As you may know, I have become enamored by the talent of Keith Channing. He has a weekly prompt named Kreative Kue, which runs on Mondays. Here are the instructions from Keith for the prompt. “Using this photo as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really; and either put it (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithkreates@channing.fr before 6pm on Sunday (if you aren’t sure what the time is where I live, this link will tell you). If you post it on your blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated.”
His advice. “Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries, with links to your blog or website, next Monday.” Here is the photo.
I have often mentioned the fact that the city grooms the beach so that the poor tourists do not get stuck. Although to the casual observer this looks like a good idea there are other problems connected with grading the beach. Among those are the burying of trash and firewood, disturbing the eco-system and making the beach a passable road. (more cars ). Here are a few pictures.
This is the grader at work. Yes, it is a full-size piece of equipment.
This will give you an idea of how the beach looks after the monster passes a few times. He will work the sand to the water’s edge. Guess how hard it is to ride a bike on groomed sand.
As most of the regulars know I have this annoying habit of taking pictures as I ride my bike and then writing little stories about what I see. The story is usually a piece of flash fiction inspired by the photo. Today is no exception. I saw this little car on the beach and couldn’t help myself. Hope you like it.
“It was your idea to leave the movie and go on a trip.”
“Did I know the real world was not the same as the film world?”
“I think you could have made a guess it would be different.”
“Sure I thought it would be a little different.”
“But what?”
“Never counted on riding along on a sandy highway.”
“And not hitting a crab.”
“Well, that too.”
“So what do we do now?”
“Do you have your phone?”
“Yes.”
“Give it to me.”
“Please?”
“Please give it to me.”
“Here.”
“Hello. Triple-A? Is this the Disney Pixar Cars Triple A? Oh good. I need a tow. We hit a crab, and the front tire is messed up. Yeah, a crab. How big? I would say as big as the car. Hello. Triple-A? Hello.”
This weekend produced some fine photos of what I like to call Stupid First Class. I was going to run some of them on Thursday but decided to run them when we all might need a laugh. It seems the holidays produce some unique examples of Stupid First Class. I was on my bike on the Fourth of July and came upon this sight a few minutes before the photo.
So what we have here is a pickup in the surf. I didn’t see it drive in, but I can imagine these two were launching that wave runner and instead of backing in they decided to go forward. The truck died when it hit the water. I did not stay around after I saw the one on the right jump in the vehicle and when he got it restarted he floored it and the result you see here (rear end totally buried). This truck will now be part of a new reef ecosystem. I took this picture and one of them yelled, “Instead of pictures you could help.” I yelled back, “there is no interrupting Stupid First Class when it is fully engaged.” He flipped me the bird that I thought was well-played. (Oh I forgot to mention the tide is on the way in.)
Now that the sun has returned I thought I would give you a view of the sea facing side (West) of the Dune and point out the beautiful purple morning glories that grow there. My purpose is to give you an idea of how much dune there is.
As you can see, the dune is made of sand (duh) but is covered with a number of vines. These vines are a good thing since when the Gulf decides to move in during times of storm the vegetation keeps the sand somewhat in place.
Here is another view looking off toward the south. This is back behind the dune again but gives you an idea that the dune does provide a first line of defense in case of water surge. The bird sitting on the beach pole 41 is a Heron.
Notice also the lack of development on the land between the Gulf and where this photo was taken. (Those buildings are about a quarter-mile away and are set back from the Dune as well). This is on purpose and keeps the area free of houses and condos so that the defense against rising tide is kept intact. The last storm which caused a significant surge was Hurricane Ike in 2008. About twenty feet of dune was washed away in a manner of hours. The twenty feet have been replaced by the natural action of the Gulf and movement of the sand.
Rave Reviews Book Club has begun a new program that has as a goal highlighting other bloggers and writers. The idea is to take a little bit of time to support someone who has a message to share. We call it the Bethany Turner Play it Forward program. The idea is to help promote others before yourself. This week I would like to re-introduce you an RRBC member since I originally ran this post on April 28th. His name is Matthew Armstrong, and as described on his Facebook page he is a Human Behavioral Specialist, Author, and Health Educator. Matthew has an objective of making sure each person he reaches with his message recognize and work toward developing their potential.
