Painfully Hopeful

Unpacking A Restless Night

“A Wrestless Night” is the longest section I’ve yet written for Welcome to the Valleys. I didn’t set out to make the conversation as long as it was, Jeremy and company really need to move on to the Inner Valleys, but I was pleased because I was able to establish his character a bit more….

Fiction Tuesday – Restless Night

“Walter!” Jeremy shouted as he rose from the frigid pool. As he grabbed a towel the sound of footsteps pounded toward the bath room door, which flew open to reveal Walter. His eyes were wide with fear as he scanned the room. Behind his form Jeremy could make out the figure of Ama. “What is…

Bank Avenue, a South Jersey gem

Down by the border of sleepy Riverton, NJ is one of the most lovely spots in South Jersey. It’s hidden out in the open, literally, as everyone coming over the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge can glimpse it during their free entry into the state 1. This spot is, appropriately, nestled along the Delaware River – it’s called…

Walking the Planks

Like many people from the Philly area, I grew up going “down the shore.” I’m not much of a beach goer, and wasn’t even one as a child, but I have always loved walking the boardwalk. I grew up going to Avalon 1, where my grandfather owned an old beach shack two blocks from both…

Favorite Spots – Maple Shade Custard Stand

In Maple Shade, NJ there is a wonderful spot which reminds the world everything has not been completely homogenized by big corporations. This spot goes by a wonderfully uninspired which also happens to predate the complete and bloody triumph of brand over substance – The Maple Shade Custard Stand. The throwback stand is more than…

The Scrivener migration

Over vacation I used Scrivener to keep my posts organized as I travelled. The ability to set up the days of my vacation weeks, and know at a glance if I had anything written for a given day, was fantastic. So fantastic, in fact, when I returned home I decided to continue using Scrivener as…