Category: #ThursThreads

#ThursThreads – Week 492 – Winners

Posted on by Siobhan Muir

Week 492 of #ThursThreads had many fantastic tales. What an amazing feat we’ve pulled off. Nine years! If you’ve been doing it a while, thank you for coming back each week. If you’ve just found us, welcome! You’re in good company. May you come back again and write more great flash. A thousand thanks to Mary Decker for judging this week. Check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on Facebook or the #ThursThreads Group on MeWe to keep up with news, etc. Entries: Miya Kressin | @miya_kressin Gora Shade | @AngoraShade Bill Engleson | @billmelaterplea Silver James | @SilverJames_ Catherine Verdier | @CatheVerdier Mark A. Morris Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig Mark Ethridge | @mysoulstears Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir Mary says: First off – just managing to get something in this close to the Holidays is hard – I’m not sure if I envy or honor all of you, probably a bit of both. I always enjoy Thursday’s Threads and today was no different. Thank you, all, for writing!  Honorable Mentions Catherine Verdier | @CatheVerdier Mary says: You bring us into the middle of a rather moody piece that is filled with paranoia and the fact that he really is out to get you— I love the resolve to not just wait for death to come, but to have the heroine face it on their terms. Well Done. Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil Mary says: I love the imagery of being cursed – and finding happiness in the end. Not all curses are all bad. A truth we should learn. Bravo. Special Mention: Siobhan Muir Mary says: Although she’s not eligible to win, I loved Siobhan’s entry for having the answer that I’ve always wanted when it comes to the “Do you know who I am?” type of question. – “I can, I know, and he will.” winner announcement Week 492 Winner Mark Ethridge | @mysoulstears Mary says: If you’ve ever had a mimosa tree – you know how invasive they can be— how they can take over and then at some point they just… stop. The story is true for trees, and sadly relationships. This story touches on all of that and hints at so much more. There I was, standing in my backyard, reciprocating saw with a nine inch wood cutting blade in my hands. I’d plugged it into the 200 foot long extension cord that ran from the house. It started 27 years ago, when the tree sprouted from the ground. She told me not to cut it. “Wait and see what it does.” Six months later, she declared it was a mimosa tree, and she liked it, and we were going to let it grow. The years went by, and it grew like a weed. Must have reached 30 feet tall. Had three main branches from the trunk, and those had several branches of their own. For the first twenty years, it grew, and each year, it leafed out, and it filled the back yard with pink mimosa flowers, and hundreds of seed pods. Until the year it stopped. That’s it. It just stopped. No leaves. No flowers. No seed pods. Nothing. The leaves all fell off for the winter, and they never came back. I left it alone for years, because she’d told me not to cut it down all those years ago. But, finally, she decided it was dead, and needed to go. Which was why I was standing there. Looking at that dead tree. And why I looked at the saw in my hands, and asked, “Any volunteers to put him out of his misery?” The saw happily ripped that dead tree down.~~~~~~~ Congratulations Ten Time Winner Mark, and Honorable Mentions Catherine and Sheilagh! Don’t forget to claim your badges and display them with pride. You certainly earned it! Pass on the great news on Twitter, Facebook, MeWe, shiny mirrors, Morse Code, and signal flags. Check out all the original tales HERE. Thanks for stopping by and happy reading! 🙂

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#ThursThreads – Tying Tales Together – Week 492

Posted on by Siobhan Muir

Welcome back to the home of Paranormal & Dauntless Romance. Today is Thursday and that means it’s time to start flashing. We’re in the middle of our ninth year of weekly prompts. It’s amazing we’ve gone this long! This is Week 492 of #ThursThreads, the challenge that ties tales together. Want to keep up each week? Check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on Facebook and the Group on MeWe. 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. The prompt must be used as is. It can be split, but no intervening words can be inserted or tenses changed. Rules to the Game: This is a Flash Fiction challenge, which means your story must be a minimum of 100 words, maximum of 250. The story must be new writing, not a snippet from something published elsewhere with the prompt added. 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 in the post (or be excluded from judging) Include your Twitter handle or email in the post (so we don’t have to look for 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, MeWe, and Google Plus, etc. Our Judge for Week 492: Computer geek, bass player, historical reenactor, and flashfiction writer, Mary Decker. Facebook | Twitter | And now your #ThursThreads Challenge, tying tales together. The Prompt: “Any volunteers to put him out of his misery?” All stories written herein are the property (both intellectual and physical) of the authors. Comments do not represent the views of the host and the host reserves the right to remove any content. Now, away with you, Flash Fiction Fanatics, and show us your #ThursThreads. Good luck!

