Almost 5 years since my last post – So much to write about!

Wow time does fly by! I cannot believe how much has happened in between my writings. I stopped because I had a child and it was worth it! It still is but he is 5 years old now so I have a bit of freedom. I needed to start writing again to be able to get it out and vent without complaining to those who really could care less or just do not want to hear it. At least my blog can be passed on if there is no interest to others and no harm done. If you can relate…maybe we can inspire each other:) Okay where to start……

As I said, we have a beautiful 5 year old boy who is our world. He was quite the miracle after 4 miscarriages (one 17 weeks along), daily heparin shots and migraines but we appreciate every day with him. It was all worth it for our little man. The depression that followed was not welcome but it happened and we dealt with it. My husband is a champion and such an amazing man. I couldn’t have asked for a better support system. It wasn’t until recently that I was finally medicated on a regular basis to control the depression. Once I came back to this world in a somewhat wide eyed approach, I realized so many things that happened while I was feeling worthless, lacking the ability or drive to do anything. All those times I couldn’t even get up to take in a breath of fresh air from the outdoors, he carried me. Not physically, but emotionally. Although he did carry me to the bathroom a time or three when I was pregnant and worried about miscarriage…again.

When I cried, he held me close. When I wouldn’t get up, he brought me breakfast in bed. When I felt worthless, he put me on a pedestal…..and when I hurt, he hurt for me. Once my meds really kicked in and started showing me all of this I began to feel guilty. This is all a part of coming out of a depression and boy was it an eye opener. One thing I did realize is that I cannot let it get me down but I can make up for lost time. Mu husband says he has no regrets doing all he did and was happy to help which motivates me even more. I have never loved someone so much and felt so loved as I do by him. We have been married almost 9 years now and still we are newlyweds. It just keeps getting better in spite of all the craziness of the world.

I’ve taken up the roles he did for so long and try to do my best around the house. I also became quite the Betty Crocker lately and love to try new dishes. My husband and son love it too;) We eat healthier because we do not have to eat out so much anymore which was one of the necessities with the depression. My husband couldn’t always cook since he had to work too. He had quite the burden on him.

My free time is now open to new ideas and I love trying things that look interesting to me. One thing we recently started (which goes against depression but I control it) is making beer. It really is a science. We brew together and once it is ready, bottle together. It’s fun to try each batch but in moderation. If I go overboard I get migraines and the headache meds counteract the depression meds so yeah, I have to be careful.

Once we got the beer brewing down, I decided to try wood engraving. I got an early birthday gift to really give it a try and so far I love it. I always try to do things that may potentially make money but have yet to find the right hobby. So far my engravings need practice and work but if I can keep my attention on this hobby, I may be able to master it and begin making signs and stuff that looks cool that people would actually want to purchase.

I guess I need a table of contents for this post! Oh well, I am just venting and it really does feel great! I love my life and I do not have a soul to share it with. I have one true friend and she listens when I need it but I also do not want to burden the one person who truly stayed by my side as a friend for most of my life. My husband gets the brunt of it and he is a champion. We both have a painful past so we chat about it to relieve the pain from time to time.

Let’s see…to sum it up here is a line-up of events over the past 5 years – Childbirth, Depression, Combating Depression, Becoming Betty Crocker, Brewing, Marital Bliss, Dremel Wood Work, PhD in Progress, Migraines, Support System, Homeschooling, Caring for Chickens, Starting a Garage Door Business, and Building a House. Wow! Writing really does help see the entire picture.

Well time to school my boy! Until next time…….TH

Interview By AmyBeth Inverness was Down “Write” Awesome!

I recently had the honor of being interviewed about my life and my novel, The Deep Freeze. The opportunity to share some of my goals and accomplishments was very exciting. My humor also manages to sneak its way in there so feel free to read and laugh!

http://amybethinverness.com/2011/10/28/interview-with-tammy-holloway/

Have a sci-fi day! ~ TLH

Iron Bars ~ By: Tammy Holloway

Iron Bars

By: Tammy Holloway

 

                Day 1 –     Innocent bystanders started screaming as I pulled the gun out. “Get on the floor!” I yell as I pointed the gun at the clerk and demanded money from the register. I was scared and pumped full of adrenaline. This made for a dangerous combination. My mind is clear…Get as far away from this place as possible, and fast. I needed a car, but where to start? Ah, there’s a good place. My image was that of innocence. Women described me as tall, dark and handsome. I don’t know about all that but I am pretty average. Clean-cut and nicely dressed, I fit the stereotype image of someone people can trust. 

