It’s That Time Again!

Dear followers and readers –

It’s like my hiatus is coming earlier and earlier! 🤪😁I guess my brain needs it.

During the month of May, I will not be posting to my blog at all (except The Short of It features scheduled on Fridays), nor will I be reading any of the blogs I follow, with the exception of catching up on the last of the posts from today that I haven’t read yet. I will also give social media a rest. I’ve found this has done so much for me every year. What I will do (again) is catch up on reading my paperbacks (collecting dust), read my Kindle backlog (leaving reviews where appropriate), and work on a new chapbook series project. More details to come in the future.

Should there be any comments to I Write Her/The Short of It during my absence, they will be addressed when I return. See you again on June 1! ❤

Kindle Vella – UPDATE

Amazon’s Kindle Vella program is making some changes! And they benefit YOU!

They are changing it from three free episodes to TEN free episodes of all stories! Now, if I’m doing the maths right, that means you can read ALL my stories for free since they are all five episodes. So, if you haven’t read them yet, go for it. I hope you enjoy them. 🙂

KINDLE VELLA STORIES on Amazon

The Little Red Suitcase
The Boss
Dipped in Yellow
Falling from the Tree
The Dark Park
An American Conflict
C
The Shifting Sands
Led Astray
3025
The Passageway
Bridge to the Stars
Secrets Between Lovers

Pure Haiku – Three Trees Theme Acceptance!

What an honor to have a piece selected and published for this current theme at Pure Haiku! 
Thank you, Freya!!

Posted piece on Pure Haiku 2/5/24 Please take a moment to check it out to read mine as well as the other incredible contributions for this theme. You won’t regret it!

“Cadence: Life’s Poetic Rhythms” Acceptance!


This anthology will showcase how we celebrate life and the rhythmic style of our existence. Lisa and her contributors have always shown a flair for wonderful work; this one shall be no exception.

I was just congratulating another poet for getting his work accepted and here I am getting an email that mine had also been chosen to be represented in the anthology! NICE!!! It’s slated to be released in Spring 2024.

And if you want to submit your work, you can until January 31st. Just go to ProlificPulse.com for the guidelines to send in your poetry.

Another Year!

Is it just me or did this past year go exceptionally fast?!?! I guess because there were so many goings on this year, it seemed like it went by in a flash. Regardless, I think I enjoyed this year even with many world events affecting us.

With this last day of the year, I look forward to focusing on The Short of It features for next year. I do hope you enjoy them as much as I have reading them and getting them ready for publication next year.

Not as many as in previous years, but here are the publications that I submitted to and which happily accepted my work. Their continued support and aiding my growth professionally is something else I’m grateful for; validation is another aspect that a writer treasures.

6/22/23 Orchard Theme – Pure Haiku

1/31/23 Hot Breath In A Cold Room & Covering in Hidden in Childhood Anthology published by Literary Revelations

Happy New Year everyone! Please have fun, but stay safe!

I’ve Returned! :)

I know it was an unusually sudden departure from the blog, but the hubs and I went to Germany! And did we have fun? Well, I did, for sure! It was a business trip for him, so not always fun. It was a total vacation for me. But in addition to some time off, I spent about a week with my cousin, Alexander, who I haven’t seen in about 40 years! We spent a great deal of time every day getting out and about and seeing new things. Lovely breakfasts and dinners every day, even a visit to an incredible art gallery and a Weihnachtsmarkt where we had a glass of traditional Glühwein mit Schuss (Amaretto)! I won’t lie, I spent a great deal of time sleeping in too! There was so much laughter, and mostly because of the Germ-glish we spoke! He liked to practice his English, and I had some brain fog recalling the German words, but between the both of us, we understood each other pretty well. Thanks, Alexander, for the time spent with you. Also, for your hospitality, and for the experience of reconnecting after all these years! I will look back on our time fondly and treasure it forever. And I look forward to your visit in 2025! ❤

The time I spent with my husband was in a small town called Durbach, outside of the city of Offenbach. We stayed in the Hotel Rebstock, enjoying the wonderful views from our room and luxuriating in the comfortable yet firm German beds. The service at the hotel was simply superb, from the front desk to the restaurant! We both felt very well taken care of. And it was absolutely wonderful to sleep with the windows open snuggling under those classic feather comforters. We also went to another Weihnachtsmarkt in the city, but it was a little smaller than the one I went to with my cousin. While Uwe was working, I had the opportunity to walk through Durbach, and also take advantage of the many amenities of the hotel spa. Those are my little piggies sticking out from the hot salt-water pool at the hotel. That day I also enjoyed relaxing on the heated and swinging massage chairs and the sauna they offered. It was an awesome day. 🙂

I have to say the best part of this trip was the food. Real, authentic German food has not passed these lips in so long, and I was enjoying every single meal during my stay! Bonus – I didn’t gain a pound!

Breakfast was typically a brötchen with either honey, jam, or Nutella on one side and Schinken (ham) or Gelbwurst (like baloney, but way better!) Also, oatmeal with dark, sweet cherries and oat milk. The afternoon refreshment consisted of coffee and German pastries. Since we were in the Schwarzwald (the Black Forest), I had some of their famous Schwarzwälder Torte, as well as tasting their fruit cakes and cream pies. All of them were “melt in your mouth” deliciousness! The dinner menu at the various places we ate was no exception. I ate everything I hadn’t eaten in years and tried things I’d never had before. Simply wonderful!

Our last adventure before heading to Frankfurt Airport was to stop in the small town of Feudenheim where I used to live. It is outside the big city of Mannheim. The first photo on the left is of the apartment building we lived in. Ours was the unit on the first floor. Look at how tiny the streets are! The coolest part was running into an old friend I used to hang out with in my childhood. Amazing how the memories just flooded back! It was so cool to talk about all that we remembered. The last row of pictures – our bus stop for the school my sister and I went to on the American Army base in Käfertal, the local schoolyard where I would hang out with friends, and of course, the hubs and I enjoying our last bit of German pastries and coffee. Great way to spend the day!

So there you have it, my latest adventure! It was totally worth the long flights and the jet lag. While it was highly enjoyable, I’m glad to be back and working on the blog. My next focus will be getting the features ready for publication in 2024. I hope you all will enjoy the returning and new poets as much as I do!

This TSI Submission Cycle Is Now Officially CLOSED!

The Short of It has thirty-nine returning participants this year, in addition to the ten new poets to showcase! Woot Woot! Now the real work begins – getting the fifty-two features set up to be published in 2024! I hope you all enjoy the work of these talented poets.

Thank you, once again, for the tremendous support you’ve given The Short of It!

The Short of It – TWO feature slots left!

As soon as I receive the last two submissions to be accepted for features in 2024, I will be shutting down the current submission cycle. So please – Get YOUR SUBMISSION IN NOW!

**UPDATE** This current submission cycle is now CLOSED! All 52 feature slots have been filled. You all are amazing! 🙂