Monday, December 28, 2015

The Fairy Tale of Love - #MondayBlogs


Long, long ago in the magical realm known as NYC, lucky young knights and maidens were given the privilege of study at the hallowed halls called A&D where they learned the creative arts… and jousting. It was there that the princess first encountered the prince. She was a fair Theatre Arts student and as was wont in the hallowed halls, the students of Theatre Arts oft lived by their own rules. It was an accepted practice and most monitors of those hallowed halls did tend to look the other way, except for one knight, a prince in disguise, who was most fastidious about the rules. The magic began the day he barred the maiden from joining her stage crew because the sacred bell had not been rung. The maiden had been tutored in the art of sparring by her father, a grand king, and in anger she punched the young knight and raced to the safety of her crew.

Aside from a few rare glimpses in those hallowed halls, the prince and princess had no more encounters for several years, long past their individual assignments at the great castle known as A&D. Several autumns later, perhaps six or so, they chanced again to meet in the massive shelter of the local constabulary — neither was in trouble but they were both duty-bound to serve their communities in the practice of Auxiliary Police. The princess’ father, the grand king, did preside over their unit and looked on this couple with great favor. Together and in spite of their protest, the two did patrol the kingdom on many eves. And so finally at one assignment, a Memorial Day parade detail, the two did chance to speak in a polite way, and before they retreated to their respective castles, the prince did request the fair princess to join him for dinner. Thinking that perchance he was merely being jovial, she did accept; realizing the error she had made, she felt honor bound to accompany him as promised.

They did dine on succulent East Indian dishes, a first for her, and afterwards enjoyed a stage show at Ye Olde Playboy Club and it was indeed a merry night. The one evening was soon followed by two more, nay, four more enjoyable adventures. And after the fourth venture, merely 14 suns and moons later, the young prince refused to return the princess to her castle before eliciting a promise to wed. The princess protested most profusely. She was indeed smitten by his charm but wary of wedlock. It was only when he promised her safe passage to her home in exchange for her acceptance that she did utter the words YES. In truth she had hoped her father, the grand king, would challenge the prince to a duel — to her surprise the king had been hoping for such a union between the kingdoms and truly believed that the prince would make the princess very happy. Still protesting, the princess did begin to love the prince and yearned to become his queen and he her king. Such a match was made on the 28th of December in the year 1975.

Forty years later to the day, the new king and queen still sit side-by-side on their thrones in a grand castle they managed to conquer in the realm called Hudson Valley. Together they raised a royal princess and prince and watched with love as their offspring enjoyed adventures and fairy tales of their own; the new generation of royals have found their own true loves and are now kings and queens of their own monarchs The vast rooms of their castle have seen many laughs and loving gestures through the seasons as well as the pitter patter of many mythical felines.


And the fairy tale continues…

Saturday, December 26, 2015

Keeping her distance ~ Weekend Writing Warriors / #8sunday / 12/27/15

Hi! Welcome to another Weekend Writing Warrior and Snippet Sunday round. Every week writers post 8-to-10 sentences on their blogs from a published or unpublished book. Then we "hop" around and leave comments on each other's snippets. Whether our work is already published or in progress, the helpful comments help us become stronger writers on our next WIP. We welcome EVERYONE's comments.

See more at the
WeWriWa blog

& check out the
Facebook Snippet Sunday group


I'm sharing snippets from Stormy Weather, one of the short stories in The Many Faces of Chelle Cordero collection. 

Last week the handsome stranger lets Debbie know that the hurricane is only a Category 2, he doesn't seem concerned. Debbie, on the other hand is a bit worried. Meanwhile it's obvious the stranger likes what he sees...

Creative editing alert!  Here are ten more lines... 


           She looked back as she bent over and was annoyed to catch his leer, “are you enjoying the show?” She sounded cynical.
Patches of red tinged his cheeks, his embarrassment surprised her. “Sorry,” he looked back at the water, “I’m Bruce.”
She nodded in acknowledgment but didn’t bother to return the courtesy, “so how long before this hurricane actually hits?” Turning towards the hotel, she wrapped a clean towel around her waist.
“We’ve got about twelve or fourteen hours.” Bruce fell into step next to her, “where are you from?”
“Philadelphia.”
He hoped she’d be a little more forthcoming; she wasn’t.
~~~~~
For more WeWriWa Snippets, go to: 

www.wewriwa.com


The Many Faces of Chelle Cordero is a single author collection of short stories featuring Introduction, Pussycat Tails, Holiday Happiness, Not Alone, I Swear That Raccoon Just Knocked on the Door, Stormy Weather, A Mother’s Love, More Than a Friend, The Meeting, The Vacation and a special bonus section.

Stormy Weather
The ominous skies and howling winds of a hurricane lead to an unexpected and warmhearted friendship.


BUY LINKS
~~~~~


I wish you all a wonderful writing year!