                I entered the lot and parked right by a 1999 cherry red Firebird. She sure is purdy. That car is mine. A slimy salesman came running out the door with a $2 grin on his face, ready to make a sale. I smiled and used my charm to win his trust. The conversation was short but effective. In minutes he handed me a set of keys and a temporary tag to give her a test drive. 

                I took back roads and headed out of town. I wasn’t sure where I was goin’ but it was far from here. I felt alive and free. The road belongs to me and I’m gonna take it as long as she’ll have me. A long stretch lies ahead and I revved the ol’ cherry red bird. It was time to see what she could do. No cars and a whole lot o’ pavement. Just what the doctor ordered! 75……85….”WOOOOOO! This feels great!” 95…..110! She was smooth as a baby’s bottom. The motor hummed a sweet love song in my ears as I pushed her to the limit. 140….150! …..Winding down I felt an emptiness in my stomach. The stretch was over and I was back to reality. “Maybe we can do this again sometime ol’ girl….Just maybe.”

                The sun set behind the mountain. The boost of adrenaline wore off and I was gettin’ kind o’ tired. This gas station had to be 100 years old. Perfect for someone like me just passin’ through. It was unlikely any story circled around about me yet. Things were slow in these parts. I wasn’t really worried about all that. I think I’ll sleep in the car for the night though…..

 to be continued

Have a sci-fi day everyone! ~ TLH

The “Writer’s” Job is Not to Judge, But to Seek to Understand – Earnest Hemingway

The contest I just entered taught me a few things. The statement: The “Writer’s” Job is Not to Judge, But to Seek to Understand by Earnest Hemingway, was on one of the blogs that commented on my work. It caused me to research a little about Hemingway. It is very motivational when you find out how much of a “normal” person someone like Hemingway was. He did not have some elaborate degree in writing, nor did he have a flawless personal life. Throughout his life he was married 4 times, sustained an injury by pulling what he thought was a toilet chain and committed suicide because of his mental status. However, he did do great things as well. He seemed to enjoy writing since high school and also served in WWI and received a medal after saving the life of another soldier. One of the lessons he learned about writing was to always be positive. This is something I also do as a result of my father.

The comments I received from the contest were all taken into consideration and I sought to understand each one. However, I will continue to follow Hemingway’s other statement as well:

My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way. – Ernest Hemingway

Learning the process of writing is coming to me the more I write and research successful authors, not necessarily the comments made on my work. I appreciate any and all comments since people were nice enough to take the time to look at my material, but I will only try to understand the reason for each and use it as a guide for further research. I find that the hard part for most is finding what to write about. I am quite the opposite. In the meantime, I will write all of my crazy stories in the best and simplest way I can.

Have a sci-fi day everyone! ~ TLH

Aliens, Brains and Migraines

Aliens, Brains and Migraines

By: Tammy Holloway

                Cue the music…Theeeeere’s a pain in my brain and I call it a migraine but I think it’s an alien monster. With this pain in my brain I go hugely insane so I must get rid of this monster.

                I’m a writer. Yep, plain and simple. “Norf du spak! Norf du spak!” Oh yeah, before I forget, I have an alien in my brain and he pretty much decides everything. Norf du spak…that means “I’m your master”. I just go with it since there isn’t a whole lot I can do about him. It makes for interesting writing though I must say. I write science fiction and love the visions I get thanks to Al. Al isn’t very creative for a name but hey, I didn’t choose to have him in there.  I got tired of yelling “Shut up alien!” and “Stupid alien!” so I just shortened it. He seemed to like it because the first time I called him Al I got a nice gentle squeeze to the brain.

                Al hates most things so I generally live with a migraine almost every day at some point or another. Berkle smut almost always means a big one is coming so I make the most of my day with relaxation music and a hot bath.  Before I realized what berkle smut meant, I continued my day as normal. It wouldn’t matter if I was in the middle of writing a really great story, the pain would come with such intensity that I would have to put the pen down. I always hated trying to remember what I was going to write next and Al would laugh and access my memory bank with some really off the wall material. I don’t know how many times I started writing whole paragraphs before I realized what was going on. “Very funny Al!” I would say in a louder than normal tone. Wreek lum sten fo ler ler. Kimp san wen voc romp. Dok la.&*YOYIH NUUIY*YYYOUPIOJO.

                “AL!!!!!!!!!!!!! Stop it!” Anyway, it’s time to feed Al. I can forget about getting anything hfskslend…normal written until he is happy again.

Have a sci-fi day everyone! ~ TLH

Fairy Tale Aminals from the Not “Write” Society

Jomon Anto gave me permission to share these photos that he created using Photoshop. I laughed so hard I cried!

I love to make people smile – especially on a Monday – so here you go:

 

I call this girl a Drog….Ain’t she purdy?

