Two Sentence Story

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Two Sentence Story

Here’s the kick start to the challenge. “They lowered the small coffin into the earth. She shed no tears.”

To participate in this challenge click here.

My creative mind is mostly consumed with the novel I’m writing at the moment titled, “North Depot 1922.” So with all thoughts on my characters, here’s my spin for the two story sentence challenge posted to my blog.

He pulled a handkerchief with his initials JJ from the pocket of his pin striped suit coat just in case Ruth needed it. Jack gazed upon his wife’s face, pale with eyes as distant as the north shore of Chicago, but there were no soft watery tears to wipe as her arms encased a joyous bundle, pink and plump, cooing on her shoulder.

By Kim Troike

Visit my Pinterest to view the pins I’ve selected for this novel.

 

Shakespeare Whispers Love

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Shakespeare Whispers Love

I do believe
What do I believe?

Not gonna worry
Time moves forward
So should I …

Unsteady that’s okay
Who’s perfect anyway?

Big eyes I have
For summer, she’s so sweet

Dreams, y’all, I’ll start new

Blue water floats my hope
Lasso this grin, no line just rope

I’ll be where the stars are many
Wishes plenty tossed in air like a penny

Shakespeare, whisper in my ear
Words that warm, drowning my fear

So in the end I’m just a heart
Waiting for love, my true sweet tart!

By Caroline Clemens

Photo by iStockImages

*For National Poetry Day from the poetry collection titled Autumn Quotes by Caroline Clemens on Amazon.

New/Old Photo of Lotte Verbeek

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I follow Outlander on WordPress! I love the show and all the characters. Here’s a pic of Lotte Verbeek; I think it looks great. I like it when women look sexy, strong and smart all at the same time!

Unknown's avatarOutlander Online

Here is a new/old photo of Lotte Verbeek from a photoshoot she did a while ago.

10958405_1624310304518033_1176820999_n Photoshoot with @irisbrosch for @theuntitledmagazine a while ago #highonacouch #couchkitten 😸 tnx for posting @lotteverbeekitalia 💐

Source

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Hide and Seek

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HAIKU is a traditional form of Japanese poetry, three lines, no rhyme, with five syllables, then seven syllables and lastly five more syllables. The first line goes with the second and the second line reads with the last. Simple indeed, so why haven’t I even tried it before? I don’t know that answer. I have a poetry collection on Amazon, self-published with many forms included, however, no Haiku. Fall is coming with grape harvests and celebrations for the people who plow, till and work the land. Haiku, pleasant and simple, like life should be.

                                                                                                                                                                   Hide and Seek

Clumped hands will grasp me

Release me from hidden view

Feel my cool bodies.

 

By Kim Troike

Haiku Challenge

Google Images Credit

*I would write more and submit my poetry here for readers. However, I am composing a second poetry line for submission elsewhere and it must never have been seen for them to accept it.

The South Pole

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true story     I came outside after a long laborious night and needed to say a prayer for the doctor inside. The glow amongst our South Pole village shone with a mysterious pink light. Maybe my vision was playing tricks on me.

Here we are in the coldest zone on the planet, stuck if you will, by our own accord. Isolated but connected. How she had the courage to cut out her own breast tumor I’ll never know?

And so now, my release. I cry for her in amazement, and joy, yet I pray she makes it after all that bravery. Goosebumps. Tears fall that immediately freeze on my cheeks. Best go back inside to check on the doctor, I mean patient.

by Kim Troike

My recollection of a news story from years ago. My grandmother’s doctor knew the lady doctor (possibly they went to med school or something) who found her breast cancer while on assignment at the South Pole. She couldn’t wait six months for surgery and diagnosis. The doctor performed her own lumpectomy while at the South Pole about twenty years ago. I don’t know if she is still alive. When I saw this picture I knew that was the South Pole!

Photo credit~Douglas M. Macilroy

Photo prompted Friday Fictioneers @ Rochelle Wisoff-Fields blog

*Update:

Yesterday I wrote a short 100 word fiction story with elements of truth. I recalled a story I’d heard (see, I’ve been a news junkie all along and especially love those human interest stories) and elaborated to make it my own. I had to look it up after people commented they had heard it, too. In very simple  journalism, here is the story:

Dr. Jerri Nielsen Fitzgerald died at the age of 57 in 2009 after a second bout with breast cancer. It returned in 2005. Initially, she found a lump while at the South Pole as the only doctor there. Medically trained at the University of Toledo Medical Center and a citizen of Ohio, she wrote a book “Ice Bound: A Doctor’s Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole.” It became a TV movie!

The National Guard rescued her in 1999 as chilling conditions presented with the temperature 58 degrees below zero. She had to wait for them to come and get her out after her initial discovery in 1998, so she performed her own surgery. They dropped her chemotherapy medication to the village below while she waited. Amazing.

source: NBCNews

Christmas Is Over

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Christmas DecorationsChristmas is Over!

This is my son’s favorite ornament. So, of course, I love it too! A couple years ago I put an old picture just above it, and snapped away. It captured a whole lotta love. You can see Tigger dangling from the tree in the old pic, and coca–cola, well, we love the drink. We live in Atlanta, Georgia. So we better. Ha–ha!

The train that went around the bottom of the tree, and played music every year at Christmas time is where the kids clamored. There, or whatever room I set it out in. The words they shouted when they came over were, “Where’s the train? Where’s the train?” Off they’d go mesmerized for hours, or so it seemed. There is something about kids and trains. What is it? Who cares? It just is.

Why can’t time just stop for awhile, and not move forward?

