My Favorite Lines from the #OrangeKaren Anthology

If you missed all of my #TeamOrange posts, I am a proud member of a group of writers who banded together to create the anthology Orange Karen: A Tribute to a Warrior, with all proceeds going to help fellow writer Karen DeLabar (yup, that girl in the banner with the orange hair) and her family pay for medical expenses associated with her bout with Toxic Shock Syndrome last year.

Because I’m a part of this project, it’s against the rules to write a review on Amazon or Goodreads. (Something about bias. 🙂 )

But I can do whatever I want on my blog, which is tell you I’m super-proud to be a part of this anthology. It truly has something for everyone – some fantasy, horror, sci-fi, humor, and literary fiction – all tied together with the theme “Orange“. It’s a lot of fun to read the stories and see how orange is incorporated. Some use it a lot (like my story, “There Is Such a Thing As Too Much Orange”), and some, just a little, like “Walkin’ Blues” by my friend Jeff Tsuruoka (he answered The #TeamOrange edition of The Questions; be sure to read ’em!).

For today’s post, now that I’ve finished reading the anthology, I’m going to give you my favorite line from each story (in the order in which it appears in the book), as well as a link to almost every author’s site. And I sincerely hope you’ll buy a copy of the book. Or three. It’s for a good cause, and again, you’re sure to find at least a few stories (out of the 39) and authors (out of the 40) you’ll love!

• “Foreword” by Jennifer Gracen: “Karen and I feel things passionately; we love big and bold.”
  (She also answered The #TeamOrange Questions and shared a pic of her and Karen!)

• “Introduction” by the #OrangeWarrior herself, Karen DeLabar: “Dying would have been easier.”

• “In Collusion With Trees” by Jesse James Freeman: “She’d always hated how she couldn’t help using her hands to emphasize her words when she got angry.”

• “Henley’s Scars” by February Grace: “It never mattered to me that his left eye was a little bit bigger and lower set than the right, or that his fur was a curious shade of bright orange not naturally found on bears in the wild.”

• “Change Finds You” by Cara Michaels (one of my very favorite stories): “‘Sorry,’ I said. ‘I didn’t get apprehended in my Sunday best. I’ll try harder next time.'”
  (She also answered The #TeamOrange Questions; of note is that her main character, “Dr. Savannah Welborn”, is named after me; and the other main character is named after Benjamin Cain, another author in the anthology 🙂 )

• “Killing the Fantasy” by Jennifer Gracen: “Having feelings for someone isn’t high school BS.”

• “Warrior” by Anna Meade: “…you persist in your belief in these archaic myths, that you can vanquish what ails you.”

• “Walkin’ Blues” by Jeff Tsuruoka (one of my favorite stories): “Doesn’t seem right, leaving all of these people to their fate.”

• “Murder is a Job Best Left to Professionals” by Patty Blount: “…I ride that ripple of excitement, stand a little taller, pin on a plastic smile…”
  (Patty has a title as long as mine!)

• “Protogenesis” by Steve & Zack Umstead: “…without warning the membrane shot up his arm and spread across his face.”

• “Orange You Glad the Doctor’s In” by my good friend R.B. Wood (one of my favorite stories) (and I am his new editor. Woot!): “Yes, the writer was a wreck of a man, but he deserved help.”
  (he also answered The #TeamOrange Questions)

• “A Little Night Music” by Taylor Lunsford: “He wore a tuxedo, but the bow tie was untied and draped around his neck, and his shirt was as rumpled as his hair. He looked perfect in his imperfections.”

• “An Evolution of Orange” by Anne Baker (one of my favorite stories): “Hannah hated orange. Every tragic event of her life could be traced back to the same wretched color.”
  (she also answered The #TeamOrange Questions)

• “lower the lid” by alex kimmell (one of my favorite stories): “…the moist edges of the entrance silently inhaled the scent of women’s perfume.”
  (he also answered The #TeamOrange Questions)

• “Upstaged” by Elizabeth Ann West: “The assistant dropped him off at the booth in the far right corner, where a heavy-set woman with bright maroon hair, too much jewelry, and overwhelmingly strong perfume waited for him.”

• “Orange Riding Hood” by Janelle Jensen: “Her mood had suddenly gone from bright and cheerful to dark and resentful.”

• “The Orange-Headed Serpent” by Gareth S. Young (one of my favorite stories): “Bonnie had hair the color of summer wheat; long and unruly, it danced on her shoulders as she walked.”

• “Color Me Happy” by Julie Glover (one of my favorite stories): “I felt stone cold when we pulled up to a cemetery. Was this his idea of a sick joke?”

• “Impressions” by Maureen Hovermale: “The rain had let up after a momentary burst of temper…”

• “Divine” by S.G. Lee: “I wanted to ask a million questions but I didn’t know where to start.”

