My Writing Process: A Blog Tour Interview

My Writing Process: A Blog Tour Interview

A big thank you to my author friend Nancy Hartney, short story writer found at website: http://nancyhartney.com/ or her blog http://nancyhartney.wordpress.com/ .

Her collection of short stories, Washed in the Water, was released in June 2013. Described as "gritty," the stories meander through violence and beauty among her hardscrabble characters as they traverse their religious and social landscapes. Since release, Washed in the Water has garnered rave reviews on Amazon.com, GoodReads, and the Deep South Magazine http://deepsouthmag.com/2014/02/literary-friday-edition-92/ .

Rhett DeVane

The "Four Questions" (and my best-guess answers):

1) What am I working on?

I always have multiple projects in various stages of completion. Guess that helps stave off boredom. Like most writers, I relish creating that magical first draft: the time when I adore every word and I am the most amazing author to ever breathe life into characters. Ah, the blush of new love. Then I let a manuscript simmer, and the riff-raff floats to the top. But I am growing to like revisions. Might as well. Revisions are like that unbalanced aunt who shows up drunk for the family reunion, draped with a scarlet feather boa and ready to get down with her bad self. She’s part of the family and you have to learn to live with her. Besides, doesn’t she add interest?

The next in my middle grade fiction series, Dig Within, will pass through my critique group and into its third set of revisions. I plan to have it completed and in production by the fall. The next Southern fiction book, Secondhand Sister, idles in my files, awaiting a turn through the group, and my red pen. Not to mention my line editor, a patient, kind soul who has had more than a bucket of laughs from my errors.

Marketing my two latest books, Elsbeth and Sim (middle grade fiction) and Suicide Supper Club (Southern fiction novel), is further stretching my brain. If we buy dementia-free years by acquiring new skills, then learning to market has provided at least a few months’ reprieve. Thank goodness for my author friends. I watch what they do, then do my best to mirror.

2) How does my work differ from other of its genre?

Truly, there is nothing new, only an author’s unique spin on age-old human storylines. My twist comes from my Southern upbringing in a beloved North Florida town with a state mental institution on its main drag. I understand “colorful.” I descended from a long line of storytellers, and I have been writing since I was old enough to hold a fat pencil.

I have been told my humor is what sets me apart. Laughter flowed easily in my family of origin; still does. We look for the funny side, and this trait has buoyed me, and my characters, through some horrendous trials.

Though humor permeates my work—both the Southern fiction and middle grade pieces—I don’t shy from serious subject matter. My first novel, The Madhatter’s Guide to Chocolate, featured a hate crime. My fiction includes death of loved ones, child pornography rings, end-of-life issues, cancer, and suicide. The middle grade work features environmental issues, family ties, bullying, and self-subsistence.

3) Why do I write what I do?

Might as well ask why I breathe. To stay truly alive. To make sense of the things I perceive in my world. To add a little shimmer of light and humor into the universe. Heaven knows, we need all the light we can summon.

I don’t like to be corralled onto a certain “platform.” The experts want a writer to choose one direction, one genre, and run that into the ground. I suspect this is why many talented authors grow stale, why their novels start to sound identical after a few years. I enjoy the challenge of penning both Southern fiction and middle grade chapter books. Two collections of short fiction rest in my line-up. I don’t see myself writing non-fiction, but who knows?

As long as it makes me happy, and I do my best, who is to tell me what to write? The muses are in control. I shall follow their lead.

4) How does your writing process work?

When I am hot on the path, I write for a few hours each day. No set word count. I have tried using an outline. The muses chortled. Instead, I allow them to take my fingers to task, sit back, and let it flow. One of my Southern fiction novels generally takes about three months for a first draft. I allow it to sit for at least four weeks, then dig in for the word and scene kill.

After that, the manuscript falls under the scrutiny of my trusted critique group, the Wild Women Writers. More revisions, chasing the typos like sprayed cockroaches. Finally to my line editor. Then back for more culling for critters.

If I’m lucky, I have a published book. Then I find those last illusive typos that keep me from being perfect. No worries about remaining humble. Writing is the best way to never be full of yourself.

Well, gee, that was fun! Thank you, Nancy Hartney!

