Flash Fiction Tuesday

FLASH FICTION TUESDAY: The Coven’s Curse

Donna L

cemetery.jpg

 

Now on Tuesdays…at least for the foreseeable future…welcome to Flash Fiction Tuesday. In case you don’t know what flash fiction is, it is an extremely short story (sometimes created in 100 words or less) with a beginning, middle, and an ending.

But my case, I write flash fiction with an open ending. I allow my readers to draw their own conclusion as to what happens. Sit back, relax, and take a moment to find out why the hair is rising on the back of Jake’s neck in The Coven’s Curse…

 

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Jake pushed his sweat drenched hair out of his eyes and stopped to catch his breath. Today’s run felt good. He actually felt like he was running toward something. Maybe the dark cloud hanging over him all these months was slowly beginning to dissipate? Maybe this afternoon’s meeting with Mary would finally give him some answers to the questions robbing his sleep every night.

He was about to resume his run when Jake noticed something odd about the stand of trees just ahead of him. There appeared to be strange markings on each tree, a crude hexagon shape with a blackened star in the center. One after another the trees were marked as if pointing deeper into the forest to some unknown destination.

Curiosity can be a dangerous companion. It can sometimes tempt a person into doing things they wouldn’t normally do, but Jake was no stranger to temptation. Stepping off the beaten path, he followed the line of trees until he came to a small clearing filled with what appeared to be headstones. Who would put a cemetery in middle of the woods?

Jake kneeled in front one of the graves. Time and the elements had washed away most of the wording but he still managed to make out a name…Bishop. Stone after stone revealed the names of the nineteen souls buried there…Wardwell, Pudeator, Wildes, Proctor, and others. But when he got to the last grave Jake felt his breath catch in his throat as he stared at the name on the roughened stone…Mary Eastey.

An unusual last name to be sure. One you wouldn’t hear too often, much less see on a headstone. Maybe that was why it was so startling to Jake since that was the name of the strange lady he was supposed to be meeting later that day…

Now it’s your turn…add a comment, add to the story, or even share with your friends…;)

 

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donna

 

International best selling, award-winning author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest book, LUNADAR: Homeward Bound (a YA fantasy), is now available in eBook and print form from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, and other online retailers.

 

 

FLASH FICTION TUESDAY: Down In The Hollow

Donna L

 

house

 
Now on Tuesdays…at least for the foreseeable future…welcome to Flash Fiction Tuesday. In case you don’t know what flash fiction is, it is an extremely short story (sometimes created in 100 words or less) with a beginning, middle, and an ending,

But my case, I write flash fiction with an open ending. I allow my readers to draw their own conclusion as to what happens. Sit back, relax, and take a moment to find out what’s happening down in the hollow…

 

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Linky always said never go down in the hollow at night. He never said why but I figured it was cuz of the old Samson house. They used to do terrible things at that house long time ago. You know, back when they had the slave quarters. You could hear the screams all the way to the county line.

Linky swore he’d even seen the ghost of one poor runaway back in ’63 when he got caught down in the hollow one night after midnight. He never told me what he was doing out there in the first place, but after that time poor Linky was just never quite right in the head again. Always talking about that ghost. About what happens to fools who get caught down in the hollow after dark.

But I know better. I ain’t afraid of no ghost. Don’t believe in them anyway. I heard tales of gold buried under that house and I’m fixin’ to see for myself just where’s it at. Makes more sense to go at night, seeing how everyone around here’s too scared to take a chance on being anywhere near the Samson place when the sun goes down. But not me.

I guess I wished I’d brung a better coat to keep out the wind cuz it’s got me chilled to the bone. I can just make out the Samson place through the fog but my lantern sure doesn’t show much else. Hell, it’s about the darkest night I’ve ever seen but I guess that’ll just keep the village folk from catchin’ up to my doings this late at night.

I’m almost to the door, but wait. What’s that sound? Kinda like a shuffling sound, like some animal scratching it’s way through the dead leaves but it sounds way too big to be no animal. Is it just me or did it suddenly turn colder? The hair on the back of my neck is standing up and I’m starting to wonder if Linky wasn’t maybe right. Maybe it’d be better if I just turn around and get out the hollow while I still got me the chance…

 

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lunadar-cover-jpg

 

Ruler by day, a reluctant pirate by night, 18-year-old Princess Ariana fights for her subjects in the waterfall city of LUNADAR. In a kingdom surrounded by fairies and mermaids, and ravaged by deadly Drundles, only a chosen few are trusted to guard her daughter, Candra, as the secret heir to the throne.

