Visual Dare 32: Undecided

Another new (well new to me) flash fiction contest! Of course I had to try this one. This also allowed me to delve into another story that has been marinating around in my brain for the past few weeks. Here's the site which has the prompt and the link to the other entries.

---------------------------------------

Elizabeth stared at the glass of water, more uncertain that she had ever been in her entire life.

She had a marriage that all of her friends envied, only to have that all taken away by a freak work-site accident. The love of her life now laid comatose in a local nursing home,  and had been that way for the past ten years.

The vows she swore were for better or for worse, right?  Was this the worse? The doctors said there was hardly any chance he would ever wake up, yet she still wore her ring.

Did she have a right to try for that kind of love twice?

Andrew made her feel like she did when she first met Daniel. It was more than just feeling attractive, there were strong mutual feelings involved. But, she was still another man’s wife.  Could it happen twice in one lifetime?

149 words 
------------------------------------------

Thanks for reading!

The Monday Mixer - August 5th, 2013

I received an honorable mention last week with my foray into the Monday Mixer. It was so much fun that I decided to give it a whirl again. Check out the other entries here.

I decided to play in the same universe as last week's entry. I don't have a title yet, and I am still building the universe but I'm quite intrigued with what is coming together so far.

---------------------------

Sha’donar was in full swing, the religious celebration on eve to the start of battle. Mirja’a made her way through the crowd as they danced, drank, and sang to Upinde.

“Mirja’a! Have a drink with me,” Her’at called over, brandishing a wineskin. She took it dubiously, something about the man always made her uneasy.

She immediately spat out the liquid. "What is this plonk?" Mirja'a demanded.

"It's a special vintage," he explained.

Mirja'a sniffed the skin and her face darkened with rage. "It's been laced! The night before battle against the Bijeszio and you try to drug me?"

Her'at blenched. "Priestess-"

"Enough! You will not make me somnolent!" Mirja'a grabbed him by the collar of his robe and the edge of a tattoo caught her attention. "What? What is this?"

She ripped his robe open, revealing the mark of the Bijeszio. Mirja'a didn't have to ruminate over her next move.

@150 Words

-------------------------------------------

Thanks for stopping by!

Five Sentence Fiction - Bliss

In my stroll through the flash fiction contests, I found Five Sentence Fiction by Lillie McFerrin. What an interesting concept, with a picture and word - neither have to be used exactly but both have to inspiration. See the other enters here.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Title: New Kid on the Block

The name on the street was Bliss, a seemingly innocent looking cupcake laced with the latest concoction of mind-altering drugs. They were hard to trace since they looked so much like ordinary cupcakes, a typical favorite treat of kids and adults alike.

I had come across too many cakeheads on the street, their eyes wide like an excited dog, frosting still on their lips and crumbs in their laps.

The jails were full of people busted for the possession of Bliss, or at least a Bliss-like looking cupcake.

I used to love cupcakes, bastards.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

#SatSunTails Microfiction Contest Week 51

Now that I'm trying to get back into the swing of things, I've discovered a whole slew of flash fiction contests that I didn't know about before. I've been subscribing like mad so I don't miss out.
Here's my first entry into the #SatSunTails Microfiction contest by Rebecca Clare Smith.

There is a picture and a word prompt. Check out the site for both.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Title: Surprise Gift

"You made it."

Audriana turned, and smiled as Elliot walked toward her with his hand extended.

"Of course I did," she replied, taking his hand.

Before she could speak again, he spoke, "Watch."

Butterflies came out from all directions and surround them, swirling and twirling. Audriana's jaw dropped as she watched in amazement. She jerked when she heard a whizz and a click immediately behind her head. Her butterfly clip flitting through the air, joining the other real butterflies.

"What is going on?" she whispered, her eyes wide.

"Just watch, it's a surprise."

The butterflies gathered around the golden mechanical one, swirling and gathering in tighter and tighter until it seemed like they couldn't get any closer to one another.

