Two “Editor’s Choice” Micro-Stories and a Bunch of Updates from More Miles to Go...
Today, Laura shares two of her (extra) short stories, recipients of literary journal “editor’s choice.”
IN THIS ISSUE OF MORE MILES TO GO...:
Laura’s Idle Chatter: “A Perfect Catch” and “Daydream Paddlers”
Shop Talk: The State of My Publishing Career
Bodywork: Pain Relief With Lavender Essential Oil
Letter from the Editor
LAURA’S IDLE CHATTER: A WORD ABOUT MY MICRO-FICTIONAL STORIES
It’s summertime, and according to my writer’s group most agents and editors are out of the office. Therefore, I felt this was an excellent time to pause the pursuit of traditional publishing, but still keep the fictional wheels spinning. With that said, and to keep a long story short, I’ve been playing around with “micro fiction” and publishing steadily in the literary journal Friday Flash Fiction. Here, I have developed a bit of a series I call “By the Lake,” needless to say, the editor has taken quite a liking to my work.
The assignment is to tell a story in 100 words or less written between two Fridays. What follows then are two of the pieces that have received recognition as “editor’s choice.” Pardon me if you’ve seen them before; I’ve been circulating them for fun (they are pretty sharable). And since I generally don’t go anywhere near politics on social media and keep my feelings on this and other sensitive topics private, they are rather socially friendly and light-hearted. I hope you enjoy them. They both, as well as the whole series, are inspired by my childhood and early-adulthood summers spent in the Adirondacks of New York State.
With this, I give you “A Perfect Catch” and “Daydream Paddlers.” You can read the whole series on Instagram: https://instagram.com/lauraturnerauthor. Click on the first “By the Lake” circle.
A Perfect Catch, by Laura Turner “Drop the anchor,” you say. We awake at dawn, mist still hovering above the lake. The loons call from beyond the veil, the water smooth like glass. We pull on tattered caps and you push weather-beaten oars, our poles flush to our sides. The beach has disappeared. “Take these.” You hand me the Styrofoam cup, I wrestle with a worm, and we cast off, reels humming. Soon, your line tugs and goes taught. You grin, wind, and investigate the findings. I pinch my eyes closed. I open my eyes. The water ripples in circles and your catch swims away.
Daydream Paddlers, by Laura Turner Our destination: the small island with its boulder jump-off. We shove off from the beach. The start is rocky, we tack between waves. They slap against the red canoe. “Mush!” You laugh and steer our vessel, push starboard, and it rights our course. I am in front like an Olympian – mushing. Soon, we slice through currents heading due west, our haven comes into view. We move into the cove, drag our vessel over rocks. “Any motorboats?” You scale up, hands cupped over eyebrows, and peer about. “All clear!” We climb higher, shed our clothes, hold hands, and plunge.
SHOP TALK: THE STATE OF MY PUBLISHING CAREER
In the last update, I mentioned receiving notice that one of my short romantic stories, “Fresh Start,” will be featured in a new online romance magazine, Micromance Magazine, out here on Substack. The editor invited me to be in their inaugural issue, and the story will run on August 10. I will be sure to provide a link in the next issue. It’s not micro fiction, but it is considered “Flash Fiction” and is one of my lighter “kissing stories,” as I have come to call them. I also have another short piece in at Woman’s World Magazine, “A Harvest of Hearts.” I’m having an impossible time breaking in over there, but hopefully, this is the one.
In other news, I have been hard at work developing, editing, and publishing a book for my brother called Beyond the Bridge: 10 Lessons I’ve Learned From a Lifetime of Disability. Again, this work is a short book of his memoirs and experiences of being compromised from the waist down. I’m on target so far and am now in the polishing phases. We hope to have it ready to roll out in late fall.
When my brother’s book is complete, I plan to tidy up a novel I’ve been tooling around with and send it off to a publisher in the U.K. -- I’ve discovered they especially like warm romantic stories. I also have a super large novel in the hopper; it’s over 107,000 words, but according to my resources, it’s far too long and will need to be cut back. My concern with this book is that it’s a family saga and a bit darker than some of the warmer fiction I have been writing (and has been getting positive reviews). With that said, I’m struggling with the content and at a standstill with it. I’ll keep you posted.
BODYWORK: PAIN RELIEF WITH LAVENDER ESSENTIAL OIL
In past issues of More Miles to Go, I have written about inhaling Rosemary Essential Oil as a quick stress-buster. But there are more oils to discover. According to my Young Living manual (Essential Oil Pocket Reference), a drop of Lavender Essential Oil massaged into aching joints can relieve pain, as well or better than pain medications. Studies also confirm this.
A study in Pharmaceutics suggests that two drops of Lavender Essential Oil mixed with a tablespoon of carrier oil, such as olive oil, jojoba oil, or lotion, will ease soreness in aching joints. As I’ve mentioned, Young Living, the creator of my favorite essential oils, stresses the use of therapeutic-grade essential oils, but lavender is available everywhere these days. So, if you need a bit of pain relief, do give this a try.
A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR:
Thank you again for subscribing to More Miles to Go... I appreciate your time and interest in my writing work and wellness philosophy. The comments are open. If you’d like to support me, please click on the little heart “like” button below, or feel free to leave me a comment. I want to know you and would love to hear from my readers. As always, I value your feedback as well as your precious time. See you down the road in mid-September!
Laugh and Be Well,
Laura
Love the micros, Laura! You put me right there with you. Congrats on getting them published! You're certainly hard at work on your writing.