 

….and in the monin’ I’m makin’ waffles! Very small waffles – Prairie Donkey

 

Sorry guys…This one gets the name “Burt”. Don’t ask me why. It just got stuck in my head. Be afraid…Be very afraid!

I’m waiting for this thing to say in a raspy voice Hey! Got a cigarette?

 

Now this is one bad A dude here. We’ll just call him Fly….or Chuck Norris..Either one will work.

 

Squog! She’s a keeper. Imagine the money that would be saved on dog food!

The first thing that came to me….after I stopped laughing so hard, was to make a fairy tale story out of them. Their leader? Fly of course, with Drog working as a guard for the princess Squog. Burt tries to kidnap princess Squog and Prairie Donkey is her knight in shining armor…very small armor. 😉

Have a wonderful sci-fi day my friends! ~ TLH

How To Train Your Dog To Get You A Beer? Is That “Write”?

One of my adventures involved starting my own radio show. The Puppy Whisperer is a show designed to help dog owners with some of the more difficult times in a dog’s life. From tricks like “how to train your dog to get you a beer” to “potty training” – Each episode offers free tips to guide you into a happier life with your four-legged friend. It was another form of writing for me, but also a way to fill the need to help others. This happens to be one of the more popular shows lol!

Listen to
internet radio with The Puppy Whisperer on Blog Talk Radio

Here is Daisy after she just learned the trick at 5 months old:

Here is Buster after the trick had been perfected:

The Old Schoolhouse Short Story- Redone the “Write” Way

I was given suggestions by other writers on how to improve this story. This is it in full version. Enjoy:-)

The Old Schoolhouse – rewritten

By: Tammy Holloway

 

    “Stop that Jared! I hate when you do that! This place is scary enough without all your jokes. Where’s Kaley? I know she’s hiding too. You two are made for each other.”

Surprised, Jared looked directly at Samantha. “What do you mean ‘where’s Kaley?’ She’s with you right? Please tell ma ma me she’s with ya ya you Sam.” Jared stuttered when he got real nervous.

“Ha! The jokes’ on you now Jared. Kaley’s getting better at it than you. She done left ya down here to get skeert with the rest of us.”

     It was September in this small town of Mineral Bluff, GA. It was comin’ a gully washer…as folks say ‘round here. That’s a down pour like nowhere I’d ever seen before. I can understand the reason for the strange lingo. It poured buckets on this lil’ town. Jared, Kaley and Samantha were best buds. Jared and Kaley were boyfriend and girlfriend but didn’t seem to mind Sam following along from time to time. Sam didn’t mind it either. Jared was 16 and had two things the girls liked; a license and an old beat up car that took them away from home and off on adventures.

     Tonight was the same as many nights. Find an old building, explore, and scare the crap out of each other. There are so many stories goin’ ‘round about this place. Outsiders come and try to snoop around and find nothing but the occasional shotgun in their face, cocked and ready to shoot. Why we’re famous all over the internet with ghost stories and witch sighting and such.

     The old schoolhouse was new territory. The witch graveyard, the haunted church and the abandoned orphanage were old hat. The same routine was in place. Jared stayed in the back in case someone came at them from behind. He figured these places were good hideouts for druggies or homeless folks. Sam was always in front because she loved this stuff and feared nothing and Kaley stayed in the middle. She was afraid of everything.

     It was unlike Kaley to run off and play the scarin’ game. I understood completely. Heck I can’t remember any time where Kaley was trying to be bold. She was a screamer. I guess that’s the good news. No screams have been heard from her. Jared grabbed a hold of Sam’s arm and headed back the way they came in. He carefully shined the flashlight in each crevice and corner he could find. The paint was chipped off in a lot of places. It smelled like ten-year old rain and rotten concrete. A room led back around to the right. They didn’t go in there yet so maybe Kaley was a hidin’ in there. Jared felt a jolt on his arm. Sam jumped back and caught her breath. The hairs stood up on the back of her neck. In a small whisper Sam said; “what in tar nation is that thing hangin’ from the ceiling Jared?”

…They slowly backed away. Jared, shaking, raised the flashlight to see what it was. Shadowy monsters began to crawl down the walls as the light beamed off of the old school desks. The light went higher and gleaming walls dripped with moisture as the rain seeped through the cracks in the old structure. Even higher still….suddenly, Jared dropped the flashlight and ran! “Wait!” Sam yelled for Jared and chased him all the way to the car.

     “What are you guys doing?” Kaley said in her “whatever” voice. Jared was surprised but happy to see her. He was too concerned about getting the heck out of there then to take notice of her sarcasm/motherly talk.

