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In June 2018, I entered my first ever short story writing competition. The Theme: Beach Fun. The Setting: Rehoboth Beach. The Problem: I’d never been to Rehoboth and had no idea what kind of beach plot would be of interest.

But I like stories about mermaids and learned that the they are a hit in Rehoboth Beach, too. Since stories about mermaids have saturated the market, I wrote about a merboy and his initial adventure on land. Learning about Rehoboth Beach via maps, pictures, and historical articles was a ton of fun.

About a month later, I received a phone call saying my story made it into the Beach Fun Anthology. Then, I joined other authors for the book signing at Browseabout Books in November.

This year, I wrote part two of Zale’s story. Although not picked for the Beach Dreams Anthology, I am one story closer to completing the planned short story trilogy. But who knows? Zale’s tale just might take me to other far away places.

Someone recently asked me about my web blog. Did it cost a lot? Was it hard?

It just so happens a friend set up my very first blog page years ago (blogger.com) because I had no clue how to do any of that. After learning some basics, I took it over and added more tabs containing additional content.

With that new skill in hand, I ventured out to create this website, which is in its third overhaul, now using WordPress. This is the first time I’ve added a blog to my website. I’m continually learning new skills to keep it going.

So, the only costs to me has been time and the web hosting fee because I had the inclination to learn how to do everything myself. Otherwise, I’d be paying someone else hundreds of dollars to create and update the site. It helps to have a great web host (InMotion Hosting) to help when I mess something up. Prices vary depending the plan chosen.

Basically, create an account and give it a go. Be sure to tell others about your blog via social media and include keywords so the search engines can find the page. Good luck and have fun with it!

So sorry for my absence the last few months. It’s crazy how life turns sideways sometimes. I did attempt a return in May, but nothing got posted due to a site mishap. Go figure!

Anyway, despite all that’s happened, I continued writing. In fact, I entered a few contests and have already received rejections. Life of a writer! However, one of my short stories, Battle at Kitee, was published online by Small Wars Journal. This was my first attempt at writing a futuristic battle scene. Let me know what you think.

I’ve also been posting on my FaceBook Author Page and on my Twitter feed. Please check them out and follow me.

But the most fun times were the two occasions when I spoke to middle school students about writing. It was cool to see them interested in the stories I read them. More on this in follow-up blogs.

So, do come back again. I hope to post more often in the weeks ahead.

Read What Happened in 2018

The year started with first place in a poetry contest and finished out being voted as the South Jersey Writers’ Group ‘Writer of the Year,’ a culmination of all the accomplishments achieved throughout the year. Short story Zale’s Tale won a spot in Beach Fun. Another short story Adelle and Brandon: Friends for Life went live on August 29th. A radio interview with Abdul Ali on WSTX Radio 970 STX added excitement to the summer which closed with one my poems being put to music. I even had the opportunity and pleasure of singing Love Song to Jesus from A Love Gift at church. I’m still waiting to hear about a manuscript submission but hopeful for positive news in 2019. Thanks for your comments and kind words throughout the year. I’m grateful my writing has encouraged so many of you.