Mid-Week Blues-Buster Week 11

Welcome to the Mid-Week Blues-Buster Flash Fiction Challenge, Week 11.

This is a flash fiction challenge.  The prompt is a song.  You are not required to write about or even mention the song.  It’s there only to get the ideas moving around in your brain pan.  If you want to write about the song (or the video- it’s all good here) go for it but don’t feel like you have to.

The rules;

500 words, but it’s a slushy 500, meaning you can go up to 700 or as low as 300.

Post your entry right in the comments section of this post.

MAKE SURE TO PUT YOUR TWITTER HANDLE NEXT TO YOUR WORD COUNT AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR POST

The challenge starts whenever I post this on Tuesday and ends at 11:59PM Pacific Time on Thursday.  You read that right.  Pacific Time.

This week’s tune comes courtesy of heavy metal legends, Judas Priest.

The song is, “The Ripper”.  Here’s the link; http://youtu.be/j1VtM8zkFnI

This week’s Judge is the master of the macabre herself, Lisa McCourt Hollar…

Okey then… That’s it for me… get out there and write, write, write!  The challenge is open from right now ’til 11:59 PM Pacific Time on Thursday May 2…

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Mid-Week Blues-Buster Week 10 Winners

All right then…. Week 10 of the Mid-Week Blues-Buster is in the books!

Judge Miranda Gammella has spoken;

First off…. damn you and your taste in music. After I listened to the featured song, I found myself listening to jump blues for the rest of the night and adding other groups to my Pandora shuffle (because unfortunately Pandora doesn’t have The Atomic Fireballs in their system). This reminded me what I love about funk and blues and swing and well just jazz in general. Prior to becoming the “Grand Poobah” of the Daily Picspiration blog, back when I was just a poobah, I wailed away on my saxaphone in a jazz group in college. I especially loved the gritty songs and The Atomic Fireballs brought that back, so thank you for that.

 

Now, enough about me. Now I’m sure you want to know (as do the participants) who I have picked as the official champs of this week’s Mid-Wee-Blues-Buster. 

 

I have enjoyed all the entries, all took the song inspiration in quite different ways.

 

Untitled by @Valeriebrbr

Lots of action in this one. I wasn’t sure who to root for, and held my breathe when the narrator fell in the water. And a dirty cop in the mix… intriguing.

 

Broken by @LastKrystallos

Ah, I can relate to the old man’s saddness over seeing broken flowers. Whether by natural means (bloom too heavy, wind, etc) or otherwise, I always get a little sad when I see a pretty spring flower with its bright, colorful bloom drooped and crushed. The integration of the song prompt was more subtle here, and I liked it. The man with the hex… is a quiet old man who loves his garden. Keep off the grass, kids!

 

Spats by @PurpleQueenNL

The visuals in this story drew me in. I could hear the music, see the dancers, feel the energy of the room … not just from my own love of jazz, but from that excitement that any child gets when he or she gets to go to something ‘adulty’ with his or her parents. I remember a similar feeling when I was a kid going to a place called Tony Packos in Toledo, Ohio with my father. There wasn’t any dancing, but there was a jazz band there playing while we ate our chili. Because of the music, and the environment, it feel ‘adulty’ to me too. Thankfully, what happened to Katy didn’t happen to me, but I can relate to the initial feelings. Miranda was also the only person to make a direct reference to the music.

 

Another World by @ashviper

I laughed when this started – I think we all know the feeling of doing research or doing something to get into the feel of the place or people or just some part of the story. Although by the end of it, the author in this story became the story.

 

 

Lemon Drop Shots by @BrewedBohemian

I loved the banter between Kaylee and Amber, and how she ended right with the very person the old tarot reader was trying to warn her against. Now I want to know what happens with Kaylee and the man with the bright red eyes. Very nice job of bringing in the reader with such a short framework.

 

Ah, and now for the weeeeiners… *jazzy drum roll please*

 

3rd Place – Spats by @PurpleQueenNL

2nd Place – Broken by @LastKrystallos

1st Place – Lemon Drop Shotsby @BrewedBohemian

 

Great job everyone, and thank you to Jeff for asking me to judge. It’s been a pleasure to read your creations.

 

There it is…

Congrats to our winners and to everyone who came out to write, read, & judge.

Here’s the Winner’s Badge, Jenn!

 

 

Thanks, folks!

See you on Tuesday for another exciting episode of… The Mid-Week Blues-Buster!

Mid-Week Blues-Buster Week 10

Welcome to the Mid-Week Blues-Buster Flash Fiction Challenge, Week 10.

This is a flash fiction challenge.  The prompt is a song.  You are not required to write about or even mention the song.  It’s there only to get the ideas moving around in your brain pan.  If you want to write about the song (or the video- it’s all good here) go for it but don’t feel like you have to.

