Archive for the ‘writing’ Category
a collective (lions’) short story
Not sure if you’ve heard, but there’s an uber-fun project going on over at the Shameless Lions Writing Circle, of which I and my lion Leonardo are proud members.
We’re writing a collective short story based on this photo:
Installments have already been written by:
(1) Seamus at Shameless Words.
(2) Kay at As It Happens.
(3) Wanderlust Scarlett at from the shores of introspect and retrospect.
(4) Kate at Inner Minx.
(5) Absolute Vanilla at Absolute Vanilla… (&Atyllah).
(6) Bonnie at Words From A Wordsmith.
(7) Rob at Image & Verse Too.
And then came my turn, which you can read below, or if you’d like, just go over to the main site and read the story from the beginning–and keep checking back because The Bluest Butterfly of A Virtual Hobby Store And Coffee Shop is next and I know she has something wonderful in store for Grace, Jack, Sebastian, and the gang.
There’s still a whole lot of story to tell and writing to be done, so do go there and get lost in words based on a photo.
Here’s my part:
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As he rolled over, he was startled awake by the absence of a warm body.
Sebastian Carrebreu couldn’t remember the last time he had woken up alone. Even on his frequent business trips he never needed an extra pair of socks to keep warm, and yet here he was, caressing an unwrinkled sheet.
He sat up slowly, his head weighing down his upper half like those fishing sinkers his English grandfather used to make — only Sebastian had used whiskey and rum and whatever else had been in the liquor cabinet instead of lead. Sure felt the same now though.
Nine thirty. I can’t believe she really stayed out all night, he thought, as he wrapped his silk robe around him and shuffled to the bathroom mirror. He turned on the hot water and stared into his dark grey eyes until the steam rising from the sink snapped him out of his trance.
As he looked down and stuck his fingers under the stream of water, he noticed something glimmering on the edge of the sink. The diamond necklace he had bought for Grace as a wedding gift — the necklace she wore every single day without fail.
“That bitch!” he yelled and splashed the scalding water on his face, making it only a shade redder than it had been a moment before.
He half-toweled off his face and went immediately to his cell phone in the nightstand. He turned it on, and a drop of water from his nose hit the number 5, taunting him with Grace’s speed dial position. He managed to dial anyway, or at least simply hit # and the number 1.
A recording told him that Armand wasn’t available and so Sebastian did the only thing he could do in response. He hurled the phone at the antique carriage clock on the fireplace. His arm wasn’t as strong as it used to be, though, and it fell just short of the mantle.
He smirked at his own ineffectiveness and breathed deeply and slowly on his walk over to the fireplace. He picked up the phone and turned it on all sides to inspect the damage. It was still turned on and it looked just fine so he dropped it inside his robe pocket and headed for the kitchen.
The maid was off, so there’d be no coffee. Goodness, did he even remember how to make coffee? As he scanned the counter for a container that might hold the beans, his phone rang.
Armand.
“She’s left me, Armand,” he said, without even a hello, and dropped his weight onto a stool at the bar. “And I think it’s for good this time.” As he glanced across the city skyline, nights of theatre, dinner and dancing flashing through his mind in an instant. He had never hated his window-lined penthouse more than at this moment.
His lifelong friend sighed and said flatly, “I know.”
“What do you mean you know?” Sebastian asked as he straightened his back and pulled a curtain across the window in front of him.
“Sebastian, it’s better if we talk about this in person. I know where Grace stayed last night, and you’re not going to like it — especially when I tell you what this friend of hers has been up to.”
“Armand, what …”
“Not on the phone, Sebastian. I’ll be right over. Should I bring coffee?”
Sebastian eyed the empty liquor cabinet. “Sounds like I may need something stronger.”
*********************
Now go over to the Shameless Lions Writing Circle and see what came before this!
P.S. Puppies and mamma are still doing fine.I, on the other hand, still can’t type SIX without all caps.
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[tags]shameless lions’ writing circle, writing, short stories, collective short stories[/tags]
5 Strengths as a Writer
Writers aren’t accustomed to singing our own praises, but it’s good to look at the positive now and again. Here are what I consider my strengths as a writer.
Read on...What’s That Saying About Wild Horses?
Right, um, I know I said I wouldn’t be around, but I have some things to share:
1. Want to know more about life as an expat? Check out my post, Top 5 Hidden Advantages of Being an Expat, over at ExpatInterviews.com.
2. Looking for a quick end-of-the-summer getaway in which there will be flying fruit? Put on your best Gallagher plastic and read my post, The World’s Biggest Tomato Fight: Bunol’s La Tomatina at TomatoCasual.com.
3. Hankering for a bag o’ books and bath goodies? Head on over to Welcome to My World of Dreams where you could win such a bag (if you’re a US or Canada resident) or a $30 Amazon gift certificate if you’re international like me–I didn’t read too closely the first time around, but Judy Thomas was lovely enough to come over here and point out that we’re *all* invited to the party celebrating the launch of Long and Short Reviews no matter where we live! Woohoo!
