Now what am I doing?

I'm still working on that novel; I axed Ruby and Elliot and then decided I liked a couple of their moments together too much so I brought them back with a little bit of a makeover. And I've got to figure out what everyone is wearing, because not only does it help solidify the date of the story, but it may be more interesting than assuming they're wearing something rather than wandering around neked. Or, maybe not.
But my new adventure is making purses! I'm embracing the entrepreneurial spirit and designing and making these fabulous things. I sold my first one this last Thursday and have colleagues at work asking for their own, as well as holiday orders. I'm very excited! Now I just have to get production down to a reasonable time and I'll be set! Take a look! I'll let you all in on some of the novel in a little bit.

I did it!

As of this morning, I have completed the first full rough draft of my novel,
The Asparagus Revival. I've been prancing around the house - yes, prancing - with the attitude of "There's nothing I can't do!" Let's hope that attitude follows me into the editing process. Hooray for magical 15 minute moments, days off of work and Mom's rhubarb pie for breakfast which all made this possible.

As for the fortune cookie story - I'm thinking short story and more of that will be coming soon.

Three Openings

I started a writing class last Monday on stories and so far - out of the two Monday night classes so far, it's been fun. Not at all like the bogus workshops I suffered through in college where we were graded on how much we could 'constructively' tear each other's work to shreds. I'm actually getting something useful out of this class.
For last night's assignment we had to write three different openings to the same story, or to three different stories. Here are mine:

1.
"You are entering a time of great promise and overdue rewards." Allison crunched the fortune cookie and smiled. Ever since she had ditched the unreliable horoscopes and moved to fortune cookies for her daily compass, she had felt that she was more and more on the right track. Except for that one that had said "Your doubts should disappear early this month." Well, she shrugged, in every batch of apples there'll be a rotten one.

2.
Allison smiled at the receptionist and looked at the clock again. She had been 10 minutes early for the interview, and now Mr. Ephram was 15 minutes late. She rummaged through her purse, finding a mint and a fortune cookie from yesterday's lunch. Allison popped the mint and cracked the cookie, letting the pieces fall into her purse as she read, "There is yet time for you to take a different path."

3.
Allison looked up at the climbing wall from her indentation on the mat. Her fingers were blistered, her will to go on - climbing - dented and bruised, and ther faith in the fortune cookie slipping. Her last fortune had said "Now is the time to enjoy trying something new." But pottery had been a flop, hot yoga was a hot mess, nothing but dandilions grew from her gardening endeavors and now rock climbing had been a complete failiure. And she had an awful wedgie. She had cracked open another cookie yesterday and the fortune read "there is yet time to take a different path." She sighed and wiggled out of her harness.


Which do you like best?

Give or Take

It was kindly pointed out to me that my 50 word story actually has 51 words! Woops! And I decided to change it a little anyway, but thanks for the encouragement Stephanie.

So here's the revised version and the one I'm going to send out, because it is indeed 50 words.


It is said that a butterfly flapping his wings on one side of the world causes a hurricane on the other. Buddha, in all his rotund wisdom, grew worried. "Oh! I waved to Grandma this morning!" Buddha exhaled a big belly sigh, and on the other side of the world...

50 Words

My mom told me about a fiction contest for a story that is no more and no less than 50 words. 50 words is not much. So here's the story that I will be submitting:

Breezes
By Kelly Hayes

"It's true, your holiness. I heard the white man say: butterfy flap his wings here, make hurricane on other side of the world." If the breeze from a butterfly's wings could do that, what about birds? What about an eagle? Buddha let out a big belly sigh and across the world...

What's Your Favorite Vegetable?

On Friday I was out at an elementary school all day for their enrichment day. I was playing my Great Savings Race with 3rd graders and after determining that more than a few of the 3rd grade boys are saving for Ferraris and Lamborginis (I can't spell that but neither can they!) I headed to the bathroom for a quick break. In the child sized stalls ( I couldn't find the teacher's bathroom) I was doing my thing when I heard a litte voice from a few stalls over - "Are you a 3rd grader or a 5th grader?"
I'm an adult.
"Oh. What's your skin color."
White.
"What's your favorite fruit?"
Watermelon - which actually it's a toss up between cherries, peaches and watermelon but I was under pressure!
"What's your favorite vegetable?"
Peas! I got that one right.
At this point we have both emerged from our stalls to wash our hands and there is this teeny 3rd grader going on about asparagus and isn't it just the greatest vegetable in the world? Can you count asparagus as a vegetable? I said I think we could and she gave me the biggest grin like I'd just said I have a plateful for her right there in my purse. She was a little fashion diva with her winter scarf tied around her butt and dragging on the ground and she chatted up asparagus with me all the way back to our classrooms - all the while sashaying like that scarf was the most brilliant fashion idea anyone has ever come up with and she was the first to think of it.

A few days before that, I was playing a credit game with some 18 yr old boys who were about to be out in the big wide world on their own. When I explained one of the latest credit card fraud scams to them, one of the boys said "well that's a bowl of F*%$." I have never heard it put more accurately or eloquently.

This is how I get to spend my days!

I'm Free!

I have been wandering around my house in seventh heaven all week. My roommate moved out and I am going it on my own! I can leave the dishes in the sink if I want to - and I do - my shoes are by the garage door - Uh oh! - and I can sleep in or wake up and vaccuume nekid at 6 am if I want. Oh the possibilities! But seriously, I'm loving being on my own. It's not lonely at all and I am happy as a clam.
Now, if only I could find the right paint color in all those cans in the garage to do touch ups in my new guest room. (I have a guest room!!) I did touch-ups last night with a big "what the - ? Crap." because it definitely was not the right color.

Still writing 15 minutes! This is record breaking for me!