Life in progress

Author Archives: Linda G. Hill


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The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Oct. 14/17

It’s Friday again and time for your Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt. And it’s my turn again! Thanks so much to Dan and Joey for taking over for me for the last two weeks. Hope they treated you all well! Seems from here that they did a great job!! I’m actually no less busy. In fact I’m probably more busy than I was for the last couple of weeks. I won’t be around much, but I’ll do my best to look at as many of your SoCS posts as I can.  Here’s your prompt for this week:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “well.” Use it any way you like. Have fun!

After you’ve written your Saturday post tomorrow, please link it here at this week’s prompt page and check to make sure it’s here in the comments so others can find it and see your awesome Stream of Consciousness post. Anyone can join in!

To make your post more visible, use our SoCS badge! Just paste it in your Saturday post so people browsing the reader will immediately know your post is stream of consciousness and/or pin it as a widget to your site to show you’re a participant. Wear it with pride!!

Here are the rules:

1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing, (typos can be fixed) and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.

2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.

3. There will be a prompt every week. I will post the prompt here on my blog on Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The’,” or simply a single word to get your started.

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours.  Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read everyone’s! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later, or go to the previous week, by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find right below the “Like” button on my post.

6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!

7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!


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Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – Author Update – Linda G. Hill, Helen Jones, J.A. Owenby and Robbie and Michael Cheadle.

My books are featured on Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore today! Please check have a look – there are some great books there alongside mine. 😀 And don’t forget, until the end of October, all the proceeds from my books are going to hurricane relief, so if you haven’t picked them up yet, do so now and help me help those in need. ❤


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42. Scenes from the Second Seat on the Right

Thursday, October 12th, 2:00pm
Hank and Bill

 

Hank: You know, Bob …

Bill: It’s Bill.

Hank: You know, Bill, there’s only just so much a man can take in this world. Now I know, ye gets your ups, and ye gets your downs, but ye can’t just let people walk all over you. Take Morty for example.

Bill: You mean Mike?

Hank: Morty, Mike, whatever. He just lost a whole lotta dough, and because what?

Hank looks at Bill. Bill opens his mouth to answer.

Hank: That’s right. Because the Man’s bringin’ him down. And you know who the Man is, right Bob?

Bill: The corporations?

Hank: (slaps Bill’s knee) You got ‘er, Bob! Those damned corporations. What we’ve gotta do, Bob, is break free! Break free, I tell ye. Go out on our own and make the millions o’ dollars that we’re entitled to.

Bill: So … what’s that got to do with me?

Hank: (regards him with pity in his eyes) You still don’t know, do ye Bob.

Bill shakes his head.

Hank: You’re gonna thank me, Bob. ‘Coz when I tell you what I’ve come to figure out over years of hard work and dedication … Let’s just say the Lord is shinin’ a light down on you today. (looks up) Oh! Here’s my stop. (pats Bill on the shoulder) Next time maybe. See ye later, Bob.

Hank gets off the bus.

 

 

Next stop: Friday, October 13th, 9:00pm

Click here to learn all about this series, how it works, and where to find your favourite characters.


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41. Scenes from the Second Seat on the Right

Wednesday, October 11th, 4:00pm
Michael (and Agatha)

 

Michael sits at the window, reading. Agatha takes the seat beside him.

Agatha: Hello.

Michael glances away from his iPad and smiles.

Agatha: I’m going to my granddaughter’s house for dinner. (gestures to a dish on her lap) I’m bringing the bread pudding.

Michael: (mumbles without looking up) That’s nice.

Agatha: My great-granddaughter Kitty will be there. Such a precious thing she is, though the clothes she wears! I don’t know what children are thinking these days. What’s that thing you’re holding?

Michael: This? It’s an iPad.

Agatha: (sighs) All these newfangled gadgets. Why, in my day we used to read things like newspapers and books. We wore things that covered us up and we baked our own bread pudding!

