#ThursThreads - Week 74 - Winners

 

Week 74 of #ThursThreads had some terrific tales! Thanks to all who came to write yesterday. 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 go to Miranda Kate for reading the stories.

Entries:

• Mark Ethridge | @LurchMunster
• Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir
• Ryan Derham | @Ryan_Derham
• Lizzie Koch | @lizzie_loodles
• Silver James | @SilverJames_
• Kelly Heinen | @Aightball
• Sandra Bunino | @SandraBunin
• Stacy Bennett-Hoyt | @Rowanwolf66
• @LupusAnthropos
• S. J. Maylee | @SJMaylee

Winners Announcement:

Honorable Mentions

 

Mark Ethridge | @LurchMunster

Miranda says: Another humourous tale, using the Gods and deities from the Roman period. I loved the idea of a ‘little war’ and a God being ‘pussy whipped’ with them all in a bar together too. Really enjoyable read.

Lizzie Koch | @lizzie_loodles
Miranda says: As an over spender myself, I know that little voice well, and ignoring it is an artform! LOL I also liked the flow of this piece, clear and concise.

Stacy Bennett-Hoyt | @Rowanwolf66
Miranda says: I liked this, I knew those type of girls, many years ago now, and I could easily envisage them in that bathroom, and hear that conversation. Nice piece, flowed well and was very visual.
 

Week 74 Winner

@LupusAnthropos

Miranda says: This piece made me laugh out loud! Very funny. The initial lead in makes you think it is just someone on a normal diet, but the killer last line turns it completely on its head. It flowed well, and was a quick, humourous read.

"Not even a little one?"

"Especially not a little one. Am I going to have to reconsider my decision?"

"No. No. I can do this."

"Your gluttony isn't going to get the better of you?"

"No. I can keep to the scheduled meals."

"And no snacking?"

"Only what's on the approved list."

"This isn't going to easy, you know. You and your partner will have to be accountable to each other every step of the way. I'm not going to see you again until you are done."

"We are not going to disappoint you."

"Okay. I'm still going to send you to Earth, but you are NOT to eat the inhabitants - not even a little one."

Congratulations THREE TIME WINNER Lupus, Mark, Lizzie, and Stacy! 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 70 - Winners

 

Week 70 of #ThursThreads had some terrific tales! Thanks to all who came to write yesterday. 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 I'm delighted to see new writers stopping by. Great thanks go to Alison Packard for reading the stories.

Entries:

• @LupusAnthropos
• Revo Boulanger | @RevoBoulanger
• James Marshall | @JMwandering
• Kelly Heinen | @Aightball
• Sheilagh Lee | @SweetShiel
• Kayla West | @bookwormattack
• Lizzie Koch | @Lizzie_Loodles
• The Imaginator | @theimaginator20
• Robby Hillman | @redshirt6
• Silver James | @SilverJames_
• Dr. Magoo | @drmagoo
• Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir

Winners Announcement:

Honorable Mentions

 

Robby Hillman | @redshirt6

Alison says: What’s not to love about vampire hookers? Actually, when you think about there’s always plenty of victims…I mean johns, and during the day you get to sleep like the dead. It’s a win-win. I enjoy the author’s voice and the vampire hooker thing is intriguing. I’d really like to read more of this. And I don’t read much paranormal, so that’s saying something!

Kelly Heinen | @Aightball
Alison says: This entry was really lovely and well written. I could feel the bond between Eliza and her grandma, as well as Eliza’s nervous anticipation of what her grandmother will think of her sketch. Without a lot of flowery prose I got a sense of a loving, close-knit family. A wonderful bit ofvwriting.

Week 70 Winner

@LupusAnthropos

Alison says: I do love a surprise twist, and the end of this entry certainly qualifies. I could picture the scene in my head, complete with the stuffed wife/girlfriend sitting there with that stupid, glassy-eyed grin on her face, frozen for all time, while the nut job who killed and stuffed her breaks open a bottle of wine like it’s just another evening. I lift my glass to you, LupusAnthropos! Great job!

