SUMMER QUOTES TO BEAT THE HEAT by Yvonne Saxon

Want to see a writer spontaneously combust? Put me outside in the middle of July! How anyone can write at the beach, by the pool, or at the lake is beyond me. My HVAC unit died on the hottest day of July so far, and my fictional murder mystery was in danger of becoming a true crime episode had the repairman not shown up at my door that evening! Summer heat fries my brain and any words that I might possibly write disappear when sweat runs down my face.

So for those kindred spirits who are also heat-averse, I offer a few chuckles to amuse you while you scribble inside in the cool.

POSTWAR ELEGANCE: FASHION TRENDS OF THE 1950s, By Ellen Butler

 

The 1950s was a decade marked by optimism, prosperity, and a return to traditional values in many parts of the Western world, particularly the United States. After the hardships of World War II, people were eager to embrace stability, comfort, and a sense of normalcy.  It was the reason I chose to place my historical mystery, Ink and Intrigue at Ivy Tree Inn, in the year 1958. This cultural shift was clearly reflected in the fashions of the era—which remains iconic to this day.

 

Fashions of the 1950s

Since my character, Ariadne Winter, is employed at a women’s fashion magazine, I dedicated time to researching the fabrics, textures, and styles of the 1950s. Though she dreams of becoming a hard-hitting investigative journalist, her upper-middle-class New York upbringing and journalism degree make her a natural fit for Ladies’ Lifestyle Magazine—a tribute to iconic publications of the era like Ladies’ Home Journal and Look. Despite her ambitions, Ariadne never loses her sense of style. When it comes to fashion, Miss Winter is always impeccably dressed and effortlessly on point.

The fashion of the 1950s was elegant, structured, and deeply influenced by a desire to appear polished and put-together. Women’s clothing embraced femininity with cinched waists, full skirts, and soft pastel colors. One of the most influential designers of the decade was Christian Dior, whose 1947 “New Look”—featuring narrow waists and voluminous skirts—set the tone for much of the decade. Dresses often included petticoats to enhance fullness, hats and pearls were standard accessories for a polished look.

Teenagers were beginning to carve out their own identity through fashion. Girls wore poodle skirts, saddle shoes, and tight sweaters, while boys sported denim jeans, leather jackets, and slicked-back hair—a look inspired by Hollywood stars like James Dean and Marlon Brando. This emerging youth culture stood in stark contrast to the more conservative styles of previous generations. The rebellious image of Hollywood icons often influenced how teenagers spoke and behaved, leading to tension within families rooted in traditional values—a recurring pattern seen throughout history as each new generation navigates adolescence and seeks its own identity.

Men's fashion in the 1950s favored clean lines and a more conservative approach. Businessmen wore grey flannel suits with narrow ties, while casualwear might include a cardigan or a bowling shirt. The growing influence of television and cinema helped spread these styles quickly across the country.

The 1950s reflected a unique combination of traditional values and modern styles. Whether it was a woman stepping out in a circle skirt, or a teenage boy wearing jeans and slicked hair, these elements helped define the decade’s identity and left a lasting impression on American culture.

FIRST SAY GOODBYE . . . AND THEN SAY HELLO . . . By Sand in Our Shorts Management

Maria Hudgins

As the saying, and the song, remind us, there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven, to include, of course, Blogs.

With a mixture of sadness (for us) and happiness (for her), we announce that one of our stalwarts—the incomparable Maria Hudgins—has asked to step away from her duties as a regular contributor to the Sand in Our Shorts Blog.

Maria has long graced the writing community with a vast body of work. She is the author of the Dotsy Lamb Travel Mysteries and the Lacy Glass Archaeology Mysteries. She has had short stories and novellas appear in a number of anthologies and periodicals. Her stories often feature her real-life interests such as chemistry, travel (she’s been to more than fifteen countries), archaeology, dogs, cats, and poisons. A native of East Tennessee, Maria now lives in beautiful Hampton, Virginia, on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay.

Maria earned a master’s degree in plant physiology with a minor in biochemistry from the University of Tennessee. Having never studied writing, she credits her English teacher mother with instilling in her a great respect for our language.

Thank you, Maria. Heartfelt wishes for your future endeavors.

And as we say goodbye to Maria, we’re excited to announce that well-known and respected author Ellen Butler has agreed to join us as a regular contributor to Sand in Our Shorts. Ellen’s first post is in the queue and ready to launch on Saturday, July 5, 2025. Let me assure you, it’s a humdinger.

