Flash Friday Fiction: Home Fires Burning

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Oak Alley Plantation. CC2.0 photo by Corey Balazowich.
Oak Alley Plantation. CC2.0 photo by Corey Balazowich.

Home Fires Burning
146 words

Home is where the heart is. That’s what they say, at least.

Never has a sight been so welcome as the house before me. I am home. I have survived years of war, of suffering, of agony. I have survived the end of innocence.

As I walk down the familiar path, the time-worn bricks covering what used to be gravel, and before that, dirt, I think of my father. My grandfather. His father. And generations back, all of us fighting. Some of us coming home.

My knees buckle and I sink to the ground, kissing it, thanking it for one more day on earth, one more day with you.

Then I see you, between the columns, your face turning towards me, your body in the arms of another man.

And I know it’s true, what they say. You can’t go home again.

I raise my gun.

From our fearless Flash Friday! Fiction leader, Rebekah Postupak:

Winding down our novel prompts (just four more after today!), it’s Gone With the Wind, of course: Margaret Mitchell’s sweeping American Civil War drama starring a proud and rather snotty plantation owner’s daughter who does everything in her power to survive the war and hold on to her family home.

Story elements (base your 150 [+/-10] word story on any TWO of these elements; be sure to tell us which two you chose. Reminder: please remember the Flash! Friday guidelines with regard to content; and remember please do not use copyrighted characters).

* Conflict: man v man, man v society (not gender specific)
* Character (choose at least one): a plantation owner’s daughter, a racketeer, a beautiful woman who never does anything wrong, a noble soldier, a hot-tempered child, a slave whose cruel situation is never acknowledged, a pair of mischief-making twins
* Theme (choose one): desperation, determination, slavery, society/class, women’s rights
* Setting (choose one): the American South during the Civil War, a war-torn city

What do you think? I chose the noble soldier, and the themes of desperation/determination. I’m actually surprised at my own ending, considering how anti-gun I am, but there it was. Now the question is, at whom do you think he was aiming that gun?

Wanna read the other selections? Here you go!

 

Flash Friday! Fiction: Frank and Steina

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New York Nursery, 1910. No known copyright restrictions. From the NY Nursery & Child Hospital Annual Report.
New York Nursery, 1910. No known copyright restrictions. From the NY Nursery & Child Hospital Annual Report.

Frank and Steina – 173 words

Character: Oblivious optimist
Theme: Secrecy, fate vs free will

If you love something, set it free, the old cliché goes.

I did. Two years, five months, fourteen days, and three hours ago, I sprung you from your cage.

You’d come back, I figured. You had a good life here. Food aplenty, all the books you could read, me for companionship. What more could you want? What more could you need?

You told me you had to find yourself, had to discover who you were without me. Beyond me.

I let you go.

Now you’re here, saying nothing’s changed, that we can go on as before, that you’re where you belong.

I believe you. I want to. I have to. I’ve never loved another like I love you.

And yet, secrets play around your eyes. I catch you watching me when you think I’m not looking. You never let me out of your sight.

“What did you do while away?” I ask.

“Planned,” you answer, your gaze terrifyingly steady, that guileless smile betrayed by blood red lips.

I know who’s the captor now.

Today’s novel is her 1818 classic, argued by many to be the first science fiction story, Frankenstein. Frankenstein relays the anguished tale of Victor Frankenstein, whose grotesque but now sentient and intelligent creature, after being rejected by his creator, sets out on a violent and desperate journey which ultimately dooms them both. Er, I trust that wasn’t a spoiler for anyone?

Story elements (base your story on any TWO of these elements; be sure to tell us which two you chose. Reminder: please remember the Flash! Friday guidelines with regard to content; and remember please do not use copyrighted characters).

* Conflict: man v self, man v society
* Character (choose at least one): a cowardly scientist; a man-made, sentient creature; a hapless fiancee, an oblivious optimist.
* Theme (choose one): forbidden science, danger of the pursuit of knowledge, fate v free will, secrecy
* Setting (choose one): Romantic-era Europe, a laboratory, a ship voyaging in the Arctic, ANYWHERE STEAMPUNK!

