Author Archives: Val

Fantastic Friday: Lunar Eclipse and the Nature of Time

Today’s Fantastic Friday post comes on—well, a Sunday. I couldn’t resist posting about the upcoming lunar eclipse, set to start in just a few hours. It’s been cloudy all day, so I’m not sure if I’ll get a clear view … Continue reading

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Flash Fiction: Creative Mind

Welcome to the Spot Writers. Today’s post is brought to you by Val Muller, author of The Scarred Letter, the YA reboot of Hawthorne’s original. This month, you can purchase the novel, or any other Barking Rain Press title, for … Continue reading

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Writer Wednesdays: Dangerous Decisions

Today’s contribution comes from RC Bonitz, a regular contributor to the Spot Writers (the group bringing you a new flash fiction piece every Thursday). He is the author of the new book, DANGEROUS DECISIONS, which was just released. I briefly … Continue reading

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Book Review: A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

A few years ago, a student of mine recommended this book. I bought it, stuck it on my TBR pile, and started reading it over the summer. I enjoyed it, but it got swept into a box when I decided … Continue reading

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Flash Fiction: Calvin’s First Day by Cathy MacKenzie

Welcome to the Spot Writers. The prompt for this month is to use the following phrases (in any order): “back to school,” “glorious roar,” “and then it fizzled,” and “while the wind gusted.” This week’s contribution comes from Cathy MacKenzie. … Continue reading

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Fantastic Friday: Dreams and Premonitions

Happy Friday! For me, today marked the last day of the first full week of school for the year. Teaching high school is always interesting–and usually tiring, especially at first. I’m looking forward to the long weekend. So I was … Continue reading

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Flash Fiction: Stolen Time by Val Muller

Welcome to the Spot Writers. The prompt for this month is to use the following 4 phrases in a tale (in any order): “back to school,” “glorious roar,” “and then it fizzled,” “while the wind gusted.” Today’s tale comes to … Continue reading

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Flash Fiction: Somebody by RC Bonitz

Welcome to the Spot Writers. The prompt for this month is to use the following 4 phrases in a tale (in any order): “back to school,” “glorious roar,” “and then it fizzled,” “while the wind gusted.” Today’s contribution comes from … Continue reading

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Book Review: The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter by Sharyn McCrumb

Sharyn McCrumb was the banquet speaker at Longwood University’s Summer Literacy Institute, and I enjoyed hearing her speak. In preparation for hearing her, I wanted to read one of her back-list titles, so I chose The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter, a … Continue reading

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Book Review: The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman

I had the honor of hearing Cushman speak at the Shenandoah University Children’s Literature Conference this year on the day I was presenting a workshop. Her writing journey amazed me because she waited until age 50 to start writing because … Continue reading

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