Month: February 2026

A Better Day Coming #MondayMusings #OpenBookBlogHop #WritingPrompts

Welcome to another Open Book Blog Hop. Here’s this week’s prompt.

***

What keeps you motivated on tough writing days, and is there a moment in your journey so far that completely surprised you?

***

A resident in the nursing home, where I worked for fifteen years as a registered music therapist, loved standing in the hall outside the smoking room, after he’d had a cigarette, and greeting people as they hurried by. One of his favorite expressions was, “Better day comin.”

That always brought smiles to our faces because he was right. No matter what kind of day you’re having, whether you’re a writer or caregiver, things will eventually get better. This realization surprised me in my journey.

***

If you’re an author, what keeps you motivated when you’re having a tough writing day? Can you think of anything that surprised you in your journey? You can answer in the comments or click below to join the conversation and read what others say. Thank you for stopping by. Always know that a better day is coming.

 

InLinkz – Linkups & Link Parties for Bloggers

 


Abbie wears a blue and white V-neck top with different shades of blue from sky to navy that swirl together with the white. She has short, brown hair and rosy cheeks and smiles at the camera against a black background.

Photo Courtesy of Tess Anderson Photography

Photo Resize and Description

by Two Pentacles Publishing

New! Living Vicariously in Wyoming: Stories

Copyright 2025 by Abbie Johnson Taylor

Published independently with the help of DLD Books.

The scene shows an isolated barn off to the right in a snowy field, probably shortly after sunset. The foreground is a mixture of white, blue, and brown shades. Behind the barn is a line of dense, dark trees, many of them evergreens. The sky is the pink one sometimes sees at sunset, and a full moon hangs above the treetops to the left. The title is in plain black letters against the sky with a white glow behind them. The author’s name is in white letters near the bottom of the cover.

Image Description written by Leonore Dvorkin of DLD Books.

 

As defined in the first story, living vicariously means living your life through someone else’s. You’re invited to live vicariously through the lives of the people in these stories. There’s the lawyer who catches his wife in the act with a nun. A college student identifies with a character in a play. A young woman loses her mother and finds her father. And a high school student’s prudish English teacher strenuously objects to a single word in her paper.

In Wyoming, as in any other state, people fall in love, and sometimes relationships are shattered. Accidents, domestic violence, prejudice, and crimes all occur. Lives are torn apart, and people are reunited. Ordinary people deal with everyday and not–so–everyday situations.

The 25 stories in this collection, most of which are set in Wyoming, are about how the various characters resolve their conflicts—or not.

 

Click here for more information and ordering links.

 

About My Monthly Newsletter

 

If you haven’t already done so, please subscribe to News from My Corner by sending a blank email to:  newsfrommycorner+subscribe@groups.io .  You’ll receive a confirmation email. Reply to that with another blank message, and you should be good to go. Happy reading!

Thankful for Storyline #SundaySunshine #Jottings #Gratitude

Each Sunday, I share something that made me grateful in the past week. This week’s gratitude comes from pride in a family member.

Last Sunday after returning home from church, I was eating lunch when I received a text from my nephew, Tristan, now living in Boston, Massachusetts, miles away from me here in Sheridan, Wyoming. Tristan had just released an album, Storyline, and he included a link. When I clicked on it, I was taken to a page where the album can be played. To my surprise, I learned that it’s available from Amazon Music and other services.

I asked my Amazon smart speaker to play it and what I heard blew me away. Storyline features Tristan’s original compositions with vocals, guitar, and other stringed instruments. Most of the pieces are slow and reflective. Some are just instrumentals.

I knew Tristan played the guitar and thought he used a synthesizer to mimic other instruments and software to record tracks for each instrument and mix everything together. But he told me he recorded this last year with other singers and instrumentalists in Fort Collins, Colorado, before moving to Boston. I hope he can find other musicians in Boston to help him create more albums. He shows a lot of promise.

When I was Tristan’s age, I wanted to be a recording artist. But feeling I needed a more stable career, I chose to become a registered music therapist. Of course, this was back in the 19802s when it may not have even been possible to record one’s own albums. Now, just as authors can self-publish their own books on a variety of platforms, musicians can record their own albums and make them available through a variety of music services. Isn’t that amazing? I’m thankful Tristan had the courage to follow his dream, and I couldn’t be prouder.

