#ThursThreads - Week 146 - Winners

Week 146 of #ThursThreads had some terrific tales. I'm honored to see all of the returning writers and read your stories. It was so nice to see so many of you this week! Thank you for coming back again and again to write and for helping me celebrate these years of flash. Great thanks to Kirsten Blacketer for judging this week. Be sure to check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on FB to keep up with news, etc.

Entries:

• Sandi Layne | @sandyquill
• Silver James | @SilverJames_
• Kelly Heinen | @Aightball
• Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir
• Lizzie Koch | @Lizzie_Koch
• Mary Decker | @mishmhem
• A.J. Walker | @zevonesque
• Dolly Marionette | @UndeadNether
• Nellie Batz | @solimond

Kirsten says: I have to say, I enjoyed reading all your flash pieces. You all have some wonderful snippets here, and I am honored to be reading your work. :) Great job everyone and thank you so much for participating. Thanks for having me and remember to keep writing. I can't wait to read more from all of you.

Winners Announcement:

Honorable Mentions

Mary Decker | @mishmhem

Kirsten says: You did an amazing job tying in a lot of detail with a minimal word count. I could totally see this as a more in depth story, but it works as a short too. You focus on the details of the character's actions and their mission without compromising the quality of the piece. Great job. I would love to read more about this adventure.

Lizzie Koch | @Lizzie_Koch

Kirsten says: While I'm a little vamped out, I enjoyed your short. You tied in some fantastic imagery, and I got a distinct feel for the main character's emotions as he sat there with his cold beer watching the sky. I could see this being expanded into a longer story, if it isn't part of a longer piece already. You have a knack for painting a vivid picture, great job!

Kelly Heinen | @Aightball

Kirsten says: Action, tension, and emotion...pow! right in my face. I loved it. I appreciated the trigger warning too. (Not that I needed it, but it means you're aware of the material possibly being an issue for readers. Kudos for that.) I really enjoyed the dialog you had going on. It worked well for the story and had me hooked from the beginning. I'm actually kinda curious as to what happened next. :)

Week 146 Winner

A.J. Walker | @zevonesque

Kirsten says: This piece contained the perfect balance of elements to bring life to a story. The conflict and tension in the story were simple, yet realistic. I felt sympathy for the main character and also wanted to smack him. The descriptions were enough to bring an image to mind and yet leave me to paint in the voids. It was the ending that sealed it for me. That "aha" moment had me groaning out loud and wanting to throttle the main character. *claps* Bravo. This was truly a story in 250 words. While there is room for expansion, it ended in a way that left the reader satisfied. We all knew he was in trouble now for not following through...again. I can appreciate when a writer is able to adequately portray a self-contained story with such a limiting word count.

The Laughing Dog

Brian’s job description had recently been expanded to beyond acceptable.

After the side boob incident on the six o’clock news he’d been tasked with reviewing every little excerpt supplied from the multitude smartphone images rolling in from the public. It was impossible.

“Consider it a new KPI,” Marriot had said, “Zero side boobs - or cock ups - on the pre-watershed news and you may keep your job. Otherwise it’ll be your bits shown on the news the following day. Capiche?”

He couldn’t afford another default - but it was a hopeless task as every sad little clip got fired through to Brian for vetting.

Kate - his long term crush at work - sent him a video with a dog in it. It had four asterisks in the subject line suggesting it was important. He clicked on it straight away and there was the drooling dog nodding along with a song from One Direction. It was cute he had to admit, but it was not newsworthy, so he quickly exited and went on to the next useless footage (some cop shooting a gang banger - no-one would be interested).

Brian worried about his house. He picked his stories and emailed them through to the news desk. Shortly afterwards he received a text from Kate - ‘You watched it all the way through?’

He laughed. How much time did she think he had?

Come six o’clock and FAB News was the only channel not to feature the dancing dog suddenly being devoured by that hideous alien.

Congratulations Winner A.J., Mary, Lizzie, 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 146

Welcome back to the Weird, the Wild, & the Wicked. It's Thursday today so get your flash ready to celebrate and write a #flashfiction thread! Welcome to Week 146 of #ThursThreads, the challenge that ties tales together. Want to keep up each week? You're welcome to join the FB #ThursThreads group where we'll do events and make announcements. 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 8 PM Mountain 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 146:

Foodie, wild game preparer, and erotic medieval romance author, Kirsten Blacketer.

Kirsten on Facebook

Kirsten on Twitter

Kirsten on Google Plus

Kirsten on Goodreads

And now your #ThursThreads Challenge, tying tales together.

The Prompt:

“You watched the whole thing?”

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!

Mid Week Tease - The Beltane Witch - Cannon Fodder

Welcome to the Weird, the Wild, & the Wicked for a new year of Mid Week Tease hosted by Sandra Bunino.

Authors: this is a great opportunity to spotlight a few lines or even a paragraph or two from a new release or backlisted title. Readers: you get to sample some delicious snippets! We’ll do our best to tease, titillate and tantalize you into the weekend.

Today I'm offering snippets from The Beltane Witch, a paranormal romance, and Book 2 in the Cloudburst Colorado series. Sabrina Foxglove is recovering, but she gets caught in a little backstory about her life and her children. Darius has a great way of putting it about her ex.

He frowned and studied her for a few moments. “Where is the girls’ father?”

Old patterns of anger and hurt rose in her mind, rumbling through her gut and tensing her shoulders. Probably off fucking some buxom bimbo without stretch marks. The unhappiness churned in her gut until she felt as if she’d throw it up. Let it go, he’s not worth it. But the fury remained.

“I don’t know. He left after Holly turned six months old.”

The silence between them thickened with unspoken anger and disgust, but Darius only nodded sharply. “Was he your husband?”

“No.”

“And he left after Holly, your youngest, was born?”

“Yes.” Sabrina turned her head away from him and closed her eyes. She’d been a fool. She’d thought they were in love and believed Tommy wanted her for her. But he’d walked away because her body had changed with the pregnancies. He’d told her he’d only been “trying” the Goddess’s path. Yeah, he’d only been “trying” it for two and a half years, two children, and then ran off with Merrilee Fuckstwice. But I’m not bitter.

“Perhaps it’s something to be grateful for.”

“What?”

“A man who leaves a woman and children is lower than pond scum.” Darius’s teal eyes glittered in the dim light. “But a man who leaves his wife and children is only good for cannon fodder in a losing battle.”

Despite the old anger, Sabrina laughed. “I’ll have to remember that.”

His face creased into a smile. “In the meantime, just rest while I fetch the tea.” He patted her arm and rose.

Sabrina watched him saunter out of her room, wondering for the hundredth time what motivation bubbled around in his head. It made no sense to injure the person he wanted to perform the rituals, but he’d definitely manipulated his way into her home, something he’d expected when he first arrived. On the other hand, he’d saved her from Tír na nÓg without hesitation and swore to protect her and her children before the Goddess.

It’s simply because he can’t have a dead witch to perform the rituals.

She couldn’t argue the point, but her gratitude for his help remained. And he continued to help even now.

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