Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Frozen

Welcome to Friday and this week's edition of Five Sentence Fiction. This week's prompt is frozen. If you'd like to learn more about Five Sentence Fiction or give it a try yourself, just visit Lille McFerrin Writes. Enjoy!

She ran from the car to the front door, fighting with her key to get the door open. It was only a few steps but it was long enough for her to be freezing by the time she made it inside. With a sigh, she curled up in front of the fireplace and opened her computer. She had thought she'd be able to make it until spring, but now she knew it was time to give in. She went online and started looking at travel websites.

 Voila! I hope you enjoyed this little story. If you did, please feel free to check out the links below and read past editions. Have a great weekend!

Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Sparks
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Clutch
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Moon
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Moments

The Need to Relax

Things have been a tad, um, busy lately, what with the mentorship and a job that's in crazy mode, so it shouldn't be surprising that I finally ran my immune system down to the nub and ended up sitting at home last Thursday with a stomach bug. Still, nothing drives me crazier than having a whole day to myself, unable to do a thing because I'm stuck on the couch.

My mentor also noticed that I was getting run down and wrote me a lovely email, telling me how important it is to make time for myself as well as my writing. I couldn't argue with her logic. How can I be doing my best creative work when all my thoughts center around bed and when I'll get to go there? She was right, I had to take care better care of myself.

So, how to relax? My first impulse is a facial or a massage, but I'm on a post-Christmas budget, so I think I'll start by scheduling one day off a week to just watch TV, read a book, or go out for coffee. How do you relax and recharge? 

Monday Book Review - The Shining Girls

Welcome to Monday and this week's book recommendation.

THE SHINING GIRLS by Lauren Beukes

 

If you're looking for a suspense/thriller that bends the laws of space and time, you've found it. THE SHINING GIRLS grabbed me from page one and held me until the end. It also creeped the hell out of me, but that's understandable, given the plot. It's the story of a serial killer, Harper Curtis, who finds a house in depression-era Chicago that opens onto different times. With it, he stalks and kills his victims, until one, Kirby, miraculously survives. She's determined to bring him to justice and joins with ex-homicide reporter, Dan Velasquez, to find him.

Are you intrigued yet? You should be. The writing is spectacular, jumping through time and the eyes of its characters, pulling you along in its current. Beukes does an amazing job of building the story, unfolding clue after clue and letting you inside Harper's head. It's brilliantly told and completely captivating.

So, if boredom plagues you at every turn, if winter has you dragging your feet, pick this up. It will definitely having you flipping pages at lighting speed, anxious to find out what happens next. Is there anything better than that?

Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Sparks

Welcome to Friday and this week's edition of Five Sentence Fiction. This week's prompt is sparks. If you'd like to learn more about Five Sentence Fiction, or give it a try yourself, just visit Lillie McFerrin Writes. Enjoy!

She shielded her eyes as another shower of sparks cascaded down around the room.
"I said, supper is READY!" she shouted.
Her husband nodded from behind his mask and she turned to leave. She couldn't tell what he was working on, but whatever it was, she hoped it wouldn't be as big a disappointment as the last one. Their neighbours had never really forgiven them for that.

I hope you enjoyed my little story. If you did, and you'd like to read more, just follow the links below. Don't forget to follow this blog and come find me on twitter @MelanieKCole. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Clutch
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Moon
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Moments
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - This Year's Favourite

Busy

So far, this has been quite the busy month. Going back to work after the Christmas holidays also meant going back to an entirely new computer system. It hasn't been easy to learn and every day has been filled with frustration. Pair that with a thorough deep cleaning of our house, my mentorship and scores and scores of editing and it's not hard to understand why I spend most of my free time thinking about sleep.

Still, there's something to be said for being busy. The winter months are flying by and I'm really enjoying the sense of purpose my mentorship, and all the editing that came with it, has given me. I can feel myself stretching as writer, as well as becoming more disciplined and thorough. As Martha Stewart would say, "it's a good thing".

The hard part is trying to carve out a little relaxation time so I can recharge. One of my favourite ways to relax is to go for a steam, so I'm thinking I might have to find some time this weekend. I found a place with private aromatherapy steam rooms I'm dying to try. Of course, if I'm going to reward myself, I better earn it. So, the game is on for the rest of this week. I have to buckle down so I can enjoy it, guilt free.

What about you? What's keeping you busy these days? How do you find time to relax?

Monday Book Review - The Tao of Martha

Welcome to Monday and this week's book recommendation.

