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There’s a digital version available too!

Support Reimena Yee’s Alexander, the Servant, and the Water of Life Comic!!

Reimena Yee has been part of Tumblr for many years. Some of her works include The World In Deeper Inspection

It features her gentleman Jersey Devil Detective Alcott Grimsley.

He solves mysteries for those who have passed beyond the mortal veil

Reimena Yee created the Carpet Merchant of Konstantiniyya.

The Eisner nominated story is a lush tapestry of romance and art set in 17th century Istanbul and 18th century England

She also created Séance Tea Party.

A heartfelt modern story about growing up and being true to yourself.

Reimena Yee’s latest work is Alexander, the Servant, and the Water of Life.

The comic is filled with historical beauty. It also shows a more intimate side of Alexander’s relationship with Hephaestion

If you’re a fan of Reimena Yee’s works, please consider supporting Alexander, the Servant, and the Water of Life. You’ll be in for an odyssey of history and art.

You can pre-order your physical copy of Book 1 here.

[curiouswritinggarden]

Support Reimena Yee’s Alexander, the Servant, and the Water of Life Comic!!

Reimena Yee has been part of Tumblr for many years. Some of her works include The World In Deeper Inspection

It features her gentleman Jersey Devil Detective Alcott Grimsley.

He solves mysteries for those who have passed beyond the mortal veil

Reimena Yee created the Carpet Merchant of Konstantiniyya.

The Eisner nominated story is a lush tapestry of romance and art set in 17th century Istanbul and 18th century England

She also created Séance Tea Party.

A heartfelt modern story about growing up and being true to yourself.

Reimena Yee’s latest work is Alexander, the Servant, and the Water of Life.

The comic is filled with historical beauty. It also shows a more intimate side of Alexander’s relationship with Hephaestion

If you’re a fan of Reimena Yee’s works, please consider supporting Alexander, the Servant, and the Water of Life. You’ll be in for an odyssey of history and art.

You can pre-order your physical copy of Book 1 here.

[curiouswritinggarden]

Comic Review: Petals by Gustavo Borges

Hey! Long time, no post eh? This post is shorter than I wanted it to be, but I finally get to share this wonderful comic with all of you. There’s no spoilers in this review, so you can read this and still get to enjoy the book. Let’s get to it!

Petals is Gustavo Borges’s American debut comic which came out in 2018 from Kaboom comics. The story is about a young fox and his father trying to get through a hard, long winter. One day the litte fox meets a mysterious bird in the woods. The young fox invites this stanger to stay with him and his father for the winter. During the bird’s stay, he reveals he is a doctor with a flair for magic tricks. He dispenses medicine and whimsy, which are both in short supply at the foxes home. But what happens when the magic and medicine runs low?

Despite the silent and slow format of the comic, the story is none the less powerful. Reading it feels like watching an animated short. With no dialogue, the comic allows readers to slow down and take in the snowy setting. This silence also let’s the character’s actions and interactions with each other speak for themselves. These scenes are the heart of Borges’ story.

My favorite scenes are when the bird’s role of doctor and magician come into play. For kids, and even some adults, going to the doctor can be scary. So when the bird whips out his wand and turns it into a flashlight, it adds light-heartedness to a serious medical checkup. The whimsy the bird brings during his checkup reminded me of a passage in the Hippocratic oath, “I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug.” -The Hippocratic Oath: Modern Version by Louis Lasagna 1964. The “warmth” that the bird brings to his medical examination is to take the serious edge off his checkup. He doesn’t just take out a flashlight and asks the older fox to say “Ah”, he performs a magic trick and lights up his wand. By disguising his medicine as magic he adds “art” to his craft and gives the foxes a little fun while waiting out the dreary winter.

Illness (as most of us know during this pandemic) takes it’s toll on physical and mental health. The foxes in the comic embody that struggle. It’s hard enough for them to avoid getting sick and taking care of themselves and others. What makes the situation worse is the grind of avoiding sickness every day. That routine wears on their hope of making it through the hard winter when there’s no end in sight. Then Borge’s bird magician/doctor enters who lightens the fox’s family’s mood and provides the resources to make it through the winter. It’s true that Borges could have depicted the bird as doctor in a lab coat, but that image is a bit sterile and stiff to put in a comic for kids. But by portraying the bird as a magician, the author puts some light-heartedness into his wintery story.

