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Special Post Saturday

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Photo by Robin Canfield on Unsplash

Here is a Flash Fiction story that was submitted by C. S. Wachter for last Thursday’s writing prompt that was to include the words “if looks could kill”. Thanks for submitting, Chris!

Enjoy!

The Eye of the Dragon
by C. S. Wachter

Sam’s breath funneled in through his nose and hissed out between his teeth. Each long stride carried him farther from camp and his friends. His lungs began burning a mile back, but still he continued; the crashing noises behind him driving him forward on weakening legs. Five minutes later, the forest opened onto a rock-strewn valley surrounded by cliffs. Though the track he ran followed no set course, he couldn’t shake the feeling the creature had herded him to this dead end.

Trembling, he released a curse. He flung his arms up and fisted clumps of sweat-dampened hair as he bent over and struggled to take deep breaths while scanning for a place to hide. He sent a quick glance over his shoulder. The creature hadn’t given up but judging by the muffled roar it was far enough behind that Sam could pause in his headlong rush, take a moment to fill his lungs, get more oxygen into his blood, and plan his next move.

Sweat dribbled down the center of his back and tracked through the dirt on his face from temples to chin as he focused on a darker splotch in the mottled gray rock face to his left.

The ground beneath him vibrated and heavy thumps rattled through his chest. Out of time. He pulled in the deepest breath he could manage, set his sights, and sprinted in a straight line toward the dark opening, praying it was more than a figment of his imagination.

Cool, damp air enfolded Sam, sending a chill through his overheated body. Before him gaped a black hole, behind him, a dragon roared its disappointment. Several more roars sounded before silence fell.

Inching his way forward, Sam moved deeper into the cave. Lightning flashed. No, not lightning. Steady light flooded the cave. And laughter. Brian’s laughter. Brian—the brother Sam had left back at camp and feared for.

More voices came.

“Happy Birthday!”

“Surprise.”

Brian strode forward, laughing. “That was the absolutely best simulation. You should have seen your face. By the way, bro, you probably didn’t notice, but there are surveillance cameras all through that forest. You said you were up for an adventure. Happy Birthday, bro.”

Still chuckling, Brian reached out to plant a hand on Sam’s shoulder, but Sam stepped back. If looks could kill, his brother would be roasted by a dragon’s fire in the next second. 

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.

Christmas Carols or Christmas Songs?

/ kellyfbarr / 2 Comments

Last Thursday we went Christmas caroling, and before we started someone asked, “Are we going to sing “Mary, Did You Know?” The response was “That’s not a Christmas Carol.” I was doubtful about the response, and it got me thinking, “What’s the difference between a Christmas Carol and a Christmas Song?

Here’s what I learned:

The first carols were sung in Europe and were actually pagan songs sung during Winter Solstice while people danced in a circle. The word “carol” actually came from the French word “carole” which means “circle dance”.

As time passed, Christmas Carols became popular. They are songs of a religious nature and center around the Nativity.

Christmas songs are secular and include pieces like “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”. They focus on things associated with Christmas that have nothing to do with the Nativity and the religious reasons we celebrate Christmas.

Then there are songs that are deemed “Christmas Songs” because radio stations only play them around Christmas time, but are really NOT Christmas Songs, but “Winter Songs” because they focus on things related to winter, not Christmas–songs like “Winter Wonderland” and “Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow”.

Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that “Mary, Did You Know?” is definitely a Christmas Carol, and it happens to be my very favorite Christmas Carol.

What do you think? Leave a comment below.

I’m Still Here

/ kellyfbarr / 3 Comments

Hello Friends,

I know this isn’t my normal Friday post. I shall return to my poetry next Friday, but I thought you might like to know a little about my absence. I’m sorry I’ve been absent from this blog for a while, but sometimes life throws things my way that require my time and energy in other places. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that your 2018 has begun with joy.

There are several reasons for my recent absence here: 1) my husband and I were working on cleaning out a spare room in our house to make a space for me to go to write without distraction and interruption:

20180103_18423220180103_18424320180104_141833  Our house is small and doesn’t have a lot of storage space, hence the freezer and cupboard and a few other items that share my space, but I LOVE the bookshelves filled with books and the open floor space! I’m so happy to have this wonderful place to go and let my imagination run free.

The other reason for my absence was due to the fact that my oldest son had jaw surgery  for an overbite just four days before Christmas. The first four days were the worst, but even now he is limited on what he can eat, so I have been taking care of him and making sure he still gets nutritious items.

Now, however, both our older boys will be returning to college and bible school, respectively, in just  a few days and it will be just my husband, our youngest son and I in the house. Our youngest and I will return to homeschooling, and I will return to my writing and blogging. I hope you will continue to follow me on this journey.

The Adulteress by Jeannette DiLouie

/ kellyfbarr / 2 Comments

Back Cover Blurb:

Living in 1st Century Jerusalem, Keziah considers herself to be a Law-abiding Jew, devoted to appearances and propriety. When her parents announce her betrothel to an older priest who cares nothing for her, however, her worldview crumbles and she decides to create her own rules. But her new focus on the immediate over the eternal leads her into further trouble until the day she comes face to face with a universal story too inspiring to ignore.