Michael shrugs and stares at his iPad.

Agatha: (after a few minutes) I’m going to my granddaughter’s house for dinner.

Michael: (rolls eyes) And I bet you’re taking bread pudding.

Agatha: How did you know?

Michael: Lucky guess.

 

Next stop: Thursday, October 12th, 2:00pm

Click here to learn all about this series, how it works, and where to find your favourite characters.


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One-Liner Wednesday – A Twofer!

Here’s a twofer: my table at my book signing on Sunday and a selfie, all in one!

I didn’t realize I was taking a selfie …

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If you would like to participate in this prompt, feel free to use the “One-Liner Wednesday” title in your post, and if you do, you can ping back here to help your blog get more exposure. To execute a pingback, just copy the URL in the address bar on this post, and paste it somewhere in the body of your post. Your link will show up in the comments below. Please ensure that the One-Liner Wednesday you’re pinging back to is this week’s! Otherwise, no one will likely see it but me.

NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, like Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

As with Stream of Consciousness Saturday (SoCS), if you see a pingback from someone else in my comment section, click and have a read. It’s bound to be short and sweet.

Unlike SoCS, this is not a prompt so there’s no need to stick to the same “theme.”

The rules that I’ve made for myself (but don’t always follow) for “One-Liner Wednesday” are:

1. Make it one sentence.

2. Try to make it either funny or inspirational.

3. Use our unique tag #1linerWeds.

4. Add our very cool badge to your post for extra exposure!

5. Have fun!

#1linerWeds badge by Dan Antion


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40. Scenes from the Second Seat on the Right

Note: Strong language, adult theme

Tuesday, October 10th, 3:00pm
Madigan and Barb

 

Barb: I caught him.

Madigan: Caught who doing what?

Barb: Ken. He’s definitely fooling around on me.

Madigan: (stares at her) What … makes you say that?

Barb: Lipstick. On his collar.

Madigan: No way!

Barb: Yep. Blood red. Who wears a colour like that anyway?

Madigan: (frowns) Not me.

Barb: Pfft. Some floosy. She’d have to be, to fool around with a married man. A real slut. One with no self-respect. Oh God, do you think she’s got a disease?

Madigan: I hope not!

Barb: Oh Maddie, what am I going to do? You know I hate confrontations. They’re so … belittling. Would you to talk to him?

Madigan: Me?!

Barb: You’re my sister. I trust you. Will you give him shit for me? Please?

Madigan: I’d love to give him shit. But shouldn’t you be the one to talk to him? You’re his wife after all. Anyway, I might slug him one.

Barb: You’re probably right. (sighs) Sometimes I envy you. Having none of this crap to worry about. Nobody fools around on you – you don’t have anybody.

Madigan: (snorts, turns to the window and mumbles) Not anymore.

 

Next stop: Wednesday, October 11th, 4:00pm

Click here to learn all about this series, how it works, and where to find your favourite characters.


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39. Scenes from the Second Seat on the Right

Monday, October 9th, 5:00pm
Quinn and Yvonne

 

Yvonne: I hope you don’t think I’m going to talk to you tonight.

Quinn: I don’t expect …

Yvonne: Of course not. That’s why we’re going to a restaurant instead of staying home for Thanksgiving dinner.

Quinn: But you …

Yvonne: I know. I know I burned the turkey last year. You don’t have to rub it in. I was willing to try again but nooo, we have to go to a restaurant because you don’t trust me! Admit it!

Quinn: I …

Yvonne: Don’t talk to me. I’m not talking to you.

Quinn looks out the window.

Yvonne: Don’t pout.

Quinn: I’m not …

Yvonne: Yes you are. I can tell by the way you’re looking out the window.

Quinn: What the …

Yvonne: (holds up palm) Don’t talk to me. And don’t pout. Let’s just get there and get this over with.

Quinn: (looks up to the front of the bus) It’s …

Yvonne: What part of “don’t talk to me” didn’t you understand?