[curiouswritinggarden]

January Blog to-do list

Hey! It’s 2021! A fresh year with new possibilities despite all the leftover junk from 2020. So I’m kicking things off on my blog with the monthly blog to-do list. Here’s a line up of what’s to come and some basic reminders for myself.

Announce writing blog on re-blog blog + leave link in the description.

Write a review of the Petals comic.

Write an article that sparks your interest.

[curiouswritinggarden]

New Year Resolutions

2020 sure was a trip on all accounts, huh?

So glad it’s over and gone! Here’s a list of my New Years resolutions for 2021. Here’s hoping this year is less wild and near apocalyptic than 2020!

Be kinder to self

Create more posts on writing blog

Get Covid-19 vaccine

Go for more walks

Practice planning + setting manageable goals

Write at least 3-5 complete short stories

Grow a new plant in garden

Develop a creative writing process

Cultivate a direct writing style

[curiouswritinggarden]

Oh boy this is an old post of some of my family's Christmas decorations. You see, my family goes all out with the decorations. We have a cluster of nativities and an army of Santas

There's about 40 Santas on this table. All of them made out of wood. There's a couple of German 'Smokers'* in there, one shaped like an icicle and one made out of a cypress root or 'knee' as Floridians call them.

*(They're called smokers because you can light incense in the statue. The smoke builds up, and out comes a smokey ring)

We also have some Matryoshka dolls and mini wooden figurines.

The doll with the red hat, the purple one, and the one with a fur coat with black trim were my Godmother's. We've had those for quite awhile. The purple one is my favourite Matryoshka doll! The littlest doll is the size of a grain of rice. The one in the center with the arrow helmet is from my dad. Oddly enough, he picked it up in a Hondouras airport, during a buisness trip, as a gift for my mom. And the doll with gold foil is mine. I got it at Saint Sophia's Greek Festival held here in Miami.

These minatures were also from my Godmother. I like to imagine that these dolls live in a Christmas toy village and they're shopping for gifts for each other.

So it’s Christmas time again at my house!

Got the tree up! ^U^

Anyways I was looking at some of the wooden German ornaments my family had

There’s a rocking horse and a skier,

an angel and solider,

a straw nativity,

a bird’s nest, another angel, a baby,

an angel riding a horse a Santa with…I;m not quite sure what, another skier,

And then it happened…

I found the FABULOUS,

BEAUTIFUL!

MASCARA SANTA!!!

[curiouswritinggarden]

It's Christmas Cookie Time🎄

My specialty is Chocolate Chip Cookies

I wish tumblr had smell-o-vision these smell so good!

I'm going to drop them off to my cousins. They look foward to them every year 🎄🎉

[curiouswritinggarden]

The Excuse

I am late for work! Late! Late! Late! Of all the nights to eat cheap fried rice, why did it have to be last night, I think to myself as I start the car. Eating Lee’s authentic Chinese special fried burger rice always knocked me out with fever dreams. I cringe while remembering the crazy dream about claymation Komodo dragons. Oof, I took two red lights. Hopefully I can get to the time clock before my boss notices. I finally arrive at the office building. I slam my car door shut and run through the crowded parking lot. There is only enough time to shout a frantic, “Good morning!” to the lobby’s receptionist before skidding into a closing elevator.

Keep reading

[curiouswritinggarden]

December Blog To Do list

Hey, I decided to make a blog to do list to keep track of posts I want to make.

Here’s what I have in mind for December.

Post a review of the comic Petals.

Reblog The Excuse.

Show Christmas Decorations

Show Cookies

Write New Year’s Resolutions

[curiouswritinggarden]

I’ve felt this way about the small wonders of the world when I go for a walk in the mornings. You see I’ve been going for a walk most every day this year and I get to see different plants blooming/growing during the year’s seasons. Since I took a Tropical Botany class one college semester, I’m able to identify some plant species. But the fun part is is observing how a plant changes over the seasons. During Summer this one bush you see everyday is green and bushy. Then when Fall comes around it suddenly has purple and white flowers. During the Spring the crepe myrtle trees have small colorful flowers but when it’s Fall the tree is totally bare. It’s like there’s a new thing to see every day of the year and that’s wonderful.

