Friday, December 21, 2012

Winner 55 Word Challenge:

Winner 55 Word Challenge:

Week Thirty-Nine


My, but this has been a stressful day, waiting for those damn Mayans to carry through with their prediction. It's beginning to look like we will be around for a while though... as if I ever had any doubt. The world wouldn't dare end until I finish my novel... along with all the other projects I've started and then put off.
 
We had a lot of great entries. Not an easy decision. But I had to make one. So without any further ado and before my daughter's stereo completely drives me crazy, here are the results.
 
Honorable Mentions:
@klingorengi: I’m still trying to figure out if Jeff killed off Santa. So wicked.

@tollykit: I’ve been waiting for this damn dragon all day and he hasn’t shown up. But I love the tale and the image it brings.

@DavidALudwig: Tackled 3 prompts in one and did it well. As someone else said, showoff.
Winner:  
@LurchMunster  Sweet and touching.
Dear diary, today something wonderful happened. Jessica kissed me! I’ve always wondered what that would be like. To feel her lips touch mine. To taste them. Wow! My heart ran wild and my pulse raced just like they did when I watch the last space shuttle launch. God, I hope she kisses me again!

55 words.
@LurchMunster
 
Mark, DM your email to me so I can send you your gift card. I also have a gift for the other three winners. So I will need those emails as well.
 
Now for an apology. I just found out a few days ago that some of the prizes from the Coffin Hop and Zombie Run didn't get mailed out. I thought they did... no one notified me they hadn't receieved them. Until the other day. At first I thought she was the only one and maybe it had gotten lost. I don't carry a purse often. Usually just a wallet. Doing some house cleaning and desperate for maybe finding some money, (you know that wonderful money we find tucked away) I opened up my purse and found that there were some envelopes in there. I don't recall putting them there... I think I will blame the three year old in my house, but in either case they have now been sent out. I will also be sending an added gift to your emails within the next week. 
 
 
 

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

55 Word Challenge: Week Thirty-Nine

55 Word Challenge
Week Thirty-Nine



Welcome back to #55WordChallenge. This week I am the judge, jury and executioner.

For those that are uninitiated, the 55 Word Challenge is a contest to write a story in 55 words or less. Not an easy task, but fun and I have been blown away by some of the entries. See for yourself, all the past contests can be found here.

The challenge begins at noon Eastern time every Wednesday and ends at noon Thursday. The story is based on one of three photo prompts and can be written in any genre you choose. My only request is no porn. I don't want to hear graphic details. If it is erotic, make it titillating, not obscene. I know that can be done and done well.


The story is to be posted in the comment section below, along with your twitter handle or email address, so I can contact you if you are the winner. If you don't want to list your email address, send it to me at jezri@writing.com. I promise I won't distribute it, but if you are the winner I need a way to notify you and to send you your prize.




And what does the winner get? This purty badge for one. For two, a gift card for $5.00 from Amazon. (The prize will be rewarded within about week and sent to your email.) Also, I will be offering a monthly prize to the story I liked the best between the winners. That will be announced at the end of the month who gets this. (I will announce last weeks winner Friday, but there will be a delay in delivery. I have to order more and that takes a few weeks for delivery.)










If you are an artist that would like to have your work featured, let me know!


Photo Prompt:


 
Shameless Plug:
Jezri’s Nightmares: A Year of Horror is a collection of 5 books, containing a total of 70 short stories. Included are all four volumes of Jezri's Nightmares: Flashes From the Grave, Tales of Terror, Psychotic Mumblings and Night Terrors, as well as MONSTERS!
Available on Kindle, Nook, Kobo and Smashwords.
 
 

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Winner 55 Word Challenge: Week Thirty-Eight

 


Winner 55 Word Challenge:
Week Thirty-Eight


I am sorry I’m late with this. I was beginning to work on it Friday when news about the school shooting came through. I’ve been unable to concentrate since then and have felt the need to spend time with my family. No writing, limited time on the internet and just being glad that we are together.
But now it is time to quit holding people in suspense. So without further ado…
 
Honorable Mentions:

Winner:
 
The Seekers

She could hear the sound of footsteps closing in on her hiding spot. Their splish-splash through the puddles echoed off the walls of the claustrophobic alley she’d found.

Staying silent, she crouched further down into the shadows, hoping it would be enough to evade their capture.
Closer. Ever closer they approached.

“Gotcha, Selena! You’re it!”
 
Thank you everyone for entering! See you in a few days. :)



Wednesday, December 12, 2012

55 Word Challenge: Week Thirty-Eight

55 Word Challenge
Week Thirty-Eight




Welcome back to #55WordChallenge. This week I am the judge, jury and executioner.


