#ThursThreads - Week 150 - Winners

Week 150 of #ThursThreads had some terrific tales. I'm honored to see all of the returning writers and read your stories, especially on a holiday. It was so nice to see so many of you this week and new folks. Welcome! Thank you for coming back again and again to write and for helping me celebrate these years of flash. Great thanks to Angela Quarles for judging this week. Be sure to check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on FB to keep up with news, etc.

Entries:

• Kelly Heinen | @Aightball
• Anne | @TwiAddictAnne
• Toni Morrow Wyatt | @Toni1777
• Josh Peters | @josbgosh
• Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil
• Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir
• Veronica Jorden | @RevoltionaryVJ
• Silver James | @SilverJames_
• Margo Bond Collins | @MargoBondCollin
• Charley Emma | @lindorfan 
• Anna Lund | @AnnaLund2011
• Cate Durham | @Cate_Durham
• Even Sultry | @EvenSultry
• David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig

Winners Announcement:

Honorable Mentions

Silver James | @SilverJames_

Angela says: Like Veronica, she used dialogue and description to do double and triple duty and I got a great sense of character and backstory in this short serving of flash fiction.

Toni Morrow Wyatt | @Toni1777

Angela says: For the creepy factor, and the double-twist!

Margo Bond Collins | @MargoBondCollin
Angela says: Creepy as well, and descriptions were vivid.

Week 150 Winner

Veronica Jorden | @RevolutionaryVJ

Angela says: In a short amount of space she was able to paint a vivid picture utilizing many tools in her writer's box, like using dialogue to not only move the story forward, but also to show character and mood and clue us in on what's happening. Every word was there doing double or triple duty and she didn't have wasted phrases. I loved that it was just a small slice in these two character's lives but yet I immediately had this sense of a huge vast world of plot and setting, etc. Well done!

The tiny crystal pendant hung on a rusty chain that dangled from the end of his finger. Even in the dim interior of our latest base camp it danced with colors I had forgotten.

I shook my head. “You should keep it, trade it or give it to your mom when we find her."

“I didn't climb all the way down into the pit to dig this out for my mom. I did it because I wanted you to have it.”

“Kid, what am I supposed to do with a piece of glass on a string?”

“You’re supposed to wear it. And when you look at it, you can pretend things were like they were before…when they were normal.”

I tried to remember the last time I’d felt normal. I wanted to tell him that no amount of pretending would ever wipe away the things I’d seen in the last few months, but the words wouldn't come. I bent forward and let him fasten the chain around my neck.

“Do you think the others will make it in time?” he asked.

Near the window, the transponder light blinked in a steady rhythm, sending out the signal that would lead the others to our location. The sky was a familiar shade of gray. In two, maybe three hours the rains would return and anyone not inside could kiss their humanity goodbye. Jack was strong, he knew the terrain, he’d get them here. He had to.

“I don’t know, kid. Here’s hoping.”

Congratulations Four Time Winner Veronica, Silver, Toni, and Margo! Don't forget to claim your badges and display them with pride. You certainly earned it!

Pass on the great news on Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, Tsu.co, shiny mirrors, Morse Code, and signal flags. Check out all the stories here. Thanks for stopping by and happy reading! :)

#ThursThreads - Week 127 - Winners

Week 127 of #ThursThreads had some terrific tales. Happy Independence Day to all my American writers! I'm honored to see all of the returning writers and read your stories. Thank you for coming back again and again to write and for helping me celebrate these years of flash. Great thanks to AJ Nuest for judging this week. Be sure to check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on FB to keep up with news, etc.

Entries:

• Doris O'Connor | @mamaD8
• Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil 
• Cate Derham | @Cate_Derham
• Teresa Cypher | @Teresa_Cypher
• Veronica Jorden | @RevolutionaryVJ
• Anna Lund | @AnnaLund2011
• Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir
• Kaylee Hamelink
• Sandi Layne | @sandyquill
• Kelly Heinen | @Aightball
• Louisa Bacio | @LouisaBacio

AJ says: I want to say that I had a REALLY hard time deciding, especially for the overall winner. There were some really great entries here and one of the honorable mentions was tied for first until I walked around a thought about it for a long time.