People who like rocks see cool rocks everywhere. People who like birds see interesting birds everywhere. The tree on your yard could be an exceptional specimen. The world around you could be amazing and magical, but you aren’t enough of a nerd to see it.

[curiouswritinggarden]

Day 20 of the turkey flood (woooaahhh, we're halfway theeerre)... [bag stapler machine]: *breaks down* Me: *frustrated American noises* Merine: *hysterical Marshallese laughter* Gloria: *supportive Vietnamese noises* Deliah: *Hispanic giggly noises* Me, attempting to fix: *more frustrated American noises* Merine: *wraps cord of industrial staples around my helmet* Deliah: ... Gloria: ... Me: *INCOHERENT SKEKSI SCREAMING* Gloria: *concern* (Bless Gloria, she keeps us in line.) lol

I need a sitcom of this crew for real

[curiouswritinggarden]

Day 23 of the Turkey Flood (I think?)... Updating due to discrepancy... Management has caught on to the fact that my hands are NOT, in fact, okay and have changed my department... I am no longer with my ladies. My precious smols. My Marshallese cheerleader, my Hispanic sister, and my Vietmom. We have been separated now. By half the length of the building. The result is that I now have more function of my hands, but... They are not with me. My body heals, but my heart is heavy...

I feel for your loss but I am also incredibly relieved and grateful that your work took action to help you! Take your time to heal and hold your fellow turkey wranglers forever in your heart.

[curiouswritinggarden]

Day 27 of the turkey flood... The new department isn't so bad. I am still comically taller than nearly everyone. The machinery is so loud out here, it's impossible to hear anyone... I use this environment to sing. No one can hear my rendition of Nessun Dorma from the kill line. I've had several years of vocal training, so I can embody the full passion of Luciano Pavarotti if I want to, dammit. I am more than capable. Opera singing is part of my vast skillset.

will turkey anon ever be recognised for their operatic skills? will the machines miraculously cut out part way through the Queen of the Night’s aria from the Magic Flute while a talent spotter is walking directly outside the window? will the Turkey Fairy whisk them away to a magical land made of stuffing and cranberry trees? I’ve no idea. stay tuned.

[curiouswritinggarden]

Day 33 of the turkey flood... A day late, but here I am. Only seven days left, and everything is starting to feel strange. I saw my ladies, though! Much Marshallese screeching was had and Gloria gave me a coffee candy... Which was delicious, my goodness. I have to wonder who they partnered my little foreign mom with, though. They better be treating her right, or they'll find their story taking a very steep turn into Murphy's law...

good turkey family vibes upon this day also coffee candy????

[curiouswritinggarden]

Day 40 of the turkey flood... Final day. It's done. The dressout hallway was full of confetti and crazy rave music. Everyone was jumping and cheering. My ladies happened to come out while I was leaving and they all apparently wanted to hug me at the same time, which was great. Like a bunch of cats running up to a dog and hugging it... I honestly don't know what to do with myself now that I'm going to have days off! What kind of chaos can I get away with, I wonder...?

incredible journey, glad to have been a part of it, congratulations on surviving! long live Turkey Anon!

[curiouswritinggarden]

The Excuse

I am late for work! Late! Late! Late! Of all the nights to eat cheap fried rice, why did it have to be last night, I think to myself as I start the car. Eating Lee’s authentic Chinese special fried burger rice always knocked me out with fever dreams. I cringe while remembering the crazy dream about claymation Komodo dragons. Oof, I took two red lights. Hopefully I can get to the time clock before my boss notices. I finally arrive at the office building. I slam my car door shut and run through the crowded parking lot. There is only enough time to shout a frantic, “Good morning!” to the lobby’s receptionist before skidding into a closing elevator.

I take a second to catch my breath. The memory of the clay lizards whispering, “mould our faces,” creeps back into my mind. I shake my head to get rid of the weird thoughts and notice my hair is sticking out at weird angles. Great, just great, nothing says late like lopsided bedhead, I think as a try to smooth down my frizzy hair.

The elevator dings at my floor. I poke my head out of the sliding doors. The reception area is empty. The time clock gently ticks on the wall behind the welcome desk. A smug smile spreads across my face. No witnesses, perfect! I can’t believe the welcome room is empty. I speed tiptoe toward the time clock.

“You’re late.”

