Looking Back and Looking Forward
Answering Debra’s message
from Friday: yes, there is still time for resolutions! Also, there’s time to
celebrate last year’s accomplishments.
In 2021, I was pleased to
make progress in my writing. My short story “Cosway’s Confidence” won second
place in the Bethlehem Writers Group annual contest and was featured in their
quarterly online publication, the BWG Roundtable. Another of my stories,
“Hollandaise,” received honorable mention in the South Carolina Writers
Association, Surfside Chapter’s short story contest and appeared in its
blog.
Finally, three of my stories were published in
the Red Penguin Books Collection (a group of anthologies) (one twice!):
“Beloved Husband,” a monologue based on Norman Baskin, Majorie Kinnan Rawlings
second spouse, in An Empty Stage;
“The Fairy Godmother’s Christmas”
in Once Upon a Time and Stand Out: Volume Two; and
“No Legs” accepted for The
Robot and Me.
The robot story had to be
about the interaction between humans and technology. My story involved Nella
Bella, who existed in a fortune telling box and dispensed cards while providing
security for her facilitator, a human fortune teller. Without legs, Nella had
to find a way to get rid of a spectral being draining her facilitator of all
energy and life. A friend of mine called it “a coming of legs” story. I really
like that description!
Since October, I’ve been
putting some words on paper each day. I’m not as far ahead with some projects
as I would like to be, but I’m making progress.
That’s my New Year’s
resolution: to keep moving forward and finishing work. What resolutions have
you made?
I wish for all of you the
very best in this New Year, in reading and writing. May you reach all your
goals!
Congratulations on all of these achievements, Paula. You obviously have a lot of wonderful stories to tell!
Kudos! Looks like you had a good year.
Congrats Paula…. keep on trucking!
Thank you, Saralyn, Gay, and Debra! I appreciate so much your encouragement and being blogging partners with you. I hope you are all looking forward to a great writing year!
Congrats, Paula. I am intrigued! Where can we read these stories?
Thank you, T.K., for asking. The Bethlehem Writers Roundtable is online and the books from the Red Penguin Collection are available through Amazon. Here are the links for the stories:
“Cosway’s Confidence” Bethlehem Writers’ Roundtable (online)
https://sites.google.com/site/bwgwritersroundtablearchives/authors/benson-paula-gail
An Empty Stage
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B091BJ7L59/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i9
Once Upon a Time
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0964K9XWS/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i7
Stand Out: Volume Two
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B098DT69GX/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i8
My Robot and Me
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09P4VRN1G/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i3