Lemon Queens

 

It’s because of my sister.

She got a Disney princess dress for Halloween two years ago. Now she wears that stupid costume, and crown, every day.

We’re the Lemond twins but, in our neighborhood, we’re known as the Lemon Queens. And it’s because of my sister. She turned a serious business into a joke. And I hate her.

After the cards, cakes, and casseroles stopped, I opened a lemonade stand. I made the drinks myself. People said it was tasty. It wasn’t. I smiled. They knew we needed money and I knew to be nice, so we both pretended.

 

Flash Fiction Challenge over at Carrot Ranch 

August 27, prompt: Lemon Queen In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that features Lemon Queens. 🌻

 

 

When She Was in Danger

 

I wanted to be brave.

Not like heroes in fairy tales.

Not like that.

Just an ordinary courage that snuck in the drafty front window in our kitchen and found me in the midst of calamity.

But I froze. Mind blank.

For all the bravery I thought I possessed, that I claimed I would have, should the moment arise, I failed.

Whether it dissipated when need barked at it or I never had it to begin with, I was frozen in a time when she couldn’t respond and I wear that coldness like a lead vest. My badge of dishonor.

 

Flash Fiction Challenge over at Carrot Ranch 

May 14, prompt: Danger In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that answers the question, “What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you are in absolute danger?

 

 

Nourishment

 

She felt magnolia petals falling on her grave.

Freshly dug, soil still loose, the mound surrounded by mourners, she heard crying. Noisy sniffles, gentle sobs, painful wails.

She shifted focus from those above her, fixing her mind on the tree. Its branches reached for her. This time of year, it offered pale pink flowers.

This time of year, it needed her most.

And every spring these coming years. Her body would nourish the magnolia roots and, in return, her grave would be speckled with velvet petals. Nourishment for her soul.

When the grieving left, she would dance in nature’s bouquet.

 

Flash Fiction Challenge over at Carrot Ranch 

May 7, prompt: Nourish In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story about something that nourishes/is being nourished.

 

 

Featured On the Reef ~ Graeme Cumming @GraemeCumming63

 

 

On the Reef is a series featuring fabulous indie authors from around the blogosphere and beyond. Titles, covers, and blurbs that catch my eye, new releases, great reads… Basically, authors I’d like to highlight and works I’d like to share with my fellow book-loving word nerds. Happy Reading!

 

New Release

 

Carrion by Graeme CummingCarrion

CHOOSE YOUR WORDS CAREFULLY. WORDS HAVE POWER.

A sheet of black filled his vision as hundreds of birds dived at the cottage, pointed beaks thrust forward. From this angle, he couldn’t see many of them striking it, but the few he did see held nothing back as they hammered into the shutter. The scale of the attack was beyond anything he’d seen or heard of. And bloodied casualties littered the ground: skulls shattered, wings broken, innards spilling from them. The fact that so many of them continued with the onslaught in spite of this filled him with even more dread.

Salin has always wanted an adventure and, when the opportunity presents itself, he grabs it with both hands, taking his friends along for the ride – whether they want to or not.

With strange lands come strange creatures that stand between them and their goal. And that goal is the same for someone else, a man who believes the prize is worth every sacrifice – especially when the sacrifices are made by others.

The future is about to change. But who for?

 

Available for preorder. Delivered to your kindle tomorrow, May 9th!

You can get your copy here: 🙂

Amazon US | Amazon UK

 

About Graeme:

Graeme Cumming is a child of the 60s and 70s, gifted with a vivid imagination and the ability to convert that to the written word. Put another way, he’s an author who yearns for his youth and draws inspiration from the books, movies and TV of those times.

He has written stories since his childhood, but by his own admission has allowed too many other factors to get in the way of taking it seriously until recent years.

His first novel, Ravens Gathering, is a blend of horror, fantasy and thriller and is available as an e-book. His second novel, Carrion, also promises to blend genres and is currently undergoing what he has termed “a final makeover”.

Having wasted too many years not writing, Graeme has said he plans to make up for lost time, so expect more to follow.

