August 2024 Writers Muse
Published by the Writers Foundation of Strathcona County
“Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” -E. L. Doctorow
Editor's Note:
The Strathcona Writers Muse is a forum for members of the Writers Foundation of Strathcona County to publish their works. We accept all manner of submissions from short stories, poetry and book reviews from members only. If you would like to publish in our newsletter, check on our website about joining our group.
Important Dates
Writers Circle Virtual Sharing Meeting
First Tuesday of the month
Next meeting Aug 6, 2024
7 pm
In person in the Birch Room at the Strathcona County Library
Next Board Meeting:
Aug 13, 2024
Children's Creative Writing Workshop
Next Meeting (Paused for summer and will resume on 16th Sept)
Reply to the link on our Website
Poets in the Park
Next Meeting (Paused for summer and will resume on 18th Sept)
Reply to the link on our Website
This month's submissions
A Little Ration of Alliteration
Written by Lana O’Neill
I see a single seagull soaring in the sky
Swerving slightly left
Soft and slow like a sigh
Shifting like a shadow
Cast from clustered clouds on high
Then swooping up in silent course
Focus on the fly
Thereon in through thrumming throng
Of buzzing bugs of black and brown
Scattered into senseless states
Scooped to serve on seagull’s plate
The Architect
by Karen Probert
Aaron stood at the top looking down. "Disaster" he whispered. In his head that thought was screaming, but he couldn't let that sound out. Not here. Maybe later in his car by himself, but not now.
"Tell me again how this happened. From the beginning and in order. I've requested that the engineer involved and the city official who authorized building here to come immediately. I'll record your response on my phone." He held his phone between himself and the landscape architect, who had been hired to create a water feature. His company was well respected in the industry, but they relied on other authorities to ensure the property was stable and accessible.
As the major architect, Aaron also relied on reports from engineers and authorities at City Hall, whose jobs were to ascertain the correct and safe places to develop for the building of homes and industrial buildings. This area already had roads, power and cable lines in place and all sorts of other buildings going up. Aaron's friend Carlton had chosen this particular piece of land for his new home. Although not large it would stand out as special because this lot was on the highest ridge of the whole development. The home was designed to have windows on all sides to allow natural light to penetrate the whole house. The view of the lake would be able to be seen from the front door all the way through the kitchen and living room before crossing the deck.
Aaron was standing where the living room would end and the deck would start. Because it was early Saturday morning he was in a white T-shirt, jeans and sockless boat shoes. He'd had coffee, but no breakfast before he had raced out to the jobsite. He closed his eyes to avoid seeing what was in front of him.
Jamie, the landscaper stood beside Aaron. He wore work boots with jeans and a plaid shirt. He hadn't shaved or combed his rampant curls. He kept running his fingers through his hair. "Oh, lord. Okay. I'll try to go in order. Yesterday we started digging here with the big backhoe. I'd measured the depth of the deck and marked where the pilings and steps down from it would be. The backhoe driver, Colin, had no issues until about 2 o'clock when it started to pour. He moved the backhoe over there beside the foundation. He called me to tell me he was done for the day because it was too wet. I came out here about 4 o'clock to check on all the equipment and record what had been accomplished. It was pouring here but here are all the photos I took. They're dated at 4:20 yesterday. Colin came out here at 7 this morning to see if it was dry enough to work. He's staying over there in his truck while we talk. He's sure some panicked. He called me at 7:10 to tell me this problem. I didn't believe him but came right out. He's freaked and so am I. What the hell are we supposed to do?" Jamie looked at Aaron.
Aaron shut off the phone and looked at Jamie, then turned into the beginnings of the house. "I don't know the answer Jamie. I just don't. But I'm not standing this close to the edge anymore. God knows what, if anything much, is beneath us right now. Sure glad Colin didn't keep working yesterday. He might have ended up in the bottom of that hole, backhoe and all. Let's go talk to him. The engineer should be here soon, and the city guy."
By the time the engineer and two city authorities arrived Colin had moved the backhoe out onto the street after Aaron and Jamie both took photos of where it had been overnight. The three waited in Colin's truck, quietly considering the consequences. Aaron met the two men who'd arrived in a city van and the engineer in his Tesla. All six men now got introduced by name and position on the jobsite. Mike form the city said, "Everything looks good from here but you, Aaron, said there's an unexpected drop in the land."
