Catherine Hackman

I have a big announcement to make about a project. I will be posting about it on Monday.

I just entered two stories in the Writer’s Digest Short Short Story Competition.  I will know on or before February 28, 2017, if either of my entries place. I worked on setting and character development with these two, so they should stand a better chance than last time. I will keep you posted.

I am hooked on this book series. It has really dark humor. I have laughed out loud a few times while reading the first book–and I don’t generally laugh out loud when I am reading. It is a great adventure story for kids 6th grade and up.

I did not win the contest, or even place in one of the categories. I hypothesize three reasons:  I did not establish the setting well enough. I did not describe the characters well enough. I do not have a big enough audience to win a prize of this size. What do we do when we […]

I entered a short story in the Writer’s Digest short story competition.  The winners will be announced “on or before December 31.” Needless to say, I have been keeping my phone close and checking my email at least once a day.  I LOVE the story I entered, so I have my hopes up. I will […]

I just received a rejection of a story I knew was just PERFECT for this one magazine. It is super disappointing. This is my third rejection since July. Which means:  I haven’t submitted nearly enough stories to nearly enough magazines! I should be on rejection Number 20 by now! I need to get going!

When I graduated high school, I wanted, more than anything, to be an author. I had a writing college on the east coast picked out. My parents, however, didn’t see any money in writing. They convinced me to go to a four year university to study. They said I could write on the side. I […]

A friend’s post on Facebook caught my eye. Actually, what caught my eye was the picture. It was of a large egg with something obviously pecking its way out. Although the egg looked too large to be a natural egg, the woman’s post said something about waiting for it to hatch, so I wasn’t sure. […]

If you haven’t seen Stranger Things on Netflix, stop reading this, go get yourself some popcorn and some soda pop and watch it. You might as well schedule some pizza delivery and prepare to sit in front of the tele for the next 8 hours because once you start, you will not want to stop. (There are […]

Mercy Me has a song out called “Dear Younger Me. ” In it the singer tries to decide whether or not to give his younger self “spoilers” about how his life will turn out. Here’s Mine DEAR YOUNGER ME Savor all of those fresh vegetables from the garden. Find out how Grandpa Dave does it […]