This weekend, Saturday and Sunday, the 26 & 27
my short holiday story
is FREE (for Boxing Day weekend)
So fill up those Kindles you 
got for Christmas!

2015 Christmas Short Story CVR

a Holiday Short Story
by Chelle Cordero

Dini didn’t want to think about her past. And, Seth wasn’t thinking about anything but his past. Thrown together as Santa and his Number One Elf at the homeless shelter, Dini and Seth seem to be on opposite sides… of everything. Her past is catching up to her, and Seth may risk his future to protect her.

Monday, December 21, 2015

Year End Back-look ~ #MondayBlogs


One of my New Year’s resolutions will be to stop procrastinating and putting things off to the last minute — I guess that’s the reason I’m not waiting to the last week of the year to write this.

I look back and wonder what I’ve accomplished this year. I haven’t written nearly as much FICTION as I wanted to, but I have increased my NON-fiction business and, almost sadly, I make more money at that so… Since it’s fiction that I want to write, am I selling myself out? Or like many others who can’t survive on their books alone, am I just working towards paying bills and just lucky that my “daytime job” is also writing. It’s a hard decision to decide priorities when one is your dream and the other is your mortgage.

Hubby and I want to get our house in order as we are nearing retirement years and want the opportunity to actually consider the proverbial downsizing. Somehow my closets seem to have some kind of fertilizer though and every time I THINK I’ve pared one down, it just seems to still overflow! And after 35-years in this house and my impossible sentimentality, it is just plain hard to go through draws and files deciding what to actually keep and toss. Besides this is a house that raised a family so the memories have a way of grasping and nearly paralyzing my physical being, …so hard to get things done.

Time! Every day seems shorter and shorter, and I am not just talking about the approach (actually today) of the winter solstice. It’s so difficult to believe that each day has the same 24-hours it always has (give or take the actual few minutes). I remember a time when I actually had time to do things like my work, my dishes, and most importantly stay in touch with people I care about. I feel as if I’m busy, busy, busy and yet a look back and it doesn’t seem that I’ve gotten much accomplished at all. Sometimes I worry that life is rushing by and I am missing out.

A couple of years ago I began an exercise program, but thanks to real health issues (yes, yes, confirm it with my doctor!) I’ve slacked off somewhat and can’t seem to literally get back on track. Mentally I feel about half my age which was a time I had ENERGY, lol. Somehow the energy has retired before I’ve reached that age myself. Our bodies change as we get older, everyone tells me that, so shouldn’t it stand to reason that it feels fresh and renewed once in a while? Instead I wake up with the same, and a few more, problems I had when I went to sleep.

I do look back at the past year and I’ve had a lot of precious moments and I am busy trying to save mementoes in the most compact manner possible in keeping with the downsizing desire. I’ve spent time with family but it’s never as much time as I want. And I have made a habit of saying nightly prayers and most importantly being thankful for my many blessings; that’s something that does make me feel good.

I think after all the looking back I tend to do at this time of year I can make a one word resolution for 2016 —
TIME
·       2016 is the year I will work on time management
·       2016 is the year I will make time for family and friends
·       2016 is the year I will remember all of the good times
·       2016 will be the year I make time to think before speaking
·       2016 will be the year I make MORE time to write my fiction
·       2016 is the year I will look forward in time and not dwell on the past
·       2016 is the year I will make time to take care of myself so that I can be here to give time to my family

·       2016 will be the year that I won’t take anything for granted and I will take the time to say Thank You to everyone in my life



Saturday, December 19, 2015

Just a tourist ~ Weekend Writing Warriors / #8sunday / 12/20/15

Hi! Welcome to another Weekend Writing Warrior and Snippet Sunday round. Every week writers post 8-to-10 sentences on their blogs from a published or unpublished book. Then we "hop" around and leave comments on each other's snippets. Whether our work is already published or in progress, the helpful comments help us become stronger writers on our next WIP. We welcome EVERYONE's comments.

See more at the
WeWriWa blog

& check out the
Facebook Snippet Sunday group


I'm sharing snippets from Stormy Weather, one of the short stories in The Many Faces of Chelle Cordero collection. 