************

Next week, April 7th, tune into these three talented author friends' blogs, where they will carry on this fun blog tour:

Malcolm Campbell:

Malcolm R. Campbell is the author of paranormal and fantasy short stories, including “Emily’s Stories” and “The Lady of the Blue Hour,” and the comedy/mystery novel “Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire.” He lives in northeast Georgia.

Website Link: www.malcolmrcampbell.com

Weblog for the blog hop: Malcolm’s Round Table: 

http://knightofswords.wordpress.com/

Melinda Clayton:

Melinda Clayton is the author of Appalachian Justice, Return to Crutcher Mountain, Entangled Thorns, and Blessed Are the Wholly Broken, as well as the self-publishing guide Self-publishing Made Simple: A How-to Guide for the Non-tech-savvy Among Us.

Clayton has published numerous articles and short stories in various print and online magazines. In addition to writing, she has an Ed.D. in Special Education Administration and is a licensed psychotherapist in the states of Florida and Colorado.


Weblog for the blog hop: www.goodreads.com/author/show/4447391.Melinda_Clayton/blog

Susan Mary Malone:

Award-winning writer and editor Susan Mary Malone is the author of the novels, I Just Came Here to Dance and By the Book, as well as four co-authored nonfiction books, including What’s Wrong with My Family?, and many published short stories. A freelance book editor, forty-plus Malone-edited books have now sold to Traditional publishers.

Website link: www.maloneeditorial.com
Weblog for the blog hop:www.maloneeditorial.com/blog/editorial-tips/

Writers4Higher features Elynne Chaplik-Aleskow

Welcome to Writers4Higher

The purpose of the Writers4Higher blog: to feature authors in a new light, a fresh look at the way writers use their talents and life energies to uplift humankind. Writers4Higher doesn’t promote religious or political views. Authors are asked to answer three simple questions: simple, yet complex.

This issue, Writers4Higher features

Elynne Chaplik-Aleskow

Hi, Elynne. Welcome to the Writers4Higher family!

1. Tell me about yourself. Your book(s), your life, your inspiration.

I have been blessed in my life with three careers that I have loved. I am Founding General Manager of WYCC-TV/PBS/Chicago. In addition to managing the station, I was on-air spokesperson. I have had several television and radio shows for which I was executive producer and interviewer. When I left the station, I became Professor of Communication at Wright College. Teaching is one of the great passions of my life. I retired from Wright in 2007 as Distinguished Professor. When I told my husband Richard that I planned to retire, he gave me wise advice. He told me to have a plan ready for my retirement so that I would remain fulfilled and active. I asked myself what I would like to do and the answer was immediately clear. I had always loved to write and decided to write professionally. Nonfiction was a natural fit for me. I had many true stories to share with my readers with the hope that my writing would offer inspiration, laughter and empathy. As I began writing my stories, they poured out of me. I wrote non-stop for years. I made the conscious decision to submit my stories to anthologies for publication so that I could reach broader and varied audiences. I knew that publishers would market their books. I have always been an active participant in the marketing of the anthologies that house my stories. My plan has worked well. In six years my stories have been published in over 30 anthologies and several magazines including one international publication.

As a memoirist, the inspiration for many of my stories has been the adventures my husband and I have lived. I have ten stories of our travels published in Forever Travels edited by Shelagh Watkins. My family has inspired several of my memoirs. I lost my beloved grandmother in a plane crash and eleven years later, I lost my dear father and sixteen year old sister in another plane crash. They were all great loves of my life. “Her First Grandchild” is published in Grandmother, Mother & Me edited by Donna Goodrich. “Golden Hands”, a memoir about my father, is published in Grandfather, Father & Me also edited by Donna Goodrich. Happily, the covers of the books have photos of my Grandmother and my Father. I have written about my cherished sister Ivy in “The Red Pen” published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Grieving & Recovery and in “Four Sisters In Life & Death” published in This I Believe: On Love. I have also written about my family in six stories published in Forever Families edited by Shelagh Watkins. I have written these memoirs as a legacy for my family members. I hope my readers can connect their own lives to mine in whatever ways will help them.

