The Thing That Turned Me - An Anthology

I'm so grateful to be part of this group of talented authors. Thank you to Randi Lee at Stay Classy Publications, for all that you've done to make this anthology possible. Thanks to all the contributors who have shared their stories, and many thanks to the folks who participated in compiling the promotion materials for this book.


“The Thing That Turned Me” will be available for paperback and ebook purchase on June 30, 2016.

We make decisions every day that will affect us for the rest of our lives: to stay or to go; to rise to the challenge or to crumble under its weight; to take the chance or let opportunity pass us by, without knowing what might have been. An open door. A chance encounter. A moment of truth. All such small things that can decide the rest of our lives without our even realizing it.


This variegated collection of authors of varying genres bring you pictures of these chances…these things that turn us—for better or for worse—and change our lives forever.


Will you recognize your moment when it comes?

Contributor	Contribution
Imani Allen	“Rehema”
Michelle Athy	“The Disappearance of Miss Mary Dawkins”
Madalyn Beck	“Hard to Love”
Diane Carlisle	“The Window”
Alex J. Cavanaugh	“CassaDawn”
Crystal Collier	“The Shadow King’s Pet”
Cathrina Constantine	“Rising Star~Falling Heart”
Michael Di Gesu	“Through Shades of Gray”
Tonja Drecker	“A Glowworm”
Deanie Humphrys-Dunne	“The Journey”
Sherry Ellis	“Finding My Voice”
Elise Fallson	“Deadly Encounters”
Heather M. Gardner	“Before We Break”
Samantha Redstreake Geary	“Don’t be Koi”
Misha Gerrick	“Ryan”
Krystal Hillsman	“To the Last Love of My Life”
Celeste Holloway	“Shadows Falling on Rainbows”
Harper L. Jameson	“The Blanket”
Randi Lee	“Off the Horse”
Terrance Dwayne Mack	“When I Went Crazy”
K.D. Martin	“Invariant”
Tyrean Martinson	“Letting Go: A Siren Song”
Melissa Maygrove	“Malice”
Nana Prah	“Finding the Light”
Christine Rains	“George and the Dragon”
Melanie Schulz	“The Reader”
Elizabeth Seckman	“Shifting Sands”
Tara Tyler	“The Day Dave Broke the Internet”
Jenny Vyas	Artwork for “Don’t be Koi”
Michelle Wallace	“Shades of Deception”
L. Diane Wolfe	“Revelation”
Roland Yeomans	“Wednesday’s Child”

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When a Writer Questions an Artist

What happens when a writer questions the written words of a truly talented artist? Something completely unexpected and rather embarrassing is the answer.

One thing I would never do is question a literary icon about intent when it comes to his creations. If you don't understand allegories or metaphors, you have no business correcting someone about their artistic work on a technical level. My new hero is Don Henley (Eagles), for his answer to John Soeder in 2009 while being interviewed for The Plain Dealer. This man dared to correct an artist's choice of words.

The interview question?

On "Hotel California," you sing: "So I called up the captain / 'Please bring me my wine' / He said, 'We haven't had that spirit here since 1969.'" I realize I'm probably not the first to bring this to your attention, but wine isn't a spirit. Wine is fermented; spirits are distilled. Do you regret that lyric?

Assuming by "spirit" Henley must be referencing the wine in his written words, Soeder belittles the artist with his obnoxious question about regrets.

I love Henley's response:

Thanks for the tutorial and, no, you're not the first to bring this to my attention—and you're not the first to completely misinterpret the lyric and miss the metaphor. Believe me, I've consumed enough alcoholic beverages in my time to know how they are made and what the proper nomenclature is. But that line in the song has little or nothing to do with alcoholic beverages. It's a sociopolitical statement. My only regret would be having to explain it in detail to you, which would defeat the purpose of using literary devices in songwriting and lower the discussion to some silly and irrelevant argument about chemical processes.[1]

SuuuuLAM!!

This must have been a memorable moment for Mr. Soeder as he mentioned it while announcing his retirement back in 2012.

