Showing posts with label Flash Fiction Challenges. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Flash Fiction Challenges. Show all posts

Thursday, November 3, 2016

PART OF THE SCENERY


Rochelle Wiseoff-Fields instructs participants to:

Write a complete story in 100 words or less

Beginning, Middle and End

Proofread and Edit

Post and link your Story URL

Include photo prompt and InLinkz code

Take the time to read and comment.

Make. Every. Word. Count.


PHOTO PROMPT © Jean L. Hays

PART OF THE SCENERY


It had always been his dream. Traveling Route 66 was just one of my husband's chosen road trips.

He'd purchased the perfect motor home; it held everything needed for ease during cross-country excursions. Economical, and yet with every creature comfort!

His retirement choice wasn't mine.

I wanted the beach, an endless view, not mindless rutted roads with repeated views of meadows and trees. Or living with strangers and repeated smoke filled nights around campfires listening to the same dull stories and swatting mosquitoes.

Murder will out!


Now I reside here, my ashes trampled under the feet of other Route 66 tourists!

100 words
Yolanda Renée © 2016

READ THE OTHER GREAT STORIES 
BY CLICKING THE BLUE FROG








Wednesday, October 5, 2016

IWSG - FINISHED?




Brought to you by Alex J. Cavanaugh

October's Question: 

When do you know your story is 

ready?


When you first type "The End," you think it's over. 

You're thrilled beyond reason because you've accomplished the desired goal. You walk away, celebrate and then you send it out to betas and editors. 

You begin planning the tour, the marketing.

Then the critics of your masterpiece arrive in your inbox.

Guess what?

You're not finished.

That's when the rewriting begins along with more questioning, and uncertainty. Suddenly you fear that none of your hard work will ever see the light of day.

But guess what?

You work through it.

Whether it's significant rewriting or minor, you work through it. You realize all those suggestions from the beta readers and editors make perfect sense, have added to your story, and now, finally, it is perfect. 

Well, almost.

When you finally hand it off to the publisher, you're sure it's ready, but then, there's, even more, editing and rewriting. But you get through that too, it's what writers do.

Hitting the send button on that Final Finished Edited Copy that now looks nothing like the original, is when you know it's finished! At least that's the prayer.


 *****


*****

Have you decided which 
WEP Challenge you'll tackle?


and or


What ever your choice

be sure to sign up now!







Tuesday, August 16, 2016

WEP - A STONE GARDEN

This is my entry for the WEP Gardens Flash Fiction Challenge. Please be warned the story took a dark turn. It wasn't meant to, but when I write I go where the prompt takes me. I've been working on my WIP The Snowman, and I'm afraid the antagonist took over this project. 
This picture was my inspiration, especially when I envisioned it in a winter setting. 


Gardens always mean something else, 
man absolutely uses one thing to say another.