I encourage you to check out Storyline by Tristan Johnson wherever you get your music. Alternatively, you can click below to hear the album. Happy listening!

 

Tristan Johnson – Storyline

 

What were you thankful for this past week? You can share in the comments or on your blog with a link to this post. Thank you for reading. Always be grateful!

 


Abbie wears a blue and white V-neck top with different shades of blue from sky to navy that swirl together with the white. She has short, brown hair and rosy cheeks and smiles at the camera against a black background.

Photo Courtesy of Tess Anderson Photography

Photo Resize and Description

by Two Pentacles Publishing

New! Living Vicariously in Wyoming: Stories

Copyright 2025 by Abbie Johnson Taylor

Published independently with the help of DLD Books.

The scene shows an isolated barn off to the right in a snowy field, probably shortly after sunset. The foreground is a mixture of white, blue, and brown shades. Behind the barn is a line of dense, dark trees, many of them evergreens. The sky is the pink one sometimes sees at sunset, and a full moon hangs above the treetops to the left. The title is in plain black letters against the sky with a white glow behind them. The author’s name is in white letters near the bottom of the cover.

Image Description written by Leonore Dvorkin of DLD Books.

 

As defined in the first story, living vicariously means living your life through someone else’s. You’re invited to live vicariously through the lives of the people in these stories. There’s the lawyer who catches his wife in the act with a nun. A college student identifies with a character in a play. A young woman loses her mother and finds her father. And a high school student’s prudish English teacher strenuously objects to a single word in her paper.

In Wyoming, as in any other state, people fall in love, and sometimes relationships are shattered. Accidents, domestic violence, prejudice, and crimes all occur. Lives are torn apart, and people are reunited. Ordinary people deal with everyday and not–so–everyday situations.

The 25 stories in this collection, most of which are set in Wyoming, are about how the various characters resolve their conflicts—or not.

 

Click here for more information and ordering links.

 

About My Monthly Newsletter

 

If you haven’t already done so, please subscribe to News from My Corner by sending a blank email to:  newsfrommycorner+subscribe@groups.io .  You’ll receive a confirmation email. Reply to that with another blank message, and you should be good to go. Happy reading!

Reflections on Aging: My Review of Winter Pilgrimage by Sally Rosenthal #FantasticFridayReads #Poetry #Nonfiction

From Amazon

 

Old age often defies stereotypes. Life’s later years are a time of slowing down and loss, but they can also be a period of reckoning and, sometimes, new beginnings as Pushcart Prize – nominated poet Sally Rosenthal comes to realize in this exploration of life past the age of seventy. In poetry and prose, she reflects on the past, examines the present, and looks ahead with grace and gratitude.

A companion volume to her previous book, Peonies in Winter: A Journey Through Loss, Grief, and Healing, this new work, while an honest appraisal of old age, is also filled with hope, thanks, and even joy.

 

Winter Pilgrimage: A Journey Through Later Life – Kindle edition by Rosenthal, Sally . Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

 

My 5-Star Review

 

I met Sally years ago when she joined Behind Our Eyes, a writing group to which I belong. I enjoyed Peonies in Winter, which I reviewed here, along with other work she shared on our email list. When she recently announced the publication of Winter Pilgrimage, I snatched it up, and I wasn’t disappointed.

I love the way Sally acknowledges Behind Our Eyes, mentioning members, myself included, by name. It makes my heart happy to see that our group is helping authors succeed in publishing their work. This is the second book Sally has published since she joined us.

I love how Sally weaves the stories in her prose and poetry with vivid imagery. Being a senior citizen and having been a caregiver, I could relate to many of her pieces. I especially liked “Twilight with Tamsin,” in which she reflects on her relationship with her aging cat, and “Laughing with Lynda,” a poem that tells the story of two friends sharing a laugh and foreshadows an unpleasant event to come. Her essay, “One Jar of Peanut Butter at a Time,” makes an excellent point about solving the world’s problems in little steps.

