Heather McCoubrey: Author

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  • A Winter Visit

    My eighth attempt for The First Line, February 2023, 1012 words.

    I am so honored to tell you that my submission was accepted! I cannot post the story here, but you can purchase the digital or print version of the Spring Edition for your reading pleasure. Here is the link to purchase: Vol. 25, Iss 1.

    The first line was: I am the second Mrs. Roberts. I hope you enjoy my story, along with all the other accepted submissions!

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  • Mosquero, New Mexico – from Emily’s Choice

    Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

    My senior year of high school I moved back to Maine to live with my grandmother. The initial plan was for me to regain Maine residency so I could attend college there at the resident cost. She had a whole stack of National Geographic magazines and I remember there was an old-timey map inside one of the magazines so one rainy afternoon I opened it up. I don’t remember the year that map represented, but I do remember it was early in the 1900s. At about the same time we were learning about Pocahontas in history class. I learned that one of Pocahontas’s names was Matoaka and I loved it. Between learning this name and studying the National Geographic map, I had an idea for a story come to me.

    Emily’s Choice was originally titled “Matoaka” and I had it take place in a town called Mosquero, New Mexico. I wrote most of the novel that year and then when, instead of college, I joined the Air Force the novel got put away and mostly forgotten for a couple of years. I was a year or two into the Air Force when I picked it up again. I made a few “long-distance phone calls” to random people I found in the phone book. I asked them questions about the town, asked them to describe it, and made a phone call to the town hall. The friendly person who took my call even sent me a tourism guide.

    Mosquero is now a small village with approximately 100 people calling it home. It’s also the county seat for Harding County and is home to the county courthouse. At one time Mosquero was a water stop on the Dawson Railway, which was built around 1902, and ran from Tucumcari to Dawson. Mosquero itself was founded in 1908. For a long time farming and stock-raising was a major part of the community. It was also a shipping point along the railroad.

    Fun fact: Mosquero translates to “swarm of flies” in Spanish supposedly from all the flies that were attracted to the carcasses of the bison that were hunted by the local tribes.

    I took many liberties when using Mosquero as the setting for Emily’s Choice, but I think I captured the sense of community that the village is known for. For those of you who love to travel, Mosquero boasts a few B&Bs, a restaurant, a brewery, and a canyon. The residents of Mosquero are friendly and welcoming … and I hope someday I’m able to visit this little piece of New Mexico heaven, a piece I’ve only seen in pictures or via the Google street view.

    I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about Mosquero from Emily’s Choice!

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  • A to Z Challenge

    2023 Edition: A blogging challenge to post everyday in April (except Sundays) about a specific theme that matches the letter of the alphabet. One letter for each day in April (except Sundays). Stay tuned for my daily blogs, found below, newest first.

    April 5, 2023: E is for Egg 🥚   

    You remember that scene in Runaway Bride where Julia is trying all the eggs? Before that scene, did you know there were so many egg recipes?? I didn’t. And when I went to Google to find out exactly which recipes she tried (Google couldn’t answer), I came across 100-year Egg or Century Egg. There are actually quite a few alternative names for this Chinese delicacy that until today, I’d never heard of. 

    So this dish is made by preserving duck, chicken, or quail eggs in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, quicklime, and rice hulls for several weeks to several months – depending on the process used. The yolk becomes a dark green or gray color and is a creamy consistency with a strong flavor. The white part becomes a dark brown, translucent jelly that has a salty flavor. Some eggs have patterns near the surface of the egg white which resemble pine branches. These eggs are considered primo and have their own special name loosely translated to pine flower eggs. 

    Century eggs are served as hors d’oeuvres, as a side dish, an addition to main dishes, as a cold dish, and often served at weddings and birthday parties. 

    While the traditional method for producing Century eggs is still widely used, a quicker modern method can be used, which you’ll find below. Would you try this delicacy? Comment below!!

    PREP TIME 30 mins. COOK TIME 10 mins. CURING TIME 47 d. TOTAL TIME 47 d 40 mins

    SERVINGS 24

    Equipment

    • glass container
    • large ceramic or Pyrex mixing bowl
    • rubber gloves
    • safety glasses
    • kitchen scale

    Ingredients

    • 24 quail eggs (or duck or chicken)
    • 330 g. water
    • 1 g. pu-erh tea
    • 16 g. Kosher salt
    • 14 g. food-grade sodium hydroxide lye
    • 0.7 g. food-grade zinc oxide

    Instructions 

    • In a small saucepan, bring half of the water to a boil.
    • Turn off the heat and add pu-erh tea. Allow to steep for 20 minutes.
    • Transfer the tea to a medium-sized ceramic or glass bowl. Wear gloves and safety glasses. Add the salt, lye, and zinc, then stir to dissolve. Add the remaining water. Cover and let sit overnight.
    • The next day, wearing gloves, gently add the eggs to the brine. Cover the jar and soak the eggs for 12 days.
    • Remove the eggs from the brine and briefly rinse off the shells with water. Allow the eggs to dry for 1 hour.
    • Place the eggs into a zippered bag. Place the sealed eggs into a light-proof container. Store in a cool, dry, dark place for 5 weeks.
    • Bring a pot of water to a boil. Fill a bowl with ice cubes and water.
    • Place a few eggs at a time into rapidly boiling water and boil for 1 minute. Do not place too many eggs in at once.
    • Remove the eggs from the boiling water and cool in the ice bath.
    • Peel and serve in a bowl of jok (rice porridge).