~Robert Harbison, Eccentric Spaces, 1977


A STONE GARDEN

Janelle finally arrived home. The day had been exhausting, and the drive seemed to have taken hours, when in truth, it had barely been one. Fresh snow always slowed traffic to a crawl. She almost wished she'd rented a place in town, but when a childhood friend had offered his fabulous home at no cost, well, it was perfect. Too good to be true, but that was before the harassment started. Now she dreaded coming home.
John Hughes's elegant house was located on a ridge over Cheat Lake just minutes from the University of Morgantown. The police had suggested she update the security system, but she was house sitting and needed his permission first. John immediately agreed and gave her the number of a security firm. The police and the company she'd contracted had suggested cameras. Janelle vetoed the idea—at least inside the house. The last thing she wanted was to be a YouTube sensation.
Threats originally came in the form of letters addressed to the bitch in residence. At first, Janelle thought it was a joke. She was new in town, a professor at the university with John as the only other person she knew well. John suggested that maybe his former girlfriend was the target, but the letters became personal when they included pictures of her. Her stalker had taken them as she went about her day at the university and around town.
After contacting the police, Janelle learned that several women had received the same threatening letters. The police assured her the man was harmless. They suggested that he was just trying to create terror on a broad spectrum but would never follow through. She prayed they were right, but soon after her visit to police headquarters, the phone calls started. The messages were grotesque and sexual in nature, the voice mechanical.
Janelle almost packed her bags after Detective Malaren informed her she was the only one receiving the threatening calls. Fear gripped her fully, but she found her courage and made getting the security system updated, her principal goal. Detective Malaren also suggested a roommate or bodyguard. She agreed.
Tomorrow the installation would happen and tonight she would play host to her first personal bodyguard, all on her tab. Until this creep was behind bars, Janelle didn't want to be alone in a large home several miles from town. 
Before unlocking the door and switching on the lights, she checked the road leading to the house and wondered where the bodyguard was. The security firm assured her he'd meet her at the house, would probably be waiting when she arrived. He wasn't. Janelle blamed the snowstorm.
All she wanted was a soft chair and a glass of wine, but instead, started a pot of coffee, and searched the refrigerator for staples to begin dinner, wondering if she should make enough for two. She noticed that the house was unusually cold, verified via the thermostat. Worried that the furnace was on the blink, she went to the den to build a fire. The air was more frigid than usual. French doors leading out to the deck were standing open. Snow had drifted inside. Had she forgotten to latch them? The wind on that side of the house sometimes popped them open if left unlocked. She wondered if the new security installation would fix the problem.
Turning on the exterior lights, she stepped onto the deck. During the darkness of winter, the owner, John, wanted to see his beautifully landscaped yard. Spotlights highlighted the bridge across the small creek, and a new layer of snow covered evergreens, Japanese maples, and massive boulders. 
Statues of angels graced the area, each one featured in a heavenly glow. The recent snowfall made it a winter wonderland. Most mornings would find Janelle seemingly mesmerized by the beauty of the garden while she nursed a cup of coffee and contemplated life. The panorama brought her joy, and no matter the season, the changing beauty filled her with peace.
Tonight, at this moment, the cherished Vista froze her to the spot. The beautiful winter paradise was now her nightmare come tangible.
Someone had shattered the angels and splattered them with blood. Most of the spotlights now glowed red. On the frozen creek laid the torsos of three women. Their naked bodies staged grotesquely. Their heads hung from the ornate bridge, tied in place by their hair. A trail of blood flowed from each body. Beheaded on the icy creek and immediately strung up on the bridge. Their grisly end caught in deaths final scream.
Janelle recognized the other women tormented with the beast's haunting letters. The sight sent her reeling backward. The sound of her screams dragged her into a living nightmare where there was no escape.
Someone stood in her way. Janelle fainted. He caught her. Held her inert body and looked beyond her to the scene in the snow, a smile splayed across his face.
Written in blood above the bodies - a crude message -Welcome Home, Lover.

The police found Janelle's body on a pedestal in the garden. Sitting in the lotus position with an elaborate pair of feathered wings crudely sewn into her back and a pentagram cut into her chest. The only other wounds were the deep cuts on her wrists. She'd bled out in place. Paralyzed by drugs, Janelle had been unable to move while the horror played out. The other women had suffered the same fate. They'd been aware of the torture, the beheading, and their assailant.
The security firm insisted the owner, John Hughes, had canceled the bodyguard that Janelle had hired because he was on his way home. When they reached John, he was still in Europe and would be for the next six months.
***
Stone downloaded the pictures to his computer and masturbated as he relived each delicious moment of the night before. Several loud knocks on the ceiling startled him from his pleasuring.
"Stowie, breakfast!"
         "Coming, Mommy."


***
997 Words / FCA
Yolanda Renee © 2016

Enjoy more entries from the WEP Gardens Challenge from the list below!






Friday, October 9, 2015

BLOODY MARY

MY NEXT VICTIM THIS HALLOWEEN

IS JULIA PRESS SIMMONS!



Thanks, Julia, for agreeing to be part of the fun.

Without further ado presenting Julia's

Halloween Interview & Flash Fiction Challenge

1.  You're born on Halloween and have the ghostly evil super powers of one of the following: The Ghost from Poltergeist, The Frankenstein Monster, The Mummy, The most Evil of Witches, The Devil himself, Freddy Kruger, Pumpkin Head, Michael from Halloween, or Jason from Friday the 13th. Alternatively, if you prefer, pick one of your own. Otherwise, tell us which one you would choose and why? No friendly ghosts allowed! You're to wreak havoc in this scenario!
“My name is Marana I am the vampire regent of The First clan of The First Men. You may know me as Bloody Mary. Marana smiled. You may have unknowingly had a drink in my honor.” She ran her sharp black nails down the throat of the crying man kneeling before her. She pricked the nape of his neck, and then bent over to lick the blood that sprouted there.  “I was turned on All Hallows’ Eve two thousand years ago by a weak twaddle of a vamp named David. He had designs on ruling The First Clan. He sought to turn as many people in to succubus as he could in order to overthrow the former regent. He was my first kill.”
The line of newly turned vampires writhed with excitement from seeing the blood of the weeping man. Their fangs descended and their eyes morphed into reptilian slits, but their fear of Marana kept them in place.
Marana wrapped her hand around her prey’s neck and lifted him off  his feet. She turned to the newborn vampires. “David's plan was sound, but his ambitions were paltry. Why seek to rule a clan when you can rule the world?” She threw the man at the feet of her newborns, and launched herself into the air. *Feed now, my children, you will need all the strength you can muster in the days ahead.*