Winners Announcement:

Honorable Mentions

 

Doris O'Connor | @mamaD8

AJ says: Doris O'Connor did a great job with scene setting and showing the young man sitting at the table. I also really liked the internal dialogue from the POV character. We got to watch the scene unfold from her POV and it was done very well. I felt like I was watching the guy right along with her.

Sandi Layne | @sandyquill

AJ says: Sandi Layne did a fantastic job with putting me inside her character. I was riding that bike right along with him. I could feel the wind and speed. Awesome. Also, I loved, loved, loved the way she changed the prompt to mean something different, using it as code for "license and registration" was a stroke of brilliance. Great job.

Kelly Heinen | @Aightball

AJ says: Kel Heinan got a mention for that fantastic twist at the end. I was totally going in one direction when the brakes on slammed on and I was tossed into another reality. That takes major talent and was done really well because the first part of the story was set up so well. Nicely done!

Week 127 Winner

Veronica Jorden | @RevolutionaryVJ

AJ says: Veronica won for two reasons. Her powerful first sentence immediately put me IN the story. I could smell the cigarette smoke and was wearing the bomber jacket, could see the milling crowd, right along with her POV character. Excellent writing with no filters. Perfect. Second reason is because the ending was hilarious. Here we have this tense situation, dire circumstances, and I just had to laugh at the soldier's erroneous assumption. Great job with that.

My father’s old bomber jacket reeked of stale cigarette smoke. But with uniforms in short supply, I was thankful for the warmth the soft leather provided against the late autumn chill and zipped it up to my neck as I made my way to the end of the flight line.

As I wove through the crowd, I didn’t recognize a single face. Some were decked out in full combat uniforms; others looked like me, just regular folks in jeans and jackets like we were out for a morning stroll. The invasion had driven hundreds, if not thousands of refugees into Jessup County. Most were God-loving, law-abiding citizens, but experience had taught me that even good men will buck the law when supplies run short.

A young lieutenant stood behind a shabby desk inside an old service shed that served as the militia reporting station. His name tape read ‘Stevens.' He looked the part of a seasoned soldier, from his buzz cut down to his polished boots.

“I heard you were looking for pilots.” I said, pointing to the flyer pinned to the wall.

He smirked and gave me the once over. “And just what do you fly, darling? There aren’t any pretty, pink Barbie planes in those hangars.”

The soldier to his left looked up and I watched the recognition wash over his face. He jumped to his feet and called the small room to attention.

“Perhaps we should start again, soldier.” I said. “Colonel Elizabeth Flaherty reporting for duty.”

Congratulations Three Time Winner Veronica, Doris, Sandi, and Kelly! Don't forget to claim your badges and display them with pride. You certainly earned it!

Pass on the great news on Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, shiny mirrors, Morse Code, and signal flags. Check out all the stories here. Thanks for stopping by and happy reading! :)

#ThursThreads - Week 93 - Winners

Week 93 of #ThursThreads had some terrific tales. I'm honored to see all of the returning writers and read your stories. Thank you for coming back again and again to write. Great thanks to Veronica Jorden for judging this week. :)

Entries:

• Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil
• Silver James | @SilverJames_
• Kelly Heinen | @Aightball
• Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir
• Dee Little
• Mark Ethridge | @LurchMunster
• David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig
• Nellie Batz | @solimond

Veronica says: Well done everyone! Thank you so much for sharing your stories with me! Happy writing!!

Winners Announcement:

Honorable Mentions

David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig

Veronica says: This was another great draw-me-in story. I would love to read more of this tale.

