I am always surprised and at times, unnerved by what comes off the top of my head and onto the page. Contest prompts, writing assignments, and even a challenge by my husband have been the genesis of my essays, short stories, and flash fiction. I am sharing a few of my personal favorites here.

The Gift of Just Being a Kid

This is the piece that became my first published article. I wrote it following the death of my parents, who passed away a month apart in 2005.

Loose Change

This short story was the product of a prompt for a 24 hour writing contest. These events give the participant a 24 hour window on a set date and time to write a story based on a prompt they provide. I have no memory of the actual prompt.

Lifetime Membership

The product of my husband’s challenge to write something in one sitting, I penned this in two hours on a Sunday afternoon, probably in 2006 or so. No matter how often I read the piece, it grabs my heart as I recall a not-so-empty nest.

In Defense of the Apostrophe

This little ditty was born of frustration over the misapplication and mistreatment of our grammatical friend, the apostrophe.

The Lass and the Loch

Also a 24 hour contest entry, this story was a bit of a departure for me. Rooted in a visit to Loch Ness, it turned out somewhat dark. It garnered more than a few cringes from my writing group.

Essays, Stories and Other Musings