Flash Fiction: IgNobel Prize
This is another flash fiction challenge. Our assignment: choose something from the “M” section of Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, and write up to 1500 words before Friday. The “M” section is...
View ArticleDelusions Of Competence
When I was a kid, I was an obnoxious little know-it-all. This probably explains why I was slightly less popular than herpes. After a few years, I figured out that nobody likes obnoxious little...
View ArticleAt Least I’m Edible
This post is not for the soft of heart nor the delicate of spirit. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. ************** I can barely remember the time before my confinement, before this eternity of solitary...
View ArticleFlash (Non)Fiction: Labyrinth
I just got back from a week’s holiday on Vancouver Island, and I thought I’d post something a little different for a change. Thanks to Sacred Circles, Healing Hands for the inspiration of the...
View ArticleStand Back: Brain Farts!
My brain has apparently been eating ‘way too many beans lately. The brain farts are getting embarrassing. The past few weeks I’ve been totally immersed in finishing Book 6 in the Never Say Spy series....
View ArticleI’m Amused
In the vagaries of the English language, I’m “amused”. I’m also amused by the vagaries of the English language, but that’s not actually what I mean. No; if “amoral” means “lacking morals”, and...
View ArticleThe Scariest Word: ‘Oops!’
A couple of weeks ago I was scooping ice cream out of a one-gallon pail when my hand slipped and a gob of ice cream hurtled across the kitchen to land on the floor. Not surprisingly, I yelped, “Whoa!...
View ArticleFear Factor: Creepy-Crawly Edition
Warning: There’s a snake photo at the bottom of this post! (Just thought I’d mention that for those who hate/fear snakes.) No Fear Factor would be complete without a few creepy-crawlies, so here we...
View ArticleFear Factor: Adrenaline Edition
If I stick to the classic ‘Fear Factor’ format, this post should be about fear-defying stunts. I generally try to avoid doing those, but into every life a little adrenaline must drip (or, in my case,...
View ArticleFear Factor: Freaky Edition
Halloween is only a few days away, so it’s time for the final edition of Fear Factor. Today’s post is about two events that gave me the shivers even though I found reasonable explanations for them…...
View ArticleWhat’s Your Hippie Name?
This week’s post comes to you with many thanks to @glbryant, whom you will likely recognize as one of my dedicated commenters on this blog. Last week he emailed me to say he was re-reading Book 10 in...
View ArticleDiagnosis: Writer
So many of my readers are also writers! Nelson is serializing his book on his blog, Jono just posted a sneaky two-part story, Carrie Rubin has two medical thrillers published and is working on a third,...
View ArticleGood Spies Finish First!
The votes are in, and the title for Book 12 will be “Kiss And Say Good Spy”! I’m pumped because that was the title I’d originally chosen for it (before I second-guessed myself). I would have been...
View ArticleUnpredictably Predictive
This week I was delighted to discover that computers are now capable of writing stories for us using predictive text. I had already suspected as much, since these days my iPhone can pretty much compose...
View ArticleFlowers And Festivities
It’s FINISHED! Woohooo!!! I wrote “The End” on Book 13 this week, and I hope to have a title and cover soon. And wow, did it ever turn out to be a long book! Now let the editing begin… My brain is...
View ArticleSome News Is Good News
The phrase ‘no news is good news’ has always seemed ambiguous to me. I’m never quite sure whether it’s supposed to mean ‘if you don’t hear anything, everything’s going well’; or ‘there’s no good news...
View ArticleEvil Seagull Lady
The other day I was down at the ocean (and I’m still thrilled that I can get there in fifteen minutes). This is my favourite time of year to go to the beach – the days are crisp and the tourists are...
View ArticleName-Calling
People with names like Gay Barr or Harry Dyck probably have a keen appreciation for the importance of names, but I was lucky that my parents chose baby names devoid of unfortunate double entendres....
View ArticleIt’s Done! (…Ish)
After a week of writing for 14 hours a day, I’ve finally finished the draft of Book 14, woohoo! (I don’t intend to escalate to 15-hour days for Book 15, though.) I’d love to say that Book 14 is...
View ArticleI Did It, And I’m Proud! (ish)
I found the above title on a completely blank post in my Drafts folder. I don’t know what I had originally intended to write, but I’m going to run with it now. (Fasten your seatbelt, because the...
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