I blame the computer

It has been six months since the release of my first book, Coincidence.  Prior to moving to Ireland, I did begin working on on some short stories for my next book which I am planning to be a prequel to Coincidence.  I got about six of them completed, however, then the move came...I had to quit my job in Charleston, pack up my apartment, move to Derry, Ireland, settle in a little there, go back to Charleston, clean and completely move out of my apartment, get my cats ready to move, move my cats to Ireland and then finally settle in some more. 

So, it is all done now, yet, I just can't seem to find it in my to write anything right now.  I want to...I really do but starting Zumba and working on my other blog, Ireland Ever After, is taking up all my time.  But, I think, what it really is is that I don't have the proper equipment to sit down and write another entire book.  See, I have a laptop now...which is okay for writing short things here and there...but a book...nope, not gonna work for me.  When I wrote Coincidence, I had a desktop and I was comfortable sitting for hours on end typing.  With a laptop, I just can't do it.  So, I think that will be my excuse?  Wonder what I will come up with when I get a new computer? :)  Anywho,  here is a little snippet from one of the short stories I worked on.  Keep in mind this is a rough draft which has not been edited yet.  Enjoy!

“RRrrringggggg!” The bell signaling the beginning of class echoed down the hall. Mrs. Bradley stood behind her metal desk before clapping her hands in an effort to get her students’ attention. “Everyone please take a seat. We need to begin class. We have a lot to do today. If you recall, it’s our dissection day.”



I promptly sat on my wooden stool behind my assigned lab table, the rest of the class shuffled to their seats. It was only the second week into my high school biology class and I wasn’t looking forward to today’s assignment. In fact, I had vivid dreams about the assignment last night. I know they were vivid because the images are still stuck in my mind. Actually, they were burned on my brain…branded as if I were a new cow to the ranch. Those big eyes, bumpy, green flesh and long tongue were all I could see. No, I definitely was not looking forward to today’s assignment. My stomach was in knots at the thought of cutting open a poor, innocent frog just so some silly high school student could see what its insides looked like.


It seemed like such a waste of a frog’s life. I imagined my frog had spent his whole life happily leaping from lily pad to lily pad only to be snatched up by some man in white gloves and a white coat before being shoved into a jar to die. I even imagined my frog wore glasses—black, round rimmed glasses. And, he had a name. Ned. The thought of Ned being used as my science experiment, where anything I would have the chance of learning from the dissection, would be promptly forgotten once I left the classroom, well that was just more than I could handle.


I’ve always been an animal lover anyway. I couldn’t imagine cutting into the flesh of a defenseless frog. I suddenly felt very sick to my stomach. I closed my eyes and took a couple of deep breaths.


“Here’s your frog, Sam.” Mrs. Bradley placed the dead, formaldehyde covered amphibian in front of me. The foul odor of the formaldehyde immediately enveloped me and I opened my eyes to find Ned sprawled out in front of me. He was on his back, and he was not wearing glasses. “Hello, Ned,” I sighed and pushed my stool back, anxious to get away from the smell and sight of my dead buddy Ned. I was sadder than I should have been over the forgotten life of Ned.