    April 4, 2023: D is for Duck 🦆

    I think I was 12 the first time I had duck. I was on a field trip – no idea to where now – and on the way back we stopped at this Asian restaurant. I remember the restaurant was way up on top of a hill, and it looked like a building you’d see in China or Japan. It seemed like a very large place, lots of space and tables, Asian art and decorations, and of course all the wait staff were of Asian descent. I couldn’t keep my eyes from wandering around to look at everything and it was hard to pay attention to anything our chaperones were saying.

    I don’t remember if we ordered our own food or if it was a predetermined menu, but I do remember the table being full of all sorts of food. And we were strongly encouraged to try everything. I tried the duck and fell immediately in love with it. It was crispy on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside. For a 12-year old, poultry was chicken or turkey, and this was the best “chicken” I’d ever tasted!

    Here is a recipe I found for Peking Duck, which sounds a lot like what we had that day so long ago. This is an at-home, easy recipe, but still requires a bit of work and a lot of time. I found this recipe at: Red House Spice.

    Prep: 1 day 2 hours Cook: 1 hour 15 minutes

    Servings: 6

    BEFORE YOU START

    Please start preparing the duck at least 1 day before roasting.

    INGREDIENTS

    • 1 duck – about 2.5kg/5.5lb
    • 2 tablespoon fine salt

    For the syrup

    • 2 tablespoon maltose – see note 1
    • 120 ml hot water – about ½ cup
    • 1 teaspoon vinegar – see note 2

    For the stuffing

    • 2 stalks scallions
    • 1 head garlic
    • 2 apples – quartered
    • 4 star anise
    • 4 bay leaves
    • 2 pieces cassia cinnamon

    For the sauce

    • 3 tablespoon sweet bean sauce (Tian Mian Jiang/甜面酱) – see note 3
    • 1 teaspoon sugar

    You also need

    • Peking duck pancakes – homemade or shop-bought
    • Scallions – julienned
    • Cucumber – peeled and seeds removed, cut into sticks

    INSTRUCTIONS

    Prepare the duck

    • Pat dry the duck with kitchen paper then rub the salt over the skin and the cavity. Put the duck over a wire rack with a tray underneath to collect any drips. Leave to rest on the counter for 1 hour.
    • Bring about 1½ litres of water (about 6 cups) to a boil, then gently pour it over the entire duck skin (remember to flip over and do the other side). You can use a deep tray to collect the water, or do it inside a sink. If there are feather ends on the skin, remove them with a tweezer.
    • In a bowl, mix maltose with hot water and vinegar until completely dissolved. Brush a layer of the mixture over the duck skin. Leave to rest in the fridge for 1 hour then brush another layer. 
    • Keep the duck refrigerated uncovered (over the rack and inside a tray) for 24 to 48 hours.

    Roast the duck

    • One hour before roasting, take the duck out of the fridge to bring it back to room temperature. Put all the stuffing ingredients (scallions, garlic, apples, star anise, cassia cinnamon and bay leaves) into the cavity. Use toothpicks or skewers to seal the openings of the cavity.
    • Preheat a fan-assisted oven, aka convection oven, at 200°C/390°F (or 220°C/425°F if using a conventional oven). Put the duck over the middle rack of the oven with the breast side facing up. Place a roasting tray at the bottom of the oven to collect any dripping fat during roasting. Leave to cook for 15 minutes.
    • Then lower the temperature to 180°C/350°F (or 200°C/390°F if using a conventional oven). Use aluminium foil to cover the tip of the wings and the end of the legs. Continue cooking for a further 60 minutes or so (see note 4)
    • Check the doneness by inserting an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken (the inner thigh area near the breast). The temperature should be no lower than 74C°/165F°.

    Serve the duck

    • Take the duck out of the oven and leave it to rest on the counter for 15 minutes.
    • While waiting, prepare the sauce. Add ½ tablespoon of duck fat collected during roasting to a pan. Add sweet bean sauce and sugar. Mix and simmer over low heat until tiny bubbles appear. Transfer to a small serving dish. Whisk to fully incorporate the sauce and oil.
    • Steam the pancakes for 3 minutes to warm up if they’re cold. Slice the duck into pieces.
    • When eating, spread a little sauce over a pancake, put the duck, scallions and cucumber in the middle. Wrap up into a cylinder and enjoy.

    Cook a soup (optional)

    • After most of the meat has been removed from the duck, boil the carcass in water to make a soup with Napa cabbage or winter melon. Simply add salt and white pepper to season.