I jump and muffle a shriek. Slowly, I turn to face my boss, Mr. Borgman, with the most professional smile I can muster. Mr. Borgman is a tall, stern man infamously known for firing tardy employees in the office. He walks up behind me and adjusts his dark blue neck tie with the patience of a priest.

“Twenty-five minutes and thirty seconds late, Ms. Rubin,” he says as his eyes flicker to the clock and back to me. “I hope the extra sleep prepared you to welcome the clients scheduled this afternoon. You’re lucky none of them had the decency to come in early.” He regards me with a disapproving look as he passes judgement on my wicked bedhead. “Even though you are the, I assume, proud receptionist of Sleepy Time Pillows Inc., the company does not endorse sleeping in on work days.”

“There’s no reason why you deserve more sleep than the rest of our employees. Many of our workers perform outstandingly with the standard seven to eight hours of sleep every night.”

He leans down toward me, “Why should I make an exception for you?”

I crane my neck upwards as he looms over me. My smile dissolves into a sheepish smirk.

Why did my boss eat a mountain of calcium as a kid?

Taking a deep breath in, I squeeze out my words in a whisper, “I can explain sir, if you just give me a few minutes of your time.”

“You have taken more than enough time from me and the company already,” he says curtly. Then, with the grace of a confessor, his gaze shifts from judging to challenging. “But I would love to hear you try and talk your way out of this rather, sticky situation.”

He nods, in a merciful way, and eyes the time clock again, “I’ll even give you one minute to gather your thoughts.”

“Thank you sir,” I say meekly. A minute, huh? How am I going to come up with an excuse in a minute? Mr. Borgman is notorious for following the paper trails of his employees. If any employee was truly sick, he wanted them to show symptoms, have paperwork, and even a call from the doctor that treated them. He showed the same ruthless efficiency when family emergencies came up too.

How Jerry wasn’t fired after he faked his father’s own funeral is beyond me. Wait..That’s it! Jerry wasn’t fired, even after impersonating his allegedly dead father in an open casket funeral! It was proof there was a funny bone in my bosses’ thin skeleton figure. I just need to come up with a story wild enough to make him laugh, or at least crack a less sinister smile. I glance at him. His smile is relaxed yet all his teeth are showing. “Thirty more seconds, Ms. Rubin,” he says.

I rack my brain for any idea. Mould our faces, a slithery voice whispers. The dream, of course! I straighten my stance and channel all of my customer service calmness into my voice.

“There is a perfectly logical explanation of why I am late today Mr. Borgman. You see, yesterday I visited the Wynken, Blynken, and Nod Sleep Center in the hopes of convincing them to test if our Sleepy Time Pillows could improve sleep. They told me the lab would be interested, but first I would need to register with the center. As a requirement I had to volunteer in a sleep study.”

He raises an eyebrow in curiosity.

“They told me the study would monitor sleep patterns of the average adult. Not wanting to waste any time, I volunteered for the sleep study last night. Unfortunately, my volunteer papers got mixed up and I was mistaken for a participant in a different study. At least, that’s what they told me, afterward.”

Pausing, I sigh and shake my head slowly, “What I’m about to say is going to sound crazy, but it’s all true. So please, do not interrupt me.”

He nods, “Alright, you may continue.”

“Last night during the, supposed, sleep study I was taken to a monitoring room. They gave me a glass of water and told me I had to drink it as part of the study. So I drank it and fell asleep mid-yawn. The next thing I knew I woke up in a room designed to look like a flower meadow.”

My boss scowls in confusion. He tries to interrupt me, but I cut in.

“Yes, I know it sounds insane, but that is what happened. I woke up in a room made to look like a flower meadow. The walls were painted sky blue and there was green shag carpeting with silk daisies stapled in place. I should know, I yanked a bunch of the fake flowers out of the carpet and cut my foot on the staple. I was confused and stumbled back into a painted wall. Then the wall spun around and I was in a night club. There were loads of people wearing glow-in-the-dark shirts in that crowded room. All of them were dancing to rave music with a heavy base. I was disoriented and kept bumping into dancers. I felt like I was in a human pinball machine and I was the pinball. Suddenly, someone pushed me out the door of the night club and into a different room. The new room looked like a kindergarten classroom…”

As I continue on my long tale, I describe myself walking in and out of dozens of strange rooms. Some with balloons in them, others filled with hedgehogs, but all of the rooms were wacky and left me feeling more befuddled than ever. I glance at my boss and see that my story has the same bewildering effect on him. His eyes are scrunched up in confusion, his mouth is open in a lopsided scowl, and his head is cocked to the side. I decide to wrap it up when it looks like his face is going to flip to a 180 degree angle.