His website at http://buildingabrandonline.com/ provides advice on how to build a brand online. There a numerous helpful posts on how one can begin taking charge of one’s destiny.
Visit any one of these places and check Matthew out. His twitter handle is @mathewarmstrong if you would like to connect he also is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BeYourPotential
Matthew has also recently published his first book of fiction titled Sex God: An erotic adventure of self-discovery available on Amazon.
Blurb
Unfulfilled in his marriage and life, Alex Sterling makes an indecent proposal to his wife, Angela, which sets them off on an erotic adventure of self-discovery, revealing dark and repressed parts of themselves. On the verge of losing everything that is most important to him, Alex is a man in early life crisis, playing a high-stakes game and going to extreme measures to save what he values most. Is he going through a mental breakdown or is this some sort of spiritual transformation? He has no idea as his grasp on reality crumbles and all his worst fears are inevitably realized.
Bio
Matthew Armstrong comes from Irish descent, attending the same grammar school as Oscar Wild — but only for a short while, as he was expelled for speaking his mind and not conforming. Through two decades of living and traveling in 6 continents, he has gained much life experience and studied many cultures and ways of life along the way. Originally an Author of non-fiction, covering topics from health, philosophy, relationships, spirituality & human potential, Matthew now finds his inspiration in writing fiction.
I am very pleased to have Olga Núñez Miret join Fiction Favorites to help publicise the launch of three books in her Angelic Business series. So Olga the spot is yours.
Hi all:
First of all thank you very much for taking part in my Blog Tour for Angelic Business 1. Pink Matters. Reader, don’t worry, I’m not here forever, just twisting John’s arm and borrowing a bit of space.
Author Olga Núñez Miret
My name is Olga Núñez Miret and I’m a writer, translator, reader, psychiatrist, I love movies, plays, fitness, owls and recently have taken up meditation (mindfulness). (I thought I might as well summarise and not take too much of your time). I’ll leave you some links at the end just in case you want to find out even more about me (I’m not sure I’d recommend it, but hey…do your worst!).
I’ve been writing since I was quite young and I write in whatever style the story I have in my head wants to be written in. So far literary fiction, romance, YA, thriller…and a few unfinished works.
Around five years ago I discovered and read quite a few interesting Young Adult books and had an idea for what I thought could be a series. At the time, I wrote the first of the novels and after trying to find an agent or a traditional publisher without much success, I started self-publishing but decided to publish some of my other books first. Since then I’ve published 12 books (6 original books and their translations, as I write in English and Spanish).
I kept thinking about Angelic Business and a few months later wrote the second novel in the series: Shades of Greg. (No, nothing to do with…)
And last year, as part of NaNoWriMo I wrote the third novel in the series, Pink, Angel or Demon?
As I had written the three, I thought I’d publish them pretty close to each other so people wouldn’t have to wait to know what happened next (at least not too much).
The three books in the Angelic Business collection are now available for pre-order at the special price of $0.99 each. It’s a bargain price and they’ll go up shortly after publication.
Don’t worry. My writing is better than my video-creating skills, but as I’d been taking all those pictures of angels, I thought I might as well.
And here, the series:
Angelic Business 1. Pink Matters
Angelic Business 1. Pink Matters
You are Pink, not the prettiest girl, but smart and with plenty of resources. What do you do when your best male friend offers to have sex with you, because he thinks you’re a lost cause? You plot your revenge with your two best female friends, of course!
It seems you’re in luck when a new and mysterious student appears. And, to top it all, he seems interested in you too. He could take part in the plan. But then, he seems to have a plan of his own… He insists he’s not just an ordinary boy. And what seemed so easy to begin with, gets more and more complicated when Heaven and Hell come knocking at Pink’s door.
Pink Matters is the story of Pink, a 17-year-old girl, good student, articulate and smart. What she has never been the centre of attention or made the top ten of the most popular and attractive girls at school. When two guys, both claiming to be angels, insist that she is, indeed, ‘special’, fight for her attention and help and tell her she is the key to the future of the universe, she can’t help but ask: Why me?
And a snippet:
“Who are you?” Lorna asked. Before she could say anything else, she froze as if paralysed. And the same happened to Sylvia.
“Oh no, not again,” I said.
“Hi, Pink. I’m Azrael. I’m…”
“Let me guess…You’re an angel.”