    NOTES

    1. It’s best to use maltose (Mai Ya Tang, 麦芽糖) but if unavailable you may replace it with honey. In this case, mix 2 parts of honey with 1 part of hot water.

    2. You can use any type of vinegar available. Or use fresh lemon juice to substitute.

    3. Sweet bean sauce (aka sweet flour sauce, sweet wheat sauce) is the classic choice. Possible substitutes include hoisin sauce, yellow soybean sauce, or plum sauce.

    4. The roasting time may vary depending on the size of your duck and the performance of your oven. Please observe and check often. Adjust if necessary.

    April 3, 2023: C is for Cherry 🍒

    Cherries put me in mind of warm summer days, beach trips, and healthy snacks. Cherries are one of those snacks you don’t always think of first, maybe not at all until you see them in the grocery store. 

    I like to wash them and keep them in a bowl on the counter, easy to grab a handful, super visible for everyone, and something different to munch on (if only bananas were as easy!). 

    Once upon a time I took some classes for event planning and one of the classes I took was a cooking class. I loved that class, loved learning new things, new ways to prepare foods, and new recipes to try. For our final project, we partnered up with another classmate, and we had to make something iconic to the country we were given. My partner and I were given Germany so we researched and decided on Black Forest Cherry Cake. 

    Making this cake is no quick and easy feat … to do it properly will take you all day, sometimes a day and a half. The recipe below is a total of 7.5 hours. My partner and I did some of the prep work ahead of time and in some cases, used pre-made items.

    Here is our A+ recipe for the cake. What’s your favorite cake recipe? Comment below!

    For the Base Cake

    • 7 eggs
    • 1.2 cups sugar
    • 1 pinch salt
    • 1.76 oz cocoa
    • 1.2 cups flour
    • ½ tsp baking powder
    • 1.76 oz corn starch
    • 2.12 oz melted butter

    Cake Potion 😉

    • 3.38 fl oz Kirschwasser
    • 1.35 tbsp water
    • 0.71 oz sugar
    • or 100 ml cherry juice instead of the ingredients above

    Cherry Filling

    • 1 jar cherries (680 g // 24 oz)
    • 1.59 oz corn starch
    • 1 pinch cinnamon optional
    • ½ lemon – the jucice of it
    • 2.12 oz sugar

    Cream Filling

    • 3 cups whipping cream
    • 1.69 tbsp Kirschwasser
    • 2.29 oz sugar
    • 4½ tsp gelatine powder or 9 gelatine sheets

    Cake Decoration

    • 1 bar dark chocolate, cooled
    • 1.69 cups whipping cream
    • 1 pouch stabilizer i.e. Whip it
    • 12 cherries fresh or cocktail cherries

    INSTRUCTIONS 

    Baking the Base Cake

    • Beat the eggs with the salt and sugar for about 20 minutes.
    • In a separate bowl, mix thedry ingredients: flour, cocoa, corn starch and baking powder. Carefully fold itinto the egg mix. Also carefully add the melted butter and fold it in.
    • Grease the baking pan (26 cm /10 ¼ inch diameter) and fill the dough in. Bake at 190°C / 375°F for about 25 to 30 minutes.
    • Let the cake cool completely, then put it into the fridge for an hour to make it firm for cutting.

    Prepare the Cherry Filling

    • Put the Cherries in a sieve and collect the juice underneath.
    • Put all ingredients (starch, cinnamon, sugar and lemon juice)into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Let boil until the liquid thickens.
    • Add the cherries and let cool.

    Prepare the Cream Filling

    • Prepare the gelatine acording to package instructions.
    • Beat the cream and add the Kirschwasser and sugar until stiff. Mix some of the cream with the gelatine, then mix this into the cream.
    • Also mix in the 25 ml Kirschwasser.

    Build the Cake

    • Cut the cake twice to create 3 layers.
    • Put the first layer upside down on a cake plate and brush ⅓ of the “Cake Potion” onto it.
    • Use a piping bag with whipping cream to make a rime around the edge of the cake.
    • Use half of the cherry filling to place it inside the cream rim onto the cake.
    • If you have one: Place a cake ring around the cake.
    • Cover the entire layer with cream.
    • Take the next layer of cake and place it on top of the cream.
    • Repeat the previous steps: Brush ⅓ of the cake potion on it, make a cream rim, place remaining cherry filling inside the circle and cover everything with cream.
    • Brush the third cake layer with the cake potion, then put it with the cut side down and the bottom side up, so it is now the top of your cake.
    • Cover the cake with a large lid and place into the fridge for at least 4 hours or better over night.

