A few years ago, I dressed as rejection for Halloween. I pinned all of my rejection letters to my jacket and a red, paper, broken heart to my jacket's lapel. I wrote "No!" and "Go away!" on the palms of my hands. I took my son's toy collapsable knife and pretended every so often to …
Sharp, Glittering Things: a fairy tale
by Marta Pelrine-Bacon copyright 2011 Clarice possessed a fascination for sharp, glittering things. In her upstairs room she kept knives, needles, and razors hidden in a red box under her bed. Almost every one of them was stolen. Her mother couldn’t even abide the sight of cutlery and the sight of blood made her faint. …
an ever-changing novel excerpt
Nodding, Fran stepped into the circle. She took a deep breath and lay down in its center. Staring up at the stars, she thought about the dirt pressing into her hair and the bugs that might be nearby. She didn’t believe in Milla’s ideas, her rituals, or chants, and she sometimes thought Milla was close …
Why Teach Fiction?
My adult ESL class is reading The Great Gatsby. I teach the advanced reading class and the goal of the class is to prepare the students for university. I also assign essays related to Gatsby, articles about the American dream and the like. Students in past classes enjoyed the novel. Some students even liked the …
Your Mind Is Not Changing
Some friends may think this is aimed at them. It isn't. They may have inspired me, but that's not the same thing. When was the last time you changed your mind? I don't mean you decided not to have your usual Monday breakfast. I mean, you changed your mind about the death penalty, abortion, climate …
Welcome to Twin Peaks
Recently I wrote about Star Trek's place in my life. But I first fell for Star Trek as a child. Some loves came into my life later. Twin Peaks premiered after I'd moved to Ohio for grad school. I'd made a few friends at Kent, but I felt alone and out of my depth in …
Chemo Friday
On Fridays I sit in the infusion room and get my chemo cocktail. You'd think, stuck in a cushy chair attached to tubes that I could use that time to write something interesting. I sit here for about four hours. Surely I could do something useful. Most of the time though my mind wanders and …
“There’s only one kind of woman…or man, for that matter. You either believe in yourself or you don’t.”
What story changed your life? Maybe that's too dramatic? Well, what story shaped or moved your opinions one way another? My parents didn't tell me often how or what to think. "It's up to you," they said. How did my mother vote? I don't know. She wouldn't tell me. "You have to decide for yourself," …
Working on site
I'm finally getting my site the way I want. I've added a few short stories, and I plan to add a few more things here and there over the next few days. Thanks as always for coming by!
And your greatest fear is?
When I was a kid (and for many years after), I would've said my biggest fear was spiders. As a teenager I'd lock myself in a room if that's what it took to get away from a spider. Spiders still cause me breathing trouble. When I started sending my writing out into the world, I …
Marta Bacon 