THE TAO OF MARTHA by Jen Lancaster

 

 Yes. I finally got the chance to sit down and read THE TAO OF MARTHA another fabulous installment by the always lovely Jen Lancaster. What makes her memoirs so funny? I think it's her sarcastic barbs, her self deprecating humour and the truly original way she has of describing any and every disaster. No one makes me laugh out loud like she does.

This is the story of the year Jen spent trying to live under the guidance of Martha Stewart and her domestic wisdom. It's funny, surprising and at times heart wrenching. It's her best memoir in a while, as original and hilarious as her first, BITTER IS THE NEW BLACK,  and another favourite of mine, SUCH A PRETTY FAT. It reminded of me of why I love her so much (it's because we think alike). In short, it's awesome. 

Definitely give this a read. And if you've never read Jen Lancaster before, start with BITTER IS THE NEW BLACK. My husband had to keep coming into the room to check on me while I was reading it, he couldn't understand how I could be laughing hysterically while reading a book and not be having some kind of mental breakdown.

Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Clutch

Welcome to Friday and this week's edition of Five Sentence Fiction. This week's prompt is clutch. If you'd like to learn more about Five Sentence Fiction, or give it a try yourself, just visit Lillie McFerrin Writes. Enjoy!

"Darling, could you pass me my clutch?"
Dutifully, he reached over and grabbed the small, purple purse from the end table and handed it to her, crying out, "Jesus, what do you have in there? A brick?"
"The universe, of course," she smiled. 
He didn't know she was serious, he'd never bothered to look inside. If he had he would have seen just that, and probably collapsed on the spot. 

Voila! I hope you enjoyed this little tale. If you did, then I suggest you follow this blog so you never have to miss another. And if you can't wait and want to read more right now, well then just follow the links below to read past editions. Don't forget to come find me on twitter @MelanieKCole. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Moon
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Moments
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - This Year's Favourite
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Silver

Work and Edits

Last week was my first week back at work after the Christmas holidays, and it was... trying. Being off for two weeks, although hard on the wallet, was excellent for morale. I edited my manuscript every day, read several books and slept a lot. But now that I'm back at work, things are more difficult.

I know, that's not a surprising revelation. A full time job makes other goals difficult. Duh. I was prepared for having less time to allocate to editing (although still determined to give it as much of my attention as allowable), but I wasn't prepared for the large bite it would take out of my patience, my sense of self worth and my ability to receive constructive criticism... well, constructively. I managed an hour of editing every evening all week, but on Saturday morning when I sat down to look at my mentor's edit notes, I kept taking everything personally.

Eventually, I had to walk away, shake it off. I took a nap, read a book and let the edit notes settle on my brain. And, after some time away I was able to see that her thoughts were accurate. But it took some time. I had to step back for a bit. After a week with an entirely new system at work and all the criticism that came with trying to master it, I just wasn't in any shape to hear more and especially not about my writing.

Now, I'm in my second week of work and determined not to be burned out by the weekend. It means spending more of my energy caring about my writing and less caring about the new system at work. The new system will take time and patience, but I can't let it get to me the way it did last week. It just isn't worth it. It requires only a small portion of my concern, while my larger, more important goals require more. It's just that simple.

Monday Book Review - Rest in Pieces

Welcome to Monday and this week's book recommendation.

REST IN PIECES by Bess Lovejoy

 

Now this was a fun book. As you can see, the full title is actually THE CURIOUS FATES OF FAMOUS CORPSES; REST IN PIECES and it is a very accurate description of what you'll find inside. It's positively fascinating! I couldn't put it down. It's crazy how mishandled some of the most famous corpses of all time have been. We're talking, "oops, we misplaced the head" bad. It's a really fascinating read. 

Not only is the book just plain beautiful (it's now a showpiece on my bookcase), it's well written, funny and just a little twisted. It'd have to be with this subject matter. It was also the perfect answer to a dull afternoon. I loved it. 

Definitely, definitely, read this. It's fantastic and you'll both gross out and really impress at your next dinner party. It's a wonderfully original piece of writing on a subject matter that has always been fascinating. It's a great book.

Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Moon

Welcome to Friday and this week's edition of Five Sentence Fiction. This week's prompt is moon. If you'd like to learn more about Five Sentence Fiction, or give it a try yourself, just visit Lillie McFerrin Writes. Enjoy!