My memoir “More Than Life”, about my mother who is 89 years old, was nominated by Kiwi Publishing for the Pushcart Prize. This story has been reprinted in Forever Families.

“The Hat”, a story about one of my students with a secret, was recently published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: From Lemons to Lemonade. This story is also published in several additional books including Living Lessons edited by Lynn C. Johnston and Thin Threads: Life Changing Moments edited by Stacey K. Battat. I have written about many experiences in my life. My stories and their books are available at Amazon.com and are listed on my website at http://LookAroundMe.blogspot.com

My inspiration for my work in all of my careers has always included the hopes, needs and hearts of my PBS television viewers, my students and my readers.

2. Where do you see your writing taking you in the future?

My story “The Hat” is being adapted into a short film. Monte LaMonte is producing and John Cates is adapting the screenplay. The film’s director will be chosen once the script is ready. I am thrilled to be part of this process and look forward to seeing others perform my work. The film will be produced in early 2014. I am also seriously considering the possibility of having all my stories published in one collection. The timing has to be right because I want to continue to support the anthologies that have published my stories.

The dreams for my writing:  I have had the honor of performing “More Than Life” in NYC at The Museum of Motherhood. The film of “The Hat” is in process. A collection of my stories is a future possibility.

3. How do you use your talents/time to help others?

I hope that my work and devotion as a PBS General Manager, Professor and writer have touched lives and inspired others. Through my program “In Her Own Voice”, I have had the privilege of performing my stories for non-profit organizations, universities, libraries, and senior centers. Seeing my audiences’ reactions to my stories has been a priceless gift.

 

Would you like to find Elynne?

Check out the links to this talented author:

Elynne's Look Around Me website

  

 Elynne Chaplik-Aleskow is a Pushcart Prize nominated author and award-winning educator and broadcaster.  She is Founding General Manager of WYCC-TV/PBS and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Wright College in Chicago.  Her adult storyteller program IN HER OWN VOICE is renowned.  Her stories and essays have been published in numerous anthologies and various magazines including the international Jerusalem Post.

Elynne Chaplik-Aleskow’s performances of her stories have been broadcast on The Bob Edwards Show on NPR and Rick Kogan’s Sunday Papers on WGN radio. She performed her Pushcart Prize nominated memoir “More Than Life” in NYC at the Museum of Motherhood. Elynne has performed her stories for organizations throughout Chicago including the Printer’s Row Lit Fest. Her work has been part of the production “Dear Mother” in L.A. at The Lyric Theater.  Elynne was a featured guest artist performing her stories at the Acorn Theater in Michigan and in Ontario, Canada.

     

Be sure to visit the Writers4Higher Market! We have gear for the writer in you.

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Rhett DeVane

Fiction with a Southern Twist

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Rhett's Website

Rhett's funny Southern Blog

Writers4Higher features Randy Mitchell

Welcome to Writers4Higher

The purpose of the Writers4Higher blog: to feature authors in a new light, a fresh look at the way writers use their talents and life energies to uplift humankind. Writers4Higher doesn’t promote religious or political views. Authors are asked to answer three simple questions: simple, yet complex.

This issue, Writers4Higher features

Randy Mitchell

Hi, Randy. Welcome to the Writers4Higher family!

Tell me about yourself. Your book(s), your life, your inspiration.

First, thank you for inviting me to share with your audience!

I wrote my first novel, Sons In The Clouds a few years ago which is a story of two childhood friends who grow up helping each other survive some of their lives toughest challenges. These confrontations and tests cover everything from parental abuse, their romantic interests, time as cadets at Annapolis and Naval Pilot Training, to being POW’s together in Vietnam where their survival depended on the unconditional, continuous bond they started as children. Thanks to the positive feedback I’ve received, I’m considering writing a sequel sometime in the future. Although the book was initially self-published, it was placed in print and traditionally published during August of this year.

I’ve always loved stories and creativity, particularly ones I see visually in movies and on television. And I really enjoy ones whose storylines and characters carry profound, emotional messages to their audience—something they can learn from and apply to their everyday lives. That’s really why I started writing inspirational fiction.

I also enjoy placing my stories in familiar locations and try and produce characters reminding me of people I already know. Using realistic, oftentimes graphic writing about conflicts and romantic relationships carrying deep, emotional ties is what I take pleasure in creating.