The rules;

500 words, but it’s a slushy 500, meaning you can go up to 700 or as low as 300.

Post your entry right in the comments section of this post.

MAKE SURE TO PUT YOUR TWITTER HANDLE NEXT TO YOUR WORD COUNT AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR POST

The challenge starts whenever I post this on Tuesday and ends at 11:59PM Pacific Time on Thursday.  You read that right.  Pacific Time.

This week’s prompt features the swingin’ sounds of The Atomic Fireballs…

The tune is… “Man With the Hex”.  Here’s the link; http://youtu.be/isAq7p-3TO4

This week’s Judge is none other than the Grand Poobah of Daily Picspiration herself, Miranda Gammella.

Okey then… That’s it for me… get out there and write, write, write!  The challenge is open from right now ’til 11:59 PM Pacific Time on Thursday April 25…

Fast Lane – for the Dark Fairy Queen Writerly Bridal Shower

Written for Anna Meade’s Dark Fairy Queen Writerly Bridal Shower

 Fast Lane

“Don’t this hunk of junk go any faster?”

The towheaded kid driving my Chevy Cavalier glared at me.

I glared right back.

“Stealing my car was your idea. Feel free to find a faster ride any time, son.”

The ginger in the back seat smacked the back of my head with her pistol.

“You got a mess of nerve, mister. For an old codger.”

I checked her out in the rear view. Red hair. Good shades. A sweet Kentucky twang meant for better things than kidnapping and grand theft auto. I rubbed the back of my head.

“Hands where I can see ’em!” barked the driver.

“The only thing you need to see is the goddamned road! Your girlfriend can keep track of my hands.”

The kid grunted and floored it. He took the next curve without slowing down.

“Where’d you learn to drive?” I asked.

He took a minute to answer. “Marines,” he grunted. “Combat driving.”

“Thought so. Same here.”

“Well, hoorah. That supposed to mean somethin’ to me?”

“It means something and you know it.”

The gun nudged my head.

“You’re awful observant,” said the redhead.

“Occupational hazard.”

It got real quiet.

The kid twitched. The redhead ran over the possibilities.

“Relax,” I offered, “I haven’t been a cop in a decade and even then I had no jurisdiction here.”

She sat back. The gun went with her.

“Whatcha been doin’ since?”

“I’m the Justice of the Peace.”

We all took a second to let that sink in.

“Look,” I said, “you haven’t done anything that can’t be un-done. Had myself a spot of trouble not unlike this when I was your age and I caught a break so here’s my big chance to pay it forward.”

Dead quiet again.

“What?” I asked.

She spoke up before he could stop her.

“We stole some money.”

“How much?”

The kid swore under his breath.

“’Ten grand,” she said.

“Who’d you take it from?”

“It’s old man Potter’s.”

“Bastard had it coming! Went and sent our jobs to Indonesia. Lotsa good people hurtin’ now.”

“That’s old man Potter’s deposit?”

If anyone in town deserved to get robbed it was Potter.

“Gonna get married when we get outta town, right, honey?” She smiled at the driver.

“That’s right, baby.”

“So you need the money to get set up elsewhere?” I asked. “Don’t answer that. Rhetorical question.”

“Might not get the chance to get hitched,” he said, “if we get caught and all.”

“Well,” I said, “if you don’t mind stopping before we leave Meade County I can help you with that.”

“Can’t stop.”

“On the fly, then.” I cleared my throat. “I’ll need your names,”

“Camille! That there’s Ike.”

“I’m going to take it on faith you’re not related by blood. So– Camille, do you?”

She sat straight up and looked at Ike’s in the rear view.

“Ain’t how I dreamed it up,” she said.

“Well this is how it’s gotta be, baby,” he replied. “Answer the man! Please?”

“Yes!” she hollered. “I do!”

“Ike, do you?”

“Hell yeah, I do! I love you so much, baby!”

“Now by the power vested in me, you may kiss the bride.”

“You gotta be kiddin’!”

“Son, there’s two things I never kid about. One’s the proper temperature of a rib-eye off the grill and the other’s kissing. You kiss. I’ll steer.”

Ike grinned, leaned back, and planted one on her. I kept the car out of the ditch.

“Congratulations,” I said. “Now, let me off here. There’s a truck stop forty miles out, just before you get to the interstate. Leave my car there. You’ll be able to hitch a ride anywhere you want to go. Think of it as a wedding gift.”

The newlyweds looked at each other and then at me.

Nobody said a word.

 

My car was at the truck stop when I got there the next day.

Over the next year I often wondered if they’d made it.

One day, a postcard arrived, addressed to the Justice of the Peace, Meade County. People asked about it but I just smiled and pinned it up over my desk.

Happy anniversary, you crazy kids.

