Lauri Meyers .

Susanna Hill hosted her annual Holiday Contest with the theme of a Christmas Mystery. Stories have to be written for children and 250 words or under.  My story snuck away with an Honorable Mention for the contest as a whole like a Christmas bat with a nibble of dried cherry:)  Read the winners here ; they were so good! Please enjoy... Fruitcake Bandit ( 250 words) By Lauri Meyers Bits of berries? Crunchy crumbs? Who chewed on the fruitcake?! Isn’t that festive blob just for show? The tradition is NOT eating it. Only someone who has never tasted gingerbread men and sugar cookies would make such a disastrous mistake. Could it be Judy? “Gaa bah!” she says. Nah, she doesn’t have teeth yet. Although, she does nibble her toes. I see a clue! The garland has fallen. The suspect must be tall. “Did you eat the fruitcake, Dad?” “I would never eat Mom’s fruitcake,” Dad says. “Because it’s too pretty…not because it tastes like nutty cardboard.” Whoosh! I feel a breeze! ...

Lydia Lukidis and Kaitlyn Sanchez are hosting Fall Writing Frenzy . This is the pumpkin spice infused writing contest where you get inspired by a seasonal picture.  Image #1 piqued my interest with the spooky feelings and a YA vibe.  Unsplash  via Marko Blažević    Can You Trust the Moon  By Lauri C. Meyers Come to the woods Creep through the leaves Puncture the darkness With your lantern’s glow.   Safe from the shadows Don’t stray from the path  Bordered with logs  So white they turn to bone.    The candlelight flickers  Stifle your screams   The moon is your guide if you trust your eyes.   Twig     cracks Wind     whooshes Bats swoop and swoop and swoop Senses spin you round.      You lose your way  Lose yourself  The leaves laugh You’re nowhere and home.

I’m self-advocating-challenged at times (read as: I would rather sleep with a boa constrictor than brag) but, I have had a magical writing year so far. I love writing contests. They can trick me into writing new pieces which would otherwise not come to life. Plus, there's the sense of community which is a wonderful bonus in a very solo job.  Some good news to share:    My poem “Affectionately, the Pig” won fourth place in the Institute for Children’s Literature Rhyming Animal Poetry Contest. Here’s the certificate to prove it! If you get the ICL newsletter you can read my poem this week. *PLUS* my good friend Rebecca Gardyn Levington won 2 nd  place for her frantic-checking-under-the-sheets-inducing poem “Centipedes Make Peculiar Pets.” (Isn’t that fun? Honestly, it’s igniting my teenage joy of getting certificates. Totally displaying it next to my 8 th  grader’s haul of certificates, trophies, and cords from the end of middle school.) I had a very short run ...

**UPDATE: My poem made the finalists! Yay!** Spring is here with it's unpredictable weather...      Raining? Probably.            Sunny? Could be.                 Snowing? Definitely if you just put away your snow boots.                        Windy? You betcha.                                Forecast that you dressed wrong? 95% chance.  ...and the Spring Fling Kidlit contest. Enter your 150-word or less story based on a spring gif here .  https://media1.tenor.com/m/YfLN9ZnTj74AAAAd/spring-time-waking-up.gif Here is my silly reflection on wild spring weather...  The Weather is Funny (140 words)  Winter and spring are having a fight.  It’s warm through the day, then freezing at night.   Y...

Julie Hedlund’s 12 Days of Christmas is a magical renewal process that lets you give last year a hug and wave goodbye to ready your soul for the year ahead. Day 7 is about  gratitude   and I’d love to take a moment to send some thanks out in the world. * You need A LOT of support when you’re writing! Thank you to my tribe:  My local writers support group for always being there, making writing less solitary, and listening to assorted rants… Marlaina, Mitu, Donna, Rebecca, Suzanne, Andria, Ariel, Chana, Kathleen, Naomi, Linda, Marilyn , and others who pop in—Thank you! My critique group partners who encourage me to keep going and help me polish manuscripts. Daniella, Ryann, Alice, Stephanie, Karen, Jamie, Sarah, Aimee, Linda, Amy.   YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST! Special thanks for the authors who critiqued my work this year: Carol Joy Munro, Malcolm Newsome, and Justin Colon for critiquing my work. 12 x 12 participants, host Julie Hedlund, leaders, and all...

I FORGOT* to post my Holiday entry for Susanna Hill's Holiday Contest on my blog, but...maybe you still have a little room for more holiday fun next to all the cookies and pie. This year's contest was to write a 250-word or less story holiday story with a countdown. What a fun challenge!  (*I planned to post it but then I made 5 million cookies, shopped for 600 gifts, and took a few naps!) Santa’s Rocket Sleigh! By Lauri C. Meyers 228 words “I need to meet with the big guy.” Accountant Elf barged through the door. “With so many kids on the nice list, One night’s not enough anymore!” “Tonight is my moment to shine,” Elf Engineer said with glee. “Presenting my prototype rocket. I call it the Sleigh 2.3!” “Tonight?!” Santa spit out his cocoa. The accountant ignored Santa’s frown: “An elf’s favorite time is the present!” Engineer said, “Beginning countdown!” FIVE. “Hey, has this sleigh had some testing?” Asked Santa while strapping his belt. “The snowmen did fine in the trials (we ...