Author | Heidi Slowinski

Guest Post: The Unexpected Vacation, a Short Story by John Scott

Posted on May 5, 2020 2 Comments

Thank you to everyone who participated in the April Short Story Contest! The winning entry is: The Unexpected Vacation by John Scott John’s entry is based on this visual writing prompt: Please Enjoy The Unexpected Vacation By John Scott Tom and Kathy had met their freshman year of high school. Tom was brilliant beyond his […]

Featured Poem- From the Archives: Come Not Here

Posted on April 26, 2020 13 Comments

Greetings reader! Like many of you, I’ve been keeping busy during this period of quarantine with lots of cleaning and reorganizing projects. This weekend, looking through some tote tubs of old treasures of high school debate trophies, old photos, tchotchkes, day planners and yearbooks, I happened on some files of my old writings. As I […]

New Writing Prompts to Motivate You

Posted on April 19, 2020 5 Comments

In this new world of ‘safer at home’, I’m finding keeping myself motivated to write more and more of a challenge. Apparently, my muse is also practicing social distancing! If you’re finding it difficult to get the creative juices flowing, here are five new writing prompts to help! Join the conversation! Add your own writing […]

Free Resources to Market a Self-Published Book

Posted on April 12, 2020 5 Comments

[Updated July 2, 2022] You’ve slaved away for weeks, months, possibly years creating your masterpiece. You’ve edited. You’ve proofread. You’ve tweaked the formatting. You’ve agonized. You’ve probably even cried a little. Hey, we’ve all been there! But you’ve finally hit ‘publish’ and launched your book. Now comes the hard part. Marketing. Fortunately, this article is […]

The House on Maple Street Wins Cover Art Award

Posted on March 29, 2020 2 Comments

I would like to thank everyone who took the time to vote for the cover art for The House on Maple Street. The art was one of ten books participating in the February 2020 contest on Alternative-Read.com. The contest included a collection of 10 amazing book covers. Voting took place throughout the month of March […]

Mystery Blogger Award Nominee

Posted on February 19, 2020 1 Comment

I Am Honored! I am humbled and honored to have been nominated for a Mystery Blogger Award! My blog was nominated by Michael Long at http://www.themilitarytraveler.com. It is incredibly motivating to have my blog recognized by a fellow blogger! Since I got into this six months ago, I have discovered a network of wonderfully supportive […]

Bonus Short Story: Ruth Long, Age 88

Posted on January 12, 2020 7 Comments

This week, I’m including a bonus post, in addition to my regular update! I’m featuring the short story that started it all, inspiring Ruth Long, Age 88 and the entire In Loving Memory series. The story was based on the writing prompt: write a funeral scene from the point of view of the deceased. Ruth […]

Featured Short Story: “Room 306”

Posted on January 12, 2020 9 Comments

This week, I’m highlighting more of my short story work. “Room 306” appeared on Reedsy Prompts , as part of their weekly writing contests. This was written and submitted in response to the prompt: Write a short story in which the last line is the count down to midnight on New Year’s Eve Room 306 […]

January Book Review Wrap Up

Posted on January 5, 2020 7 Comments

So many books, so little time! I am an avid reader and love to share recommendations with fellow readers. My choice in books tend to vary by my mood but some of my favorites are mystery, suspense, and thriller. Check back each month for new reviews. I would love your recommendations so please drop them […]

Featured Short Story: Down An Old Dirt Road

Posted on December 22, 2019 5 Comments

Welcome reader! This week, I’m featuring a short story from my archives. “Down An Old Dirt Road” is based on the writing prompt: a woman is sitting on the front steps of an old, ramshackle house, in an elegant black dress. Aside from the writing prompt, this story was also inspired by an old country […]