    Decorating the Cake

    • Whip the cream with the stabilizer. If you don’t have stabilizer, use a tablespoon of corn starch.
    • With a sharp knife, shave some chocolate from the bar. Then grate the remaining chocolate.
    • Take the cake from the fridge and cover it entirely with cream. Leave some cream for the top decoration though.
    • Use the grated chocolate to cover the sides of the cake. If you freeze the grated chocolate for a little bit, you can use your hands to put the chocolate onto the cake – worked best for me.
    • Divide the top of the cake into 12 slices by just tracing the sizes but not cutting the cake.
    • Use a piping bag and a tip to create 12 swirls on top of the cake – one swirl on each slice.
    • Place the shaved chocolate on the center of the top, then put a cherry onto each cream swirl.
    • Done!

    April 2, 2023: B is for Banana 🍌

    I have bananas on the brain because #2 child asked for “real” banana bread the other day – as in, not the kind that comes from a box. I told #2 child that in order to make “real” banana bread we have to have nearly overripe bananas.

    We didn’t (and still don’t) because let’s be honest, why buy these guys? No one ever eats them, except me in a bowl of cereal. And so they sit on the counter, collecting fruit flies, and driving me mad for the waste of it all.

    That was until I found out that putting bananas in the fridge keeps them from rotting too quickly. They turn black but the fruit stays firm and good for eating. But they’re still wasted because the children assume they’re bad even though I’ve explained a dozen times they’re not. I’ve even proven it to them.

    Well, anyway, thanks for reading my unexpected banana rant … here’s our favorite “real” banana bread recipe, courtesy of my aunt Susan.

    BANANA BREAD
    1 cup sugar
    2 eggs
    1/2 cup oil
    Mix well
    Mash 3 or 4 bananas (I like 4) and add to first 3 items
    1 1/4 cups flour
    1 teaspoon soda
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    Do not stir too much
    Add nuts if desired
    Bake at 350 for at least 40 minutes, depending on pan size.

    What wasteful habits drive you mad in your house? Post below!

    April 1, 2023: A is for Apple 🍎

    Apples put me in mind of my favorite season, autumn. I think of cool, brisk air, colored leaves, leaf piles and comfort food. I think of apple picking, pumpkin pies, football, and Halloween. 

    I love to go apple picking and choose pumpkins for carving. It’s a tradition my kids and I try to follow every year. We bring our bags and bags of apples home to make homemade apple sauce and apple butter. 

    My favorite apple sauce recipe is super easy:

    In a medium/large saucepan:
    1 cup of water
    1 cup of sugar
    cinnamon to taste
    Peeled, cored, and slice apples

    Heat on high until boiling then reduce heat to simmer.
    Cook until apples are soft, then mash them for preference.

    We like our apple sauce on the chunky side. 

    What is your favorite season and comfort food to go with it? Post your comments below!

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  • Bookish Survey

    I love doing surveys like this, and revisiting them from years past. Here’s my 2022 version. Not much has changed from years past other than the what are you currently reading and what have you just finished questions. I hope you enjoy this post. Please feel free to join in the fun in the comments!!

    Author you’ve read the most books from:

    Nora Roberts – Did she write it? Then I read it!
    J.D. Robb (Eve & Roarke, *sigh*)
    Laurell K. Hamilton (Anita Blake & Merry Gentry series)
    Debbie Macomber (Cedar Cove, Blossom Street, Midnight Sons, Dakota)
    J.R. Ward (Black Dagger Brotherhood series)
    Johanna Lindsey (love me some Malory men!)

    Best Sequel Ever:

    When J.K. Rowling writes a (real) 8th Harry Potter book OR when Stephenie Meyer writes Renesmee & Jacob’s story.

    Currently Reading:

    Abandoned in Death by J.D. Robb
    The Undoing by Jean Hanff Korelitz

    Drink of Choice While Reading:

    Iced Chai Tea Latte or Hot Chai Tea Latte, depending on the weather

    E-reader or Physical Book?

    Kindle – because I love having my entire library at my fingertips!

    But I also love the smell of and the holding of a physical book!

    Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated In High School:

    Edward Cullen…oh wait! This is “reality” not “fantasy” so in that case…hmmm, I didn’t actually date anyone in high school, so I have NO idea. LOL!

    Glad You Gave This Book A Chance:

    Heaven and Hell: The Journey of Chris and Serena Davis by Kenneth Zeigler. (This still wins. Love this book!)

    Hidden Gem Book:

    Wings of a Dove by Elaine Barbeiri

    Important Moment in your Reading Life:

    When my grandmother introduced me to Harlequin and Silhouette…errr, I mean Romance books … and full disclosure, she never knew I read those little gems! She and her friends would pass around paper bags full of books. I’d sneak one every other day or so.

    Just Finished:

    The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood
    The Plantagenents: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England by Dan Jones
    Made for Me by Kathryn R. Biel

    Kinds of Books You Won’t Read:

    Nonfiction Books about Wars
    Self Help books

    Longest Book You’ve Read:

    Either The Plantegenets by Dan Jones or any of the Outlander books by Diana Gabaldon

    Major book hangover because of:

    Heaven and Hell: The Journey of Chris and Serena Davis by Kenneth Zeigler. I needed a few weeks to digest and meditate over the subject matter.