Website / Blog
Amazon Author Page

 

On the Reef: The Shark’s Friday Feature

 

Featured On the Reef ~ Super-Sized Stay at Home Sale! #StayAtHome #BookSale #AmReading

On the Reef is a series featuring fabulous indie authors from around the blogosphere and beyond. Titles, covers, and blurbs that catch my eye, new releases, great reads… Basically, authors I’d like to highlight and works I’d like to share with my fellow book-loving word nerds. Happy Reading!

As I posted, both my books are on sale as “lockdown literature” right now. 

I’ve seen other authors who’ve done this so thought I’d compile a list. I got as many as I could but I’m only human. (Honestly, was hoping to have a bit more time to pull this together but some of these sales are time-sensitive so please know I did the best I could.) 🙂📚❤️

There are some AMAZING books and talented authors here. Please do check them out.

Stay Healthy!

Featured Lockdown Literature (On Sale for You)

_________________________________

BOOKS ON SALE:

 

On the Edge of a Raindrop by Sarah Brentyn: Flash Fiction DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY HERE 📚❤️ FREE! UNIVERSAL LINK

Hinting at Shadows by Sarah Brentyn: Flash Fiction DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY HERE 📚❤️ UNIVERSAL LINK

Fairies, Myths, & Magic by Colleen Chesebro: Poetry  DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY HERE 📚❤️ UNIVERSAL LINK

Heartstone Chronicles by Colleen Chesebro: MG / YA DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY HERE 📚❤️ UNIVERSAL LINK

Parallel Lies by Georgia Rose: Romance / Suspense DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY HERE 📚❤️ UNIVERSAL LINK

The Joker by Georgia Rose: Romance / Short Story DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY HERE 📚❤️ UNIVERSAL LINK

ALL books from Marcia Meara: Paranormal / Fantasy DOWNLOAD YOUR COPIES HERE 📚❤️ UK | US

ALL books from J.D. Estrada: Poetry / Non-Fiction / Fantasy DOWNLOAD YOUR COPIES HERE 📚❤️ UK | US

ALL books by Geoff Le Pard: Literary Fiction / Short Stories / Memoir DOWNLOAD YOUR COPIES HERE 📚❤️ UK | US

Eyre Hall Trilogy by Luccia Gray: Historical Romance DOWNLOAD YOUR COPIES HERE 📚❤️ UK | US

Dragons & Ravens by E.E. Rawls: MG / Vampires DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY HERE 📚❤️ UK | US

Strayborn by E.E. Rawls: MG / Vampires DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY HERE 📚❤️ UK | US

Fallout by Harmony Kent: SciFi / Post-Apocalyptic: DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY HERE 📚❤️ UNIVERSAL LINK

Broken Heart Attack by James J. Cudney: Cozy Mystery DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY HERE 📚❤️ UK | US 

 

Sublime Shadows of Life by Balroop Singh: Poetry DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY HERE 📚❤️ UNIVERSAL LINK

Timeless Echoes by Balroop Singh: Poetry DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY HERE 📚❤️ UNIVERSAL LINK

 

Somebody’s Daughter by Anne Goodwin: Short Stories DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY HERE 📚❤️ UK |US 

On the Reef: The Shark’s Coronavirus Quarantine Feature

Featured On the Reef ~ Stay at Home Sale! #StayAtHome #BookSale #Free

 

 

On the Reef is a series featuring fabulous indie authors from around the blogosphere and beyond. Titles, covers, and blurbs that catch my eye, new releases, great reads… Basically, authors I’d like to highlight and works I’d like to share with my fellow book-loving word nerds. Happy Reading!

Both my books are on sale as “lockdown literature” right now so grab yourself a copy (or two)! 

 

On the Edge of a Raindrop

WHEN YOU’RE ON THE EDGE, IT’S EASY TO FALL

These are stories of lives on the edge.

A girl tortured by the world within her. A boy powerless to escape his home. A mother doomed to live with her greatest mistake. A man lost in a maze of grief.