So what do you think? I had 175 (+/- 10) words in which to craft a tale. Normally I write romance, or at least humor. I opted for a different vein this time about.

Stick your arms out and shuffle on over to Flash Friday Fiction to feast on other fine stories.

 

Writer Wednesday: Meet Tina Glasneck!

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tinaglasneckWhoa, wait? It’s Wednesday? Again? How does this keep happening? Yeah, who cares? We LOVE Wednesdays, because it’s Writer Wednesday!

Today I’ve got fellow Virginia Romance Writer Tina Glasneck in the hot seat (I hope it’s hot – it’s getting darn chilly outside!). Tina took time out of her very busy schedule (mom to very young kids, as well as a writer – need I say more?) to share a bit about herself and her writing. Wahoo! So settle in, drink some hot chocolate for me, and leave Tina some comment love when you’ve finished reading all about her.

old-books-11281939505MsrnWhat inspires you to write?

I often think that if I didn’t write, I’d go mad. Writing is like standing outside naked and asking people what they think. It is sometimes hard, lonely, difficult and the path isn’t always filled with sunshine and butterflies. Yet, I still couldn’t imagine my life without my being able to put pen to paper or to caress my keyboard keys. Not everyone will understand the art of my stories, but those that do, they help to keep me coming back to sit down and share parts of my soul, which I’ve bled onto the page.

Which type of romance do you love most, and why?

I love paranormal romance, and time travel romance. Simply put, there is something magical about magic, and the ability in such a world to exist. All things are possible, including the bending of time, and space. Additionally, there is something about a dashing Lord, and a heroine who doesn’t feel the need to be subservient to him (due to her modern day disposition and constitution).

viking helmetName one interesting thing you learned in researching/writing your last book.

I am working on creating my first time-travel romance, and in doing so, I had to dig into Viking mythology, and ascertain how far south in modern day Germany the Vikings made it. One thing that I learned while doing all of this research was about the Brothers Grimm, who lived in Kassel during the 19th century. In fact, they compiled their famous fairy tales in Kassel. This of course led me down the road of recreating fairy tales like they used to be. And, in my latest release, 7 Twisted Fairy Tales, I take flash fiction and look at things from the villain’s point of view.

Die Sababurg im ReinhardswaldName two things people don’t know about you.

Two things that people don’t know about me? Well, that is a hard one. Often I feel like an open book.

The first thing is that I collect castles (fortresses and palaces). I’ve always had an affinity for all things medieval, and everything that has to do with knights in shining armor.  I still dream of one day owning my own castle (This is still on my to-be-accomplished list; I’ve already found my knight).

Secondly, I am a romantic; I mean an over-the-top-love-will-conquer-all-and-there-is-nothing-stronger-than-love romantic. So, you probably aren’t surprised by the fact that parts of my life I would actually consider to be part of a fairy tale. I was married in a castle on the outskirts of Kassel, called The Sababurg. It is the Sleeping Beauty Castle, and is surrounded with lovely roses. As you can see, my time travel romance will actually have a little bit of truth. 🙂

7 Twisted Tales cover-page-0017 Twisted Fairy Tales

Do you like fairy tales? Dive into the familiar tales of your youth, but be forewarned — these aren’t your normal fairy tales. They’ve been recreated, fractured, made darker, more sinister. These flash fiction tales are sure to make you look at fairy tales in a new way. Embrace the twisted. 

Released specifically for Halloween, and is a collection of flash fiction stories.

Find it on Amazon!

