Don't Go to the Light!

I was challenged by my friend Catherine to write a piece of horror flash fiction centered around an insect.  I gladly took on the challenge.  As I was writing this I realized I may need to try writing outside of the picture book genre more often because even my horror stories come out sounding like a picture book. Enjoy!

Don't Go to the Light!

Four lunar moths: Lucinda, Laramie, Latisha, and Lou flitted together through the woods at night.

They came upon a clearing where the full moon glowed brilliantly in the sky. “Look at that!” Cried Lucinda, and she took off toward the beautiful orb of light.

CHOMP! The three other moths looked on in horror as a giant bat came out of no where and put an end to Lucinda’s flight to the moon. He smirked as a piece of her dainty wing jutted lifelessly from the corner of his mouth and then disappeared into the night.

Laramie, Latisha, and Lou pressed on, resisting with all their might the pull of the sinister moon. They passed children catching fireflies, and Laramie paused to admire the jar of multiple blinking lights.

“No Laramie!” Cried Lou. “Don’t follow the lights!” But it was too late. Laramie had already started flying to the jar.

“AH HA!” yelled a child as he cupped Laramie in his hands. “A fine specimen for our collection.” And he placed Laramie in the jar of prisoners. He beat frantically against the glass pleading for help, but Latisha and Lou were powerless so they left him there.

They came to a small farmhouse where a great light beckoned to them on the front porch. Lou averted his gaze, but Latisha could not look away.

“Latisha no!” cried Lou, but she was already gravitating toward doom.

ZAP! An electric shock pelted through her small, unsuspecting body and she fell to the ground. 

“Latisha!” Lou dove down to his last and only friend, but she was gone. The sun began to rise.  Lou cursed the light found shelter in the darkest corner of an empty cardboard box to wait for it to pass. Darkness was his only friend now.

It's Finally October!

I love October, and I love lists.  So you can expect a lot of Halloween/fall related lists from me this month.  Today I made a list of my favorite Halloween songs.  I'm always looking for new songs so if you have a favorite Halloween song that's not on the list let me know!  

Picture Book Picks of the Week

 My Pick

Title:  The Quiet Book

Author:  Deborah Underwood

Illustrator:  Renata Liwska

Review:  This book is incredibly adorable.  It begins "There are many kinds of quiet:" and then proceeds to list a few of the many different "quiets" children experience.  For example there is: coloring in the lines quiet, hide and seek quiet, first snowfall quiet, sleeping sister quiet...the list goes on and on.  I am inspired to write my own book quiet book only from the perspective of a mother.

Sam's Pick

Title:  More

Author: I. C. Springman
Illustrator:  Brian Lies
Review:  This book is so wonderfully simple.  There is only 45 words in it total!  Most children's book authors struggle to keep their stories under 500 words!  This author must know what kids like, because Samuel loves this one.  He asks me to read it again and again and again.  I certainly don't mind obliging because the illustrations are beautiful and it's nice and short!

What's in Your Gunny Sack?

In Ann Tyler's novel "Breathing Lessons" there is a character who believed that when he died and went to heaven all the things he lost in his lifetime would be given to him in a gunny sack.  Things like: the red sweater his mother knitted for him that he left on the bus, or the diamond ring his sweetheart failed to return when she broke off their engagement.  I read this and thought "What a great writing prompt!  What will be in my gunny sack when I die?"  Here is my answer.

• My white teddy bear. The first stuffed animal I ever loved. I remember crying myself to sleep over his loss.
• The beautiful scarf my dad bought me from Denmark. I left it in the 3D theatre at the Cincinnati zoo and never went back and get it.
• The umbrella my sister Brooke gave me for my birthday.
• The black jacket I loved that I left at the Baldwin Farms pumpkin patch.
• Our Australian shepherd puppy Dance. I don’t think I’ve ever cried so hard in my life as I did when I saw her body lying dead in the snow after getting hit by a truck.
• My brother Michael’s old baby blanket that he gave to my son Samuel when he was first born. I left it on a bench at the Louisville airport.
• The diaper bag that my sociology professors gave at the baby shower for Samuel. We left it on top of the car when we were traveling and it fell along the highway somewhere in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
• The disc golf driver my husband gave me as a birthday present. I lost it on the Berea disc golf course and someone was even kind enough to call and tell me they found it.  I arranged to pick it up, but for some reason I never ended up going. 
• The wedding band I lost after fiddling with it in the dark while singing lullabies to Sam. I looked for it in the morning, but never found it.

This list is short but it was painful for me to write.  I guess that means it's an excellent writing prompt.  I was forced to recollect things from my past that I regret losing and tried to forget about.  I found it interesting that the majority of the things on this list were gifts given to me by people I love dearly.  It's funny how remembering the loss of little things like scarves and diaper bags should hurt me.  Sometimes it's the small things that hurt you the most.

I would love to hear what other people would put in their gunny sacks.  Name a few items right off the top of your head. You may be surprised by the memories that pop up first.  

Picture Book Picks of the Week

My Pick

Author:  Drew Daywalt

Illustrator:  Oliver Jeffers

Review:  Okay.  As someone who worked her crayons to death as a kid I can especially appreciate this book.  The author who came up with this idea was a genius.  I wonder what my crayons would have said to me when I was little.  Probably they would have told me to stop leaving them out in the sun!

Sam's Pick

Author:  Audrey Wood

Illustrator:  Mark Teague

Review:  I saw this book at the library and it immediately triggered some old memories from childhood.  I'd forgotten about this book, but as I flipped through the pages it all came rushing back to me.  I loved this book.  So you can imagine my delight when Samuel chose this book as a favorite as well!  I can't imagine a kid out there who wouldn't love this book.  The illustrations are bright and wonderful.  The story is magical.  It's the kind of book that turns the gears to one's imagination.  If Sam hadn't picked this as his book of the week then I certainly would have because it is fantastic.

Happiness is...

A box of hot freshly delivered pizza.
Sprinting across the yard with my dog to chase a squirrel she will never catch.
The warmth of the sun against my bare shoulders.
Discovering an old picture book in the library that triggers old forgotten memories.
Feeling pretty when I look in the mirror.
The weight of my son’s head against my chest.
Strangers who are unexpectedly kind.
A fistful of cool, moist sand.
Movie nights and beer.
A smooth wooden paintbrush between my fingertips

Pretending to tango in the kitchen with my husband.
The honking of Canada geese flying above me toward the setting sun.


                    ~ By Heather Dent

Picture Book Picks of the Week

My Pick

Title:  Chester's Masterpiece

Author and Illustrator:  Melanie Watt

Review:  This is probably the funniest picture book I have ever read.  It had me laughing out loud right in the middle of the library.  Samuel put down the toys he was playing with and sat down with me on the floor in the book aisle and we read it together.  It's so funny.  Seriously everyone needs to read this book.  Adults will love it.  Kids will love it.  Chester is quite a character.  Imagine my delight when I turned back to the bookshelf and discovered that there was a whole series of Chester books!  We took them all home with us of course and enjoyed every single one of them.

Sam's Pick of the Week

Title:  Dinosaur Roar!

Author and Illustrator:  Paul and Henrietta Stickland
Review:  We had a lot of favorites this week, but when I laid out a bunch of the books and asked Samuel to choose his favorite he didn't even hesitate.  "Dinosaur Roar" wins for sure!  When I asked him what his favorite page was he said, "All of the pages!"  The book is simple, rhyming, and catchy.  No wonder Samuel likes it.