Tag: Winners

Week 472 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 Miranda Kate 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: Katheryn J. Avila | @katheryn_avila Silver James | @SilverJames_ Miya Kressin | @miya_kressin Bill Engleson | @billmelaterplea Patty Dump | @pattydump1 Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir Kelly Heinen | @Aightball David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil Miya Kressin | @miya_kressin Miranda says: I liked the priestess’ thought process on this. There was enough here for me to grasp the bigger story too. winner announcement Week 472 Winner Katheryn J. Avila | @katheryn_avila Miranda says: It was a fast paced, succinct little tale that was exciting and made me want to read more. My lungs burn with every breath, and I hate that I’ve spent the last ten minutes dodging or blocking his attacks. His magic isn’t particularly strong or even clever, but he’s so fast. I can hardly think of a spell before he’s shot three my way. It’s barely begun, but there’s no denying I’m losing this match. “Come on, sister!” Celeste’s voice, only somewhat distracting, calls to me from the edge of our makeshift arena. It takes everything I have not to yell back, ask her to switch places. This was all her idea anyway. “Kick his ass!” But before I can do anything, a lightning bolt shoots toward me, the crackling static making my hair stand on end. With a wave of my hand and a muttered spell, a tree erupts from the ground in front of me to take the hit. The impact shakes the earth, and a moment later the tree is on fire. Maybe it’s the adrenaline, but the very real threat he poses sends me into a rage. If he won’t pull his punches, neither will I. Using the burning tree as cover, I keep myself out of sight. I only have a moment, so I need to make it count. Behind me, the void opens as I conjure a pair of daggers and let myself fall back. For a moment, I hover, the space a comforting envelope around me. In a blink, I reappear behind him, finally catching him off guard. ~~~~~~~ Congratulations Thirteen Time Winner Katheryn, and Honorable Mention Miya! 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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Week 471 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. Check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on Facebook or the #ThursThreads Group on MeWe to keep up with news, etc. Entries: Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir Mark A. Morris Silver James | @SilverJames_ Bill Engleson | @billmelaterplea David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil Kelly Heinen | @Aightball M.T. Decker | @mishmhem Honorable Mention Silver James | @SilverJames_ Eric says: Silver knows how to build a world in 250 words. Even though this story is part of a larger tale, you don’t need the rest of it to know something about these characters, their lives, and how they feel. Very nice work! winner announcement Week 471 Winner Mark A. Morris Eric says: It’s hard to do that much worldbuilding in 250 words – you need to carefully choose words that say a lot. Mark did a great job of that. I could see the soldiers, I could see their enemies, I could see the scorched Earth. Excellent job. The bells in every church tower across the country rang out, their peals ragged and lacking form. It was a final effort from the few of us who remained. A defiant gesture of resistance and courage. “Don’t believe what the government tells you,” Manson said. The war isn’t over yet. It’s barely begun.” He polished his binoculars, an analogue pair that looked like a museum exhibit. They were bound with leather and had lenses made from glass, lacking the electronics of the surveillance devices we used before the world turned upside down. “But we’ve beaten them. No one’s seen a mole-man for months. The only ones left are breaking rocks in prison camps. And even then, they’ve been de-clawed and neutered.” Manson shook his head and came back from the window. The scars on his cheeks looked like farmland furrows, deep and irregular. It was unlikely that they’d heal; the velveteen scourge was riddled with diseases, the barbs they used to hook their prey equipped with venom sacs. A simple scratch would become a wound in under an hour, and if it wasn’t cauterised quickly, it would continue to spread. The slightest break in a victim’s skin could become fatal. It was this that been their deadliest weapon. That and the fact they could appear from anywhere. The mountains had been the only places where we’d been safe. “The rumblings in Osaka have begun again,” Manson said. “The seismographs are all wrong. They’re coming back to finish what they started.” ~~~~~~~ Congratulations TWENTY-THREE TIME WINNER Mark, and Honorable Mention 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, 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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Week 470 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 George Varhalmi 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: Joseph P. Garland | @JPGarlandAuthor Bill Engleson | @billmelaterplea Katheryn J. Avila | @katheryn_avila Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir Silver James | @SilverJames_ Miya Kressin | @miya_kressin Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig M.T. Decker | @mishmhem Catherine Verdier | @CatheVerdier Honorable Mentions Silver James | @SilverJames_ George says: Great emotion and setup with the dialogue. I found the dialogue to be good but