All Dressed Up And Nowhere To Go by Laura Hunsaker

 Last spring my brother-in-law got married. There was some confusion about what to wear, so I bought several dresses and had the intention of returning the ones that didn't work out. Well, one dress wound up being a knockoff of the real one. Thanks Amazon. it's not as well-made and very obviously not the same dress. My daughter told me it looks like a fairy princess costume. And it does actually remind me of costume material rather than wedding guest gown material. However it wasn't returnable. So I have a fairy princess costume I will be wearing on Halloween. I just need a flower crown and some wings.

While I finally have a use for this wedding guest dress, I know I can't be the only one who has outfits with nowhere to wear them. I saw online this fun idea of having a Nowhere To Wear It themed party and I desperately want to do this. Everyone meets up at a restaurant/pub/cafe/place of choice, and they are dressed in their Never Got To Wear It Outfit. The posts I've seen make this look so fun! Friends dressed to the nines, all in a fantastic outfit, and the best part is that everyone has one!

I need to convince my book club to do this at our next meeting!

What is your Never Got To Wear It/Nowhere To Wear It outfit?

And speaking of weddings, don't forget that Dreams of the Future, my wedding short story set in the Fatal Instincts universe is out now!

All dresses are fabulous and the men are in kilts, even the groomsman who is dragged in last-minute and has to borrow clothes!

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Kobo  |  Google Play  |  D2D  |  Goodreads

Kate Landry is soon to be Kate Donovan, if only the groom would show up…


Maid of honor Cara Nguyen wants everything to go smoothly for her best friend's wedding, yet almost immediately, the wedding turns into a fiasco. Kate and Kyle deserve to have the wedding of their dreams, and Cara wants to make it happen. How can she pull off the wedding of their dreams when the flowers are delivered to the wrong location, the groom is missing, and the lovely sunny day has become a sweltering hot mess? There’s a lot to do, and so little time to do it. She definitely doesn’t have time to get distracted by a sexy groomsman in a kilt.

Kyle Donovan is ready to marry the love of his life, but first he has to get back to the church…

Dash Helms is in the small town of Chester, California for his friend Kyle’s wedding. This should be a happy event, yet It seems everything is going haywire. A caravan of wedding guests breaks down on their way to the venue, one of the groomsmen misses his flight, and the wedding has to be moved inside. Yet the beautiful maid of honor is the only thing he can concentrate on. When Dash is asked to step in at the last minute as a replacement groomsman, of course he says yes. While the striking brunette walking down the aisle ahead of him wants nothing to do with him, even she can’t deny the sparks that fly between them.

With everything seeming to go wrong, what can go right?

In this wedding short story written for Kate and Kyle from Dark Past, the cast of the Fatal Instincts series comes together to celebrate their friends. With everyone in the same place at once, and romance in the air, can this small town handle them?

OCTOBER GAVE A PARTY

by Judy Ann Davis 

October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came…
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band. 

                                                ~George Cooper, "October's Party"  

Autumn has walked across our Pennsylvania mountains and spilled out all the seasonal smells like a rich perfume. This is time when red-cheeked apples and sweet wood smoke give off a familiar fragrance that is a harbinger of things to come. We can smell the earth—the dried cornstalks, the pungent aroma of woods and pine, and the musky scent of pumpkins and gourds. Along the fences, grapes on withering vines fill the air with an earthy bouquet. 

But there’s a certain sadness to autumn. It’s a warning that the year is ending, that we’re growing older. We’re maturing. It is a time to contemplate the reason for our being and for our purpose. It’s a time to be thankful for our lives, to re-evaluate our errors, to realign our goals, and to strive towards that which makes us happy . . . and our world a sweeter place. 

Above are the poem and excerpts from my very first online blog, for October 2011, fourteen years ago. Since graduating decades ago from Point Park University with a degree in journalism and communications, I’ve realized my entire life has been dedicated to pounding the typewriter or computer keys to string words into sentences and sentences into paragraphs. 

I’ve written for television, radio, education, industry and business. I’ve composed copy for commercials and public service announcements for radio, television, and news outlets. I’ve written grants, curricula, and news articles. I’ve taxed my brain while collecting facts for nonfiction, and stretched my imagination for fiction. I’ve written with tight deadlines of only a few hours; and I’ve procrastinated for days, knowing I had a loose lengthy deadline. 