But it only takes one ill-fated meeting for Ariana to suddenly be plunged into an escalating web of secrets found in her father’s journal, a deadly kidnapping, and an ever-weakening resolve to turn her back on the call of the merman’s song.

With Ariana’s world falling apart and the future of LUNADAR at stake, how will she bring her father’s murderer to justice and fulfill a deathbed promise to protect Lunadar’s legacy?

 

donna

 

International best selling, award-winning author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest book, LUNADAR: Homeward Bound (a YA fantasy), is now available in ebook and print form from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, and other online retailers.

 

 

FLASH FICTION TUESDAY: A New York State of Mind

Donna L

 

NYC.jpg

 
Now on Tuesdays…at least for the foreseeable future…welcome to Flash Fiction Tuesday. In case you don’t know what flash fiction is, it is an extremely short story (sometimes created in 100 words or less) with a beginning, middle, and an ending,

But in my case, I write flash fiction with an open ending. I allow my readers to draw their own conclusion as to what happens. This week’s story leaves us wondering if we should give LIFE a second chance…

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The old man cautiously looked at the people jamming the streets in front of him. How was he ever going to get through that crowd? Martha needed him. She had always needed him, ever since that day the Bufford boys pushed her down in the mud and stole her newspaper money. Times were hard back then and the editor had a soft heart. Martha convinced him to let her sell leftover editions to the butcher on the corner. Fish couldn’t read anyway so what did it matter to them if it was yesterday’s news?

Pulling threadbare lapels higher on his neck, the old man shuffled slowly through the lines of people. He remembered the first time Martha held out that coat for him to try on. Their first Christmas together and her fingers were still covered in bandages from all the extra sewing she’d done for the money. You would have thought he was the Crown Prince and that second-hand trench coat was made of the finest leather the way her face split in two with a silly grin when he finally tore open the package. She kissed him there, right under the small sprig of mistletoe he had snuck from the corner florist, and told him how much she needed him. Funny thing is, Martha never realized just how much he needed her. His day couldn’t begin until she smiled that pretty smile of hers. Old man McCraney’s complaints about him being lazy meant nothing once Martha hugged him as he walked in the door after pulling a double shift down at the docks. Why, she even kept the bottle from getting the better of him when they got that war department letter back in the winter of ’43. Lordy, what would he do without his Martha?

Mumbling his pardons along the way, the old man continued to make his way through the crowds until he finally made it to the corner and opened the door of the same florist he snatched mistletoe from all those years ago. Shuffling up to the counter, he waited for the young clerk to notice him before asking, “Would you have some white lilies, please? They’re for my Martha”….

 

***Okay, where is Martha? And why is he buying flowers for her? Add a line or a paragraph in the comments below and join the fun!***

 

 

***WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!***
***WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!***

 

I’m happy to announce the winner of week eight of my TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR free giveaway! Laurie Kutscera has won the Yankee Candle fragrance locket. Thanks for following me on Twitter! Congratulations! Look for my email on how to get your prize…

 
Week Nine


***DON’T FORGET! It’s week nine of THE TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR giveaway and this week you get a chance to accessorize your desk or nightstand with the cute doggie bookstand shown above! Just click on the pile of presents to the right of this post and choose how you would like to enter the FREE giveaway. Winners will be announced every Monday in my INDIE AUTHOR’S JOURNEY post!

***Also, both ebook and paperback versions of LUNADAR: Homeward Bound are on sale through the holidays! You can grab the ebook copy for just $1.99 and the paperback for $12.49 through Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, Nook, Books A Million or dozens of other online retailers. Books make great Christmas gifts!

 
LUNADAR cover jpg

 
Ruler by day, a reluctant pirate by night, 18-year-old Princess Ariana fights for her subjects in the waterfall city of LUNADAR. In a kingdom surrounded by fairies and mermaids, and ravaged by deadly Drundles, only a chosen few are trusted to guard her daughter, Candra, as the secret heir to the throne.

But it only takes one ill-fated meeting for Ariana to suddenly be plunged into an escalating web of secrets found in her father’s journal, a deadly kidnapping, and an ever-weakening resolve to turn her back on the call of the merman’s song.

With Ariana’s world falling apart and the future of LUNADAR at stake, how will she bring her father’s murderer to justice and fulfill a deathbed promise to protect Lunadar’s legacy?

 
donna

 
International best selling, award-winning author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest book, LUNADAR: Homeward Bound (a YA fantasy), is now available in ebook and print form from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, and other online retailers.