For those that are uninitiated, the 55 Word Challenge is a contest to write a story in 55 words or less. Not an easy task, but fun and I have been blown away by some of the entries. See for yourself, all the past contests can be found here.


The challenge begins at noon Eastern time every Wednesday and ends at noon Thursday. The story is based on one of three photo prompts and can be written in any genre you choose. My only request is no porn. I don't want to hear graphic details. If it is erotic, make it titillating, not obscene. I know that can be done and done well.



The story is to be posted in the comment section below, along with your twitter handle or email address, so I can contact you if you are the winner. If you don't want to list your email address, send it to me at jezri@writing.com. I promise I won't distribute it, but if you are the winner I need a way to notify you and to send you your prize.



And what does the winner get? This purty badge for one. For two, a gift card for $5.00 from Amazon. (The prize will be rewarded within about week and sent to your email.) Also, I will be offering a monthly prize to the story I liked the best between the winners. That will be announced at the end of the month who gets this. (I will announce last weeks winner Friday, but there will be a delay in delivery. I have to order more and that takes a few weeks for delivery.)














If you are an artist that would like to have your work featured, let me know!
 
Photo Prompt:


 
Shameless Promo:
 
 

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Winner 55 Word Challenge: Week Thirty-Seven

Winner 55 Word Challenge:
Week Thirty-Seven
 
 
First, a big thank you to Tome for judging this weeks contest and for contributing such inspiring photos. We had a lot of great entries this week and I know judging could not have been easy. This is what our judge had to say:
 
 
Wow, what fantastic entries! I really hope everyone keeps coming back because these were excellent.

I've decided, though, on three honorable mentions and a winner:

Honorable mentions:

SJIHolliday - The poem in this was fun, and it made me want to know more about the scenario, like it could be developed into a longer work.

H.L. Pauff - I really enjoyed the structure of this piece, especially the repetition of "When...", and the scene was very creative.

Sarah- I absolutely loved the simile comparing the cello to a boat. Robert's grief is heartbreaking in this tale.

Winner:

Rebekah Postupak - Rebekah's piece cleverly used all three prompts (always an impressive feat), and I loved the concision in her story. It spoke volumes every few words. The ending surprised me, which is really cool in a tale only 55 words.
 
He composed his first concerto at forty-seven and his second six weeks later. Making up for lost time, he said, laughing.

At fifty-five he learned craps. He won hard, lost hard, both without regret.

Painting came at sixty: landscapes, seascapes, in gloriously vibrant greens and blues.

Vegetative state, they said, shaking their heads.

As if.

55 words
@postupak

Everyone has my congratulations and thanks!

(And thank you Lisa for letting me judge!)

Tome
 
Thank you, Tome, for judging!
 
Ok, I also have to announce the winner of the #55WordChallenge Bumper Sticker. After reviewing last months winners I had to settle on the one that made me chuckle the most. That would be this weeks judge,
@SareeseFeet  Here is her story:
Last night I swear I saw the moon combust in meteors. A banshee caught the blue debris. Her words were echoes but they said, "Now... I'm at rest." I offered to still seek revenge. She screamed; I knew I shouldn't have brought it up. When she disappeared, I hoped she had a chance at peace.

 
I will let you know when I am ready to send the bumper sticker. I have to order more and it takes a few weeks to get to me.

 
See you all back here next week!
 

Winner 55 Word Challenge: Week Thirty-Seven

Winner 55 Word Challenge:
Week Thirty-Seven
 

First, a big thank you to Tome for judging this weeks contest and for contributing such inspiring photos. We had a lot of great entries this week and I know judging could not have been easy. This is what our judge had to say:


Wow, what fantastic entries! I really hope everyone keeps coming back because these were excellent.

I've decided, though, on three honorable mentions and a winner:

Honorable mentions:

SJIHolliday - The poem in this was fun, and it made me want to know more about the scenario, like it could be developed into a longer work.

H.L. Pauff - I really enjoyed the structure of this piece, especially the repetition of "When...", and the scene was very creative.

Sarah- I absolutely loved the simile comparing the cello to a boat. Robert's grief is heartbreaking in this tale.

Winner:

Rebekah Postupak - Rebekah's piece cleverly used all three prompts (always an impressive feat), and I loved the concision in her story. It spoke volumes every few words. The ending surprised me, which is really cool in a tale only 55 words.

Everyone has my congratulations and thanks!

(And thank you Lisa for letting me judge!)

Tome

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

55 Word Challenge: Week Thirty-Seven

 

55 Word Challenge
Week Thirty-Seven




Welcome back to #55WordChallenge. The guest judge and artist this week is Tome (@SareeseFeet)  Sara has contributed some great photos to help inspire your muse.

