Thursday’s Thoughts,Questions and Comments About Writing

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Today’s post is to get our creative juices flowing and to get us to write. This will be my first “writing prompt” post. Writing prompt posts will happen once a month — the second Thursday of each month, and I hope you will join me.
Writing prompts will vary: a line you must include, a beginning sentence, a photo, a list of words to include, possibly a piece of music, or any other creative thing I can think of to use as a prompt.
Now here are the rules for participating in my monthly writing prompt:
1) You may write in any genre.
2) Keep it clean — no explicit sex or erotica, no stories that attack a person or group of
     people. Minimal use of profanity and violence is okay.
3) If you are a nonfiction writer and want to participate, I welcome you, but you must
     use the suggested prompt.
4) All stories must be a minimum of 100 words and a maximum of 1500 words. (This rule
     may change as participation grows).
I reserve the right not to post any story that doesn’t include/use the writing prompt as well as any story that breaks the second rule.
Here are a couple options for sharing, which I strongly encourage for two reasons — I want to know that people are participating, and I want to read what you write, as I am sure others will as well.
So sharing options:
1) 100 — 300 words, please post these stories in the comments section of this post
2) 301 — 1500 words, please email to me at cre8tiveme07@gmail.com
The reason for the options is that short stories like the first option can easily be shared and read in the comments section. Longer stories like the second option, I will post in a special Saturday post the same week the writing prompt post is written, so the Saturday that follows the second Thursday of the month.
I’m so excited to see what you come up with, and I will be participating as well.
This month’s writing prompt is that somewhere in your story, you must include the phrase “if looks could kill”.
One last thing, if you read posted stories in the comments or on the special Saturday post and choose to comment on the stories, your comments must be respectful, kind, and encouraging.

Timeless Tuesday: Horses or Ponies?

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Photo by Chris Liverani on Unsplash

The above photo is a picture of two ponies. Note that a pony’s body is shorter and a bit stouter than the body of a horse. Their legs are shorter than a horse’s legs. Therefore, they would not have been a good choice for use in the “Pony Express”.

The Pony Express began its run in April 1860, and when my upcoming novel is published, should you choose to read it (and I hope you will), you will find that the Pony Express is a big part of my story.

Even though it was commonly called the “Pony Express”, the actual official name was the “Central Overland California & Pike’s Peak Express Company” (C.O.C. & P.P.), and they didn’t use ponies. They used horses.

William H. Russell, one of the three men who started the C.O.C. and P.P. business wanted 200 grey mares between four and seven years old, no bigger than fifteen hands high that were saddle broken and healthy, solid, and reliable.  However, the company bought 400 to 500 horses, but they weren’t all grey mares.

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Photo by Sheri Hooley on Unsplash

The above photo is a picture of a Thoroughbred horse. Kentucky Thoroughbreds and Morgans were ridden on the eastern end of the Pony Express route.

War Eagle - mustang of the South Steens, OR Wild horse stallion ...

The above photo is a picture of a Mustang. California Mustangs were ridden on the western stretch of the Pony Express route.

The horses were ridden hard at a gallop because mail delivery by the Pony Express was promised to get from St. Joseph, Missouri to San Francisco, California in ten days. Never before in history had letters been delivered such a distance so quickly. Therefore, horses galloped an average of ten miles per hour, sometimes being pushed to twenty-five miles per hour. Station houses were built 10-15 miles apart and Express riders would ride a length of 75 to 100 miles, but would stop at the station houses every 10 to 15 miles for a fresh horse, so as not to harm the horses, and allow them to eat, drink, and rest. An Express rider changed horses eight to ten times on their route.

The main character of my upcoming novel is a Pony Express rider.

 

The Opening Night Murders by James Scott Byrnside

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The Opening Night Murders: An Impossible Crime Murder Mystery by [James Scott Byrnside]

The Opening Night Murders by James Scott Byrnside is set in Chicago in 1935 and is written like the old classic murder mysteries. It is James Scott Byrnside’s second book.

Detective Rowan Manory and his sidekick, Walter Williams, work to solve the murder that took place at The Red Rising Theater on opening night of a new play. While they try to find and follow clues for this murder, more murders follow.

Detective Manory and Walter are reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes and Watson. Walter is quite witty and brings humor to the tragic situations. He is a delightful character.

The cast of characters make for suspicious and possible suspects.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. James Scott Byrnside did a great job creating interesting characters, twists and turns and complications that led from one murder to another. This book kept me turning pages and had me guessing until the very end as to “whodunnit”.

The ending was well done. The murders were solved and there was a surprise and unexpected twist in the explanation.

The Opening Night Murders by James Scott Byrnside was very well written and I highly recommend it to those who love a good murder mystery. However, I will add a caveat in regard to language — there is quite a bit of profanity in this book.

