I am slowly going to close this blog down, please follow me at www.tessadeanauthor.com

I will slowly be removing what I want to save from this blog and then deleting it. My new work is now almost completely on www.tessadeanauthor.com.

Hope to see you on my newest blog.

Tessa – 

Advocate for mental health and invisible illnesses

New Author’s Website – http://www.tessadeanauthor.com

Author – Old Writing –  http://www.finallyawriter.com

About my life –  http://www.tessacandoit.com

Author of a book published on the blog, https://tessacandoit.com/government-property-a-memoir-as-a-military-wife/

I am also a youtuber in the authortube section on writing. See my videos here:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSpNS-6gfJ0s8eD1berLwQg

I am now following and streaming on Twitch.tv. Find me under www.twitch.tv/tessadeanauthor

To see my most recent work check out the blog post below.

I write a lot of my stories as serial stories using prompts. I have many different stories, the longest one is 50 parts if I am not mistaken. My current one is here and still in progress. You can use this post to start with part one and work your way through and then go directly to that blog and continue it.

This blog contains several serial stories and I used a lot of them in varying sizes in my very first novel which will eventually go online on the newest blog http://www.tessadeanauthor.com and then if I continue writing novels as a series I have several longer serial stories on that same blog as that is the one I update all the time. I don’t update this one very often. Those serial stories contain the middle of a possible novel and need both a beginning and an end. As most prompt sites request family-friendly work I will be updating those stories to murder or mystery stories and definitely on the dark side. So you can see why these aren’t quite as dark as they could be. I don’t go into much detail. Book One/Intro To The Possible Series is not a dark murder mystery as I am just getting used to writing that genre and I don’t think I know enough to make it a psychological thriller/murder/suspense story.

Tessa – 

Advocate for mental health and invisible illnesses

New Author’s Website –http://www.tessadeanauthor.com

Author – Old Writing –  http://www.finallyawriter.com

About my life and stories –  http://www.tessacandoit.com

Author of a book, on the blog, https://tessacandoit.com/government-property-a-memoir-as-a-military-wife/

I am also a youtuber in the authortube section on writing. See my videos here:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSpNS-6gfJ0s8eD1berLwQg

Looking for my most recent work, check out my new blog listed below.

My newest blog is http://www.tessadeanauthor.com. I rarely update the two older blogs anymore.

Tessa – 

Advocate for mental health and invisible illnesses

New Author’s Website –http://www.tessadeanauthor.com

Author – Old Writing –  http://www.finallyawriter.com

About my life –  http://www.tessacandoit.com

Author of a book, a work in progress on the blog, https://tessacandoit.com/government-property-a-memoir-as-a-military-wife/

Highlighted chapters are done and ready to be read.

I am also a youtuber in the authortube section on writing. See my videos here:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSpNS-6gfJ0s8eD1berLwQg

Enter with Caution – Short Tale Challenge #3 – Ruins

Short Tale Challenge #3 – Ruins

Enter with Caution by Tessa Smeigh September 2017

Sitting peacefully in the shade of the grand old trees in the forest Susan looked around and wondered what else there was to see there. This was an area new to her.

Finishing her lunch, she gathered her things and headed off down the trail. This part of the forest was quiet, devoid even of animal sounds.

She came upon the ruins of some old buildings. One was a small cottage and very quaint. It still had its door. She slowly opened the door and stepped into the old cottage.

She fell…there was no floor.

Teresa (Tessa) Dean Smeigh

-Advocate for Mental and Invisible Illnesses

-Author of Articles, Stories and Poems

http://www.tessacandoit.com

http://www.finallyawriter.wordpress.com (moving posts to other blog and will be deleting this one.

OPPOSITES ATTRACT CHALLENGE – 4/26/19

Rules from Haunted Wordsmith:

Welcome to the new Opposites Attract Challenge!

For this challenge, I provide one word and a list of its antonyms. The challenge is to use the prompt word AND one (or more) of its antonyms in some form of writing (or creative work).

Explore the word and its opposite … challenge your creative side

HAVE FUN!

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Today’s prompt: dignified

Antonyms: flighty, frivolous, giddy, goofy, silly, undignified

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Silly Antics

By Teresa Smeigh 2019

Jonathan was always so dignified. He always wore a suit to work even on casual Fridays.

What others didn’t know was that when he and Alexa were in private he was goofy and undignified. She loved it!

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Tessa –

Advocate for mental health and invisible illnesses, also a devout Christian

Author – http://www.finallyawriter.com (this blog contains my old work mostly although occasionally I do add something new here), new work is mainly on this blog http://www.tessacandoit.com

The Lottery Ticket – Part 2 (written 8/12/2012)

This piece follows “The Lottery Ticket”.