For those that are uninitiated, the 55 Word Challenge is a contest to write a story in 55 words or less. Not an easy task, but fun and I have been blown away by some of the entries. See for yourself, all the past contests can be found here.

The challenge begins at noon Eastern time every Wednesday and ends at noon Thursday. The story is based on one of three photo prompts and can be written in any genre you choose. My only request is no porn. I don't want to hear graphic details. If it is erotic, make it titillating, not obscene. I know that can be done and done well.


The story is to be posted in the comment section below, along with your twitter handle or email address, so I can contact you if you are the winner. If you don't want to list your email address, send it to me at jezri@writing.com. I promise I won't distribute it, but if you are the winner I need a way to notify you and to send you your prize.


And what does the winner get? This purty badge for one. For two, a gift card for $5.00 from Amazon. (The prize will be rewarded within about week and sent to your email.) Also, I will be offering a monthly prize to the story I liked the best between the winners. That will be announced at the end of the month who gets this. (I will announce last weeks winner Friday, but there will be a delay in delivery. I have to order more and that takes a few weeks for delivery.)













If you are an artist that would like to have your work featured, let me know!


Photo Prompts:




 
 
 
 
 
Tome (@SareeseFeet) can be pretty much described as Aspiring because there are so many creative things she wants to do but all of those things don't involve income yet. By day she works in a tea shop and learns about theatre. By night she is a fangirl of many a thing. By late night she writes. You can find her at theworldislookingstrange.blogspot.com.
 
Shameless Promo:
Jarrod moves with his family to Alaska where he and his new friend, Carl, decide to explore the old house that his father’s company owns.  While searching the attic, the two boys discover an old wooden chest and pry it open. Inside is a treasure unlike any that Jarrod has ever seen… an army of wooden soldiers.  With animalistic features, the army resembles a demonic horde, one that terrifies Carl because he knows the history of the house… or at least the stories that have been passed down through the years.
Over a hundred years before a witch had lived in the house. As the town threatened to destroy her, she created an unholy alliance with Satan, bringing forth a legion of demons to protect her. The witch and the creatures that served her disappeared, but many whispered that she would one day return.  Carl, believing that these soldiers were not toys but the witch’s army, urges Jarrod to put them back in the trunk. When he refuses and begins to play with his new toys all hell is loosed.
But the witch’s army isn’t the only supernatural presence in the house. Christmas is around the corner and as the witch prepares to make her entrance back into the world, another army prepares to battle for Jarrod’s soul.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Winner 55 Word Challenge

Winner 55 Word Challenge
Week Thirty-Six
 
 
Sorry I am late posting this. My internet connection went down yesterday before I got a chance. A huge thank you to Lisa Shambrook for her photo inspirations and for judging. It wasn't an easy thing to come up with a winner. This is what Lisa says:
 
Honourable Mention @writesidemama gets an overachiever award too, I imagined an older brother wanting retribution for the loss of his siblings ted!





Honourable Mention @PurpleQueenNL Beautiful imagery, especially the use of light, for the valiant Prince Llewellyn.





Honourable Mentions tie @Klingorengi and @hlpauff for putting into words the tragic death of a bear...(never was keen on Paddington myself!)





 

My winner is @lissajean7 'It was a grizzly scene...' great opener for the bear tragedy, and I love that she referenced the gun in the picture, not that it helped poor teddy!
 
It was a grizzly scene. Cotton stuffing skipped in the breeze. A plastic eye rested nearby. The "fur" shell was sliced from shoulder to hip. It was shameful that he’d been tossed in the street. Ted E. had fought valiantly, but a squirt gun was poor defense from the ravages of a toddler with scissors.

Great job Lisa! Grab your badge and DM your email to me so I can send your gift card.
 
 
Thank you to everyone that entered!

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

55 Word Challenge Week Thirty-Six

55 Word Challenge
Week Thirty-Six




Welcome back to #55WordChallenge. The guest judge and artist this week is Lisa Shambrook. Lisa has contributed some great photos to help inspire your muse. 

For those that are uninitiated, the 55 Word Challenge is a contest to write a story in 55 words or less. Not an easy task, but fun and I have been blown away by some of the entries. See for yourself, all the past contests can be found here.

The challenge begins at noon Eastern time every Wednesday and ends at noon Thursday. The story is based on one of three photo prompts and can be written in any genre you choose. My only request is no porn. I don't want to hear graphic details. If it is erotic, make it titillating, not obscene. I know that can be done and done well.


The story is to be posted in the comment section below, along with your twitter handle or email address, so I can contact you if you are the winner. If you don't want to list your email address, send it to me at jezri@writing.com. I promise I won't distribute it, but if you are the winner I need a way to notify you and to send you your prize.