On a personal note, I’m a native Texan and currently live in Dallas. I enjoy watching professional sports, practicing martial arts and I’m also a foodie, lover of wine and rock and roll.

Where do you see your writing taking you in the future? 

Aside from my first novel being published, I’m currently under contract to pen three more, all within the inspirational fiction genre. I’m looking forward to growing my readership and sincerely wish for anyone reading my books they take with them a message of hope, and belief in divine intervention no matter their circumstances. Like most writers, I would love to see one of my books adapted into film.

Next year, my newest novel will be published and it’s entitled, The Luck Inside Me: a story of one born into poverty and emotional abuse that is suddenly blessed with incredible luck. It’s very different from Sons In The Clouds but also carries that inspirational theme which seems to resonate with readers.

How do you use your talents/time to help others?

Thanks to interacting on social media, I’m always conversing with other writers and those interested in our craft. And ever since I became published many have asked me questions about the writing/publishing process, inquired about writing book reviews, and also sharing their blogs. All of which I’m happy to help with.

On my personal website I also write a blog, usually two to three times monthly covering lifestyle, relationship, and writing topics and I hope my experiences and knowledge there are seen as beneficial to those interested.

Would you like to find Randy?

Check out the links to this talented author:

Randy Mitchell's Website

Randy Mitchell's Blog

Randy Mitchell on Facebook

Randy Mitchell on Twitter

Sons In the Clouds on Amazon.com

Be sure to visit the Writers4Higher Market! We have gear for the writer in you.

The Writers4Higher Market

Rhett DeVane

Fiction with a Southern Twist

Writers4Higher blog

Rhett's Website

Rhett's funny Southern Blog

Writers4Higher features Robert L. Parke

Welcome to Writers4Higher

The purpose of the Writers4Higher blog: to feature authors in a new light, a fresh look at the way writers use their talents and life energies to uplift humankind. Writers4Higher doesn’t promote religious or political views. Authors are asked to answer three simple questions: simple, yet complex.

This issue, Writers4Higher features

Robert L. Parke

Hi, Robert. Welcome to the Writers4Higher family!

 Tell me about yourself. Your book(s), your life, your inspiration.

I had a wonderful career in the fields of law enforcement and civil investigations. As a Certified Legal Investigator and Certified Evidence Photographer member of several professional associations, it seemed appropriate to share what I had learned along the way, and contributed numerous articles on those subjects to their journals. I retired from the law firm at the end of 2008 because I was 69, and it seemed the appropriate thing to do. My wife, Ely, and I fulfilled our "Bucket List" wishes by traveling the United States (I don't "do" foreign countries - a certain amount of latent paranoia left over from my career, I suspect). Spent another couple of years being retired, and discovered it just wasn't enough - I believed I had more left to contribute. By then, I was way too old to become a cop again, too old to go back to flying and didn't want to go back into civil investigations (too intense), couldn't see myself in some of the other honorable but mundane jobs old guys take to keep busy at something, so called a long-time friend (we played in a band for nearly a decade) who owns a security agency. It seemed to be a natural evolution from my prior experiences, and indeed it was. 

After bouncing around from assignment to assignment, I landed at the sorority, and knew, within a few days, that I was "home." To many, I became their "Grandpa" away from home. They know that their safety is my paramount concern. As the Acknowledgements indicate, I soon realized that many of them, at one time or another, were putting themselves at risk - in one way or another. I asked for, and received, permission to speak to them about being safer "out there." The results of my one-hour talk to the Chapter members were dramatic and immensely gratifying. At the same time, my college freshman Granddaughter was into the not uncommon denial mode of the "bullet-proof" teenager when I started to talk to her about these things. That did it. The light bulb went on over my head, and the book was conceived. It's creation was sometimes grueling. I did an enormous amount of research to amplify and back up my experience-based knowledge. For a short book, it seemed to take forever to complete and then to tweak to my satisfaction. 

My biggest break was to meet and sign on with Terri Gerrell of Southern Yellow Pine Publishing. She has become far more than "the Publisher" - she is my mentor and my friend. Would that all aspiring writers get such a lucky break.

