The Red Pen

April 10, 2026 / roughwighting / 77 Comments

JOB DESCRIPTION: Medical Editor. Graduate degree preferred with a scientific/medical background as well as English graduate-level aptitude in writing. Copyedit and proof medical tomes of fascinating surgical procedures accompanied by long-winded indecipherable descriptions of intricate invasive operating techniques. Speed and precision are a must. Salary depends on expertise and experience.

I’ve got five glorious hours ahead of me this morning to edit an upcoming book tentatively entitled Core Topics in General and Emergency Surgery. I met the author/surgeon at the publisher’s office six months ago, when the doctor signed the contract and insisted on meeting the editor. Me.

Oh, what an “honor” to meet such an important man. Continue reading →

At the Cupcake Cafe

February 15, 2026 / roughwighting / 84 Comments

Two friends meet at a cupcake café

Using sweet smiles to assure each other –

They’re each okay.

But the smiles begin to wobble, the

Conversation wiggles as each reveal

A grief that is separate yet shared. Continue reading →

The Legend of the Snowflake

February 1, 2026 / roughwighting / 72 Comments

When I bounced on my great-grandmother’s knee as a 1-year-old, she told me about the legend. She repeated it often; by the time I was 5, the story trickled into my psyche.

At that age, magic is still possible, so the idea that every 100 years a magical snowflake grants a wish to the person who finds it became fact in my mind. Continue reading →

Can Both Things Be True? A Titled Story

January 10, 2026January 11, 2026 / roughwighting / 83 Comments

So, here’s A Funny Story. Life is a lot like a snowflake – each of our experiences is different from another’s.

However, we make it through this many-pronged life by sharing our pains and joys and finding those who say, “I know exactly what you mean.”

How can that be?

Continue reading →

Silent Magic with a Twist of Romance

December 23, 2025 / roughwighting / 77 Comments

I may be wicked, sitting at a bar a day before Christmas with a priest who’s ten years younger than me, but I’m not going to skedaddle and leave behind the chocolate martini that he just ordered. (Didn’t See It Coming).

Besides, Thomas is looking at me quizzically, as if he has a question but is afraid to ask.

Me? I’d like to ask him where his church is located. Oh, and I’d also like to ask him if he has a brother, because strike me down, but I find this priest quite attractive. Continue reading →