Last week a handsome stranger had just called Debbie a tourist...

Here are ten more lines... 


Debbie stood, she deliberately avoided his help, “Is that an insult?”
“No,” Adonis’ twin laughed, “it was a guess. This is obviously your first hurricane and since we have them every year I figured that you’re either a brand new resident or, most probably, just visiting for a few days, so which is it?”
She didn’t look up at him, “I’m here on vacation.”
“Hah, I was right.”
Debbie looked out at the horizon, “How bad does it get?” It almost looked like sets of black curtains were billowing from the clouds. She walked back to her towel and straw bag and just assumed he’d follow her.

“Oh baby,” he paused while she bent to pick her things up, “it hasn’t even started. The storm is still pretty far off, besides it’s only a category two.”
~~~~~
For more WeWriWa Snippets, go to: 

www.wewriwa.com


The Many Faces of Chelle Cordero is a single author collection of short stories featuring Introduction, Pussycat Tails, Holiday Happiness, Not Alone, I Swear That Raccoon Just Knocked on the Door, Stormy Weather, A Mother’s Love, More Than a Friend, The Meeting, The Vacation and a special bonus section.

Stormy Weather
The ominous skies and howling winds of a hurricane lead to an unexpected and warmhearted friendship.


BUY LINKS
~~~~~


Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday whichever one you might be observing, this week is host to a few:

Happy Winter Solstice

Merry Christmas

Happy Kwanzaa

It's a wonderful time of the year!



Monday, December 14, 2015

Priorities ~ #MondayBlogs


One of the hardest things about being a grown-up is having to set priorities — we have to be reasonable about keeping our commitments, fulfilling our responsibilities and doing all the things we NEED to do instead of what we WANT to do.

We learn to trudge our way to work in the mornings and come home at night to make dinner, do laundry, help the kids with homework, and finally crawl into bed and wait for slumber just to do it all over again. We work, make money, pay bills, work some more… and while we are busy taking care of business, our children grow, our loved ones go about their business, and we get older and lose people from our lives. One day we look back and ask where did all the time go and wish we had spent a little more time on the things we now realize are the most important in our lives.

I understand that to a point we don’t have a choice, there are bills to pay to keep a roof over our heads, to feed our families, to pay doctors when need be. But should we lose ourselves in work to the point that instead of working to live, we live to work and forget about living.

I remember hearing a relative of mine, upon introducing his second wife to us, tell us that he was retiring because he wasn’t going to make the same mistake, this time he WAS going to take those vacations with the woman he loved, and he was going to spend time with her… and yes, he did regret that he cheated his first wife of time together because he was so absorbed in his job and making money and living up to other people’s standards. This man realized, now that he was remarried, that he had “sort of” a second chance to get it right and he wasn’t going to waste it.

Is it more important that our children look back and think how we replaced our living room furniture every few years or that they remember fun family vacations we all spent together? I believe the kids, especially when young, appreciate tearing the wrapping paper off a gift more than they worry what the price tag was. I watch parents who spend a fortune on holiday gifts, even when they know it is beyond their budget, because they don’t want their children to feel like they received anything less than their classmates. The old expression “keeping up with the Joneses” seems to be alive and well even today.

So yes we have to be responsible and there are things we are obligated to do, but don’t become so obsessed with earning money that your family value is less than your paycheck. Make sure you spend time with your loved ones while you can, take those vacations now when the children are young enough to still enjoy being with parents… even if all you do is make sure you take the time to give hugs and kisses to your children and your spouse and take the time to call your folks and see your siblings, treasure those moments. Birthday parties and phone calls are so much better as precious memories instead of regretful missed opportunities.

When I listen to my grown offspring talk about their childhoods, most of the stories are filled with family time adventures, jokes we shared, places we went together, and of course the “dumb” things Mommy and Daddy did — I honestly don’t recall hearing them talk about how much was spent on their Chanukah presents or whether we stayed in a more expensive hotel when traveling. Yes, there will always be TV advertisements for the latest and greatest and the kids hear the message loud and clear, but you know they survive without the “hottest toys of the year” even if they grumble for a while.

I’ve had a couple of decades to be a responsible and mature adult and now that I am “older” I’ve decided that I will still take SOME responsibility seriously, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have FUN as well.