***COMING SOON***

2.  The Zombie Apocalypse is going to occur this Halloween and for 48 hours, the world is thrown into chaos. Live through it and consider yourself lucky, you've been warned. What is your first step, especially as no one else knows or believes you? Do you leave family behind and seek shelter to ride it out, or do you try to save your family? How and why?
I’ve actually played the Zombie apocalypse scenario in my head many, many times. (I’m a huge Walking Dead fan) If it actually goes down this Halloween I would definitely save my family, all of my family. Some would be saved because I love them dearly and others will be used as zombie fodder. I will accomplish this by using all of the techniques I’ve learned from Rick and Darrel from the show.
3.  Why is Halloween a favorite holiday, or not a favorite, and if it isn't why did you participate in this query? Come on; tell us your biggest most secret Halloween fantasy!
Sadly Halloween is not my favorite holiday, but it is in the big three… Christmas, and Thanksgiving being the first two… obviously. Even though All Hallows’ Eve doesn’t take the top spot, it remains near and dear to me wee little heart. I love every stinking thing about it. Costumes and Candy, man, what’s not to love??? And, if you think about it, Halloween is the most generous of holidays. It is the only time that you buy things for complete strangers, and that’s sweet ß Do you see what I did there?
Now the fun part: Finish the story. I've given you the first 100 words. Provide us with the rest, but please hold the number to 750 words or less unless the restriction is just impossible then no more than 1000 words. The winner will receive a $10 Amazon gift card. The contest will be judged by another lover of the horror genre, the person to be announced later. The winner will be posted no later than a week after Halloween!
DESPERATION HOLLER
Jerry sauntered along Desperation Holler Road that earlier echoed with the excited shouts of ghosts and ghouls as the children scrambled from house to house in colorful and frightening costumes.
Dusk dissolved into the blackest of nights as the little monsters disappeared into the shelter of the brightly lit houses with their chocolate goodies.
Jerry smiled, even suppressed laughter, because he knew there was no refuge, not in Desperation Holler on this most evil of Halloweens.
Concealed by the dark limbs of deformed trees and invasive ivy, the innocuous little cabin looked abandoned, but Jerry knew better. 
The witches abode . . .
He stared at the house in disbelief, pulled a pack of Newports out of his breast pocket, and fished out a smoke. Putting the cigarette in his mouth, he patted all of his pockets for his lighter, and then rolled his eyes when he remembered giving it away to a pretty lady who needed a light.
That’s just great, Jerry, he thought while spitting the cigarette onto the street. You get to face another evil witch without nicotine, caffeine, or whiskey. You’re batting a thousand tonight.
Crossing himself, he murmured a little prayer and then walked towards the witch’s lair.
The front door swung open as he walked up the porch steps. Jerry smirked slightly and pulled his crossbow from his back pack. “Looks like someone is expecting me,” he said softly. He walked in the house slowly raising his bow. “Honey, I’m home,” he shouted as he entered the foyer.
          The lights flickered and died just as the front door slammed and locked behind him. Jerry sighed. This is going to suck, he thought while straining to make out the room he was in.
          “This is no way to treat a slayer,” he shouted into the darkness. “Why don’t you come on out in the open, and take this bow to the heart like a good little witch?”
          A maniacal laugh sliced through the air.
          Jerry raised his bow and took the stairs two at a time, following the sound of the witch’s voice.
          “You are no match for me, slayer.” The witch stepped into the hall, and Jerry stopped dead in his tracks.
She was stunning.
Her skin was as smooth and as delicate as porcelain. Her thick black hair fell in waves to her waist. She wore a blood red gown that hung to the floor, hugged her curves, and showed an impressive amount of cleavage.
Jerry smiled. “Did you get dressed up for me, sweetheart?”
“Time to die, slayer,” She hissed. She threw her hands up in the air and lightning bolts streaked from her fingertips.
Jerry frowned up at the streaks of lightning as they hit the ceiling and ignited into flames. “Now, that is impressive.” He shot an arrow straight at the witch’s heart.
The witch flicked her wrist and sent the arrow sailing back. Jerry swatted it away with his bow. The witch screamed and let the lightning shower down on him. It had no effect.
A slow smile spread across his lips as he watched the realization of what he truly was wash over her. “Your spells don’t work on me, dear,” he said as he took an arrow out of the bow, and rushed her.
She turned away from him, hiked up her skirt, and tried to make a run for it, but he caught her by her hair and yanked her off her feet. She clawed at his hands, but could not break his hold. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she began the ancient incantation to summon a daemon to fight for her.
“Oh, no you don’t, sweetheart” Jerry said. He smashed his fist into her mouth, breaking several of her teeth, and then savagely plunged the arrow in her heart. She grunted once, gripped the arrow sticking out of her chest, and then faded away into nothingness.
Jerry stood up, wiped the sweat off his brow. One down, twelve more to go… 
*****