 

Each raindrop provides a microscopic mirror of ourselves and those around us. But we can’t always trust what we see. The distorted images disorient the mind, altering our view of reality.

This second collection of flash and micro fiction explores the depths of the human condition and the fragile surface of our perceptions.

Dive into these tales of darkness and discover what life is like On the Edge of a Raindrop

 

You can get your copy here: Universal Link

🙂📚❤️ It’s FREE for 5 days! (April 24-28)

Hinting at Shadows

NO ONE ESCAPES LIFE UNSCATHED
Delve into the deeper reaches of the human condition and the darkness that lives there.

A girl haunted by her sister’s drowning. A boy desperate for his father’s affection. A woman forced to make a devastating decision. A man trapped by his obsessions.

Experience tales of love, loss, murder, and madness through this collection of flash and micro fiction.

Take a peek behind the smile of a stranger. Get a glimpse inside the heart of a friend. Scratch the surface and discover what is hidden beneath.

These stories will open your mind, tug at your thoughts, and allow you to explore the possibility that, even in the brightest moments, something is Hinting at Shadows.

 

You can get your copy here: Universal Link

🙂📚❤️ It’s on sale for 99c/99p right now!

 

About er…me:

Sarah Brentyn is an introvert who believes anything can be made better with soy sauce and wasabi.

She loves words and has been writing stories since she was nine years old. She talks to trees and apologizes to inanimate objects when she bumps into them.

When she’s not writing, you can find her strolling through cemeteries or searching for fairies.

She hopes to build a vacation home in Narnia someday. In the meantime, she lives with her family and a rainbow-colored, wooden cat who is secretly a Guardian.

Website / Blog
Amazon Author Page

Be well, gentle readers.

 

On the Reef: The Shark’s Coronavirus Quarantine Feature

Featured On the Reef ~ Stevie Turner @StevieTurner6

 

 

On the Reef is a series featuring fabulous indie authors from around the blogosphere and beyond. Titles, covers, and blurbs that catch my eye, new releases, great reads… Basically, authors I’d like to highlight and works I’d like to share with my fellow book-loving word nerds. Happy Reading!

 

New Release

 

Two Novellas: A Long Sleep / Scam!

Two Novellas

Two very different novellas to enjoy…

A Long Sleep:
Kieran Parrish is an empty shell through childhood brain trauma. His mother Connie lovingly cares for him, but looks forward to a short break every Monday and Tuesday morning, when Kieran goes off to his day centre. Connie gets to know Mike Duvale, as circumstances occur whereby they both attend the same supermarket café every week. Mike thinks he may be able to help Kieran, but Connie is doubtful, as Kieran has been ‘asleep’ for 23 years and shows no signs of recovering.

Will Kieran ever wake from his long sleep?
*
Scam!:
Lauren West and Ben Hughes are saving frantically for their forthcoming marriage and mortgage deposit. When Lauren sees an advert online from a firm of brokers extolling the profits to be gained by buying and selling Bitcoins, she is interested enough to pursue it further.

Lauren clicks on the advert. She is soon contacted by Paul Cash, a knowledgeable stockbroker whom Lauren trusts straight away. He is affable, plausible, and seemingly genuinely interested in her welfare. Lauren looks forward to making enough money to be able to surprise Ben and bring the date of their wedding forward, and also to put a deposit down on their ideal house.

What could possibly go wrong?

 

You can get your copy here: 🙂 (FREE Saturday, April 18th!)

Amazon US | Amazon UK

Stevie TurnerAbout Stevie:

Stevie Turner is a British author of suspense, paranormal, women’s fiction family dramas, and darkly humorous novels. She has also branched out into the world of audio books, screenplays, and translations. Most of her novels are now available as audio books, and ‘A House Without Windows’ gained the attention of a New York media production company in December 2017. Some of Stevie’s books have been translated into German, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.

Website / Blog
Amazon Author Page (Please check out her other books here)

 

On the Reef: The Shark’s Friday Feature

 

Screens

 

The door was wide open.

