Question: Does Aster adjust to island life?
The actors involved in the first staging of this play wanted a happy ending. And so, with their help, I added one. Thank you, Georgia, Deb, Mike, and especially to Mary.
photo by ldyck
Act VII
Stage direction: Two chairs on stage. Aster sitting in one of the chairs. Another woman with a suitcase standing beside her.
ASTER: Place your suitcase in the trunk of my car. I'll escort you to your destination. Please use caution to avoid nicking my vehicle.
(The woman puts the suitcase behind the chairs. Then sits down beside Aster)
ASTER: Do you often holiday on our fine island?
WOMAN (nods): And now I'm moving h--.
ASTER: Oh, that's such lovely news. You'll thrive in our supportive community.
My name is Aster Walburn, but everyone calls me Ash. Ash. It's the perfect name. Do you know the legend of the Phoenix? Out of the ashes he flew. There's been a lot of ashes in my life--especially recently, but now it's my time to fly. Mayne Island has a way of changing people. You'll see.
Do you partake of the heavenly beverage espresso?
WOMAN (nods) I--.
ASTER: You are cordially invited to join me at our next social gathering of coffee connoisseurs. We meet every...
Thank you for reading
Lean on a Gulf Islander
Next Sunday...
Dyslexia and Me--an Evolution (short story)
This short story examines how attitudes towards dyslexic thinking have evolved over my lifetime.
October is Dyslexia Awareness Month.
Sharing my Author Journey...
This week (Wednesday), I was such a busy little beaver sending out submissions (a total of 16) and polishing two manuscripts—a picture book and a short story collection. The picture book was a joy, and the story collection was a challenge, but I got them both done. I even sent the picture book manuscript away and have already received positive feedback. At the end of the day, I decided to tidy my computer a bit. You know delete some files and--. Oops! I deleted the story collection. The whole thing gone in a blink of an eye.
As my husband said, "Deleting files can be hazardous to your health."
I stormed around like a grumpy little camper--which helped, not.
Thankfully, the unpolished story collection manuscript exists in hard copy. The beautiful book blurb doesn't exist, but I built it before I can build it again. I have the technology; the skill; and the creativity. I have everything I need to succeed. And I did.
And adding to my list of oops. I had a nice talk with a good friend and she helped me realize that the picture books I worked on last week weren't done. They require a lot more work--one more than the other. I decided to shelf them for now. However, I did finish a different picture book this week.
Next week, I will be working on a large project. It weighs in at about 80k—my largest project to date—but I'm confident that I will be able to teach it to behave.