I had no sense of where we are which may be result of the snippet being in the middle of a larger scene. I needed a little more context. Miya Kressin | @miya_kressin George says: Fun little tale about play. I liked the BDSM element to the story that ended with the opening to the next scene where the action was heading to. There could have been more to the dialogue but it was good within the available word count. winner announcement Week 470 Winner David A. Ludiwg | @DavidALudwig George says: I liked the flow of the tale. It had some emotion and the snark was great. A little more dialogue would have been nice to add a little more depth. Overall, it was a great tale and my winner. Lord Kader scowled over his steepled knobby fingers and across his impressive stone table. His blood hadn’t boiled like this in centuries. Anger was politically disadvantageous. But the presence of a booster seat in his grand study was damn near enough to send him into a rage. The human looking coolly back at him didn’t make maintaining his composure any easier. The sultan’s puppet. “As a patriot,” Kader rumbled like approaching thunder. “I am in complete support of our mighty navy. However, your proposed budget takes us back to wartime level expenditures. How can you justify that under current geopolitical conditions?” Even with the booster seat, Sword Admiral Jasna Saifullah couldn’t reach the surface of the stone table and so kept her hands placidly folded in her lap. “The war isn’t over yet.” Insolent whelp! Kader could rip her limbs from her body with a mere thought, and yet she acted like she was in control here. He stabbed the papers laid before him with an emphatic finger. “Why are we funding a lunatic’s research?! Her former captain repeatedly reported on the danger of her ideas and her unreliability!” Was that a hardening of the human’s jaw? “Captain Rashid has the intellectual capacity of basalt. I’m not in the mood for games; we didn’t develop the most advanced ship in the Known World to sit on our hands while the other powers carve up Elementia. We need a gun worthy of the Djinn Castle, and Saffi Bashar can develop it.” ~~~~~~~ Congratulations Ten Time Winner David, and Honorable Mentions Silver, and Miya! 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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Week 467 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. Thanks to Karen Carr 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: Richard Gibney | @ragtaggiggagon Silver James | @SilverJames_ Bill Engleson | @billmelaterplea Catherine Verdier | @CatheVerdier Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir Kelly Heinen | @Aightball David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig Eric Martell | @drmag00 Louisa Bacio | @Louisabacio M.T. Decker | @mishmhem Karen says: All of the entries were wonderful, and picking just was was darn near impossible. Honorable Mentions Eric Martell | @drmag00 Karen says: The use of dialogue to give your characters and identity was extremely clever and well done. I also liked how you flipped the “traditional” interpretation of on the ground. While most entries were about characters wanting to be in the sky, your characters longed to be below the ground. Kudos. David A Ludwig | @DavidALudwig Karen says: The idea of wanting to spread your wings and escape the confines of a small community is expertly articulated in your entry. I can feel Soaru’s the anxiety and excitement as he prepares to jump. Your descriptions are vivid and pull the reader into the story. Great job. winner announcement Week 469 Winner Catherine Verdier | @CatheVerdier Karen says:  Congratulations! Your ability to build suspense, give insight to a complicated relationship, and hook the reader in just 250 words is masterful. I want to happens at the fae cort. I want to know what lead to Aeryn’s leaving. In essence, I want to know more! Aeryn climbed the stairs of the underground to the street and was greeted by a sudden downpour. “Just perfect. The worst ever day just got worse.” She turned the key to her small flat and was stopped at the threshold. She couldn’t move. “She sent you, didn’t she?” Aeryn said, not bothering to hide her annoyance. “And will you please drop this stupid ward?” After a couple of beats, the ward dropped and she went through. “Well, good evening to you, too, Your Royal Highness.” “Don’t call me that, D’arcy. And kindly drop the invisibility ward, too. I’m not in the mood for games.” D’arcy appeared, sitting on a lampshade. “Well, you are a princess. A fae princess. Heir to the fae throne.” He instantly vanished again. “Stop doing that.” D’arcy reappeared. Aeryn gave him a stern look. “I don’t belong on the ground,” he said with a smirk, perching on the leaf of a rubber plant. Aeryn shooed him off. “Why are you here, D’arcy? I’m no longer part of the fae realm. I’ve chosen to live in the mortal world.” “And does the Queen know? By the way, she has assigned me to head your security detail.” “Security detail?” She hadn’t sensed the presence of other fae. “Where?” “Um … well, me. I’m your security detail.” “Ha! Well, you can go back to my mother and tell her I won’t be requiring your services “ “You can tell her yourself, Aeryn. She’s summoned you to the fae court. Tomorrow noon.“ ~~~~~~~ Congratulations Two Time Winner Catherine, and Honorable Mentions Eric and David! 