Category: Excerpts

Trying to Eat #SixSentenceStoryThursdayLinkUp #Excerpts #Inspiration

Welcome to this week’s Six Sentence Story Thursday Link Up. The word is “stroke.” As you may have noticed from a post I reblogged here a few days ago, I suggested the word to Girlie on the Edge, and you’ll see why in a minute.

Below is an excerpt from My Ideal Partner, a memoir in which I write about how I met and married my late husband Bill, then cared for him after he suffered two paralyzing strokes.

***

After a day and a half in intensive care, Bill was transferred to a stroke unit. He drifted in and out of consciousness. When we were finally told he could eat, he was too weak to do so on his own. I told the staff I didn’t feel comfortable feeding him because of my visual impairment. Nevertheless, meals were delivered, and it was up to me to get him to eat.

I placed a fork in his hand and said, “Here, honey, eat some mashed potatoes.”

***

Well, did Bill eat those mashed potatoes? Read the book and find out. You can click on the above link for more information and ordering links.

Thanks to Girlie on the Edge for this week’s prompt. You can click here to participate and read other bloggers’ six-sentence creations.

A photo of Abbie smiling in front of a white background. Her brown hair is cut short and frames her face. She is wearing a bright red shirt and a dark, flowy scarf swirled with hues of purple, pinks and blues.

New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

The cover of the book features an older woman sitting in a wicker chair facing a window. The world beyond the window is bright, and several plants are visible on the terrace. Behind the woman’s chair is another plant, with a tall stalk and wide rounded leaves. The woman has short, white hair, glasses, a red sweater, and tan pants. The border of the picture is a taupe color and reads "Why Grandma Doesn't Know Me" above the photo and "Abbie Johnson Taylor" below it.

Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes her until one Halloween night when she tells Natalie a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, a college English teacher, and another professor.

After some research, Natalie learns that some people with dementia have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she tries and succeeds in finding her biological father online. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding. Her ten-year-old sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant this request?

***

Facebook

Website

 

 

Lock Him Up and Throw Away the Key #SixSentenceStoryThursdayLinkUp #Excerptgs #Inspiration

Welcome to another edition of Six Sentence Story Thursday Link Up. This week’s word is “key.” In the following excerpt from The Red Dress, my main character Eve is visiting her mother Norma, who suffers from dementia and lives in a nursing home. Norma is carrying on a conversation with a staff member at the facility.
***
“Young lady, watch your language,” said Norma.

Eve almost smiled at the memory of her mother admonishing children the same way in the library where she’d worked for years.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Barry,” said Stephanie. “Anyway, thank God he’s locked up. They should throw away the key. Okay, Mrs. Barry, I’ll go tell the nurse you want to lay down.”

 

***

So, who should be locked up? Read the book and find out. Thanks to Girlie on the Edge for her six-sentence story prompt for this week. You can click here to participate in the hop and read other bloggers’ six-sentence creations.

A photo of Abbie smiling in front of a white background. Her brown hair is cut short and frames her face. She is wearing a bright red shirt and a dark, flowy scarf swirled with hues of purple, pinks and blues.

 

 

 

New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.
Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

The cover of the book features an older woman sitting in a wicker chair facing a window. The world beyond the window is bright, and several plants are visible on the terrace. Behind the woman’s chair is another plant, with a tall stalk and wide rounded leaves. The woman has short, white hair, glasses, a red sweater, and tan pants. The border of the picture is a taupe color and reads "Why Grandma Doesn't Know Me" above the photo and "Abbie Johnson Taylor" below it.

Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.

After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?
***
Facebook
Website

 

On the Edge of Her Seat #SixSentenceStoryThursdayLinkUp #Excerpt #Inspiration

Welcome to another edition of Six Sentence Story Thursday Link Up, in which the given word is “edge.” My contribution this week is an excerpt from my latest book, Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me, in which ten-year-old Sarah and her mother Marti are visiting her grandmother in a nursing home. During their visits, Marti usually reads something aloud. This time, it’s one of those riveting Drama in Real Life articles from Reader’s Digest. This excerpt is told from Marti’s first-person point of view. Let’s see what happens.

***

“Mom, I think you’ll like this,” I said.

But as I read about a man who fell off a cliff while hiking with friends, Mom didn’t appear to be listening. Her eyes were closed, and soon, she was making soft snoring sounds. I turned to Sarah, who was on the edge of her seat, wide–eyed.

“Finish the story, Mom. Was the guy finally rescued?

***

So, does Marti finish the story? Was the guy rescued? Read the book to find out. See below for details.

