The early morning sunlight popped up over the distant Blue Ridge Mountains----------- She had always been a gardener.-------- No one remembered if it was the Lovers or the Astronomers who first noticed the stars were disappearing.-------- No hurdle is too high for God. No mountain is too steep to scale. ----- Edd the sociopath slumped in his overstuffed leather chair, glowering across the desk at his psychologist, Dr. Azabal. --------
"I can beat your son up!" Jamiel angrily exclaimed.-------- Had to even though we were told to stay off the road and not go anywhere that wasn't necessary.------- He looked like a crustacean. ----- They finally arrived closer to dusk with some berries they were informed were safe to eat----- Given all the debates about flags, memorials and white supremacy, does it sometimes feel like we're still fighting the Civil War?------ My mom was a fantastic baking teacher!--- "I've come to understand that a few stupid mistakes can wipe away everything I care about," Fessenden Wiley said ------- "Where are we headed today, sir?"------ "Yes, Maam, come on down. We have some fine cars here. -------Remember the old childhood response to bullying "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can't ever hurt me?"-------- It was a common tradition at our family's house growing up in Canada ------- My mouth aches for the taste of a sun-ripened tomato. A real tomato, full of flavor.-------- Harrison Gronitz's alarm clock heralded the arrival of morning with an irritation buzz he had come to loathe.------- I lived in constant anxiety. ------ In 2019, the New York Times started its 1619 Project-------
These are the beginning lines of fascinating stories, exciting memoirs and concerned essays. Add a few poems and a fractured fairy tale and you have an omnibus that will make you wonder, bring tears, laugh, shake your head and think deep thoughts. It's a great read! Enjoy!
[Anthology; Published Sep 2023; 184 Pages]
These opening sentences begin a few of the stories within; stories of intrigue, fascination, and suspense.
It was just an old cloak--the kind you see people wearing in those movies. You know, the kind of cloak people wore to escape from Paris and the guillotine during the French revolution...
Steven Tyler was wailing about love in an elevator as John eased the blue Civic off the interstate, down the exit and into the Burger King parking lot...
My new husband had warned me about his mother...
Carl slumped nonchalantly in his desk, more in the manner of a stylish, bored executive than in the manner of a rebellious student...
My friend Kevin, who knows me well, asked me to accompany him to see something he found deep in the forest...
It had started at breakfast, when she realized she was out of coffee...
Returning home one evening, Paxton thought he heard a sound when he walked through the door...
Detective Sanchez thought that I wasn't listening to him. He couldn't see that I was in shock!...
Stories from the past, about the future, and stories to heed in these contemporary times for you to exercise your imagination; let it run wild, read!
[Anthology; Published Oct 2022; 194 Pages]The TAF Reader; Books on a Freelance Writer's Shelf
Getting lost in books saved many readers from sad childhoods. What does a child do when home from school with the flu? Read, of course. One writer got a chance to be in her father’s study, quiet, surrounded by tall bookcases filled with books on three sides of the room. Does life get any better? There are secret affairs with reading, curiosities like wondering what a “runcible spoon” is, mentioned in a children’s rhyme book. Books invite many to escape to any destination of their dreams. Children have been named after favorite authors. Home libraries, large or small contain the world inside the covers of the book. Books have been around since the written word was founded in 3200 BC. We are fortunate to have books easily available, to read and reread, to wear away a bad day, to give us advice, knowledge, and pure enjoyment. Enjoy our stories from TAF members written especially for you. Reading books can lead to being a writer! Our writers’ stories are full of passion, curiosity, imagination, adventure, and seeking more. They tell how they fell in love, brought together by books, a former high school teacher writes about a surprise visit to her classroom by a famous, well-known author. Other stories reveal a mysterious lady, an Andy Warhol collector, sci-fi enthusiasts, readers of the Russian classics, the love of Jeanette Eyerly books, and how a reader sees books as archaeology artifacts. A collection of autographed books reveal a range from Aerosmith (sans Joe Perry) to Chuck Yeager and a lot more aside from those.