All writers know the feeling of rejection—as well as the joys of being published. Awards are also wonderful to receive, but there is no better feeling for writers than the minute they finish a tough piece of writing, and they know they’ve given one hundred percent of their time, energy, and talent. The elation, which may only be a smile or nod or sigh to the outsider, can’t compare to the joy and relief they feel as the thoughts in their heads do a happy dance. 

Someone once asked me what I thought were the main ingredients needed to become a writer. There are many, but personally for me, the main abilities are curiosity, an imagination, persistence, and a love for reading. 

As October brings us falling leaves, falling temperatures, and maybe even falling snow, I leave you with this quote from Somerset Maugham:

It’s a funny thing about life; 

if you refuse to accept anything but the best, 

you very often get it. 

 

 

 

FINDING LOVE IN PINE VALLEY  

 

Released last month:  

eBook/Digital - $2.99

Print - 6.99 

Forever Friends by Liz Flaherty

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers." - Anne Shirley, who would surely have been my kindred spirit if I'd been born at the right time and in the right place. To the right ... well, you know what I mean.  

I think often about books I grew up with, like Anne of Green Gables or Understood Betsy or Little Women or even the Trixie Belden series. When I think of them or when I remember parts of the stories that are especially beloved, I wonder exactly what made them stand out so much that decades later, I can still repeat dialogue almost verbatim or cry over scenes. I realize that if I reread Little Women, I skip over Beth's death and Laurie and Amy's marriage. I never read about when Matthew Cuthbert died

Why am I still wounded by losses and betrayals in books of fiction I read before high school? Especially when I'm not at all wounded by things that happened when I was in high school. That was four years of really good times and really shattering heartbreaks, and yet those memories are mostly dimmed or of no relevance at all. 

I can explain. I think. 

The people in those books from long ago--Anne and Diana, the March girls, Betsy and little Mollie, Trixie and Honey and the Bob-Whites of the Glen--never became fictional characters to me. Even now, they're friends I grew up with. 

My school friends are still friends, too, but they've aged along with me--a blessing by itself. The book friends are still as I knew them between the covers of their stories.

This probably isn't a shock to anyone else, but I was really surprised to figure it out as a reader. I always knew it as a writer. Those people who present themselves to me and wanted me to tell their stores are as real in my mind and heart as ... well, as Trixie and Anne and the March sisters.

I've always said I didn't expect to change lives with my books--I just wanted to give readers a good afternoon. I still feel that way, but I also hope they consider the people whose stories I tell to be friends. 

Speaking of friends, The Girls of Tonsil Lake have been friends since they were five, and they still are. The story of the year they are 51 is one of my favorites. And Jean, Suzanne, Andi, and Vin are still my friends. 

Four women whose differences only deepen the friendship forged in a needy childhood... They were four little girls living in ramshackle trailers beside a lake in rural Indiana. They shared everything from dreams to measles to boyfriends to more dreams. As they grew up, everything in their lives changed--except their friendship. Through weddings and divorces, births and deaths, one terrible secret has kept them close despite all the anger, betrayal, and pain. Now, forty years later, facing illness, divorce, career challenges, and even addiction, the women come together once again for a bittersweet month on an island in Maine. Staring down their fifties, they must consider the choices life is offering them now and face the pain of what happened long ago. Secrets are revealed and truths uncovered, but will their time together cement their lifelong friendship--or drive them apart forever?

 

Amazon: https://a.co/d/7391moA and https://a.co/d/4t6MnzQ

D2D: https://books2read.com/u/bxGQQk

Bewitching October by Joan Reeves

October is the month to truly feel and celebrate autumn.

The drifting leaves of red, gold, and yellow are a visual delight, and the crunch of the dried leaves underfeet are an auditory pleasure.

The crispness in the morning air assures us that summer truly is over. 

All this natural beauty bewitches so I suppose it's logical that Halloween on the last day of the month has the cachet to enchant little kids and adults too.

One of my favorite things is to give treats to the little ghosts, goblins, and witches who ring our doorbelll and chant, "Trick or Treat."

As adults, we're supposed to be too old to trick or treat, but wouldn't it be fun to do that again? Instead of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, maybe people could stock ebook gift cards for us. After all, there is nothing more bewitching than tales of love and passion.