Saturday, December 12, 2015

The First Meeting ~ Weekend Writing Warriors / #8sunday / 12/13/15

Hi! Welcome to another Weekend Writing Warrior and Snippet Sunday round. Every week writers post 8-to-10 sentences on their blogs from a published or unpublished book. Then we "hop" around and leave comments on each other's snippets. Whether our work is already published or in progress, the helpful comments help us become stronger writers on our next WIP. We welcome EVERYONE's comments.

See more at the
WeWriWa blog

& check out the
Facebook Snippet Sunday group


I'm sharing snippets from Stormy Weather, one of the short stories in The Many Faces of Chelle Cordero collection. 

Last week we met Debbie trying to relax on a beach. In the distance there's a storm rolling in.

Here are ten more lines... 


Groaning, she finally stood and brushed some of the sand from her arms. Debbie walked to the water’s edge and was amazed to realize how much closer it was to the towel she was lying on than when she first picked out a spot. At least she would get her feet wet before she packed up her belongings and trudged back to the hotel.
She was standing in ankle deep water when a wave crashed into her at chest height. She was knocked off balance and wound up sitting in the wet sand as the water threatened to pull her in. The salty water passed her lips and she sputtered and tried to catch her breath.
“You okay?” A bronze god squatted beside her; his hand rested on her back to support her in case she actually collapsed.
Coughing, “Yeah, I’m fine, the wave just surprised me.”

He stood and stretched a hand out, “Obviously a tourist.”
~~~~~
For more WeWriWa Snippets, go to: 

www.wewriwa.com



The Many Faces of Chelle Cordero is a single author collection of short stories featuring Introduction, Pussycat Tails, Holiday Happiness, Not Alone, I Swear That Raccoon Just Knocked on the Door, Stormy Weather, A Mother’s Love, More Than a Friend, The Meeting, The Vacation and a special bonus section.

Stormy Weather
The ominous skies and howling winds of a hurricane lead to an unexpected and warmhearted friendship.


BUY LINKS
~~~~~


I was visiting my grandmother who lived in South Miami Beach in mid August 1969. A new friend and I (also from the NY area and visiting her grandmother as well) were hanging out on the beach totally mesmerized with a distant storm over the ocean. There was a hurricane warning and it surprised us both that no one seemed panicked; because the inhabitants were so used to storms rolling in from the ocean and calmly going about their lives, Carol and I were lulled into a comfortable sense of security — besides we were teenagers and everyone knows teens are indestructible.

Our grandmas told us we could hang out on the beach but NOT to go in the water. We could see shark fins in the water! (They come closer to land in a storm) Long story short Carol had a crush on one of the lifeguards and decided to venture into the water (just knee height) to get his attention... a huge wave pummeled into her and knocked her down dragging her further away from the sand. I was standing (honestly NOT in the water) nearby, arguing and worried our grandmas would find out. I did run into the water and managed to grab onto her so she could regain her balance. I pulled her to the shore and we both collapsed onto the sand. Moments later the lifeguard was there yelling at us for being foolish teenagers.

Embarrassed and soaking wet we finally headed back to the hotel our grandmothers lived in. A few windows were shuttered JUST IN CASE and signs were posted about the card games and music scheduled for the lobby that evening in case the storm came ashore. My grandma explained this was the normal way to ride out the many storms.

Hurricane Camille never did come on shore in Miami but it moved into the Gulf and caused a tremendous amount of devastation in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. Aside from high winds, some scattered rains, crashing waves and shark fins near the beaches, Miami wasn't touched. but for two teenage girls from NY it was an adventure! (As an adult I've learned how serious hurricanes can be.)

I was remembering vividly the sights from that Miami Beach that day when I wrote this short story so I was thrilled to read comments that people could "feel" and "see" the beach that Debbie was visiting.


Monday, December 7, 2015

The Sentimental Menorah ~ #MondayBlogs


We go about our day, everything is normal, and suddenly something happens to remind us of times gone by and a tear falls…

Last night we lit the first Chanukah candle (there is the Shammos with eight candles, one for each night). To say our prayers and fulfill the mitzvoh (commandment), we light an open flame (in our home, candles) menorah, but we use an electric menorah in the window for display and safety reasons (curtains, shades, etc.).

Let me fill you in on back story here:
My family has the tradition of passing down the candle menorah to the oldest daughter by her first Chanukah in her married home. Somehow my mom received two heirloom menorahs so both my sister and I each received one. By the time I was married, and my parents gave me their second menorah, I wanted to replace a menorah for them; my mom was getting wary of the open flame and when safety is involved adjustments can be made, so I bought them an electric menorah which they used in December 1976.

