Wednesday, March 31, 2010

EDF's April Table of Contents

April brings us another 30 flash pieces to read from Every Day Fiction including the Flash Fiction Chronicles String-of-10 Microfiction contest winning story "Salvation" by Ann Pino.

Apr 1/James Bloomfield/Telephone Call
Apr 2/Tommy B. Smith/Mr. Philpot
Apr 3/Manuel Royal/Birthday Troll
Apr 4/Christopher Floyd/Insight
Apr 5/Mickey Mills/The Newly Dead of Winter
Apr 6/John Wiswell/Computer Education
Apr 7/Joshua S Walker/Open-Minded Gentleman
Apr 8/Kaolin Imago Fire/Fading
Apr 9/Jon Bland/Damaged Goods
Apr 10/William Knight/Electric Smiles
Apr 11/Patrick Perkins/Speed Trap
Apr 12/Jenny Schwartz/After Midnight
Apr 13/J.C. Towler/Dour Cutler
Apr 14/Jan Melara/Covered Dish Supper
Apr 15/S.J. Higbee/A Drop of the Hard Stuff
Apr 16/Ann M. Pino/Salvation
Apr 17/R.F. Marazas/What’s In A Name?
Apr 18/James Hartley/Priorities
Apr 19/Rhiannon Morgan/Sucka for Punishment
Apr 20/Peter Charles/Slurpy
Apr 21/Chad Redden/Building a Sparrow
Apr 22/Maureen Wilkinson/The Cool Bag
Apr 23/Stacey Py Flynn/Tryst
Apr 24/Giles Turnbull/Winner of the Regional Best Chip Shop Award, 2006
Apr 25/Oonah V Joslin/Cider Sunrise
Apr 26/Ruth Imeson/Turning the Tables
Apr 27/Ladonna A. Watkins/Chocolate Milk
Apr 28/Lorette C. Luzajic/Shrinking
Apr 29/Fadzlishah Johanabas/Secrets
Apr 30/Aaron Polson/Blue Collar Boys

And if that isn't enough to read, here are some things by or about me out there:

Review of Pomegranate Stories by Jackie Houchin
Writers in Residence Interview by Jacqueline Vick
Podcast of The Breach by me, read by Robert C. Eccles
Addicted to Flash by me, at Flash Fiction.Net

Recent Story Publications:
Madeline in Her Coffin at Referential Magazine
Heartland and What's Next at 50 to 1
Complicit at Smokelong Quarterly

Monday, March 29, 2010

Madeline in Her Coffin up at Referential


This year is off to an amazing start. I'm a little breathless to tell you the truth. New story up today called Madeline in Her Coffin at Referential Magazine, a gorgeous looking online journal.


This is how Referential Magazine works--very cool. You read the magazine, pick something that appeals to you in some way, see what it suggests to you, reference it in a new story you write, and submit it!!!! Madeline is based on a story by Dawn Corrigan called Golden. Read hers and mine and see if you can see the connection between the two.

And consider reading Madeline and write a story based on a word, a phrase, a character from it. Let me know what happens!!

Friday, March 26, 2010

Tanya L. Schofield Joins FFC as Assistant Editor « Flash Fiction Chronicles

We're welcoming Tanya L. Schofield to the Flash Fiction Chronicles Staff beginning today. With her on board, we hope to bring access to more articles about the craft and art of Flash Fiction writing. Please drop by the site to say hi!

Tanya L. Schofield Joins FFC as Assistant Editor « Flash Fiction Chronicles

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Six Things Your Flash Desires « Flash Fiction Chronicles

Randall Brown over at FFC today.

Thanks Randall for another terrific post. I love the way you can get down to the nitty gritty of what makes a piece work and how to look at our own processes. “To be inhaled.” “Be little.” and this “Flash searches for the alternative way to matter in this world. Sometimes it finds profundity in what others find nothingness; other times, it finds meaning by eschewing their desire for somethingness.” Love these.

http://www.everydayfiction.com/flashfictionblog/six-things-your-flash-desires/

Monday, March 22, 2010

Podcast EDF016: THE BREACH • written Gay Degani • read by Robert C. Eccles | Every Day Fiction - The once a day flash fiction magazine.

Just found out a 50-word bit of mine is up at 50 to 1 today. Also sci-fi! what's going on with me? Yikes?

http://50-to-1.blogspot.com/2010/03/whats-next-by-gay-degani.html

Robert C. Eccles reads The Breach at Every Day Fiction today. This is the second story I published online and shocked myself that it happened to be sci-fi. SCI-FI!!!