I could say he smiled, but it was more like a white light radiating from between his lips. His voice also seemed slightly “otherworldly”. He was nothing like G. Flesh and blood didn’t seem to be his priority.
“Yes. I am.”
“O…K….And…to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? If you are going to make an announcement of some sort…I could have done with some notice.”
The light now seemed to radiate from his whole “body” if that was what it was. Somehow his show was much more believable than G’s. And scarier.
“It’s not an announcement as such. But you should know…G…”
“Yes?”
“I know he told you he’s an angel.”
I looked at him. Maybe he was different to G but he could be as annoying as him. And interfering.
“Yes. I also “know” things…In my case, it is because “I” am an angel. He has not been truthful about his identity.”
Pink Matters is currently available for pre-order and will be published on the 26th of June 2015 (Amazon time). So, if you’re reading this post after the 26th of June, you’re in luck and can get the book straight away! (I’m also publishing it in other platforms although as their processing speed is different the dates might vary. Do check there or in my website, that I regularly update).
In case you’re intrigued, I leave you the cover (reveal!) and links to the other two books:
Angelic Business 2. Shapes of Greg
Angelic Business 2. Shapes of Greg
What more could happen after the death and resurrection of your mother? What could Heaven and Hell toss at Pink to top that? Well, to start with, she gets a new hellish babysitter, who is seriously hot. And although everybody likes him, he only has eyes for her. When she learns what the price was for the ‘miracle’ of saving her mother, she realises that she must be careful, as Hell doesn’t lose gracefully.
One of her friends wants to find the perfect man, the other one gets into a relationship she refuses to talk about, there’s a demon who doesn’t know when to give up and an angel who seems to have his own agenda. What on Earth, Hell or Heaven is going on?
Shapes of Greg is available for pre-order and will be published on the 15th of July.
OK, OK, OK. Pink gets it. She’s the Elected, whether she likes it or no. Heaven and Hell are closing in, and their envois are closer home than ever. So close she can’t ignore them. And she’ll do everything but.
However long she has, she’s determined to make it count. She’ll sort her friends out, she’ll help her family and, she’ll live a bit. And then, she’ll take charge. Because no one will say that Pink went down without a fight. However big and bad the enemy.
Gender benders, romances, old loves that come to fruition, new challenges, divine interventions, tears, laughter and magic. All of that and more. Because, if you’re gonna go, you might as well go with a bang.
Pink, Angel or Demon? is available for pre-order and will be published on the 30th July.
Thanks so much for allowing me to visit and post, thanks so much for reading, and as I always tell them in my blog, if you’ve found it interesting, like, share, comment and CLICK! Oh, and I love reblogs! Ah, and thanks to Lourdes Vidal for her covers.
As those of you who often visit know, I sometimes come across things on the beach that strike a prompt chord in my writing head. This yellow bottle was no exception. I have never seen any trash wash up on the beach with anything but English or Spanish labels and directions. When I came across this Asian labelled bottle, I had to come up with a story to explain how it got to Texas. So here goes.
“Yes, your appointment is confirmed for Friday.”
“Thank you. It’s important that I am not delayed. I have a critical engagement right after.”
“Yes, ma’am. We will see you at nine o-clock, and you will be ready to go by noon.”
“Oh, that’s great. One more thing. Can I bring my shampoo?”
“Well we have a number of brands and they are complementary.”
“This is a special shampoo I got while I was in Japan. They say it’s magic the way it works.”
“You can bring your own. You say you got it in Japan?”
“Yes and right after my appointment I am catching a flight back to Japan so I will take it with me as well.”
I came across this fifty-gallon barrel while riding on the beach. Although it is sturdy plastic, it still shows signs of extreme wear. As you can see, the bottom is completely ripped open. I can’t imagine how long the barrel was in the water but given all the bi-halves and algae it must have been a while. The discovery of a half-destroyed barrel naturally led me to a story that you will find below. Hope you like it.
On May Ninth, Audrey Dawn posted a beautiful poem along with a great picture that she titled Wild West. Here is the picture and you can go to her blog and read the lovely poem. I could not help but be drawn to both the picture and her words. They served as a prompt for a short story that follows. I hope you take a moment and visit Audrey and enjoy her work as well as this story.
