Monthly Archives: March 2015
Mid-Week Blues-Buster Week 2.44
Welcome to the Mid-Week Blues-Buster Flash Fiction Challenge, Year 2, Week 44.
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. IF YOU’RE NOT ON TWITTER GIVE ME AN EMAIL ADDRESS OR SOME OTHER WAY TO GET A HOLD OF YOU!
The challenge starts whenever I post this on Tuesday and ends at MIDNIGHT PACIFIC TIME on Friday. You read that right. Pacific Time.
This week’s song prompt is a collaboration between Massive Attack’s Craig Armstrong and singer-songwriter Evan Dando.
The tune is… “Waking Up in New York”. Here’s the link; https://youtu.be/lqKaZCaAykM
This week’s Judge is author, pal, and big-time supporter of the MWBB… Miranda Kate!
The challenge opens the moment you read this post and runs through MIDNIGHT PACIFIC TIME on Friday April 3rd.
Now… Go Write!!!!
Mid-Week Blues-Buster Week 2.43 WINNERS
And so… Week 2.43 of the Mid-Week Blues-Buster comes to a close.
Creepy tune this week… perfect for Judge Laura James to preside over.
Take it away, Laura;
#SnippetSunday – Hard-Boiled/Noir WIP – March 29, 2015
Snippet Sunday is a Facebook group for writers I’ve been privileged enough to have been accepted into.
From the group guidelines; “Welcome to Snippet Sunday, where writers come together to share a few sentences of their current project–whether it’s a recently released novel, a WIP (work in progress), or an older manuscript that’s being revived. Intended to hook readers, gather feedback and build an author’s fan base, Snippet Sunday is the FB group that does all three.”
This week’s snippet is a slice of the aftermath of last snippet’s violence. Jake wakes up in his bed in the motel room. Evangeline is there, as is somebody else…
A face I didn’t recognize hovered in and out of view.
It was a thin, black face, with pursed lips, squinting eyes behind a pair of horn-rimmed glasses, and a bold handlebar mustache.
Its owner knelt on the bed next to me, pressing some kind of frozen torture device against my right cheek with his gnarled, skeletal hand.
I flinched again and tried to back away.
“Cool it,” said Evangeline. “You wanna see out of that eye later today? Let the man do his work.”
“Who is this man?” I demanded.
“This is Santo,” she replied. “Used to be my cut man. Best in the business.”
Santo moved the icy thing higher on my cheek and pressed harder.
“Cut man?”
“I spent more than half my life in the ring,” she said. “Don’t look so surprised. There’s more women in the fight game than anyone thinks.”
I sat back, resigned to my fate.
Santo’s torture device was an enswell– that thing that looks like a meat press a boxer’s corner man keeps on ice to control swelling.
I always thought it must hurt like hell to have that thing jammed into a broken face. I wasn’t wrong.
I winced and let my breath out through my teeth.
“Yeah, yeah,” grumbled Santo. He sounded like someone had used his vocal cords to plow a rocky field. “It breaks my heart too.”
I trained my eye on Evangeline.
“Got any pointers for next time?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said, “don’t lead with your face.”
She laughed. So did Santo.
It was turning into a regular party.
Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for any feedback you feel inclined to leave.
Mid-Week Blues-Buster Week 2.43
Welcome to the Mid-Week Blues-Buster Flash Fiction Challenge, Year 2, Week 43.
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. IF YOU’RE NOT ON TWITTER GIVE ME AN EMAIL ADDRESS OR SOME OTHER WAY TO GET A HOLD OF YOU!
The challenge starts whenever I post this on Tuesday and ends at MIDNIGHT PACIFIC TIME on Friday. You read that right. Pacific Time.
This week the MWBB takes a turn for the creepy… which is a perfect for for our Judge– the proprietor of Office Mango, the master of the Horror Bites flash fiction challenge… author Laura James!
The tune is… “Dance the Hanged Man’s Jig”, by Aghast Manor.
Here’s the link; https://youtu.be/glmz_nnyNRo
The challenge opens the moment you read this post and runs through MIDNIGHT PACIFIC TIME on Friday March 27th.
Now… Go write!!!!
Mid-Week Blues-Buster Week 2.42 WINNERS
And just like that… Week 2.42 of the Mid-Week Blues-Buster comes to a close.