Don Henley and I locked horns, too, because I had the nerve to ask him about the wine-spirit confusion in the Eagles hit "Hotel California"; you can read all about it on Wikipedia.[2]

I'm making a correction here. You didn't "lock horns" with Henley, Mr. Soeder. What happened was something of the nature "he ate your lunch."

Let this be a lesson to the critics out there. Don't always assume your corrections mean anything to the Poet/Songwriter/Artist. We all love music, but if you want music to love you back, treat it with the respect it deserves.

1. Soeder, John. "Don Henley gets into the spirit talking about 'Hotel California'" The Plain Dealer March 20, 2009: T14

2. http://www.cleveland.com/pdq/index.ssf/2012/09/pop_music_critic_john_soeder_s.html



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Leprechaun Poem Now You See Me

This month's prompt at Absolute Write:
What the Leprechaun Said

Yep, it's March. The theme is one of general St. Patrick-ness, so don't worry if you're not comfortable with writing fantasy creatures like the 'Chauns.

Here is more mischief from the little guy. It's a poem I wrote many years ago. I just haven't shared it much with anyone. Also, I list more participants at the end. Visit their take on the Leprechaun, and as always, we love lots of feedback!

Now you see me, now you don't
Come and get me if you want
I can show you things that shine
You will be a friend of mine

*
I am evil, I am good
I am mostly misunderstood
Having fun and causing strife
Makes a difference in my life

*
Be it here or be it there
You will find me everywhere
Follow me and you will see
Treasures and gifts abound for thee

*
I hide behind this wicked mask
Though find it's not a pleasant task
To sometimes have to lie to you
And lead you down a path that's true

Participants and posts:
orion_mk3 -  (link to post)
robeiae -  (link to post)
writingismypassion -  (link to post)
Sudo_One -  (link to post)
randi.lee -  (link to post)
pyrosama -  (You are HERE)
katci13 -  (link to post)
MsLaylaCakes -  (link to post)
Angyl78 -  (link to post)
KitCat -  (link to post)
Bloo -  (link to post)
dlclary -  (link to post)
ConnieBDowell -  (link to post)
Lady Cat -  (link to post)
Araenvo -  (link to post)
MichaelP -  (link to post)
Ralph Pines -  (link to post)
mdgreene50 - (link to post)
dolores haze -  (link to post)





SRHowen -  (link to post)
areteus -  (link to post)
meowzbark -  (link to post)

H is for Humility

hu·mil·i·ty [hyoo-mil-i-tee or, often, yoo-]  

noun: the quality or condition of being humble;  modest opinion or estimate of one's own importance, rank, etc.

There’s something I learned in the past few years which I never would have acknowledged had I not pursued my passion in writing. I also stumbled across "Thank You For Ripping Me Apart" by a fellow blogger which caused me to pause and reflect upon my own writing journey and the humbling experience I’ve grown to respect.

Humility is something you learn through experience. At first, you might have a passion or ambition in reaching a particular goal. It is when you don’t reach your goal, or better yet, when you experience obstacles to your goal, you ultimately understand how small and how insignificant you are. These obstacles are huge blows to our egos.

It is the humbling experience which makes us stronger though, makes us put forth those extra steps in order to avoid the same failures in the future. We seek to improve upon our initial naivety. How else will we be ready to lead future generations of those hoping to reach our defined goals of the past? How do you keep the standards in place for generations to come? I believe it is in teaching humility and discouraging ego.

Learning to write fiction has been my path to finding humility. It made me question my ambitions, question my road to success. When that happened, my path changed.

What do you think? Is experiencing humility an important part of learning and achieving?

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A Hero Because

by Diane Carlisle

My daughter wrote this poem about her dad. I see all the truth in it and I'm so touched by it that I wanted to share it with you. This is my family, and I know I'm blessed.

A hero because...