Quinn: But …

Yvonne: Ugh! I’ve had enough of this. I’m walking the rest of the way. (gets up)

Quinn: (calls to her as she’s walking down the aisle) You’ll have to anyway! We just passed the stop!

 

Next stop: Tuesday, October 10th, 3:00pm

Click here to learn all about this series, how it works, and where to find your favourite characters.


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38. Scenes from the Second Seat on the Right

Sunday, October 8th, 2:00pm
Drommen (and Bev, Darla and Vicki)

 

Drommen sits at the window. Bev takes the seat beside him, and Darla and Vicki sit down behind them.

Drommen: (smiling at Bev) Hello.

Bev smiles and nods.

Drommen: Mind if I masturbate?

Bev: Pardon?

Darla: (leans forward and says loudly) I think he said “Jersey is the Garden State.”

Vicki: (leans forward and says loudly) I thought he said “Rogers gives a rebate.”

Bev: (loudly) Really? A rebate on what? (turns to talk to Darla and Vicki) I was just saying to Sue the other day, I need a new iPhone …

Drommen slouches in his seat, arms crossed, and looks out the window.

 

 

Next stop: Monday, October 9th, 5:00pm

Click here to learn all about this series, how it works, and where to find your favourite characters.


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6 Things I Learned from my First Book Signing

As you might be aware, I had my first ever book signing event last weekend in Kingston, Ontario–the city where The Magician’s Curse takes place. The lady in the shop where I bought my rose asked me if I was nervous. I said without hesitation that I wasn’t. And I really wasn’t–I’ve worked in retail many times throughout my life, and selling my own book didn’t seem that different. Besides that, I feel at home in a book store. I lurve them.

But like most things, the first time we do something is usually a learning experience. Right? Here are the things I learned:

  1. Smile at people and don’t be afraid to take the initiative to speak to them first. Otherwise, chances are they’ll just pass you by.
  2. Chocolate Kisses™ may seem like a good idea to have on the same table as a romance novel, but make sure to stress the “chocolate” part when offering one to a man who’s standing beside his wife.
  3. Bring something to take the lint off of a black top hat.
  4. Do what you can to advertise ahead of time. This is particularly difficult when you’re signing books in a store that’s a long way away from where you live: be inventive.
  5. Don’t do a book signing when there’s another major event in town that features a bunch of authors whose names are more popular than yours. (I’m looking at you, Kathy Reichs.)
  6. If you’re going to spend hours sitting beside a book written by an offspring of Stephen King, make sure it’s Joe Hill (particularly if your last name is Hill).

By the time this post goes live, I’ll be getting ready for my second ever book signing event. If you’re in the area of Belleville, Ontario today (October 8th, 2017), please stop by Chapters between noon and 3pm. And get a Kiss. A chocolate one.


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37. Scenes from the Second Seat on the Right

Saturday, October 7th, 9:00pm
Holly (and Edward)

 

Holly sits at the window, staring out. Edward takes the seat beside her.

Edward: Hi.

Holly starts crying.

Edward: Are you okay?

Holly: (sobbing) My boyfriend left me!

Edward: That bastard!

Holly: I know! And I’m pregnant! And my husband is going to kill me!

Edward: (raises an eyebrow dramatically) Your husband?

Holly: Yes! What am I going to do? My husband is going to know it’s not his!

Edward: I can take him out.

Holly: (wipes her eyes and takes her first good look at him) What do you mean, “take him out”? Who the hell are you?

Edward: I’m Edward. I mean take care of him. You know … (hisses, showing his plastic fangs)

Holly frowns and stares at him silently.

Edward: Is your husband home now?

Holly: (stares for a moment longer, considering) Actually there’s this guy named Joel…

 

Next stop: Sunday, October 8th, 2:00pm

Click here to learn all about this series, how it works, and where to find your favourite characters.