Thanks to Girlie on the Edge for inspiring me to post the above excerpt with her six-sentence prompt for this week. You can click here to participate and read other bloggers’ responses.

A photo of Abbie smiling in front of a white background. Her brown hair is cut short and frames her face. She is wearing a bright red shirt and a dark, flowy scarf swirled with hues of purple, pinks and blues.

New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

The cover of the book features an older woman sitting in a wicker chair facing a window. The world beyond the window is bright, and several plants are visible on the terrace. Behind the woman’s chair is another plant, with a tall stalk and wide rounded leaves. The woman has short, white hair, glasses, a red sweater, and tan pants. The border of the picture is a taupe color and reads "Why Grandma Doesn't Know Me" above the photo and "Abbie Johnson Taylor" below it.

Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.

After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?

***

Facebook

Website

 

 

That’s Life #SixSentenceStoryThursdayLinkUp #Excerpt #Inspiration

A photo of Abbie smiling in front of a white background. She has short brown hair which is cut short and frames her face. She is wearing a bright red shirt and a dark, flowy scarf swirled with hues of purple, pinks and blues.

In August 2014, my third book, That’s Life: New and Selected Poems, was published by Finishing Line Press. At the beginning of the year, I sent the manuscript to several publishers, thinking I would probably end up self–publishing this one, as well. To my surprise, a month later, I received an email from Finishing Line Press, saying they would publish it.

I agreed to their terms. It took longer than my other books, and, unlike iUniverse, Finishing Line Press required everything in both hard copy and electronic formats. When it came out, it was worth the work and the wait.

***

Thanks to Girlie on the Edge for inspiring me to post this with her six-sentence story prompt for this week, in which the given word  is “term.” You can click here to participate in this week’s hop and read other bloggers’ six-sentence creations. The above is an excerpt from My Ideal Partner: How I Met, Married, and Cared for the Man I Loved Despite Debilitating Odds, in which I share an aspect of my life after my late husband Bill passed.

 

New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

The cover of the book features an older woman sitting in a wicker chair facing a window. The world beyond the window is bright, and several plants are visible on the terrace. Behind the woman’s chair is another plant, with a tall stalk and wide rounded leaves. The woman has short, white hair, glasses, a red sweater, and tan pants. The border of the picture is a taupe color and reads "Why Grandma Doesn't Know Me" above the photo and "Abbie Johnson Taylor" below it.

Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.

After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

 

Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?

***

Facebook

Website

 

 

A Nightmare to Remember #MondayMusings #OpenBookBlogHop #Excerpts

A photo of Abbie smiling in front of a white background. She has short brown hair which is cut short and frames her face. She is wearing a bright red shirt and a dark, flowy scarf swirled with hues of purple, pinks and blues.

Welcome to another edition of Open Book Blog Hop. This week’s question is: “Do dreams/nightmares influence your writing? Do you keep a notebook by your bed to write down ideas?”

Years ago when I was in college, after reading an Ellery Queen mystery, I developed an irrational fear of policemen, which caused me to be plagued by nightmares. One such dream inspired the following scene from my first novel, We Shall Overcome.

***

“Where are you taking me?” asked Lisa as several policemen carried her down a long, dark hall.

“Where do you think?” one of them said.

“Please put me down,” Lisa said. “You’ll drop me. Just because I don’t see very well doesn’t mean I can’t walk.”

The men only laughed, and she was consumed by panic. Lisa fought to free herself from their grasp, which was not easy since her hands were cuffed behind her back. Two of the officers held her ankles while others held her shoulders. She began to scream and continued screaming until she was carried through a doorway and tossed onto a hard bunk. The cell door slammed with a resounding thud as the policemen left her, still handcuffed, lying face down on the bed.

“It is now six thirty am,” said the male voice of Lisa’s talking alarm clock as a cheerful tune was played. She sat up with a start. Her heart pounding, she discovered to her relief that she was not in a jail cell but in her own bedroom. The sheets and blankets were in a tangle on the floor. “Oh, god,” she said and flopped on the bed to wait for her heart to stop pounding.

***

How about you? If you’re an author, do dreams or nightmares influence your writing? Have any of your characters ever had bad or good dreams? You can click here to participate in this week’s hop and read other bloggers’ responses.

 

New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

The cover of the book features an older woman sitting in a wicker chair facing a window. The world beyond the window is bright, and several plants are visible on the terrace. Behind the woman’s chair is another plant, with a tall stalk and wide rounded leaves. The woman has short, white hair, glasses, a red sweater, and tan pants. The border of the picture is a taupe color and reads "Why Grandma Doesn't Know Me" above the photo and "Abbie Johnson Taylor" below it.

Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.

After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?

***

Facebook

Website