My dad passed away suddenly in the spring of 1977 and later that year my mom (with the help of her daughters and their husbands) packed up the apartment. There were plans for her to move in with her children, but first she wanted to relax in Florida with her mom. She had a stroke and although we brought her back up north to be close to us, she never was able to come home; Mommy passed away in January 1979.

I’ve used the electric menorah we had given to my folks in my window since 1979. When my children were very young, before college, work and marriage, they used to take turns. One child would pick out the Chanukah candles to be lit in the brass menorah my mom passed along to me and the other child would screw in the correct number of light bulbs for the display. Mark and I have taken over both tasks in the more recent years. When my daughter married in 2007 we replaced the candle menorah for our use as the tradition carried forward.

Yesterday afternoon I took the electric menorah, a white plastic now turned yellow from age, from its box in the closet and hoped that each of the orange bulbs would still light; I plugged it in while standing in the kitchen to check if I had to replace any. All nine of the bulbs lit… then one flamed briefly and before I could pull the plug a circuit breaker switched off and half my kitchen was without power. I called out to my husband that “a fuse blew” (I’m old school and still call it that).

He reset the switch and came upstairs to see what I had done and there I stood just looking at the damaged menorah and, yes, crying quietly. He inspected it and confirmed my fear, the menorah bought 39-years earlier that my parents lit as they shared their last Chanukah together, was done. This simple gift I had given to my parents meant more to me than I ever realized. I mumbled how I had looked for orange light bulbs when I was in the supermarket just in case they were needed, but all that the store had was an LED menorah with little blue lights.

My husband, thinking swiftly, simply said, “Get your jacket on”. He drove us to the store and bought one of those LED menorahs with little blue lights and that is what was displayed in our window for the first night of the festival. Right after we came home and set the new plastic menorah in the window, I set the Shammos and one candle in the “real” menorah and Mark said the blessings as he lit them.

On the first night there are three blessings, the first one is Shehecheyanu where we thank G-d for giving us life and enabling us to reach this season. Seasons come and seasons go; life is forever moving forward. After 39 years the plastic electric menorah that I always thought of as my parents’ menorah has been retired and I admit without shame that I shed some tears as memories flitted through my mind. Now Mark and I will have new memories to make and share with a new display piece.

I hope that your holiday celebrations are fun and festive and whichever holidays or events you observe are warm and fulfilling.


Chag Sameach (Happy Holidays)

My parents' electric Menorah

Saturday, December 5, 2015

Storm Rolling In ~ Weekend Writing Warriors / #8sunday / 12/06/15

Hi! Welcome to another Weekend Writing Warrior and Snippet Sunday round. Every week writers post 8-to-10 sentences on their blogs from a published or unpublished book. Then we "hop" around and leave comments on each other's snippets. Whether our work is already published or in progress, the helpful comments help us become stronger writers on our next WIP. We welcome EVERYONE's comments.

See more at the
WeWriWa blog

& check out the
Facebook Snippet Sunday group


I hope that you all enjoyed the snippets from Believing in Santa and took advantage of the Thanksgiving weekend freebie! (Thank you to those who have posted reviews!)

We're changing it up a little and I will share a few snippets from Stormy Weather, one of the short stories in The Many Faces of Chelle Cordero collection. Here are ten opening lines... just to set the scene.


The sun felt like it was burning into her skin. Even SPF-25 didn’t stand up to the wind burn.
It was just too easy to be lazy and lie there on the towel. The wind was kicking up and she felt grains of sand skitter across her skin every now and then. She wasn’t alone, there were a few diehards still on the beach. Running feet kicked up clumps of sand and finally annoyed her enough to sit up and dust herself off.
“Surfers,” she mumbled and shook her head. Storms always brought them out.

The wind kicked up the surf and the waves swelled. Debbie felt compelled to watch two figures riding a huge crest and cringed when she saw one tumble into the crashing foam, his board flying in after him.
~~~~~
For more WeWriWa Snippets, go to: 

www.wewriwa.com


The Many Faces of Chelle Cordero is a single author collection of short stories featuring Introduction, Pussycat Tails, Holiday Happiness, Not Alone, I Swear That Raccoon Just Knocked on the Door, Stormy Weather, A Mother’s Love, More Than a Friend, The Meeting, The Vacation and a special bonus section.

Stormy Weather
The ominous skies and howling winds of a hurricane lead to an unexpected and warmhearted friendship.


BUY LINKS
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~~~~~
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