Although I've read Asimov, Heinlein, Herbert, Jack Finney all when I was a lot younger, and love Stars Wars (really just the original series and only "Jedi" since in was the capper), The Terminator series (1 and 2), Alien, Aliens--I'm noticing a trend of disliking the third in a series here--and back in the day, The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (original), The Thing (original), Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, I didn't really think I knew enough science (and I don't) to really work in the genre. So this piece surprised me.

Listening to it being read today by the remarkable Bob Eccles gave me a thrill despite notice a few places I'd like to rewrite. Haha. The curse of the rewriter.

Anyway thank you Bob for such a fabulous read. What a terrific start to the week.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Winners Announced in String-of-10 TWO Contest « Flash Fiction Chronicles

Winners Announced in String-of-10 TWO Contest « Flash Fiction Chronicles

Flash Fiction Chronicles is pleased to announce the winners of the String-of-10 Two Micro Fiction Contest:

First Place
Salvation by Anne Pino
Second Place
Gypsy Flour by John Towler
Third Place
Good Morning Susan by Brittany Soder

For more info go to Flash Fiction Chronicles

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Professional Writers — How An Editor Can Tell « Flash Fiction Chronicles

Professional Writers — How An Editor Can Tell « Flash Fiction Chronicles

Camille has written a good tip-sheet for writers on how most editors define professionalism. A writer who wants to be taken seriously should check this out!

Monday, March 08, 2010


I am rapidly turning into a non-blogger which has both its good points and bad points. I like having a place to go to vent about what annoys me (grocery store seem to pop up in my mind), to announce what's going on with my writing, and to discuss various issues as they strike me, especially in regard to my creative side. BUT I just can't see to show up.

I'm not making any commitments, vows, and pronouncements any more. That's one of my 2010 resolutions. Every time I make a new promise to do something, that will assure the world that it ain't going to happen. Instead, I'll just trip a bit here about where my head is at.

1) My head is, in fact, just a wee bit hung over (and what's wrong with the head is always wrong with the body). Why since I rarely drink? Well, dang, we had dinner at friends for the Oscar telecast and the first thing I was offered was champagne. I have to drink champagne, especially if I'm watching the Academy awards.


  • My mother and I loved old movies and we loved the oscars. I don't think there was a year in my growing up that she and I didn't sit down and watch them together. My mother kind of looked like Joan Bennett or Hedy Lamar. I thought Hedy myself and I was a fan, but Mom said when she was young it was Joan Bennett that people thought she reminded them of.

  • I used to know all the top three awards from 1928 through sometime in the mid sixties because for some reason it seemed important for me to know it. So I knew that emil jennings (jannings) was the first winner and I think he actually appeared as a character in Inglorious Bastards. Perhaps I was only one of few who could make that connection. All that memorizing so that in 2010, I could do that! Haha!! Janet Gaynor in Seventh Heaven won for best actress and Wings for best picture, but I could be misremembering...

2) It was the Maker's Mark, though, not the champagne that did me in. People kept handing me that nice little glass with the dark amber liquid in the bottom. That happened to me before at the rehearsal dinner of my son's wedding. I have no memory of that night after the second drink except for a vague image of myself making a toast. I guess my son is lucky his bride's family didn't hold it against him.


3) I'm going to go back to grocery stores for a minute.



  • When I was growing up, the other thing I did a lot with my mother was to go to grocery stores and buy food. She cooked a lot, a good southern cook, so we were at the grocery store a lot.

  • In those days, grocery clerks tended to be people who acted like neighbors, friendly, out going, remembering her customers names. Not like today when most clerks spend most of their time reciting a script that Safeway has given them: How are you today? (They don't give a shit), Do you have a Von's card? (before you've even put all your stuff on the conveyor belt), Would you like to make a donation to leukemia, breast cancer, jerry's kids, prostate cancer? (and then you have to click no or yes to the same question on the machine that makes love to your credit card) and finally the most irritating Would you like help to your car? (Uh, no, thank you. Not after I've just bagged up my own twelve bags myself because all the box people are checking everyone else out so that there aren't more than two people in line without regard to the fact that the customers overall wait remains the same unless he or she --the cranky ones like me--bag there own stuff and where in heavens name is the person going to come from to help me to my car????)

  • In those days too the clerk would ask about your day and listen to your answer. Not become distracted with the next clerk over's hook-up with some guy she met in a club.

Okay, enough of that stuff. Phew. I do feel better. Hmm, I'm getting a little bit hungry now. Maybe I'll go in and have some oatmeal and an episode of Law and Order now. Yes I think I will.