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I started this project 1questionaday for writing inspiration. A daily go-to to writing prompt. And weekly, I challenged myself to answer one of the questions in a flash fiction piece. It's been so much fun. Thanks to anyone who ever stopped by and a big thanks to my subscribers. Thanks for putting up with the days I didn't quite get those questions up and weeks where real life got in the way of flash fiction. I've got seven days to go and originally I was just going to do this for a year. I mean how many questions can a girl have? But now, I don't know. Do you think I should go another year? Maybe that should be my last question.

Having a blog can be a roller coaster ride. Some days you are going up that huge ramp and your stomach goes all queasy because you aren't sure. And then some days are the rush of the downhill and the thrill of what's next. I'm on the downhill today. I asked a simple question about daydreaming and am having a beautiful dialogue about freedom. Here's the first comment:

I’m daydreaming about freedom and wondering, simultaneously, if I can even define freedom.

Click here if you'd like to join the discussion. What does freedom mean to you?

Happy July 4th!! I'll be away from Laurasmagicday for a few weeks. If you need a fix of writing inspiration check out One Question A Day, I'll be posting questions there daily and doing Flash Fiction every Sunday. Have a wonderful holiday weekend surrounded by your family and friends!

This week's answer.

Happy Father's Day!!!!

The day we moved out of Ventana and into the wine barrel.





Moving out of So Cal, and coming to terms with my gaming and tea addictions [no photo of the tea I'm afraid, just too embarrassing!

Lots of both this week of the move. I'm remembering the first day we moved in here to the house in Big Sur, how crazy-tired I was and that I just flopped on the bed and fell asleep waiting for Oso and Joe to drive up with our stuff in the Uhaul. After packing up our entire house that took a whole day longer than we expected, properly disposing of all the hazardous waste, we opened a few kitchen cupboards to find tons of dishes and pans left unpacked. We were so bleary-eyed we just semi-tossed them all into the only box we had left and headed up north on our 5+ hour drive to our new home, about an hour longer than usual. And it really was surprising just how at home I felt here right away. I'm thinking about firsts because yesterday I painted for the first time in twenty years. It felt so good to paint again. I'm excited about doing more of it.

Which leads to today's question...

My little baby blog is one month old today! Yipppeee. I'm celebrating with a mint julep! If you get a chance let me know if you think my story My Sixteen-year-old Suckiness is fact or fiction.

Have a wonderful Derby Day!

Last night our good friend and neighbor, Rachel, had a party. It was sort of a going away party for us [not that we are moving that far away] and to welcome an old friend of hers visiting from Atlanta, a guy named Stanley. Rachel lives downstairs and came up saying they'd run out of wine. We walked down together with a bottle. Joe would bring reinforcements shortly. The sun was pretty lazy in the sky. I walked inside Rachel's place to find the home fires burning and a new friend and another good friend, Sylvia on the floor. The new friend had heaps of beautiful feathers, beads and shells on either side of her outstretched legs and was making beautiful earrings. Her painted jeans had been made into a skirt. When I asked if the feathers were ostrich, she replied that they were rooster feathers. Rachel put her earring on, beautiful, long flowing white feathers. Stanley said it made her look like Cher. We laughed. I said she'd need the mesh body suit. We talked about life and what was going on for all of us that particular day. I shared a harrowing story about my daughter Mx's trip to Morocco. But, that's her story and a post best left for another day. My new friend [her name is pronounced Wa-way], from Kenya, said a similar thing almost happened to her and her boyfriend in Africa. I told everyone there that I had prayed very hard the night before for all of my loved ones safety. Not really knowing why, just really feeling the need to pray. My new friend also said that she sat up the night before praying for safety for her loved ones too. I have to admit, I haven't really been praying as much as I should lately. Our new friend said she loved when women in her town would get together to string beads and talk about life. She gave me a beautiful strand from around her neck.

It was Sylvia's turn to put on her earring. My new friend asked what Sylvia could barter for it. Well, that's easy. Both Rachel, a wonderful cook, and Sylvia, and incredible astrologer, have amazing gifts they can use to barter. I, being a writer, felt, well, a little awkward. I mean it is a gift, a talent. I thought about bartering with a story. But, somehow it felt sort of flat. So when I saw an earring that I loved, I paid cash. Even asked her to make me another one they are SO beautiful. Have you ever bartered with a story? And why was I so shy about suggesting the idea?

