Vanished Among Artichokes

Image by djedj on Pixabay

Annie got out of her car and walked toward the front doors of the grocery store.

Two cashiers rang customers through with a frown and sweaty brow. Michael Bolton crooned on the radio.  Annie grabbed a plastic basket and started toward produce.

She stopped at the discount cooler filled apples, oranges, and artichokes. The apples looked half rotten and the oranges were squishy. She pawed through the firm and dark green artichokes.

Searing pain flooded her arm. She looked down, her hand was bitten off. Blood poured from the stump. A cashier screamed. Annie fainted.

Her hand vanished among artichokes.

The Afterlife of Tanya Madera by JM Scott Free in all Kindle Markets Through February 24, 2019

Hey all, The Afterlife of Tanya Madera is free in all Kindle markets through February 24, 2019.

Fun fact, this was one of the last stories where the first draft was mostly handwritten. When I was younger and my hands were more cooperative, every story, it didn't matter how long they were, were handwritten. This includes this sci/fi and fantasy hybrid short story I wrote for a fiction class at Penn State. When I typed it out it was 30 pages including double spacing.

I don't there is something about handwriting stories and poems. I still handwrite poems, at least the short ones.  Another reason why I don't handwrite the first draft is my handwriting has gotten worse over the years. Half the time, I can't even figure out what I wrote, and I am the damn writer.

Correction, this is the last story I completed that was handwritten. I have one in a notebook I would like to restart. I have a huge work in progress list as it is, so who knows it may never see the light of day again.

Back to this book, it is an older book as I published 5 years ago this month. Would there be things I would change? Sure is. And I could change them. But I'm not going to. It's like this... as a writer gets better the publisher doesn't just release all their books with changes. I would hazard a guess Stephen King would want to change Carrie. I could tell the difference between his more recent novels and Carrie. Like all things, the more you do it the better you become.

Have I become better? Well, I guess you could get a copy of this book and mark your calendars because Daughters of New America will be free throughout different days in early March. These books are my most recent. I think I have gotten better over the years. I can see the change in my writing and the way I tell a story.

Until then, grab The Afterlife of Tanya Madera, and enjoy a unique ghost story.

Autism and Vaccinations

Measles are making a comeback, just in case you didn't know.  And it's making a comeback because people choose to not vaccinate their kids.

I want to understand why.

One reason why people are against vaccinations is that there was some now-debunked scientific study that claimed vaccinations caused autism.

Apparently, this is still a reason for not vaccinating.

My question is what is so wrong with having a kid with autism? I don't have a kid with autism. I get that some kids on the spectrum require more care than other kids. So, is that a bad thing? Do these people who want to protect their kids from autism and not death require perfect children? To me, it sure it seems like it. One can only wonder what happens if these children do not live up to their expectations.  In a way, it seems like these anti-vaxxers want perfect little children and are too selfish to devote too much time to their autistic children.

I just read an article today that there is a possibility that autism could be caused by air pollution. So there's that.

So if an anti-vaxxer could explain to me why it's not a good idea to vaccinate,  I would love to know. And please provide legitimate resources so I can learn. I just have a hard time understanding the anti-vaxx movement. Who are these people? I'd love to know.

Till next time...

I, Too, Need Executive Time- Vote for Me in 2020

My "I want to watch list" on Netflix is a mile long. I've never finished Black Mirror, Haunting of Hill House and The Dark. I haven't watched Birdbox yet.  Somehow I managed to powerhouse Russian Doll. I contemplate subscribing to Hulu because there is shit I want to watch. And yet, like a junkie I just keep adding things to Netflix that I never watch.

People all around me seem to have time to watch all sorts of TV. I don't know where my time goes. I spend a lot of time on schoolwork, house chores, writing, reading, marketing, making jewelry, more writing. Throw in a nap here or there and that is my life. But I've realized I've been doing it all wrong.

I just need executive time. I'm not sure how that works. I always thought the president had a lot of important stuff to do like talk to other leaders, work on trade deals and what not. So, maybe I should be president then I can have executive time,  where I can finally watch all my shows on Netflix. Maybe I'll get Hulu while I am at it.

It sure seems the dems are going to make the mistake the GOP made in the 2016 election, too many horses in the race. So, I'll throw my hat in. I don't really have a platform, I'll just wing it. Just get me that executive time. The job comes with staff members who do everything for you except wipe your ass, or at least I hope not. But then it sure would be nice to pass that duty onto someone else.

Vote for me in 2020. I have no platform. I have no vision. Truthfully, I just want the perks. I promise not to use Twitter to make nonsense comments. I promise not to shut down the government because I will be too busy watching TV.  That's honesty, right? People want honesty, and here I'm being honest.

Vote for me in 2020. You've got nothing to lose. You've got nothing to gain either. I am slowly turning into an anarchist. How fun would that be? An anarchist atheist and throw in Antichrist in there as well for the most fun.

Till next time...

Hush

hidden hearts in floorboards and hearthstones
trust in me, she whispers from the walls
hush little baby she sings
her petticoats rustle through redecorated halls

she loves little babies and little babies love her
she continues to play the angel
she smiles and calms the damned
sugar in the shine, but the shine is shady

the darkness hums
the darkness comes

hands in hell, this house encourages heady hexes
understand this upside-down,
she undies with every fresh, tender reaping
hush little baby she sings
her phosphorescence fades

she wears darkness
she calls herself mother
she shines with sugar promises
she takes those that can’t be replaced

the baby cries
the baby dies

Digging in Strange Holes after it Rains

The hole opened after the rain, at first it was an inch across perfect for a baby snake. A day later, it grew to six inches. The following day it was twelve inches. I grabbed a shovel and started digging.  Suddenly, light poured from the ground. What was down there? I dug it wider and dove in.

The air was cool then warm. I splashed into water that tasted like the ocean and felt like the Caribbean. 

I looked up; the hole I jumped through, now it was a tiny black speck. How was I going get home?

I wasn’t.

Election Day- A Federal Holiday?

There's a lot of talk about making Election Day a federal holiday. Let's get this straight I am all for more people voting. But this is not a good idea.

It only benefits a small section of the population: anyone who has off on federal holidays. This will never include people who work in the service industries. Like other federal holidays, it will just become a sale day like President's day and Martin Luther King Jr Day. 

And what about primaries? Every damn state has different primary days. So I guess those elections don't count. Why would they anyway? It's the only way for incumbents to stay in the race.

You want to make elections more accessible to those who want and legally can vote?

More machines. There is NO REASON  why people should have to wait one, two, three hours to vote. Precincts need more voting machines. My precinct has 4 and they are crammed into a tiny church basement at some tiny church town. Luckily I went down right after the polls opened but it was already getting busy with the before work crowd.  There needs to be poll workers to accommodate more voting machines.

If absentee balloting is available, use resources to actually tell voters. Many people don't even know they have options.

And of course, there is always extending the voting hours, especially in larger populated areas. Voting should only take a few minutes but every election we see stories about people waiting hours to vote. Making it a federal holiday won't accomplish anything.