Judge Karmin Dahl had some great stuff to read through & tough decisions ahead of her. Never one to shrink from a challenge, Judge Karmin got the job done;
These were all very fun and it was difficult to choose a winner. Thank you all for your stories and I really look forward to seeing more from everyone. Thanks again to Jeff for letting me be judge this week!
1st – Shiva by Alicia VanNoy Call – I LOVED this story. Clever premise and well executed. I wouldn’t mind reading this as a short or even a full length.
2nd – Untitled by Tyler Call – Mean to just stop there. I need more!
3rd – Eastern Promise by Miranda Kate – Loved the premise and I was drawn right in.
Mazel tov to all of our Winners.
Alicia – here’s a Winner’s Badge for your collection;
Thanks to all of our writers & readers, and thanks to Judge Karmin Dahl.
See you on Tuesday…
Alicxia
#SnippetSunday – Hard-Boiled/Noir WIP – March 22, 2015
Snippet Sunday is a Facebook group for writers I’ve been privileged enough to have been accepted into.
From the group guidelines; “Welcome to Snippet Sunday, where writers come together to share a few sentences of their current project–whether it’s a recently released novel, a WIP (work in progress), or an older manuscript that’s being revived. Intended to hook readers, gather feedback and build an author’s fan base, Snippet Sunday is the FB group that does all three.”
This week’s snippet picks up where last week’s left off.
To summarize– Jake wakes up alone in his motel room. Marisa is gone. A cursory investigation reveals that she’s outside in the parking lot, having a heated discussion with a very large man. Jake gets dressed and weighs his options– handgun or blackjack. He chooses the club and heads for the door. Side note– Jake has developed a habit of stubbing his toes on the leg of the table in the kitchenette…
The table leg got me again on my way back. If I’d picked the Browning I’d have shot it.
Something thudded against the wall outside. Something heavy.
I yanked the door open.
A fist the size of a cinder block met me at the threshold. It came in from down low, slamming into my face.
I sailed back into the room. The table broke my fall, meaning it came apart on impact and I hit the floor. Pain, sharp and deep, sucked the joy out of seeing the thing in pieces.
Marisa yelped, then shouted, “No!”
I ignored my aching head and the double vision and forced myself to sit up.
My blackjack was gone. The big man probably ate it.
I used a chair to haul myself to my feet, then lurched toward the door. I shouldn’t have bothered. The mountain came to me– a big, bald mountain with a big red nose in the middle of its big red face.
I took a swing at that nose. He stepped out of the way and dumped me back on my ass with a hard, chopping right, all in the same motion.
I think I tried to get back up. My legs weren’t having it.
The guy leaned in, placing his massive hand on my shoulder.
“Stay down, hero,” he growled, treating me to a whiff of sour cologne and stale beer.
He pushed me all the way down to the floor, then walked out of the room.
The spirit wanted to get up and chase him. The rest of me voted for a nice snooze amid the wreckage of the table.
Democracy in action.
I went a little long. Sorry about that. Wanted readers to have some closure as I plan to skip around some in the coming weeks.
As always, thank you for stopping by, and thanks for any feedback you feel inclined to leave.
Mid-Week Blues-Buster Week 2.42
Welcome to the Mid-Week Blues-Buster Flash Fiction Challenge, Year 2, Week 42.
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. IF YOU’RE NOT ON TWITTER GIVE ME AN EMAIL ADDRESS OR SOME OTHER WAY TO GET A HOLD OF YOU!
The challenge starts whenever I post this on Tuesday and ends at MIDNIGHT PACIFIC TIME on Friday. You read that right. Pacific Time.
This week’s song prompt is a bit of a departure for us. Every so often I like to throw something unusual at our talented writers– an instrumental, or a something in a language other than English.
It’s the latter this week… You won’t understand a word of this tune, unless you speak Farsi, in which case you’ll be in like Flint.
The band is Niyaz.
The song is, “Ishq (Love and the Veil). Here’s the link; https://youtu.be/USV_C0CaNTI
This week’s Judge is editor & all around rock star of writing support and encouragement… Karmin Dahl.
The challenge opens the moment you read this post and runs through MIDNIGHT PACIFIC TIME on Friday March 20th.
Now… Go write!!!
