Fifteen Minutes of Scrawl

Back in August of 2019, I wrote "15 themes for a murder mystery party," but recently a friend challenged me to brainstorm settings for a murder mystery--so here I go (I am determined not to repeat any settings listed in the aforementioned post)! Renaissance Faire. Perhaps a joust over the hand of a fair maiden turns a tad too real? But who could've swapped the show weapon for a deadly one? Silent Zen Retreat. The peaceful silence is broken by a scream. But who decides to keep their vow of silence, treasuring it above even solving a murder? Drag Pageant. The competition was supposed to cutthroat--but not literally. Was it a jealous queen in search of the ultimate crown or was it a drag mother paving a bloody way for her drag daughter? The Senate Floor. Just before a crucial vote, the power goes out. When senators and aides fumble their phone flashlights on, they see one of their own dead on the floor, bleeding over the latest controversial bill. Tell me, is Capitol Hill w...

Sarah didn't like the look of the distant fins in the water. Sure, she was on a boat--and a very nice boat--but there was something ominous about sharks circling her. And there wasn't just her on the boat. There was her...boyfriend? Sugar daddy? Gentleman caller? Whatever his title should be, his name was Franklin and he had paid for this romantic vacation. What Franklin hadn't told her was that there would be a bunch of his other rich friends and their...girlfriends? Sugar babies? Lady callers? Was lady caller even a phrase? Sarah didn't like to think about what title Franklin described her as to his friends, so she quickly ditched this line of thinking. The champagne was real champagne--from the region of Champagne in France (Franklin's friend Pierre had reassured anyone whom he could trap into a conversation that it was, indeed, not just sparkling wine)--and it was cold. Sarah took another sip and hoped that soon she'd get enough of a buzz to carry her though...

TBH, I just needed an easy post, so I did a dive into the "May 14" Wiki page  and then did some creative Google searches. These are in chronological order because of who I am as a person. On May 14, 1796, Edward Jenner administered the first smallpox inoculation On May 14, 1804, the Lewis and Clark Expedition officially began On May 14, 1811, Paraguay overthrew the local Spanish administration (thus, May 14th is Paraguay's Day of Independence) On May 14, 1878, the last witchcraft trial held in the US began in Salem, MA (of course), after Lucretia Brown accused Daniel Spofford of attempting to harm her through his mental powers On May 14, 1915, the May 14 Revolt erupted in Lisbon, Portugal, and, ultimately led to the forced resignation of Manuel de Arriaga On May 14, 1935, the Constitution of the Philippines was ratified On May 14, 1944, George Lucas was born On May 14, 1953, the 1953 Milwaukee brewery strike began On May 14, 1955, eight Communist bloc count...

Season premiere! OMG I forgot that Marissa was going to give us a Say Yes to the Dress  crossover! Ah Marissa and Edward are a classic vacation fling turned into an engagement (although it does seem like, later, they did put in the time) Hey, Marissa, when you say Edward worked "entertainment" at the hotel...what does that mean? Hey, Marissa, did your kids ever meet Edward (even over video)? So, hey, Edward is allowed to do what he wants with his body...but it's odd that Marissa doesn't seem to know or have even asked why he wanted a circumcision Why if Mallorie doesn't like talking about herself is she on this show? Ah Mallorie has gone to Rasit to bring him to the US (always a nice thing IMO) Oof, I looked it up and Athens, AL is not on the coast which I think will be a bummer for Rasit Also, Marmaris, Turkey looks GORGEOUS Okay, sorry, but the video of Rasit proposing was a bit weird to me in the angle, lighting, and location Aw Mallorie and Rasit greeted each ...

In 2023, I wrote  "15 topics I could make a podcast about"  by my friend suggested recently I do a post on topics I'd discuss on a podcast. I took that to mean topics that could be good to interview me about.  Being a child of an alcoholic Growing up with divorced parents Struggling with body image Living abroad for grad school Doing communications for higher ed Working well with editorial associates and editors in publishing Brainstorming creative ideas for indie bookstores Improving from absolute beginner DM to somewhat comfortable DM Getting the most out of a D&D campaign either as a player or as a DM Recognizing when you do not just experience anxiety at times, but need to seek help for your anxiety Identifying when you are not just sad, you are depressed Encouraging folks to seek therapy as well as meds as a possible addition to therapy Finding ways to get back into reading Uncovering inspiration in unexpected places Developing a habit of writing daily (Prompt by...

Time for bracket 1, episode 2! Oh wow, I forgot this had been Dawn's first time in the top I love Mystique giving a pep talk to Lucky I am glad Mystique is getting a point, but like I said before, queens should give Morphine their points A'Keria is correct that Morphine deserves lots of points Okay so everyone has at least one point Glad that A'Keria clocked what Morphine said about her point Wait, I need to see more of Ru's shoes cause right now the tiny bit we do see is reminding me of Darlene's shoes that Michelle hated I disagree with Morgan, I feel like having a big butt makes it more difficult to get the underwear on Lol that Ru just called the challenge a tie so everyone could move on with their day Oop Dawn snatched the piano bar right from Morphine A "hairless duck" with "no feathers" is a hilarious sound bite I love that Lucky demands a dictionary Dawn, you are rubbing it in Morphine's face I'm a Mystique fan Did Ru get that fly...