     As they drove away, Kaley asked again what was going on.

“I ss ss saw something in th the there.”

“Wow! You never stutter anymore Jared. What did you see?”

Jared tried to gather his thoughts to try to explain what he saw. “There wa wa was a pa pa pair of sh sh shoe shoes on th th the  ssss ssss sssseil ceiling…aa aaa aannnd a a……”

Sam lost patience with Jared; “Oh nevermind! Let’s go back. I didn’t see anything too strange Jared. Besides curiosity killed the cat..not the human. I want to know for sure. It was probably just an old pair of shoes hangin’ there with some junk thrown in Jared. You know people always feel the need to throw stuff and try to get it stuck.” Sam reassured him.

“No way!” Kaley scolded. “I did not want to be there in the first place. Why do you think I came back to the car? Let’s go home Jared, please?”

O o o kay K K Kaley. I na na need to dr dry off anyway. Ma ma my clothes are ss ssoaked.”

     It was well after curfew. Anyone out now had cool parents or parents that just didn’t care much where they were as long as they were out of their hair. Jared and Sam’s parents were the cool ones. Well, Sam’s parents were divorced and she stayed with her mom full-time. Sam’s mother knew she was safe with Jared and Jared’s parents knew Sam would keep him out of trouble. Parents – so naive.   Kaley had the ‘other’ type of parents. She never spoke of ‘em much but it was understood. Unexplained bruises would show up now and again and Jared would ask if she was okay and if he needed to take care of something for her. Kaley would just smirk at him and respond with “Nothin’s wrong”. He always hated takin’ her home.

     Friends of theirs gathered at the local hangout but it was still comin’ a turd flutter. That there’s another one of them slang words for heavy rain. Everyone sat in their cars and played with the radio. Not but 2 stations comes in ‘round here though. Most have iPods or some other form of device that holds a crap ton of music.

Sam decided to open her big mouth. Something she was quite good at. “Jared saw something up at the ol’ schoolhouse.” That was all she needed to say.

     The testosterone flowed freely amongst the young teenage boys. They challenged each others’ fears and then it was decided. Nothing to do but visit some old rundown schoolhouse and teen testosterone loaded guns makes for a bad combination. Sam knew this and her plan worked. Kaley’s arguments were no match for all that and she sure wasn’t going home to deal with what was waiting for her there. Anything was better than home; Even some scary thing hangin’ from the ceiling of an old schoolhouse.

     As they pulled up to the old schoolhouse again, the lights cut through the rain. Heavy drops of shimmering light fell slanted from the sky in front of them. They could barely make out the building. Mud splashed and splattered the windows of that old beat up car of Jared’s.     

Kaley took in a heavy breath “Who’s that?” She pointed toward the back-end of the building. Neither of the other two saw it.

“Maybe you should stay in the car.” Jared told her. “I know you hate this stuff but I also know you love it in some twisted kind a way. Let me and Sam go in and we’ll come back and git ya when the coast is clear.”

     Three other cars pulled up alongside Jared’s. It was Tina and Colton in one car, Heather and Brice in another and some other people she didn’t know. She knew their faces from school, but no names.

     Kaley’s view from the car was nothing but a sea of flashlights and rain coats runnin’ for the entrance. Her heart started pounded as the lights faded away. The sounds of laughter and chatter faded also. She was all alone in the dark…again.

     Kaley opened her eyes and looked around. The rain stopped and the night was still. There was no sign of anyone yet. She looked at the phone! “It’s three in the morning!” She hit 1 on speed dial to try to call Jared. It was the perfect set up for a scary movie out here. Her phone read “No service”. Living in the mountains, it tends to be touch and go with service. She figured they had to be in there for more than 3 hours. It wasn’t that big of a schoolhouse.

     Something hit the roof of the car. Kaley froze in place. Her heart was now in her throat. “Jared! This is not funny! Stop playing around!” A steady drip came from above. What was it? She knew she had an active imagination and figured she was just comin’ up with her own crazy thoughts. As she settled down, she grabbed her flashlight and began to look around outside of the car. A shadow came down over the front of the car as she looked high up through the windshield. It was a branch. Relieved, she reached for the door handle. As she went to pull on it, she looked out and saw lights coming. “Finally!” They all stopped at the doorway, looking at Kaley; looking at the car. They were looking….up.

     Kaley jumped out of the car and ran towards Jared. He backed away as she approached. “What’s going on Jared? What took you guys so long? Quit jokin’ around. Let’s go home.” Just then Kaley turned her focus on the car. It was hovering just above it. The shadow was dark and menacing. Something was dripping from its mouth. It was blood.

