#ThursThreads - Tying Tales Together - THREE YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Welcome back to the Weird, the Wild, & the Wicked. Today is a very special Thursday so get your flash ready to celebrate THREE YEARS flashing! Can you believe it's been going strong for three whole years? This is Week 156 of #ThursThreads, the challenge that ties tales together.

This week we have a very special event. There are prizes to be won for both the participants and the readers. After the winner and the honorable mentions choose their prizes, the remainder of the goodies will be given to randomly selected folks who Tweet the hashtag #ThursThreads during our event today. Want to keep up each week? Check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on Facebook.

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

Prize List for #ThursThreads #Year3

• eARC of The Ivory Road: A Walk in the Sand by Siobhan Muir.
• Digital or paper copy of one of Silver James' backlist.
• Digital copy of one of Cara Michaels' backlist.
• Tree of Life made from wrapped wires and minerals from George Varhalmi.
• Free beta read or 15K content edit from First Page Last Page.
• The Dark Bokor and Philip's Watcher by Dianne Hartsock.
• "Words Lost in Time 4" image printed on 11x14 metallic paper by Clary Carey.
• Custom written story of 1000 words or less on any theme by Eric Martell.

Our Judge for Week 156:

  The woman who started it all, Typo Sniper, cover designer, and science fiction author, Cara Michaels.

Cara on Facebook

Cara on Twitter

Cara on Goodreads

Cara on Google Plus 

And now your #ThursThreads Challenge, tying tales together.

The Prompt:

"If they stay, I stay.”

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 - A Walk in the Sand - Playing Games

Welcome to the Weird, the Wild, & the Wicked for a new year, literally, 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 my upcoming release A Walk in the Sand, an action/adventure sci-fi/fantasy with romantic elements, and Book 1 in the The Ivory Road serial. Iliana Rory is just trying to have a vacation from her life as a Hollywood actress. She never intended on having to deal with her upcoming costar or stepping in to alternate universes. This is into the second chapter, to read a snippet earlier in the tale, click HERE.

“You're not going to stop playing, are you, Mr. Crowe?” Iliana shook her head. “Fine. Play your little game, but I’m done. I don't need this and I'm outta here.” She swung onto the gray horse and settled her weight in the stirrup-less saddle. She turned the animal’s head toward a gap in the trees and urged the horse into a trot.

“By all the Gods!” he shouted in frustration at her back.

“I told you women were faithless.”

Ahmad’s voice made her fury burn brighter, but she’d dealt with trolls in Hollywood. This guy was only a run-of-the-mill heckler. The gray horse lengthened its strides as they passed the edge of the oasis, and she did her best to ignore the corpse, still lying in the glaring sun. If it really is a dead body and not a dummy.

She stopped the horse and tried to decide which way to go. All directions looked pretty much the same. Well done, now you’re out here alone with no idea which direction is west. At least she now had a horse. Iliana glanced down to the sand below to try to determine which way their shadow pointed. She frowned. Had she gotten here in the morning or afternoon?

“I don’t think he’s accustomed to being spoken to like that.”

 She froze and looked around. No one stood near her. She sat alone on the horse.

The horse huffed an indignant sigh and turned his head to eye her.

Iliana swallowed hard. “Did you say something?”

“Yes, I said, I don't think he’s accustomed to being spoken to like that.”

The voice echoed in her ears, but the horse’s lips had remained still. That’s it. I’ve gotten sunstroke. “I’m going crazy.”

“That remains to be seen, but we’re still having this conversation anyway.” The gray snorted and tossed his head.

“Is this some sort of cosmic joke? Horses can’t talk.” She snapped her mouth shut and shook her head. “And now I’m arguing with an animal.”

 “Only because you can’t seem to accept I can speak, and well enough for you to understand, young lady.”

Iliana scrubbed her hands over her face. “No, no, no. This isn’t possible. There is no magic in the world except what Hollywood conjures. I must be dreaming this. I’m on a solo hike in New Mexico, minding my own business. This is just a dream from sun-stroke…” She glanced around uncertainly. “Except the sand is golden and Taggart Crowe has shown up.”

“The man you left behind is named Brandon Crowe and you’re in the Karobis Desert, which is in the country of Knalland.” The horse stretched a leg forward and rubbed the side of his muzzle against his knee. “The continent on which this desert stretches is called Absentia.”

A Walk in the Sand comes out February 23, 2015.

Thanks for stopping by and happy reading. If you want to read more from other authors, click the link and enjoy...

Snippet Sunday - A Walk in the Sand - Company Incoming and **COVER REVEAL**

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 upcoming release, The Ivory Road: A Walk in the Sand, a science-fiction/fantasy romance serial. Book 1 in the Ivory Road Serial. This new story will be released on Monday, February 23, 2015.

In this snippet, Iliana, a Hollywood actress, finds herself somewhere she doesn't expect. She's supposed to be hiking across the White Sands National Monument. The problem is the sand is golden now, her sunglasses are missing, and there are a whole lot more people than she expected to see in her neck of the dunes.

A low rumble across the sandy wastes caught her attention. She squinted against the glare and focused on a growing plume of dust. People on horseback raced toward her over the dunes, dressed in the same clothing style as her own costume. They whipped their horses into a full gallop even though it was the hottest part of the day.

“Oh, shit.”

None of the riders looked particularly friendly and their path would take them right over the top of her. Unless she got out of the way. There’s an idea.

Iliana spun and tripped over something at her feet. She landed hard in an undignified heap next to the large object on the ground. She scanned the yielding lump and her stomach sank. A body lay staring at the sky, the face still covered in black silk.

“Oh, my God!”

I don't think she's in New Mexico anymore. ;) There are several great authors on the Weekend Writer Warriors 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 Sarah Wesson.

**COVER REVEAL**

Here's the tentative blurb for The Ivory Road: A Walk in the Sand:

When it comes to finding love, Ivory is out of this world…

Iliana Vanessa Rory was just trying to find some peace before she had to start her next filming project. As one of Hollywood’s A-listed actors, Ivory doesn’t get much alone time. But when she steps across a dimensional boundary, she gets far more company than she intended in the form of a guy she swears is her upcoming costar, Mr. Crowe.

Turns out Brandon Crowe isn’t who she thinks he is, but on that they’re even. He needs her to show him the way across the desert and he’s a whole lot of trouble. Between an advancing army, ruthless creditors, and betrayal of trust, Brandon might be more than Iliana can handle. Fortunately, she has a talking horse to keep her company. But really, she just wants to make it to Australia to start filming on Monday.

A Walk in the Sand is the first story in a four part serial of Iliana’s journey.