Ape, being in a critique group was the best thing to ever happen to my writing. And I avoided them for years! Ah, the stupidity of youth.

I have to take the cat to the vet again, though nothing to worry about. It'll cut into writing, but who knows, maybe I'll get a story idea.

Current story is turning into a weird Our Town vibe. Or maybe Under Milkwood. Dead people sitting around commenting on the living. Trying to graft a plot onto it.

Cold and sunny, with snow expected later. Yikes!

Stay warm everyone. Coffee would rock!

Quote by gillianleeza

We watched it last night as well. I enjoyed it, and although I knew something was off, I didn't see what happened coming. It has a beautiful look, and Florence Pugh was fantastic. I was pleasantly surprised by how well Harry Styles did in his role.

He was really good! And the CLOTHES!!!

We watched Don't Worry Darling last night. It was REALLY good. Forget all the gossip about stars having affairs and such. It's just a well-made, thoughtful movie - great acting. Crushing a little on Florence Pugh at the moment. Talia approves.

Quote by JamesPBear

I thought you normally looked lumpy! My mistake.

I'll take a mug of Scottish Breakfast tea, and a couple of GF cookies. You'll find me (if anyone wants to) in Sara's corner, munching quietly – as is my wont.

I emerged still standing. It'll be nice to not be savaged once a month. Now I get to savage others! (Actually it's a very nice, supportive group of people.)

Leftover takeout sopes from last night.

Looks like a fun trip Sara. Thanks for the pics. I can travel vicariously through you!

Gill, a few weeks ago I was up til 5 a.m. because the wind was blowing so hard. It wasn't unpleasant, I just watched the trees thrash until I fell asleep.

Today my novel critique group is finishing my book. So, if you see me covered in psychic bruises, you know why. It'll be nice to get it in the rear view mirror though.

Lotsa coffee and a Vegas-shaped cookie please.

Good luck with the dusting Ape.

And James, yes it is a long 5 months until baseball season. We'll have to subside on trade rumors and Spring training.

No Talia Thursday, and she had Friday off, so we will take the three day weekend and do...nothing, probably. Finish the Friends Lego. Eat well. Have fun. It's gonna be cold.

Cold now too, and sunny. About time to settle in and write. It's about ghosts in a baseball field, and right now I'm rambling.

A coffee please, and a cookie!

Election Day. Not gonna lie, I may end up drunk tonight, watching the returns.

But I'm sane and sober this morning, ready for coffee and a delicious cookie.

Enjoy the day everyone.

Quote by Mendalla

Amen, Bear. We did a tour of the parks in Southern Utah and Northern Arizona and I think we enjoyed most of them more than the Grand. It's big but some of the others have more interesting features (Bryce's hoodoos, the arches in Arches and Canyonlands). Red Rock Canyon West of Vegas is great for hiking, too.

Sigh, Now I want to go to the SW. OTOH, I am finally getting to New Orleans again. Was supposed to go for my third time 6 or 7 years ago but the conference got cancelled permanently. We are taking a cruise out of NOLA's port and then spending 4 days in the city after the cruise. Jazz and cajun/creole cooking, here I come!

I'll take an Astros cookie. Winners taste better. 😜

That is a great part of the world. Congrats Sara (and Bear and Ape!). I've done the Grand Canyon, once as a kid, once as an adult. I've spent a TON of time in the Canyonlands, and even spent my honeymoon backpacking in the remote Maze section of the Canyonlands. Bryce, Arches too. I know that part of the country very well.

Baseball? Eh, I like the Astros. Five months without baseball. And the spectacular crash-and-burn of the end of the Mets season makes me gun-shy.

Two rejection slips this weekend. Wah. But that's mostly the function of having a ton of stories out. I'll send out more today.

Sara's cookies are back! Yay! Strawberry shortcake would be wonderful. And a coffee.

Not as tardy as your first customer, happily. Thanks for the set-up Ape. And the cookies!!!

Really liking the new story. Mostly father-daughter dialogue. Monsters too! But mostly fathers and daughters.