    Number of Bookcases You Own:

    Three – they hold all the books I couldn’t part with; all of them are from my pre-kindle days.

    One Book You Have Read Multiple Times:

    Wings of a Dove by Elaine Barbeiri. In my opinion, the epitome of a romance book.

    Preferred Place To Read:

    Outside in the shade of a tree.

    Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you’ve read:

    “Fiction writing is more similar to acting than it is to any other art. It’s about inhabiting a character so completely, you forget yourself.” – Your Writing Teacher, @WritingChief

    This isn’t from a book I read, rather it’s from someone I follow on Twitter. I think this is true whether you’re a writer, actor, or reader…if you can’t forget yourself, your problems, your surroundings while you’re reading, then you aren’t reading the right book!

    Reading Regret:

    That there are too many books out there to read and I know I will not have enough time to get through them all.

    Series You Started And Need To Finish (all books are out in series):

    Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

    Three of your All-time Favorite Books:

    Wings of a Dove, Tomorrow’s Promise, Irish Thoroughbred

    Unapologetic Fangirl For:

    Everyone I’ve listed so far…along with H.C. Elliston, Gemma Halliday, Sabrina Jeffries, Darcy Burke, Sara Ramsey…Seriously, I could go on and on and on…

    Very Excited For This Release More Than All The Others:

    Right now I’m so consumed with all the books I have on my TBR list, that I don’t even know what’s being released!

    Worst Bookish Habit:

    The “just one more page” syndrome.

    X Marks The Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book:

    Miss Peregrin’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (I haven’t finished it yet!)

    Your latest book purchase:

    Abandoned in Death by J.D. Robb

    ZZZ-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late):

    The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood.

  • Bar Harbor, Maine – from Back to December

    Photo courtesy Getty Images

    When Cooper invites Anna to go away for a weekend, he takes her to a little town called Bar Harbor, Maine. Bar Harbor holds a special place in my heart: two days after my wedding, my husband and I packed a moving truck and moved from Virginia to Maine. Between my husband, my sister-in-law and myself, we drove three vehicles north – the moving truck broke down twice and we had to constantly pull over to fill it with oil. We arrived in Maine in the early hours of the morning and spent the night in a hotel. The next morning, we woke to do the final walk-through and on approximately four hours of sleep, we closed on our house. We spent the next two days unloading the moving truck and then we decided it was time to finally take our honeymoon. So we left our brand new home, in a shambles – boxes everywhere and nothing unpacked – and drove the scenic route north on Route 1, which follows the coast of Maine.

    If you’ve never done a scenic drive along the coast of Maine, I highly recommend it. You will pass through many quaint little towns, like Bar Harbor. If you take the time to stop and visit, you’ll even learn much about each town and find some treasures along the way. From incredible restaurants to antique stores to souvenir trinkets, you won’t be disappointed or bored. We stopped at a little diner on our way north, and even now when I drive by, I think of it fondly and try to stop in for a delicious meal. One of the great things about a trip like this is the memories that stay with you forever!

    We stayed at the Primrose Inn, a gorgeous bed and breakfast, that was built in 1878 by Col William Holland, a banker from Savannah, Georgia. That same year, the St. Saviours Episcopal Church finished construction on its new sanctuary. Christopher Starr Leffingwell became the first Pastor for the church. Originally, Col Holland built the house to be his summer home, but sold it to Mr. Leffingwell in 1882, allowing Mr Leffingwell to be closer to his church and parishioners.

    This inn was the setting for Cooper and Anna’s weekend getaway. I chose the room my husband and I stayed in as Anna and Cooper’s room. I took a little creative license with the inn and the room by moving the inn closer to the harbor and having their room overlook the harbor, rather than the front of the property.

    Bar Harbor is a great little town – it’s historic, quaint, and is the entryway for Acadia National Park. Acadia National Park is home to Cadillac Mountain, the highest point along the North Atlantic seaboard and the first place to view the sunrise in the U.S. from October through March. Acadia National Park has many opportunities for fantastic outdoor activities, including hiking, bird-watching, leafpeeping, climbing, swimming, horseback riding, scenic drives…the list goes on.

    Cooper takes Anna to Cadillac Mountain and while their plan was to watch the sunrise, neither was up early enough to watch it. When they finally do get up and moving, they go hiking, picnicking, whale watching, watch a movie in the old movie theater, and enjoying the view from Cadillac Mountain. Maine is full of quaint little towns like Bar Harbor. Towns that mix their Down East Maine fishing village heritage with quiet community charm. I hope you enjoyed learning a little more about one of the settings in Back to December.

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  • Writing Short Stories – Worth It?

    Here’s something you may not know about me: I love writing short stories. Yep, it’s true. It is one of my absolute most favorite things to do. I love the challenge of it, the uniqueness of it, the sheer fun of it! Who doesn’t love a challenge? For me, nothing beats being given a prompt and the restrictions/guidelines and told to write. It’s the ultimate use of our imaginations, in my opinion.