FLASH FICTION TUESDAY: Second Chances

Donna L

BALD

 

Now on Tuesdays…at least for the foreseeable future…welcome to Flash Fiction Tuesday. In case you don’t know what flash fiction is, it is an extremely short story (sometimes created in 100 words or less) with a beginning, middle, and an ending,

But in my case, I write flash fiction with an open ending. I allow my readers to draw their own conclusion as to what happens. This week’s story leaves us wondering if we should give LIFE a second chance…

 

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Ricky absently reached for his hairbrush, fingers snatched back as if burned when it dawned on him how foolish it would have been to pick it up. His hands brushed against his scalp, feeling the stubble just beginning to grow back. It had been a long hard summer and now that school was starting up again, Ricky wasn’t ready for the drama he was sure waited for him there. He was just getting his life back and didn’t want to deal with the looks like he had gotten at the clinic. Besides, how could they possibly understand? With their carefree laughter and simple lives, how could they possible know what it felt like to be him?

It was supposed to rain today and Ricky knew what that meant. His mom would hover over him, asking a million times if he was okay and telling him to make sure he grabbed a jacket so he wouldn’t catch a cold. How could he tell her he just wanted to feel normal again? He hated how his name and cancer always seemed to crowd the same sentences these days. Ricky was beginning to forget where he stopped and his illness began. Pulling a baseball cap low over his forehead, Ricky grabbed his backpack and rushed out the back door before his mom could realize he was gone.  
 
Hours later Ricky sat alone in one corner of the cafeteria. It was as bad as he thought it would be. First was the stares. Some of the guys he used to hang out with last year even started calling him skin head. But it was the constant whispers that bothered him the most. Why didn’t they just come out and say it to his face? He was tired of fighting. Fighting the rage he felt when he first found out he was sick. Fighting to keep food down after the latest chemo treatment. Now he was fighting back tears as he stared at the cold tuna fish on his plate. Softly, almost as if she didn’t want to disturb him, Ricky heard someone clearing their throat near him.  Glancing up, he noticed a girl from his Chemistry class standing in front of him. Ricky tried to think of her name. Becky. Betty. Something that started with a B he was pretty sure but he really didn’t give it much thought cuz he really just wanted to be left alone.
 
“Do you mind if I sit down here?”
Ricky looked around the cafeteria at first to see if someone had set her up to talk to him before staring back at the girl. Last year he might have even flirted with her but now it just seemed to take too much energy to bother with trying. His sickness had almost broken him, but maybe God was showing him he’d been given a second chance? Now the only question swirling around in his head was should he take it?
 
***Okay, it’s your turn! Put your creative cap on and add a sentence or add a paragraph.  Continue my story or start one of your own.  Join the fun and see where this picture prompt takes us!
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***WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!***
***WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!***

 

I’m happy to announce the winner of week seven of my TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR free giveaway! Abbie Lu has won the ocean inspired jewelry kit. Thanks for following my blog! Congratulations! Look for my email on how to get your prize…

 

 

Week Eight

 

***DON’T FORGET! It’s week eight of THE TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR giveaway and this week you get a chance to accessorize you car with a Yankee Candle fragrance locket shown above! Just click on the pile of presents to the right of this post and choose how you would like to enter the FREE giveaway. Winners will be announced every Monday in my INDIE AUTHOR’S JOURNEY post!

 

***Also, the ebook version of LUNADAR: Homeward Bound is on sale through the holidays! You can grab your copy for only $1.99 through Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, Nook, Books A Million or dozens of other online retailers!

 

LUNADAR cover jpg

 

Ruler by day, a reluctant pirate by night, 18-year-old Princess Ariana fights for her subjects in the waterfall city of LUNADAR. In a kingdom surrounded by fairies and mermaids, and ravaged by deadly Drundles, only a chosen few are trusted to guard her daughter, Candra, as the secret heir to the throne.

But it only takes one ill-fated meeting for Ariana to suddenly be plunged into an escalating web of secrets found in her father’s journal, a deadly kidnapping, and an ever-weakening resolve to turn her back on the call of the merman’s song.

With Ariana’s world falling apart and the future of LUNADAR at stake, how will she bring her father’s murderer to justice and fulfill a deathbed promise to protect Lunadar’s legacy?

 

donna

 

International best selling, award-winning author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest book, LUNADAR: Homeward Bound (a YA fantasy), is now available in ebook and print form from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, and other online retailers.