Aaron's laugh came out as a bark. "A drop in the land doesn't explain even half of it, not even a quarter." As he led the men toward the entrance to the house the rain began again, pounding on the ground. Colin chose to stay in his truck. "I'm spooked" he stated. "I've seen enough. I'll just wait here if that's okay."
Aaron told him, "Of course. After these three see the problem we'll all go somewhere, maybe my office, to talk about it. Do you want to load the backhoe on your truck now?"
"Yeah, I'll do that. Not sure it's safe where it is."
Aaron suggested to the other men that they spread out so as not put all their weight as a group in one area of the floor. The engineer and city guys looked at him with skepticism. One said, "Don't you think you're maybe being overly cautious?"
"No, actually I don't. Okay, just walk to the edge of the subfloor."
The two city guys did as they were told. Jamie gave a smirk to Aaron as they followed them. The five men stood still, looking down as the fresh rainwater poured out from under the concrete subfloor like a waterfall to splash into the muddy water below. As it did some dirt broke off from the edge of the hole to slide into the pond.
"I'm not standing here any longer," stated Aaron. "I don't know if the whole structure is being underpinned by this stream running under it."
One of the city men was using a laser measuring device to judge the size of the pond. "Holy god", he stated," It's like an Olympic swimming pool. Don't know how deep. Let's get out of here. Paul, you have authority to stop all work in this subdivision until further notice. I think you should do that right now."
"Just did. Who surveyed this land will be called upon to explain. Damned costly mess we're in. Never seen anything like it before."
The headline in the morning paper and on the news said, "Olympic Pool-Sized Sinkhole in New Subdivision". People read it in amazement. Many were annoyed that the area had been cordoned off as they wanted to drive there to see it.
Aaron sat at his kitchen table. He called Carlton to tell him his new house had a 'waterfall feature'. When he sent the photos neither man laughed.
FORGET ME…NOT
Written by Lana O’Neill
I was heartbroken because the girl of my dreams just broke up with me. So, after spending too much time with myself going over what went wrong and leaving a pride-reducing ‘tell me what I can do to fix it’ voice message on her cell phone, I decided to seek advice from a group who know the ins and outs of being dumped- the guys.
The fact that I had no problem tracking them down on a Saturday night would’ve scared away someone less lovesick, but I chose to see it as a sign that I was on the right track. As I descended the stairs to the basement of Jack’s mom’s house, the unmistakable fizz’n’clink of a newly popped bottle cap greeted my ears and the welcome chill of a beer bottle permeated the palm of my hand. A paused video game, a flowery brown couch and four sets of friendly faces awaited my arrival.
Jack doesn’t waste any time. “So, why’d she break up with you?”
“I don’t know. One minute we’re having a great time and I’m feeling all comfortable, being myself, happy that I’m with her and then, just like that, her mood changes and I’m asking her if she’s breaking up with me.”
Jack’s eyes go wide. “She didn’t even tell you why?”
“No and it’s killing me. What do I do?”
Dan jumps up and points a finger at me. “A party. There’s one on Pine tonight.”
Rick takes a swig of beer. “You need to drink…lots. Just forget about her.”
I start pacing in front of the couch. “I can’t forget about her. I want her back but she won’t answer my calls.” I take a drink and realize my bottle is already empty.
Jack brings me another then puts his arm around my shoulders. “So, where’d it happen?”
I cringe. “The park.”
Dan is back on his feet and throws his arms up. “You’ve got to be kidding. Now you’re gonna mope about it every time we go there to play ball.”
“Not if I can get her back.”
Stu was quiet up until this point, probably because he was already drunk. “You’re not getting her back. If she didn’t tell you why she dumped you and you don’t know why, then consider yourself finished.”
“And that’s it?”
“You gotta save face while you can.” Stu’s nodding his head as if he’s agreeing with his own advice. “She has to see that no woman can get under your skin.” His eyes were flitting back and forth trying to focus on my face. Once he found it, he stumbled forward, pushed Jack away and gave me a big hug. “Your welcome.”
Well, that settled it. Even if I could move on, I couldn’t pretend that she wasn’t firmly embedded under my skin. If I had any chance of getting her back, I would have to start fresh and be the person she fell for in the first place…without the mystery glitch. I just need to figure out what the glitch is. “Thanks Stu. But I can’t pretend I don’t love her.” I look at the other three. “And I’m not going to forget about her.”