The Lottery Ticket – Part 2

The ticket flutters in the wind, Tim’s mouth is opening and closing, but he’s unable to form a single, coherent word. One-way flight to the moon?Is this for real? What a strange lottery!

The news announcer expectantly glances around the crowd waiting for someone to yell that he or she has won. Except for the crowd muttering to itself, silence reigns.

Tim finally breaks his reverie and yells, “I won!” The crowd swarms around him, pressing in.

“Out of my way, out of my way,” the announcer says as he tries to get to Tim. Slowly the crowd parts and he eventually makes it to Tim’s side. Someone tries to yank the ticket out of Tim’s hand. The cops begin moving the crowd back, using force where necessary.

Tim swallows nervously and eyes the crowd.. This whole experience is surreal. Is he dreaming?

“Ladies and gentlemen may I have your attention please?” The crowd begins to quiet down and look expectantly towards the announcer.

“Sir, what is your name?”

“Tim Ryan. Is this a joke?”

“No, sir, it is not a joke. Lunar Landings is offering this once-in-a-lifetime prize to help populate their new development on the moon. The prize includes the one-way shuttle flight to the moon, a job at Lunar Landings, plus your own house. The only requirement is that you must stay with the company for at least 10 years and if you decide to return to earth you will have to pay the cost of the return ticket.

Tim grins. A job, a house and his ex-wife and her mother far, far away. What could be better?