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#ThursThreads – Tying Tales Together – Week 491

Posted on by Siobhan Muir

Welcome back to the home of Paranormal & Dauntless Romance. Today is Thursday and that means it’s time to start flashing. We’re in the middle of our ninth year of weekly prompts. It’s amazing we’ve gone this long! This is Week 491 of #ThursThreads, the challenge that ties tales together. Want to keep up each week? Check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on Facebook and the Group on MeWe. 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. The prompt must be used as is. It can be split, but no intervening words can be inserted or tenses changed. Rules to the Game: This is a Flash Fiction challenge, which means your story must be a minimum of 100 words, maximum of 250. The story must be new writing, not a snippet from something published elsewhere with the prompt added. 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 in the post (or be excluded from judging) Include your Twitter handle or email in the post (so we don’t have to look for 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, MeWe, and Google Plus, etc. Our Judge for Week 491: Speculative romance author and ray of sunshine in a dystopian hellscape. Also, she likes pie, Nicola Cameron. Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads |  And now your #ThursThreads Challenge, tying tales together. The Prompt: “They’d become like stone.” All stories written herein are the property (both intellectual and physical) of the authors. Comments do not represent the views of the host and the host reserves the right to remove any content. Now, away with you, Flash Fiction Fanatics, and show us your #ThursThreads. Good luck!

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#ThursThreads – Week 490 – Winners

Posted on by Siobhan Muir

Week 490 of #ThursThreads had many fantastic tales. What an amazing feat we’ve pulled off. Nine years! If you’ve been doing it a while, thank you for coming back each week. If you’ve just found us, welcome! You’re in good company. May you come back again and write more great flash. A thousand thanks to Katheryn Avila for judging this week. Check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on Facebook or the #ThursThreads Group on MeWe to keep up with news, etc. Entries: Bill Engleson | @billmelaterplea Miya Kressin | @miya_kressin Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil Silver James | @SilverJames_ Kelly Heinen | @Aightball Catherine Verdier | @CatheVerdier Mark A. Morris David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig Eric Martell | @drmag00 Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir Patty Dump | @pattydump1 M.T. Decker | @mishmhem Honorable Mentions Miya Kressin | @miya_kressin Katheryn says: I really like the King Arthur vibes of this! It’s a short piece but it’s packed with lore and tickles the imagination. The main character is immediately likeable, and I’m curious to see what kind of leader he’ll be. Silver James | @SilverJames_ Katheryn says: The tension in this is thick and I love it! You get just enough from each character to really see their personalities, and enough of the wider story to hook you. Can’t wait to read more. Patty Dump | @pattydump1 Katheryn says: You can feel the speaker’s frustration with the brother, and that makes this a fun read. Pair that with the imagery and excitement at having the brother meet the woman in the painting and now I need to see when it finally happens! winner announcement Week 490 Winner Mark A. Morris Katheryn says: This is straight up haunting. The build up to the end, and the tension as the story goes on is really well-executed. A very neat take on immortality and its cost, too. This is the kind of story that lingers in your head long after you’ve read it. China Edith watched him out of the corner of her eye. He was unapologetic and proud, his chest forward and his shoulders pushed back. “I’d have thought you’d be happy,” he said, choosing a fine, lint-free cloth. “It was very much what you asked for, wasn’t it?” The alchemist took her right hand and lifted it, holding it up against the light. It was already a porcelain white, but it still wasn’t satisfactory. There was a flaw in the glaze, a roughness in its finish, an irregularity in the way the stain had fused. She tried to resist him, to snatch it back, but there was nothing she could do. Her muscles wouldn’t respond to her will; they’d become like stone. “I think you’re going be one of my favourites. You had the cheekbones, the jawline, a perfect nose. There was so very little I had to correct.” He manipulated her fingers, articulating the individual sections of each one, sensitive to their alignment and the curve of her palm. A tear brimmed against the rim of her eyelid, then dropped down her cheek. An hour ago, she would have cursed, would have brushed it away, would have worried about her makeup. Two hours ago, she should have refused the offer he made. Perfection. And immortality. And a face that would never age. She’d thought he’d been joking. Or that he’d been a vampire. Either way, she’d nothing to lose. A model was always super-aware of how she looked. ~~~~~~~ Congratulations TWENTY-SIX TIME WINNER Mark, and Honorable Mentions Miya, Silver, and Patty! Don’t forget to claim your badges and display them with pride. You certainly earned it! Pass on the great news on Twitter, Facebook, MeWe, shiny mirrors, Morse Code, and signal flags. Check out all the original tales HERE. Thanks for stopping by and happy reading! 🙂