I did receive a free copy of this ebook for my honest review. This review is my honest opinion about this book.

Flash Fiction Friday: The Real Love Challenge

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Photo by Марьян Блан | @marjanblan on Unsplash

Aiden watched a beautiful brunette pick four red tomatoes and place them in her shopping cart. She walked, her shoulders pulled back, eyes straight ahead, exuding self-confidence. He followed her down the aisle. When she stopped to choose a bunch of bananas, he passed her and searched her left hand—no ring.

He moved toward the checkout, waiting for her to approach a register. As she exited the aisle and approached, he feigned interest in a magazine and rolled his cart forward so that it collided with hers.

He looked up. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going. Are you okay?”

She looked at him, the corners of her mouth twitching. “I’m fine. Now, if you’d be so kind as to move your cart, I’ll pay for my items and be on my way.”

“Oh yes, of course.” He pulled his cart back, allowed her to enter the checkout lane, then pushed his cart in behind hers. “My name’s Aiden Berkley. And you are?”

“Not interested.” She pinched her lips into a flat line.

“I’d really like to treat you to coffee … to make up for crashing into your cart.”

When her eyes met his, he smiled. “There’s a coffee shop right around the corner.”

“I don’t think so.” She paid for her items, grabbed her bag, and pushed her cart toward the cart return area.

Aiden tried not to drum his fingers or tap his foot while waiting for the cashier to ring up his few items. When the cashier finally bagged his last item and said, “That’ll be $12.50,” he handed her a ten and a five.

“Keep the change.” He grabbed his two bags, returned his cart, and rushed out the door, scanning the parking lot for the brunette.

He spotted her just as she was ready to climb into the passenger side of a sky blue Lexus sedan. His lower jaw dropped. Maybe she was way out of his league. He shook his head and ran toward the car.

He reached it just before she shut the door. He leaned down to look in at her. “If you’re busy today, how about lunch tomorrow?”

She sighed and rolled her eyes.

He remained standing hunched over, smiling at her.

“Look, Aiden Berkley, isn’t it?” She waited for his nod. “I’m really not interested. Now, if you’ll allow me to close my door…”

“Wait, please. Is it that you’re not interested in men, or not interested in me?”

“I’m not interested in either.”

“Well, I’m not like other men.” This earned him another eye roll.

“Of course you’re not, until I go out with you.” She grabbed her door handle and tried to pull it shut.

He moved out of the way. He wanted to take her out, but if he didn’t let her go, she’d think he was just another jerk.

He watched as she backed out of the parking space and drove down the lane.

“Man, do you know who you were just tryin’ to hit on?”

Aiden turned in the direction the voice had come from. “Kahlil! You know her?”

“Not personally, but I know who she is.”

“Well, who is she?” Aiden rubbed the back of his neck.

“That’s Samantha Rivers. She’s the editor in chief of Hot Topics Magazine.”

“Are you serious? The Hot Topics Magazine—the magazine that dishes the good and the bad on who’s who in the whole country, ‘anybody who’s somebody’?”

Kahlil nodded. “That’s the one.”

“Maybe I am outta her league, but I ain’t giving up.”

Kahlil raised an eyebrow. “You know she could have any man she wants, right?”

Aiden grinned. “Yeah, but I just gotta make her want me.”

* * * * *

The next week, Aiden went to the same grocery store at the same time, and there she was – Samantha Rivers – in the produce aisle.

This time, when she approached the checkout, Aiden moved with precision so that she saw his approach. Then he swung his arm in an arc and gave a slight bow. “After you, m’lady.”

She looked at him and laughed out loud. Then she raised her hands. “Okay … one coffee … around the corner. Half an hour, then I’m gone.”

Aiden grinned. “I’ll take it.”

They put their grocery bags in their respective cars, then walked around the corner to The Mug and Cup. She ordered a mocha latte with double chocolate. Aiden ordered a butterscotch hazelnut coffee and picked up the tab for both.

They sat at a table for two near one of the large windows.

“So, why are you so interested in me? Looking for sex or money?”

Aiden nearly spit out his sip of coffee, but swallowed quickly and began to cough.

Samantha sat smiling while he recovered.

“Well, you come right to the point, don’t you?” He sat up and leaned his forearms on the table. “What if I said I’m looking to build a relationship?”

She searched his eyes for a minute, then said, “Money it is.”

“Wait … what? Is that what you saw in my eyes? Really?”

“I couldn’t tell, but I know men.”

“Well, you don’t know me. Do you know that last week when I tried to hit on you, I didn’t even know who you were?”

She shrugged her shoulders.

Aiden shook his head and frowned.

Samantha raised an eyebrow.

