Articles

I need some scratch to carry me through the year.

Right now I’m putting together “365 Prompts“, which you can pre-order for $5. It’s a 365 prompt list, each with at least three story ideas. It is 36,500+ words and will be available November 14th as an early-release copy.

I’m accepting prompt fills. Either from “365 Prompts” or suggested[$10+]. You receive a digital copy of the story (PDF, mobi, epub), a digital print of some of my horrible drawing-style art, and you can buy some tile coasters for $6+s/h each. The story will be dedicated to you.

Leave a comment on this post* or via Paypal or Patreon with your request. Or hit me up on Twitter: @HarperKingsley0.

I would be grateful for donations or tips through Paypal or Patreon if you choose not to receive anything.

.Paypal.me/HarperKingsley.
.Patreon.com/HarperKingsley.

I get affiliate money if you look me up on Amazon or Smashwords, even if you buy somebody else’s books or movies or whatever.

*For physical goods: Don’t give your physical address here! I will contact you.

tile coasters with manga images

List of items for sale:

“365 Prompts” – ebook = $5
prompt fill – ebook = $10+ (500 words minimum)
tile coaster = $6 each (+s/h. Single order shipping is $7 Continental USA for 1-6 tiles.)
paracord bracelet = $10 each
digital print = $15 (jpg, png of photograph)
“Centrifical” – ebook = $5
“Centrifical” – signed pback = $15 (+s/h. $3 Continental USA)
“Little Boy Blue” – signed pback = $17 (+s/h. $3 Continental USA)
“Vision of Blood & Shadow” – signed pback = $17 (+s/h. $3 Continental USA)
“Blood Wine” – signed pback = $17 (+s/h. $3 Continental USA)

My uncle and my dad have shared the same lawnmower for 20 years. A week ago, my uncle finally went out and bought a new mower — a Cadet Cub riding lawn mower, or tractor if you prefer. The one he chose is bright yellow with the black stripe, it looks like something you might ride in a race.

I tried it out and it was pretty easy to use, even in our mess of a yard. This was the first cutting of the year, which meant the grass was tall and juicy. There were plenty of hidden sticks and mole hills to grind up against the blade when you least expect it. Still, that mower cut through the grass super easily, and it was fun to drive.

For speed control: Under the steering wheel is a little shifter that lets you take it from tortoise all the way up to hare.
For braking: Your left foot controls the break.
For going: Your right foot controls the accelerator.
For reversing: Your right foot controls the reverse pedal. You cannot back up without lifting the blade first.

The blade controls are next to the seat, in easy reach of your right hand. Though once you’ve got the blade down and you’re ready to mow, you shouldn’t have to do a whole lot of shifting or whatever. Basically everything is controlled with your feet and all you have to do is drive.

I had fun driving the mower and I might not complain about having to mow the lawn next weekend.

THEME: “Why I Like Kdramas”

I like kdramas because for the most part they’re happy. Because even when the characters are presented with unhappy situations, by series end love triumphs over adversity, the bad guys get their comeuppance, and the protagonists find their happy ending.

And in between the introduction and the ending, there is a wealth of sadness and joy. The best shows run the full gamut of human emotion and take you on a journey through empathy and despair.

It’s beautiful to be allowed to feel so much. To have all of your empty spaces filled, even just for a little while, enables a person to face their own life with a bit more hope that everything will turn out all right. And that’s beautiful.

To laugh and cry cleanses the soul. It opens you up to possibilities you might never have known. It lets you look at another person and see that they’re human too, and thus deserving of consideration and maybe even love.

In a world that is often confusing and scary, a kdrama lets you believe that perseverance will be rewarded. If you hold onto your spirit and don’t give in to temptation and cruelty, you can live a good life. Just keep moving forward, keep smiling, cry when you need the release, and don’t let anyone tell you that you’re not good enough to be happy.

There’s so much feeling in a good kdrama. It might be fiction, but it feels like truth. Because you will laugh, cry, and fall in love one hour at a time.

And that’s another think I like about kdramas: they are planned out with a beginning and an ending. Each series has a goal to be reached and you don’t have to worry that things will be drawn … Read the rest “THEME: “Why I Like Kdramas””

Bob’s Burgers: s4.e13. “Mazel-Tina” — I know Bob is always saying it, but they would have a successful family business if they weren’t all so terrible at their jobs.

Tina is able to get a catering job for her dad. Though it turns out that the only reason she wants him to cater is so she can go to Tammy’s bat mitzvah without being invited, the fact remains that she was able to get him PAYING work. If the Belcher family wanted it, they could have a very successful business.

Everyone universally loves Bob’s burgers.

They just hate him and his family.

Haunted by the ghost of you,
the things you said,
and made me do;
the darkness that called out to me,
pulled me in,
set me free.
I lie here in my bed at night,
dream of you,
our Maybe Life,
regret the choices that we made,
the love you took into the grave.