Mid-Week Blues-Buster Week 2.41 WINNERS
Week 2.41 of the Mid-Week Blues-Buster has come to a close…
Judge Theresa Johnson Miller had six stories to read. She had hard decisions to make, but make them she did. She also provided some really good commentary for all six entrants.
I’m going to shut up now & let Judge Theresa take it away…
First off, I really liked all of the entries. One of the reasons I took so long is I had to really work to pick winners.
First place: Gone by RL Ames
Second place: A Better Man by Mona Bliss
Third place: A Writer’s Conundrum by Lauren Greene
In Susan O’Reilly’s Mine, I could really feel the protagonist’s decent into obsession. I was also really impressed with her hitting exactly 500 words.
RL Ames’s Gone touched my heart. I loved the imagery and the flow of the words.
legreenne515’s A Writer’s Conundrum felt very real. The dialogue was vivid and believable. It felt like a glimpse into my own life, except the my husband doesn’t drink beer and not ALL of my stories are dark.
Mona Bliss’s A Better Man has some amazing lines. My favorite is “He was clearly trying to drink some misery into submission” followed by “get off the fucking cross. We need the wood to solve real problems.”
I had fun with the juxtaposition between the macabre and the cute in Lori Fetters Lopez’s Last Rabbit Standing. I loved that the culprit was Harvey the invisible rabbit.
Thank you to everyone who submitted. I really enjoyed reading your stories. I hope you all keep submitting.
Mazel tov to all of our Winners.
RL Ames– here’s a Winner’s Badge for you;
Thanks to all of our writers & readers, and thanks to Judge Theresa Johnson Miller for a job well done.
See you on Tuesday!!!
#SnippetSunday – Hard-Boiled/Noir WIP – March 15, 2015
Snippet Sunday is a Facebook group for writers I’ve been privileged enough to have been accepted into.
From the group guidelines; “Welcome to Snippet Sunday, where writers come together to share a few sentences of their current project–whether it’s a recently released novel, a WIP (work in progress), or an older manuscript that’s being revived. Intended to hook readers, gather feedback and build an author’s fan base, Snippet Sunday is the FB group that does all three.”
This week’s snippet picks up right where last week’s left off… Jake woke up alone in the middle of the night. Marisa is gone. He goes to investigate the situation, trying to wake up, listening for clues…
A big engine idled in the parking lot, close to the building. The steady thrum made it hard to hear the conversation taking place outside my door.
Marisa’s voice was easy to pick out. I didn’t recognize the other one.
They didn’t sound like old friends remembering the good times.
I made for the front window, stubbing my toe on a table leg on the way. I swallowed profanity as I took a peek through the blinds.
Marisa stood with her back to the door, looking better in my shirt and shorts than I ever had. Her pal was a big, bald man in a white wifebeater and camouflage pants.
He cast a huge shadow on the moonlit blacktop.
A red pickup truck, with its engine running, occupied the spot to the left of my door.
The argument got hotter. Marisa was winning on points, but the guy made his words count– when he was able to get them in.
I hustled across the room, stubbing my toe again, to my duffel bag, fished out a pair of jeans, and pulled them on. I reached back in after zipping up and dug around the bottom until I found a small leather satchel. I opened the satchel, removing my Browning .22 and my blackjack.
The argument outside got louder.
I took another second to think about it, then dropped the gun back into the bag and headed for the door, blackjack in hand.
Thanks, as always, for reading, and thanks for any feedback you feel inclined to leave.
Mid-Week Blues-Buster Week 2.41
Welcome to the Mid-Week Blues-Buster Flash Fiction Challenge, Year 2, Week 41.
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. IF YOU’RE NOT ON TWITTER GIVE ME AN EMAIL ADDRESS OR SOME OTHER WAY TO GET A HOLD OF YOU!
The challenge starts whenever I post this on Tuesday and ends at MIDNIGHT PACIFIC TIME on Friday. You read that right. Pacific Time.
We’ve got a change in tone, kind of, after the last few weeks of gritty tunes, for this week’s song prompt.
The tune is… “Another Nail in My Heart”, by Squeeze.
Here’s the link; http://youtu.be/qqbQD8m2dC8
This week’s Judge is writer & all-around cool person… Theresa Johnson Miller!
The challenge opens the moment you read this post and runs through MIDNIGHT PACIFIC TIME on Friday March 13th.
Now… Go write!!!!
The Tsuruoka Files 