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#ThursThreads – Tying Tales Together – Week 490

Posted on by Siobhan Muir

Welcome back to the home of Paranormal & Dauntless Romance. Today is Thursday and that means it’s time to start flashing. We’re in the middle of our ninth year of weekly prompts. It’s amazing we’ve gone this long! This is Week 490 of #ThursThreads, the challenge that ties tales together. Want to keep up each week? Check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on Facebook and the Group on MeWe. 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. The prompt must be used as is. It can be split, but no intervening words can be inserted or tenses changed. Rules to the Game: This is a Flash Fiction challenge, which means your story must be a minimum of 100 words, maximum of 250. The story must be new writing, not a snippet from something published elsewhere with the prompt added. 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 in the post (or be excluded from judging) Include your Twitter handle or email in the post (so we don’t have to look for 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, MeWe, and Google Plus, etc. Our Judge for Week 490: Programmer by day, writer by night, Katheryn J. Avila. Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | And now your #ThursThreads Challenge, tying tales together. The Prompt: “I’d have thought you’d be happy.” All stories written herein are the property (both intellectual and physical) of the authors. Comments do not represent the views of the host and the host reserves the right to remove any content. Now, away with you, Flash Fiction Fanatics, and show us your #ThursThreads. Good luck!

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#ThursThreads – Week 489 – Winners

Posted on by Siobhan Muir

Week 489 of #ThursThreads had many fantastic tales. What an amazing feat we’ve pulled off. Nine years! If you’ve been doing it a while, thank you for coming back each week. If you’ve just found us, welcome! You’re in good company. May you come back again and write more great flash. A thousand thanks to Eric Martell for judging this week. Just a reminder, there will be NO #THURSTHREADS next week in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. We’ll see y’all back here in two weeks. Entries: Bill Engleson | @billmelaterplea Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil Silver James | @SilverJames_ Catherine Verdier | @CatheVerdier Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig Mark A. Morris Honorable Mention Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil Eric says: Fifty years is a long time, and whole lives can be lived. Visiting those who we knew when we were young doesn’t always involve bringing offspring, but it always involves bringing the baggage of our lives. You can’t go home again, but you can reconnect and move forward. winner announcement Week 489 Winner Mark A. Morris Eric says: This story does a nice job of transporting us to death row, with its attendant cruelty. Who is Haggerty, and why does he want to die? Who’s the narrator – a guard, a psychologist? There’s more here, and good stories make us want to see what else there is. “Come in,” I said, offering him a smile. It would be the last one he’d see. He’d been waiting for this day for over a year, refusing any offers of leniency. It was unusual for a killer to choose to die; most the men on the row preferred to linger, hoping their appeals would be granted. And while they were waiting, they’d relish the sport, baiting the relatives of their victims and the police, eking out the remainder of their sentences slipping out half-truths and lies. Haggerty was a cool one. He’d shown no interest in head games, his behaviour more that of one of the hopefuls who claimed to be innocent. His removal from the general population was a matter of routine, not for their protection. He was a spent force, it seemed. Either that or there was no one here who could satisfy his requirements. “You’re very quiet,” I went on. “I’d have thought you’d be happy. I know you’ve just had chicken, fries and a quart of root beer. And a pack of cigarettes too – not that you got the time to finish them.” But nothing. Not even a glimmer of a reaction. I’d hoped to be able to reach him: break through his barriers to release the rage that compelled him. I tried again. I pressed the button to open the window of the viewing gallery. “Well, look at that,” I said. “You’ve got an audience. Maybe word got out that you were dying today.”~~~~~~~ Congratulations TWENTY-FIVE TIME WINNER Mark, and Honorable Mention Sheilagh! Don’t forget to claim your badges and display them with pride. You certainly earned it! Pass on the great news on Twitter, Facebook, MeWe, shiny mirrors, Morse Code, and signal flags. Check out all the original tales HERE. Thanks for stopping by and happy reading! 🙂