We're seeing a high school play (!!!) directed by a teacher friend in mind called The King in Yellow. This play is actually said to drive men insane - the source material is one of the first Cosmic Horror stories ever. Anyway, Google it if you're interested, it's really crazy stuff. Should be bonkers.

Enjoy your weekend, my friends.

Just read the Ping story. It really does rock. Highly recommended.

No Talia Tuesday, but I'm just happy not to be herding cats and fixing fire alarms. First therapy, then writing a rather ambitious story. Maybe too ambitious - stuffing too much in there.

Good pitching matchup tonight: Verlander v Syndergaard. Thor!!! Let's go Phillies.

A cookie and a coffee please.

Crazy frikkin morning. Smoke detector went off around 2, and it took me like an hour to silence (and I had to pull down 5 other detectors that might be the culprit - you JUST CAN'T TELL!). This morning, we had to take both cats to the vet for a check-up, and had them in their boxes, ready to go, and then one got out and is hiding SOMEWHERE. We can't find him, and I bet we don't see him for hours and hours.

Anyway. I'm in a foul mood. Ping's got a story up - I hope he gets some reads.

Perhaps coffee and a cookie will help.

I watched an old Barney Miller last night and it held up great. I may binge it in the near future.

blinks

I can do this. I can do this. Don't panic. Here's the coffee grounds. Cool. Hey, here's the tea! And I know where the water is. Let me plug in this percolator and...we are good to go!

Starting a new story that broke the first time I tried it. Trying to mix a father-daughter drama into an alien invasion. It's a balancing act, and all the plates fell and broke the first time.

We got a TON of trick or treaters last night! Yay! I'm pysched to be in a big Halloween nabe again! We gave out books too, along with candy. Books without candy would get your home (understandly) egged.

A coffee and one of Sara's strawberry shortbread cookie. And whatever happened to Myrtle's honey-bread dealios? Those were good.

Quote by redwriter

Cannot find it, Verbal. Last submission shown is your poem. Is there a title?

I took it down.

Hope everyone enjoys the weekend!

Good morning all.

I have a story up on the front page. Be nice to get a read or two if anyone wants to read it. It's got a bit of a agenda.

https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/horror/dont-bother-running

Other than that, not much going on. World Series tonight! Go Phillies! We are putting the garden to bed this weekend, after a freeze this week. Borrrrrring. A play in Denver next weekend though!

A coffee and a cookie!

Quote by JamesPBear

I'll root against the Astros, so I guess that means I'll root for the Phillies. Besides, Bryce Harper surely deserves a ring, and this is his chance to get it.

The odds, though, say the Astros will walk all over the Phillies. Let's see if David can slay Goliath once again.

At least the Phillies have a great mascot. The Phanatic is the best in the business!

Phillies are old-school National League - I can easily get behind them. And you are right James, the best mascot in the biz (sorry Mr. Met).

Tommy LaSorda beating up the Phillie Phanatic:

Thanks for the setup! Sorry Sara, cold weather is coming - snow is predicted today, though none yet, except for a dusting on the mountains.

No Talia Thursday. Teaching the cats to make me toast. They do a good job, but they keep licking the butter.

I finished a story yesterday, so today is an edit day. I don’t know if it’s any good or not.

Other than that, snuggle with the cats and stay warm. One of Sara’s strawberry shortcake cookies and an extra hot coffee please!

My Heart is a Chainsaw, Stephen Graham Jones. A final-girl-in-a-slasher survival tale. It’s great.

Quote by JamesPBear

Evening, all! Busy day – we had a skylight replaced, which is…fun. This is a new (to us) house, and we're trying to make sure everything is up to scratch before the winter.

Almost there. Going to replace the thermostat with a smart one, and then re-engineer some of the eavestroughing. After that, whatever's left will have to wait for Spring.

Meanwhile, I'd like a mug of Red Rose and a couple of GF cookies, if there are any. I'll sneak back into the corner, and maybe try to get some reading done. I'm having trouble concentrating today. I may be coming down with something.