    When I was thirteen, I had just started seventh grade. I had a teacher, Ms. Strauss and she was the creative writing teacher. She took a classroom full of students and made writers out of them. I’m not even joking. We published a school magazine at the end of the year. Inside was full of short stories, poems, photographs and artwork – all done by the students of that class. I found my copy the other day and was actually impressed with what I read, especially considering it was written by a bunch of thirteen year olds! That was the year I fell in love with writing. From then on, I took as many creative writing, poetry and language arts classes that I could. I read all the classics; falling in love with the romance, descriptive writing and beauty of the works. I knew then that I wanted to be a writer, preferably a professional one, but a writer nonetheless.

    Of all the writing classes I took, the creative writing classes were my favorite. Everyday in class we’d be given a prompt, be it a word, a first line, a subject. Then we’d have the entire class period to create a story using the prompt. Now, I’m not going to lie and say they were the easiest classes in the world. They weren’t. Some days I would sit at the desk staring at the paper with no thoughts on how to get started. Obviously those were the days when my muse was either napping or on vacation. But the rest of the days, I would write furiously throughout the entire class period. If I wasn’t finished, I’d want to take it home but we had to turn them in at the end of class – finished or not.

    I feel as if having learned to write that way, gave me the building blocks to move on to writing novels. During my senior year of high school I wrote my first novel, Emily’s Choice (published 2015). It went through probably about eight rewrites, and I wondered at times if it would ever see the light of day. It was a constant visitor on the back burner and the journey it went through to become published would make a good blog post for another day.

    So you’re probably wondering what this has to do with short stories and writers. Well, I’ve been doing an impromptu poll lately. I’ve been asking writers whether they make time for short story submissions and/or little contests. Most of them said No and that really surprised me. Some said they didn’t have time, some said they’d never been successful at it, some said they didn’t see the value of it, and others said they were never able to meet the word count guidelines. As I said earlier, I learned to write in those creative writing classes and I was taught that creative writing is essential to the craft, that being able to create a story from a prompt is a stepping stone. It’s a basic skill, at least that’s always how I viewed it. So is it worth the time? In my opinion, absolutely. And here’s why:

    I find it helps me overcome writer’s block. For me, switching to a prompt-based story helps me work through a block on my WiP. Stepping back and taking a break does so much for my writing. I find it’s a lot like when you forget a word and know if you just stop thinking about it, it’ll come to you. When I’m finished with a short story, I usually can come back to my WiP and be in the right place to continue. I’ll realize I’ll have written myself into a corner and be able to cut or move whole sections. Or my characters will have figured out where they’d like to go next. Or the story just had time to simmer in my mind so that when I come back to it, it’s ready to go.

    I like the break from novel writing. Novel writing is a challenge, any writer will tell you that. It’s our passion, it’s in our blood, and we wouldn’t dream of doing anything else. But, it’s still challenging and frustrating. And everyone needs a break from their passions at some point, right? Otherwise you’ll get burned out. I need a creative outlet, and so if I’m not novel writing, I’m creating short stories. I find that when I do get back to my WIP, I’m stronger and have longer writing sessions than when I just plug away at my WIP with no break.

    I find that it makes me a better writer. When you’re writing a novel you have a crazy amount of words to use. Most novels are 75,000-100,000 words. You can fit a whole lot of story in that. But with a short story submission, you’re looking at a word count of 300-3000 words, max! So you’ve got to figure out a whole story, complete with plot, character development, and setting and you’ve got to do it in 3000 words or less. You learn fast what to cut, what to keep, and what you can live without. So when you’re writing novels and you’re at the editing phase, it’s a lot easier to cut the dead weight when you’re already schooled in doing it with short stories.

    I love the challenge. It really is my favorite kind of writing, almost like a vacation for myself. It’s impressive to write a full-length novel, don’t get me wrong. But being able to take a prompt and create something out of that, it’s challenging and fulfilling. One of my resolutions this year was to write in different genres for each of my story submissions. I’m a romance writer, it’s what I love, what I know, and what I do best. And this year, I decided that I wanted to branch out some. I figured the best place to start was with the short story submissions. It’s hard to write out of your comfort zone, but it’s a challenge and who knows? Maybe my next book won’t be a romance!

    I read an article the other day on Writer’s Digest that suggested novel writers should absolutely take the time to not only write, but publish their short stories. There is a market out there for short stories. You can publish a book of your short stories or sell them to magazines and literary journals. You could attract agents and publishers from going the magazine and journal route too. Think of the circulation of a magazine, it’s probably going to be a lot higher than a book. If someone reads your story and likes it, they might remember your name when they come across your book. Or be willing to check out your website if you list it at the end of the story. You’ll be able to market those short stories too, which is a nice break from marketing your book constantly, right? I think as writers, authors, maybe even especially Indie Authors, we need to be willing to share as much of our work as possible. You never know who’ll read it, love it, and share it with their friends and family. It can’t hurt, but it could help tremendously. And us Indie Authors, well, we need all the help we can get!