2.      Where do you see your writing taking you in the future?

An idea for a novel is rattling around in my brain. As might be expected, if I go there, it will be related to "Staying Safe."

3.      How do you use your talents/time to help others?

With luck and continued good health, I will continue private security work at "my" sorority for several more years. That, and the promulgation of my book, will, I hope, be my lasting contributions to easing this "mortal coil."

Would you like to find Robert?

Check out the links to this talented author:

Buy Robert's Book on Amazon.com

Robert's website

Be sure to visit the Writers4Higher Market! We have gear for the writer in you.

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Rhett DeVane

Fiction with a Southern Twist

Writers4Higher blog

Rhett's Website

Rhett's funny Southern Blog

Writers4Higher features Kevin Don Porter

Welcome to Writers4Higher

The purpose of the Writers4Higher blog: to feature authors in a new light, a fresh look at the way writers use their talents and life energies to uplift humankind. Writers4Higher doesn’t promote religious or political views. Authors are asked to answer three simple questions: simple, yet complex.

This issue, Writers4Higher features

Kevin Don Porter

Hi, Kevin. Welcome to the Writers4Higher family!

Tell me a bit about yourself. Your book(s), your life, your inspiration.

I'm a weird, creepy introvert with an endless fascination with people. How they live, how they think, how they act. I love to "people watch" and wonder what lies behind the facades that they/we project. It's fun. That said, writing is an exercise of both introversion and extroversion. You write in solitude, just you and the story. Yet, in order to really reach readers and create a work that resonates with them, you kinda have to put yourself OUT THERE. Go places you may not want to go and talk about things that you would rather not. So, even though I/you may be an introvert, as a writer you're always putting yourself out there! Which is scary and fun!

I like to write without a filter. I don’t water down my characters to make them more palatable. I allow them to be as funny, honest, controversial or as troubled as they need to be. Difficult or controversial material that might be more convenient to eliminate during final edits, I tend to leave in because it’s the raw truth. That rawness is what readers connect with most. They purchased your book to get a glimpse into how you really feel, not necessarily to read only what you think they want to hear.

MISSING is my first published work. It's a humorously creepy (like me) young adult suspense novel about a boy’s obsession with the case of a missing girl, and his own internal search for self-acceptance. The story’s main character, Calvin Crane, is a 10-year-old who is struggling to accept his ethnicity as well as come to grips with his mental illness. After his family embarks upon a cross-country summer road trip from Maryland to California, Calvin has an unusual encounter with a strange man at Yellowstone National Park–a man he later believes is responsible for the disappearance of 5-year-old Gracie Stevens. As the family travels state-by-state, Calvin is convinced that he’s being stalked by the little girl’s kidnapper. He becomes leery of every vehicle, suspicious of every person. He can’t shake those nagging questions: Where is little Gracie? Is his mind playing tricks on him, or does danger lurk just a couple steps behind? It's totally fun, and creepy, and DEEP all at the same time.

Where do you see your writing career taking you in the future?

Writing is an addiction that I never wanna kick. Thoughts and stories churn and build up inside me and eventually erupt into characters and plots. Next for me is my first adult title, OVER THE EDGE, about a working-class man who turns vigilante after getting swindled by a fraudulent homebuilder. It will be a short story cliffhanger series called the ROSS ROULETTE SAGA. I’m also writing the next mystery in the Calvin Crane Chronicles. The working title is EVERY SHUT EYE AIN'T SLEEP—Calvin visits an island in southern Florida and manages to get caught up in even more drama. I always try to entertain and enlighten. I’m very excited about what the future holds, and what’s in store for readers.

How do you use your talents/time to help others?

Since becoming traditionally published, many of my friends and family have expressed interest in doing the same. So I always try to make time to give good advice when asked, and point writers in the right direction. Everyone has a story to tell. On a more mushy, existentialist note—I love to see joy on people's faces, buy food for nice, hungry people, and jump from dark corners to scare friends and family. Who doesn't love a good scare? 

 Would you like to find Kevin?