Meet Julia
I love the written word more than cooked food, and that's saying a lot. I write because I have too (It's the only way to silence the voices). There is always a story going on in my head, so if you see me in public I'll probably be scribbling furiously in a notebook. Strawberry Mansion, my first novel, is semi-autobiographical (I am Tabitha in the story). It was a very painful part of my life that I felt an overwhelming need to give voice to. I've changed a few things to protect the guilty, and to add a bit of distance from myself and the story. I love that book. It's a sort of snapshot of my journey into adulthood. Although the characters are young, it’s filled with adult content, bad language, sex, drugs and rock and roll. You're gonna love it, or at least I hope you will! 
Begonia Brown, my sophomore novel, is street fiction at its finest. I am very proud of this book. It is the hood as I recognize it, minus the glitz and glam... I pushed the envelope with Begonia. I felt free to tell ugly truths, because the book isn't about me, It's about where I come from. Begonia Brown, although it was hard to write, is one helluva ride as is the follow up, Violet Strawberry Mansion 3. My latest novel, Fornication Volume One takes place in the heart of North Philadelphia on a small block in a run-down house. It is the tale of five dangerous women. They are part of an elite prostitution ring that has run its course. I aim to tell you how the ring was broken. What else is there to say about me? I am a mom, a poet, a nurse, a playwright, a scifi geek, a lover of all things fantasy, a junk food junkie, and a facebook addict. until next time Julia



*****
So awesome, Julia!
I can see Hugh Jackman right now, uh, I mean Van Helsing.
Leave a comment for Julia and you could win a copy of one of her books!
Thanks so much for providing us with some new frights!
Congratulations on
The Bloody Mary Coven! 

*****
Today I'm visiting Julia on her

Blog






Have you signed up for the WEP Flash Fiction Challenge
Sign-ups are open!
Youthful Frights vs. Adult Fears
What's your scary story?

*****

Christine Rains is the winner of Julia's Book!

CONGRATULATIONS CHRISTINE!

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

HOT PANTS


I was given The Versatile Blogger Award by Dee Dee back on July 2. But I was in the midst of edits for Murder & Obsession, so I had to delay my thank you post and passing it forward. Dee Dee writes the blog Rantzz of a Drama Queen.

Dee Dee tells me The Versatile Blogger award is given in recognition for great commitment, diverse talents, and generosity shown by a blogger. It's a great motivation and celebration of their work in the Blogosphere.

I'm thrilled to receive the award! I've been blogging since 2008 and while it only shows a few blog posts I had over 400. But after a glitch while reformatting there was a few problems with blogger and I lost almost all of them.

Now on to The Versatile Blogger Rules:

·       Display it on your blog

·       Thank the person who nominated you. - Thank you, Dee Dee!

·       Share 7 Facts about yourself

·       Nominate 7 others

Here are 7 facts about me:

1.   I am in the middle of painting my 'new' laundry room. 3 years after a fire destroyed my basement laundry room, it's finally been moved to the first floor! Yay!

2.   My husband says I'm funny, headstrong, and competitive. I figure he should know.

3.   I don't own a cell phone – really hate telephones in general—I do not like phone conversations. IM's are fine though – when chat rooms first appeared I was hooked. Now I wouldn't even know where to find a decent chat.

4.   I graduated with the highest honors from graduate school while working full time as Finance Director and still hope to get my doctorate.

5.   I have a younger brother that I haven't seen nor spoken to in 35 years. You might have noticed that family isn't part of my FB page – they keep rejecting my friend requests.

6.   Josh Groban's songs especially from his album The Closer were the influence for the love story in my Murder Trilogy

7.   When hot pants were in style – I rocked the look! J.

I'm nominating these lovely bloggers to receive THE VERSATILE BLOGGER AWARD:

         Denise Covey @ My Writing Blog
         Ella @ Ella's Edge
         Gary @ Klahanie
         Donna @ Book Lover
         Ivy @ The Happy Wisk
         Sally @ Sally's Scribbles         
         Mina @ Some Dark Romantic

Thank you, Dee Dee, this was fun!

*****



As reported the WEP-Write…Edit…Publish Flash Fiction Challenges are returning.
Learn more HERE!