Your Friday moment of Zen just discovered the real reason the airports are pretty much empty.
Every Friday I start your weekend out right with some humor. Drop on by, or better yet – follow @safewrite or catch me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/wendy.delmaterthies
Here’s a #bookqw snippet from my WIP, The Sands of Mime.
For the longer quote, in context:
FROM THE SANDS OF MIME
The mess from this fight, as well as bone-weariness on Stan and Jan’s part after their years of working with him struggling against Mime’s economic collapse, could be the final straw. It might actually cause Stan and Jan to consider giving up and leaving Mime.
Oh God, no, thought Fort. Not Stan and Jan too. Fort somehow had to encourage them, encourage them to stay. Because on a personal level, they were his good friends. On a political level… Migod, what if they quit? Stan was mayor of the artist’s colony, and there really wasn’t anyone else that could fill his shoes in that capacity, except perhaps Jan. But the worst one-two punch if they left would be to the settlement’s morale and economics. The Laidlaws were a huge part of the glue that held what was left of the settlement on Mime together. And Fort had never seen them look so defeated.
He’d been debating with himself whether or not he should sign on with Kempcon and March Enterprises until that very moment. Now Fort knew he simply had to do it. He had to show them the contract and reassure them.
“Jan? Stan? Are you guys okay?”
Jan just covered her face with her hands and turned away from him. Stan looked up and rocked a bit in his chair, like he was going to get up. Fort had to reach out and pull Stan up as the unstable chair threatened to collapse toward the missing leg.
Stan brushed off Fort’s helping hand. “Oh, we’re just fine, obviously. Everything is just great!” His fists clenched and unclenched.
Jan looked up. “Honey…”
Stan took a step over and she leaned into his leg while he stroked her hair. She reached up to hold his hand and he squeezed it.
Stan, only slightly calmer, said, “Look, Fort, we’ve had it with the lowlife tourists you keep getting. No respect. They shoplift, they break things. They treat Jan and me like trash. If this keeps up, we’re out of here. Capiche?”
“I understand, Stan. I really do. And except for a few such idiots who are still in the pipeline I’ll personally make sure we don’t let any more of that sort of visitor ever again.” Darryl had gotten off his link and was just standing there, listening. “Right Darryl?”
Darryl just looked at him and nodded. They’d be cutting off a needed revenue stream, they both knew it. And therefore Darryl would probably not be surprised at what Fort would say next.
He smiled at the older couple reassuringly. “Luckily for us all we have an angel investor who just stepped up to the plate.”
Stan stepped back a bit. “Angel investor?”
Jan added, “What do you mean? I know you had a meeting with that Kempcon outfit.” Jan started to get up and Stan helped her to her feet. Once she was on her feet, she added “You mean, they signed on?”
“Yes.” Fort reached into his jacket pocket and got out the paper copy. “Kempcon will be leasing a quarter of the staging area and setting up and agricultural station. R&D.”
Jan looked stunned. Her voice squeaked, “Really?”
Stan raised a fist to the sky. “Yes! We’re saved!”
(Please don’t make political comments about this post as I am trying to lighten the mood a bit.) Okay, I have an admission to make. I am enamored of a new fashion icon (who is my age!), someone who often shows up at those daily Covid-19 White House press briefings. Her name is Dr. Deborah Birx. and she’s a physician as well as a diplomat so I admire her for her accomplishments, but mostly I just call her The Scarf Lady. As in, “Look honey, the Scarf Lady is on!”
I. Am. In. Awe of her ability to look polished and regal using little more than a plain outfit and an artfully tied or draped scarf.
I’m taking notes. I want to be The Scarf Lady. You get your inspiration where you can find it and she inspires me.
Now excuse me while I go choose to which scarf to wear today…
Every Friday I send you a link to something amusing. You just might want to subscribe or follow me.
I couldn’t find any quotes using the #bookqw keyword, “Eat,” so here’s a St. Patrick’s Day-themed one.
As always, you can find the book here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077VP5M94/
Note: I recommend the getting the ebook version since, as part of the response to the coronavirus crisis, Amazon is not prioritizing shipping physical books at the moment. It’s only $2.99
The following poems, published by Abyss & Apex during 2019, have just been nominated for the Rhysling Award in Speculative Poetry:
• The amazing “Reincarnation” by our own Poetry Editor, John C. Mannone https://www.abyssapexzine.com/…/01/Reincarnation_Mannone.pdf
• “The Scarecrow’s Lover” by Alexandria Baisden (one of the A&A staff’s personal faves ) https://www.abyssapexzine.com/2019/09/the-scarecrows-lover/
Winning works are regularly reprinted in the Nebula Awards Anthology and are considered in the SF/F/H/Speculative field to be the equivalent in Poetry of the awards given for prose work—achievement awards given to poets by the writing peers of their own field of literature.
Every Friday, I try to lighten your upcoming weekend with a bit of humor. – Wendy S. Delmater
Today’s Book Quote Wednesday keyword is “Word.” Those recently started on their writing journey will learn a great deal of the craft of writing, as well as the business aspects of being a writer, from this concise book. #bookqw
“Wendy S. Delmater has a lot of balls to title her book Writing the Entertaining Story. What in the world makes her think that she knows the secret? …Editing. That’s what Wendy brings to Writing the Entertaining Story. She has read and evaluated, compared and analyzed reams and reams of unpublished work in her efforts to pick winners from the slush pile. Her advice in this book is practical, immediately applicable, and comes from her hard-earned time in the editor’s seat.” – James Van Pelt
I would love sharing everything I learned in 15 years of running Abyss & Apex Magazine with you – so check it out!
Apparently some people think I’m inspiring. That’s nice, really. But did she have to advertise my interview with that last, awful picture? Becoming a Writer and Editor in Midlife: Wendy’s Story
Today I’ve posted a #bookqw graphic from my poetry chapbook, Plant a Garden Around Your Life. The keyword is Breath (or breathe, breathing, etc.) – this is a surprise bestseller at conventions.
Plant a Garden Around your Life is all about letting a non-clinically-depressed person understand what depression feels like. I chronicle not only how to help a person when they are organically depressed (as opposed to simply down due to life circumstances) but what it’s like to get well from that and how you can aid in that process.
It’s available as an ebook and in paperback, and I am working on an audiobook. Free with Kindle unlimited!