldn't be much of a relationship without having moments where you grow together through discord. It's healthy, it's normal.

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Words to Live By: Vitriol

Anne Lammott in her book Bird by Bird writes in one chapter that sometimes characters in our stories don't always do what we want them to; they try to veer off in other directions or have a personality quirk that disrupts the plotline. She relates this to a person who finds their neighbor drunk and passed out on their front lawn every day. The passerby takes time out of their day to take them into their house and put them on their couch. They do this nearly every day, the sober neighbor grabbing the drunken one off their lawn and inside. Finally, another neighbor who has been watching this stops them one morning and says, "Honey, leave them where Jesus laid them."

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Soundcheck

Soundcheck, one, two, three... Sound check, one, two, three... Is this thing still on? It better be. WordPress sent me the bill for the automatic renewal of the site! So I thought, "Well, I better use it." I don't even dare check when the last post on here occurred. Yes, it's been a WHILE. So …

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Live Reading of “Find Me” available!

Hello, and happy spooky season!!! Halloween time is huge in my household. We have all of our decorations up and have been ready since the dying days of September. For this month, I wanted to do something special as I used to create a short story for Halloween every year. However, this year I found …

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Curious Characters: The Neighbor Lady

Curious Characters are short story bites that describe unusual people I have met in my life and proved to be interesting stories. Today's Curious Character features an old neighbor I had for a short time but one I won't ever forget. NOTE: This entry includes depictions of mental illness and suicide which might be unsettling to some readers. Reader discretion is advised.

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Poetry Post: Glass Promise

Hello, everyone! I hope you're having a great week so far. School is starting everywhere of all grades. I'll be starting my final year of graduate school and (hopefully) will secure my Masters at the end of this year. At any rate, I hope everyone is having a great start. Teachers, my heart goes out …

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Librarian For Hire…No, Seriously, Hire Me!

My entire life, I've been raised on check lists. Go to school? Check! Get good grades? Check! Do your studying and stay out of trouble? Check! College? Check! Masters degree? Check! As a result of the checked checklist, I've been told I'm entitled to: the job I want, a house, a decent life. I am …

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Now Calling Broken Hearts to Board Flight #3445

I have several places that I cannot stand to go: Walgreens, the grocery store, the doctor's office, and airports. Walgreens due to flashbacks of retail Hell that still haunt my dreams at night. Grocery stores have been a sensitive spot since covid, anywhere with compressed crowds and the carts don't help. Doctors office speaks for …

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The Moth In My Chest

Warning: the following post contains self-harm habits and mental health distress. Reader should proceed with caution. I have learned to embrace the wiggle-tickle in my chest. It's been there since I was small and the morning of each school day was framed with a nervous outlook that never changed, except perhaps on Fridays when I …

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