Halloween Candy

If you've ever been in love, then you know you don't need a witch to cast that kind of spell. Just a special man or woman who speaks to your heart is sufficient. 

After all, that's what romance novels are all about—that connection that leads to passion, to love, and, ultimately to commitment.

SWEET TREAT WITH NO CALORIES

I've not written any spooky Halloween type books, but I do have several romance novels currently on sale for 99¢, including 2 new releases.

I know the other authors of Smart Girls Read Romance also have some wonderful books available so why not treat yourself?

HOT AUGUST NIGHT, new, spicy enemies to lovers romcom short story set at Last Chance Beach.

OLD ENOUGH TO BE OLD, new forced proximity romcom set in the frozen north.

SCENTS AND SENSUALITY, spicy fake boyfriend romcom.

THE TROUBLE WITH LOVE, Texas small town romance.

CANDY CONFESSION

We have our Halloween candy ready. I find Snickers are perfect for romantic comedy. For romantic suspense, the bag of Hershey's assorted miniatures seals the deal. When it comes to mysteries, I like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups best.

What's your Candy Confession?

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Happy Halloween by Bea Tifton

We don't really do much for Halloween. It's just my mother and I and the neighborhood kids don't go door to door anymore. We don't have a lot of kids in our neighborhood, anyway. But we do put a pumpkin sign out and a few fall things. We order pizza, watch Practical Magic and Ghostbusters, and call it a night. But it wasn't always that way. 

When I was growing up, I loved Halloween. Not the scary haunted houses, but the kitschy stuff.  We were allowed to wear our costumes to school that  day and most elementary schools had Halloween carnivals. My mother would let me run around the carnival with my friends in the crisp fall air. 

And we trick or treated. We went house to house in our costumes, first chaperoned by my mother or father and then as a rite of passage, we were allowed to go alone. People gave generously, some even distributing caramel apples or popcorn balls. We were only allowed to eat those if the people were family friends. In fact, usually my father would buy our candy from us and we were allowed to buy candy straight from the store with the money. So not completely worry free even in the 70s and 80s. But, it was the experience and the excitement that made the night. 

I know that  people don't like to open their doors now. And it's not really safe to go door to door, anyway. Now if I had kids I would probably do what my father did even if it was a bit of a buzzkill. And most schools don't let kids wear their costumes or have school Halloween parties. When I was a teacher and a school librarian, we weren't allowed to decorate for Halloween. We could only use fall and "harvest" things. And no Halloween parties. (I would usually just happen to make "dirt pudding" that day for my students.) Some schools would have a "Storybook Character Parade" and maintained various degrees of strictness as to whether Batman is a storybook character. When I was a librarian, kids would come to me frantically asking me to give them a book for their costumes. Graphic novels came in handy for superheroes. And some schools have Harvest Festivals, but most have "Trunk or Treat" where cars line up in the school parking lot and the teachers and volunteer parents distribute candy or have simple games. It's safer, but I'm glad we got to go door to door. 

I feel like we've lost something. That sense of community. That sense of mystery and anticipation. That sense of fun and freedom. Private homes spend more on Halloween decorations than ever before and many spend much more than on Christmas decorations. But the actual celebration has changed so much. Still, at least kids get to do something. It would be a shame if Halloween completely went away. 

Do you still get Trick or Treaters? 

 

Photo Credits from Pixels.com

Monstera Production "Jack O' Lantern with Black Hat"

Charles Parker "Unrecognizable Kids in Halloween Costumes Knocking on House Door"

Thirdman "Jack O' Lantern on a Wooden Bench"

FiberFest 2025: Lots of Wool and a Wee Bit of Burnout~Sherri Easley

 

Well, friends,  FiberFest was a hit, and I’m still somewhere between elated and exhausted. Over a hundred vendors (mostly with products of the woolly persuasion) and more than 5,000 fiber-loving humans packed the Irving Convention Center for three glorious, chaotic days.

My trusty sidekick this year was my 9-year-old granddaughter, Dylan, who not only helped in the booth but did it all while dressed in full Celtic attire, because if you’re going to sell handmade Celtic goods, you may as well do it like a wee Scottish lass

The good news? I sold most of what I had.    

The bad news? …I sold most of what I had.

Which means I’m back in the sewing room (a.k.a. my house) trying to rebuild inventory before the next show at the end of November.

