The MONTHLY WRITING CHALLENGE

April Challenge - Submitted by Richard Earl Rice
Exercise: Creating a Short Piece Based on a Photograph

Haystack Photo
A keening, hungry hawk high above woke me. I rolled over, feeling the prickle of alfalfa stems on my face. The cut hay still carried the new-mown scent. My head throbbed and the whiskey and vomit combination filled my mouth. Another day was dawning.

Beach Photo
Waves lapped timidly against the shore, unlike the roaring tide of last night. The sand beneath me was wet, unforgiving. My hand ran over the last of her footprints leading into the ocean. A surge of grief tightened in my chest and I spat out the salt water residue.that lingered in my mouth. I had arrived too late to save her.
Submitted by Richard Earl Rice

April Challenge - Submitted by Charm O'Ryan

Exercise: Skimping on Adjectives
Describe something in detail without using adjectives … the use of color is permitted.
(First three paragraphs are written as instructed above; second to last sentence contains four adjectives, that are all the same, used for emphasis; a peek into Sandy’s eager emotions—her feelings—her excitement; to discover why she wanted … why she needed everything perfect)

A Picnic by a River
What more could Sandy ask for? The afternoon was perfect: seventy-five degrees beneath a bright-blue sky, no wind, a blanket spread atop grass so thick and soft she could sleep on it all night should she choose to do so. A lullaby, created by a robin, singing, harmonizing with the nearby river’s current, played lazily in her ear; butterflies of all shapes, sizes, and colors flitted softly on the pedals of various wildflowers planted on the knoll next to the riverbank—an occasional bee interrupted them now and then, but for the most part, it seemed the two shared the nectar naturally. With a quack, a couple of mallards took flight from the cattails aligning the river’s edge; a drake, obviously determined, gave chase behind them.
The basket setting beside her captured her gaze. She could hardly wait to eat the picnic she’d prepared. The foods nestled inside smelled more than delicious—even with the lid still closed. Her mouth watered with anticipation of her teeth sinking deep inside the sandwich loaded with egg, mayonnaise, pickles, and a pinch of pepper. Her stomach joined in the eager want to be satisfied, grumbling aloud as her thoughts feasted on the pie, still warm from the oven; a pie she’d stuffed with the three different types of berries she’d picked from her garden just this morning: blackberry, strawberry, and blueberry.
A fly appreciated the basket’s oozing fragrance, too, buzzing around it as he desperately sought entrance somewhere beneath the lid. She shooed him away with the back of a hand, and glanced at the watch dangling from her wrist. He would arrive any minute and the prospect of his kiss weakened her knees. His presence would complement the tranquility she and nature had created.
Oh, yes. It was a perfect afternoon, for a perfect picnic, by a perfect river, to accept his perfect proposal of marriage. Perfect.

New Novel by Bill Corbett/aka Will Edwinson

Greetings Blue Sage members and blog followers. I’d like to take a minute to tell you about my latest novel entitled, LouIsa---Iron Dove Of The Frontier, to be released by Wheatmark Publishing located in Tucson, Arizona. It will be available for purchase at www.amazon.com on December 15th.

I write fiction under the name Will Edwinson, and this is my third published novel. It is a story loosely based on the life of Louisa Houston-Earp, Sam Houston’s quarter Cherokee granddaughter. Houston lived for a time among the Cherokee Indians. First, as a boy from age fifteen to age nineteen, and again later, when he separated from his wife Eliza. During this later sojourn he married the powerfully beautiful Tiana Rogers, a Cherokee woman, though he was still technically and legally married to Eliza. From this marriage came a son, Samuel.

Samuel Houston married Elizabeth Waughtel with whom he had twelve children. It is believed that LouIsa (pronounced with a long i sound) Houston-Earp was one of those children.

Not much has been written about the real-life Louisa. This novel is not an authorized biography, nor is it intended to be. A great deal of literary license has been employed in the development of the story.

Louisa, is a mix of what historical information I was able to gather about her, and what I was able to conjure up from my own imagination. “It is left up to the reader to decide what is fiction based on history, and what is history based on fiction. In real life she was married to Morgan Earp, Wyatt Earp’s younger brother.

My characterization of Louisa is that of an interesting well rounded lady. When necessary, she can wrangle little dogies and cattle with the best of cowboys and fight as adeptly as the roughest of gutter rats; but also, when necessary, she can don an evening gown and be right at home with Vassar graduates.

She is a stalwart, but genteel woman of quiet strength, educated in an Eastern finishing school where she learned the ways of “Ladyship” and studied classical piano under the tutorship of masters becoming proficient in the works of Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, and others. She introduces this “high-brow” music into frontier saloons and actually wins the rowdies over into liking it.

Some of those rowdies learn the hard way, however, that ‘You don’t mess with LouIsa.’ She is a crack shot with her custom made .38 LouIsa Special revolver and has the temperament to use it when necessary as one rowdy learned when she shot him where no man wants to be shot. She is also a shrewd business woman. LouIsa has her heartbreaks to deal with as well, but she overcomes.

The book, will be available in print version and e-book versions for Kindle, Nook, and other digital reading devices. You can also go to Will’s website at www.willedwinson.com and read more about the book, and also read a few excerpts.

Corbett/aka Will Edwinson, currently lives it Tucson, Arizona