I appreciate Sally titling her haiku sequences. Haiku usually don’t have titles. But in this case, the titles help those like me, who use Kindle Assistive Reader on Amazon smart speakers or other adaptive software, know when we’ve come to the beginning of a new poem. In her introduction, she explains that she titled the haiku to make it easier for those who will listen to future audio versions of the book. It’s great when authors consider accessibility.

I love how the collection is arranged, with poetry and prose interspersed. Because the poems are easy to follow, even those who don’t like poetry will appreciate them. I recommend Winter Pilgrimage to anyone wanting to read heartwarming, reflective pieces that plumb the depths of what it’s like to grow old.

 


Abbie wears a blue and white V-neck top with different shades of blue from sky to navy that swirl together with the white. She has short, brown hair and rosy cheeks and smiles at the camera against a black background.

Photo Courtesy of Tess Anderson Photography

Photo Resize and Description

by Two Pentacles Publishing

New! Living Vicariously in Wyoming: Stories

Copyright 2025 by Abbie Johnson Taylor

Published independently with the help of DLD Books.

The scene shows an isolated barn off to the right in a snowy field, probably shortly after sunset. The foreground is a mixture of white, blue, and brown shades. Behind the barn is a line of dense, dark trees, many of them evergreens. The sky is the pink one sometimes sees at sunset, and a full moon hangs above the treetops to the left. The title is in plain black letters against the sky with a white glow behind them. The author’s name is in white letters near the bottom of the cover.

Image Description written by Leonore Dvorkin of DLD Books.

 

As defined in the first story, living vicariously means living your life through someone else’s. You’re invited to live vicariously through the lives of the people in these stories. There’s the lawyer who catches his wife in the act with a nun. A college student identifies with a character in a play. A young woman loses her mother and finds her father. And a high school student’s prudish English teacher strenuously objects to a single word in her paper.

In Wyoming, as in any other state, people fall in love, and sometimes relationships are shattered. Accidents, domestic violence, prejudice, and crimes all occur. Lives are torn apart, and people are reunited. Ordinary people deal with everyday and not–so–everyday situations.

The 25 stories in this collection, most of which are set in Wyoming, are about how the various characters resolve their conflicts—or not.

 

Click here for more information and ordering links.

 

About My Monthly Newsletter

 

If you haven’t already done so, please subscribe to News from My Corner by sending a blank email to:  newsfrommycorner+subscribe@groups.io .  You’ll receive a confirmation email. Reply to that with another blank message, and you should be good to go. Happy reading!

Finding Compassion Amid Uncertainty #SixSentenceStoryThursdayLinkUp #Excerpts #WritingPrompts

“Stewart has a cute birth mark on his nose,” Mary Ellen found herself saying about the father of her unborn child.

As tears threatened, Kim squeezed her hand. “I know, sweetie. People say they love you, then desert you when you need them the most. We’ll take care of you.”

“She’s right,” Agnes said, putting a hand on Mary Ellen’s shoulder.

***

Who are Agnes and Kim in relation to Mary Ellen, and why are they helping her? Read “Heaven Help Me” in my new short story collection, Living Vicariously in Wyoming to find out. See below for details and where to get your copy.

Thanks to GirlieOnTheEdge for inspiring me to post the above excerpt with this week’s six-sentence story prompt in which the given word is “mark.” If you’d like to write something in exactly six sentences, using the word at least once, you can share in the comments or click below to join the fun and read other six-sentence creations. Thank you for stopping by.

 

InLinkz – Linkups & Link Parties for Bloggers

 


Abbie wears a blue and white V-neck top with different shades of blue from sky to navy that swirl together with the white. She has short, brown hair and rosy cheeks and smiles at the camera against a black background.

Photo Courtesy of Tess Anderson Photography

Photo Resize and Description

by Two Pentacles Publishing

New! Living Vicariously in Wyoming: Stories

Copyright 2025 by Abbie Johnson Taylor

Published independently with the help of DLD Books.

The scene shows an isolated barn off to the right in a snowy field, probably shortly after sunset. The foreground is a mixture of white, blue, and brown shades. Behind the barn is a line of dense, dark trees, many of them evergreens. The sky is the pink one sometimes sees at sunset, and a full moon hangs above the treetops to the left. The title is in plain black letters against the sky with a white glow behind them. The author’s name is in white letters near the bottom of the cover.