“When do I leave?”

~~~~~~~~~

Tessa –

Advocate for mental health and invisible illnesses, also a devout Christian

Author – http://www.finallyawriter.com (this blog contains my old work mostly although occasionally I do add something new here), new work is mainly on this blog http://www.tessacandoit.com

 

The Lottery Ticket – Part 1 (written 6/7/2012) (sorry put wrong date on this)

The prompt: You have 500 words to write a piece, fiction or non-fiction, which includes the phrase “to the moon.”

Now showing my age, I have to admit the first thing that popped into my head was “The Honeymooners” with Jackie Gleason, where Ralph Kramden says to his wife Alice, “You are going straight to the moon, Alice.” However I couldn’t work that into anything helpful.

While I was trying to figure out what to write I pulled a bunch of books out of the shelves and read the first lines. One of them struck a chord and something flowed from it. I didn’t use that person’s line, but it was enough to send my creative juices flowing.

500 words seemed like a lot when I started and then once I got to writing I found that it wasn’t enough so I spent last night during my sleepless hours tweaking it down to about 496 words according to the word counter. This is my finished version.

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The Lottery Ticket

By Teresa Smeigh

The wind whistled loudly down the alley and Tim Ryan tried unsuccessfully to turn up his collar to protect his neck and ears. He should have dressed warmer. He didn’t even have gloves or a hat. He couldn’t leave to go get them either because the line behind him was growing rapidly.

He had been daydreaming ever since they announced on the morning news that they were holding a special lottery at midnight. A lottery where you didn’t have to purchase a ticket. Only so many tickets would be handed out, but they wouldn’t announce how many they were going to hand out. You had to be there to win. They weren’t even going to announce the prize ahead of time, but they promised that it was a once-in-a-lifetime prize.

Tim Ryan was down on his luck. His ex-wife was demanding her alimony and he didn’t have it. She was threatening to report him and get him thrown in jail for not paying his support. He had lost his job a few weeks ago and hadn’t been able to find a new one yet, but being in jail wasn’t going to help. Surely she had to see that? He knew this lottery just had to be the answer to all of his problems. He would do anything to get her off his back.

So here he was, standing in a freezing alley with hundreds of others. He had hurried to the drawing spot as soon as he had heard the announcement. He just knew that the place would be packed. He noticed that the line was getting even longer behind him.

Tim was jumping around trying to keep warm. He certainly hoped that the prize was worth all of this. He was cold and tired. He had to stay alert to make sure no one jumped the line. This prize just had to be his.

The clock tower struck midnight and the crowd quieted down expectantly. The announcer stood on the back of a flat bed truck and spoke into his microphone telling everyone to stay in a straight line and begin moving towards him and take an envelope, but they were not to open it yet. The line would continue to move until all envelopes had been handed out.

Tim followed the line in front of him. Finally he was close enough to see that they still had a pile of envelopes. He was going to get one. He was told to move over with the others. Once the last envelope was given out, the announcer wished them luck and told them that the winner would know what their prize was when they opened the envelope, there were 99 blank tickets and one prize, but not to open it until he said “go!”

Once the announcer yelled “go” the crowd ripped open their envelopes. Tim ripped his open and his mouth fell open. Printed on his ticket was “ONE-WAY FLIGHT TO THE MOON.”

OPPOSITES ATTRACT CHALLENGE – 4/12/19

Rules from Haunted Wordsmith:

Welcome to the new Opposites Attract Challenge!

For this challenge, I provide one word and a list of its antonyms. The challenge is to use the prompt word AND one (or more) of its antonyms in some form of writing (or creative work).

Explore the word and its opposite … challenge your creative side

HAVE FUN!

---

Today’s prompt: miserly

Antonyms: bounteous, bountiful, charitable, freehanded, generous, liberal, munificent, openhanded, unsparing, unstinting

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Empty Purse

By Teresa Smeigh 2019

Ruth searched frantically through her purse looking for her wallet. She had to have more than just a handful of coins left for the rest of the week. Her husband was miserly and gave her just a small amount barely amounting to enough to cover everything for the week. She kept rummaging in her purse, she had to find the wallet.

A charitable passerby stopped and asked, “Do you need help ma’am?”

“Oh, I can’t find my wallet and I have to get the kids something to eat!”

Handing her a twenty-dollar bill he told her to go feed the kids.

“Oh, thank you. You are so generous!”

******************************

Tessa –

Advocate for mental health and invisible illnesses, also a devout Christian

Author – http://www.finallyawriter.com (this blog contains my old work mostly although occasionally I do add something new here), new work is mainly on this blog http://www.tessacandoit.com

OPPOSITES ATTRACT CHALLENGE – 4/9/19

Rules from Haunted Wordsmith:

Welcome to the new Opposites Attract Challenge!

For this challenge, I provide one word and a list of its antonyms. The challenge is to use the prompt word AND one (or more) of its antonyms in some form of writing (or creative work).

Explore the word and its opposite … challenge your creative side

HAVE FUN!

---

Today’s word: decisive

Antonyms: faltering, hesitant, indecisive, irresolute, undetermined, unresolved, vacillating, wavering, weak-kneed

******************************

What Did I Tell You?

By Teresa Smeigh 2019

“What did I tell you in the beginning,” Robert questions Tammy.

“I know what you told me, but I hoped you would change your mind,” she faltered.

Decisively he says to her, “Tammy I told you over and over I would not leave my wife for you. We are having a great time and that is all I am looking for. I have a wife; I don’t need another. I don’t want to hurt you, but I can’t hurt her either. We need to end this now before my wife finds out.”

Tammy stood there vacillating, neither moving to leave nor trying to talk him out of it. She knew he had made it clear he wasn’t looking to leave his wife and wouldn’t. She was the one who kept going and hoping she could change his mind. She should have gotten out of this relationship long before she fell in love with him.

******************************

Tessa –

Advocate for mental health and invisible illnesses, also a devout Christian

Author – http://www.finallyawriter.com (this blog contains my old work mostly although occasionally I do add something new here), new work is mainly on this blog http://www.tessacandoit.com

OPPOSITES ATTRACT CHALLENGE – 4/7/19

Rules from Haunted Wordsmith:

Welcome to the new Opposites Attract Challenge!

For this challenge, I provide one word and a list of its antonyms. The challenge is to use the prompt word AND one (or more) of its antonyms in some form of writing (or creative work).

Explore the word and its opposite … challenge your creative side

HAVE FUN!

---

Today’s word: Entertaining

Antonyms: boring, drab, dreary, dull, flat, heavy, humdrum, jading, leaden, monotonous, pedestrian, pleasureless, ponderous, stodgy, stuffy, tedious, tiresome, tiring, uninteresting, wearisome, weary, wearying

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Wading Pool (Non-Fiction)

By Teresa Smeigh 2019

So far it had been a monotonous summer. Every day the high temperatures were draining to a woman who was 9 months pregnant with a toddler under 2 years old. There was no air conditioning in our home on base.

Every day I had to take my toddler outside so she could play in her wading pool. One day I had an entertaining idea. I went over to where she was splashing in her pool and climbed in and sat down. I used a bucket to pour water over my head and body, especially my huge belly. She laughed and started pouring water over me as well.

The neighbors were starting to stop and look at us. We were in the front yard, so it was open to everyone. It felt so good that everyday we were sitting in the pool and keeping cool. I was able to cool us both off and entertain the neighborhood at the same time.

******************************

Tessa –

Advocate for mental health and invisible illnesses, also a devout Christian

Author – http://www.finallyawriter.com (this blog contains my old work mostly although occasionally I do add something new here), new work is mainly on this blog http://www.tessacandoit.com