He has everything he could ever want,
Though growing up with absolutely nothing.
He tried his best to reach success,
In return is looked up to by many.
He is twice the father as most,
Because he knows the feeling of losing one.
He is there for me,
When no one else is.
He is the man who has my heart,
In doing so he has my love.
He tries his hardest to stay healthy,
In hopes of walking me down the aisle.
He is my Daddy,
The only man I can depend on.

I picked this photo out for a representation of the poem.

T'was The Night Before Upgrades

by Diane Carlisle


This month's prompt:
Home for the Holidays (not associated with the real Holiday).

This one is broad: write about a holiday memory. It can be fiction or non-fiction, and the choice of holiday is yours (fictional holidays are okay too). Perhaps you can invent an annoying relative.

******************************************************

I'm going with a poem this time. Before I became a Developer, I was a Systems Administrator to the home of several AS400 systems. An upgrade can make you feel so alone in the world because they had to be performed when nobody was using the systems, mainly at the early hours after midnight. Since it's supposed to be a holiday blog, I'll try and keep it to the beat of Twas the Night Before Christmas.

T'was the night before upgrades
No developer in sight
The server backed up
Tapes locked away tight

With the coffee pot on
And I fraught with jitters
Had stayed for the evening
Left behind by the quitters

At the strike of midnight
I looked at my plan
To remind myself
How important I am

The lights were all dim
The cubicles bare
My own sense of doom
Cried out in despair

Let one thing go wrong
Just one little glitch
Your career will be over
Before the first pitch

I took a deep breath
And opened the door
The room lit up
No motion ignored

I loaded the drive
And it whirred with a noise
I stood back and waited
Patience and poise

When it was over
And my pride was restored
I knew right then
Why I never get bored

Life is not easy
While at the helm of the ship
It's better than jumping
At the crack of a whip

A holiday message
From me to you
Always have pride
In the things that you do

Happy Holidays all! Please add a four line verse from your own life and share it in the comments! I would love to hear about a slice of your life. Have fun with it!

Other Holiday Participants and Posts:

orion_mk3 (link to this month's post)
Ralph Pines (link to this month's post)
pyrosama YOU ARE HERE
AbielleRose (link to this month's post)
writingismypassion (link to this month's post)
Domoviye (link to this month's post)
Areteus (link to this month's post)
Alynza (link to this month's post)
SuzanneSeese (link to this month's post)
robeiae (link to this month's post)
MamaStrong (link to this month's post)
kimberlycreates (link to this month's post)
darnzen (link to this month's post)
LilGreenBookworm (link to this month's post)
Cath (link to this month's post)
AuburnAssassin (link to this month's post)
Diana Rajchel (link to this month's post)
SinisterCola (link to this month's post)

Why Paper Beats Rock

I had a discussion with a colleague at work several years ago. We were discussing the logic of Rock, Paper, Scissors. He later wrote an email describing his thoughts behind the Paper/Rock dynamic.

I understand that Scissors can beat Paper, and I get how Rock can beat Scissors, but there's no way Paper can beat Rock. Paper is supposed to magically wrap around Rock leaving it immobile? Why the heck cant paper do this to scissors? Screw scissors, why can't paper do this to people? Why aren't sheets of college ruled notebook paper constantly suffocating students as they attempt to take notes in class?

I'll tell you why, because paper can't beat anybody, a rock would tear that up in 2 seconds. When I play rock/ paper/ scissors, I always choose rock. Then when somebody claims to have beaten me with their paper I can punch them in the face with my already clenched fist and say, oh, I'm sorry, I thought paper would protect you. --Joel

Being the creative person that I am, I felt that I should respond in the only way I knew how and that was to write him a poem explaining why it is so, that the Paper is superior to the Rock.

A rock finds a balled up piece of paper and unravels it. It finds eloquently written prose that it cannot read:

On this median I do write
A tale of sorrow, not of spite
For in it lies a morbid gift
Of truth to those who find a rift

You cannot win this game of wit
You are a rock you will admit
A poor, existing chunk of fissured land
I grant to you a helping hand

Far superior am I to thee
There is no comparison you see
I concede to you, my jaw you may sock
But the fact remains, you're a fucking rock