I’m totally slacking off on my Daily Prompts of late simply because they just don’t interest me as much as they used to.  I’m also buried in things that need to be done before the  year’s end, like finishing my novel.

I finally got done doing the first round of edits till the last chapter, which helped me continue to write the “real” final chapters. I never realized how it can sometimes take awhile before your characters find the right and perfect way to tie the loose ends together.  But  until then, they hound your dreams till you do.

Another thing that I’ve been doing is reading.  Lots of reading. Some of them bad stories, some good stories, and then some awesome stories. Among the awesome stories is Margaret Atwood’s The Stone Mattress, a collection of 9 short stories (some of them interlinked) written in classic Margaret Atwood fashion. I honestly can’t remember Atwood fashion but reading stuff from her and other literary awesomeness reminds me that everything else I write is just so-so.

One of the nine stories in her collection is called The Freeze-Dried Groom.  Even the title is pretty darn cool!  You can read the short story on Wattpad, where Atwood is also a “member.”  She’s also holding a fan fiction story contest, where you can take this short story beyond its ending.  Write your own version of what happens to one or all of the characters.  I didn’t think I’d throw my hat in the ring, but after reading the story and having the characters, especially Sam hanging out in my head overnight, I finally decided to give it a go.

So tonight, I finally clicked “Publish” on that sucker, and you can find it here.  It’s called Miss Hazel Eyes.  You know me and titles – I completely suck at them.  You don’t have to be a member to read the story, but if you happen to be a member, I’d love to hear what you think.  You can even vote for the story, or like it by clicking the yellow starry thing at the top right (for web-based readers) or the starry thing at the bottom of the screen (for mobile users).

Regardless of what you do, I’d be happy with just a read.  Oh, and maybe wish me luck, too!