I HOLD YOUR HAND IN MINE

"You'll like this wine," I said, pouring her a glass of Zinfandel. "It's fruity and full bodied, like you."

Without moving, she just stared ahead with a smirk.

"Okay, fine - if you don't want it, I'll drink it., but you really should try it, sometime."

Still no reaction.

"You know, your conversation skills seem to have been lacking, lately. Is there something wrong"

There wasn't even the usual, "Oh, nothing" response.

"Well, you can get rid of the smugness, now, and the stupid, glassy eyed grin."

But it was no use. My skills in taxidermy had given her that grin five years ago, on our anniversary, no matter how much I hated it now.

Congratulations THREE TIME Winner Lupus, Robby, 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 52 - Winners

 

Week 52 of #ThursThreads had some terrific tales! Thanks to all who entered on our first anniversary. I'm honored to see all of you returning and read your stories. Thank you for coming back again and again to write. And great thanks go to Emily Drew for reading the stories. :)

Entries:

• Rafe B. | @etcet
• Jeffrey Hollar | @klingorengi
• @LupusAnthropos
• Charles W. Jones | @ChuckWesJ
• Cara Michaels | @caramichaels
• Antonio Angelo | @AntonioAngelo21
• Michelle Graham | @MichelleGAuthor
• Rebecca R. Kovar | @RRKovar
• Susan Hayes | @capricia13
• Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir 
• Miranda Kate | @PurpleQueenNL
• Megan E. Clark | @TheWriterMegan
• Kel Heinen | @Aightball
• Lisa McCourt Hollar | @jezri1
• David A Ludwig | @DavidALudwig
• Nellie Batz | @solimond
• Jalisa Blackman | @J_M_Blackman

Emily says: What a tough batch of stories to choose from! I was thoroughly entertained by them all, and had seven tied for my favorite. I loved the crisp, stand-alone shorts as much as the intriguing scenes that make me want to read more. Plenty of clever uses of the key phrase, too!

Winners Announcement:

Honorable Mentions

 

 Michelle Graham | @MichelleGAuthor

Emily says: This understated short was one that stayed with me for a while after I read it. The first paragraph is nicely crafted. . .in a few short words you know who the character is, the quietness of the evening as she watches the spider on the wall, and have an immediate sense of both external (don’t wake the hubby) and internal (why is she pretending to sleep?) conflict. The following paragraphs continue to build on her internal struggles with what she should do, what’s expected, and what she just might want. I also liked how the sentences keep a nice rhythm that seems consistent with slow, late-night musings, then they tighten up towards the end to indicate clear, crisp end and resolution to the story.

Cara Michaels | @caramichaels

Emily says: This short added the key phrase with a very clever twist that felt natural and central to the story. I like that in the first few sentences, you have a good sense of place and know you’re in a therapist’s office without being told directly. There are very few setting details, but they are vivid and successfully me feel like I’m in the scene, such as the musty smells of the chair and the sound of a scratching of pen on paper. The narration transfers smoothly from external dialogue to internal and back again. During this dialogue, I learned a lot about this character’s troubled life, and am very intrigued by his imaginary (or not?) mystery lady. A very crisp, well-charged story that stayed with me after reading it.

 David A Ludwig | @DavidALudwig

Emily says: Again, I’m pulled in by a good fairy tale with a twist. A first line that makes me chuckle always gets me too. David’s amusing narrator had a vivid voice that intrigued me immediately. Within the first paragraph, I knew that the narrator was a bad guy but great fun to listen to, and I knew there would be conflict (“get the job done? what job?”). The story was a nice mix of amusing dialogue and an entertaining villain’s musings. It was a silly story, but nicely started and ended, and the silly place names were amusing because the author made fun of them by how they were used in dialog, etc. “Vrog, why do you not have the Orb of Sunlight?” had me giggling. And the image of an apologetic troll describing his fear of a little girl just killed me.