FLASH FICTION TUESDAY: Stormy Weather

Donna L

storymy weather.jpg

 

Now on Tuesdays…at least for the foreseeable future…welcome to Flash Fiction Tuesday. In case you don’t know what flash fiction is, it is an extremely short story (sometimes created in 100 words or less) with a beginning, middle, and an ending,

But in my case, I write flash fiction with an open ending. I allow my readers to draw their own conclusion as to what happens. Grab your umbrella cuz this week’s story runs into some stormy weather…

 

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Nathan stared at the actor on the screen and knew exactly how he felt. Tired. Alone. No matter how hard that guy tried, the relentless waves still battered his tiny raft from all sides, pushing it back towards the shore. Maybe it was a different kind of fear but Nathan could still feel it just the same. He remembered those first few days after his own stormy weather crashed his relationship on the rocks. He should have seen it coming. Somehow he should have seen the signs. It wasn’t until he walked into the erie silence of an empty apartment that he knew something was terribly wrong. He saw Natalie’s note on the mantle saying simply, “I’m done.” and he realized he was suddenly drowning with no lifeline to save him. At first,  he got through the days. Work helped but the nights dragged on and soon he even stopped hanging out with his buddies after work because he was tired of the questions in their eyes he refused to answer.

Numbness settled in and kept the hurt shoved into the dark corners of his mind. As long as he kept moving maybe, just maybe he wouldn’t think of her. That’s why he decided to get out tonight and catch the matinee. There was still that occasional call every now and then when someone would invite him to meet a cousin who just happened to be in town. Nathan never knew just what to say and to him running from the truth was beginning to feel normal.

Realizing the poor schmuck on the screen was never going to get off that island, Nathan headed for the exit. No use waiting to see how that story ended. He already knew the guy would die on that island alone and Nathan didn’t feel like watching his life played out on the big screen.

Fumbling for his car keys, Nathan never noticed her standing there until it was too late. Popcorn and keys went flying as he violently bumped into the one person he never thought he would see again.

“Natalie? What are you doing here?”

 

***Okay, it’s your turn! Put your creative cap on and add a sentence or add a paragraph. Continue my story or start one of your own…***

 

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***WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!***
***WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!***

 

I’m happy to announce the winner of week six of my TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR free giveaway! Amy Spisak has won the Kingdom’s Dawn audiobook. Thanks for signing up for my newsletter! Congratulations! Look for my email on how to get your prize…

I’m also happy to announce the latest winner of my LUNADAR Pay It Forward giveaway for educators and librarians who chose to read my novel and provide an honest review on Amazon. The wonderful Lisa Plemons, librarian at Carpenters Middle School in Maryville Tn, has won an autographed copy of LUNADAR: Homeward Bound for her library inventory. I will be sending out her prize package soon…

 

Week Seven

 

***DON’T FORGET! It’s week seven of THE TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR giveaway and this week you get a chance to win this ocean themed jewelry set shown above! Just click on the pile of presents to the right of this post and choose how you would like to enter the FREE giveaway. Winners will be announced every Monday in my INDIE AUTHOR’S JOURNEY post!

 

LUNADAR cover jpg

 

Ruler by day, a reluctant pirate by night, 18-year-old Princess Ariana fights for her subjects in the waterfall city of LUNADAR. In a kingdom surrounded by fairies and mermaids, and ravaged by deadly Drundles, only a chosen few are trusted to guard her daughter, Candra, as the secret heir to the throne.

But it only takes one ill-fated meeting for Ariana to suddenly be plunged into an escalating web of secrets found in her father’s journal, a deadly kidnapping, and an ever-weakening resolve to turn her back on the call of the merman’s song.

With Ariana’s world falling apart and the future of LUNADAR at stake, how will she bring her father’s murderer to justice and fulfill a deathbed promise to protect Lunadar’s legacy?

 

donna

 

International best selling, award-winning author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest book, LUNADAR: Homeward Bound (a YA fantasy), is now available in ebook and print form from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, and other online retailers.

FLASH FICTION TUESDAY: The Last Pickup

Donna L

impala

 

Now on Tuesdays…at least for the foreseeable future…welcome to Flash Fiction Tuesday. In case you don’t know what flash fiction is, it is an extremely short story (sometimes created in 100 words or less) with a beginning, middle, and an ending,

 
But in my case, I write flash fiction with an open ending. I allow my readers to draw their own conclusion as to what happens. This week’s story tumbles through the produce aisle…

 
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“Where to now, lady?”

The driver’s voice broke in on Mary’s reverie and she gazed into the rearview mirror to see green eyes staring back at her. For a moment she couldn’t remember if there was somewhere she needed to be, something that needed her attention, and then she remembered that night with Joe…

 
“Did anyone see you?” Joe said as he helped her into the front seat of his dad’s car.

“No, they’re all watching the Ed Sullivan show so all I had to do was tiptoe out the back door like we planned,” Mary said, laying her overnight case on the back seat. Suddenly everything seemed much too real and she turned worried eyes to the boy sitting next to her.

“Are you sure we’re doing the right thing, Joe?”

“Mary, we already talked about this, remember? It’s the only way. You know how your parents are whenever they see me. And you know my father would kill me if he found out. We have no choice.”

