KIROKAZE
Peter Solarz
"I'm Dorothy Gale from Kansas"
❣ Chile in a Photography ❣
pixel skylines
oozey mess
if i look back, i am lost
Cosmic Funnies
NASA
Keni
Misplaced Lens Cap
Love Begins
One Nice Bug Per Day
styofa doing anything
AnasAbdin
$LAYYYTER
Aqua Utopia｜海の底で記憶を紡ぐ
Three Goblin Art
PR's Tumblrdome
RMH
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Philippines
seen from Sweden
seen from India
seen from China
seen from India
seen from Argentina
seen from Morocco
seen from Malaysia
seen from Brazil
seen from Pakistan
seen from Iraq
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Bangladesh
seen from Iraq
seen from Japan
seen from Uruguay
seen from Kenya
seen from Brazil
@barbaraoftheballoons
Balloons, Books, and Kitchen Misadventures
Like all major decisions, my kitchen misadventure began with a discussion between my Mylar balloons and me. A contractor who’d done work for me before called to see if I had any upcoming projects. I said I contemplated replacing the flooring and that I’d get back to him. “What are you waiting for?” the butterfly, the spokesperson for the balloons, asked. “The tiles you have now look like someone…
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Printer Conundrums
I need a balloon. A giant, pink Mylar butterfly balloon. You see, I bought a new printer two weeks ago. The other one quit functioning; printers have a way of doing that. This one almost went back to the shop three times. The first time, the printer wouldn’t print because of an “offline” message. Ditto for the second time. Both times necessitated spending time troubleshooting with the HP print…
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Here There Be Ghosts
Halloween’s coming, and I’d like to share something that makes my skin crawl. Aside from skeletons, ghosts on the walls give me the creeps. Dat’s wight, wabbits, here there be ghosts. At least, that’s my thought when I get a gander at the moonlit shadows waltzing on the walls. Take a good looksee at the photo above and tell me this doesn’t remind you of ghosts. Some specters are beneficent and…
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Here There Be Ghosts
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Ode to a Friend
Ode to a Friend
The Great Pumpkin sighted me at the Giant when last I shopped there. It was a beautiful orange pumpkin balloon. When I saw the price, I gasped—too much money. So I tried talking myself into a small balloon, and there were some nice ones. But the pumpkin wouldn’t let me go. The pumpkin stuck to me like glue, so I capitulated, paid for him, and brought him home cheerfully. It’s been too long…
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Editing Software Wars
A lot of editing software has come out to help us writers improve our writing. The two top-rated ones are Grammarly and ProWritingAid. Dat’s wight, wabbits; I’m talking about editing software, not balloons, though a few Mylar balloons have followed me home from the store. ProWritingAid has tempted me with a great deal on their premium membership, and so I got one. You must wonder why when I’ve…
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Chasing Mylar Balloons
I’ve spent the past week chasing Mylar balloons, or more to the point, the balloons have been chasing me. The balloon brigade started Friday when I headed to the dollar store to get some balloons for the senior center where I volunteer. Plenty called to me—a heart and three stars. It brought a lot of smiles from the members there. Sunday brought my weekly visit to the CVS. I needed some items…
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The I Gotta Syndrome versus Developmental Edit
The I Gotta Syndrome versus Developmental Edit
With my WIP, I’m processing the edits and recommendations made by Kathryn Craft, who did the developmental edit on my sequel to When Blood Reigns. In short, she recommended replotting. I’m looking at ways I can work her suggestions into what I have. The evaluations and recommendations were extensive, but I’m trying to follow through because I’ve got the I Gotta Syndrome. In 2020, shortly before…
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Pumpkin Season
Pumpkin season is upon us again with Starbucks and other shops selling pumpkin-flavored drinks, pumpkin cupcakes, and in one case, I saw masks with a pumpkin aroma for sale. At the store, I sighted pumpkin-flavored beer for sale. I scored a pumpkin balloon over at CVS and suspect there will be more to come. However, I started the pumpkin season officially with pumpkin perfume and the cookies in…
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Do Movies Generate Ideas?
Do Movies Generate Ideas?
For me, the answer is yes. If you want ideas for another story, watch some movies, said my Mylar balloons. Movies used to get your muse talking. While you’re at it, how about working on some blogs. The dialogue with my balloons began because I’m in the gray area of waiting for an edit. I finally sent my WIP to Kathryn Craft for a developmental edit. I haven’t blogged in several months because I…
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Romancing the Balloons
Since April, when I wrote my first post on the pandemic, gyms and hair salons have reopened, albeit with restrictions. Some of my friends are jumping into activities full force. Others remain in quarantine. Per the discussions with my Mylar balloons, the activities are okay if I can take the risk from a level 10 to a level two. The balloon brigade at the supermarkets and pharmacies hasn’t…
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Killing your Darlings
This year, I’ve been taking Your Novel Year with Kathryn Craft, and among other things, I am learning what it means to kill your darlings. No, not my balloons. My Mylar balloons are darlings, and they’re staying right where they are. I’m referring to the darling scenes I have in my WIP.
The trouble was, my WIP had two protagonists. I started the book with one, Alexis. Maddie was a bit…
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The Great Pumpkin—Exploring the Senses
The Great Pumpkin—Exploring the Senses
Amidst my counting masks, paper products, and other supplies to wither the Great Pandemic, my butterfly Mylar balloon whispered, “How about baking a cheesecake? A pumpkin cheesecake. After all, it’s that time of the year.”
“What time of the year?” I rolled my eyes.
“The Great Pumpkin’s coming.”
My balloon had it right. So I started the balloon floating with a pumpkin-flavored latte at…
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Amazon KDP Versus Lulu
Amazon KDP Versus Lulu
Thing is, once I’m done laying out the magazine, the time comes to order proof and contributor copies. This time out, I’m packing at home and then mail all the issues because several times, Amazon has marked certain items “undeliverable” and then refunded me the money. This necessitated going through the ordering process again. I suspect that some drivers get sick along the way, so whatever’s…
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A Lift to the Apocalypse
A Lift to the Apocalypse
Many folks stare and gasp when I inform them that a Mylar balloon has found its way into my shopping basket. “The balloon’s contaminated,” they warn me. True, I don’t know where that balloon or any other product I buy has been. This is why I wear a mask and gloves to the supermarket. At home, the balloon goes into a separate room for three days. It takes that long for viruses to die on Mylar…
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When to Say When
These days, Facebook is rife with political discussions and the sharing of experiences at the grocery store. Along with my Mylar balloon adventures, I’ve ranted about a particular leader and gave the Acme a shoutout because they had most of the items I needed. My heart goes out to people facing eviction and job losses due to the Coronavirus. I’m wondering if reopening businesses slowly with…
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Ode to Tom Johnson
Ode to Tom Johnson
I met up with Tom and Ginger in the early 2000s via letters, telephone calls, and email. At the time, I was adding to my Mylar balloon collection and short story writing. Tom and Ginger published Weird Tales, Detective Mystery Stories, Alien Worlds, and other magazines through their enterprise Fading Shadows. They published many of my stories, and in time became mentors.
I started out writing…
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