Image Description written by Leonore Dvorkin of DLD Books.

 

As defined in the first story, living vicariously means living your life through someone else’s. You’re invited to live vicariously through the lives of the people in these stories. There’s the lawyer who catches his wife in the act with a nun. A college student identifies with a character in a play. A young woman loses her mother and finds her father. And a high school student’s prudish English teacher strenuously objects to a single word in her paper.

In Wyoming, as in any other state, people fall in love, and sometimes relationships are shattered. Accidents, domestic violence, prejudice, and crimes all occur. Lives are torn apart, and people are reunited. Ordinary people deal with everyday and not–so–everyday situations.

The 25 stories in this collection, most of which are set in Wyoming, are about how the various characters resolve their conflicts—or not.

 

Click here for more information and ordering links.

 

About My Monthly Newsletter

 

If you haven’t already done so, please subscribe to News from My Corner by sending a blank email to:  newsfrommycorner+subscribe@groups.io .  You’ll receive a confirmation email. Reply to that with another blank message, and you should be good to go. Happy reading!

Nature Through the Seasons #TuesdayTidbit #Poetry #Inspiration

Nature Through the Seasons

© 2025 by Abbie Johnson Taylor

 

 

Spring, summer, fall, winter,

nature is ever-shifting, ever wild.

 

One day, she dazzles—

sunlight spilling across blue skies,

buds opening, the world becoming green.

 

The next, she rages—

clouds gathering, wind howling,

rain or snow sweeping through the land.

 

Sometimes fierce, sometimes tender,

she burns with heat,

floods or withholds water,

testing what dares to grow.

 

Until all eyes open to the reality of climate change,

we can only stand beneath her changing face,

savor her calm,

endure her fury,

whisper thanks

for her remaining beauty.

***

In November of 2025, I was putting together a manuscript of ten poems to submit to a fellowship competition sponsored by the Wyoming Arts Council. Since the judge seemed more partial to nature poetry, I decided to include poems reflecting nature in all four seasons. Needing a concluding poem to tie everything together, I wrote the above.

I didn’t receive a fellowship, but the poem was recently published in The Weekly Avocet. I hope you’ll download this journal here and enjoy other wonderful nature poetry. Thank you for reading.

 


Abbie wears a blue and white V-neck top with different shades of blue from sky to navy that swirl together with the white. She has short, brown hair and rosy cheeks and smiles at the camera against a black background.

Photo Courtesy of Tess Anderson Photography

Photo Resize and Description

by Two Pentacles Publishing

New! Living Vicariously in Wyoming: Stories

Copyright 2025 by Abbie Johnson Taylor

Published independently with the help of DLD Books.

The scene shows an isolated barn off to the right in a snowy field, probably shortly after sunset. The foreground is a mixture of white, blue, and brown shades. Behind the barn is a line of dense, dark trees, many of them evergreens. The sky is the pink one sometimes sees at sunset, and a full moon hangs above the treetops to the left. The title is in plain black letters against the sky with a white glow behind them. The author’s name is in white letters near the bottom of the cover.

Image Description written by Leonore Dvorkin of DLD Books.

 

As defined in the first story, living vicariously means living your life through someone else’s. You’re invited to live vicariously through the lives of the people in these stories. There’s the lawyer who catches his wife in the act with a nun. A college student identifies with a character in a play. A young woman loses her mother and finds her father. And a high school student’s prudish English teacher strenuously objects to a single word in her paper.

In Wyoming, as in any other state, people fall in love, and sometimes relationships are shattered. Accidents, domestic violence, prejudice, and crimes all occur. Lives are torn apart, and people are reunited. Ordinary people deal with everyday and not–so–everyday situations.

The 25 stories in this collection, most of which are set in Wyoming, are about how the various characters resolve their conflicts—or not.

 

Click here for more information and ordering links.

 

About My Monthly Newsletter

 

If you haven’t already done so, please subscribe to News from My Corner by sending a blank email to:  newsfrommycorner+subscribe@groups.io .  You’ll receive a confirmation email. Reply to that with another blank message, and you should be good to go. Happy reading!