The old Impala ate up the miles. Miles between a life left behind and a new one waiting for them somewhere across the border. She tried to stay awake but the lack of sleep the night before wore her down. Soon Mary was dreaming of baby blue skies and lullabies.

Oh, how the time seemed to fly by. A new name meant a new start and soon the days blurred into one another. Before she knew it, too many years had gone by and now the wrinkles in the mirror told her there wasn’t much time left to dream. Everyone she knew in that other life was long gone and now her own Joe had left her too. No, not much time left at all…

The taxi driver didn’t want to startle the old lady, but his shift was almost over. He really wanted to get home to the wife and kiddies. Straightening a cap that had seen better days, he turned in his seat and asked again, “Where to now, lady?”

 

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***WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!***
***WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!***

 

I’m happy to announce the winner of week five of my TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR free giveaway! Stuart Field has won a beautiful moon and stars necklace. Thanks for following this blog! Congratulations! Look for my email on how to get your prize…

 

Week Six

 

***DON’T FORGET! It’s week six of THE TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR giveaway and this week you get a chance to win a beautiful moon and stars necklace shown above! Just click on the pile of presents to the right of this post and choose how you would like to enter the FREE giveaway. Winners will be announced every Monday in my INDIE AUTHOR’S JOURNEY post, so enter the FREE giveaway and check next Monday to see if you’ve won!

 

LUNADAR cover jpg

 
Ruler by day, a reluctant pirate by night, 18-year-old Princess Ariana fights for her subjects in the waterfall city of LUNADAR. In a kingdom surrounded by fairies and mermaids, and ravaged by deadly Drundles, only a chosen few are trusted to guard her daughter, Candra, as the secret heir to the throne.

But it only takes one ill-fated meeting for Ariana to suddenly be plunged into an escalating web of secrets found in her father’s journal, a deadly kidnapping, and an ever-weakening resolve to turn her back on the call of the merman’s song.
With Ariana’s world falling apart and the future of LUNADAR at stake, how will she bring her father’s murderer to justice and fulfill a deathbed promise to protect Lunadar’s legacy?

 

donna

 

International best selling, award-winning author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest book, LUNADAR: Homeward Bound (a YA fantasy), is now available in ebook and print form from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, and other online retailers.

FLASH FICTION TUESDAY: Morning Glory

Donna L

morning glory.jpg

 

Now on Tuesdays…at least for the foreseeable future…welcome to Flash Fiction Tuesday. In case you don’t know what flash fiction is, it is an extremely short story (sometimes created in 100 words or less) with a beginning, middle, and an ending,

But in my case, I write flash fiction with an open ending. I allow my readers to draw their own conclusion as to what happens. This week’s story tumbles through the produce aisle…
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The sun was just starting to come up when Neil reluctantly let go of his dream. It was the same one he’d had for the past three nights. Molly was laughing at something he’d said, looking at him with eyes the same shiny blue as the morning glories hanging outside the coffee shop where they ate breakfast every morning for the past six years. He stopped eating there because now just the sight of them felt like a knife in his gut.

Neil rolled over and absently reached out for her. His mind knew she was gone but his heart just couldn’t say goodbye. Slowly he opened his eyes as his hand touched where her auburn hair used to curl so softly next to his it would sometimes tickle his nose as he slept. What he wouldn’t give to be tickled like that again. Now there was just a cold, sterile pillow to take up space in that big empty bed.

It had been a year since she left him. A year to curse God, feel the anger well up inside, and endless nights to lie awake fighting back tears threatening to break through the careful wall he built around his aching heart. Well-meaning friends kept telling him it was time to let her go, time to move on, but how could he move on when he couldn’t even remember how to breathe without her?

Shuffling through the kitchen, Neil grabbed a piece of dry toast and his keys as he made his way to the front door. Maybe he should think about moving? Maybe move up north and start over? Or maybe he would just crawl back under the covers and pray for the dream to come again.

Opening the front door, it took him a moment to notice it. Shiny blue flowers caught his eye. There, in the flower bed, Molly made him dig for her last summer, were dozens of beautiful morning glories. Bright blue like her eyes. For a moment Neil thought he was losing his mind. For a moment he almost forgot to breathe and looked around to see who would play such a cruel joke? Then he remembered their last conversation at the hospital as he held her hand and gently moved aside the tubing to kiss her cheek…

 

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LUNADAR cover jpg

 

Ruler by day, a reluctant pirate by night, 18-year-old Princess Ariana fights for her subjects in the waterfall city of LUNADAR. In a kingdom surrounded by fairies and mermaids, and ravaged by deadly Drundles, only a chosen few are trusted to guard her daughter, Candra, as the secret heir to the throne.