It’s a great problem to have, but also slightly ironic that success just means more late nights covered in Harris Tweed lint and thread clippings in a house full of organized piles.

Unlike last year, I managed not to faceplant in the parking garage on day one. Progress, right? That’s a story for another day, but let’s just say gravity and concrete were not my friends in 2024, but this year, I didn’t have to fulfill my obligation as a vendor with an undiagnosed broken arm and chipped orbital lobe.

I’m at a funny crossroad these days. I have too much fabric and too many notions to quit, but not quite enough energy to keep up the current pace. Retirement in January is on the horizon, and I’m hoping that stepping back from the 9-to-5 grind will help restore my creative spark (and maybe my sanity). More sewing, more writing… we shall see.

I’m also working on a new website, which should make selling easier for those who can’t make it to shows. As an introvert, I love the making part, but the endless small talk with thousands of strangers? That’s a special kind of marathon.

A special shout-out to my niece, Susan, in the photos, who somehow sells out by day two every single year (clearly, she’s discovered the secret formula in her to-die-for cookies), and to Dylan for being the most charming Celtic sales associate a grandmother could ask for.

Here are a few photos from the booth—notice how I’ve once again managed to evade the camera. It’s a gift. Or a curse. Depends on the lighting. Somewhere between untangling yarn and re-stocking my wares, I had an epiphany: I need to get professional photos taken. Of me. Not the bags. Not the booth. Me.

Because let’s face it—I’ll never be any younger than I am today, and if I’m going to show up on a new website or on a book sleeve, it might as well be with a halfway decent headshot where I don’t look like I just wrestled a bolt of waxed canvas or crawled out of bed.

Until next time, I’ll be in my sewing corner with a mug of tea, a pile of fabric, and enough thread  and notions to make it to November 2050

Stay woolly
Sherri

www.facebook.com/ButtonNBooBoo

My niece, Susan, from Kanga's Cookies. 

 

IF ONLY...

 By Caroline Clemmons

My mom was ac wonderful mother who kept her family foremost in her mind and heart. But, as much as I loved her, I know she wasn’t perfect. Who is?

 Many of her sentences opened with the same phrase—if only. My father used to tease her with, “Mae, if it was raining money, you’d complain about the small change.” She usually responded with an annoyed huff. This phrase is part of our family memories that we recall with humor.

 Lately though, I’ve caught myself saying “If only….” about things I wish I’d done. If only I’d told my Dad how much I admired him. If only I’d told that Virginia what a rat she was. If only I’d done more to help my mom. If only I’d saved more money. Sigh. I have hundreds of “if onlys” clogging my mind.

 Probably the recent passing of my dear husband launched me on this train of thought that has me examining the past. I know it’s not productive. More than likely it’s not healthy.

 Our minister gave a memorable sermon titled “Nostalgia” in which he addressed the healthy and unhealthy ways of examining the past. His sermon  stepped on my toes, but it’s still my favorite of his always meaningful sermons. For one thing, the past can’t be changed. Don’t look back longingly, wishing you could return to another time. Instead, honor the past while making the most of today.

 If only I can do that.

GOOD-BYE SUMMER!

                                                      by Judy Ann Davis 

Summer has slipped away. Fall marched into Central Pennsylvania without the rains we had hoped for. The last three months have been dry. We've even had water alerts because of the drought which affected our town's water source of deep wells. Our usual brilliant orange, gold and scarlet leaves are now brown and dried, not the vibrant colors we had hoped for and usually see in October. On a more joyful note:

FINDING LOVE IN PINE VALLEY - is finally finished!

I’ve been trying to get this second chance mystery and romance finished and released for almost two years now. There are over twenty-five reasons why a person procrastinates. I can truly believe five of mine are:  Task aversion, distractions, feeling overwhelmed, indecisiveness, and decision fatigue.

However, there is one reason, which is wrapped up like a ball of tangled string and which affects me as a writer the most. It’s the fear of having existing mistakes in the manuscript—whether they are spelling, grammar, or development errors. Luckily, I have a good friend who is a wonderful editor. Yet, my insecurities still exist.  Finding Love in Pine Valley was released on September 14^th. I'm thrilled the book has placed me in Amazon's top one-hundred for friends to lovers romances.

The cover blurb follows.