Rachel asked me when we'd be having a party at our new place. I thought about it. Maybe over my birthday next month. Might be a good time. We won't have really moved in yet, so they'll be lots of room. I brought four copies of my first chapter of the manuscript down with me when Rachel came up to get me that night. It's the story that I'm going to be sending to agents soon. I wanted to give it as a present to everyone there who has supported me this year in my ups and downs. And, regardless, the story isn't a Big Sur story, but this place has given me what I needed to break through a major block for me. The total revision and edit of one of my mms. And for that I'll always be thankful.

Which leads to today's question...

On said road trip, we did what every couple [over 20] does. Talk about who's playing on the radio. And, of course, we disagreed. A U2 song came on. I knew the title. Joe said I was wrong. I'm like, take out that iPhone and Shazam it. Our daughter had loaded the app on his phone but he hadn't ever used it. I don't have the app and love it. [reason being, I can't use my cell because we live in the redwoods--no reception] He held his iPhone to the speaker and SHAZAAM! Title and artist, a button you can push to buy the song. And, more importantly to my immature self, I was right:) Now, Shazam is nothing new. But, it was new to me last fall and it was new to Joe on the drive and seeing Joe bask in the newness of it made me bubble up inside with just-so-coolness. Here's the songs we fought over discovered together. Which leads to today's question...

Last night before bed Oso ran laps around our deck. We had no idea what was going on. It was so unusual for him to be lapping the large deck that runs the length of the house. He'd never done it before. We slid open the glass door and took a few steps outside. And there, sitting on the corner of the railing farthest away from us, a corner that sits easily twenty feet off solid ground, was a fat gray cat. I don't like using the word fat to describe her because she had a the kind of self-confident personality and depth of character that makes her so much more than her physical attributes. But for the visual, that's what she was. And with all of Oso's carrying on, with all of his running up to her to faze her and make her leap, jump, arch her back, do ANYTHING, there she sat. Her only reaction? Blinking her eyes. She simply confounded Oso. He didn't get her at all. And after a fair bit of more running around the deck. More running right into the very corner she so capably occupied, he stood at attention and simply stared. Then, before long, he laid right down beside her, curled up in a ball and fell asleep. They made fast, unlikely friends. So, who were you rooting for? Are you a dog or cat person? Or a bit of both?


Today's question.

My answer: What stories do you have about being stranded while traveling? You decide whether it's fact or fiction.

The dirt road from our house to HWY 1 is out. Bad rain has caused it to rut real bad and the trucks that came up to take the tree off our neighbor's house did made it worse. I have to wait for the road to dry out from the rains before I can get down and back up to the house in my car. But, I'm going to chance it today. The Subaru can handle the road conditions though. Joe's driving that car because he's taking our runaway dog with him to work everyday now. Yesterday, there was no power along the Big Sur coast on account of a power pole blowing over in the winds. But our generator has kicked in. Had a guy over at the house yesterday morning trying to fix the water heater. I was so cold in the house yesterday that I made a big fire in the fireplace, but the fierce winds forced smoke down the chimney and forced me to open all the doors to let it all out. Yesterday I couldn't go anywhere or do what I'd planned to do. Will the car be able to make it up the drive when I get back home today? We'll see.

Which leads me to today's question...

Happy Earth Day!

In my bedroom there is a piece of plywood that's fixed to one of the walls. I've turned it into my memento board. Since the first day we moved in to the house here on the South Coast of Big Sur I've been tacking special things to it. There's a few drawings on the board. One night I was downstairs and Rachel, my artist neighbor [and fantastic cook], wanted to know what my book was about. She liked my story so much that she drew an illustration of it on the spot, right there on her kitchen counter. It would make an awesome cover. Her drawing inspires me to keep believing in my story. Keep writing. So, I took a push pin and stuck it to the board. There's another illustration of two bees beside it that my daughter drew when she was a little girl. They are the happiest bees I've ever seen and her drawing always brings a smile to my face. There's cards from friends and postcards too. From all over the world, sent from my daughter who's been away for a year and will come home soon. I love them all so much, but I'd have to say my favorite is of the Casa Batlló. [I guess it's no surprise the Gaudi is an inspiration to an aspiring author of magical realism.] There's a watercolor thank you note from two wayward travelers we housed and fed one of the first nights we arrived here. Another watercolor of the Point Sur lighthouse and a card from the ghost tour we took there last Halloween. There's a Christmas Card from my daughter who's now living in Florida. It reminds me of the Christmas caroling we did together when the kids were little. And there's another card from the International Short Film Festival that I look forward to every year at the Henry Miller Library.