The air shimmered and the butterflies burst forth into one giant butterfly. All the different colors and sizes of the insects worked together as one entity, with Audriana's hairclip in the center.

"Amazing," she murmured.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for reading!

#55WordChallenge - Jezri's Nightmares - Week 68

So I'm on a roll this week. I've entered TWO flash contests in the same week!

Here is my entry in the #55WordChallenge

The weathered pier was a perfect spot for us to jump off of into the water. Our screeches of joy echoed off the water in all directions.

Until that day.

My sister misjudged her overambitious jump. I was too little to save her myself and screamed for help as her body sank below the surface.

-55 words

The Monday Mixer - July 29th, 2013

I think this is my first foray into the Monday Mixer... and is my official restart into flash fiction after I pretty much came to a screeching halt at the beginning of the year (or sooner then that based on my last blog post - wow it has been awhile).

So without any further ado, my entry into the Monday Mixer:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mirja'a faced the mish-mash remnants of her tribe. The men and women before her were far from fine warriors, but this kludge was all that was left after the Bijeszio's attack on the Strijela

"We may be few, but we are mighty!" she yelled across the masses, her voice tremulous as emotion broke through. "Tragedy stole so many from us, so many mighty warriors, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers."

The priests and priestess behind her began to ululate, the pain of the tribe channeling through them. Their voices provided a backdrop as Mirja'a prepared everyone for the final fight.

"The Bijeszio thought they broke us," Mirja'a declared, strong and ringing. "They only made us stronger! Now is the time to strike!" She brandished her bow and held it above her head.

The voices of her tribe echoed her call. It was time for Sha'donar. It was time for revenge.

150 Words

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for coming back - I am hoping to make this a regular thing again. I've missed this.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Edit - August 3 - I received an Honorable Mention for my entry! WOO!

The Next Big Thing ...

So I started this blog post shortly after NaNo but never quite finished it. Now, finally it is ready.

I was nominated by the delightful Donna McNicol to blog about my next big thing in progress. Since I finished (and won!) NaNoWriMo, it seemed fitting to use that story to answer some questions.

What is the title of your Work in Progress?
Guardians

Where did the idea come from for the book

I'm not sure exactly where, just that I knew I wanted to write a suspenseful, paranormal type of story. I tossed some ideas around, jotting different things down and discarding most of them, before the one that became the Guardians came together and stuck.

What genre does your book fall under?
Paranormal Suspense

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Wow, I have them pictured so much in my head but it has been hard to find the one person who fits that bill. After perusing IMBD and Google, I got a little farther.

Alana Bachman - January Jones (as a brunette)

David Ward - Henry Cavill 

Curtis - John Heard

Frankie - Melanie Lynskey

Randall Ward - Donald Sutherland

William Ward - Ryan O'Neal

Katrina Ward - Frances McDormand

Unnamed Man in Black - Dwight Schultz

What is a one-sentence synopsis of the book?
Alana Bachman returns to her old hometown and discovers an earth-shattering family secret that puts her in grave danger, and with the help of her neighbor David, she learns the truth about her family and the power inside of her.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I hope to be represented by an agency.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
Well, I'll tell you when it's done! LOL I started Guardians during Nano of 2011, but because of work demands, I wasn't able to finish. I continued to pick away at the story, and got through a major chunk of it written during this year's Nano. I hope to finish it in the next month.

What other books would you compare this story to in your genre?
Due to some of the symbolism, probably Dan Brown's books but not as complex and there is a stronger romance sub-plot than his novels have.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
The characters and the spirit of Nano.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Alana's character is strong and opinionated, but has a fractured part of herself. She feels completely alone in the world, having no family left that she knows of. When she returns to Wardville, she thinks she is just trying to find herself, but there is more to her journey than that. The secrets of her family open up a whole new aspect of her life she never would have thought of or considered.

Here are my five author nominations, all awesome writers (duh!):
Sarah Aisling
J M Blackman
Jeff Tsuruoka 
Jen DeSantis
Jennifer Gracen

Check out their blogs soon to see what they are working on!

Happy Writing!