FINDING LOVE IN PINE VALLEY    

Lena Starron knew that leaving her two-timing ex-husband and her job in New York as a writer would be a challenge. Starting over always is. But she never thought she’d return to her old hometown in Pennsylvania where two new jobs awaited her, only to discover she had no place to live. 

Wyatt Taylor of Taylor Tree Farm hired Lena to organize and open a new café while she also worked writing publicity for Pine Valley’s 200th Anniversary Celebration. Even though it has been five years since his painful break-up with his fiancé, Wyatt hasn’t been able to get his life or his home in order. When he learns Lena needs a place to live and work, he offers office space and room in his house.

To help raise money for town’s Recreational Park and its much-needed new playground equipment, Lena agrees to organize a two-day, fall Jamboree at the tree farm. When her expensive, antique jewelry box is stolen, she must determine whether it’s for true monetary value—or does someone want to see her fail and leave town. 

Together, as Wyatt and Lena untangle the mysterious web surrounding the robbery, will sparks fly? And will they be brave enough to find their second chance at love?

LINK: https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Love-Pine-Valley-relationships/dp/B0FPR3GFH4/ 

                                       LINK to my AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE   

Notes from A Nice Old Lady

"You get old and you realize there are no answers, just stories.” 

~ Garrison Keillor

I'm having a heck of a time concentrating on things-writing-related these days. I feel that as a nice old lady who still writes books because she doesn't know how not to, no one wants to hear what I think or know or feel. 

Not such a bad thing, right? It's good to know when my relevancy is in question, isn't it?

No, I'm not really convinced of that. And here's why.

I'm not a good enough writer to separate who I am from the stories I tell. That's why I write about older people. They're more fun for me because of the things they no longer worry about. And the things that they do. They care about romance, about love, about being and having a partner. They care about sex ... or sometimes they don't. But they care about staying healthy, about not being someone's responsibility, about living the best life they can. Their own best, not someone else's. 

Although I'm constantly upset by the political climate, worried about the difficulties my kids and grands will face in coming years if something doesn't change, I will not lean that far into my life story. But I will write people with bad knees, with cancer scares, with hurt from being ghosted, I'm sorry, not sorry if readers don't like that my heroines go to church, that they pray, and that, conversely, they swear, tell dirty jokes, and drink cheap wine with their girlfriends out of bottles with screw-on lids.

I am thinking that maybe I will stop trying to separate myself from the stories. Because the experiences of women-of-a-certain-age are deep and meaningful. They have left all kinds of scars in their wake. Their memory bank is full-to-bursting of good, bad, and life-changing things. They have loved, deeply. 

They are not only relevant, they are to be valued. 

I'll climb off my soapbox now. I finished a book last week--yay, me!--and have written 875 words on a new story. 

About Holly Noel Neff. Her husband and the love of her life died three days after they retired, an hour after they signed the papers selling their house. 

She has no partner, no job, no home. Is there really a reason to go on living? I guess we'll see, as soon as Holly lets me know. 

Happy fall! 

A New Kind of Hope

Fee and Jed were best friends who fell in love, but that was high school. Life and families and other loves had happened since that dear and distant time. They’re friends again, comfortable with each other and having so much fun at Christmas time in Dickens. They’re not still in love, but…wait…could it be happening again?

Pre-order now. The sweet Christmas story, with new title, cover, and a few changes will release on September 15. Buy links are below.

https://a.co/d/4WpMZIH

https://books2read.com/u/bogDg0

How To Enlarge Your House by Joan Reeves

Do you love those TV shows where someone fixes up a room or an entire house? They take it from drab or maybe just not exciting to gorgeous. I think I've seen every episode Chip and Joanna have ever made along with a bunch of other design shows.

I don't limit my fixer upper passion to houses. I watch the landscaping shows too. All of it inspires me—to my Darling Hubby's dismay.

As it turns out, my whole year has turned into a Fixer Upper Adventure. I didn't plan it that way. It just kind of evolved because of having the interior of our house in town painted.

We had to pack up virtually everything so furniture could be moved to the center of the room and covered with drop cloths. Rugs came up, books and decorative accessories were packed, paintings and photographs removed from the walls, etc.

That's when we realized how much stuff we have. We rented a small storage space and moved it all into what amounted to a giant closet.

