Quote by verbal
Almost time for Halloween month! We should have a just-for-fun scary story contest. Micros or flash or something.

I have coins that I can award and thought about putting out a Halloween challenge. However, with my current mood and energy level, not sure I'm up to doing something like the one WriterGirl did a while ago. I'm in the throes of depression or something. Even blew up at work yesterday, which is absolutely not my usual style. Might just watch and see if any interesting Halloween-ish stories go up and give coins to ones I like or something.

Quote by Cora
Mendalla, on a completely random note, congratulations on keeping Inspirations going strong since 2018

Yowzers, has it been that long? (checks) Yep, as of Nov. 3 this place will be 6 years old. For some reason I thought it started closer to the pandemic for some reason so was only maybe 4. Thanks for the kind words but I have had lots of help over the years, including you, verbs, and the white furry one. 😊

pours a darjeeling and scarfs a random cookie

Too busy in life to do much more with my 2024 Halloween tale but there's a first draft that just needs a revised ending and then my usual endless editing passes. Thought it might end up a Flash but it's going to be enough over 1000 words that I've kind abandoned that idea. A hint about the Halloween element below.

Hydrated people are healthier people.

Good morning! Since Cora's got the coffee and teapots filled up, I'll do the cold drinks. Stocked up the sodas, washed the pitchers, and made fresh iced tea and lemonade.

takes a tea and a cookie from each team

Hey, I don't have a horse in the race so I'll just spread the love. 😊

Quote by Molly
I'm in Europe without my laptop.

Been there, done that. I rarely take my laptop on trips though there's a couple we are thinking about where I will (cruises with lots of sea days so writing time). Hope it's a vacay and not work. Take care.

Quote by JustAnotherSapphic

I guess I'm luckier'n them cause my person and I live in the same state - they're in SoCal and I'm in NorCal - but we text and talk on the phone 'n video chat as much as we can.

I met the great love of my life when phones were plugged into the wall and "chat" was something you did with friends over coffee. None of this newfangled Intarwebs stuff. (end oldtimer rant) 🤣

Geez, get going. Those badges won't award themselves. 🤣(Kidding. As a forum admin myself, I appreciate the work you do on here.)

Oldboy

Water makes a nice drink.

Quote by JustAnotherSapphic

Tommy makes an amazing wingman, y'all. I met someone through one of the Tommy groups I'm in on fb and we've been a thing for a few weeks now.

I can totally see that happening. A couple members on the fansite I'm on for Dutch singer Floor Jansen have a thing going. Well, as much of a thing as possible when one is in the US and the other is in Finland.😊

Quote by verbal
My Weird Western story is coming out on Halloween!

Now that is good timing. 😎

Quote by JamesPBear

Lady Jay and I are going to Stratford (Ontario) to see La Cage au Folles tonight, and staying with friends.

Have fun. I didn't even check the playbill for this year so didn't know they were mounting La Cage. Weird that I hardly ever go when I can drive to Stratford in an hour or less on a good day.

And thanks for getting things going. I'll take a Darjeeling tea (coincidentally, I just brewed some for my morning work tea).

2024 Halloween story is progressing nicely. Might end up as a Flash since it's a bit short and might have a bit of a punchline to it. We shall see.

This week's is a collection of specialized publishers. That is, publishers who focus on a single subject or fairly tight group. They range from small presses to some decent sized ones. One example is Shambhala, a long running publisher of books on meditation and Eastern religion. There's publishers for women, health, and some very focussed fiction publishers (e.g. Dragonblade, who specialize in historical fiction with a romance angle). Obviously, this list is geared more to folks writing books but, hey, some of us are or are thinking of it.

https://authorspublish.com/61-specialized-publishers-open-to-manuscript-submissions/

Quote by JamesPBear
I have barely written a lick since the last comp.

I usually write words and lick popsicles but you do you. 😉🤣

Master of the World.

Peace is needed on Earth.

PS. Has anyone heard from Anna lately? She's been scarce for a month or so now. Hope she is well and just occupied with other things.

Quote by JamesPBear
Instead, there's social media – which I don't particularly enjoy or approve of.

Funnily enough, that seems to be the case in the music world now, too. And, yeah, different musicians definitely take to it differently. I know musicians who avoid it like the plague and let others handle it for them and others who take to it like a fish to water. A lot of millennial and Gen Z indie musicians are building their whole careers around it.

Quote by Mendalla

Atomic Robo. Weird long-running pulp action webcomic about a robot built by Nikolai Tesla who becomes kind of an electronic Tony Stark (runs Tesla's company, saves the world). Not sure how long I will stick with it, but it is pretty entertaining. Timeline gets a bit confusing as it jumps around in the mid-late 20th century and into the early 21st.

Heavy focus on Robo's WWII adventures right now. We have Nazis equipped with tank-based mecha and weird mutant monsters. I guess this falls into what they call dieselpunk (too late for steampunk, but too early for cyberpunk).

Quote by CuriousAnnie

Congrats to every one who entered and especially the podium. I've been on vacation so I am tardy in both reading and posting. I will read those that I haven't in the next few days. ❤️

Hi, Annie. Hope you had a good vacay and that your little one is doing well.

Hey, good morning, Cora. White Peach sounds great.

I might have an idea for a Halloween story. Different from last year's for sure. Witch-y stuff. Just need to put it down in bits and bytes to see if I like it as much written as I do in my head.

Showers overnight but seems to be brightening up as the day moves on. Been rather warm for late September but this is supposed to be the end of that, more seasonal mid-low twenties celsius going forward.

Quote by Molly
Wil Wheaton

LOL. Perfect for many reasons. Scalzi also wrote the novel Redshirts, a well-regarded Trek satire.

Atomic Robo. Weird long-running pulp action webcomic about a robot built by Nikolai Tesla who becomes kind of an electronic Tony Stark (runs Tesla's company, saves the world). Not sure how long I will stick with it, but it is pretty entertaining. Timeline gets a bit confusing as it jumps around in the mid-late 20th century and into the early 21st.

People may still get confused.

King of Kings

Good morning! Sunday is here and Fall is now officially open for business. Except here, we seem to be getting a last gasp of summer. High 20s Celsius and a bit muggy.

Coffee is Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. Teas are Scottish Breakfast and Buddha's Blend. Washed the pitchers and made fresh lemonade and iced team. Oh, and ape is slaving over a hot frying pan so there's some special goodies.

I listened to Yesterwynde, the new Nightwish album, today and it is magnificent. But the song that really takes the show is perhaps the most beautiful song ever to emerge from this band. "Lanternlight" features a stellar vocal performance by Floor Jansen with just keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen and a light string section behind her. Troy Donockley slips in with some backing vocals. And it is just beautiful. And keep in mind, Floor recorded this at the end of a 12-month period when she had cancer treatment and gave birth. And she still knocked it out of the park. Tuomas told interviewers that they arrived at Floor's home studio to record her vocals for the album prepared for two weeks of recording, but she was done in six days. It is some of her best work to date.

Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooood afternoon!

Ape is here. Week is over. Weather is nice if getting a bit too warm.

Been a health week. Doctor yesterday, blood work today (hopefully have results Monday), x-ray of my bum left knee next week. And, for the most part, I'm healthy (save for the aforementioned bum left knee).

White peach sounds good.

In The LIne of Fire

It is Thursday! How are folks doing this fine morning?

Coffee is Deathwish Dark Roast. Teas are Organic Darjeeling and Cream of Earl Grey. Pitchers are washed and there's fresh iced tea and lemonade mixed up.

Have a good one!