The ornery ramblings and occasional fiction of a former political science professor turned author
“Mama! Mama! They’re dropping!” Ten-year old Myrie hopped from one foot to the other in her excitement.
“Okay, okay! Let’s go see,” her mother said, smiling at Myrie. She put down the rolling pin, covered the pie crust she’d been working on, and held out her hand.
Continue reading “Dragon Season”
My prompt response for More Odds Than Ends last week was late and on top of it all, I forgot to send in one for this week. So, I picked up one of the always entertaining spares. This one was: Don’t forget to feed the basilisk! I’m not sure who came up with it, but it gave me an idea and I went back to the world of The Academy Arcane and its resident veterinarian, Dr. Jehan Bishara. Here’s a snippet of a day in the life of an arcane vet.
Continue reading “Feed the Basilisk!”
Magic Abroad, the latest book in my series Academic Magic is out! It’s available on Kindle Unlimited and in ebook and paperback form. AND until May 1, the first book of Zoe’s adventures, Academic Magic, is only 99¢! Get all three now!
Odd Magics, by Sarah A. Hoyt, is a collection of classic fairy tales reimagined as short stories set in the modern world. They don’t quite follow the original story, but those who know their fairy tales will quickly figure them out. Sarah Hoyt has given us a collection of stories that are quirky and fun and take you out of your head for a short while. The entire book is a quick read that will give you a lift and inspire you to look for the magic in everyday life.
Continue reading “Book Review: Odd Magics: Tales for the Lost”
I forgot to send in a prompt for the Week 13 challenge at More Odds Than Ends, so I picked up a spare prompt: Space pizza delivery was worth the cost. This is just a short, silly little vignette of Jake and Serena, the planet-hopping archaeologists who occasionally wander through my head. Seriously, though, who wouldn’t spend an arm and a leg for pizza they’d been craving?
Continue reading “Space Eats Delivery”
Coming in at the last minute with my prompt today. I got caught up in editing Magic Abroad and only got to the prompt now. This week at More Odds Than Ends, my prompt came from Cedar Sanderson: They call the wench Mariah. The word “wench” sent me back to Davan, Ubinta, and Pyldraras. This is just a snippet that came to mind. I’m not sure where it would fit in, if it even does (as something other than a bit of background). I’m not sure where we’re going with Davan and Pyldraras, but I guess we’ll find out.
Continue reading “Market Day”
For Week 11 at More Odds Than Ends, I received another of Ray Krawczyk’s fun prompts (and earworms) : There’s a warm wind blowing the stars around. This one didn’t really fall into any of my ongoing universes, so it looks like I might have yet another one. This is just a small snippet of something. Still not sure what.
Continue reading “Dancing Stars”
Week 10 in the third year of More Odds Than Ends prompts. This is pretty damn cool. I have gotten so many ideas for stories from these prompts and I’m very grateful that Cedar decided to start this. I’m still amazed that not only can I write fiction, but people seem to like it. So, here we go again!
Continue reading “Dumpster Dogs”
Over at More Odds Than Ends, we’re merrily writing prompt responses. For Week 9, my prompt came from ‘nother Mike: There was a baby dragon in the trashcan, laughing as it dug through the trash… I’ve been working on a short story with Jehan Bishara, the vet at Academy Arcane, and this prompt fit right into that.
Continue reading “Trash Dragon”
“Please. Step inside,” the man said. Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” was blasting from hidden speakers. Jack looked around the cluttered office and forced down the impulse to twitch and start organizing the piles of papers and books.
Continue reading “Walk This Way”