 I made a statement I now regret: "Since we've packed just about everything but clothes and furniture, now would be a good time to see if we can find a house we like better."

I MUST BE CRAZY TO DO THIS BUT...

You see, we downsized and we went too small. So we gave serious thought to finding another house. We contacted a friend who is a realtor, and she happily began sending us daily emails with all the houses available in our area.

It's much easier to shop online than actually going to all of the houses. I also discovered that 99% of what you see online that makes a home look appealing is due to professional photography that can probably make a pigsty look good.

By the time we'd attended a dozen open houses—ugh—and a half dozen of personal showings, I made another statement I regret: "Maybe we should just add on to our present home."

YEP I'M DEFINITELY CRAZY

This began a round of talking to contractors in order to get a sense of what was involved, who was honest, etc. before we talked to an architect. All this did was confuse the issue. I feel as if I've been in a whirlwind, tossed willy nilly from—let's find a different house—to let's stay where we are.

AGH!!!! So what have we done? Nothing. Yet. Still thinking. One day we think we'll put the house up for sale. The next day we think we'll call the contractor we chose. All I've done is take my frustration out on the clutter hidden away in the closets and the stuff packed away in the attic, garage, and the storage facility.

Suddenly, after 4 truckloads to Goodwill and 3 truckloads to a consignment shop, my house doesn't seem so small. Amazing how much space clutter takes.

I cleaned the house from top to bottom, rearranged the furniture in every room, hung different art in different arrangements. My house looks like a different house! How amazing is that?

BOTTOM LINE

After all has been said and done, more was said than done. Confession—I did buy a beautiful large armoir for my office. It holds everything from old paperbacks I've kept to all of my office supplies. My office looks neat, organized, and I know exactly where everything is stored. I may send a photo next month.

CRAZY SUMMER YIELDED A NEW BOOK

I did make my goal of releasing a new book in July. OLD ENOUGH TO BE BOLD is at the New Release sale price of 99¢ or read it on KU. 

Trope Alert: Spicy Enemies to Lovers + Forced Proximity + Ugly Duckling + Handsome Stranger with a dazzling smile = enough heat to melt the ice storm that forces Linnie and Max to share an isolated cabin.

The spicy romcom which is Book 2 in the Mean Woman Blues series has been well-received to my relief. 

With the first day of Autumn, I'm leaving my fixer uppr adventure behind and starting a new book. Wish me luck!

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My Frantic Life - Sherri Easley

I apologize for the short and late post- It's that time of year again- getting ready for Fiber Fest- Sewing to the wee hours of the morning. 

Fiber Fest is a three-day event at the Irving Convention Center in Dallas September 19-21- where over 100 vendors of anything fiber come together. 

My specialty is Harris Tweed- That tweed that is woven only on the Isle of Harris in Scotland. This year though, I am getting a late start, but I will be doing another show in November, Funky Finds, and should be well stocked for that one. When I retire in January though, I will have enough inventory to fill a website. My label? Button N Boo- I am on Facebook and Instagram. 

Pics below are my handmade notebook covers, bags, and cowls. 

Also there are pics of my house and workspace. It looks like a danger zone- but I know where everything is and once Christmas is over, it will all go back to its rightful place. 

AN EMBARRASING MOMENT

 By Caroline Clemmons

For me, today is when Fall begins. No doubt about it, this is a holdover from my school days. I loved school, especially English and history. Over my thirteen years (counting kindergarten), I had many amazing teachers and a few incidents I remember with pleasure.

 

Image by Christelle from Pixabay

One of my most embarrassing moments came when I was a junior in high school. My best friend, Iris, did everything she tried well. In spite of the fact she didn't cook or sew, she worked in the home economics office for one credit. Iris assured me this was a great way to get an easy A because there was little to do and I could get some of my homework done. 

This was a highly sought-after spot. With Iris’ recommendation to Mrs. Carter, lead teacher, I was approved. But Mrs. Carter eyed me with concern. She had taught me the year before in her cooking class, in which I did well. Probably, she wondered why a brainy girl like Iris would be friends with a dork like me. 

I signed up for the next semester, and was given the period just before lunch. You cannot imagine my horror when I learned that the slot I’d landed was feeding time for the lab rat.  Remember the scene in the book 1984 when Big Brother’s agents threatened the man with hungry rats on his face? That’s the image seared in my brain. And I was afraid of the small rodents even before I read the book. 

