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FLASH FICTION TUESDAY: Bella’s New World

March 5, 2019March 4, 2019Donna L

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 we get a sneak peek into Bella’s world…

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“Is it time yet?”

Excitement rippled along Bella’s spine like a rattlesnake was set loose inside her.

“Not yet, little one, but soon.” Momma nudged Bella to remind her to stand up straight.

Suddenly, the slow steady beat of drums told them it was time to make their way through the curtains separating them from the crowd on the other side. Bella swung her trunk in time to the sound and marched alongside her momma into the tent where two brightly painted stools stood waiting for them in the middle of a large ring.

The sudden cheering and shouting of the visitors to the circus startled Bella. Stopping so short Momma bumped into her, Bell’s eyes grew large as she shook her head and stared all around her. Butterflies fluttered nervously in her stomach as she realized all those humans were there to see her!

Momma placed her trunk protectively over Bella and leaned closer to her.

“What’s wrong, little one?”

Tears welled up in Bella’s eyes. “I-I-I’m afraid!”

“No need to be afraid, Bella. You’ve practiced for this moment over and over these past few months. You’re going to do fine. Just remember, the show must go on!”

Momma gave her a gentle nudge with her trunk before slowly walking away from her to stand by one of the brightly colored stools.

Looking all around her once more, Bella wasn’t sure she could get her legs to move. Momma was right. She’d worked hard to learn her tricks. But what if she made a mistake? Would the humans laugh at her?

Would Momma?
Okay, it’s your turn! Poor Bella. Put your creative cap on and continue my story or start one of your own in the comments below…

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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: Who Am I Now?

February 26, 2019Donna L

who

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 we step into the world of someone who seems to have lost her way in an instant..

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The mug was cool to her touch when Maxi finally reached for her tea. There she was again, lost in a daze and staring at the kitchen table like she had when she heard the words shattering her world.

“I’m leaving you, Maxi.”

Jake killed her with those four little words last night. She waited for the deafening silence to settle around the room after he dropped that bomb on her heart. Maxi knew she should say something…tried desperately to will herself to say anything…but all she could do is stare back at him in stunned shock. She almost wanted to laugh at the thought she must look like a fish out of water, trying to gulp back the air rushing out her lungs just seconds before.

“Did you hear what I said, Maxi? I’m leaving you.”

Yes, she’d heard him, but Maxi was terrified if she opened her mouth a primal scream would be released. Afraid there would be no stopping it once she let it go. Instead, she sat frozen in time as she watched Jake pack their future in a couple of suitcases and walk out the door.

Only then did she give in to the scalding tears burning their way down her icy cheeks.

Only then did the air rush back into her lungs so quickly Maxi had to grab the edge of the table as waves of vertigo threatened to throw her onto the cold, tile floor.

Question after question raced through her mind, darting around with no purpose other than to make her feel like she was going crazy.

“Was this some kind of nightmare she couldn’t wake up from?”

“How was she going to tell her parents her child would come into this world without a father?”

“If I’m no longer a wife…lover…soon to be mother…then who am I now?”

The sound of the doorbell startled Maxi out of her reverie and back to the world of the living. She remembered now. Her sister was stopping by to drop off baby clothes she no longer needed now her own little one just learned to walk.

Maxi took a deep, steadying breath and slowly stood up from the table. She didn’t know where her new life would take her now, but one thing she did know for certain.

LOVE was waiting for her on the other side of the door…

Okay, it’s your turn! Put your creative cap on and add to the poem if it calls to you. Continue my story or start one of your own and leave a comment below…

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donna

FLASH FICTION TUESDAY: Ode To Camelot

February 19, 2019February 19, 2019Donna L

Camelot

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 I gave flash fiction a different slant and wrote a poem about a time long ago when dragons roamed the land…

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Ode to Camelot
By Donna L Martin

Farewell good knights from those days of old,
When dragons were fought and legends told,
Of grand wizards and a holy grail,
With battles won on some distant trail.

Farewell to maids in velvet dresses,
With eyes of blue and golden tresses,
When kings were made from a sword in stone,
And honor still reigned when day was done.