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#ThursThreads – Tying Tales Together – Week 489

Posted on by Siobhan Muir

Welcome back to the home of Paranormal & Dauntless Romance. Today is Thursday and that means it’s time to start flashing. We’re at the beginning of our ninth year of weekly prompts. It’s amazing we’ve gone this long! This is Week 489 of #ThursThreads, the challenge that ties tales together. Want to keep up each week? Check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on Facebook and the Group on MeWe. 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. The prompt must be used as is. It can be split, but no intervening words can be inserted or tenses changed. Rules to the Game: This is a Flash Fiction challenge, which means your story must be a minimum of 100 words, maximum of 250. The story must be new writing, not a snippet from something published elsewhere with the prompt added. 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 in the post (or be excluded from judging) Include your Twitter handle or email in the post (so we don’t have to look for 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, MeWe, and Google Plus, etc. Our Judge for Week 489: Scientist, Dad, and flash fiction author, Eric Martell. Facebook | Twitter | And now your #ThursThreads Challenge, tying tales together. The Prompt: “Maybe word got out.” All stories written herein are the property (both intellectual and physical) of the authors. Comments do not represent the views of the host and the host reserves the right to remove any content. Now, away with you, Flash Fiction Fanatics, and show us your #ThursThreads. Good luck!

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Siobhan Muir’s #ThursThreads Tales from Oct 2021

