#ThursThreads - Week 106 - Winners

Week 106 of #ThursThreads had some terrific tales and a great turnout. 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. It was also wonderful to have some new folks stop by. Welcome! Great thanks to Teresa Cypher for judging this week. And next week starts our month-long Month of Love Themed #ThursThreads Event. Keep an eye out for that.

Entries:

• Anna Lund | @AnnaLund2011
• Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir
• Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil
• Cynthia Hudson Keane | @AuthorCAKeane
• Veronica Jorden | @RevolutionaryVJ
• Lizzie Koch | @Lizzie_Koch
• Sandy Layne | @sandyquill
• Kelly Heinen | @Aightball
• Silver James | @SilverJames_
• Charley S | @Charley_001
• Brandon Yusuf Toropov | @BYToropov
• Courtney Jennings
• Wendy Strain | @WendyStrain
• Cate Derham | @Cate_Derham

Teresa says: It was an incredibly difficult decision—choosing a winner. I found reasons I could have chosen every entry. What an amazing and talented group of writers! I thoroughly enjoyed reading each and every one of these flash fiction morsels. Thank you all for the entertaining reads. And thanks, Siobhan, for hosting such a fun reason to flex our writing muscles every week.

Winners Announcement:

Honorable Mentions

Kelly Heinen | @aightball

Teresa says: loved the very natural feel of the dialogue, the realness of the slang. Nice little (well, maybe big—and orange) humorous twist at the end.

Silver James | @SilverJames_

Teresa says: Silver wowed me with her character building. And she managed to hook me. I’d like to know what Caleb is hunting; it must be bad since Adele to referred to it as a “demon from hell”. I’m curious if he made it back.

C.R. Jennings

Teresa says: CR did an amazing job of pulling the reader into the scene. It was candid, and I loved how she brought out the intimacy between the two friends, and the MC’s vulnerability as she walked into Cohen’s view.

Brandon Yusuf Toropov | @BYToropov

Teresa says: He kept me guessing. He chose good imagery, especially here: “…her tight red former-jockette-curls shorn nearly to baldness…”. That took me from Orphan Annie straight to a skinhead type cult killer. That added to the feeling of impending doom for the groom. Well done!

Week 106 Winner

Anna Lund | @AnnaLund2011

Teresa says: It has an outstanding message that I kept coming back to it. She did an excellent job of summing up thoughts in a small number of words. And I loved the analogy of inner strength and a dragon. We all have an inner dragon that needs to show its face when the bullies come out. Well done, Anna!

Bullied, running wildly, it was nothing that you did to make it happen. It just did.

And there they were, waiting for you. No other way out.

Nobody was coming to your help either, you were all alone.

So you sat down. Called that special person within.

Well done. When you are very small you need to choose your friends wisely.

You crashed into strong arms that held you tight. You felt the air as the protective wings spread out.

It was just as they said, “You have to bring the right tool for the kill.”

You brought your dragon.

Congratulations Winner Anna, Kelly, Silver, CR, and Brandon! 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 106

Welcome back to the Weird, the Wild, & the Wicked for the start of the third year of our challenge. It's Thursday today, so what should you be doing? Writing #FlashFiction, that's what! Welcome to Week 106 of #ThursThreads, the challenge that ties tales together. Be on the on the lookout for the Month of Love Event coming in February. Each Thursday will be themed. Stay Tuned! 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 106:

Social radical, weekend writing warrior, and science-fiction author, Teresa Cypher.

Teresa on Facebook

Teresa on Twitter

 And now your #ThursThreads Challenge, tying tales together.

The Prompt:

“You have to bring the right tool for the kill.”

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!

#ThursThreads - Week 73 - Winners

 

Week 73 of #ThursThreads had some terrific tales! Thanks to all who came to write yesterday, we had a great turnout! 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 Laurie Roma for reading the stories.

Entries:

• Rebecca Brennan | @bexbrennan
• The Imaginator | @theimaginator20
• Rafe Brox | @etcet
• Mark Ethridge | @LurchMunster
• Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil
• Sandra Bunino | @SandraBunino (first entry)
• Kelly Heinen | @Aightball
• Theresa Breaux | @theresabreaux
• Kayla West | @bookwormattack
• Madison Woods | @Madison_Woods
• Susan Hayes | @capricia13
• Silver James | @SilverJames_
• Rosalind Smith-Nazilli | @vixenfiction
• Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir
• Rebecca R Kovar | @RRKovar
• Sandra Bunino | @SandraBunino (second entry)
• Teresa Cypher | @Teresa_Cypher
• Lizzie Koch | @lizzie_loodles
• Ryan Derham | @Ryan_Derham
• Nellie Batz | @solimond

Winners Announcement:

Honorable Mentions

 

Mark Ethridge | @LurchMunster

Laurie says: Clever! Mark wrote a clever snippet with a nice twist of a glimpse in the life of a mosquito. It was funny, entertaining and deserves an honorable mention for creativity!

Kelly Heinen | @Aightball
Laurie says: Hot! Kelly also receives an honorable mention for a hot scene using a prop of fake teeth to spice up some bed play.

Susan Hayes | @capricia13
Laurie says: Intriguing! Susan gets an honorable mention for a scene that is intriguing and made me want to know more!

Silver James | @SilverJames_
Laurie says: Fun! Silver James wrote a scene with humor and an interesting plot. Although I wasn't sure why she killed him, it was cleverly done
 

Week 73 Winner

Teresa Cypher | @Teresa_Cypher

Laurie says: Teresa created an interesting scene that drew me in, using wonderful imagery and a witty twist. Congrats, Teresa!

Caspar Rickets set off down over Rattleback Hill, following no more than two steps behind his uncle Bodey. Deever’s Hollow was their destination.

Bodey spoke in a hush, “Late October woods sure are lonesome.

Caspar shuddered, then his uncle added, “And pick your feet up boy. Ain’t no time to trip and tumble. You’d make a helluva racket—enough to wake the dead.”

Caspar’s eyes refused to blink in the near-darkness where even moonlight worked hard to pry its way into the dank woods. The smell of decaying leaves, and shadows of twisted, rotting wood sent chills up and down his spine. “No gun, uncle Bodey?”

“Gun ain’t no use for what curses this night.

Deeper in the valley, a half mile south of Hook’s Bridge, something stopped Bodey in his tracks. “Hear that? Gawd above, I hear their voices everywhere.”

Bodey was silhouetted by steel gray clouds, backlit by a full moon. Moss hung motionless, long and limp, like witch hair—dirty and unkempt.

“N…n…no. I don’t h…hear nuthin. Whatdya hear?”

Bodey’s voice was strange, even otherworldly when he said, “I will feast on your blood.”

Caspar could barely breathe. “You really din’t bring no gun? Not even a little one?”

In that undead voice, Bodey said, “If’n they come near, I’ll just swat them.”

Caspar’s heart drummed. He could barely breathe. He managed to whine out, “Huh? Swat them?”

The corners of Bodey’s lips turned up when he said, “Skeeters, Caspy. What didja think I was hearin’?

Congratulations Teresa, Mark, Kelly, Susan, and Silver! 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! :)