745 words

Title: Fast Lane

Author: Jeff Tsuruoka

eBook: Yes

Mid-Week Blues-Buster Week 09 Winners

The Wolf Lady has spoken!

Mid-Week Blues-Buster Week 09 is in the books… Thanks to everyone who came out & wrote, read, & judged…

Take it away, Janelle…

*fans self* I didn’t know what was in store when I agreed to be the judge this week. Whew! Hot and steamy hardly describes some of the stories these talented authors came up with. And others? Gave me chills!

My picks are:

First – Strange Eternities by @ScrivK
Captivating and intriguing, with touches of humor that caught me laughing at work – and hiding behind my hand so no one would see – this story made me really wonder about the possibilities of this strange world. It thrilled this Whovian to pieces.

Second – Decisions by @Valeriebrbr
After I read this flash (hot flash!), I need a cold shower. And a drink. And a date. Okay, so I only got the shower, but boy did the chemistry fly right out from between these two characters. Made me want to know exactly what happened behind closed doors.

Third – Playing the Point by @bullishink
Sometimes we don’t see what’s staring us smack dab in the face. Or who, rather. How many times have we watched a character fall all over themselves for exactly the person we know they should stay far away from. This story had me cheering Mags on, especially the way she wasn’t going to let Kitt take the easy road to capturing her heart.

All of the stories were fabulous. It made choosing very difficult. So much talent in this room, congratulations writers! You’re all winners in my book.

So there it is… Congrats to one and all!

The Winner’s Badge is here:

Thanks again to Janelle Jensen for judging this week.

See you all on Tuesday!

Mid-Week Blues-Buster Week 09

Shalom, everyone…

Welcome to the Mid-Week Blues-Buster Flash Fiction Challenge, Week 09.

This is a flash fiction challenge.  The prompt is a song.  You are not required to write about or even mention the song.  It’s there only to get the ideas moving around in your brain pan.  If you want to write about the song (or the video- it’s all good here) go for it but don’t feel like you have to.

The rules;

500 words, but it’s a slushy 500, meaning you can go up to 700 or as low as 300.

Post your entry right in the comments section of this post.

MAKE SURE TO PUT YOUR TWITTER HANDLE NEXT TO YOUR WORD COUNT AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR POST

The challenge starts whenever I post this on Tuesday and ends at 11:59PM Pacific Time on Thursday.  You read that right.  Pacific Time.

This week’s prompt comes to us courtesy of Treat Her Right.

The tune is, “I Think She Likes Me”.  Here’s the link; http://youtu.be/k8f8HciNGwM

This week’s Jude is our favorite Wolf Lady… Janelle Jensen!!!

Okey then… That’s it for me… get out there and write, write, write!  The challenge is open from right now ’til 11:59 PM Pacific Time on Thursday April 18…

Mid-Week Blues-Buster Week 08 Winners

Week 08 of the Mid-Week Blues-Buster is in the books… Thanks to everyone who entered, read, & judged.  Speaking of judging… take it away Dr. Hazzard..

Great tales everyone! Thanks to Jeff for letting me judge this gathering of LIVING ROOM tales. I have to admit the youtube video threw me off my game when all I heard was french. An evocative video gave way to some really inspired tales and everyone did a great job. Alas, someone has to win, so I present to you…
The Top 3:
1st – @Valeriebrbr – THE FAVOR – A tight little erotic romance in only 700 words. It was sexy, intriguing, and clever. I would definitely read another 700 words. And another… and another…well, you get the drift.
2nd – @Bullishink – SPY-JINKS AND SPAGHETTIOS – Ruth’s tale of baby sitting a future spy was funny, cute, and had a great hook. I loved the scheming babysitter. All that work for a TV to himself for a few nights. Calvin and Hobbes would be proud.
3rd- @JMwandering – LIVING ROOM – This tale was the closest interpretation to my own, of the song used for inspiration. I thought the very same thing when I listened to it. The only two fucking words I understand are “living” and “room.” The tale paints a great picture of world leaders gathered in a room overthinking a simple message with frustratingly comic results.

 

And there it is…. mazel tov to all of our winners and to all of our writers.

Valerie- here’s the winner’s badge!

 

See you all Tuesday for the next exciting episode of… The Mid-Week Blues-Buster!

Mid-Week Blues-Buster Week 08

Shalom, everyone…

Welcome to the Mid-Week Blues-Buster Flash Fiction Challenge, Week 08.

This is a flash fiction challenge.  The prompt is a song.  You are not required to write about or even mention the song.  It’s there only to get the ideas moving around in your brain pan.  If you want to write about the song (or the video- it’s all good here) go for it but don’t feel like you have to.

The rules;

500 words, but it’s a slushy 500, meaning you can go up to 700 or as low as 300.

Post your entry right in the comments section of this post.

