An Elegant and Whimsical Moment: Review of Harney & Sons Tower of London Tea
I have a thing for British tea. After Scottish Breakfast Tea for January and English Afternoon Tea for February, I wanted to try something with a more colorful flavor profile. So when I bumped into Harney & Sons Tower of London Tea, I immediately decided this was the one to try for March.
My World
“My, gentlemen, this woman fancies herself an explorer of new worlds — how amusing!” A deep, low humming and grumbling of men dressed in fine waistcoats and alabaster shirts echoed through the room.
25-Minutes Fasted Caffeinated Cardio – Positivity Corner
My morning cardio routine – could be good for you. Trying caffeinated, fasted low-impact cardio.
The Gold Persimmon, a Book Review
The Gold Persimmon by Lindsay Merbaum is riveting and surreal. At times, I found myself so caught up in the characters’ actions that it actually took my breath away, and had me yelling at my Kindle. This book was not what I was expecting from its title.
Fragrance of a Rose, Part 3
She’s so far away, Rebecca thinks. If I could take her into my arms and hold her forever, I would. But she’s so far away.
Quarterly & Special Issues
Submissions next open from June 1 to August 31 2024
February 18, 2024
Story setting is more than just the physical stuff. It’s the mood and culture, period and genre, and many other things all wrapped into one. But it’s worth parsing out to find the sticky spots in your work that need more detail.
February 15, 2024
The Black Swans of Harlem is as steeped in history as the dance of ballet itself, yet time and culture have kept much of its story buried.
February 13, 2024
I swallowed anything my parents gave me as long as it tasted sweet. You do not see
how I’ve grown fierce
February 6, 2024
I’m more stone inside than flesh now, a danger to myself and you. You do not see
how I’ve grown fierce.
February 3, 2024
I had these weird few days where I thought if I could make my room beautiful it might fix me, you know? Like, sure, I still wouldn’t be able to leave the house but maybe if I opened my curtains and let some light in, that would be practically the same thing, right? And now I am bathed in green from the window clings and the sun shining through, and I don’t feel better.
February 3, 2024
February 1, 2024
Why, it’s The Twelve Suspects of Christmas by Ana T. Drew. It’s the Die Hard of cozy Christmas mysteries - an engaging mystery full of intrigue and spies that happens to take place at Christmas rather than a Christmas book that happens to have a mystery. Well, minus all the shooting. There’s really only a couple of knives and a jar of cinnamon.
January 31, 2024
Enjoy the twists and turns, unexpected results, heart-warming joys and bittersweet moments of this special issue, inspired by the theme of pirates and seafaring adventures.
January 30, 2024
“He unlocked his word-hoard.” That must mean something still. And so must my forebears, who used different languages…
January 29, 2024
Amelia clearly came from a family with a soul, which went a long way to explaining her qualities, abundant and estimable as they were. The Shuter St. building was called “Amelia’s Place.”
January 28, 2024
Twirling wide circles to approving stares
then climbs a rope in the spotlight’s bright hue
laser hot but she’s a prism revealed.
January 27, 2024
How the Earth Blankets our History by Chapters Archeologists are Worms and Bugs and Burrowing Creatures…
January 26, 2024
At the front desk I asked the concierge if she had seen Amelia. The concierge furrowed her brow and narrowed her eyes. “Amelia? Amelia? I don’t recall anyone named Amelia.” The concierge must have been new, to not know Amelia, although I could have sworn she was an old hand. “What’s the full name?”
January 24, 2024
You looked at me. I sprawl like a spoilt garden at the estuary of spring.
January 23, 2024
On my way, I thought I heard them talking about me. As I neared the table they stopped talking. Zoey looked guilty. Zoey always looked guilty. When I sat down they stared at me with – oh, I don’t know – sorrow, pity: something like that. In response I opened my hands palms up, and said, “What?” as I looked from one to the other.
January 20, 2024
Doctors frowned at me as they admonished: Be sure you get your mammograms every year. The fibrous tissue is very dense with calcium deposits. We need a mammo every year for comparison.
January 19, 2024
Here they call them palmetto bugs but they’re just cockroaches, really. Normally, I would have murdered the tiny intruder but on this morning, on this particular day, I awoke with a newfound appreciation for life: for any and all life.
January 17, 2024
But the highlight of the event was the momentous meeting between Luna Lyngdoh and Meban Tsangpa, a Samanera or novice monk. A woke, computer-trained graduate, he had been inducted into the monastery as a trainee. He followed many of the cardinal religious precepts but had not yet attained higher ordination which would make him a Bhikkhu or a full-fledged monk.
January 16, 2024
Meghalaya in monsoon — the perfect time to explore and embrace the beauty of the Sacred Woods. Luna smiled to herself as she recalled this much-loved refrain from her days of childhood and youth. She walked past the moss-slickened stones, boulders flecked with the chartreuse lichen, stopping to admire the white coral mushrooms that were so famous here.
January 15, 2024
but you also forget the names of acquaintances, people you knew things you were good at, national and state capitals…