Loyal to Rome but ruing his decision to join the legions, Demetrius is sure he hates absolutely everything about Judea. That is until the day he meets Keziah. Drawn to her from the start, he ends up fixating on her as some sort of salvation he has to have. Yet while he desperately wants to protect her from her abusive husband, he only ends up putting her in extreme danger; and himself down a precarious path he never could have predicted.

My Review:

First of all, I found this cover very intriguing, and though I’m not one who reads a book based on the front cover, I will say that the front cover of The Adulteress definitely drew me to the book. The blurb on the back cover cinched the deal and I was hooked.

I will admit that even though both front cover and back cover blurb grabbed my interest, I still approached the book with some caution and skepticism because I was well aware that it is a self-published book, and I have read many books that have been self-published or published by vanity presses that are of very poor quality and could have used a good editor’s eye to help the writer whip them into shape before publication.

So imagine my surprise when, from the beginning of the very first page of The Adulteress, Jeannette DiLouie captured my interest and held it captive until the very last sentence on the very last page.

I rarely give a book a five star rating because, as a writer, I believe it is important to continue learning and improving with each book, but once in a while I read a book that I believe the author has done a top-notch job on and couldn’t have done much, if anything, to improve it, and this is one of those books. Therefore, The Adulteress by Jeannette DiLouie has earned a 5 star rating from me.

I highly commend Jeannette DiLouie for producing a top quality book in the self-publishing market; for taking the time to have one or more than one other person/editor read her book and help her to be sure her writing had no glaring mistakes or typos that drive people like me crazy because those things always distract me from the story.

Ms. DiLouie did an excellent job of placing me in the setting of this story. I was drawn into Jerusalem and as Keziah’s story unfolded I found myself experiencing strong emotions: anger, frustration, and bewilderment with her parents; sympathy, fear and concern for Keziah; and the emotions continued throughout the story as Keziah’s life intertwined with the life of Demetrius and other important characters.

My concern for Keziah, and later, Demetrius, kept me turning pages as I hoped that by the end of the story, each would have their problems resolved and find some happiness or contentment in place of their pain and suffering.

Ms. DiLouis also created a situation in Keziah’s story that, though very familiar with the Bible, I didn’t see coming because I was so caught up in Keziah’s emotions. It made for a surprise followed by the thought “How come I didn’t see that coming?” This made the book even more enjoyable.

Jeannette DiLouie did a wonderful job with making Jerusalem real, bringing the 1st Century to life and describing scenes in such a vivid way that I was there, in Jerusalem, witnessing all of these happenings, and some made me chuckle, some made me want to give certain characters a good talking to, and others brought tears slipping down my cheeks.

This is one of those books whose characters and story will stay with me for a long time to come. It’s the kind of book I enjoy so thoroughly and love so much that I hate to see it end, and yet am relieved to reach the last page so that I won’t have to stay up late for one more night.

The Adulteress is filled with living, breathing characters set in a time of Biblical history and truth that reaches to your very soul as you read.

I was astounded to find that this is Ms. DiLouie’s first published book, and the fact that it is self-published was also surprising. It is definitely the best written self-published book I have read to date, and I highly recommend it. It is a story of abuse, romance, bad choices, pain and regret, suffering, real love and true forgiveness.

 

An Update on this Writer’s Life

/ kellyfbarr / 4 Comments

I’m so sorry to have been missing here for two weeks, but life happens. My schedule has gotten quite busy because I have been following the Trim Healthy Mama eating plan since the beginning of September 2016 in order to lose weight and improve my health. It’s been working extremely well and my husband has begun to follow it for the most part as well. But because it means not eating any processed foods at all, I have to make everything, mostly from scratch, which I don’t mind doing, but it is a bit more time consuming. Especially because I am trying to make breakfast foods, crackers and cookies in advance to try to stay ahead of the cooking/baking a bit.

In addition, my mother-in-law has been struggling with severe pain and weakness in her left leg, which has also caused her to fall several times, so I am needed to take her to medical appointments and physical therapy, which she is receiving twice a week to strengthen her leg, which I do not mind doing because family is high on my list of priorities.

Of course, I still have my normal housework to attend to and homeschooling our youngest son, who is fairly independent now.

Then there’s my novel, my work in progress, which I am longing to work on but have had very little time lately. I also have this blog and I need to continue to read books. Therefore, I have decided to back off on my blog posts. Instead of posting five days a week, I will begin posting just three days a week as of Monday, February 27th. I will post on Mondays, which will be book reviews, posts about writing, or stuff about me that I feel you might be interested in. I will continue my Wordless Wednesday posts on Wednesdays, and I will posts on Fridays, but those posts will sometimes be poems, sometimes Flash Fiction stories, and sometimes short stories that could even be a two-part that would carry over to the following week.

I hope if you’ve been following this blog, you will continue to do so and that you will continue to find something here that you enjoy. I apologize to any of you who really enjoyed my Top Ten Tuesday posts. I enjoyed them too, but they are quite time consuming for me to post because I often have to look through my books or my Goodreads account or even search Amazon in order to come up with a list of ten books for each of the different topics. Fast, easy topics are few and far between for me. So, with a bit of disappointment, I have decided to stop posting these.