4. Missing What’s Cooking Wednesday? Here are two food-related sites that I found recently and have fallen in love with: Chowhound.com and The Traveler’s Lunch Box. Seriously. LOVE.
5. And finally, have you reached the end of the Internet? Don’t know what else to read? Here are five posts/blogs I recommend:
- 5 Powerful Reasons to Eat Slower at Zen Habits. This kind of builds on our discussion about obesity and weight loss from a little while ago but comes from a different angle. If you haven’t seen this site and are remotely interested in becoming a more peaceful, productive, happier, oh just better person, this is a great place to start.
- Introversion at Crazy Dust in My Coffee. Being quite an introvert myself, I love how Ally Bean broke this down so that even the most extroverted of extroverts can understand–or at least I hope they can because I don’t think it can be explained much better.
- The Seven Virtues: Charity at The Verge. I could link to any one of former-Italy-expat Jennifer’s posts and sing its praises, but since I love this particular one so much, here you go. I’ve never seen another blogger who incorporates fine art so seamlessly into her posts. It’s too beautiful for words, really.
- Mysteries of Life at Burnett’s Urban Etiquette. This post is from a while ago, but I adore it as I do all of this Miami Herald contributor’s stuff. James Burnett has a knack for pinpointing exactly what I want to say about a given topic *or* giving me a new perspective that I hadn’t considered. I think that’s cool, so you should read him.
- Also, my naval is pretty at The Moon Topples. These are Maht’s (grudgingly given) answers to a meme about what he likes about himself. I just heart the way Maht expresses himself through his various creative mediums, and I think a lot of you will too. If his answers to a meme made my recommended list, you know he’s good.
OK, now I’m really vacationing from the blog. If I ever have children, you think separation anxiety might be a wee bit of a problem?
Still wishing you were here!
july is burning
I’ve waited to write July’s Monthly Musing until the very end of the month–hoping that I would develop more positive feelings about it as July marched on.
Unfortunately with each passing day, more and more of our gorgeous rolling hills have gone from green and brown to charred black, and there’s not much positive I can take from that.
You may have read about the fires throughout central and southern Italy (as well as Greece), and believe me, the stories are not exaggerated.
Some say that many of the fires have been set deliberately but to be honest with you, I don’t really buy into that. Sure people burn off their land here all the time, but they’re pretty good about controlling it, and not many are doing it in 120°F–most of that was done in June when temps were reasonable.
They say the motive is to clear the way for new hotels, villas, and pastures
but from where I’m sitting, it’s just a whole lot of beautiful olive trees that have been taking the hit around here–and if any hotels or villas sprout up on the hillside, I’ll let you know.
I’m sure that there *are* some pyromaniacs around, but I personally feel that blaming arsonists for the rash of fires is just another way for the powers-that-be to shake their heads in derision toward central and especially southern Italy and to draw attention away from the fact that they haven’t been very successful in managing the fires.
But maybe that’s just me.
Anyway, we have been lucky to escape any damage up until now, but the hill just across the road from us wasn’t so lucky; yesterday afternoon it went up in flames as I was down at the beach swimming near where a helicopter was dipping into the sea for water to take up there. A couple weeks ago, our neighboring village lost two houses, although no one was injured.
I posted here about the planes fighting the fires, but things have gotten so much worse since then. Tourists have been killed in Puglia and one of our pilots died in Abruzzo when his Canadair crashed into a mountain near L’Aquila.
Greece lost two of its own in a similar way.
And so I sit here on another scorcher, although it’s certainly cooler than it has been, waiting for the wind to pick up as it normally does at this time of day and then continues to increase until it reaches what feels like hurricane force.
And I’m sorry to say that I smell smoke.
Smoke, flames, blackened earth
July two-thousand seven
I’ll never forget.
On a different, more cheerful note, do check out my post entitled “What’s the Deal with Lycopene?: Health Benefits of Tomatoes” on TomatoCasual.com.
And let’s hope for a better August.
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[tags]july, fires, forest fires, italy, southern italy, calabria, haiku[/tags]
i’m a tomato blogger!
Go over to TomatoCasual.com and check out my post, The Tomato: A Relatively New Addition to the Dinner Table, and then click on the home page to see all the posts.
The site was just launched today, so be sure to bookmark it and/or subscribe so you can learn more about the tomato than you ever thought possible–its history, how to grow them, how to cook them, and much, much more.
On a personal note, I’ve spent all day today with some American friends in town (yeah for English!), and we’re having a blast. Just got back from the beach, so it’s time to shower off the sand and head to dinner.
Hope your Monday is/was just as lovely as mine!
Michelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived.
Calabria Guidebook
Recipes