When I attach something new to the board I'm always reminded of the movie Sabrina and how she comes closer and closer to covering David's picture. I love that movie.

Which leads me to today's question...

I think everyone knows someone who's been affected by this volcano. My daughter had a trip scheduled to leave Florence and go to Sardinia for the weekend last Thursday. Luckily, however frustrating it was for her at the time, events conspired to keep her from going. She is home in Florence, thank goodness. I didn't know this until Sunday when I received an email and discovered she hadn't gone to Sardinia like she planed. Lots of her friends are stranded in the UK, Morocco, Slovakia/Austria, and Sicily. She and I talked this morning and I found out that the kids in Morocco hopped a boat for Spain but are unable to get a train back to Italy because everyone is trying to take a train somewhere. Buses too. The kids [um, they are 19 and 20 yr. olds] in Sardinia are still stuck. And of course they all have a big project due tomorrow. A friend's parents have been visiting Big Sur for the past few weeks and can't reschedule a flight back home to The Netherlands for another 10 days.


Which leads me to today's question...

I've met so many people here that do interesting things to support themselves. There's a guy that I know who played softball with Joe on the Ventana softball team that parks his on HWY 1 and walks a couple miles up the mountain to his home. Been in his family for generations. He's a trail maker. I've met another local who is a beekeeper and makes honey. We talked about the terrible state of bees. And how he thinks there might not be any in a decade. My next door neighbor does astrology for clients who stay in the resorts here. She's working on my star chart this week. There are people who do nothing but their art and have learned to survive on very little, their art their food and shelter. Another neighbor is a fabulous cook and gets gigs cooking for parties here and people who want/need a personal chef. I've met fisherman and people who scrounge for chanterelle mushrooms and sell them out of the trunk of their car. Someone who hunts for jade and another person who makes jewelry.

Which leads me to today's question...

I've never really been here before. Where's here? It's that place where I've taken one of my MMS "all the way." And it's been a great, sometimes agonizing process. An adventure, really. So now Sparkling MMS gels for about a month before I send it out. This is the hardest part. Not sending it out. Not quite yet. So as I sit and let the words ripen, I'm doing other things.

But it's hard.

I miss my Playlist from Sparkling MMS. I miss the characters and their shenanigans. And I miss knowing what to do every day. Now, I'm sorta unsure. I have other MMSs to polish. I have plenty of books to read. Plenty of research to do. Plenty, to, yannow DO. But every morning I feel like I need to get my compass out and see where I'm heading. Haven't quite decided. Library books are due soon, so I have to get the research done for an as yet unwritten MMS. And then there's my other MMSs that I'm trying to cherry pick to see if one might sparkle one day. What do you do when you're in the awkward in-between phase?

So here's to the beginning of a new adventure!

Today on One Question A Day we are taking a trip to Grandma's house. Wanna come?

One Question A Day

One Question A Day came to me as a result of the YA manuscript I've just finished revising and editing. My main character, a seventeen year old girl, has to answer questions she doesn’t want to hear. And lately I've been asking questions too. Only I can't wait to hear the answers. My dad and I have been talking a lot lately about things we really haven't talked about before.

I ask him a question. He usually answers. He can pass on anything he likes. We shook on it. So far he's only taken a bye on one question. He and I are finding our answers, together.

So I thought you and I could find some answers together too. It’s a great way to dig a little deeper with your characters or prompt you to write a little something when the muse might be napping, cleaning her wings [mine has them], on vaca or otherwise occupied. I hope you have fun regardless of whether you take the time to write down your answers. Sometimes its just fun to think about things. Let your little jewel of a story jell.

On Sundays there will be no question. Instead, I’ll post the most interesting photo I took from the week before and a story that will answer one of the questions from the previous week. My answer will either be fact or fiction. I invite you to comment and let me know your guess.

Happy Writing!