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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Week 467 of #ThursThreads had many fantastic tales. I’m honored to see all the writers come to tie a tale as we end our ninth year. If you’ve been doing it a while, thank you for sticking with us. If you’ve just found us, welcome! May you come back again and write more great flash. Thousand thanks to Nellie Batz 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 Gora Shade | @AngoraShade Silver James | @SilverJames_ Catherine Verdier | @CatheVerdier Mark A. Morris Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil Honorable Mention David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig Nellie says: You have to admire a woman who knows how to use pieces of her costume as a way to escape from unwanted attentions. winner announcement Week 467 Winner Mark A. Morris Nellie says: I grew up reading Anne Rice and I have to admit, the idea of several vampire bands touring across the country would be fun to read about. What kind of rivalries could happen? Jakob sipped at his pint. The O negative was at room temperature, the way he preferred it. “It takes me back,” he said, listening for the crowd and knowing he wouldn’t hear it. “So many years, so many lives lost. Was it all for nothing?” “You wanna be careful,” Shaun said. “You keep on like that; you’ll be walking into the light. And that would be a shame.” They sat in silence, enjoying the mood. The cellar bar was where it had all started, the high of the shared adulation enough for them at first. The band travelled everywhere that first year, venturing across the channel, looking for new thrills. They became aesthetes, gourmands, gluttons; their audiences snowballing until the rapture began to plateau. And then they did the residency at Tepes’ Vault in Wallachia. They were a perfect fit. The Brooding Hearts had just released their second album, fans across Europe echoing the lyrics to Death in Harness, Bloodstain Spatter Analysis and And She Was a Goner; their eyes rolling back in their heads, their whites luminescing in the gloom. It was such an incredible high. Everyone should have the chance to feel it for a while. The in-house band there offered them a host of new opportunities. The Succubus Maids were a local group; six buxom blondes playing guitars. Their after-gig parties were legendary, their lead singer Elvira knowing no limits. She could charm every man who had drawn breath. And almost all the ones who didn’t. ~~~~~~~ Congratulations TWENTY-TWO TIME WINNER Mark, and Honorable Mention David! Don’t forget to claim your badges and display them with pride. You certainly earned it! And remember: Next week is our 9th Anniversary Event. 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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Week 466 of #ThursThreads had many fantastic tales. I’m honored to see all the writers come to tie a tale as we finish up our ninth year. If you’ve been doing it a while, thank you for sticking with us. If you’ve just found us, welcome! May you come back again and write more great flash. Thousand thanks to Katheryn J. 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 Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir Catherine Verdier | @CatheVerdier Silver James | @SilverJames_ Mark A. Morris David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil Eric Martell | @drmag00 Honorable Mentions Catherine Verdier | @CatheVerdier Katheryn says: You can really feel Catarina’s conflict in this. The brief scene paints a very clear picture of both characters, leaving lasting impressions that make me want to keep reading. Looking forward to where this story goes! winner announcement Week 466 Winner Silver James | @SilverJames_ Katheryn says: I really enjoyed the intensity of this – they only spoke their names but it was a heavy encounter that definitely left me wanting more. The snake imagery was really creative, too, and said a lot about the character without needing to dive too deep. Great job! The man’s movements were almost lazy as he blocked her sister’s blow. Sophie had never seen any man look more ruthless and she’d grown up in a viper pit of alpha males. A part of her brain wondered what her father would do if confronted by that particular expression on this particular man’s face. Recognizing her sister, she’d considered leaving but the stubborn streak that kept her chin up in the face of the bullshit that was her family, wouldn’t allow her. Then she’d caught a glimpse of Delilah’s date. Every ounce of femininity she possessed recognized him. In a visceral way that touched all of her. ALL of her. Her skin crackled like someone was tracing sparklers over it and she would swear that skyrockets burst across the ceiling. She froze, hypnotized by the snake-like reaction of her sister’s date. The man brushed away Delilah’s attack as the maitre’d and two burly busboys descended. Sophie slipped out of her seat and ducked into the ladies room. She returned to find the man occupying her table, looking as cool and controlled as a king cobra. He rose and held her chair. Those sparklers caressed her again. She sat before her legs betrayed her. He sat and offered her his hand. “Callum Fitzpatrick.” She knew the name. Irish mob. God knew he would never be a prince but she didn’t need one of those. She needed a man who would fight for her. “Sophie McNamara.” He smiled. And she was a goner. ~~~~~~~ Congratulations FIFTY TIME WINNER Silver, and Honorable Mention 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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Week 465 of #ThursThreads had many fantastic tales. I’m honored to