And what does the winner get? This purty badge for one. For two, a gift card for $5.00 from Amazon. (The prize will be rewarded within about week and sent to your email.) Also, I will be offering a monthly prize to the story I liked the best between the winners. That will be announced at the end of the month who gets this.













If you are an artist that would like to have your work featured, let me know!


Photo Prompts:
Llewwllyn

Stained Glass

Teddy Suicide




Lisa describes herself as a writer and dreamer in equal measure, with her head in the clouds... she writes, scrapbooks, crafts and photographs. And loves dragons.
Lisa blogs at www.thelastkrystallos.blogspot.co.uk and loves writing Flash Fiction, which features largely on her blog. After having had to remove an image she used on her blog to illustrate her fiction, she turned to creating her own photographs for use. She has recently started a Flickr account and has decided to place the photographs under a Creative Commons license so any bloggers can user the images on their blog providing they link back to the original picture. You can find her Flickr page here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thelastkrystallos/




 

Friday, November 16, 2012

Winner 55 Word Challenge: Week Thirty-Five

Winner 55 Word Challenge
Week Thirty-five


The high and mighty Ferengi has spoken:


Honorable Mentions:

Ruth Long –
@bullishink I do loves me a good werewolf tale. This story fit the picture nicely and was a fun read.

Rebekah Postupak –
@postupak This story had some excellent evocative phrasing and conveyed the character’s emotions very clearly.

SJHolliday
SJIHolliday – I liked the descriptive words here that lent the story a lifelike and tactile quality of realism.



Winner:


Anna – @annaban The swirling poetic flow of this piece was sheer genius. The story particularly appealed to me as much for what it said as for the unsaid blanks it left us to fill in. In micro-fiction, the art of showing enough without room to show it all is tough. You did it wonderfully.
 
 
Blue eyes veiled with thin sheets of ice,
Small violet lips wore such winsome smile,
Droplets of white water quivered on her pale, luminous skin

"I’ll take care of you,"
She promised sweetly.

The laid-back town called Silkwaters
Lost another one of their men
Crimes were rare here;
The main cause of death
Was drowning.
Anna, DM your email address and I will send you the gift card and book. You also can snag the winners badge from the top of the page.
 
Thank you everyone for your entries!


 

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

55 Word Challenge: Week Thirty-Five

55 Word Challenge
Week Thirty-Five

 
Welcome back to #55WordChallenge. The artist this week is Larisa Koshkina, whose amazing talent I found on PublicDomainPictures.Net. The judge is my husband, Jeffrey Hollar. His book, Keldane the Cursed, a YA fantasy book, has just been released today so todays prompts will be geared towards the magical side.
For those that are uninitiated, the 55 Word Challenge is a contest to write a story in 55 words or less. Not an easy task, but fun and I have been blown away by some of the entries. See for yourself, all the past contests can be found here.


The challenge begins at noon Eastern time every Wednesday and ends at noon Thursday. The story is based on one of three photo prompts and can be written in any genre you choose. My only request is no porn. I don't want to hear graphic details. If it is erotic, make it titillating, not obscene. I know that can be done and done well.


The story is to be posted in the comment section below, along with your twitter handle or email address, so I can contact you if you are the winner. If you don't want to list your email address, send it to me at jezri@writing.com. I promise I won't distribute it, but if you are the winner I need a way to notify you and to send you your prize.


And what does the winner get? This purty badge for one. For two, a gift card for $5.00 from Amazon. The prize will be rewarded within about week or so, (sometimes I run a bit behind) and sent to your email. Also up today is a Kindle Edition of Keldane the Cursed.
 
I will be offering a monthly prize to the story I liked the best between the winners. That will be announced at the end of the month who gets this.
 
If you are an artist that would like to have your work featured, let me know!


Photo Prompts:
 


 
 
 
Jeffrey Hollar was born in Lima Ohio. Developing a love for reading in his early life, Jeff read anything and everything he could get his hands on.  Graduating from Lima Sr. High in 1980, he joined the army where he found a career in communications. Jeffrey remained in the army for 14 years, traveling the world to places like Germany, Turkey and England.
Jeffrey moved around the United States as well, living in Arizona, Iowa and Missouri before moving back to Lima where he met his wife.   Jeffrey works in the security field during the day and writes by night. He also has a love for cooking and practices his culinary skills on his family.  You can follow him on twitter and facebook.
 
Shameless Plug:
 
Did you ever wish you had the ability to use magic and cast spells to do anything you wanted to? Well, so does Keldane. Unfortunately, just being the son of the most powerful magic user the world has ever known doesn’t come with any guarantees. It’s not without very good cause he’s known to his classmates as Keldane the Cursed.