Farewell to One who came from waters,
And all of Magic’s sons and daughters,
No longer will your spells be needed,
Your wisely words no longer heeded.

The Camelot days have gone away,
All replaced by the dreams of today,
But what if Arthur and knights returned?
What other lessons might still be learned?

Lessons like having codes of honor,
Lending a hand to help another,
Protect the weak; champion the small,
Knightly deeds of chivalry to all.

Those days of old may have long since gone,
But those of us left to carry on,
Will pray those days were not lived in vain,
That Camelot ways will come again.

Okay, it’s your turn! Put your creative cap on and add to the poem if it calls to you. Continue my story or start one of your own and leave a comment below…

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donna

FLASH FICTION TUESDAY: Lacey’s Bridge

February 12, 2019February 10, 2019Donna L

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 happens at Lacey’s Bridge…

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Tears streaming down her face, Lacey raced to the bridge. She was numb to the feeling of branches scratching her arms and the winter wind tangling her hair. Her attention was focused on the destination. She had to get to the bridge in time.

Lacey broke through the trees just as the sun slid from behind dark clouds. Ahead of her were moss-covered posts and snow stung her eyes as she stumbled toward the bridge’s edge. Exhausted, she paused a moment to rest her head against the rough stone as memories of Tommy washed over her.

“You promised!” He said.

Lacey looked at him with tear filled eyes. “I know, but now I’m not so sure.”

He pulled her to him and kissed her softly, almost apologetically, before saying, “You know she will never stop. This is the only way. If two people believe in something strongly enough then even the impossible becomes possible.”

She hung her head, “Yes, I know.”

Lacey’s thoughts returned to the stone beneath her hands as his voice echoed into the night, “I’ll love you forever.”

Slowly she made her way to the middle of the bridge. Stopping long enough to register the sound of hounds barking in the distance, she reached into her pocket. Trembling fingers closed around cold steel as Lacey drew the gun to her lips for one final kiss before letting it slip into the dark waters below.

It was done…

Okay, it’s your turn! What did Lacey do? Why are the hounds after her? Why does she have a gun? Put your creative cap on and add a sentence or add a paragraph. Continue my story or start one of your own and leave a comment below…

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donna

FLASH FICTION TUESDAY: The Thunder of Sea Horses…

February 5, 2019February 5, 2019Donna L

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 if sea horses are really real…

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Fionna hid just inside the cave’s entrance as the first hooves cautiously entered the foaming waters. She watched as a dozen wild horses splashed through the rolling waves, at first oblivious to the young girl who watched in fascination from a distance.

It had been three weeks since that first meeting. Collecting shells in the early morning light, Fionna was stunned when a lone stallion stepped into the waters. Frozen in surprise, she could just watch as the horse traveled further out until its head disappeared beneath the waves. Fionna knew well the village tales of the mythical beast that strode into the ocean to heed the mermaid’s call.

In a land full of wee folk and fairies, why then would she not believe in the magical Capall Mara? Especially since she had now seen it with her own eyes.

Fionna watched every day from a distance as more and more creatures followed the great stallion into the waters. “It’s the Capall Mara,” she whispered as their hooves kicked up sand and sea spray high into the air.

Finally, this morning Fionna told herself today was the day she would go out to meet them before their daily journey beneath the waves. Gathering her courage, she slowly moved away from the cave’s entrance and walked until her bare feel curled around the cool, wet sand at the water’s edge.

She held her breath as the stallion suddenly caught her scent, jerking its head high, nostrils flaring as it tried to identify the strange smell wafting toward him. Fionna could see a wariness in his eyes as he stood staring in her direction…as if the Capall Mara was deciding if this small human could be trusted?

Slowly the stallion made its way closer to her, stretching out a nose until Fionna could reach out a hand and touch the velvety softness with trembling fingers. As if a spell was broken with that touch, the stallion threw its head high before whirling away from her and thundering into the foam, taking the other sea horses with him.