“…And it was just when I was running out of the trampoline bug room that I was face to face with a pair of giant claymation Komodo dragons. They were hissing at me, ‘Mould our faces,’ when I lost the last shred of my sanity and ripped the lizard’s head off. I was screaming, ‘Ok, I’ll shape your faces!!’ when a buzzer sounded and over-head lights came on. People in lab coats walked into the room. They told me to calm down, which is hard to do when you are confused beyond belief and clutching a dislocated clay lizard head. They explained that all the rooms were part of an experiment. The scientists were testing to see how people would react to dreamscapes when they were fully awake. They placed me and other test subjects in a maze filled with bizarre things to simulate a dream landscape. I was shocked and yelled at them. I had only volunteered to do a regular sleep study, not be a guinea pig for a bunch of quacks. I collected my personal effects, went back home to change, and then raced over here to start my work day.”

Mr. Borgman stands very still in the waiting room. It takes him half a minute for him to blink. He reaches slowly into his pocket; perhaps to hand me a pink slip. Instead of termination papers, he takes out a moleskin notebook and writes for over 5 minutes. Then he closes the notebook and says, “Well, your excuse is going right at the top, along with Jerry Barton faking his father’s death, as the craziest late excuse I’ve ever heard.”

I gulp, “Does this mean I’m not fired, sir?”

He gives me a satisfied smile. “I should hope not Ms. Rubin, we need you on our ad campaign team. Someone with your creativity is needed to help us sell our pillows. I believe your excuse would make an excellent advertisement for our company.”

My sigh of relief is cut off as he talks to me again.

“However Ms. Rubin, do not come in late again or I will truly fire you.”

“Yes, sir.”

As he walks into the office, he laughs softly to himself. “Mould our faces, indeed,” he chuckles.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hey there! So this short story is based off a writing prompt from Writer’s Digest’s Year of Writing Prompts.   Specifically, March 4th’s prompt: You’re late for work because you overslept, but your boss hates over-sleepers. He does love entertaining stories, though, so create the most outlandish excuse as to why you were late.  Writing this was a lot of fun! The most difficult part was creating the actual excuse. I needed a scenario that sounded crazy, but real enough so that it would sound believable. The idea finally came to me when I thought of the company my main character worked for, Sleepy Time Pillows. After figuring out the name, everything else in the story fell into place.

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed the story! :D

[curiouswritinggarden]

Pantser Writing Scrap (Cleaning)

Everyone in Barrow Brook knew the Goldsteins were the richest family in town. Money aside, the Goldsteins were also the loudest, snobbiest, and most careless family in town. Natasha, the new maid, knew how quickly the Goldsteins went through their maids and how they liked to ‘test’ the new ones. Yet it still came as a shock to her when the wrung out butler opened the door to a garbage dump layered in several sheets of dust. The butler muttered, “The 3rd guest’s suite. To be dusted. Cleared. And prepared. For Mr. Derrick’s arrival.”

Natasha gawked at the unholy mess of the room. “You’re joking?” She clutched her small dust rag and sole bottle of polishing spray.

The butler turned slowly to her, “My sense of humor evaporated a long time ago, girl”, he rubbed his paper white temples. “Precisely when my hair turned white during my first day on the job.”

She stared in disbelief at him. He stared back at her with glassy, indifferent eyes.

He wheezed, “You have until this afternoon to complete this test. Usually they pose a more difficult challenge to new maids. You’re lucky the Goldsteins decided to take a day trip to the seaside instead of,” he took a pause, “encouraging you in this task.”

Natasha shook the cleaning spray in her hand. “Can I at least fetch more supplies from the broom closet?”

The butler gave a rehearsed reply, “The master of the house does not wish spend his hard earned money on unnecessary cleaning supplies when so many maids disappoint in their duties.”

He gave Natasha a skeptical look, “I’ll leave you to it then,” and he shuffled away.