Check out the links to this talented author:

Kevin's Website

Kevin's Amazon Page

Kevin's Facebook

Kevin's Twitter

Kevin's Pinterest Page

Kevin Don Porter is the author of MISSING -- a humorous, yet creepy, mystery novel AVAILABLE on Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Booksamillion.com,

 IndieBound.org, and other fine retailers. He is also a Writer/Contributor for CBSLocal. For updates on his upcoming work, friend him on Facebook and Goodreads, follow him on Twitter and Pinterest, and subscribe to his articles for Examiner.com. Visit his website at www.kevindonporter.com.

Be sure to visit the Writers4Higher Market! We have gear for the writer in you.

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Rhett DeVane

Fiction with a Southern Twist

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Rhett's Website

Rhett's funny Southern Blog

Writers4Higher features Judy Howard

Welcome to Writers4Higher

The purpose of the Writers4Higher blog: to feature authors in a new light, a fresh look at the way writers use their talents and life energies to uplift humankind. Writers4Higher doesn’t promote religious or political views. Authors are asked to answer three simple questions: simple, yet complex.

This issue, Writers4Higher features

Judy Howard

Hi, Judy. Welcome to the Writers4Higher family!

Tell me about yourself. Your books, your life, your inspiration.

Like many authors, I wear more than one hat. I began grooming dogs and cats at the age of eleven and still own and operate my shop, THE CANINE BEAUTY SALON in Sun City, Calif. At this time in my life, I am semi-retired in order to satisfy my new passion. Writing. I am 67 and a widow with a cat named, Sportster.

In 2010, just for fun I enrolled in college creative writing course. It roped me in, hog-tied me, put me on the rotisserie, and now, three books later, I am still not done.

In 2011 I published my first book, COAST TO COAST WITH A CAT AND A GHOST. It is a memoir of my adventure driving across the country alone in my motor home after the death of my husband accompanied by a stuffed doll and my cat. The reviews praised the story as inspiring and fed my attraction – my compulsion - the writing monkey on my back, until now I cannot stop.

I wrote my second book, GOING HOME WITH A CAT AND A GHOST (2012) as an experiment. I pooh-poohed the success of my first book. Anyone can write their own story, but can they make one up? That is the proof of a good writer, I said. The mystery-romance, GOING HOME WITH A CAT AND A GHOST portrays a widowed woman seeking a second chance for love as she travels, again, cross country in her RV to attend her 40th high school reunion and reunite with her high school boyfriend. I tell my readers if I cannot meet a man, I will just make one up.

The reviews of these two books continue to spur me on as I struggle with my third novel, INVISIBLE HEROES, to be released in 2014. I weave the story of a dog that becomes a service dog for an Iraq veteran struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Based on reality, I hope to bring attention to this serious issue facing our veterans today. Over twenty veterans a day commit suicide because of this disorder.

Where do you see your writing taking you in the future?

People struggling with their hardships inspire me. I hope to tell their stories and demonstrate that their conflicts and strife were not for naught. When my husband was diagnosed with cancer, I did not know how I would get through it. I told my friend of my agony. My friend said, “You will get through it, and then some day you will be able to tell someone else what it was like.”

I want my readers to close my book and say, “I can do it too.”

How do you use your talents /time to help others?

I love to give workshops on writing. I also love to travel in my RV with my cat. And I love to write. I combine my three passions by going to RV rallies and offering my seminars which are well attended. RVers are an adventurous lot with many stories to tell. 20% percent of the population has thought about writing a book. I know I did.

I travel, I teach, I write. What a life

I hope you know me a little better. Thank you for listening. Sportster and I hope to meet you somewhere along the road to writing.

Respectfully.
Judy Howard and Sportster

Judy's Coauthor Sportster

Would you like to find Judy?

Check out the links to this talented author:

www.sportsterandme.com

Coast to Coast with a Cat and a Ghost--order on Amazon

 

Going Home with a Cat and a Ghost--order on Amazon

Be sure to visit the Writers4Higher Market! We have gear for the writer in you.

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Rhett DeVane

Fiction with a Southern Twist

Writers4Higher blog

Rhett's Website

Rhett's funny Southern Blog

Holiday Hair...and Best Wishes from Writers4Higher

Holiday Hair

At times, I can feel my life shifting. My feet planted in the St. George Island surf. The waves sluicing around the scalloped edges, chewing away at the sand, depositing it across the tops until only the arches show.