Okay, so it was only one rat, and he was in a cage. But to me he looked as if he were sizing me up for dinner’s main course. I managed to feed the beast through the first week without disaster. I had never had pets and had no rapport with animals—not because I disliked them, but because I didn’t identify with them as I do now. 

Feeling a bit more confident, I breezed into the tiny home ec office the second week. The rat was primed and waiting. The moment I unlatched his cage to add food, he leaped out and ran into an empty classroom. I was lucky he hadn’t chosen the opposite direction leading into  the high school hallway, but I didn't realize it at the time. All I knew was I was in big trouble. I chased him around the room and finally cornered the poor rat so I could grab him. 

Ohh, good gracious, I was holding a rat!

I’m not sure which of us was most frightened. I managed to get him back to the cage only to find Mrs. Carter waiting for me in the office, having witnessed the last part of my debacle. Actually, she was nice about the whole thing in a slightly severe way. We agree that I would feed the rat when she was in the office in the future until I “became more comfortable with that duty.”  

I feared my blunder would reflect badly on my friend Iris, but it didn't seem to do so. I suppose Mrs. Carter’s opinion of me as a dork or a scatterbrain or whatever explained everything. Needless to say, I did not seek to work in the home ec office the following semester.  Iris and I have remained good friends all these years.

Breaking the Block by Laura Hunsaker

Back to school time is in the air, and in my area we're on week 3. The past month of my life has been back to school everything, not just for my children, but also because I work in a school. Things are slowly settling down now, and as that happens, my off-time is becoming mine once again. 

Lately I've been dealing with writer's block; more than likely from the stress of work. But to combat it, I've been just writing anything. Stream of consciousness, journaling, or even a story I've been toying with. I do this to push past writer's block, because ignoring it doesn't help, and forcing the words never works. If I just write stuff without the pressure of anyone ever seeing it, that's what helps me.

I have a story right now that's been simmering for about a month. I'm beginning to think I might be able to do something with it. Maybe not the whole thing, but parts of it for sure. I have one scene that just doesn't want to leave my brain, so this one will definitely wind up in a story. 

I think writer's block is such a fascinating thing because not too many other jobs have that. Can you think of any? Maybe artists? Songwriters? 

I've been listening to a lot of new music as well, hoping to help push past this block, and so often lyrics will speak to me as the vibe to a scene I'm writing. If you follow me on Twitter/Threads/BlueSky, you'll see me posting a nightly writing playlist, with lyrics that stuck with me. I feel like this helps me a lot. It sets the scene for me, and gives me the whole feel for a scene.

So writers, how do you combat writer's block?

Readers, feel free to chime in with pushing past some form of burnout or block in your own jobs!

And if you want to read my latest, it's a short story about a wedding with so many mishaps and shenanigans, that you'd think something like that could never happen, except that it did! To me ;)

Dreams of the Future

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Kate Landry is soon to be Kate Donovan, if only the groom would show up…


Maid of honor Cara Nguyen wants everything to go smoothly for her best friend's wedding, yet almost immediately, the wedding turns into a fiasco. Kate and Kyle deserve to have the wedding of their dreams, and Cara wants to make it happen. How can she pull off the wedding of their dreams when the flowers are delivered to the wrong location, the groom is missing, and the lovely sunny day has become a sweltering hot mess? There’s a lot to do, and so little time to do it. She definitely doesn’t have time to get distracted by a sexy groomsman in a kilt.

Kyle Donovan is ready to marry the love of his life, but first he has to get back to the church…

Dash Helms is in the small town of Chester, California for his friend Kyle’s wedding. This should be a happy event, yet It seems everything is going haywire. A caravan of wedding guests breaks down on their way to the venue, one of the groomsmen misses his flight, and the wedding has to be moved inside. Yet the beautiful maid of honor is the only thing he can concentrate on. When Dash is asked to step in at the last minute as a replacement groomsman, of course he says yes. While the striking brunette walking down the aisle ahead of him wants nothing to do with him, even she can’t deny the sparks that fly between them.

With everything seeming to go wrong, what can go right?

In this wedding short story written for Kate and Kyle from Dark Past, the cast of the Fatal Instincts series comes together to celebrate their friends. With everyone in the same place at once, and romance in the air, can this small town handle them?