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Remembering Donny Fife
Thirty years ago, an 8th grader named Donny Fife died while skateboarding in Tustin, California. He was hit by a car on the Santa Clara bridge after chasing his skateboard into the street. At the time, the Santa Clara bridge was a narrow, unlit overpass above the Costa Mesa Freeway, and Donny’s death sparked a…
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Late August Lament
Late August lament for the loss of summertime. The rapid fade into autumn. There’s dew on my windshield in the morning, and a slight chill in the air at dusk. Swimsuits become sweatshirts. Sandals become shoes. On the roads, there’s more traffic. School’s in session, but I’m not ready to accept it. Here’s a weird…
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Summer News
Reading away this summer at the beach with the kids. My son likes to read the local paper, Easy Reader, keeping up on local events. He also loves eating sand. Super excited to get an acceptance letter from Effervescent Magazine. The issue comes out August 25th and theme is “Tempestuous.” Looking forward to reading about…
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Finding the time
As a father of two toddlers, I’m challenged to find quality writing time. I move from work to daycare, from bath time to bed time. The stories inside me simmer; I thumb-type snippets on my phone while attending my daughter’s dance class, but I miss her new twirl, and the scene crumbles when my 11…
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Montauk Ranch and other updates
The other day I received two copies of Writer’s Digest March/April 2016 issue and find my contest contribution to Your Story printed in there. So great to finally see my little entry about Montauk Ranch in print. Thanks to Writer’s Digest for running these monthly contests, as it’s a great way for an emerging writer…
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Nicholas Gustavson’s short story ‘Tasting Class’ wins Easy Readers 45th Anniversary Writing Contest
I’m proud to announce that my short story “Tasting Class” won the Grand Prize in the Easy Reader News 45th Anniversary Writing Contest. It’s a story about wine tasting and murder in the South Bay (Santa Monica Bay, that is) I found the wealthy Los Angeles beach community to be an awesome setting for…