Sinking to her knees in the sand, Fionna wrapped her arms around her body to try and stop her trembling. The people of the village would never believe her. Heck, SHE didn’t even know if she believed what just happened. Looking out over the water, she could just make out the head of the stallion as it slowly dipped beneath the waves…

Okay, it’s your turn! Did Fionna ever see the Capell Mara ever again? Did she follow them to answer the mermaid’s call? Put your creative cap on and add a sentence or add a paragraph. Continue my story or start one of your own and leave a comment below…

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donna

FLASH FICTION TUESDAY: The Long Trail Home

January 29, 2019January 27, 2019Donna L

Snow glistened all around as Lone Wolf’s pony took slow crackling steps up the next ridge. Worry hardened his face as he searched the distant trees for some sign of Red Eagle. So far this winter had been harsh for the people of his village, and many of the elders would no longer sit at tribal council. That left Lone Wolf to decide what was right for the others. What would be best? Stay and pray Mother Earth would be kind to them or go in search of another land to call home?

Food was becoming harder to find ever since the pale faces stormed the valley. The children were paying the price as they tried to ignore the cries of a hungry belly. Red Eagle was their last hope. He had been gone for two moons, now Lone Wolf waited on the ridge for some sign of the warrior’s return.

Just as the morning sun crested the far mountaintop, Lone Wolf saw something break through a stand of snow covered trees and slowly make its way to the river. Was it Red Eagle? Lone Wolf felt the icy air race deep into his lungs as his breath quickened. What news did he bring?

Okay, it’s your turn! Has Red Eagle returned? Will the people of Lone Wolf’s village survive another winter or will they have to move to new lands? Put your creative cap on and add a sentence or add a paragraph. Continue my story or start one of your own and leave a comment below…

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donna

FLASH FICTION TUESDAY: A Wish & A Prayer

January 22, 2019January 20, 2019Donna L

The park was almost empty by the time the old man got there but he liked it that way. No fighting the early morning joggers paying homage to the latest health trend. No new mommas pushing squawking babies in prams to gather at the sandbox like clucking hens guarding chicks. He had timed his stroll perfectly and now he could take a moment to sit. Just sit and watch the leaves turn colors in the crisp Autumn daylight. He had time. He didn’t have to be at the church til later and it wasn’t like Jake was going anywhere.

A breeze started to pick up and the old man shivered. It felt like a cat ran over his grave. Jake would have said it was a black cat hell bent on making his life a troublesome one, but that was the way Jake was. Ornery. Cantankerous. And the best friend the old man ever had.

Right now he would have given anything to have that old cuss chewing on his ear again like he had for the last 45 years. Why, he would even let him beat him at their weekly checker game. But it was too late now for that. The only thing left was a stroll in the park and a moment to recall a lifetime of memories.

Like the time he and Jake went skinny dipping at the old Thompson place. Jake almost bust a gut laughing when the branch broke and his friend plunged into that icy water. Somehow they survived those wild childhood adventures and over the years the bond between them flowed stronger than brother’s blood.

Then came the bombing. Jake shipped out and left the old man behind; a war time reject with a medical history he couldn’t overcome but still they managed to keep in touch. Three long years of waiting and wondering if Jake would make it back in one piece. And then it was like he’d never left. Two peas in the same pod, that’s what they were, and the years just seemed to run together until time caught up to the both of them. Now the old man was content to simply stroll through the park and count the blessings piled up over years.

The sound of church bells brought the old man back from his daydreaming and he clutched his cane tighter as he slowly stood up. It was time now. Time to get to the church and make one more memory with Jake…

Okay, it’s your turn! Why is the old man going to the church? Is he saying goodbye to his best friend or cheering him on to a new life? Put your creative cap on and add a sentence or add a paragraph. Continue my story or start one of your own and leave a comment below…

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donna

FLASH FICTION TUESDAY: The Coven’s Curse

January 15, 2019January 13, 2019Donna L

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

FLASH FICTION TUESDAY: Down In The Hollow

January 8, 2019January 8, 2019Donna L

house

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

November 20, 2018November 18, 2018Donna L

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

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***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

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.

Ode to Camelot By Donna L Martin

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

Ode to Camelot
By Donna L Martin

WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!
WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!