Because, milady, it just doesn’t. So get prepared, and keep moving forward. You never know when a special moment will last a lifetime. You just don’t know when the memory is made that makes you smile, makes you cry, or just plain makes known to you, that you are alive and so thankful.

De–decorate!

Yes, that is my task for the weekend, and I’ve got no early start here. Who on earth relishes that one? Not me. I say I’m going to thin it out, but do I? I’ll let you know, maybe. 🙂

Fairytale, Little Match Girl

Anderson’s Little Match Girl

Resolutions or Goals!

I am a goal setter, so I don’t mind when I slack just a bit. I try and treat myself with kindness, you know, don’t be too harsh. Nobody wants to end up like the little match girl (one of my favorite fairy tales). That’s for the rest of the world … the big, bad world.

Here goes …

Yep, I still need to get in shape (guess I fell out of shape somehow). For some of us we put others first, with kids you have too. Some people manage to be perfect with kids, but I’m not one of those. So, I’m first now. Four months should be a good amount of time to firm up, I’m guessing!

Second is to promote my novel. That is coming real soon, like in two–three weeks. Stay tuned!

Third, well, let’s see. Clean & decorate my house, get a job, travel, taxi driver & cook for my kids, and be happy. Oh, I fooled ya as I already do all of those.

Lastly, I did get a camera for my birthday. I will learn it, and take some photos to share with you here, and on my other blog of this beautiful city I live in … Atlanta, Georgia.

Thanks for stopping by! I’m off to work out very hard.

By Caroline Clemens~~pen

Kim Troike photo credit#1

Wikipedia Commons photo credit#2

 

 

Last rose blooms

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Look here at a poem by Jane and her lovely picture! Thanks Jane.

Jane Dougherty's avatarJane Dougherty Writes

Frants_Bøe_-_Rod_rose,_1888

The last rose blooms

On slender stem stripped bare by the wind.

Like the last child

Flourishing in the failing shelter of the old parent tree.

Slight head bows

So little weight on the old branch

So sweet the scent

So bright the red in the dim light.

The old tree sighs and bends in the gusting wind

And the rose sheds its perfume

Suave and soothing

As dark winter falls.

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Heather Grace Stewart

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Canadian Author

This is Heather Grace Stewart! I found this Canadian author on WordPress, and read her poetry book a couple years ago. I even left her my first review that I ever wrote. I had no idea I’d be posting a short interview about her further accomplishments. She is bubbly and vivacious and gets her work out there for others to see and enjoy.

Though she’s trained as a journalist, Heather Grace Stewart has been writing creatively since she was five years old, and says “I don’t see myself stopping any time soon.” She’s had a screenplay, two nonfiction books, a children’s book of poems, and four collections of poetry published. How incredible!

Here’s more about her on her blog. Have a look.

In June 2014, Morning Rain Publishing published her first novel, Strangely, Incredibly Good (a romantic comedy/fantasy). It reached #10 in humorous fiction on Kobo and #28 in Women’s Fiction>Action& Adventure on Kindle. She’s now working on a sequel. Here is more info on Strangely, Incredibly Good. All her books are available in ebook and print format.

A portion of the proceeds from sales of her first two poetry collections go to educating children in developing countries.
You can learn more about Heather and her collections at her website.

In her free time, Heather loves to hang out with her husband and daughter, take photos, scrapbook, cartoon, inline skate, dance like nobody’s watching, and eat Swedish Berries — usually (but not always) and not at the same time.

Below is her book cover:Heather Grace Stewart1.) What are your hopes and dreams for your writing? Your child?

I hope to touch readers with my words. I like to entertain, and provide an escape. I think my novel Strangely, Incredibly Good does that, and I hope the sequel will, too. People have said that some of my poems have helped them through tough times. That’s why I do this. I don’t expect fame or lots of money from book royalties—that’s quite rare these days. I write because it’s my passion, and I hope that that passion can make a few people laugh, cry as a release, and help them through difficult times.

As for my daughter – I hope she finds love and joy in whatever she chooses to do, and I hope she learns faster than I did that high heels are great for sitting and looking pretty, but a waste of money if you expect to get any serious work done in them. lol.

2.) What do you love about Canada and do you think that spills over into your writing?

Oh gosh, what a fantastic question! I love how down to earth most Canadians are. Literally, down to earth as in cottage camping loving outdoorsy people, but also, we say it like it is. We’re used to roughin’ it, so, at least in my experience living here, snobbery is uncommon. It’s more like, “Pass the s’mores and bug spray and then we’ll go check out the summer sales at Canadian Tire.” lol. So I’d say strength, resilience and humour come from being Canadian, and spills over into a lot of my writing.

3.) You appear young by the photo of you and your child, please tell us about a perfect or fun date?

Young! Okay, I’ll take that, thank you! I’m 42, which is the new 30 right? 🙂 I’m definitely young at heart. I feel like I’m a teenager, but I don’t think I would fit in in high school any more. I don’t put up with BS like I used to.

A perfect date for me and hubby is ordering a pizza, or Lebanese food (mmm garlic) and opening a bottle of red wine. Then we either sit out back in our gazebo and listen to the crickets & birds in our backyard, or, we put on a movie. In my 30s, before I had our daughter, I loved clubs and pubs, and I still enjoy good beer with friends at a pub, and a chance to dress up in a little black dress and heels, but honestly, the most relaxing evening for me is spent at home.

Heather Grace Stewart

Poet & Novelist

Thank you Heather for giving us a glimpse into your life and books! Good luck on the sequel, too!

~Caroline

~photo credits per HGS