“Some guy really did a number on you, huh?” Aiden paused, but she didn’t respond or meet his gaze. “Don’t let him ruin a chance at real love for you.”

It was her turn to swallow and cough, but not to the degree Aiden had. “That’s what you want to offer me? Real love?” She chuckled. “What if I said I don’t believe in real love.”

“I’ll take that as a challenge, and I’ll meet you here at this same coffee shop same time next week.”

She met and held his gaze a few moments. “You’re on.”

Thursday’s Thoughts,Questions, and Comments About Writing

/ kellyfbarr / 11 Comments

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Photo by Eugene Chystiakov on Unsplash

Though I have received no thoughts, questions, or comments from anyone, I will post today and hope it will encourage you to leave thoughts, questions, or comments about writing in the comments section for me to cover in future posts.

Writing is a solitary activity for the most part, and sometimes a writer can feel quite lonely. A writer can become discouraged staring at a blank page or a blank screen for a long period of time when nothing comes to mind to write or type.

Writers face other struggles as well — wondering if their scene or story is well written; what could they do to improve it; could they have chosen better words; is the pacing of the story too fast or too slow; are my characters likeable and relatable; etc.

Writers need each other. If you’re a writer who has ever spoken to another writer about writing, didn’t that conversation exhilarate and excite you; inspire you to sit down and write; let you know you’re not alone in your writing struggles; encourage you in knowing that you can be a writer?

That’s what I want my Thursday posts to do.

In addition, I’d like to have an occasional “brainstorming” Thursday post, where we just share ideas for stories, settings, characters — things to get our creative juices flowing. I also will post a writing prompt the second Thursday of the month, beginning next week, and ask you to use the prompt to write something and share it in the comments section for everyone here to read and reply to — only encouraging responses will be accepted. Any harsh or negative responses will be deleted. It is acceptable to say something like, “This part in your story is a bit slow. You could speed it up a little by…” OR “I didn’t really like this part or this character because…” These types of comments can be helpful to the writer instead of hurtful. They can help the writer improve their writing. We can all learn from one another.

I really hope you will join me on these Thursday posts, and I hope you will enjoy them as much as I know I will.

Timeless Tuesday: Horses and my Male Protagonist in 1860

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Photo by Luis Hinojosa on Unsplash

In the 1860s west, horses were a staple in most people’s lives. They were used for transportation as well as to aid in many forms of work.

Horses play a big part in my upcoming novel. My male protagonist began working with horses when he was seven years old. His father taught him how to work with horses for two years before they left their home in Kentucky.

My protagonist quickly became quite fond of horses. However, due to unfortunate circumstances, his time with horses was quite limited from the time he was ten yours old until he turned eighteen years old.

When he turned eighteen, he gained employment working as an omnibus driver. The omnibus he would’ve driven would have been similar to the one in the photo below.

The horse-drawn omnibus became Paris' first form of public ...

An omnibus was a four-wheeled carriage pulled by horses. An omnibus traveled a predetermined route and followed a schedule, carrying passengers for a fee. My male protagonist drove an omnibus, carrying passengers around the city of St. Louis, Missouri for seven years before leaving St. Louis.

The Tech by Mark Ravine

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The Tech by [Mark Ravine]

The Tech is Mark Ravine’s debut novel. It is the story of  a team of FBI agents, led by Alexandra Cassidy. Alexandra just transferred to Arizona and, after checking the background of her team, considers the possibility that she was transferred to lead a team of misfits.

Mark Ravine did an excellent job in writing all of the mental aspects of this book — Alexandra’s thoughts, the thoughts of other characters, the processing of the information and evidence.

He also did a great job writing the IT stuff  in a way that an average, even non-techie reader like me can understand and follow. The IT character he created that works with Alexandra’s team was very well-developed and interesting. The story line that involves him kept me guessing.

The story follows Alexandra and her team through many cases which include murder, theft, human trafficking and so much more. Alexandra’s life is endangered more than once.

The story held my interest due to the interactions between Alexandra and her team as well as lots of good, witty dialogue.

In addition, I found many of the chapters to be quite long, and I felt that the action scenes lacked the suspense they could have had. Again, the character’s thought processes in these scenes were well done, but these lacked in edge-of-your-seat action and suspense, instead coming across as very matter-of-fact.

Therefore, I give this book a 4-star rating. All in all, if you like crime drama stories, I do recommend this book because it did keep me turning pages until the end, and I thought the ending was very well done as well. I will most likely pick up a Mark Ravine novel again in the future.

I did receive a free copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review, and this is my honest review.

Flash Fiction Friday: The Secret Admirer

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Photo by Allie on Unsplash

“Junk mail, bill, junk mail, bill, bill. Wait, what’s this? A letter? Who writes letters nowadays?”

