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It's the final day of our short story for this birthday week. I hope you've enjoyed the little drama between Rob and Lindsey. If you missed any of the previous days, they can be found here: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, or Day 4. And now, the conclusion of our story ...  This was English, wasn’t it? Rob stared at the directions again. Something designed for a baby to use shouldn’t be this complicated.
Which piece was A again? He scanned the various wooden parts scattered on the floor around him. There. Now, where was B? “Rob?” He froze. Lindsey wasn’t supposed to be home right now. He’d taken off this morning because he knew she would be at work. He hadn’t been trying to figure this puzzle out that long, had he?
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It's my actual birthday today and I hope you're enjoying celebrating with me this week by reading my free short story. We're on to Day 4, which means only one left after this one. If you missed the previous days, they're here: Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3.  “What’s wrong with you?”
Lindsey looked up to see her best friend standing in the door of her Sunday school classroom. “What are you talking about?” “Something’s up. Besides the new hairdo, which I love, by the way.” Heather lowered herself into one of the tiny chairs around the table. “It was time for a change.” Or two. Lindsey didn’t add that part, though. Welcome to day 3 of my annual short story. Time for more fun with Lindsey and Rob. If you missed the previous days, you can find them here: Day 1 or Day 2.  The clock was against him. When Rob planned this escapade, he hadn’t taken into account school traffic. Or a salesperson who couldn’t find his order for half an hour. Now, Rob would be cutting it close to get home and hide this box before Lindsey came in. No time at all for him to actually set the thing up.
The best laid plans weren’t laid out that well after all. He pulled into the garage and hit the door button practically before he was clear. Ten minutes to finagle the ridiculously large box out of the back of his pick-up and somehow get it into the guest room closet. Here went nothing. Ready for Day 2 of my annual short story? If you missed Day 1, you can catch up here. If you're ready to find out what happens next between Rob and Lindsey, read on.  “You just looked so shocked.”
“It’s a lot shorter than I’m used to.” That was the other thing. When she’d warned of cutting off her hair, he’d figured it would end up around her shoulders. This style didn’t even cover her neck. His fingers missed weaving through the strands normally covering her back as he held her. But he wouldn’t complain. He hadn’t married her for her hair. “You know what this means, right?” She leaned back and grinned at him, her eyes practically twinkling. It's my birthday week! That means a free short story. It's my gift to my readers to celebrate another year around the sun. This year, I've got a couple keep secrets from each other. I'll post a piece of the story every day this week through Friday, so make sure you come back all week for the next scene. All the other stories from the last five years are still on my blog under the link "Short Stories." Feel free to go back and read them. And in the meantime, here's the new one. Enjoy!  “Off.” Lindsey indicated the spot next to her chin where she wanted her hair to hit.
“You sure, Linds? That’s a big change.” Marcie fingered Lindsey’s long golden strands. “Have you ever gone that short before?” “Not since I was a little girl. My dad preferred my hair long so I never cut it off again after that one awful bob.” Lindsey tilted her head, a smile playing on her lips. “But it’s time. Let’s do this.”  It is not Christmas.
Honestly, I'd much rather start decorating with pumpkins and all things fall right now, but am forcing myself to wait a few more weeks. You know, until the temps are under 100. Also, I am not a girl who listens to Christmas music before Thanksgiving (if I can help it--we all know commercials and stores tend to start playing it much earlier than that) or after January 1st. But I've been listening to Christmas music. Did you know that authors sometimes live vicariously through their characters? Gotta use our imaginations for good, right? Beth Westcott chats with us today about a scene in her new book that she thinks is very romantic. See if you agree.  Have you ever taken a ride in a hot air balloon? I haven’t, but I think it might be fun. That’s why I wove a balloon “adventure” into the plot of Melody of Life.
Mark is looking for something special to do with Alana, to create a fun and memorable adventure. He finds a website advertising a hot air balloon festival and invites her to go up in a balloon with him, something he really wants to do.  As an author, I love learning about other authors. Especially ones I've read for my whole life.
Since I was a little girl, I knew about Laura Ingalls Wilder. My mom read the books to my sister and me when we were little girls. And I always wondered about what those places she described looked like in real life. Fast forward to me reading the books to my children. We've read all but The First Four Years together. So, when I suggested we take a trip to see where she really lived, everyone was on board (except maybe my husband who knew how many miles of road trip that actually was). Write what you know. That's what authors are told over and over again. Good thing author Heidi Glick knew about the EPA and CID agents, huh? Want to know more? Keep reading as she tells us about how she used her college experience to write her newest book.  In 1999, I graduated from Cedarville University with a biology degree. I taught science to secondary students for a while, and later, I took a job working for a government contractor to the EPA and worked onsite at the Cincinnati EPA. There, I learned about EPA CID agents, and one year for NaNoWriMo, I started a story about an environmental crime. After my children were born in 2013 and 2014, I put the story aside for several years. I never forgot about the story and my ideas for sequels. The main characters have been my favorite to write about. Later, I edited the story and reworked it and submitted it for publication.
 One of the things the movies added to the classic fairytale stories is the adorable little wild animals who end up helping the princesses. And if you're like me, you love that part. But I needed something a bit more realistic than birds and mice helping my Cinderella character. I honestly wasn't sure how I was going to handle her wild animals.
Then, I remembered what we saw when we were in West Virginia. |
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