Dan balled one hand into a fist and started singing into it,“Don’t you…forget about me”, while pointing a finger at me then back towards himself. Jack and Rick started bouncing around singing some sort of garbled “ah-ah-ah-ahhh” back up vocals while Stu flopped back on the couch. I couldn’t help but smile at the irony of me trying to get relationship advice from four guys who were better at friendships.
Jack broke from the group and came over to me laughing. “Come on. Let’s head out to the bar and get drunk. We’ll find you a new girl. Hell, maybe I’ll find one too.”
“Maybe another time.” I finished my beer, walked over to the game console and pressed play. By the time I hit the first step going back upstairs, the guys were already playing paper-scissors-rock to see who got the new game controller.
Yes, my pride was hurt and the impulse to take it like a guy was overwhelming. But I’m not a guy and I needed more.I sent a text and received an immediate response. It’s time to hear from a group who knows the ins and outs of relationship problems and will analyze it forever- the girls.
'If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time or the tools to write' - Stephen King
What Are You Reading?
The Muse wants to know what other writers are reading! Are you doing research for a story? Are you reading a great book that you want to tell others about? E-mail the editor and let us know about your book. wfscsherwoodpark@gmail.com
Beside Herself by Elizabeth LaBan
Review by Mandy Eve-Barnett
A journey of emotions, knee jerk reactions, revenge, and love. I enjoyed the POV of Hannah and how she searches through the turmoil of her broken marriage.
For anyone who has worked through marital strife, this narrative will resonate with you A great read.
A Rip Through time by Kelley Armstrong.
Review by Mandy Eve-Barnett
A cleverly constructed story with believable characters and some great twists in the plot. Having personal knowledge of Edinburgh made it even more intriguing. However, I was unsure of the ending – even though it is #1 of a series...
The Sweet Blue Distance by Sara Donati
Reviewed by Beth Rowe
I had a hard time putting this book down. There is so much in the story. Sara not only is very good at describing the surroundings but also goes into the biases and beliefs of the time. She shows how the people handle their displeasure and prejudices. It becomes quite involved trying to follow the families and who is against whom. The journey across the country is told in detail so you get an idea of the hardships but also the differences between the east and west. The intrigues she talks about add even more to the story. She follows the main character on her journey from the east to the west as she travels to become a midwife in the west. What happens when she arrives becomes much more sinister than her trip.
From the Stars: Poetry Anthology IV
The newest edition is now available in Amazon
Available at Amazon
The WFSC challenged its members to write a poem-a-day for 30 days and the poetry shared in this anthology are part of the results. Participants were allowed to submit up to five selections with others chosen at random to fill the book as needed. We think you’ll enjoy reading the as much as we did. We have selections from 14 poets offering 81 selections ranging in styles, voice, and direction, but all focused on the title / theme of the day
Writing Prompts book one and two available from Amazon and Dream Write Press
Postcards from Canada proudly features the words of members from the Writers Foundation of Strathcona County in celebration of being Canadian – during this 150th year of Confederation. Share with us as we take you on a journey across Canada with our words, our images, our verse, our prose… Postcards from Canada - Wish you were here!
All of the above titles are available from Amazon or Dream Write Press. Also you can find them on our website.
Writers Foundation of Strathcona County2024 Board Members and contact information:
Joe McKnight President jmcknight2@hotmail.com
Bethany Horne Vice President cbhorne@shaw.ca Never Been Better - Editor
Linda Pedley Treasurer Web Site Administration wildhorse33@hotmail.com 780-445-0991
Mandy Barnett Secretary mandybar@shaw.ca
Writing Circle Host/ Writing Prompts/ Newsletter Editor
Karen Probert Past President karen@lumevision.com 780-464-6632
Beth Rowe Director Your Lifetime of Stories Coordinator Children's Contest Organizer bethrowe1@telus.net 780-718-7253
Henry Martell Director Newsletter Coordinator wfscsherwoodpark@gmail.com
Amanda O'Driscoll Director Instagram Coordinator Library Liaison Children's Writing Workshop odriscoll.amanda@gmail.com
Pamela Beattie Director Poets in the Park Moderator
John Wheeler Director jbywheeler@gmail.comEmail: wfscsherwoodpark@hotmail.com wordsinthepark@hotmail.com Website: (wfscsherwoodpark.com)
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