Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Catherine Bybee | Exclusive Excerpt: CHANGING THE RULES
Author Guest / March 19, 2021

The announcer started the final countdown, and a buzz went up among the hovering guests. Claire smiled at people as they stepped in front of her, but then looked around them to lay eyes on one of three extremely pricey items up for auction. Items that were small enough for someone to walk away with. A man stood in front of the pair of diamond earrings. The woman with him smiled as he wrote his name slowly. Next was a sapphire-and-diamond tennis bracelet where a lone woman was also writing her name. Then there was a Victorian brooch that was previously owned by some famous woman Claire didn’t know. The starting bid was twenty thousand dollars. But at last look, the bid was nearly double that. It, too, was where it needed to be. “Three, two, one. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to step away from the auction to enjoy the rest of the evening.” With the final direction from the announcer, she heard the first chords of a guitar strummed from the stage. The band hired for the evening welcomed everyone. The coordinators for the event started to push in as the guests dispersed. Her gaze ignored…

Danielle Jackson Dresser | New Creative Endeavors
Author Guest / March 19, 2021

As I embark on this journey into becoming a published author, I had a stark realization – my former creative endeavor is about to become… a job. A job I am very grateful for and you better be sure I’m going to work super hard to make this job as an author a successful one. But what am I going to do now… for fun? Throughout the pandemic, people have suddenly found hobbies. Some people work out, others started making bread, and some people even learned new skills. Starting last fall, when my book was officially out on submission, I decided to find something new to occupy all the free time I had with a kid in virtual learning, working on what I hope will be book 2 in my series, figuring out how to safely celebrate the holidays in a meaningful way, and try to you know, breathe a bit. Clearly, I need MORE to do, right? CROSS-STITCHING/EMBROIDERY Look, there’s something very cathartic about stabbing something over and over and over again. The tips of my fingers aren’t all that happy, but I’m enjoying this! I’ve done some simple patterns, stitched pithy sayings on sweaters and fabric bookmarks, and…