Want to connect further with Tina? You may find her here:

Website: www.TinaGlasneck.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TL-Glasneck-Author-of-Romance-and-Fantasy-1429774030592558/ or https://www.facebook.com/TinaGlasneck

Twitter: @TLGlasneck and @TinaGlasneck

Author Bio:

Tina Glasneck is a crime fiction writer, and aspiring romance writer. She believes in the power of love, complicated stories with complex characters and beautiful settings. Inspired by Jude Deveraux and Kathleen Koen, Tina strives to create stories that keep readers engaged, love that sweeps one away, and a love powerful enough to pull you along for the ride. To learn more about Tina and her melange of writings, visit her at www.TinaGlasneck.com

Thanks so much for sharing some of yourself with us today, Tina!
I, for one, am looking forward to that time-travel romance, indeed, so hurry up and finish writing it, will you?

The West Virginia Book Festival – My Experiences as Author & Reader #wvbookfestival

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AMOCSueLondonThis past weekend I was privileged to attend the West Virginia Book Festival in Charleston, WV, headlined by no less than Neil Gaiman, and featuring such spectacular author-speakers as Homer Hickam, Jodi Picoult, Jeff Shaara, and Jacqueline Woodson. The wonderful Jane Friedman also presented a seminar on self-publishing for authors, which I was thrilled to attend.

I wore dual hats for the two days of the festival – one as reader fangirl, and one as author. You see, fellow Virginia Romance Writer Sue London was there featuring her marvelous Haberdashers series, and she graciously allowed me to display A Man of Character in her booth. I even got to spend a few hours hanging around to sign copies for anyone who wished one (and to my utter delight, there were some people who did!). It was my first big book festival signing (I’ve been blessed to hold signings at the Artisan Galleries in Massanutten, but the two venues are quite different). I met several enthusiastic book aficionados, sold a few books, and several readers signed up for my newsletter – hooray!

Speaking of which, congratulations to Carla W. for winning a copy of A Man of Character! Maria G., Elizabeth S., Debbie S., and Holly W., thanks for signing up for my newsletter. Even though you didn’t win a book, I hope you’ll stick around to find out more about my books and me!

NeilGaimanI wasn’t alone in my adventures, either – luckily for me, fellow friends and Shenandoah Valley Writers Foy Iver and Rebekah Postupak were in attendance. After a delightful dinner together on Friday, we listened in awe as Neil Gaiman charmed the entire audience with his humor and insights, and even read us a story.

Saturday morning that reader hat was firmly fixed to my head as I hit the famed used book sale, and scooped up a rather insane number of romances for under $20. Woo hoo!

FoyRebekahMargaret
My camera was blurry, but who cares? Foy, Rebekah, and I still managed to ham it up for this silly selfie.

HomerHickamThen it was off to hear the charming Homer Hickam speak – he’s really quite entertaining and funny, and the stories he told about his folks were both amusing and touching. My favorite anecdote was when he talked about meeting Harper Lee. She appeared at an event at which he was scheduled to speak, where she said to him, “So I hear you wrote a classic?” “Yeah, that’s what they say,” he responded. “Your readers will never forgive you,” was her comment. Something about that struck a real chord in me – we do tend to associate an author of a famous book only with that book, and anything else they write likely pales in comparison, right?

JodiPicoultI missed Jeff Shaara and Jacqueline Woodson, as I was chatting with Sue at the romance booth while also meeting and greeting folks, but finished off the festival by listening to Jodi Picoult speak. It’s with great embarrassment I admit that I’ve only read one of her books — House Rules — but I have a number of friends who love her stories, and after hearing her talk about some of the subject matter and research methods for a few of her hard-hitting books, like 19 Minutes, many more of hers are on my list.

Book Festivals are fun, y’all. When I’m there, I truly sense I’m with my tribe, my people. I felt that both as a reader and as an author, and it makes me even more determined to get to RWA and any other romance festivals I can find — and has me anxiously awaiting the Virginia Festival of the Book in Charlottesville next spring.

Thank you, Sue, for allowing me to join your party!

Sue and her husband setting up shop. They are both so very warm and charming, y'all.
Sue and her husband setting up shop. They are both so very warm and charming, y’all.

Thank you, Charleston and West Virginia, for a fabulous weekend!

WVSkyline

This photo doesn’t do the stunning scenery justice, but I have to admit, I literally whooped and hollered at the gorgeous fall foliage draped across the mountains.