Week 52 Winner

@LupusAnthropos

Emily says: I can’t help it. . .I’m a sucker for a well-written fairy tale with a twist. Right away I knew it was a red-riding hood tale (thus you know there will be conflict!), but I was also immediately intrigued by whether the narrator was the wolf (my suspicions added to the subtle suspense). When he munches the lumberjack I laughed out loud at the surprise at the delightful phrasing, and was intrigued at the werewolf twist. The ear-scratching detail made me imagine a great image of wolf/man and lady curled by the fire content in their relationship. I liked that this short told a complete story, had a fun twist, had consistent pacing and voice, and had a distinct, vivid narrator. Thoroughly entertaining.

There's this girl, you see. The first time I met her was in the woods. She caught my eye not only because she wore a red cap and cape, but also because her beauty outshone anything I had ever seen before. She had a basket in which she was taking some food to her ailing grandmother and she walked along without a care in the world.

We hit it off right away, exchanging blushes as I accompanied her along the forest path to her grandmother's house.

Not wanting to interfere with her visit, I suggested we could meet, again, some other time and she coquettishly agreed.

By then, I was quite hungry so, upon encountering a lumberjack farther down the path, I transformed and made a quick meal of him, leaving very little of his carcass.

Red knows my dual nature, now, but we're still together. Her grandmother never did get better and now Red is living off her inheritance.

Sometimes, as she scratches behind my ears - regardless of which form I'm in - my thoughts go back to that first day when I decided she was much too good to become my lunch but made her my bride, instead.

Congratulations Lupus, Michelle, Cara, and David! 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 46 - Winners

Week 46 of #ThursThreads had some great tales! Thanks to all who entered this week. I'm honored to see all of you and read your stories. It was great to have our returning regulars. Thank you for coming back again and again to write. And great thanks go to Sarah Ballance for reading the stories. :)

Entries:

• Rafe B | @etcet
• Theresa Breaux | @theresabreaux
• Robin Abess | @Angelique_Rider 
• Jeff Xilon | @JXilon
• Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil
• Lisa McCourt Hollar | @jezri1
• Susan Hayes | @capricia13
• J. Whitworth Hazzard | @zombiemachanics
• Ryan Strohman | @rastrohman
• Rose Anderson | @RoseAnderson_
• Kel Heinen | @Aightball
• Nellie Batz | @solimond
• @LupusAnthropos
• Rebecca Grace Allen | @RGraceAllen

Winners Announcement:

Honorable Mentions

 

  Theresa Breaux | @theresabreaux

Sarah says: This story was surprisingly moving, and not only did it touch me, but I enjoyed the gradual way the author leads the reader into the unexpected twist with a beautifully poetic ending.

Robin Abess | @Angelique_Rider

Sarah says: I love how this one built a crescendo of details, all the while leaving the reader in the dark until the finale with those two fantastic revelations. I dare say a lot of authors would find this more truth than fiction, LOL.
 

Lisa McCourt Hollar | @jezri1

Sarah says: This poignant piece catches so much emotion and struggle. Though I've never experienced anything like this, I feel the author did an exceptional job of putting me through it, and to do so in such a short space is impressive.

Ryan Strohman | @rastrohman

Sarah says: I'm a big fan of suspense, so I can really appreciate this succinctly woven tale. It has everything: the plan, the foil, plan B, and a delicious surprise at the end. This isn't easy to do in such a short space, and I greatly admire how well it's done here.

Week 46 Winner

@LupusAnthropos

Sarah says: Oh, wow. What a tough job, but I didn't have to choose a winner. One jumped up, ran around the room naked a time or two, and chose me . I actually laughed out loud, (um, a lot) which woke up my husband. I then shared with him the story, and through that "why am I awake?" squint-and-glare thing he was doing, I think he might have smiled a little. All that said, the prize goes to @LupusAnthropos for a flawlessly FUNNY merger of fiction and current events, all with a very clever use of the prompt.

The man looked sheepish and defeated as he waited in line at the unemployment office. Things moved slowly, but he finally reached the front.

“Hello,” he said, handing his application to the woman behind the desk.

“Hello,” replied the interviewer, “please take a seat and tell me about the kind of job you’re looking for.”

“Right now, I’m not so sure,” he hesitated. “I didn’t do very well with my last job application.”