But it only takes one ill-fated meeting for Ariana to suddenly be plunged into an escalating web of secrets found in her father’s journal, a deadly kidnapping, and an ever-weakening resolve to turn her back on the call of the merman’s song.

With Ariana’s world falling apart and the future of LUNADAR at stake, how will she bring her father’s murderer to justice and fulfill a deathbed promise to protect Lunadar’s legacy?

 

donna
International best selling, award-winning author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest book, LUNADAR: Homeward Bound (a YA fantasy), is now available in ebook and print form from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, and other online retailers.

FLASH FICTION TUESDAY: Pick Up On Aisle One

Donna L

produce.jpg

 
Now on Tuesdays…at least for the foreseeable future…welcome to Flash Fiction Tuesday. In case you don’t know what flash fiction is, it is an extremely short story (sometimes created in 100 words or less) with a beginning, middle, and an ending,

But in my case, I write flash fiction with an open ending. I allow my readers to draw their own conclusion as to what happens. This week’s story tumbles through the produce aisle…

 

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Hallie tossed her purse into the shopping cart and quickly pushed it toward the produce aisle. It had been a long day, full of irritations stacking one on top of another until she felt like screaming. Five o’clock finally arrived and all Hallie wanted to do was grab a salad before heading home. Barely paying attention as she tossed things into her cart, Hallie rounded the corner and felt a jolt that literally threw her to the floor.

Rubbing her sore backside, Hallie thought it safe to try and stand when a callused hand reached down to help her to her feet. Startled, she looked up into worried blue eyes. Robin egg blue that sent shivers down her spine. She remembered those eyes. They belonged to a set of memories she’d rather not think about these days.

“Hey, are you okay? I didn’t see you.”

Hallie opened her mouth, then tightly pressed her lips together as she jerked her arm from that callused hand.

“I don’t need your help!”

Those blue eyes looked startled as recognition dawned on him and the hand quickly pulled back as if touching fire.

“Hallie? What are you doing back here?”

Slowly getting to her feet, Hallie took a moment to straighten her clothes as she avoided looking into those blue eyes she knew so well. She needed a moment to gather her thoughts. A moment to remind herself to breathe and not let those blue eyes mesmerize her again.

“My aunt died and left me her place.” Oh, why did she let that slip out?

“Aunt Sally is gone? I hadn’t heard. When did it happen?”

Hallie closed her eyes for a moment. Tears wouldn’t help her now. The cold metal bar under her fingertips felt a bit like her heart as she pushed the cart away from the produce aisle. She just wanted to go home and forget those blue eyes. But before she could stop herself, she said the one thing she knew would hurt him.

“She died not too long after you left me standing at the altar.”

***Okay, it’s your turn! What happens next? Does Hallie leave Aisle One all by herself? Or do those blue eyes go after her? Leave a comment below.***

 

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***WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!***WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!***

 

audio book

 

I’m happy to announce the winner of week three of my TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR free giveaway! “Mr. Art’ (he didn’t leave his name on his entry form)  has won an audiobook for following this blog! Congratulations! Look for my email on how to get your prize…

 

 

Week Four

 

***DON’T FORGET! It’s week four of THE TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR giveaway and this week you get a chance to win a $20 Wendys food gift card shown above! Just click on the pile of presents to the right of this post and choose how you would like to enter the FREE giveaway. Winners will be announced every Monday in my INDIE AUTHOR’S JOURNEY post, so enter the FREE giveaway and check next Monday to see if you’ve won!

 

***ALSO…it’s not too late to tell all your educator or school librarian friends about their chance to pick up a FREE copy of LUNADAR: Homeward Bound during my LUNADAR Pay It Forward FREE giveaway! I’m giving away THOUSANDS of ebook copies between now and Friday, November 2nd, in exchange for an honest review on Amazon. All they have to do is send me a Facebook message or email with their valid email address and I will send them their FREE copy, along with a copy of the LUNADAR map I sketched. Hurry and share the good news about this FREE ebook giveaway before time runs out!***

 

LUNADAR cover jpg

 

Ruler by day, a reluctant pirate by night, 18-year-old Princess Ariana fights for her subjects in the waterfall city of LUNADAR. In a kingdom surrounded by fairies and mermaids, and ravaged by deadly Drundles, only a chosen few are trusted to guard her daughter, Candra, as the secret heir to the throne.

But it only takes one ill-fated meeting for Ariana to suddenly be plunged into an escalating web of secrets found in her father’s journal, a deadly kidnapping, and an ever-weakening resolve to turn her back on the call of the merman’s song.