Reina grabbed her letter opener off the counter and opened the envelope. She pulled out a single sheet of high quality stationery that resembled ancient parchment paper. She unfolded it and read:

My dearest Reina,
Your beauty captivates me. Your smile bedazzles me. The thought of talking to you leaves me tongue-tied, so I decided to write instead. I get queasy in my stomach every time I see you. I want to speak to you, but I’m afraid of making a fool of myself. I long to find out what things we have in common. I hope to gather enough courage to speak to you soon.
Your Secret Admirer

Reina picked up the envelope, examined the front of it—no return address—local postmark. Who could have sent this—a coworker, regular customer? Was it some kind of joke? What if it was a stalker? Whoever it was knew her home address.

The next day Reina analyzed every interaction with the waiters and her regular male customers. Every smile and big tip had her wondering, ‘could he be the one’. When Craig, who came in twice a week, winked at her, she nearly spilled a cup of coffee.

She checked her mail right after work, sorted through it, searching for another letter, but found none.

Two days later, another letter arrived.

My dearest Reina,
Your smile lights up a room. Your laughter is like the Pied Piper’s music to my heart. You hold me spellbound.
In my next letter I will name a time and place for us to meet. Please give me a chance.
Your Secret Admirer

When the next letter arrived, Reina hesitated to open it. Was she ready to meet this guy?

My dearest Reina,
Though I remain nervous, I am determined to meet you face to face.I hope you will come to Pascal’s Friday night at 7 p.m. Tell the maitre d’ to show you to the table of the rose. I will be waiting for you.
Your Secret Admirer

Friday, Reina searched her closet and decided on a simple blue dress that complimented her figure. She wore matching blue sandals, grabbed her formal handbag and keys, and went to her car.

As she drove, her stomach filled with butterflies. At Pascal’s, a valet parked her car, and she walked into the restaurant, the butterflies performing ballet inside her.

The maitre d’ greeted her and asked about her reservation.”

“I’m meeting someone. Could you please show me to the table of the rose?”

“Ah yes, right this way.”

He led her to a table next to a large window with a fantastic view of the city lights. A gentleman rose from his seat at the table.

Reina gasped. He was incredibly handsome with brown hair and eyes the color of caramel. He looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t quite place him.

He held a deep red rose out to her. “For you m’lady.” He smiled and Reina’s heart melted at the sight of the dimples that indented his cheeks.

She took the rose, and he came and held her chair for her to be seated.

When they were seated, she couldn’t hold her tongue any longer. “Have we met before?”

“No. I moved into the apartment building across the street from yours three months ago. I’ve seen you coming and going. I had lunch at Mickey’s a couple times but was never lucky enough to be seated in your section. I asked my waitress your name.”

“You mailed letters to me from across the street?” She quirked an eyebrow.

He grinned. “I’m afraid I prefer old fashioned romance.”

“You still haven’t told me your name.”

“Oh, do forgive my thoughtlessness. I am Griffin Wallace.”

“Well Griffin Wallace, you certainly do know how to grab a lady’s attention.”

“I hope I will be as good at holding your attention.”

The intensity in his eyes set the butterflies dancing once again. “Your first note mentioned getting to know what we have in common, and it looks like the first thing would be an appreciation for good food. Though I have only been here once before, I do love the food here. Not to mention the fact that you obviously enjoy Mickey’s. I hope you won’t be too uncomfortable ordering for me?”

“You do know how to set a man’s nerves on edge. Having only just met, I have no idea what foods you like and dislike. At least tell me, do you have any food allergies?”

“Good question. No, I don’t, and I’m not a picky eater.” She smiled and noticed his shoulders relax.

When the waiter came to take their order, Griffin ordered duck with pears for him and beef fillet filled with kale, almonds, feta, and parmesan for her, both with a side of baked butternut squash with pomegranate seeds.

The food arrived a short while later and they began to eat. After a few bites, Griffin watched Reina.

“Do I have food on my face or something?”

He smiled. “No. I was just wondering if I had chosen well for you?”

“Very well.” She raised a forkful of beef fillet and slipped it into her mouth.

After dinner, they exited the restaurant together, and the valets brought their cars. Griffin escorted Reina to hers.

“Do you like the theater?”

“Movies or live productions?”

Griffin grinned. “Either.”

“Yes to both.”

“Would you like to accompany me to see “Hamilton” at the Dunkirk Theater next Saturday afternoon with dinner after?”

“I’d love to.” She slid into the driver’s seat of her car.

“One more thing, Reina. Do you think next Saturday we could go together in the same car?” His eyes sparkled.

“I wouldn’t want to impose on you and make you travel so far out of your way to pick me up.” She let out a little giggle.

Griffin grinned and watched her leave before climbing into his own car.