Mid-Week Blues-Buster… We’re Done

Since it appears that we’ve lost both just about everyone we started this journey with as well as most of the great writers who had been turning up here lately, we at the MWBB have decided that we’ve had enough.

Thank you to everyone who ever dropped by to bleed ink with us over the last three years. I wish you all the best in your future writing endeavours.

As the great Stan Lee is wont to say… ‘Nuff said.

Over and out.

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Snippet Sunday – Hard-Boiled/Noir WIP – October 25, 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 from a scene that may or may not get cut. I’m not sure I can work the plot twist in, but it’s been fun playing with the idea…

The room went quiet.

I could hear the foundation sighing as it sank a little deeper into the sea-softened earth. The overhead florescent lighting wheezed and hummed. A sink at the far end of the room counted off the seconds in drops of water.

I blinked the double vision out of my eyes and looked at the coroner.

“Do it,” I said.

She nodded, then pulled back the sheet to reveal the dead woman’s head and shoulders.

The coroner stood by, eyes downcast in an attitude of professional patience.

I balled my fists as a wave of recognition rolled in.

Death had robbed Marisa’s skin of its warm golden hue. It dulled her easy, mischievous smile.

It had also removed her freckles and straightened her nose.

I leaned in for a closer look. Everything but the nose and those freckles looked right.

“Let me see her feet,” I said.

The coroner looked at me with questions in her bespectacled eyes.

“Do you want her identified or not?” I asked.

She stared a little longer, then moved to the other end of the table and lifted the sheet.

The dead woman had the word, “Ruthless”, tattooed on the instep of her right foot.

“It’s not her,” I said. I repeated myself before she could ask if I was sure, then walked out of the autopsy room and kept on walking until I found air that didn’t stink of death and formaldehyde.

Thanks for stopping by to read, and thanks for any feedback you feel inclined to leave.

Please check out other Snippet Sunday authors. Here’s a link to the Facebook post;

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SnippetSunday/918090414943810/?notif_t=group_activity

Mid-Week Blues-Buster Week 3.19

Welcome to the Mid-Week Blues-Buster Flash Fiction Challenge, Year 3, Week 18.

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.

***SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT*** This week’s deadline will be 6AM (yes, AM) PACIFIC TIME on Sunday morning***

This week’s song prompt is a slice of Americana… Say hello to John Mellencamp, everyone!

The tune is… “Crumblin’ Down”. Here’s a link; https://youtu.be/FxSlYdIYQ7E

This week’s Judge is… it’s still me. If we get a decent turnout this week I’ll go back to lining up special guest Judges again.

The challenge starts the moment you read this post and runs through 6AM PACIFIC TIME on Sunday October 25th.

Now… go write!!!! Please??? Pretty please with sugar on top???

Snippet Sunday – Hard-Boiled/Noir WIP – October 18, 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 the second half of the scene I started with last week. It runs a little long but I didn’t want this thing to run into three weeks’ worth of snippets. We pick up right where we left off…

My face itched where the blood had begun to dry.

“Who are you guys?”

“You don’t wanna know.”

“Answer me.”

He grunted. It might have been a laugh.

We stood there in silence for a while. As the seconds went by I began, despite my bold statement, to worry about his friends.

I tightened my grip on the Browning as my vision began to go. I blinked until I saw only one of him in front of me.

The guy’s ugly grin twisted into an ugly sneer.

“Might wanna give me that thing before you shoot your foot off,” he said.

A sharp cramp ripped through my gut. I managed to set my jaw against the pain, for a few seconds anyway. I locked my knees to keep my legs from buckling.

“Have it your way”, he said, reaching toward his shoulder holster.

I fired. Two shots, center mass.

The noise of gunfire sliced through the surrounding cornstalks.

His grin drooped into slack-jawed grimace. A .357 Magnum slipped from his grasp, hitting the ground a second before his body.

I moved up and kicked the gun out of his reach, then stood over him, staring down the Browning’s sights.

Blood began to seep through the front of his gleaming white shirt. He raised his head to glance down at his chest, then let it fall back to the ground.

“You dumb bastard,” I muttered.

His features settled into the kind of tragicomic smile that said he’d always known he’d die with bullets in him.

Thanks for stopping by to check out my work and thanks for any feedback you’re inclined to leave.

Please visit other Snippet Sunday writers. Here’s a link to the Facebook post; https://www.facebook.com/groups/SnippetSunday/914957438590441/?notif_t=group_activity

Snippet Sunday – Hard-Boiled/Noir WIP – October 11, 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.”

I’m not sure where today’s snippet will fit into the story… It takes place after a whole bunch of stuff has happened after the last sequence of snippets.

To make a long story short, Jake ends up catching a ride with Jed. In the course of that ride, Jed’s truck does some involuntary off-roading through a cornfield. After the automotive shenanigans, Jake heads back toward the road in search of the bad guys…

I slipped through the last of the corn, gun in hand, and limped into step behind him.

The lane cut by Jed’s out of control truck was studded with broken, uneven remnants of stalks. I had to watch where I put my feet to keep things from turning into a hilarious but fatal pratfall.

I closed to within ten yards of the man in the suit, then stopped.

He continued to pace, looking from side to side as he went.

