#8 Sunday: Monster Trucks

Hi Sunday Warriors. This week, I've been busy reading through the proofs for Searching for Superman. The book is coming out on June 3, so it won't be long now.

Today's eight come from the middle of the book. The heroine, Stephanie, goes on several not so great dates in a row. The first is with a fireman named Hawk, who takes her to a monster truck rally:

More trucks, including King Crush, each took their turn in
the ring. In the end it was determined, much to Hawk’s dismay, that
Big Dog was champion.
“We’ll get them next time,” he said as they left the arena.“You want to go grab a slice?”
Stephanie had eaten two hot dogs, an order of cheese nachos,and a snow cone that was the most unnatural shade of blue she’d ever seen. The very thought of adding pizza to the mix made her stomach do a somersault. “I think I’m good.”
“Oh.” Hawk’s smile faded.


For more great snippets, click HERE
For more about Searching for Superman, click HERE

What the? Friday: Ten warning signs that your party planner might be a drug lord.

 
Welcome to What the Friday?  WTF is an occasional Friday blog about some of the quirky or amusing or amazing or just plain crazy things I've read about or heard about.

Wikimedia photo

Have you ever planned a kid's birthday party? Ah, the balloons, the cake, the ice cream, the party games and favors. There's a lot involved, so some parents opt to hire a party planner.
 There are any number of companies who will help you  with your party needs. If you live in the Palm Beach, Florida, area you might use It'z a Kidz World. They have it all: bouncy castles, snacks, even pony rides. And that friendly faced dude with the tattoos who runs the company? He moonlights as a drug lord.

Wikimedia photo

Dilbert Coreas, it seems, has been living a double life. By day, he's a kid's party planner. By night, he's a notorious gangster. His drug cartel, MS-13, specializes in the illegal trafficking of  drugs and humans. They are known for hacking victims with machetes. The story was recently in the New York Daily News. You can read about it HERE








So this week, as a public service to parents with young children everywhere, I've come up with a list of ten warning signs that your party planner might be a drug lord.

1) The horned creature tattooed on his neck is not a buffalo
2) The ponies for the pony rides are actually mules
3) He uses a machete to split the hot dog buns.
5) When he says "say hello to my little friend", he's not  referring to one of the  kids.
6) The pinata is filled with something that looks like cold capsules.
7) The label on the sugar packets read "sweet and high".
8) When he talks about 'heat', he's not talking about the weather.
9) The bouncy castle is bullet proof
10) He insists you pay him with unmarked bills in a brown paper bag.

Hope this helps in planning your next party.

Wednesday Poems: Narcissus

Wednesday, like any day, is a great day for Poetry.

This week's poem is about Narcissus, who falls in love with his image in a pool of water and then drowns in the pool. Narcissus also refers to daffodils. I tried to combine the two.

Narcissus by Caravaggio. Wikimedia images.

Narcissus

I bend and unbend, flowing
on the green stem of breeze,
seeing my reflection
in  your silver.

All winter I waited inside of darkness
Earth polished me and held me back,
told time in shadow lengths and drifts,
told me secrets.

 I should have known better
than to ask your silent echo for answers
I should have known better
than to stoop too deeply
by your pool.

#8Sunday: When Stephanie met Doug

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I've been busy getting ready for the release of my romantic comedy, Searching for Superman, which will be out in a few weeks.
This week's snippet is from the book, the scene where the heroine, Stephanie, meets the hero, Doug. Doug is dressed up as a character for Stephanie's niece's fifth birthday party:

“You are not supposed to be Superman.”

      “What?” Superman went to the van and drew a paper off the seat. “I’m sure, yup-says right here, Superman.”

      Stephanie took the paper from him and crumbled it. “You are supposed to be Cinderella.”

      “No.” Superman looked at her with a combination of horror and confusion. “Cinderella?”

For more great snippets, check out Weekend Writing Warriors HERE

For more about Searching for Superman, click HERE

Wednesday Poems: The Sunday Visit

Wednesday, like all days, is a great day for poetry.




The Sunday Visit

I visit her on Sundays.
The alabaster walls are hushed
and the hush floats down
to the linoleum--
polished clean under the soles
of the nurses' soft white shoes

Her chair frets quietly
as I wheel her to the garden
where spring blooms verdant and new.

I give her a bouquet of forget-me-nots.
She has forgotten my name.
She presses the flowers to her breast
and sings them lullabies.

#8Sunday: The Whisper of Time has been nominated for a RONE award

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My time travel novella, The Whisper of Time, has been nominated for a RONE award in the novella and short story category!

This week's eight are the first eight from the book:

It figured that I would get lost. Kyle was always telling me I had a terrible sense of direction. “Turn left,” I would say, and he would answer “Which left, Gwynn, yours or mine?” I used to think everything Kyle said was charming.
I’d since found out that Kyle, like GPS, had a limited range. Out here, in the middle of Vermont farm country, my GPS had stopped functioning. A signal kept insisting the phone was searching for a satellite, but it was becoming pretty clear that the satellite was nowhere to be found. It was hiding, perhaps, from the snippy woman’s voice that commanded me to turn left when I wanted to turn right.

For more great Sunday Snippets, Click HERE

In the RONE award's second round, readers get to vote for favorites.  To vote, please click HERE

For more on The Whisper of Time, please click HERE

The Whisper of Time has been nominated for a RONE award!

I've got a second RONE award nomination this year! The Whisper of Time has been nominated for a RONE award in the novella and short story category.
In the next step of the process, readers are asked to vote. I would love it if you would pop over and vote for the book.
To vote, please click HERE
For more about the novella, including how you can buy your very own copy, please click HERE