I have written stories, short, long, middling all my life.  I have written a ton of short stories over the past 10 years, mostly because of the Huia short story competition which is now called Pikihuia.  I've been a finalist three times, yay, with 4 stories yay yay.  
When I say I have written "tons” I have started "tons" and finished about 30% of them.  I have to be honest here, I am a bit of a digital hoarder and I hardly ever okay I never delete word docs so, consequently I have a bajillion unfinished stories.


The truth of the unfinished story

 The problem is, these stories have been buried in the archives that is my ancient laptops memory for so long, I've forgotten the story and it is basically like reading something someone else wrote.  Until it stops for no bloody reason and I get so pissed off, I want to know what happens next, and I never will, because I have to write the bloody thing and once a story is gone, it's gone.
I should just publish a book of unfinished stories and other people can finish them for me so I know what happens.

A bunch, a collection, a anthology

 I have a bunch of short stories that I've written, with beginnings, middles and ends, over about 20 years that are about to get put into a book and sent out into the world as an anthology, which is a flash word for "bunch of" or collection.  At the moment I am in a bit of a struggle with a name for the "bunch of" stories.

For years I wanted to call it "A bag of stones" because I wrote this poem...






There isn't really a theme for the story collection, not that I know of anyway, although Scotty too Hotty who has read the stories many times say's the overriding theme is love. 

I dunno about that, but then again, I never have a clue about such things as themes in my books.  A reviewer usually tells me what it is.  Today, as I was thinking about the cover, I was wondering if " A bag of stones" is a bit...well...naff really. 

I came up with other names :

  • ·         "A head full of la la la" ,

  • ·         "a load of fiddle faddle"

  • ·         "Years of fart arsing around"

  • ·         "I wish I could think up a decent title for this book but since I can't I will call it simply 'A bunch of stories' by a crazy cat lady"

  • ·         ‘A bunch of stories by olivia aroha giles' (but I'm not famous enough to be able to do that.  If it was 'a bunch of stories' by Margaret Atwood, we might get away with it.)

  • ·          'Please buy me so the author can afford some decent chocolate'

  • ·          'please buy me so the author can help her old man pay the rates.' 


Alone time…

I have an assistant, she is "Princess Fluffy butt puss puss meow meow."  She is paid in 'whiskers' and water out of the indoor fountain water feature thingy the dining room. 

She assists me by falling asleep on my desk with bits of herself draped over the keyboard.  Licking my fingers when I am trying to type.  Pouncing on the mouse.  And by demanding attention constantly and being so darn cute and gorgeous I have to cuddle her all day, so I can't do any work.   She also assists me by making me sneeze and my eyes itch but that doesn't stop me from hugging her silly.  I never thought I would end up a crazy old cat lady but I am.