Success is counted sweetest By those who ne'er succeed. To comprehend a nectar Requires sorest need.--From "Success is Counted Sweetest - by Emily DickinsonTaste the sweet nectar of victory by getting your short fiction piece in right away. It was du...

The splendour falls on castle wallsAnd snowy summits old in story:The long light shakes across the lakes,And the wild cataract leaps in glory.Blow, bugle, blow, set the wild echoes flying,Blow, bugle; answer, echoes, dying, dying, dying.--From Blow,...

Where among the desert sandsSome deserted city stands,All its children, sweep and prince,Grown to manhood ages since,Not a foot in street or house,Not a stir of child or mouse,And when kindly falls the night,In all the town no spark of light.There I’...

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,The flying cloud, the frosty light:The year is dying in the night;Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.Ring out the old, ring in the new,Ring, happy bells, across the snow:The year is going, let him go;Ring out...

Houses and rooms are full of perfumes, the shelves are crowded with perfumes,I breathe the fragrance myself and know it and like it,The distillation would intoxicate me also, but I shall not let it.--from: "Song of Myself," by Walt WhitmanI have to a...

Some say the world will end in fire,Some say in ice.From what I’ve tasted of desireI hold with those who favor fire.But if it had to perish twice,I think I know enough of hateTo say that for destruction iceIs also greatAnd would suffice.--Fire and Ic...

"While the process of becoming lost is usually a lot of fun, the entertainment value diminishes rapidly once the act is accomplished."--Patrick McManus--A Fine and Pleasant MiseryIf you haven't read any of the Patrick McManus books of short stories a...

I only received a few entries in the Halloween story contest. They're short, so I've put them right into the newsletter for your reading pleasure. Please drop me a note with your vote for your favorite so I can send the lucky winner one of my books....

"Fire in his glance, and wildness in his breast,He feels all his former self possest;He bounds--he flies--until his footsteps reachThe verge where ends the cliff and begins the beach..."--Lord Byron -- "The Corsair"Before I get to my thoughts on "Pow...

"Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory." - General George S. PattonSpeaking of challenges - don't forget to submit your entry in the short story contest. Not to exceed 350 words and must include a Halloween story feat...