With Ariana’s world falling apart and the future of LUNADAR at stake, how will she bring her father’s murderer to justice and fulfill a deathbed promise to protect Lunadar’s legacy?

 

donna

 

International best selling, award-winning author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest book, LUNADAR: Homeward Bound (a YA fantasy), is now available in ebook and print form from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, and other online retailers.

 

FLASH FICTION TUESDAY: The Crystal Ball

Donna L

crystal ball

 

Now on Tuesdays…at least for the foreseeable future…welcome to Flash Fiction Tuesday. In case you don’t know what flash fiction is, it is an extremely short story (sometimes created in 100 words or less) with a beginning, middle, and an ending,

But in my case, I write flash fiction with an open ending. I allow my readers to draw their own conclusion as to what happens. This week’s story honors the gypsy culture and the magic to be found there…

 

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A nervous giggle escaped Mattie’s lips as she glanced around the tent once more. Her friends came with her to the gypsy camp outside of town, Had even dared her to seek her future with the fortune teller. Now that she was actually standing in front of the old woman dressed in rich colors and sparkling jewels, Mattie was beginning to think it a bit foolish to have agreed to her friends’ dare.

“Sit down.”

The voice was surprisingly strong, even though it was a mere whisper hanging in the air around them. Mattie sat on a low stool in front of a velvet-covered table. A single crystal ball balanced on a small pedestal in the middle of it. She could have sworn something flickered in its middle, but before Mattie could peer closer the old gypsy covered it with blue-veined hands and began to chant in a low singsong voice. Mattie gazed at the woman, mesmerized as a small band of smoke began to swirl inside the ball, twirling faster and growing larger until it completely filled the ball. The fortune teller’s eyes seem to bore into Mattie’s as that shivery voice filled the tent once more.

“Why are you here?”

Another nervous giggle escaped as Mattie attempted to make a joke of her reasons for entering the tent in the first place.

“Uh, my friends dared me to come in here. I thought it would be funny to see my future.”

The old gypsy stared into the smoke for a long moment before gazing back at the girl sitting opposite the now glowing orb.

“Ahhh, but don’t you want to know about the treasure first?”

***Okay, it’s your turn! What happens next? Is the old gypsy woman for real? What is the treasure she is talking about? And what does she really see in Mattie’s future? Put your creative cap on and add a sentence or add a paragraph in the comments below!***

 

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***WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!***WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!***

I’m happy to announce the winner of week two of my TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR free giveaway! Sherry Hudson has won the fairie house for following this blog! Congratulations Sharon! She should be receiving her fairie house soon…

 

Week Three
***DON’T FORGET! It’s week three of THE TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR giveaway and this week you get a chance to win the audiobook DARK CURSE by Christine Feehan shown above! Just click on the pile of presents to the right of this post and choose how you would like to enter the FREE giveaway. Winners will be announced every Monday in my INDIE AUTHOR’S JOURNEY post, so enter the FREE giveaway and check next Monday to see if you’ve won!***

***ALSO…it’s not too late to tell all your educator or school librarian friends about their chance to pick up a FREE copy of LUNADAR: Homeward Bound during my LUNADAR Pay It Forward FREE giveaway! I’m giving away THOUSANDS of ebook copies between now and Friday, November 2nd, in exchange for an honest review on Amazon. All they have to do is send me a Facebook message or email with their valid email address and I will send them their FREE copy, along with a copy of the LUNADAR map I sketched. Hurry and share the good news about this FREE ebook giveaway before time runs out!***

***AND…it’s countdown time to the release of LUNADAR: Homeward Bound on 10/15/18! You can now pre-order your print copy through Amazon and other online retailers, so get your copy today!***

 

LUNADAR cover jpg

Ruler by day, a reluctant pirate by night, 18-year-old Princess Ariana fights for her subjects in the waterfall city of LUNADAR. In a kingdom surrounded by fairies and mermaids, and ravaged by deadly Drundles, only a chosen few are trusted to guard her daughter, Candra, as the secret heir to the throne.

But it only takes one ill-fated meeting for Ariana to suddenly be plunged into an escalating web of secrets found in her father’s journal, a deadly kidnapping, and an ever-weakening resolve to turn her back on the call of the merman’s song.

With Ariana’s world falling apart and the future of LUNADAR at stake, how will she bring her father’s murderer to justice and fulfill a deathbed promise to protect Lunadar’s legacy?

 

donna

International best selling, award-winning author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest book, LUNADAR: Homeward Bound (a YA fantasy), ebook edition, is now available from Amazon, with the print edition coming October 15, 2018.