In addition to Ellen, we’ve lined up some excellent “Guest Bloggers.” Stay tuned to https://sandinourshorts.blogspot.com/ for details.

BEST WRITING ADVICE (PART TWO) : DON’T LOOK BACK!

If you’ve read a good deal in the genre in which you plan to start writing, as I recommended in “Part One” of my “Best Writing Advice” series, then you’re ready to consider this next tip.

Never try to write a great or even good novel (or other piece of writing) on the first go-round. Even Hemmingway said, “The first draft of anything is shit.” While that’s a bit extreme not to mention a little vulgar, I get his point. Don’t try to write every line perfectly or worry too much about the final draft while you’re creating the first one. Not only will it take much longer to finish, but it can also get in the way of your creativity. Another drawback, especially if you do not have a very detailed outline, is that you may forget what you were planning to say next. Worse, you may never finish the piece. Trust me, I have files full of the beginnings of many good books.

AMBROSE BIERCE – PART POE, PART TWAIN, BUT 100% ORIGINAL by Michael Rigg

Ambrose Bierce (1842 - 1914?)

Born on June 24, 1842 in Meigs County Ohio, Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American short story writer, journalist, poet, and veteran of the American Civil War, who ultimately became as influential as the better-known American authors Edgar Allan Poe and Mark Twain.

His book, The Devil's Dictionary, was named one of "The 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature" by the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration. His story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" has been described as "one of the most famous and frequently anthologized stories in American literature," and his book Tales of Soldiers and Civilians (also published as In the Midst of Life) was named by the Grolier Club as one of the 100 most influential American books printed before 1900.

A prolific and versatile writer, Bierce was regarded as one of the most influential journalists in the United States and as a pioneering writer of realist fiction. For his horror writing, Bierce has been ranked alongside Edgar Allan Poe and H. P. Lovecraft. His war stories influenced Stephen Crane, Ernest Hemingway, and others.

In 1896 Bierce moved to Washington, D.C., where he continued newspaper and magazine writing. In 1913, tired of American life, he went to Mexico, then in the middle of a revolution led by Pancho Villa. Bierce’s fate is a mystery, but a reasonable conjecture is that he was killed in the siege of Ojinaga in January 1914. Some speculate, however, that Bierce actually traveled to the Grand Canyon, where he committed suicide. 

[Sources, quoted above without precise attribution: Ambrose Bierce | Biography, Books, Short Stories, & Death | Britannica and Ambrose Bierce - Wikipedia]

PROMPTS TO INSPIRE YOU, PART ONE, by Adele Gardner, aka Max Jason Peterson

As Adele Gardner, I regularly run micro poetry and prose workshops every spring and fall, titled Adele's Writers Cafe. They're free, hosted by Hampton Public Library, and held entirely online. I now have a collection where you can find past, present, and future workshops in the series (ages 18+, free, but registration required for each individual session via Eventbrite):

https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/adeles-writers-cafe-micro-poetry-prose-3651389

All the sessions are live via Zoom, but they're not recorded, in order to protect the copyright and privacy of the authors for these new drafts. I create new prompts for each inspiration session in advance, compiling them on a handout distributed at the end of the event (I always strive to provide at least one more prompt than we'll probably get to, so you have something to take home and work on later). 

During the session, I give participants ten minutes per prompt to write, write, write. Then anyone who wishes is welcome to share what they created. There's no instruction or critique, just positive vibes. Participants may write short-form poetry or fiction.

We expect the work to be rough, our first thoughts and impressions, but there's so much insight, humor, and beauty that comes out of these sessions. Some participants have gone on to publish more polished versions of their work. Sometimes it just helps us get unstuck in our ongoing creations. (For example, a novelist might use a prompt to explore the psyche of a character.)

Since we could all use a lift to our inspiration from time to time, how about trying a few of these prompts on your own? Knowing that these are just rough drafts and you're not investing much time may help free your creativity. So set your timer for ten minutes, turn off the editor in your brain, and enjoy!

Returning: Your protagonist has been away a long time. Maybe they never wanted to come back; maybe they always longed to; maybe they’re drawn against their will, like returning to the scene of the crime. Maybe the old homestead is exactly the same, or maybe it’s unrecognizable or ruined. Maybe it’s time travel, and everything goes wrong—or your hero saves the day. Write about why they need to go or run; what’s stopping or driving them. Or who, because this can also be about “Until we meet again.”