I took note of his wide shoulders and the way his back maintained that same width through the waist and into the legs. The back of his salt and pepper mullet contrasted with the darkness of his tailored black suit.

His right shoulder looked a little bit bigger than the left.

Shoulder rig, right side. Left-handed shooter.

I raised the Browning, training it on the middle of his back, using both hands to hold the thing steady.

“Hey!” I called out.

He spun around, reaching into his jacket.

“That’s a terrible idea,” I said. My face itched where the blood had begun to dry.

He looked me over from ground to gun, then grinned. It was a weird grin, lopsided and unnatural, like he’d recently shaved off a beard and wasn’t used to walking around with his face out.

“You know there’s more guys out there, don’t you?” he said. His accent had south Jersey all over it.

“Can’t worry about that.”

His face gave me nothing, not even an involuntary shift of an eye.

“I can only deal with the problem in front of me.”

The sky went a darker shade of gray as thicker clouds drifted in front of the sun.

I let my breath out through my teeth as a mild tremor ran down my right arm. The breathing helped with the shock-induced nausea. There was nothing I could do about the shakes.

The guy in the suit’s grin got uglier.

“You look like ten pounds of shit in a five pound bag.”

I couldn’t argue with the man.

Thanks for stopping by to check me out and thanks for any feedback you feel inclined to leave.

Please check out other Snippet Sunday authors.

Here’s a link to the Facebook page; https://www.facebook.com/groups/SnippetSunday/

Mid-Week Blues-Buster Week 3.18

Welcome to the Mid-Week Blues-Buster Flash Fiction Challenge, Year 3, Week 18.

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.

***SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!!! SINCE I’M POSTING A DAY LATER THAN NORMAL, THIS WEEK’S CHALLENGE WILL RUN UNTIL SATURDAY***

This week’s song prompt is the first track off the fantastic, “Copper Blue”, record by the 1990s Bob Mould project… Sugar.

The tune is, “The Act We Act”. Here’s the link; https://youtu.be/d4DJnmD2z7M

This week’s Judge is… it’s still me. If we ever start to consistently pull six or more entries I’ll open it back up to guest Judges.

The challenge opens the moment you read this post and runs until MIDNIGHT PACIFIC TIME on SATURDAY October 10th.

Now… Go write!!!

Mid-Week Blues-Buster Week 3.17 WINNERS

Better late than never…

We had a veritable avalanche of entries in Week 3.17.  Four of ’em!

There were enough entries that, for the first time in a while, I had to pick a Winner.

And that Winner is… Mona Bliss!

I loved the banter in this story… I’m all about the banter.

Mazel tov, Mona. Here’s a Winner’s Badge for you;

Thanks to all of our writers and readers. See you shortly with another exciting episode of… The Mid-Week Blues-Buster!

Snippet Sunday – Hard-Boiled/Noir WIP – October 4, 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.”

We’re picking up pretty much where we left off last week– Jake and Sheriff Jones are having a discussion outside of Marisa’s abandoned house. They’ve moved down the street to where their cars are parked. Sheriff Jones takes one more run at getting the full story out of Jake.

The last bit of last week’s snippet featured Jake telling the sheriff to either arrest him or let him go. We begin with the sheriff’s retort;

“Arrest you? For what? Entering? You said somebody else busted in that door. I believe you.”

“You do?”

“I believe everybody, Jake.”

“Until they give you a reason not to.”

“We understand each other then.”

I nodded as he opened his cruiser’s door and leaned in to use the radio. He called in for a deputy to sit watch in front of the house until a forensic team got there.

“I meant what I said about Jed,” he said when he was done with the radio . “He’s not the kind of man you want to be consorting with.”

I opened my own car door.

“You think he’s going to hire me and gun for me at the same time?” I asked. “Why on God’s green earth would he do that?”

“You mean besides you beating his ass in the middle of Main Street and sleeping with his wife?”

“He had that beating coming.”

“Lots of folks would agree with you on that.”

“What’s this guy’s story? Everyone around here seems down on him. Or afraid of him.”

The sheriff dropped into the bucket seat behind the wheel. He put his hat on the dashboard.

“Ask around, Jake,” he said. “You’re a detective. Do your thing.”

“Off the clock, of course,” I replied. “Or do I have your blessing to work that angle?”

“I’m giving you some free advice here, son,” he said. “How you go about using it, well, that’s up to you.”

I wasn’t sure he was old enough to call me, “son”. I took a closer look at Sheriff Jones in the cone of light given off by the dome light inside the cruiser, spotting lines and creases in his face I hadn’t noticed back by the house. Maybe he was old enough.

We had a little stare-down. The sheriff quickly lost interest in it.

“One more thing, Jake,” he said as I made to get into the Olds.

I stopped and turned my head.

“Your weapon.”

“I’ll clear it and stick it in the glove compartment,” I said, climbing into the car. “I  hope I won’t need it.”

“I’ll be praying for you,”  he said. He waved a farewell in my general direction.

I returned the salute, then drove out of the cul-de-sac.

Thanks for stopping by to check me out and thanks for any feedback you feel inclined to leave.

Please take the time to visit the other Snippet Sunday writers.

Here’s a link to the Facebook page; https://www.facebook.com/groups/SnippetSunday/