Carolyn Astfalk is a wife, mother, and author of contemporary Catholic romances, including her latest, All in Good Time. She formerly worked as a communications director and now works just to keep her head above water. Find her books on Amazon and her other words scattered around the blogosphere and social media.
In 1981, at the tender age of nine, I was given my first diary.
Here’s what it looked like:
And check out this clever message written on the side:
This, unedited for your amusement, is my first entry (Here and throughout, names are reduced to initials to protect the innocent.):
5 CommentsThis week, I’m sharing Part Two in Chuck Wendig’s Flash Fiction Challenge. (To recap, the object is to post a 1,000 word story beginning. Each week, another writer will build on the story culminating in a four-part tale written by four different authors.) I’m building on a story beginning by Sheri Williams.
Photo by Jusben. (Morguefile.com)
My finger pinched in the metal opening mechanism, but I shook out my hand and jerked open the umbrella. I muttered a curse and bit down on my injured finger to diffuse the pain. I headed east, the clicking of my heels muffled by the rainwater. Realizing I was nearing a run, I forced my legs to slow down. Breathing in the fresh smell of summer rain, I replayed our lunch meeting.
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Lent begins tomorrow, so scarf those fatty doughnuts or indulge in whatever Mardi Gras traditions you choose before we settle in for forty days of discipline. Here are my favorite things about Lent.
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The minimalism. The spirit of Lent is encapsulatd in the words uttered as our foreheads are marked by cruciform ashes.
Meménto, homo, quia pulvis es, et in púlverem revertéris.
Remember, man, that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return.
Concentration is focused on three simple things accessible and customizable to every person: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Cultural distractions during Lent are minimal compared to the consumer onslaught endured during Advent. The Easter Bunny is a minor distraction, at best.
I’m near sick to death of reading about 50 Shades of De-Grey-dation. For lots of reasons, but mainly because all the attention is overkill for a book that is widely-regarded as poorly-written, misogynist porn. Erin McCole Cupp has reframed the discussion with a positive spin.
Erin deftly identifies the critical issue for both artists and purveyors of art of all types by sharing this quote from Pope St. John Paul II’s “Letter to Artists.” (If you’ve never read it, this relatively short letter is worth your time.)
9 CommentsMeet Erin McCole Cupp, fellow writer, Catholic mother, Pennsylvanian, and Catholic Writers Guild member. (We also share the same publisher, Full Quiver Publishing.) Working Mother and Don’t You Forget About Me are two highly different works, but both worth your time. Working Mother is her latest, and you can find it on Amazon along with my review as well.
We know so little about the Holy Family from the Bible. We read the infancy of Jesus, mention of his being lost in the temple, and then we jump ahead to his public ministry. Where did you get the idea for Working Mother, which takes place during those hidden years? 
I actually wrote “Working Mother” about seven years ago. Our family took some financial hits, and my freelance writing income was scanty and unreliable. I had to go back to working outside the home. I remember the day I told my kids that I’d be going back to work, and my middle child said, “But Mommy, I thought you were a writer!” I don’t remember how I replied, but I do remember being glad that I was driving at the time and the kids in the back seat couldn’t see me cry. I had to lay aside what I was pretty sure were good, holy desires–staying home with my kids and leading them to the Lord–and I could not see the sense in it. Why wasn’t God helping us enough that I could go back to working from home, doing what I loved for His glory? Every Catholic I knew advised me, “Go to Mary. She understands.” I would snicker and say, “Yeah, well, Mary never had to get a job.” Finally, it was like I heard a voice in my heart ask back, “Are you sure about that?” Over lunch breaks and after bedtimes, “Working Mother” was written.
5 CommentsIn an effort to hit my 1,000 words/day goal, I’m trying something new: Chuck Wendig’s Flash Fiction Challenge. (HT: Sheri Williams) The object is to post a 1,000 word story beginning. Each week, another writer will build on the story culminating in a four-part tale written by four different authors.
I have a definite theme for this piece, and a vague idea of where I’d take it. It will be interesting to see what others do with the story.
Marina trudged up the trail. Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead, stinging her eyes. She stopped and leaned her hiking pole against a fat oak trunk. The damp handkerchief in her back pocket smelled of perspiration but was her only means of effectively wiping her brow.
1 CommentRebecca Rhodes, the heroine in Stay With Me, loves to bake. If a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, Chris Reynolds doesn’t…
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