Penny Fuller
Bio
(Not my real name)- Other Labels include:
Lover of fiction writing and reading. Aspiring global nomad. Shy Gen-Xer. Woman in science. Relocated midwesterner. Blended family mom. Most at home in nature.
Stories (15/0)
Intertidal Magic
I am not a native Pacific Northwesterner. My husband and children have that birthright; for me, I fell in love in my twenties with this misty region where snow-capped volcanoes and rocky mountains mingle with temperate rainforests and orcas frequent the inland sea. It is home to giant tides, where the vertical height of the water can change by sixteen feet within a single day- it can creep over shorelines to shape beaches at one point, and twelve hours later it will draw back to the point that entire bays and sandbars appear, the waterline now more than a thousand feet from shore. It is here, within the mysterious intertidal zone, that my favorite mysteries of the Northwest lay waiting to be discovered. It is also home to one of my favorite delicacies, intertidal clams.
By Penny Fuller12 days ago in Feast
Clarion
She smelled like Christmas. Piercing the late July city stench of sweat and tar, Keith noticed notes of peppermint, cinnamon and clove emanating from the woman pressed at his side as they waited to cross the intersection. As the little white man appeared in his electronic box and the cuckoo that signaled a north to south crossing began to whistle, she pressed something into his hand and whispered in his ear with a faint Germanic accent:
By Penny Fullerabout a month ago in Fiction
My Favorite Works of Fiction Use Setting Like a Character
When I think about writing fiction, I spend a lot of time considering the fundamentals. Character, setting, theme, tone and language can completely reinvent a story. Every Shakespeare play or Jane Austin story reinvented into a 90’s (Clueless) or early 2000s rom-com (10 Things I Hate About You) rom-com are examples of how you can take a compelling story and make it fresh and original.
By Penny Fuller4 months ago in Journal
- Runner-Up in From Across the Room Challenge
Letter to You on Our 20th Valentine's Day TogetherRunner-Up in From Across the Room Challenge
I did not go to the ends of the earth to find you, I went there for me. But when I arrived at the spine of the Pacific, to an island forged of ice and fire, there you were.
By Penny Fuller4 months ago in Poets
Thank You, Coach
Coach: I think I have been composing this letter to you for most of my adult life. I’m sorry that I couldn’t get the words together soon enough for you to read them. Now, you have been gone from this earth for longer than my kids have been alive. But your gifts, instilled through hundreds of hours of training, practice and repetition, continue to unfold in unexpected ways. I have always been grateful to you, in my own quiet way, and I’m not sure I did enough to say thank you when you were around to hear it.
By Penny Fuller5 months ago in Humans
Fighting Dragons From Across the Rainbow Bridge
As darkness falls outside our home, the monsters come out. The shape, size and intention of these creatures change as my boys age and their viewing habits introduce new creatures to their inner grimoires. However, no matter the creature that could be lurking in the yard, ready to peek in through the windows, Bella the ghost dog is ready to protect my boys from any danger.
By Penny Fuller5 months ago in Families
- Runner-Up in Return of the Night Owl Challenge
Owl RockRunner-Up in Return of the Night Owl Challenge
The night the town burned down we were thirteen. Shireen, Marta, Anna and I had all spent the night at my house. After my parents, who slept like corpses and retired each night promptly at nine, had reminded us to turn off all the lights and get to bed at a “sensible hour,” we gathered our supplies and headed out the front door toward Owl Rock.
By Penny Fuller6 months ago in Fiction
In 2022, I'm Giving Myself More of These Things
I love making New Year’s resolutions. I am great at starting things, reinventing myself, going all-in on the new me. But middles? Not so much. By February 1, I’ve usually failed, been hard on myself and forgotten all about my resolution. The last few years, I haven’t even shared my goals because I didn’t want to admit to anyone but myself how little I did to try to achieve them.
By Penny Fuller6 months ago in Families
Overheard: A Boy Mom's Bedtime Story
While the bedtime story is often a source of wonder, for some parents it is a source of love, laughter and constant derailment. In a suburban home, in a neighborhood just like yours, a tired mom was putting her two boys to bed in their room. We were able to get a transcript of the story that transpired:
By Penny Fullerabout a year ago in Fiction