We'll see.

Smart thermostats are easy to install and so worth it.

My daughter was in the hospital, and is doing okay, but it has been a bit of a sleepless night.

I have the last two or three sentences left in my Kill Your Landlord story. A happy saga of a girl and her cat-creature ridding the world of pernicious capitalism. Yeah, it’s a weird one.

Coffee and a cookie please.

Yeah Ape, our warm weather ran out too. Snow is on the mountaintops as of last night, and it's cold and windy.

Thanks for the setup!

Chill day today. No baseball, too cold to walk. I'll write and stay inside and warm.

A coffee and a cookie please!

I'd love to see you dressed as an Arab, Elizabeth.

I like to think of this coffeehouse as a collective: whoever shows up first gets things going. *plugs in percolator, set up assorted teas, puts out some of S's cookies and M's bread things.

I submitted 6 stories in the last two days. Because rejections usually happen fast, I'm bracing myself for 4-5 rejections in the next few weeks. Yuck. I'll be happy if one sticks.

I need coffee but the cat is on my lap, and Talia's at work.

Kitty, I have some bad news.

Still in the high 70s here, but autumn is on its way, you can feel it in the air.

Finished a story (the tentacles in the basement story) that I'm really proud of, so I'm going to aim high and submit it somewhere good. We shall see. I just got a rejection after they held onto the story for TEN MONTHS.

Nothing else going on. Start a new story today about...wait for it...a cat. Or something that appears to be a cat. Root for the Yankees to lose tonight.

I hope everyone is well. I'd love a cookie and one of those honey things from yesterday. And...COFFEE!

Those look frikkin awesome, Myrtle. And they go perfect with coffee? Say no more.

Lazy day, after a pretty busy weekend and Monday. Today, tidy up the tentacle story, take a walk, and TWO good baseball games on.

Larry, don't know if you pop in here any longer, but I'm rooting for your Padres. You did the impossible - you beat the Dodgers. Good luck in the post-season.

Coffee, a cookie, an another hunk of that delish bread. Time to work.

We had a freeze last night too - had to pull in the rest of the tomatoes, which we are trying to ripen on the windowsill.

Sorry about the Braves, Sara. At least you can still root against the Yankees!

We did a Halloween reading at a library this weekend - went really well. Saw some good friends. Also got a rejection of a story the mag had for 10 MONTHS. That hurt.

Enjoy the day all. Coffee and a cookie please!

Good Lord! Empty again! Here I am, the latest riser in the world, and yet I'm still catching the worm!

gets the pecolator perking, the tea-oltor tea-ing

Since I ate all of Sara's cookies yesterday, I brought some of my own in recompense. My apologies. Snickerdoodles!!!

Gill, I am glad fall is treating you well. I would rather cut off my hands than give up caffeine. I'm happy it's working for you though.

Three baseball games today, and I should be finishing up my tentacles-in-the-basement story. Spoooooky! And I get to read in public tomorrow, at a library in Denver, and see some old friends.

Enjoy the weekend all!

I wrote 1000 words. I thawed some chicken. I watched the January 6th hearings. I watched some of the Astros/Mariners game. Now I'm going for a walk.

Good morning, ever...hey no one's here! I'll get some beans perking, and some water boiling. And I'll eat...ALL THE COOKIES!!! Hahahahaha!

Not really. I left a couple.

Working on a new story today, involving basements and tentacles.

Enjoy your Wednesday everyone!

Nicwe to see you here, ITM.

Congrats on making it to the post-season Sara.

My comp entry dropped on another site. Not a lot of reaction - but I've never entered a comp post-changeover, maybe that's how it is these days.

Anyway. Writing all day, baseball on in the background. Coffee would be swell.

Why, yes, the Mets are the only 100-win team to ever go down in the Wild Card round! Thanks for asking! I realize it's not just me, the Canucks in the crown are bumming because the BJs are out of it too.

I did submit to a Noir contest on another site this morning. So that's kinda fun.

Anyway. Tiring weekend. A coffee would be wonderful.