I thought about this as I thumbed through old photo albums, searching for bits of captured Christmases. I wanted to write a poignant piece about family and love and good food and Mom with her homemade eggnog, some with the whiskey-ed “nog,” some without. And nobody ever got poisoned from drinking raw eggs. Imagine. Different times.

Remember those thick books of photos? When we actually printed out pictures and pasted them on pages, instead of zipping them to some magical cloud where they linger like digital ghosts? When hardly any of the shots were perfect because we didn’t have redo’s if Grandma decided to blink, or if the baby was distracted by the dog chewing up tinsel.

We didn’t have planned “photo bombs” where folks inserted themselves into otherwise perfectly posed shots. All of the pictures contained random elements and the unexpected. No need to fake a bomb. Every family gathering was a ready minefield.

I thought about how life is picking up the pace, with more runway behind instead of out front. How people have blipped from this side of the veil to places I can sense, but not see or touch. How nothing remains the same.

Sometimes that’s good. Sometimes not so much.

Then I noted one element in all of the pictures. One wonderful, magical, delightful element.

 Holiday Hair.

The first picture.

Me at six. Printed flannel P.J.s and fuzzy boot slippers. I wear twin six shooters. A Roy Rogers shirt and pants lie in a ripped box at my feet. Good job, Mama and Daddy. Who can be a proper cowgirl in a fringed and very sissy Dale Evans skirt? I straddle a long box, tearing at the paper. My expression is intense. A stick pony with a white vinyl head waits inside. I will ride to The Great Plains and back on that horse.

And the hair.

Toni home perm hair.

Naturally flat for the first two inches, then frizzy as a scared cat’s tail for the next six. Someone has tied a red bow around one clump. To quote the Grinch, that frill “will be the first thing to go.”

Photo number two.

Skip ahead a few years.

Outside after the gifting frenzy, before the family dinner. I pose, legs planted again, only this time on either side of a Stingray bicycle with chopper-curved handlebars and a banana seat. The trees behind me, stripped of leaves. It’s gray and cold, judging by my puffy coat with the rabbit fur-lined hood.

Do I have that hood snugged over my head? Oh, heck no. Wouldn’t want to mash down the basketball mound of rat-teased hair. My older sister must’ve had beauty salon leanings. There’s enough Aqua Net shellacked on that ’do to stop a meteor.

I must like it. I didn’t bother covering it up.

Photo number three.

The last picture of my family of origin before some faded away. Only we didn’t know it then.

I stand, my feet planted on either side of my sweet Golden Retriever Omega. I lean toward the La-Z-Boy recliner where my father sits. My mom perches on the other side on a chair we dragged from the dining room, leaning with her arm curled around his. My older brother and sister stand behind Daddy’s chair. We manage to all smile at once, no lidded eyes, no distractions. Even the dog faces the camera and grins.

My hair looks normal. But I know it’s not. Beneath the fuzzy Santa hat, hides my version of a mullet. Didn’t recall ever having one, but the pictures from that time prove me wrong. Memory has a way of shading in the not-so-attractive times.

Daddy tells me I’m beautiful, that I look just like Farrah Fawcett. Which I do not. I am tall and a little pleasantly plump. And my straight hair will not do all that wispy, curled layering Farrah managed to carry off so well. And I’m not petite, or famous.

Thank God for Santa hats. And fathers with eyes of love.

I think this year, that I shall fashion some wacky style. Maybe add some streaks of color. The advantage of this time period: loads of hair products guaranteed to lift and separate, and my over-fifty self, devoid of shame.

I’ll put it in line with the rest of the holiday hair masterpieces.

Picture number four.

Make them wonder one day, “What was Aunt Rhett thinking?”

*****

Whatever you celebrate--I wish you safe, wonderful holidays filled with joy and laughter, and maybe some Holiday Hair. 

Tune in next year, when I welcome more talented authors to the Writers4Higher family.

Rhett DeVane

Creator and moderator for Writers4Higher

Author of Southern fiction and Middle Grade fiction

www.rhettdevane.com