MAKE SURE TO PUT YOUR TWITTER HANDLE NEXT TO YOUR WORD COUNT AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR POST

The challenge starts whenever I post this on Tuesday and ends at 11:59PM Pacific Time on Thursday.  You read that right.  Pacific Time.

This week’s prompt comes courtesy of a fantastic little lounge group – Paris Combo. 

The tune is, “Living Room”.  Here’s the link (sorry about the ad); http://youtu.be/cweQc9kijLY

This week’s Judge is the man, the legend, the zombie whisperer… Dr. J. Whitworth Hazzard.

That’s it for me… get out there and write, write, write!  The challenge is open from right now ’til 11:59 PM Pacific Time on Thursday April 11…

 

Mid-Week Blues-Buster Week 07 Winners

We had six great entries for Week 07 here at the Mid-Week Blues-Buster… and no one is reading this to enjoy my introduction so without further ado… here’s judge Valerie Haight’s decisions;

1st place – Kelaino’s Keeper by @BrewedBohemian

2nd place – Gloves Off by @bullishink

3rd place – Green Dilemma by @JMwandering

Honorable Mention – Opportunity by @PurpleQueenNL

 

 

Kelaino’s Keeper

 

This story affected every one of my senses. The terminology, the fresh concept, the relationship between human and machine kept me interested from the first word to the last. It took me somewhere I’d never been before and gave me a whole set of new ideas and fears. Even the names were intriguing. I smiled through the whole story.

Fav line: “I am functioning properly, Kelaino repeated.” All mechanical and totally human. Love it! Great job!!!

 

 

Gloves Off

 

This was such a well-written story. It’s gritty, snappy and goes straight to the core. I loved it and honestly, there’s only ONE reason I didn’t pick it for first place: It wasn’t clear to me who the suffocating socialite is that’s got her hand on Chaco’s wrist. I adore the author’s writing style and believe this was a common case of brain flying faster than fingers. Patch that tiny plothole and you’ve got GOLD!!! 😀 

Fav lines: “That championship belt felt pretty damn constricting right about now.” “The helmet was a little snug but then so was the sweet little rump in those blue jeans.” “His blood was on the sidewalk out front of Manny’s Barber Shop on South Washington. His tears were on his mama’s front porch over on Lexington. And his sweat was in every basketball court between Moffet and Paradiso.”

 

 

 

Green Dilemma

 

The writing is tight without fluff. The story gave more than the hit and run, but a background of why it caused problems between the two groups. In flash fiction, that’s difficult to do and the author made every word count in moving the story toward resolution.  I liked it a lot.

Fav lines: “…with something between desire and just plain ire, leaning towards ire.”

“Sergeant Greenwood looked after the human detective with something between desire and just plain ire, leaning towards desire.”

 

  

Opportunity

 

I liked the twist to this story. That it doesn’t turn out like I imagined was sweet. Fav line: “the big living they did here…” I like the punch that tiny sentence gives. Six words tells a myriad of tales. Fun read!

 

 

Light to the Light-bringer

 

Emotion-charged, this one! These are two passionates each out for their own interests until they see the other’s point. So like life, right? I enjoyed this story and, being a girl, I enjoyed the happy resolution. Nice job.

 

 

Of Moonlight and Sweet Memories Made

 

What a colorful story! Fav line: “Fractured beams of moonlight broke the canopy and illuminated his frozen grin and his unkempt hair.” The description is perfect and artful. I love it. Anna’s mix of elation and desperation is raw and evident.

 

So there you have it… Congrats to all of the winners and to everyone who participated… Thanks to Valerie for agreeing to judge the challenge.

See you all on Tuesday!!!

Mid-Week Blues-Buster Week 07

Shalom, everyone…

Welcome to the Mid-Week Blues-Buster Flash Fiction Challenge, Week 07.

This is a flash fiction challenge.  The prompt is a song.  You are not required to write about or even mention the song.  It’s there only to get the ideas moving around in your brain pan.  If you want to write about the song (or the video- it’s all good here) go for it but don’t feel like you have to.

The rules;

500 words, but it’s a slushy 500, meaning you can go up to 700 or as low as 300.

Post your entry right in the comments section of this post.

MAKE SURE TO PUT YOUR TWITTER HANDLE NEXT TO YOUR WORD COUNT AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR POST

The challenge starts whenever I post this on Tuesday and ends at 11:59PM Pacific Time on Thursday.  You read that right.  Pacific Time.

This week’s prompt comes to us courtesy of the one, the only, Jimi Hendrix Experience.

The tune is… “Crosstown Traffic”… Here’s the link; http://youtu.be/oMuCuCFfMoI

This week’s Judge is the vivacious Valerie Haight…

Now off with you!  Write!  The Challenge ends on Thursday April 4 at 11:59 PM PACIFIC TIME!