"I see the moon and the moon sees me," she sang softly, lifting the curtain to look out the window.
Outside, way up in the sky, she really could see the moon, yellow and round, it's surface pockmarked in just such a way to make it look like a large smiling face staring down at her. She wished it could. They would be friends, the moon and her. They would go on adventures together and she would leave it all behind and never come back. 

 Voila! I hope you enjoyed my little story. If you did, please share it! And better yet, follow this blog. If you're still hankering for more Five Sentence Fiction, just follow the links below. Don't forget to come find me on twitter @MelanieKCole. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Moments
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - This Year's Favourite
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Silver
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Alone

The Mentorship - Meeting One

I had my first official meeting with my mentor on Saturday and it went wonderfully. Already, I can see that this is going to be a really great learning experience. What they say is true, nothing beats one on one attention. Of course, that also means I have a ton of work to do, but frankly, I relish it. There's something about it that's so inspiring. I feel all fired up and ready to go.

Just in our first meeting, we've uncovered a plot hole that needs solving (and several possibilities on how to fix it), she's noticed a few patterns in my writing that just aren't working that I need to be more aware of (sometimes my descriptions/wording isn't very clear, I tend to repeat myself and I also fast forward through some of the action instead of telling the story). I can see my manuscript getting better and I can see myself becoming a better writer in the process.

It also helps that my mentor is super nice. We get along great. She's also a dog person, so we ease in with some dog-story sharing. I like meeting people who find their dogs as adorable as I find mine. There's nothing more gratifying than meeting someone who 'gets' it. Non-dog people mystify me. (Although they shouldn't, since I'm anti-kids and that seems to mystify people. Sorry, dogs are cuddlier and they don't speak. They officially win in my book.) Anyway, to get back on track, since we already have a good working relationship I think we have the recipe for success. She's serious in her efforts to make my manuscript better and to help me grow as a writer, and I'm serious in taking advantage of it.

To sum up, we're off to a great start and I'm raring to work! Can't get much better than that.

Monday Book Review - While the Sun is Above Us

Welcome to Monday and this week's book recommendation.

WHILE THE SUN IS ABOVE US by Melanie Schnell

 

This is not a book I would usually gravitate towards. Generally speaking, if something looks a little dark or heavy, I go the other way. But I got the chance to hear Melanie read from her book during the Word on the Street festival last September and was so captivated by her reading that I immediately bought it and got her to sign it. I just finally had the chance to sit down and read it and I was blown away.

This is the story of two women; Adut, a Sudanese woman who is captured and held as a slave for eight years, and Sandra, a Canadian woman who left home looking for answers. Their lives are changed forever when chance brings them together for a short but profound moment. 

This book is written from the perspective of both women, each sharing their story with the other. It's lovely and at times heart wrenching, a truly terrific read. Make sure you pick this one up and give it a read.

Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Moments

Welcome to Friday and the first edition of Five Sentence Fiction for 2014. This week's prompt is moments. If you'd like to learn more about Five Sentence Fiction, or give it a try yourself, just visit Lillie McFerrin Writes. Enjoy!

The receptionist was yammering on again, complaining loudly to no one in particular that her computer wasn't working again. No one felt like telling her that it wasn't the computer that had the problem. My boss was talking loudly on the phone, threatening another vendor that incompetence would not be tolerated. I looked dismally at the pile of work still sitting untouched on my desk, the same work I plodded through day after day. It was moments like these that made me bring up job sites on my computer.

Okay, this isn't my most upbeat piece (and I swear it has nothing to do with me having to go back to work on Monday), but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. If you did, please let me know in the comments below, and if you really enjoyed it, I hope you'll follow this blog and come find me on twitter @MelanieKCole. If you're still hungry for more Five Sentence Fiction, just check out the links below. Have a great weekend everyone!

Five Sentence Fiction Friday - This Year's Favourite
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Silver
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Alone
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Highway

Happy New Year!

Well, it's the first day of the new year and normally this post would be about my new year's resolutions. But I'm not making any this year. Making proclamations doesn't really work for me. But that doesn't mean I'm not exacted about a shiny, brand new year.

First of all, my mentorship is beginning. I have my first meeting on Saturday and for the next four months I'm under the guidance of my mentor. I want to make the most of such a valuable opportunity, so a great deal of my free time is going to be put aside for working with her. Hopefully my blog shouldn't suffer too much, and I know you all will be patient with me. It feels good to take such a strong step towards building a career in writing.

There's so much to look forward to with the start of a new year. So many possibilities in the 365 days ahead. What are you looking forward to? What new steps will you be taking?