[Anthology; Published May 2021; 123 Pages. $15.00]
TAF Stays Home: 29 Freelancers Writing
The first thing you notice when you enter a room full of writers is the high level of excitement in the air! Creativity explodes! Narrations overflow one after another! If every person has a version to tell, writers have a zillion! They are happy to share their stories and stories of their friends. And everybody is a friend. Twenty-nine freelance writers of all genres have virtually gathered to bring their reflections and actions to you.
Personal tales of writers are varied and ... well, personal. They don’t mind revealing the smallest detail or the more embarrassing moments that have happened to them. Here is where they reveal their experiences while staying at home during this pandemic, or not. Opinions and ideas float from journalist to essayist. What we see is what we report to others so they may grow and have knowledge outside their own realm.
In TAF Stays Home, you’ll find poets have contributed words of poetry and editors have divulged personal adventures during the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) lockdown -- and opening up of our society attempting to heal ourselves of this unknown virus. Tales of encouragement and thoughts that go through the minds of writers as we share an unknown time in modern days are inside these covers. Enjoy, laugh, cry or just amuse yourself from the words of writers.
[Anthology; Published Jun 2020; 177 Pages. $15.00]
A Taste of Taffy is a collection of nonfiction articles, essays, and photographs by the Triangle Association of Freelancers, Inc. (previously Triangle Area Freelancers), or TAF. These eclectic North Carolina writers meet monthly to share ideas and provide mutual support. Their first collaborative effort is an engaging anthology which explores material as far-ranging as hot yoga classes, the next urban pet, preschool observations, Valentine dilemmas, and the growing of hops.
[Anthology; Published Mar 2008; 124 Pages. $4.99-$20.95]Order A Taste of Taffy from Amazon
… from iTunes
… from Barnes & Noble
… from Lulu“The Triangle Area Freelancers have just given us the gift of a great read. With the publication of A Taste of Taffy, an anthology of twenty-six short essays, these talented writers have offered a wonderful sampling on culture, humor and reflection. The reader can choose from a diversity of topics from martial arts to home breweries to cathedral ruins, and each selection is valuable for information, for chuckles, or heart tugs.
My favorites include first, those that moved me: ‘Attila the Fifth Grader,’ by Dara Lyon Warner; ‘Just a Field,’ by Sue Anger Barnett; ‘Grandma’s Hands,’ by Kristy Stevenson; and ‘Battling an Eating Disorder, by Buddy Howard. As well, I was fascinated with ‘Chickens Go Urban,’ by Anita B. Stone; ‘The Dog That Helped Save Berlin,’ by Donald Vaughan; and ‘The Penguin Lady,’ by Linda Hill. As a parent, I grinned along with Patrick Repper in his ‘In the Wii Hours.’
And if those titles don’t grab you, there is so much more! Pick up a copy soon, and savor these tasty offerings. You might find yourself becoming a writer just to have the fun these folks are obviously having.”
Cynthia Barnett – Former Executive Director, The North Carolina Writers’ Network
“At its core good nonfiction writing allows the reader to connect with the topic at hand in a very real and personal way. A Taste of Taffy does this from so many different and unique perspectives. In this delightful collection of essays there is something that every reader can relate to.
As a parent I was profoundly touched by Buddy Howard’s story about his daughter’s troubling health crisis, ‘Battling an Eating Disorder.’ In that same vein, as a parent, I laughed out loud while reading Dan Bain’s ‘Poker Face.’ In the irreverent tone, not unlike that of David Sedaris, Bain shares a difficult parenting moment with great insight and humor. I also enjoyed ‘In the Wii Hours’ by Patrick Repper. Having heard these tales from parents I know, it was fun to read an actual account of something I surmised was urban legend. Kristy Stevenson’s beautiful description in ‘Grandma’s Hands‘ is proof that the best creative nonfiction is in the minute details of life, ones we often overlook our busy daily lives. Mark Cantrell’s truisms in ‘Stuff I’ve Learned’ are a fitting and fun way to end the wonderful collection.
I highly recommend A Taste of Taffy to anyone who is looking to connect with the world around them. It’s a lovely collaboration that highlights the fact that life it truly made up of moments like these…”
Amanda Lamb – Author of Smotherhood, Deadly Dose, and Evil Next Door