The Confabulator Cafe

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  • Out of Time

    Library/Secret Room — 1968

    aluminum branchMadge was not impressed with the pink, aluminum Christmas tree in the library. Stella seemed to think it was the height of fashion and that their employers had remarkable taste. Madge preferred real trees that grew from soil, not some factory in Wisconsin.

    She plucked at the cold metal needles and tried to arrange them in some sort of natural arrangement. Her nose wrinkled in distaste. No matter what she did with it, the gaudy thing still looked like a mistake.

    “Hand me the box of green balls, Stella,” she said.

    (more…)

  • Dearest Mama

    Ballroom — 1815

    Dearest Mama,

    It snowed again last night, and this morning I awoke to gardens dusted with a fine white powder. Hopefully the snow will not impede the travel of any of the party guests. Aunt Millie has assured me that it will not. I do wish that little Lizzie was in better spirits. I should dearly have liked to have you here for my first ball.

    My first ball, Mama, can you imagine that? It seems just yesterday I was dashing about in pinafores with my hair in plaits sticking out from under my bonnet. My aunt promises me that I shall look every inch the lady tonight. I do so hope the evening goes well.

    Has papa returned from France? I had hoped that, by now, all the soldiers would have returned home. Surely with Bonaparte’s defeat this past summer, they can have no reason to keep papa abroad. I am sure his return home would be just what Lizzie needs to cure her cough. My aunt agrees with my statement, though assures me that by the time you receive my letter, Lizzie’s health will be much improved.

    I shall return to my letter momentarily, my aunt is calling me away. (more…)

  • The Lonely Attic

    The Attic – 1999

    Dan had felt pretty ambiguous about his family’s move into the manor house, but the discovery of the attic came as a pleasant surprise. It hadn’t been listed as one of the rooms of the house, and somehow they had missed the door. When they first moved in, nobody had noticed it, but one day he opened a door he thought was a closet and found stairs up to an attic instead.

    It was a huge room, spacious, and windowed on three sides. It was kind the kind of place teenage boys had their room in movies and such.

    He had to have it.

    “Merry Christmas,” his mom said, halfway sarcastically. “If you clean it up and find a way to move all of your stuff up there, it’s yours.” (more…)

  • Santa Claus is Coming

    black-christmas-house

    Bathroom – 1988

    I lay in the empty bathtub, beside the bloody knife, the porcelain chilling my shivering skin. My hands cover my face, catching warm tears from one eye and hot blood from the other’s vacant socket. I wish that Santa Claus would stop singing.

    You’d better watch out. You’d better not cry…

    The blood on my skin congeals, sticky like a thin layer of strawberry jam. Mine? Mark’s? Probably both. I want to turn on the water, to retrieve the soap from the wire basket screwed into the wall. Why are the screws different? One Phillips head, one flat. One rounded, one smooth. One old, one new. Old, new, round, smooth…

    Santa Claus is coming to town… (more…)

  • Return to Straeon Manor (Week Ending Dec. 22)

    Straeon Manor at the Confabulator CafeIt’s confabulating time at the Cafe. And this month, we have a real treat. We’re returning to Straeon Manor.

    Straeon Manor is a different sort of house. And the people who live there experience strange and unusual things.

    Every story is set in a different room and a different year in the history of the house. In our first round of stories, our writers gave us tales of murder, mystery, and the supernatural.

    Now it’s Christmastime at Straeon Manor. Many of the stories in this second round are set around the holidays. Some are likely to be stories of family, others of loss. Regardless, we hope you enjoy each of these gifts from the Confabulator Cafe.

    Until Next Week,

    The Cafe Management

  • Ephemera – Favorite Song or Album of 2012

    It’s the end of the year, so we’re asking the Confabulators what their favorites of 2012 are. This week, they tell us what their favorite song and/or album of 2012 was.

    Jason Arnett

    If you look at my iPod, it’ll tell you that the soundtrack for The Dark Knight Rises is tops for the year. I liked Fiona Apple’s new album but I haven’t listened to it enough to have a real opinion. As for songs, I’ve gotta admit that Adele’s Skyfall theme was pretty damn cool.

    Ted Boone

    I haven’t bought a lot of music this year. Imagine Dragons’ Night Visions as well as Milk Famous by White Rabbits, I guess.

    Sara Lundberg

    I fell in love with the song “Little Talks” by Of Monsters and Men earlier this year. I went and bought their mp3 album, My Head is an Animal,  which I never do because I very rarely buy music anymore, but it was cheap, and I love just about every song on there. Also really loved most of the Black Key’s album El Camino, my favorite song on there being “Gold on the Ceiling,” which is currently my ringtone.

    Kevin Wohler

    I’m not much for pop music these days. My satellite radio is usually tuned to an oldies station or Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville. That said, this year I “discovered” The Explorers Club, a band out of South Carolina. Their 2012 album Grand Hotel is a throwback to the pop music of the 1960s. My favorite track on the album is “Grand Hotel/Go For You.”

    Christie Holland

    Theatre is Evil by Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra. There’s not a song on that album I don’t love.

    Larry Jenkins

    Some Nights by Fun. I absolutely love this album, and the song “One Foot” seems like a great tune to listen to if you’re gearing up for a fight. At least it makes me want to punch somebody.

    Jack Campbell, Jr.
    Stone Sour: House of Gold and Bones Volume 1. This is the first half of a dual release project for Stone Sour. Volume 2 will be out in 2013. I’ve been a fan of Stone Sour for some time. I hosted a metal show on KURE at Iowa State University back when Slipknot first hit big. It was a fantastic time to be a loud rock fan in Iowa. I’ve had a special place in my heart for Slipknot ever since.
    Stone Sour falls into that, as well. Fantastic band.

  • A REAL Writer’s Wish List

    More time.

    More focus.

    More energy.

    More enthusiasm.

    A generous, consistent muse.

    (more…)

  • Books, Mostly.

    I don’t know that writers are all that harder (or easier) to shop for than real people. When you’re buying someone a gift, you either want to give them something they didn’t know they wanted (like the year we got my brother Storm Front) or you want to give them something they told you that they wanted.

    That said, a great go-to is a book. I don’t know a writer who doesn’t get a little giddy about a new book, be it an e-book or a new hardback. It can be a bit of fiction or a reference book. You can never have too many books, and there are so many different kinds.

    (more…)

  • The Task of Gifting

    Christmas means fighting evil.
    What a cool gift to someone like me who likes both Doctor Who and Calvnin & Hobbes.

    I’m a writer.

    I like things. I like stuff. I have a lot of stuff already.

    I like things that pertain to writing and the tangential things associated with writing.

    What should you get the writer in your life for a birthday, holiday, or special occasion?

    (more…)

  • Gifts for Writers

    What about a $35,000 fountain pen? No?

    I will be the first to admit that I am not hugely excited by receiving gifts. Unless a gift is very useful or has a particular deep meaning for me, your basic gift shop tchotchke is just another goddamn thing I have to keep, use, display, maintain, clean, store, and eventually find a way to get rid of.

    For a writer, though, what better gift to give than an experience? What could be more useful, more versatile, than experience? The standard advice is, after all, “write what you know,” so gift them with direct, experiential knowledge.

    (more…)