Kelly Heinen | @Aightball
Veronica says: So sweet and so moving. If only we could all see everything this way. The use of the prompt here moved me to tears.

Nellie Batz | @solimond
Veronica says: I love the characters in this one. My favorite line: "Mischief to plan."

Week 93 Winner

Mark Ethridge | @LurchMunster

Veronica says: This was a beautiful story. Vivid imagery and it drew me in. To often we forget the amazing and beautiful world around us. When a character gets to see that beauty for the first time it really resonates with me.

The kid looked at his hand, and watched the blood leak from it. I’d tried to warn him, but he hadn’t listened. This was Earth. The world of the humans. Where even the flowers were violent, and dangerous.

I laughed. “Careful, boy.” I pulled a strip of medical tape out of my pocket, and wrapped it around his finger.

“What happened?”

“The humans have a song. Says every rose has its thorn.” I carefully reached into the rosebush, and pulled the stem out into the open. “The song doesn’t lie.” He could see the stem, and the thorns spaced randomly around it. “This is a rose, kid.” I cut the stem, and pulled the rose bloom free, handing it to him.

He studied it. “It’s stunning.”

“Yeah. It is.” I sighed. “Every bit as beautiful as anything in the City of Gold.”

He nodded his head. “Look at the way it’s petals all wind together.” He ran his fingertips across the petals of the rosebud. “They feel like velvet, or silk.”

“They are one of Joshua’s most exquisite creations.”

The kid stared at it. “And yet, it’s filled with thorns.” The kid shook his head. “How? How can this be?”

“This is Earth. Where Lucien and the fallen live.” I looked up at the moon in the star filled sky. “Perhaps Joshua’s greatest creation.” I took a deep breath, and slowly let it out. “It’s beautiful. But it’s flawed. It’s why Joshua trapped Lucien and the fallen here. On Earth.”

Congratulations Three Time Winner Mark, David, Nellie, and Kelly! Don't forget to claim your badges and display them with pride. You certainly earned it! :)

Pass on the great news on Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, shiny mirrors, Morse Code, and signal flags. Check out all the stories here. Thanks for stopping by and happy reading! :)

#ThursThreads - The Challenge That Ties Tales Together - Week 93

Welcome back to the Weird, the Wild, & the Wicked. Wow, this is the 501st post on my blog. WOW. We should do something to celebrate. And it's Thursday again today, so what should you be doing? Writing #FlashFiction, that's what! Welcome to Week 93 of #ThursThreads, the challenge that ties tales together. Need the rules? Read on!

Here's how it works:

• The prompt is a line from the previous week's winning tale.
• The prompt can appear ANYWHERE in your story and is included in your word count.

Rules to the Game:

• This is a Flash Fiction challenge, which means your story must be a minimum of 100 words, maximum of 250.
• Incorporate the prompt anywhere into your story (included in your word count).
• Post your story in the comments section of this post
• Include your word count (or be excluded from judging)
• Include your Twitter handle or email (so we know how to find you)
• The challenge is open 7 AM to 7 PM Pacific Time
• The winner will be announced on Friday, depending on how early the judge gets up.

How it benefits you:

• You get a nifty cool badge to display on your blog or site (because we're all about promotion - you know you are!)
• You get instant recognition of your writing prowess on this blog!
• Your writing colleagues shall announce and proclaim your greatness on Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus

Our Judge for Week 93:

Beta Reader, Collaborative Editor, Designer, Marketer, Veronica Jorden.

Veronica on Facebook
FirstPage on Facebook

Veronica on Twitter
FirstPage on Twitter

In honor of the 501st blog post, I'm giving away a $5.00 Amazon giftcard to the Winner.

And now your #ThursThreads Challenge, tying tales together.

The Prompt:

“It’s beautiful, but it’s flawed.”

All stories written herein are the property (both intellectual and physical) of the authors. Now, away with you, Flash Fiction Fanatics, and show us your #ThursThreads. Good luck!