My Cardboard Balcony

One thing I've realized around, I don't know, two seconds ago while sitting at my parents' desktop while I take care of their old dog: The best way to keep your creativity going is to maintain some sort of enthusiasm for something, even if some naysayer may call the thing you're enthusiastic about "frivolous." I mean it. It doesn't even have to be enthusiasm for something deep or abstract or philosophical. It can be anything. It can be enthusiasm for a particular song you heard on the radio, or a drink you mixed for a friend, or a certain video game or book or movie or even a specific type of cheese. It can be enthusiasm for what some people might call a typical hobby, like playing board games or getting really good with crosswords or baking a batch of cupcakes. Enthusiasm is so goddamn important to have in order to be a working artist, because the moment you become apathetic or disinterested in your day-to-day routine is the day you run into some pretty...

"Caramel Kisses" is an unfinished novel I began to write back in 2009 and stopped working on in 2010. The two main characters - Adriana Maguire Reynard and Emma Burking - would ultimately be revised for my later completed novella, "The Liffey Is Half-Asleep," in 2011. Several elements of "Liffey" can be found in their original forms in "Caramel Kisses," such as the characters' names, the haiku scene, and Adriana's penchant for writing. Because of its influence on my later writing, I figured that this story, though incomplete, was worth sharing. Caramel Kisses: Chapter Twenty by Belinda Roddie We planned our wedding for May, six months after the night I had proposed to her. Emma had reminded me that she didn’t need a lavish ceremony, just a small, pretty wedding where her father could lead her down the aisle to a song other than “Here Comes the Bride.” And I was fine with that because Emma was beautiful enough for a small ceremony an...

"Your card has been declined, sir. You'll have to use another." "That can't be right," Simon sputtered. "I should have a good chunk of money on there." But the cashier only shook her head. "I've tried it twice now, sir. You'll need to use your other card." There was only one explanation - his bitch of an ex-wife had to have drained his entire checking account. Now was not the time to panic. Simon had to breathe. He reached back into his wallet and frustratedly pulled out a twenty.