     It shot back into the night and disappeared. The teenagers ran in separate directions. “Where’s Sam?” Kaley screamed out and didn’t get an answer. Everyone kept their distance from Kaley. “What is going on? What is that thing?” Kaley ran as fast as she could to get as far away from it as she could.

Jared kept a close eye on her but from a distance. “Why did you g g go ba ba back to th th th the car Kaley?”

Go back? she thought. “I Never came in Jared! Why are you avoiding me? What happened in here? What is that thing out there hovering over your car?”

     Jared slowly approached Kaley. “Y y you na na never ccc cccame in?”

“No Jared, I fell asleep in the car and woke up just before I saw all of you come out. I heard a crash on top of the car and saw it was a branch…or so I thought.”

Listen K K Kaley, you were with us almost the whole time. Y y you have to believe ma ma me.” Just then, Sam came running up.

Kaley let out a sigh of relief; “Sam! Thank goodness you are alright!”

“No thanks to you Kaley. What were you thinking anyway? You just better be glad you’re my friend or I’d have to give you a good wallop on the head.”

Jared broke them up; “She dada doesn’t remememember being in here Sss sa ss Sam.”

“What? That’s crazy! Of course she remembers. Don’t you Kaley?”

Kaley looked at Sam, puzzled and shrugged her shoulders. “I was asleep in the car the whole time.”

     A noise came from the darkness. They held hands and faced the source of the sound. Each of them raised their flashlights at the same time. The sizzling sounds of water hitting a hot surface filled the air. Steam came from the shadowy figure. It was in pain. In an instant, it was gone. The creature feared the light so they now knew they could get away. They had to get out of there.

     Jared called out for the rest of the crew. “Ba Ba Brice! He Heather! Ddd Dd Da Devon! Ch Chase!” No answer. They had to go look for them since they were the ones to get them to come. Well, Sam was the one but Jared drove so he felt an obligation to make sure they were alright. They stayed close together as they searched the small rooms in the schoolhouse; each room scarier than the last. The shadows crept as they walked slowly along the back wall. The ground was flooded from the heavy rain that just passed. The sound of splashing footsteps was the only thing they could hear.

     Something moved in the back of the room. It was hiding behind some old furniture. They stopped and held their flashlights on it. None of them wanted to move for fear it would come where light didn’t shine. It slowly rose from behind the furniture and stood there. 

“Jared? Is that you buddy?” Brice and the others came out from hiding. “Boy are we glad to see you guys. It’s afraid of light you know.”

“Yeah, we figured that out too.” Kaley spoke but the others hesitated in listening to her words. “Let’s get out of here.” She continued.

They all kept close together along the wall with flashlights shining at the darkness. As they moved toward the doorway, they came upon the room where Jared saw something the first time they went in.

“Watch my back.” Sam said and started her way into that room.

“Ss Sa Sam! Wh wh what are y y you doing?” Jared was in a panic.

Her flashlight rose up to the ceiling where the shoes had been. Jared fell to his knees and began to vomit. The others followed suit. Sam screamed, “NOOO!” Kaley was dead. Her crumpled body was full of blood and entrails drooped toward the ground with a shimmering wetness. That thing killed Kaley. Our friend was gone.

     They stood in shock until they heard a loud crash from the back of the room. Their feet began to move before they knew what was happening. They had to get out of that place and fast. Things were happening that they couldn’t explain and there was something lurking in the darkness that was evil. They made a run for it. The cars were running and tired were spinning before the car doors were all shut. Jared and Sam were numb with silence.

     …From the back seat; “What’s going on Jared? What took you guys so long?”

THE END

Imaginary Friends are All “Write”

Imaginary Friend

By: Tammy Holloway

Robot Sam Liked Monster Jam.

He hid in my pocket all day.

I played with him at night when I got real scared and he stood six feet tall in my bedroom.

He had robot arms with funny looking hands and he had one wooden eye cause he lost it.

He said he blew up and he stood by a tree so he grabbed up some wood and he made it.

His body was square with wiry hair. It was fun in the dark cause it glowed.

We played hide and seek and I always found him cause he gave himself up with his light.

The sounds were like “beep” and “buzz buzz” or “bleep bleep”.

He talked all the time but he sounded the same. Even his laugh was so plain.

Robot Sam was my friend and I’ll love him to the end.

Time for bed cause it’s Friday and then it will be Saturday.

That means time for another Monster Jam with Sam!

Good night.

 

Have a sci-fi day everyone! ~ TLH

Willy Wonka and Shakespeare – Is That “Write”?

Mari Miniatt Posted this on Google+ and I thought it was something that all of you would enjoy:-)