see all the writers come to tie a tale as we head toward the end of our ninth year. If you’ve been doing it a while, thank you for sticking with us. If you’ve just found us, welcome! May you come back again and write more great flash. Thousand thanks to Heidi Rundle 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: Silver James | @SilverJames_ Charlene Mertz @rrats1231 Bill Engleson | @billmelaterplea Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir Catherine Verdier | @CatheVerdier Mark A. Morris David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil Honorable Mention Catherine Verdier | @CatheVerdier Heidi says: Catherine’s was very thought provoking and made you think about good and bad. winner announcement Week 465 Winner Silver James | @SilverJames_ Heidi says: Silver’s story was seamless easy to fall in to. He’d wanted to wake at sunset, Sade in his arms. Instead of getting his wish, he got the hard truth. This was it. Time. So he’d turned off his emotions and did what he did. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back. The earth spun on its axis. He felt the slip of time as sunrise edged ever closer. Maybe he would remain here on the balcony, looking out across the lake. He could watch the first rays of dawn without ill effect, then the lethargy of the day sleep would envelop his body. He could sit here, watch Day arrive in her colorful dance. He would close his eyes, a last breath expelled from his lungs as his heart slowed and ceased beating altogether and finally find some semblance of peace. What about now? Is it too late? The words Sade recorded on that message jabbed into his heart. Yes, it was too late. He’d done what had to be done. As much as the oblivion of true death beckoned, he wasn’t that big of a coward. He rose, went inside, and emptied the glass of the whiskey he could no longer enjoy into the sink. Courage, he realized, was saying goodbye to the one woman who filled his death with life, so she could live hers to the fullest. And strength was watching over her from afar to ensure that she lived it. Sade deserved her fairy tale ending. Gods knew he would never be a prince.~~~~~~~ Congratulations FORTY-NINE TIME WINNER Silver, and Honorable Mention 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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Week 464 of #ThursThreads had many fantastic tales. I’m honored to see all the writers come to tie a tale as we head toward the end of our ninth year. If you’ve been doing it a while, thank you for sticking with us. If you’ve just found us, welcome! May you come back again and write more great flash. Thousand thanks to David Ludwig 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: Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir Tina Glasneck | @TinaGlasneck Charlene Mertz | @rrats1231 Bill Engleson | @billmelaterplea Silver James | @SilverJames_ Richard Gibney | @ragtaggiggagon Mark A. Morris Catherine Verdier | @CatheVerdier Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig Miya Kressin | @miya_kressin Mark Ethridge | @mysoulstears Kelly Heinen | @Aightball M.T. Decker | @mishmhem David says: I really love how hard it is picking the winner and honorable mentions. Getting to read all of these stories was a lot of fun, and it’s an honor being part of such a strong community. Honorable Mentions Miya Kressin | @miya_kressin David says: Elves and magic immediately do it for me, but the guard who is also the brother sacrificing himself to save the princess put this one over the top for me. I especially love how his narration cuts off at the end. Richard Gibney | @ragtaggiggagon David says: A fun little flash, and the part that made it for me was “Oh, I hear it now.” It says something about people that even huge problems like literally turning into a chicken (or thinking you have) aren’t caught in time. Mark Ethridge | @mysoulstears David says: I am intrigued by this world of “hidden” and empaths, and our narrator being so supported by Deborah but needing to help this other hidden on his own. I especially love the way the narrative floats us through the narrator’s thoughts and feelings so we can experience piecing them together along with the characters. winner announcement Week 464 Winner Tina Glasneck | @TinaGlasneck David says: I was particularly captivated by your conflict imagery amid a tale of fantastic betrayal. A fighting princess, banshees, and magic will always be of interest to me, and you assembled them in a way that let me feel the larger world they were moving in. I like that this scene stands alone for me, even though clearly critical events transpire before and after it. Also, as a fan of alliteration, the phrase “pyrite prize” pleased me tremendously. The battlefield was quiet now. Storm clouds drew forth, and the heavens rumbled as if recognizing my pain. Staring into the ravaging sea, waves crashed on the black rocks below. The wind whipped my blood-soaked hair all about, and I longed to rest. I ignored the warmth spreading from the wound to my side. Banshees danced on the wind’s violent breeze. Their screams mixed with the wind. “Jump, and —” they taunted. “And I can’t do that.” I shook my head. My breath came out in dying spurts—each whacking thud in my chest a part of my prophetic pain. I’d fought the good fight. Clenching my bruised fist, my sword fell to the ground. “But you must, princess. The ships are coming to take you back to Lugh’s court to stand trial for treason.” She said Lugh’s court, but I knew my patron by another name. His betrayal spiked my bloodstream like adrenaline. “They will never let me survive the trip, let alone be able to stand in Lugh’s court.” The court I’d betrayed willingly for a pyrite prize. I wobbled, dropped to my knees, unable to hold my weight. Runes puckered my skin as if branded. My blood dripped to the ground, pooling, causing a large sigil to form around me. It flashed to life with a roll of thunder. Hearing chains rattle behind me, I turned. There, I saw my heart’s betrayal holding iron chains, ready. “Hello, pet,” he said. It was too late. Chaos summoned me. ~~~~~~~ Congratulations Five Time Winner Tina, and Honorable Mentions Miya, Richard, and Mark! 