Halfway through winter and thinking of...

Heat, sand, salt.

Wearing next to nothing.

Drinking iced gin laced with lime and tonic from tall sweating glasses.

In the meantime, nearly a winter's worth of work!

A brand-new website: karinceciledavidson.com. Right here! The old one vanished, and this one is not only pretty, but powerful. THUNDER ON A THURSDAY, my blog, is still ready and willing. The STORIES page lists my publications and awards, and the INTERVIEWS page lists all Newfound Journal interviews, as well as an archive of all the Hothouse interviews from the Poppy Series. Under the GALLERY page, I've added story snippets with photos and links, along with images that inspire me. Plus the typical things: my bio is found in ABOUT and you can get in touch via CONTACT. Very soon, I'll add an EDITING page which will offer manuscript consultation and editing services for short stories, chapbooks, story collections, and novels. Many winter hours were spent building this author website, with special thanks to Nicolette Swift for guiding me, redirecting the old domain to the new one, and designing the sweet little moon snail favicon that sits aside the web address. A round of applause to F. Anne Michel for the cover photo as well! I'm happy to have this work behind me, so I can get back to another kind of creating!

And that would be THE NOVEL. In the final stretch of revisions. Certainly and thankfully, the snow and ice will keep me inside and at the desk. And my reward for reaching the last chapter, the last page, the last word? Summer! Heat, sand, and salt, especially the brine of the ocean. Until then, head down, inside the writing, coming up for air only to catch my breath and dive in again. Until the work is finally done.

"Roadside Flowers"

Yellow Grass Field, Chromogenic Print by Karen Bell

Summer is warming up, and for each month I've a story coming out: 

June for the dancing bear in "Surrey with the Fringe on Top" at This Land Press. 

July for photos taken in wartime in "Roadside Flowers" at R. kv. r. y Quarterly.

August for an afternoon at the Berlin Zoo in "Gorilla," forthcoming in Animal Literary Magazine.

Here is JULY! With thanks to Mary Akers at R. kv. r. y Quarterly for publishing "Roadside Flowers," and pairing it with Karen Bell's photograph, "Yellow Grass Field." A stunning straight horizon of tall grasses against a white sky, it's a photo that James, the main character of this story might have taken.

Ode to Sweet Tea

Deep and dark with syrup and tinges of sadness and pure ecstasy, the tumbler of crushed ice and sweet tea.  We brought it to our lips, like we couldn’t live another day, another moment without.  The end of the hottest summer day, the moment of realization, the Spiritus Sanctus of southern beverages, the kind that address salt-laden, fried foods with grace, decorum, and even a little dishonor.  We lied to each other, said it was okay to drink glass after glass, a wedge of lemon, a fistful of mint flattened against the side.  A hush puppy, a cornmeal-laced oyster, a toasted triangle of bacon-lettuce-tomato.  And then the tall tilted glass at our lips, the sweet dreams of tea and surrender washing past any second thoughts, the rushing delight, the memories lasting forever and ever and ever.