Independent Writers Studio Press

01/12/2025

The 2024 Global Thriller Semi-Finals for High Stakes Suspense is here! Hold onto your seats, because the world is in danger in these fast-paced books!

01/10/2025

Water Lily Village January 10, 2025 Day 3 Omar, the weathercaster, ponders the heavens,while I ponder him. Green-eyed and freckled-facedhis gray dreads hang below his shoulders; he towers over me,stern lines furrow his brow, but theDrop crotch pants and mango tunic make me smile. You think it’ll snow? I sayI see his breath as he slowly exhales....

Water Lily Village January 10, 2025 Day 3 Omar, the weathercaster, ponders the heavens,while I ponder him. Green-eyed and freckled-facedhis gray dreads hang below his shoulders; he towers over me,s…

01/08/2025

Water Lily Village January 8, 2025 Day 1 At the top of the arched bridgea water field of lilies lies in dream,I glance back at a world fading Cabins form a u-shape along the pond;I gaze silently; Betty, my dog, barks. I take small steps on creaking wooden planks.The bridge gives and supports. Ripples of pond water prodded by wind…...

Water Lily Village January 8, 2025 Day 1 At the top of the arched bridgea water field of lilies lies in dream,I glance back at a world fading Cabins form a u-shape along the pond;I gaze silently; B…

01/06/2025

January 6, 2025 Frozen grass blades under bare feetsun is yet to melt the night away andI stand at the corner of dark and lighton a precipice where I walk carefully, artfully, maybeA sudden motion, lack of focus might have me veeringinto an abyss of endless tunneled darknessor into giddy light, creating a Dionysius effect…...

January 6, 2025 Frozen grass blades under bare feetsun is yet to melt the night away andI stand at the corner of dark and lighton a precipice where I walk carefully, artfully, maybeA sudden motion,…

01/05/2025

Whoa! Five-Stars!l. Thank you, Chanticleer Book Reviews & Media

"As a journey of unleashing one’s own inner strength, and a love letter to a beautiful location and way of life, Confluence is a gem of a novel."

In Confluence, homebody Maya discovers a secret of her past—her birth in Sangam. Struggling to leave her comfort zone, Maya prepares for a profound journey.

01/03/2025

This is a story based on a memory laced into fiction. I emphasize fiction but the classroom business is true to my recollection. When I was a senior in college I enrolled in a post-grad English class focused on the literature of Colonial America. The professor, let's call him Dr. Maxx, typified academia. He clothed his pear-shaped body in tweeds; his plump cheeks and narrow nose were veined and pale....

This is a story based on a memory laced into fiction. I emphasize fiction but the classroom business is true to my recollection. When I was a senior in college I enrolled in a post-grad English cla…

01/01/2025

The genius of math may be the magic of the universe. I'm playing with that notion today. A quick Google search explains: "2025 is a perfect square of 45 (45×45 = 2025). It's also the product of two squares (9 and 5). Furthermore, it's the sum of three squares (40×40 + 20×20 + 5×5 = 2025). On top of that, 2025 is the sum of the cubes of digits from 1 to 9 (1³ + 2³ + 3³ + 4³ + 5³ + 6³ + 7³ + 8³ + 9³ = 2025)."...

The genius of math may be the magic of the universe. I’m playing with that notion today. A quick Google search explains: “2025 is a perfect square of 45 (45×45 = 2025). It’s also …

12/31/2024

Thoughts for 2025 Words for the New Year. “It’s dark because you are trying too hard. Lightly child, lightly. Learn to do everything lightly. Yes, feel lightly even though you’re feeling deeply. Just lightly let things happen and lightly cope with them. So throw away your baggage and go forward. There are quicksands all about you, sucking at your feet, trying to suck you down into fear and self-pity and despair....

Thoughts for 2025 Words for the New Year. “It’s dark because you are trying too hard. Lightly child, lightly. Learn to do everything lightly. Yes, feel lightly even though you’re feeling deeply. Ju…

12/30/2024

I walked Betty in an adjacent neighborhood. Rain fell as it does on the short December days. The cold air felt good on my skin. I was rid of the cane I've been using since a new doctor advised I would fall for certain, break my hip, and live to regret not walking with a stick. I did not intend to leave the house without my cane; as Betty and I strolled up to the Parkway I realized how free I felt, and in that moment, I realized the blue cane was at home....

I walked Betty in an adjacent neighborhood. Rain fell as it does on the short December days. The cold air felt good on my skin. I was rid of the cane I’ve been using since a new doctor advise…

12/29/2024

I mulched—three bags now cover my dahlias and precocious tulips, refusing to believe it's not April. Happy dreams, dahlias, and get back to bed, tulips. My heliotrope is blooming. Betty barked at the pigeons lining the neighbor's rooftop, and I lugged the bags in position, each of us doing our backyard jobs. The pigeons flew away, and I smiled at my work....

I mulched—three bags now cover my dahlias and precocious tulips, refusing to believe it’s not April. Happy dreams, dahlias, and get back to bed, tulips. My heliotrope is blooming. Betty barke…

12/28/2024

The mood is one of smiles and delight. My novel, Confluence, made the long list for the Chanticleer Book Reviews Contest. Great news to share as I sip my coffee. Congratulations to every author cited on the list.

The mood is one of smiles and delight. My novel, Confluence, made the long list for the Chanticleer Book Reviews Contest. Great news to share as I sip my coffee. Congratulations to every author cit…

12/22/2024

Moving forward, we will have more light than dark by inches, but it's happening. And Christmas comes in three days. So why not post a few drawings and photos from my library? I didn't find as many as I thought I might have, but I found Santa, a candy cane, and a girl peering at a rose. Winter is here. Christmas lights behind my hedge from a year with snow, long ago. Whatever you celebrate, however you celebrate, may it be happy.

Moving forward, we will have more light than dark by inches, but it’s happening. And Christmas comes in three days. So why not post a few drawings and photos from my library? I didn’t f…

12/22/2024

What a great year for IWS Press! Confluence was published the year before and No Matter What in the Fall of 2024. Being an editor/writer helps but it's head spinning at times. No wonder I have vertigo! Have a great Sunday.

12/19/2024

My new novel! No Matter What is available. Find it at Amazon. https://a.co/d/cVN84Dy

12/17/2024

All notifications and posts about the BEST literary magazine ever, Clover, A Literary Rag, can be found right here on my Indie page. It was a privilege of my lifetime to work with Norman Green upon the creation of Clover. We published 16 volumes over the course of eight years. Gratitude abounds to Village Books for hosting us upon the publication of each volume. How wonderful it was to make friends with so many who write! Thank you to my IWS groups for all your support and contributions to Clover's pages. If you wish back copies of Clover, message me here. I'm selling them for $5 each.

12/16/2024

Stars flicker and moon playstag with the noctilucent clouds The time shifts and we with itmay the night sky Open our arms, join handsand dance. (Thank you to gdizerega at Pixabay for the image.)

Stars flicker and moon playstag with the noctilucent clouds The time shifts and we with itmay the night sky Open our arms, join handsand dance. (Thank you to gdizerega at Pixabay for the image.)

11/11/2024

The image is by Alexander Andrews on Unsplash. Like the stars underscoring the nebula pictured, I find I have to be the light in order to navigate these dark November days. What can I do to be light-filled? I can be kind. I can smile and share a laugh. I certainly turn my dog's lights on when I throw her ball down the hall....

The image is by Alexander Andrews on Unsplash. Like the stars underscoring the nebula pictured, I find I have to be the light in order to navigate these dark November days. What can I do to be ligh…