  • Book Affairs? Guilty …

    I read an article today by Katie Rose Guest Pryal titled Writing Isn’t Sexy: Book Affairs and Why We Need Them. Have you ever read an article and at the end said to yourself, “O.M.G., that’s me!” Yeah, well, that happened to me today.

    As a writer, I’m a definite pantser – meaning I don’t outline or plan before I sit down to write. I start with an empty page and go from there. Often when I’m writing my characters will lead me astray, sending me down dead ends so I have to backtrack and spend time figuring out what went wrong. It’s not entirely a waste of time because I learn a lot about my characters by doing that – what makes them tick, what they like, dislike, what makes them happy and what makes them angry. Usually when I go down these dead ends, I find out very quickly what makes them angry.

    Take for example one of my current WiPs (work in progress). I wrote 60,000 words in one direction (after at least three restarts) when after a brainstorming session I realized I was 20,000 words in the wrong direction. Taking away those 20,000 words really angered my characters and they stormed out, slamming the door behind them, and have been silent ever since. They’re certainly making sure I’m aware of their displeasure, considering it’s been almost a year since they’ve spoken to me.

    It’s okay, though, because like Katie said in her article, I have plenty of other characters clamoring for my attention. I don’t like to brag, but I’m kind of famous for the overabundance of book ideas I have. I’m pretty sure my editor cringes every time I text her a new idea. I can hear her saying, “that’s great, but how about you finish one first?”

    I don’t know about all writers, but I know some of them suffer from this affliction. I get my ideas for books from everywhere. And when an idea strikes, I have to get it down fast – otherwise it disappears as quickly as it appeared. I’ve been in the middle of writing a scene and had an idea come to me. Instead of writing it down right away, I told myself I’d take care of it later. In one case, I forgot the idea entirely. In another case, the idea wouldn’t leave me alone and impeded my ability to write until I’d written the basic idea and notes down. What’s funny about that instance is that I still haven’t written that story yet. Until I read Katie’s article, I had no idea there was an actual term for how I operated as a writer. I sent the article to my friend and she wholeheartedly agreed it described me to a tee. One thing I’ll never take for granted is the fact that I have so many ideas swirling around in my head all the time. I need to remember to always write them down when they come to me since I never know when I’ll need one of those book affairs to save me!

    xoxo
    -Heather

  • Lover’s Reunited

    My seventh attempt for The First Line, February 2018. 944 words.

    Leo massaged the back of his neck, thankful the meeting was finally over. He had a backlog of end of term papers to grade and they weren’t grading themselves while he wasted time attending the monthly faculty meeting. The past half hour was a complete waste of time, nothing that was discussed was any different from last month.

    He sat down at his desk, pulling the stack of papers toward him. Sighing, he picked up his red pen and began with the top paper. Halfway down the page, he groaned. What were they teaching these kids in high school? Certainly not proper English. Or how to write papers. Rolling his eyes, he set to work with his red pen, and writing a big C at the top of the page.

    Long after the sun had set, he flipped the final page over and gathered up the stack of papers. He shuffled them into order, set them back on his desk, and stood, stretching the kinks out of his back. He had another stack to work on, but seeing as it was after seven, he knew he better hit the road home, so he gathered up what was left and put it in his bag. His dogs would be needing to go out and be fed, and Leo himself was ready for his dinner.

    It was frigid outside. His breath froze as it left his mouth. He could swear he heard the frozen water droplets hit the pavement as he made his way to his car. He buried his hands in his pockets and tilted his head down, trying to avoid the bite of the wind in his face.

    He wasn’t looking forward to the upcoming holiday. It was his first since his wife of forty-five years passed away. They had no children of their own. For whatever reason, even though they’d wanted to fill their house with the pitter-patter of little feet, they hadn’t been blessed in that way. So they’d turned their attention to other people’s children; his wife taught elementary students for thirty years, while he’d gone the collegiate route.

    They had their students and their dogs and that had been enough for them. But now she was gone and Leo had trouble dragging himself from bed most mornings. The only joy he found in life was in the thought that someday he’d see her again. Someday.

    As he turned the key in the lock, he could hear Holly and Asher barking and scratching at the door. “I’m sorry kids,” he said patting their heads as they raced by him to relieve themselves. He dropped his keys and the mail on the foyer table, slipped off his shoes and hung up his jacket. He walked up the four stairs to the kitchen, opened the fridge and sighed. He’d forgotten to stop at the store again. He pulled out the milk, set it on the counter and went for a bowl and the cereal. It was a light dinner kind of night. Holly yipped at the back door, she was ready to come back into the warm house. Asher would stay out for hours, but not Holly. She preferred the creature comforts. He set his full bowl on the table and walked over to let Holly in.

    He rinsed his bowl and set it in the sink, then wandered the halls of their house, as he did most every night. Even with Holly and Asher, the house was too quiet. Maybe it was time to downsize, but where would he go and would his dogs be able to go with? He turned on the television for noise and sat in his chair, pulling the stack of papers and his red pen out of his bag.

