Monday, October 27, 2025

A Pizza Party 'Plus One'

by Jennifer Anne F. Messing from the September 29, 2025 issue

Tagline: When Cerise Campbell hosts her daughter's birthday, handsome single dad Jordan steps in to help...and love is on the menu.

Stream of Consciousness Observations: "They turned onto Iris Lane, which was shaded by trees with leaves in brilliant fall colors." -- I'm interested to see if there's a reason the street is specifically named.

"Oh no!" Macie wailed. "Who will deliver our pizzas?" -- This sounds a tiny bit stilted, especially coming from the mouth of a teen.

Oooh, stovetop popcorn is the BEST.

As he picked up one of the big bowls of popcorn [sic] his strong, muscular arm brushed against Cherise's arm and she felt an unexpected, pleasant tingle in her arm. -- This is an example of why reading your story aloud is a good idea. The word arm is used three times, which is, if you ask me, one too many.

Nice story! I especially liked the laid-back plans for the birthday party. These days with Instagram and Pinterest, I feel like so many people feel pressure to dial up their events. Birthdays should be celebrated, but not all of them require photo-inspired fanfare.

Photo by Andrew Rivett via Flickr CC License

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