Monday, January 31, 2011
Oops
Thanks to Paul Brazill for pointing out the story in Powder Burn Flash was posted by MysteryDawg but written by Jane Hammons. Sorry Jane.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Stories for Sunday
A Twist of Noir is back up and running with great new twisted tales here. I have story #668, coming in early February. That's art by Walter Conley, who has provided an illustration for Dark Valentine Magazine's upcoming spring issue.
MysteryDawg has a story up at Powder Burn Flash. Check it out.
If you're looking for something to read and you're not sure what, check out Fresh Fiction, with its lists of new works in all mystery genres, reviews, blogs, interviews and more.
MysteryDawg has a story up at Powder Burn Flash. Check it out.
If you're looking for something to read and you're not sure what, check out Fresh Fiction, with its lists of new works in all mystery genres, reviews, blogs, interviews and more.
When characters surprise you
The first time a character did something I wasn't suspecting, it kind of scared me. It wasn't quite on a par with a divine message to put on a suit of armor and go save France but it was freaky nonetheless. It's happened enough now that it's not quite a complete surprise but it can still be unnerving.
Take this week's episode of NoHo Noir. In this episode, homophobic cop Ethan's girlfriend gives birth to his baby after she takes a bad fall. I had a story all worked out where Ethan, who is contemptuous of a particular neighbor, finds out that he's gay after he saves the baby and the mother's life. And he may still find that out about the character, who is currently named "Guy from 108." As I was typing, though, Ethan decided to do something different and the story has a very different outcome.
So for the record, if you read the story and HATE what happens, blame Ethan. I was just the one at the keyboard. Read the story here. The illustration is by Mark Satchwill.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Win a copy of The Devotion of Suspect X
Janet Reid, literary agent, query shark and blogger, is holding another of her 100-word stories over the weekend. The prize this time is a copy of the upcoming novel by Keigo Higashino. This book is getting a lot of advance heat, so if you win, you'll be the first on your block to have a chance to read it. See the details at Janet's site here.
Janet's contests--I call her Janet instead of Ms. Reid because we follow each other's tweets--does these contests frequently and they're great micro-fiction challenges. I've never come close to impressing her with my entries but I persevere nevertheless. Her advice on novel queries is not to be missed. (You get 250 words to get her attention.)
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
A Decent Man by Keiran Shea
Call it "western noir." New fiction from Keiran Shea is always welcome. Check out his new story at the Flash Fiction Offensive.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
A novel novel-writing contest
AuthorStand has just announced their "first annual" novel contest. The contest is free to enter and open to works of more than 50,000 words in any genre. The contest ends July 31st and judging will run until the end of November.
For more information, check out the details here.
For more information, check out the details here.
Cross My Heart, Hope to Die...
Stick a needle in my eye.
Remember that scene in Star Wars where Darth Vader menaces Princess Leia with the high-tech needle in her eye? If you're like me, you thought, "Okay, I'm brave but I'll tell you pretty much everything to keep you from sticking that needle in my eye."
So imagine my surprise that all thee years later, I'm the willing recipient of monthly eye injections as part of a three-year study to see how well a certain drug performs. (It's a double-blind study but I know I didn't get the placebo because from the first injection, my eyesight was much better.) The first time I was injected I was a wreck. "They're going to stick a needle in my eye!" I announced to everyone who would listen and without exception, everyone responded with a shudder. (I have "eye issues" anyway. To this day I can't look at that eye-slitting scene in Andalusian Dog.)
Now, though, the most stressful thing about my trips to the Retina-Vitreous Clinic is the day-long process. Since my eyes are dilated, I can't read. So mostly I listen. Every person has a story and when you sit next to them while they're waiting for someone to stick a needle in their eye too, you eventually hear their stories. It's a win/win situation. I'm not going blind and I'm getting a lot of "material." And if you ever see a story with needles or eyes, you'll know where I got my inspiration.
Remember that scene in Star Wars where Darth Vader menaces Princess Leia with the high-tech needle in her eye? If you're like me, you thought, "Okay, I'm brave but I'll tell you pretty much everything to keep you from sticking that needle in my eye."
So imagine my surprise that all thee years later, I'm the willing recipient of monthly eye injections as part of a three-year study to see how well a certain drug performs. (It's a double-blind study but I know I didn't get the placebo because from the first injection, my eyesight was much better.) The first time I was injected I was a wreck. "They're going to stick a needle in my eye!" I announced to everyone who would listen and without exception, everyone responded with a shudder. (I have "eye issues" anyway. To this day I can't look at that eye-slitting scene in Andalusian Dog.)
Now, though, the most stressful thing about my trips to the Retina-Vitreous Clinic is the day-long process. Since my eyes are dilated, I can't read. So mostly I listen. Every person has a story and when you sit next to them while they're waiting for someone to stick a needle in their eye too, you eventually hear their stories. It's a win/win situation. I'm not going blind and I'm getting a lot of "material." And if you ever see a story with needles or eyes, you'll know where I got my inspiration.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
