Old buildings

I live in small town Iowa and spend a great deal of time driving through rural areas. I see a lot of broken down forgotten farm buildings and other such structures.

Dilapidated shit.

I wonder is its okay to pull up and explore or at least snap off a bunch of photos. It seems intrusive even through no one seems to be there. I just think its an idea-rich setting.

The collapsed barns, the caved in roofs looking like rotten cantaloupe. The ivy and bramble covered walls. Trees reaching in broken windows.

I am even past a ghost town from time to time. It looks like a forest unless you look closely. There is an old one room school house buried in trees. You can even see trees growing on the inside, if you peer in the doorway.

While that place is mostly deserted, there are a few blocks of homes. Old homes with cluttered lawns and groups of hollow people sitting on the porches whatever time of day I drive by.

I want to write about these neglected forgotten relics of history. I want to make book covers with the pictures I could take.

But like I said it feels intrusive.

Those ruined places are full of energy and memories. Who knows what stories of joy and heartache they hold.

It’s a fascinating past time observing these sites and some may become the setting for future yarns of horror.

Cotton Candy Dreams

I am sitting at my daughter’s high school for Solo Contests and peddling cotton candy. We spent last night spinning floss sugar into yummy goodness.

Beware of flying sugar! Nothing beats a head full of sugar cobwebs.

Now we are selling them for two bucks a bag with proceeds going to the arts and music. What a great way to spend the day.

One perk of cotton candy, for teens anyway, is the colored tongue effect. It’s a great hook. That dye is amazingly potent, I think they use tattoo ink. Maybe not. Red dye number 5

We got grape, strawberry, and berry blue. We even have cherry but it is blood red and scary. So we hid those. Cherry ones are for special people.

Cotton candy is a fun treat. I do think cotton candy is related to dreams. Who doesn’t take a bite of spookie fruitie or cherry berry and is transported back to a sweet memory from a childhood carnival experience.

So grab a bag and sink your teeth into the sugar god … And feel young. I’m here all day!

What color do you prefer you teeth?

Royalties Donated to Help Author's Son Fight Leukemia

Reblogged from Sharkbait Writes:

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Many of you may know that I’ve been actively participating in an Indie GoGo campaign via Twitter called #IndiesUnite4Joshua that my friend and fellow author Eden Baylee started in January and I’m currently trying to help raise money by donating all royalties from my book sales to help Maxwell Cynn’s 21-year-old son Joshua battle Leukemia. Every penny generated from royalties will help us reach our goal of $10,000 to help pay for the high cost of treatment. 

Read more… 202 more words

Please take a moment to help out with this very worthy cause!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just wanted to surface for a moment to wish everyone a thankful, happy holiday today!

I have been using every free moment this month to to work on my NaNoWriMo project, so I haven’t been blogging at all. I just hit 35,000 this morning, which is below the target for where I should be today. That’s ok. I will make it. My novel is new territory for me: zombies and aliens. I left earth fro the first time about 25k into this book and wow it became fun! Inventing my own world is best exciting and challenging. There are no rules out that far in space…so I am having fun but starting to feel the pressure of the end of the month deadline!

The working title is The Rise of the Wenchiron Zombies. Smashwords has a NaNoWriMo section this year so I upload it there every few days for people to get a peek at the raw, unedited pile of words as they emerge from my brain. you can check it out here if you want to look it over and offer an suggestions!

I can smell the turkey and the apple crisp now….my tummy is growling!

Some of the things I am thankful this year (and there are many):

1. Having a great family
2. Having a job (a really enjoy that job as well)
3. Going on adventures with my children
4. Having good health
5. Being part of a many great, supportive writing communities

What are you thankful for?

Enjoy the day!!

At the park

Just sitting in a park waiting for the band days parade to start. I’m sitting on a high log bench with my feet dangling below me. It’s chilly and feels like fall now. The air is crisp and blue. There are trees all over the park. The leaves and mostly yellow and gold. I’m eating a warm slice of Casey’s pizza.

People watching.

There are people walking around everywhere. Most are carrying coffee and have a folding chair slung over their shoulder. Dozens of strollers. Kids swarming over the slides and swings. Chattering and laughing.

Voices surround me. Families. So many conversations going on at once. Just heard a mom say to her kid “now the bug is crying”. Kid must have stepped on a bug.

Peaceful out here. The announcer just said the parade starts in two minutes.

My daughter plays the clarinet! Won’t be long now!

It’s a good day. Just saying.