Posted on by Siobhan Muir

Welcome to the monthly round up of all my #ThursThreads tales.  It’s November and I’m deep into #NaNoWriMo. I will be posting some of my rough WIPs in December. But writing is getting done and I should have a quite a few stories out in 2022. Most of these bits are of upcoming tales, written to prompts from the #ThursThreads #flashfiction challenge I host each Thursday. We’re starting with Week 483 through Week 486 and I’ve collected them in one place. September had four Thursdays, so you get four tales along with their dates and prompts. Happy reading! ~~~~~~~~~ Week 483, October 7, 2021 Prompt: “Are you coming or not?” He’d gained a wife and another daughter all in one event. And he didn’t mind a bit. They read the girls bedtime stories and kissed them goodnight before retreating to the kitchen. The catering staff Amanda had hired cleaned up and stored the food from the reception while she changed into comfort clothing rather than wedding finery. Mike took the opportunity to put on sweats and a t-shirt before returning to the kitchen and walking the caterers out. Amanda joined him just as he locked the front door and set the alarm. “All good?” She stood in the entryway in a slouchy sweatshirt that bared one shoulder and a pair of soft fleece pants. Mike nodded. “Yeah, all good. What do you want to do now?” She gave a short laugh. “I don’t know. I’ve never had a wedding before. I’m tired, but I don’t want to go to bed yet.” She rubbed her arms with her hands. “Maybe we could do some Netflix & Chill now that we’re not under the gun to get married?” “That sounds great.” He followed her toward the living room, but took a left into the kitchen. Amanda paused. “Are you coming or…?” “Not yet, I thought I’d make us some tea or chai or something. Do you want anything?” “Oh, yeah, maybe some tea. Peppermint is my favorite.” She smiled and the surprised pleasure on her face made his day even brighter. Which is silly because this marriage isn’t real beyond the license. 250 #WIP500 words ~~~~~~~~~ Week 484, October 14, 2021 Prompt: “He can’t hear you.” “I actually love you. Please don’t go.” “He can’t hear you, you know.” Amanda nodded as she leaned her head against the window four stories above the street where Mike stood waiting for a taxi. “I know.” Zoe sighed. “Then what are you doing? If you really love him, why aren’t you going after him?” Amanda closed her eyes as tears threatened. “I can’t give him what he needs. He needs someone who doesn’t work all the time. Someone who can decorate Easter eggs and sit around filling out the Sudoku puzzle in the morning paper. He deserves someone like that and I can’t be it.” “Why not? From what I saw, this was the first time since I’ve known you that you took a vacation, and had fun. Actual, not-doing-it-for-money fun.” Zoe leaned against the window and stared Amanda down. “Mike was good for you. He made you see there’s more to life than just work, or business. Hell he made you think about things beyond paperclips and stationary. Don’t be a dumbass. Go after him. He’s worth it.” “How do you know?” Amanda finally looked away from Mike, still waiting. “How do you know he’s worth it?” “Uh, because you’re up here in tears, and Amanda Pendleton never cries in the office. Ever.” Zoe rolled her eyes. “Besides, I’ve seen how he treats you and how you interacted with him. You’re in love, for real, girlfriend. Don’t be stupid and let it go.” 245 #WIP500 words ~~~~~~~~~ Week 485, October 21, 2021 Prompt: “That’s not why I’m here.” “Well…” Phinn shot Kendra a look before taking a deep breath. “First let me introduce Kendra MacGillivray of Cloudburst, Colorado. She was with me when the tracker demon came for me because I’ve left Winter.” “Sweet Goddess.” Phinn’s mother widened her eyes. “It’s very nice to meet you, Kendra. You can call me Colleen.” She smiled briefly before fixing her son with her wide gaze. “She was with you? As in, with you?” Phinn sputtered and Kendra laughed. “No, no, he was skulking around Darius and Sabrina’s place when he literally ran into me.” “Phinnius, I taught you better than that.” Colleen shook her head as she sipped her tea. “So how did you get to Winter?” “The tracker demon—” “Whose name is Marbles.” “—caught us both in its return spell.” “But my healing spell healed her, and she kept us from being discovered by a Winter patrol while Phinn was injured—” “By the tracker demon to begin with.” Phinn rolled his eyes. “My goodness, you’ve definitely had an adventure. It’s a good thing you’re here. Now we can have a little visit and relax.” Colleen nodded sharply as if that solved everything. “Yeah…that’s not why I’m here, Mom. I wanted to talk to you about Grampa’s sword.” Colleen’s expression grew wary. “What about it?” “I’m pretty sure it’s the reason Winter sent the tracker demon. I’m pretty sure it’s why Dad courted and married you. And I’m pretty sure you know why they’d be after it.” 250 #CloudburstColorado words ~~~~~~~~~ Week 486, October 28, 2021 Prompt: “Might not be the targets.” “Viper and Harley might not be the targets.” But Neo shook his head. “Maybe not at first, but now Backlog thinks they have something valuable.” He pointed at me. “Did you find anything on Harley? Maybe in her gear or clothes or something?” I frowned. “No. I wasn’t really looking for anything. I mean, hell, there could be a tracking bug on her gear somewhere and I wouldn’t know it.” Neo stiffened and rose from his chair before digging through a cabinet that looked like it contained files, but really held locked drawers. He pulled out a little wand that detected electronics and…

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#ThursThreads – Week 488 – Winners

