Flash Friday Fiction: One Lot to Rule Them All

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Night Archer
Night Archer. CC2.0 photo by Tanakawho.

One Lot to Rule Them All – 210 words

I was born here. It’s only fitting I return here.

Ma had been shopping for final nursery items. You know, onesies, bottles, that stupid blue elephant with the stitched eyes that made him look dead from the start.

Ma thought she had two more weeks. I had other plans. I was always precocious like that.

Now, finally, I’m an adult. I’ve reached the apex of my maturity.

Years of studying and training, days of sore muscles and strained eyes, nights of shadows and blackness as fear wrestled with reality; all brought me to this moment.

My first shift as parking lot attendant.

Let the others use their warning tickets, their weird little carts. I come armed with better weapons.

Took up two parking spaces? An arrow to the tire.

Paid for an hour but stayed three? Don’t expect to find your windshield intact.

Dared to park an SUV in a compact space? My bow shall make quick work of your antenna. No longer shall you enjoy the sounds of wailing boy bands as you seek out the best spot.

You will never have it. For I already do. I am power.

You won’t see me coming. I am stealth.

I am One with the Lot. I am…

The Parking Ninja.

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Some people might be able to taking this prompt and the required setting of a parking lot and come up with something richly moving, something emotionally evocative, something sharing the greatest truths about the depths of the human psyche within a mere 200 (+/- 10) words.

Not me. I went for funny. I love funny. Did I succeed?

Hop (or, you know, make your way with invisible, stealthy Ninja moves) on over to Flash Friday Fiction to check out the other takes on this week’s prompt – or draft one of your own!

Available Now for Pre-Order: Tamara Shoemaker’s “Soul Survivor”

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Soul Survivor Tamara ShoemakerFab friend and fellow writer Tamara Shoemaker’s latest release, Soul Survivor, is available for pre-order for only $4.49 starting TODAY!

Here’s the blurb:

Twenty-two year old Eden Grey knows all about fear, bitterness, and heartbreak. Twelve years ago, she’d witnessed a stranger’s murder in a shadowy highway rest stop. The next day, she’d found her twin brother Evan drowned. A secret that endangered her own life and the lives of those she loved kept her silent.
Now fresh out of college and living in Williamsburg, Virginia, Eden struggles daily. An incapacitating stammer results from her traumatic past and shields her from social interactions and the persistent and attentive Greg Katts.
When she discovers Greg’s true identity, the old fear seizes her and she flees.
Seeking to hide in the obscurity of the Smoky Mountains, Eden takes a job at Blue Mist Manor, a renovated mansion run by Jake Hayden, Eden’s old flame. He’s betrayed her before; how can she trust his offering of protection now? Or should she place her faith in Aaron, the dashing and flattering English professor staying at the Manor?
When the killer closes in, Eden has one last chance. Will she run, as she did twelve years earlier, or will she fight to survive?
Soul Survivor is more than a gripping mystery. It’s a story of how one young woman deals with loss, fear, and betrayal. Will she let her past dictate her future? Or will she learn to trust again?
Woo! Can’t wait to read it, can you? (I served as a lucky beta reader, so I know how enjoyable this book is.)

Click on the link above to reserve your copy today!

Writer Wednesday: Meet Angel Nicholas

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Welcome to Writer Wednesday, a new weekly feature in which I’ll be introducing you to one new author (mostly romance, occasionally other genres).

Author Angel Nicholas
Author Angel Nicholas

Today we meet the fabulous, and slightly shoe-obsessed, Angel Nicholas! Angel and I met in one of those roundabout ways (meaning I bumped into her on social media, but don’t remember the whens or the hows). She’s a hoot, y’all!

Here she shares with us a little about herself, as well as info on her latest release, Sweet Deception. Enjoy!

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

I love all romance, but my favorite is romantic suspense. The suspense adds a wonderful tension to the romance, and the romance softens the suspense. It’s the perfect marriage!

 Name two things people don’t know about you.

1. When I was six, I almost drowned in a very muddy Missouri river while floating in innertubes with extended family. I was saved when I bumped into my mother’s leg. She grabbed ahold of me and my grandpa carried me from the river. I still recall the very distinct color of the water.

2. I’m the middle child and only daughter, so I suffer both middle-child and only-child syndromes. Yep, I’m an invisible princess!

 What one piece of advice do you wish you’d had when first starting out?

Writing is a business. Learn as much as possible about marketing your book to the public, and stay on top of the trends. Knowledge is power.

Bonus answer:  The more knowledgeable you are about writing, the more complex it becomes.

Angel Nicholas Sweet Deception Cover SWEET DECEPTION

The thought of adventure makes her break out in hives. His dangerous job makes avoiding relationships easy. This unlikely pair will rock the criminal underground…and each other.

http://www.angelnicholas.com/books.html

Thanks for stopping by, Angel, in spite of my appalling lack of cute footwear. Always a pleasure, m’dear!

Flash Friday Fiction: The Lady in White

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Black and White House. CC2.0 photo by Scott Ableman.
Black and White House. CC2.0 photo by Scott Ableman.

The Lady in White

He doesn’t notice me. Not really. It’s the people around me he comes to see. Day after day, I stand here, watching, waiting for him. He’s all I can think about. Those dashing blue eyes, that shock of blonde hair. Boots that glisten in the sun.

I long to get close to him, but there are so many barriers in our way. Physical, emotional, social. He remains a fantasy. I, a wallflower.

What would it feel like for him to touch me? For me to enfold him, welcome him in? I can’t see that happening, though. The fences between us are mighty.

Sometimes I think he must feel it, too, this longing. Why else would he return, day after day?

There’ve been others before him. There’ll be others after. They flock to me, the well-adorned spectacle. They can’t stay away. But they can’t approach, either.

If only everyone weren’t so overprotective. If only I were free. I’d make myself approachable. I’d welcome him in with doors wide open.

As it is, I stand here, as I have for hundreds of years. A lonely edifice of self, serving others, but rarely seen for who I am.

I am so much more than stone.

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Quickly done – I hope to write another one today if I get a chance. But I’m off to Williamsburg for a romance conference, so that may not happen. Still, I’d love to know what you think! Our focus this week was character, and the required element, in conjunction with the photo prompt, was “Girl Next Door.”

Plus, check out the other fabulous stories over on Flash Friday today.