• “Summer Solstice” by John Moore Walker (one of my favorite stories): Every line is GREAT. I can’t pick one, but I’ll try: “she waved at me, illuminated by a golden spotlight, ankles flecked with fresh-cut grass.”

• “Relief” by Jonathan Gould: “An orange is the colour orange. That’s why it’s called an orange.”

• “Paper Dragon” by my friend Benjamin Cain (one of my favorite stories): “‘I hate being called Mr. Bailey. Makes me feel old.’ He throws back the sheets and sits up.”

• “Buried” by my friend Joseph Schmidt (whose book Sugarballs I get to edit someday soon, I hope!): “Her face was red and swollen from a combination of anger and collagen injections.”
  (he answered The Questions a while back…)

• “Panties Optional”, hilarious story by my friend Christina Esdon (one of my favorite stories): “The lingerie boutique…had enough ruffles in the decor to raise Liberace from the dead.”
  (she answered The Questions way back when, and wrote a guest blog post about the book launch; she also compiled the anthology. Thanks XTina!)

• “Losing Vern” by my friend Andrew F. Butters: “If Vern knew he was sitting that close to a bar & wasn’t allowed in for a beer, he’d be right pissed.”

• “The Next Sunrise” by Mark Ethridge: “I’d fight Satan himself before I’d give up on them.”

• “Seeds” by Francis Setnocis: “Now, it’s my mom, the pumpkin, and me.”

• “There is Such a Thing as Too Much Orange” by yours truly: “Nah, this washer is industrial strength. Made to clean up vomitous masses. It loves that stuff!”
  (This is actually Jeff Tsuruoka’s favorite line from my story, as posted in our online writers’ group)

• “The Space” by E. Wells-Walker (one of my favorite stories): “I really want him to know that I’m sorry, but his face is so silent, so disappointed, that I just stare at his shiny black shoes.”

• “Chip, Chip, Hooray!” by K.D. McCrite (one of my favorite stories): “We sneeze once and you put us to bed, feed us antibiotics and a liquid diet until we wish we were dead.”
  (she answered The Questions a while back)

• “Little Wing” by my dear friend and author J.L. Gentry (I’m going to be editing his books when they’re ready): “She raised her head to the skies and let out a scream painted with anger and fear.”
  (he also answered The #TeamOrange Questions)

• “Fall” by my friend Shay Fabbro: “It looks like someone took the sun and shoved its yellow and orange rays into the very leaves of the tree.”
  (she answered The Questions just recently!)

• “My Orange Karen” by Christopher Cantley (one of my very favorite stories): “The fiery-haired girl held onto two handfuls of mane and giggled in delight.”
  (he also answered The #TeamOrange Questions)

• “Raeanne Revealed” by my friend Valerie Haight: “Alex swallowed hard. ‘I think it’s creating a life form.'”
  (she answered The Questions in January)

• “Friend in Need” by J. Whitworth Hazzard (one of my very favorite stories): “His mistress stood firm against the wind, stray strands from her braid blowing orange-red whispers into the air.”

• “The Man in the Orange House” by Emmett Spain (one of my favorite stories):”Only the smoke from the hand-rolled cigarette pressed between his wrinkled lips was sign that he hadn’t taken a visit to the taxidermist overnight.”

• “Before it Fades” by Tim Queeney: “The boat seemed happy to feel the wind in its sails once again.”
  (he was one of my first guests to answer The Questions after I launched my blog)

• “Little Orange Dress” by Stephanie Fuller: “She could feel the words coming from her mouth like she was having an out-of-body experience. ‘Of course I’ll be your date…'”
  (she also answered The #TeamOrange Questions)

• “Rise” by Steven Luna (one of my very favorite stories; very poetic): “The spark became flame, the flame became fire. The fire found a kindred.”

• “The Orb of Terra Mater” by Glenn Skinner (who also formatted the anthology): “It is said that to stare at a Humbaba is to stare Death itself in the eye.”

Buy the Book:

The anthology is available in paperback for $14.95 and in ebook for $3.99.

• CreateSpace – paperback (purchasing this version gives Karen and her family the most money)
• Amazon – paperback
• Amazon – kindle

Learn more about the authors and Karen’s story:

• anthology website
• Karen’s website
• Goodreads
• Twitter (hashtag #orangekaren)
• Listen to the WordCount Podcast on R.B. Wood’s site
• View the Book Trailer, donated by Glenn Skinner and created by Kim McDougall

Other ways to help:

• Donate via Paypal to the Orange Karen fund (if for some reason this link doesn’t work, go to the anthology website and click the ‘Make a Donation’ button on the right side of the page)
• Write a review on Amazon or Goodreads
• Purchase Orange Karen Swag on Zazzle (items designed by Troy Aaron Ratliff)