Snippet Sunday - Cloudburst Ice Magic - Snow Storm

Welcome to the Snippet Sunday on the Weird, the Wild, and the Wicked. Thank you so much for visiting. If you choose to comment today, I really appreciate it. The snippets are from my Cloudburst novella, Cloudburst Ice Magic, a paranormal romance sequel to Christmas I.C.E. Magic in the Happy Holidays from the Crescent Moon Lodge Anthology. Cloudburst Ice Magic releases on Monday, August 11, 2014. Woot!

In this snippet, Lily Sinclair has a new job as Search and Rescue at the Cloudburst Resort and she and her partner Randy are trying to rescue some hikers. The blizzard has socked them in and no help is coming. They're assessing their situation. We're in Lily's POV but Randy is the first to speak.

“How long do you think this storm will last?”

Ever since her boyfriend Zach had rescued her from a similar storm over a year ago, Lily had developed an uncanny storm sense. Too bad it worked too late today. She scanned the flake-filled landscape and took a deep breath through her nose. Scents of Ice Demons, dank ice and fresh snow, having some sort of spring fling filled her awareness. She bit her lip. More than likely they were only just getting revved up.

“This one’s going to be bad. Three days at least.” She dug harder. “And we’re going to have a ton of snow dumped on us.”

Randy swore under his breath. “Then we better get this tent up and the stove running. Do we have enough fuel for three days?”

“Let’s hope so.” She prayed they did. If not, they’re going to find five frozen bodies in the tent.

Sounds like they need more than regular help this time. ;) There are several great authors on the Weekend Writing Warrior list and in the Snippet Sunday Facebook group. A few of my favorites are Charley Descoteaux, SJ Maylee, Gem Sivad, Goran Zidar, Veronica Scott, and Karla Doyle.

If you're interested in more from Cloudburst Ice Magic, here's the blurb:

Avalanches may bring down more than snow…

Working for the Search and Rescue team at the Cloudburst Resort in Colorado, Lily Sinclair figures she’ll do all the rescuing from now on. When hikers are caught in a spring blizzard, Lily and her partner head into the storm. Cut off from communication and facing deadly conditions, Lily fears she’ll never see her Ice Demon lover before death claims them.

Zach Snow encouraged Lily move to Cloudburst to grow and learn, but missed her every day of their months apart. His plans of moving to Colorado get pushed up when he receives her text explaining her situation, and saying goodbye. He must negotiate with the local Ice Demon clan to work in their territory to rescue Lily and the hikers before the Spring Fling blizzard kills them. But he’s running out of time.

Between the amorous hiker hitting on Zach, Lily’s self-doubts, and an avalanche bearing down on them, Zach and Lily must rediscover the love they first kindled in a Christmas ice cave, and create their own Cloudburst ice magic.

Cloudburst Ice Magic will be available at Amazon, All Romance, and Smashwords on August 11th 2014.

#ThursThreads - Week 130 - Winners

Week 130 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 and for helping me celebrate these years of flash. Great thanks to Bronwyn Green for judging this week. Be sure to check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on FB to keep up with news, etc. Just note, there will be no #ThursThreads next week as I'll be out of town.

Entries:

• Anna Lund | @AnnaLund2011
• Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil
• Olivia Starke | @OliviaStarke
• Sandi Layne | @sandyquill
• Cate Derham | @Cate_Derham
• SJ Maylee | @SJMaylee
• Silver James | @SilverJames_
• Josh Peters | @joshbgosh
• Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir
• Kelly Heinen | @Aightball
• Hunter Frost | @HunterFrostMM

Bronwyn says: Oh man...#ThursThreads - you people are trying to KILL me. Thank you so much, Siobhan and everyone for giving me the chance to judge Thursday Threads. You've all inspired me to get some writing done today! There were so many wonderful entries, but choices had to be made.

Winners Announcement:

Honorable Mentions

 

Silver James | @SilverJames_

Bronwyn says: I felt like I was right there with Georgie - burning eyes, wobbly heels, nerves and all. Silver does a great job of making the reader empathize with the POV character. Nicely done, Silver!

Hunter Frost | @HunterFrostMM

Bronwyn says: What a hot little snippet. Great use of 1st person POV and an excellent job keeping the reader right in the moment with nicely balanced action and internal thoughts. That balance can oftenbe tricky with 1st person narratives. Well done, Hunter!

Sandi Layne | @sandyquill

Bronwyn says: This was some awesome description of prepping to skydive. As with Silver's piece, I felt like I was right there with the POV character. And the character's voice was quite strong - the the reader really gets a feel for her/him. Also, I'm intrigued by the idea of a skydiving elf. Awesome snippet, Sandi!

Week 130 Winner

Olivia Starke | @OliviaStarke

Bronwyn says: Her visual imagery is stunning - the opening paragraph was positively brilliant. Her characters leapt off the page. And even though I read it a couple hours ago, I find I'm still thinking about it. That is the mark of good storytelling. Great job, Olivia!

A heavy mist clung to everything—trees, cars, buildings, lamp posts—a live crawling thing drawing the warmth from those unlucky enough to be caught within its chilly grasp.

“It sort of has that 1930s film noir feel to it, right?” Kelly whispered. “The way the fog creeps in like this.”

“Fog like this holds ghosts from the sea.” Dana lowered her voice. “If you look closely enough you’ll see ghoulish sailors searching for living companions.”

Kelly nudged her in the ribs. “Shut up, that’s not true.” But her friend searched harder in the swirling mists.

Dana chuckled at her friend as she swung the flashlight beam. The orange-y light did little to penetrate the gloom. Everyone was sleeping in the small coastal town. Even the distance sea sounded lazy as it licked the sandy shoreline.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Kelly said. “There’s other ways….”

Her friend trailed off, what else could be said? The plan was in motion; no turning back now. Dana didn’t bother to comment as they walked around the back of a small antique shop. The owner hadn’t bothered to put in a security system, but why should he? The crime rate here only demanded a deadbolt lock, which Dana made short work of.

Once inside, it took only minutes to find the parchment scroll. With gloved hands she unrolled it to double check. “Bingo,” she said. All her financial worries vanished as she eyed what shouldn’t exist—Black Beard’s treasure map.

Congratulations Two Time Winner Olivia, Silver, Hunter, and Sandi! 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 Tale Together - Week 130

Welcome back to the Weird, the Wild, & the Wicked. It's Thursday today, so get your flash ready. Writing a #flashfiction thread! Welcome to Week 130 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. And NO #THURSTREADS NEXT WEEK. I'll be out of town for a conference. So, 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 130:

Car-pool Queen, knitter extraordinaire, and paranormal romance author, Bronwyn Green.

Bronwyn on Facebook

Bronwyn on Twitter

Bronwyn on Goodreads

And now your #ThursThreads Challenge, tying tales together.

The Prompt:

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

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! Remember No #ThursThreads next week.