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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Week 463 of #ThursThreads had many fantastic tales. I’m honored to see all the writers come to tie a tale as we head toward the end of our ninth year. If you’ve been doing it a while, thank you for sticking with us. If you’ve just found us, welcome! May you come back again and write more great flash. Thousand thanks to Tina Glasneck 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: Katheryn J. Avila | @katheryn_avila Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil Charlene Mertz | @rrats1231 Bill Engleson | @billmelaterplea Richard Gibney | @ragtaggiggagon Catherine Verdier | @CatheVerdier Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir Tom Walsh | @tom1walsh Mark A. Morris David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig Stacy Bennett | @SBennettWrites Louisa Bacio | @Louisabacio Kelly Heinen | @Aightball M.T. Decker | @mishmhem Tina says: What a great bunch of stories, and you did not make it easy on me — I enjoyed every story. So many of them hit those emotional notes causing visceral, immediate responses—either laughter, a smile. Others made me want more. There is so much talent in this group, for sure. Thank you all for allowing me the opportunity to read your stories this week! Honorable Mentions Mark A. Morris Tina says: Oh, when life and the day job create a quagmire! I loved the imagery and sprinkle of humor throughout —prune juice, anyone? There is also something significant about the villain being an older lady, which I appreciated. A wonderful tale that is sure to shape into a battle of wills. Catherine Verdier | @CatheVerdier Tina says: I absolutely love history, and your writing naturally hooked me (especially with the hook line at the end, the big reveal), which brought it all together. The weaving of the fiction inside the historical facts had me longing for a good bowl of borscht and more great reading. Can’t wait to read it! M.T. Decker | @mishmhem Tina says: The way to my heart has to be with an awesome, take no prisoners dragon, who knows his worth. This hit all of the points for a great urban fantasy—snark, humor, and action! Of course, the fantastic sidekick of the ferret was the cherry on top of this UF sundae. I laughed out loud and wish I were on this mission. The story setting and imagery reminded me of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Although rogue vampires weren’t on the menu, an enraged dragon and a ferret with sticky fingers can indeed make the most of chaos! Charlene Mertz | @rrats1231 Tina says: This story reminded me of the great times with my kidlets in the kitchen. The imagery naturally produced a smile, and I was transported right back to remembering those toddler years. Great job! winner announcement Week 463 Winner Katheryn J. Avila | @katheryn_avila Tina says: Your fantasy had me wanting more from these characters and this world. Turning the gender norms around with the female soldiers and the heroine’s choices have deadly impacted someone she loves serves as a massive catalyst for a tale with depth and A+ world-building. How she cradled the pendant to tether her to this world instead of coming unraveled and possibly facing even more peril shows much of the human condition and how we find bits of hope even in hopeless situations. I’m sure that this will serve as a catalyst for the overall plot and the characters’ growth. Even from this snippet, the characters truly shine.  How it all will impact her world and worldview will be a joy to read. Very well done! The pendant weighs heavy in my hand, and it’s all I can really feel. That, and the pressure in my chest as my heart numbs, and the sounds around me go in one ear and out the other. “I’m sorry, Princess, but we must go.” I’m not even sure which of the knights helps me to my feet, guides me to a horse. But I’m glad she does, because I can’t see through the tears, through the blood that poured from my best friend as I watched him slip away. We can’t even take him back with us. My grip on his pendant tightens. I didn’t mean to take it, but I’m glad I did. It’s all that keeps me tethered, keeps me from losing myself to the grief. He’s gone. Dead. Dead because I couldn’t keep myself safe. Blinking the tears away, I take a deep, shuddering breath. The knight offers me her hand and pulls me up onto the horse. Pressing my forehead to her shoulder, I squeeze my eyes shut. If I look back at him, I’ll jump from the animal and refuse to leave. And I can’t do that. He wouldn’t want me to. So I hold on tight as she urges the horse into a run, bound for home. ~~~~~~~ Congratulations Twelve Time Winner Katheryn, and Honorable Mentions Mark, Catherine, Mary, and Charlene! 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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