Posted on by Siobhan Muir

Week 488 of #ThursThreads had many fantastic tales. What an amazing feat we’ve pulled off. Nine years! If you’ve been doing it a while, thank you for coming back each week. If you’ve just found us, welcome! You’re in good company. May you come back again and write more great flash. A thousand thanks to Patricia Oak for judging this week. Check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on Facebook or the #ThursThreads Group on MeWe to keep up with news, etc. Entries: Angora Shade | @AngoraShade Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil Bill Engleson | @billmelaterplea Catherine Verdier | @CatheVerdier Silver James | @SilverJames_ Eric Martell | @drmag00 Mark A. Morris David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig Teresa Eccles| @TeresaMEccles M.T. Decker | @mishmhem Tina Glasneck | @TinaGlasneck Honorable Mentions Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil Patricia says: this story was meant for Veterans day. I was drawn on and want to read about both love stories. Silver James | @SilverJames_ Patricia says: this story out of all of them made me want more. My first note for this was “What’s going to happen next?”. I love stories that make me want more and I will go back to read. Catherine Verdier | @CatheVerdier Patricia says: as I was reading this story I just want to jump in and help this poor girl. I just love stories that make me care that much for the characters. winner announcement Week 488 Winner Teresa Eccles | @TeresaMEccles Patricia says: this story was well written, easy to follow and I could see where it could keep going. I felt the emotions jump off of page at me. Congratulations. LeeAnn walked in as Sherry let out a heavy sigh. “How’s it going?” “Terrible.” “It’s small, yeah?” “It’s been small. Stuff has started to get out of hand, though. I mean, look at this!” Sherry held up a huge stack of papers. “LeeAnn, this was supposed to be a little contest with maybe ten entries. How in the world did this many people even find out about it?” LeeAnn shrugged. “Maybe word got out?” Sherry stopped and shot LeeAnn a hard stare. “What did you do?” LeeAnn grabbed a piece of candy and shoved it in her mouth, shaking her head and pointing to her full mouth, making noises around the caramel as if she were trying to speak. “LeeAnn! You know I don’t have time to read all these essays. Why would you do this?” LeeAnn chewed faster, holding up her index finger at Sherry, causing Sherry to roll her eyes and put both hands on her hips as she waited. “You’ve worked so hard to make your shop a success, I knew that one little sign on your door wouldn’t bring in many entries. And, isn’t the whole point of this contest to bring more attention to your store? I may have posted the contest on social media.” Sherry’s eyebrows shot up. “And added an uh . . . incentive.” Sherry’s eyes closed in disbelief. “LeeAnn, I do not believe you.” She drew a deep breath and handed some papers to LeeAnn. “Fine. You’re reading essays, too.” ~~~~~~~ Congratulations Five Time Winner Teresa, and Honorable Mentions Sheilagh, Silver, and Catherine! Don’t forget to claim your badges and display them with pride. You certainly earned it! Pass on the great news on Twitter, Facebook, MeWe, shiny mirrors, Morse Code, and signal flags. Check out all the original tales HERE. Thanks for stopping by and happy reading! 🙂

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#ThursThreads – Tying Tales Together – Week 488

Posted on by Siobhan Muir

Welcome back to the home of Paranormal & Dauntless Romance. Today is Thursday and that means it’s time to start flashing. We’re in the middle of our ninth year of weekly prompts. It’s amazing we’ve gone this long! This is Week 488 of #ThursThreads, the challenge that ties tales together. Want to keep up each week? Check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on Facebook and the Group on MeWe. 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. The prompt must be used as is. It can be split, but no intervening words can be inserted or tenses changed. Rules to the Game: This is a Flash Fiction challenge, which means your story must be a minimum of 100 words, maximum of 250. The story must be new writing, not a snippet from something published elsewhere with the prompt added. 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 in the post (or be excluded from judging) Include your Twitter handle or email in the post (so we don’t have to look for 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, MeWe, and Google Plus, etc. Our Judge for Week 488: Florida girl and reader, Patricia Oak. And now your #ThursThreads Challenge, tying tales together. The Prompt: “Yeah, it’s been small stuff.” All stories written herein are the property (both intellectual and physical) of the authors. Comments do not represent the views of the host and the host reserves the right to remove any content. Now, away with you, Flash Fiction Fanatics, and show us your #ThursThreads. Good luck!

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