She never had that screen installed and cursed herself for it now. Nothing stood between them. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

She shifted, torn, wondering if she should relent or fight. Quickly dismissing her chances winning, she thought of running. How far could she get? Her eyes darted to the back slider, the yard beyond stretching into dense woods.

“It’s cold out here. You going to make me push my way past you?”

“What? Oh, sweetie, you caught me off guard,” she smiled, shield up. “Come in, please. What a pleasant surprise.”

 

Flash Fiction Challenge over at Carrot Ranch 

April 10, prompt: Face Shield In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that declares, shield your face.

 

 

Featured On the Reef ~ Marcia Meara @MarciaMeara

 

 

On the Reef is a series featuring fabulous indie authors from around the blogosphere and beyond. Titles, covers, and blurbs that catch my eye, new releases, great reads… Basically, authors I’d like to highlight and works I’d like to share with my fellow book-loving word nerds. Happy Reading!

 

New Release

 

The Light by Marcia Meara

The LightWake-Robin Ridge (Book 4)

For Robert MacKenzie Cole—or Rabbit, as he’s known to all—the chance to accompany his family to see North Carolina’s infamous Brown Mountain Lights has him nearly dizzy with excitement. And what better night to watch this unexplained phenomenon unfold than Halloween?

But when the entrancing, unpredictable lights show up, Rabbit gets far more than he bargained for. He’s gifted with what folks in the Appalachians call “the Sight,” and it’s this extrasensory perception that enables him to spot the one light different from all the rest.

In his biggest challenge to date, Rabbit—aided by his daddy and his newest friend, Austin Dupree— begins a quest to learn more about the mysterious light. Their investigation unveils a web of cons and corruption none of them expected and exposes a brutal murder along the way.

Throughout all, Rabbit is unfaltering in his commitment to do whatever it takes to understand the truth behind the glowing orb and to determine how he can help it. After all, it followed him home.

 

You can get your copy here: 🙂

Amazon US | Amazon UK

 

Marcia Meara_2About Marcia:

Marcia Meara lives in central Florida, just north of Orlando, with her husband of over thirty years, four big cats, and one small dachshund.

When not writing or blogging, she spends her time gardening, and enjoying the surprising amount of wildlife that manages to make a home in her suburban yard. She enjoys nature. Really, really enjoys it. All of it! Well, almost all of it, anyway. From birds, to furry critters, to her very favorites, snakes. The exception would be spiders, which she truly loathes, convinced that anything with eight hairy legs is surely up to no good. She does not, however, kill spiders anymore, since she knows they have their place in the world. Besides, her husband now handles her Arachnid Catch and Release Program, and she’s good with that.

Spiders aside, the one thing Marcia would like to tell each of her readers is that it’s never too late to make your dreams come true. If, at the age of 69, she could write and publish a book (and thus fulfill 64 years of longing to do that very thing), you can make your own dreams a reality, too. Go for it! What have you got to lose?

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MARCIA’S BOOKS:
Wake-Robin Ridge
A Boy Named Rabbit: Wake-Robin Ridge Book 2
Harbinger: Wake-Robin Ridge Book 3

Swamp Ghosts: A Riverbend Novel
Finding Hunter: Riverbend Book 2
That Darkest Place: Riverbend Book 3

The Emissary: A Riverbend Spinoff Novella
The Emissary 2: To Love Somebody

Summer Magic: Poems of Life & Love

Website / Blog
Amazon Author Page (Please check out her other books here.)

 

On the Reef: The Shark’s Friday Feature

 

Only Pepperoni

 

Outside, wind howled, rain pounded our windows, but that was nothing compared to what was happening inside.

In our kitchen, my brother’s storm startled me even more than Mother Nature’s.

It arrived with a force that sent my dog running. I wanted to follow but I stayed, frozen, under my mother’s glare. I had to stay, always, so as not to make my brother feel bad.

Him. We don’t want him to feel bad. Because, with changes in routine, like pizza being delivered with mushrooms alongside the pepperoni, he struggles. But, standing near his pizza-fueled rage, I struggle, too.

Flash Fiction Challenge over at Carrot Ranch 

April 3, prompt: Pizza In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that includes pizza. 🍕