“What kind of job was that?”

“Well, it came with a phenomenal office, provided nearly unlimited world travel, would have allowed me to take time off to play golf at least twenty times a year and paid a $400,000 salary.”

“Mr. Romney,” said the interviewer, “I’m sorry, that job’s taken.”

Congratulations Two Time Winner Lupus, Theresa, Robin, Lisa, and Ryan! 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 Six - Winners

Week Six of #ThursThreads had some terrific tales! Huge thank you to all who entered this week. It was great to see all of you and read your tales. And it was great to have some new "faces" join us. Another huge thank you to judge LupusAnthropos for reading through all the stories.

Entries:

• Bethany Lopez | @BethanyLopez2
• Kimberly | @Kimmydonn
• Cara Michaels | @caramichaels
• Wakefield Mahon | @WakefieldMahon
• Jen DeSantis | @JenD_Author
• Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil
• Lenore Diane | @Lenore_Diane
• Kat Halstead | @KatDVS
• Janie Crouch | @JanieCrouch
• Antonio Angelo | @AntonioAngelo21
• Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir
• Tina Seeborg | @tinaofborg
• Corgzilla | @ModernBard1024
• Charles W Jones | @ChuckWesJ
• Margie C McNulty | @charitygirlblog
• @LupusAnthropos
• Jeffrey Hollar | @Klingorengi
• Nellie Batz | @solimond
• Miranda Gammella | @MLGammella
• Aurora Lee | @AuroraLee
• Sarah Aisling | @SarahAisling

Winners Announcement:

Honorable Mentions

Margie C McNulty | @charitygirlblog

Lupus says: Nicely set scene, leaving him with exactly what he deserved and nothing more.

Antonio Angelo | @AntonioAngelo21

Lupus says: Very touching use of the prompt.

Janie Crouch | @JanieCrouch

Lupus says: Dark, creepy, and well developed.

Week Six Winner

Sarah Aisling | @SarahAisling

Lupus says: Great twist. Started out sounding like a wedding, but turned out to be a funeral - and a premeditated one, at that.

“Oh, my sweet, we must get you ready for tonight,” Daniel whispers as he coaxes Janine’s hair into soft curls that frame her perfectly made up face.

Classical music plays in the background, and he closes his eyes during his favorite part, humming along before he continues.

“You’re going to look so perfect.” He straightens the neckline of her purple dress, fastening her most treasured diamond pendent around her neck. It rests against her ivory cream skin, a lovely accompaniment to her decolletage.

The last notes of the song fade out, and the only sound in the room comes from the vents which pump in chilled air.

A light tap on the door draws his attention. “It’s time, Daniel. Are you ready?”

“As a matter of fact, we are.” His eyes return to her beauty. “Jared will escort you in, dear one.”

After spending a few moments alone in the hall, he opens the double doors and enters the room, gazing around pleased. The chairs are lined up in perfect rows, the flowers exquisite.

The priest nods to Daniel, and he walks up the aisle to stand before his beloved. Kneeling, he pats his chest, feeling the comforting thickness of the envelope which holds the life insurance policy. With a tingle of anticipation, he leans forward, fingers caressing the satin liner of the coffin. He brushes his lips against Janine’s cool, hard cheek.

"You look great, and yeah, you’re worth a million bucks."

Congratulations Sarah, Margie, Antonio, and Janie! 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 and I hope to see you all back next week for #ThursThreads. :)

 

#ThursThreads - The Challenge that Ties Tales Together - Week Six

It's Thursday, so what should you be doing? Writing #FlashFiction, that's what! Welcome to Week Six of #ThursThreads. Half-way through January already and there's been a lot of writing going on. Mostly, right here! ;) Back to the challenge. :D

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 + 

Our Judge for Week Six:

The lightning bringer of flash fiction and the original wolfman, LupusAnthropos.

 

LupusAnthropos on Twitter

And now your #ThursThreads Challenge, tying tales together.

The Prompt:

"You look great, and yeah, you’re worth a million bucks."

Away with you, Flash Fiction Fanatics, and show us your #ThursThread. Good luck! :)