FLASH FICTION TUESDAY: Here Kitty, Kitty

Donna L

fire.jpg

 

Now on Tuesdays…at least for the foreseeable future…welcome to Flash Fiction Tuesday. In case you don’t know what flash fiction is, it is an extremely short story (sometimes created in 100 words or less) with a beginning, middle, and an ending,

But in my case, I write flash fiction with an open ending. I allow my readers to draw their own conclusion as to what happens.  This week’s story came to me in a dream and when I woke up, I had to write it down…

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Slate grey clouds slammed into scorched trees and darkened the sky as Dra’con slowly made his way up the rocky terrain. The stench from decaying flesh almost made him gag. Dra’con only stopped long enough to tighten the grimy cloth covering his lower face before sidestepping what looked like the remains of a coyote and continued his climb.

It had only been three days since the great fire, but already the villagers were nervously looking over their shoulders and wondering when will the creature strike next? The elders tried to calm the crowd with words even they didn’t believe. Dra’con knew there would be no stopping the panic once the others realized most of their food source had been wiped away with the flames. A quick death in battle was better than a slow, agonizing one as children and old ones would probably succumb first to the gnawing hunger of the upcoming winter with nothing to fill their bellies.

Dra’con concentrated so hard on not losing his footing as he climbed over charred tree limbs and stumbled around small boulders that, at first, he didn’t notice the fresh impressions made on the blackened forest floor. Moving closer to investigate, his foot tripped over a small root, causing him to come to a stop inside the crater. For a moment Dra’con didn’t understand what he was looking at, but the final realization made a cold sweat suddenly wash over him. Slowly drawing his weapon from his side, Dra’con carefully traced the massive paw print with the tip of his sword until it softly struck the other side of his boot. 

It was here.

And from what Dra’con could see, the beast was far larger than the elders had first supposed. No matter, the people depended on him to drive it from their land. The children thought him a hero and when had heroes ever turned their back on danger just because their bellies clinched with fear?

Taking a moment to kneel in the great beast’s footprint, Dra’con offered up a prayer to the gods before standing up. Then, thrusting the sword firmly back into its scabbard, he threw his shoulders back and with renewed determination, continued up the path in front of him. Only one thing was on his mind.

Here kitty, kitty…

***What happens next? What made the paw print? Will Dra’con be able to save the village? Or will the upcoming winter add to the body count? Share your comments and endings to this story below!***


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***WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!***WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!***

I’m happy to announce the winner of week one of my TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR free giveaway! Ariel (aka author R M Archer) has won the cool bookmarks for entering my Rafflecopter FREEBIES giveaway! Congratulations Ariel…I’ve already sent you an email and once I receive your mailing address, those bookmarks will be winging their way to you soon! 

 

 

fairy house

 

***DON’T FORGET! It’s week two of THE TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR giveaway and this week you get a chance to win the cool fairie house shown above! Just click on the pile of presents to the right of this post and choose how you would like to enter the FREE giveaway. Winners will be announced every Monday in my INDIE AUTHOR’S JOURNEY post, so enter the FREE giveaway and check next Monday to see if you’ve won!***

***ALSO…it’s not too late to tell all your educator or school librarian friends about their chance to pick up a FREE copy of LUNADAR: Homeward Bound during my LUNADAR Pay It Forward FREE giveaway! I’m giving away THOUSANDS of ebook copies between now and Friday, November 2nd, in exchange for an honest review on Amazon. All they have to do is send me a Facebook message or email with their valid email address and I will send them their FREE copy, along with a copy of the Lunadar map I sketched. Hurry and share the good news about this FREE ebook giveaway before time runs out!*** 

***AND…it’s countdown time to the release of LUNADAR: Homeward Bound on 10/15/18! You can now pre-order your print copy through Amazon and other online retailers, so get your copy today!***

 

LUNADAR cover jpg.jpg

 

Ruler by day, a reluctant pirate by night, 18-year-old Princess Ariana fights for her subjects in the waterfall city of  Lunadar. In a kingdom surrounded by fairies and mermaids, and ravaged by deadly Drundles, only a chosen few are trusted to guard her daughter, Candra, as the secret heir to the throne.

But it only takes one ill-fated meeting for Ariana to suddenly be plunged into an escalating web of secrets found in her father’s journal, a deadly kidnapping, and an ever-weakening resolve to turn her back on the call of the merman’s song.

With Ariana’s world falling apart and the future of Lunadar at stake, how will she bring her father’s murderer to justice and fulfill a deathbed promise to protect Lunadar’s legacy?

 

donna

 

International best selling, award-winning author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest book, LUNADAR: Homeward Bound (a YA fantasy), ebook edition, is now available from Amazon, with the print edition coming October 15, 2018.