Home: Sometimes home isn’t a place—but sometimes it is. Sometimes it arrives when one thought it wasn’t needed. Sometimes it’s the one thing our heart desires, and we go hunting high and low. And sometimes we discover it was there all along. Home carries a lot of emotions—positive, negative, or in between. Write about the concept, the reality, the people, the physicality. Focus on the sensory and/or the emotional, but take us there.

Song for ________:  Write a short piece paying tribute to someone in your life you’re thankful for, or about someone you admire whom you’ve never met: someone (any species) who’s had a positive impact, inspired you, changed your life for the better in some way, or whom you simply love.

Hard times: Sometimes adversity brings us closer. Sometimes we aren’t sure how we’ll ever get through them. They challenge us and bring out our best, our worst, our highs and lows. Show characters facing adversity or setbacks. This could be written from the point of view of “looking back” on times the character has survived.

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Adele Gardner's poetry collection Halloween Hearts is available from Jackanapes Press:

https://www.jackanapespress.com/product/halloween-hearts

Themes of Halloween, horror, Edgar Allan Poe, and Ray Bradbury. The press has seasonal discounts.

Max Jason Peterson has two stories in the new anthology Coastal Crimes 2: Death Takes a Vacation from Wildside Press.

If You're Scared, Honk by Judy Fowler

 

 

28 days ago, a Virginia Beach goose nested ten feet from my apartment door. I tried not to stare at her on my way in or out of the building. She never rose to eat; no mate came to feed her. An online wildlife site explained that she'd filled up on food prior to laying.  

By the third week, though, she looked darned hungry. Not just that, but I'd become aware that her safety was continously at risk. One day a truck backed up on the lawn and two workers chainsawed most of the tree limbs around her. She didn't budge. I was a nervous wreck.

    And who knew May weather in coastal Virginia could be so theatrical?  Pelting, torrential downpours. Windstorms that lasted twenty-four hours. Nights below freezing. I woke at intervals, thinking of her out there braving it all with no cover. Some evenings, feral cats wandered along the bank of the stream not two feet from her. 

Lawnmowers, joggers, and lengthy barking fests by un-neighborly dogs filled her days. If Fed Ex deliveries and the jarring sound of dumpster-lifts twice a week in the parking lot wasn't enough, a wood chipper was backed up onto the lawn for two days until the chainsaw and tree limb-removal project ended. I feared the wood chips might blind her. She knew the maxim, don't just do something, sit there. 

By the end of the third week, I did something. I anxiously threw bread crumbs near her. She left three large eggs to eat them, and sat again. I tried again the next day, but a gander barreled up out of the water and I ran in the house. It relieved me to know he'd arrived. Goslings from other broods began to parade in the parking lot behind their parents. I prayed "our" eggs would hatch and end my obsessive misery.    

Instead, more challenges arrived. She sat through two 85-degree days in which a family of five humans fished at the newly-cleared spot where she sat.  They cast their rods over her head. I feared the children would take it further.  She never moved. 

Yesterday, she was gone. Her eggs were gone. Had I been right about those children? 

Later in the day, she was back. 

This morning, a gander on patrol met me at the bottom of my outdoor stairs. His wings stretched outward to warn me not to come any closer to his lady or the three goslings who pecked on grass behind her as if nothing significant had transpired overnight. The doting mother looked exactly as she would in a storybook.

I've admired the sight and sound of geese in flight, a lofty presence evoked in Mary Oliver's  poem, Wild Geese. The cultural status of geese, however, is higher than I realized. An International Goose Day celebrates Elizabeth I's "lucky" lunch menu on the day her fleet defeated the Spanish Armada. The goose has been considered lucky since that day.

 Authors and illustrators build careers around Mother Goose stories and rhymes, and, in Pennsylvania, children save a day to dress up as their favorite Mother Goose characters. Now that I see what a stand-up gal she is, I understand why they love her.

As a writer, I'm no naturalist. For me, her ordeal had a crime or thriller flavor. It didn't inspire a cozy mystery, either, not after what I read about gosling-related murders on askanaturalist.com. 

The moral? Don’t get too close, physically or emotionally, if you don’t wish to be rattled by the adventures of Mother Goose. Perhaps she took her mind off it all by thinking up new rhymes and stories. I wrote nothing but this post, which I deliver to you with great relief.