Ladies and gentlemen,
To celebrate my summer release of as-of-yet-unnamed book of short stories, I’m giving away books for the next few months. Enter to win a copy of West End on GoodReads!
Tag: death
Random facts stalkers don’t know…
I grew up in a tough neighborhood. (don’t stereotype me)
I was in a band. (for about 5 minutes)
I was in a few movies. (another 5 minutes)
I wrote my first “novel”at the age of 11. (an angst ridden piece about a girl who is kidnapped because she witnessed a crime)
I was actually kidnapped. (not at 11/that story is waiting for publication)
I always have wanted to own a Munster-like house.
I’ve gotten lost in every major city I’ve ever been (including abroad. Trust me when I say every country/every city has neighborhoods you don’t want to be lost in at dusk)
I keep a lot of random facts as well as insignificant details in my brain. (jokes don’t stick tho)
now the stalkers know – don’t be a stalker….
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Writing Wishes and Publication Dreams
I’ve been working on a new story – not only working – OBSESSED! I don’t think I left the house for most of January and part of February until the first draft was done. I’m currently working through it again and again. I’ve begun to gather my beta readers, and I’m quite excited.
Weekly, I spend time submitting. This is what a working writer does. Writes and submits. Rejections are no fun, and I get plenty of them. I read one statistic that read, “a writer gets an average of 26 rejections for every acceptance.” Not sure how they came up with that… I feel like it’s three times that much; however, things change!
Malcolm Gladwell, estimates it takes 10,000 hours to master any one thing. I feel like I should have reached those hours long ago; but, maybe, it takes some of us a little longer to get it. (That’s the story of my life!)
So – I have to update you.
My poem, “All At Once”, was a finalist in Medusa’s Laugh NanoText Contest. I didn’t win, but it’s still to be published in their anthology and in an e-book version. This should be available soon!
My poem, “I’ve Never Looked So Beautiful” has just been accepted by Mother’s Always Write. Before you start thinking I’m quite full of myself – the poem is about my lovely daughter! This should be available in the next month.
My story, “How to Throw a Psychic a Surprise Party” has been accepted by The Oleander Review. Sometimes, I write something and I think, this is pretty damn good, and I think this story says a lot about our humanity. I’m so happy that it will be published. It will be available mid-April
Finally, ladies and gentlemen, Writer Advice has just notified me that my story, “Memorial Day Death Watch”, has been chosen as a finalist in their Flash Memoir Contest!
We must have a purpose – I’ve always wanted to reach people, tell them they’re not alone. I think I’m just beginning to do that.
Live an Inspired Life!
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Free Audiobook!
Hello, Beautiful People!
I want to give away free copies of West End, now on audible.com!
Comment here or on my facebook page with a positive affirmation and the hashtag #hope.
A winner will be chosen at random in the next few days!
One young women’s struggle against hopelessness and madness.
Reviews:
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Giggles Galore
“Harvey Levin Can’t Die” is available in print, on the web, and even in podcast format!
So – what would life be like without reality television? “Harvey Levin Can’t Die” is a fictional and humorous look at one fantastical outcome.
Imagine this:
I woke up on a Thursday morning and there were no more Kardasians on TV. The news didn’t mention Lindsey, Brittany, or any housewives from anywhere. It was as if they’d never existed, and I wondered, momentarily, as I swept through the channels with careless ease, if I’d awakened in an alternate universe…..
Many thanks to the lovely editors at Pilcrow and Dagger for continuing to publish my poetry and short stories and for now podcasting them as well!
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When I killed my neighbor’s dog….
Maybe I was having a dream, maybe I heard a noise in the driveway, maybe I heard any of the assorted dogs in the neighborhood barking, whatever it was that woke me up at 3 a.m. on a weekday morning, that line was zinging in my head.
As I lay there, trying to get back to sleep, I wondered where else that line might go. So, I let it lead me, take me wherever it might go.
I thought maybe I’d make a mental note, write it the next day, maybe take physical notes on the notebook next to my bed and finish it after work.
Then, by 4 a.m., with the story unwinding itself to me, I got out of bed. I took my notebook into the dining room, turned on the light and wrote.
By 5:30, I’d finished the majority of the first draft and started to get ready for work.
“Of Strays and Exes” was a departure for me – it’s snarky, ironic, almost funny.
So, don’t judge me too harshly, ladies and gentlemen, apart from the first line, the story is actually about the connection and disconnection we do throughout our lives in relationships and with the people (and critters) around us.
The story is available in New Beginnings by Pilcrow and Dagger.
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Free book?
Ladies and gentlemen,
My book of short stories should be out in another month – I’ll have two advance copies to give away.
There will be a very easy one question contest, and then a drawing (done by a third party) from all of the correct answers.
The official announcement and contest will begin in the next few weeks – keep checking back or sign up to receive updates!
Thanks,
Noreen
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Is Mike a Ghost? The Supernatural in West End
I was asked, recently, if Mike, the character from West End who disappeared as a teenager and reappeared to the narrator was a ghost.
According to Dr. McAndrew, in the article “Why Some People See Ghosts and Other Presences,” people may see spirits when they “have become isolated in an extreme or unusual environment, often when high levels of stress are involved. These individuals report a perception or feeling that another person is there to help them cope…”
The main character in West End is isolated and in an unusual environment when Mike arrives. She’s not certain she saw him with the soldiers, just that there were soldiers and she never looks at faces, so she states.
McAndrew further states: “The loneliness and isolation, coupled with high levels of stress and unchanging sensory stimulation, might very well produce the same biological conditions that could trigger a “visit” from the recently departed.”
The narrator in West End claims to find comfort in this non-existence she has found. She left home because of the stress which she was unable to handle; she is now surrounded by, so it seems, an unchanging environment without stimulation. Then, suddenly, Mike is there.
What do you think – is Mike a ghost?
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Grandma’s Tour
My Poem, “Grandma’s Tour” will be published in Pilcrow & Dagger’s November/December issue!
This is especially poignant as my grandmother passed in August of this year. She wrote poetry herself and left me her book of touching, handwritten poems. It is one of my treasured texts.
I think she would’ve liked this poem. I’m saddened she didn’t get to read it or see it published in her honor.
Noreen Lace 
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