    It was midnight by the time he finished his work and rather than expend the energy moving to the empty bed, he kicked his chair back and settled in for the night. He knew he was dreaming when he saw Martha walking toward him with a beaming smile on her face. He’d missed that smile. He’d missed her. He sat up, knowing it wasn’t real, but not wanting to miss out on the opportunity to be with her.

    “It’s time, my love. Isn’t that grand?”

    “Time for what?”

    “For you to join me. Oh, I’ve waited so long and now it’s time. Come, my love. Let’s go.”

    “Where are we going, Martha? It’s three in the morning,” Leo said, glancing at his wrist watch. “Who’ll watch Holly and Asher?”

    “Holly and Asher are taken care of. You know the little kids next door love them to pieces.” She reached out her hands to Leo. “Come on darling.”

    Leo reached up and clasped her hand. It felt real, oh so real. How long he’d been wanting to hold her hand again. Just a touch, just a moment. He’d had so much he wanted to say to her still. And now, here she was, and all he could think was what would happen to Holly and Asher.

    He pulled her down on his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her tight. “I’ve missed you so much, Martha bear.”

    “I’ve missed you, too. But here I am and now it’s time to go.” She scooted off his lap, extended her hand, and smiled.

    Leo stood, glancing around the house they’d shared their entire married life. They had so many memories housed inside and he was grateful for every one. He reached down to pet Holly and Asher one last time. “I love you, Martha bear. I’m ready.” He took her hand and together they walked into the light.

  • Hello 2018!

    I have big plans for 2018. The new year probably isn’t aware of my plans, and likely doesn’t care. Every year I write a post, declaring my goals for the year, and by March it’s usually all out the window. I’m sure this year will be no different, but a girl can hope! Here we go…

    1. New Website: This first one has pretty much already been accomplished. My new website, powered by WordPress, is streamlined and focused on what I’ve decided is important to me. I’m new to WordPress, but compared to Drupal, it’s much easier to use and I love all the features I now have access to.

    2. Writing Contests: I listed this last year and I managed two submissions to The First Line, which is my favorite and my plan is to submit a story for all five prompts. The first story is due Feb 1st – 3000 words or less. And all the stories submitted have the same first line. I also like Writer’s Digest Your Story Competition. Sometimes they utilize a first line and sometimes its a picture. I’m also signed up to participate in the 85k challenge (85,000 words in 90 days) and I will participate in NaNoWriMo, as usual.

    3. Newsletter: I’m still not convinced the newsletter is a good thing, but I really haven’t given it a fair trial, either. This year I’d like to grow the newsletter and be diligent on sending it out quarterly.

    4. Writing Groups: I’m a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA) and through them I’ve found a couple of groups that I’ve joined but stayed on the outer circle. It’s a confidence issue, plus a time issue – but I know these groups will be useful – for networking, knowledge, and friendship – so I plan to make more of an effort to participate.

    5. Read and Review: I did not do a great job at reading this year. I didn’t come anywhere close to my goal of 52 books and so my goal for 2018 is to definitely read more. I have plenty of books on my TBR list. I love to read and I know reviews are important to every author.

    6. Write More During Free Time: I had this as a goal last year and with Scrivener available for iPhones and iPads, I could and did take my writing everywhere! I have access to all my novels at the tip of my fingers and I got quite a bit of writing done last year. I plan to keep it up again this year and have even fashioned some word count spreadsheets to keep me on track.

    7. Work on The Heart Between: Eventually I plan to write a sequel for To Love Twice. Actually, my plan is to update and lengthen To Love Twice and re-release it, along with a selection of short stories called, The Heart Between. Then I will write the sequel. The sequel will center around Kate’s daughter, Mary, and she is also the central character in The Heart Between. Those short stories follow her through her childhood and into young adulthood. The sequel will be her story of finding her happy ever after.

    8. Marketing: I hate marketing. I detest it. I wish it wasn’t a necessary evil or that I had someone else to handle it for me. But this is the route I chose and so marketing is part and parcel to my business. In my “spare” time this year, it is my plan to learn how to market myself. I need quick and easy, yet effective.

    9. Publish: This was my number one goal last year but it didn’t happen. It’s on my goal list again, as it should be, but it’s not my number one priority. I want to publish well-written and enjoyable books…so if it takes me another year to get them out, then I will get okay with it. It will happen when it happens.

    10. Breathe: I put a lot of pressure on myself to get these books done and I think sometimes it makes my muse disappear. Last year she took a six-month hiatus. The year before, she was gone for four months. I have to stop getting caught up in my self-imposed deadlines and just let the words and story flow. Like I said in number nine above, it will happen when it happens.

    I think that about sums up my plans and goals for 2018. One goal I had last year, that I completely forgot about, was publishing my littles’s work to those free-reader sites. That is also going back on the to-do list.

    Feel free to share your goals for the coming year in the comments.

    Happy New Year!

    xoxo
    -Heather

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