Shallow Waters - Special Paperback Edition

I'm fortunate to have three stories published in several of Crystal Lake's Shallow Waters flash fiction anthologies. In honor of the Shallow Waters series coming to an end, Crystal Lake put together a special paperback edition containing about 100 stories from across the various volumes.

 

Two of my stories – Rattled (from Vol. 6) and The Perfect Match (from Vol. 7) – are included. 

 

An anthology like this, one you can thumb through, fold down corners, mark up, is an excellent way to find new-to-you authors, ones who will hopefully become favorites. It's also great if you prefer your creepy-crawly chills in small doses. When you've had your fill for that moment, just put the book back on the shelf, where it will sit . . . and wait . . . and watch . . .  

 

BUY ON AMAZON

From the back cover – 

"What you hold in your hands are not just stories. They are the nightmarish visions and eerie dreams of the most talented finalists in Crystal Lake’s Shallow Waters writing contest, hosted on their Patreon page.

Brace yourself to be unsettled, unnerved, and unequivocally captivated. Shallow Waters is not a book—it’s a portal to the twisted, terrifying, and tantalizing world of flash fiction horror."

Is That Progress I See?

Lately, progress is like some elusive legendary creature slinking around beneath the sea. I catch glimpses of it, only for it to then flick its tail at me before disappearing back into the deep. 

*****

WRITING

Published - My 400 word story, DEAD LINE, up at Dread Stone Press.

 

Novel/Novella - I had to rethink and redo so much of it these past couple of months. I really hope it will be worth it and a better story will result.

 

Two fun and inspirational posts for you:

"10 Things Lego Has Taught Me About Story-Building" by P.A. Cornell, over on the Writers Helping Writers blog 

 

"Are You Giving Yourself Writing Credit?" by Jessica Conoley, over at Jane Friedman's blog. 

*****

 

WATCHING

Movies - We really liked "Jerry and Marge Go Large" (Bryan Cranston, Annette Bening, and Rainn Wilson.) Sometimes, the dark corners of my mind need some light shone into them. 

 

TV – "The Night Agent" on Netflix was great! My husband said it reminded him of "24" (the original series), which is one of his all-time favorite shows. So enjoying "Not Dead Yet" with Gina Rodriguez – funny, quirky, heartwarming and heartbreaking, all in 30 minutes! 

 

*****

 

Have you seen progress – on anything! - lately? What keeps you going when the glimpses of it are few and far between? Have you watched anything you'd recommend?

Hello, July!

Whooosh! That's the sound of summer flying by. (And believe me, that's the fastest moving thing around here. If the tortoises and I had a race, I would not put money on me to win.) Still feeling behind and overwhelmed, but I'm working on having a more positive and grateful mindset overall and that's definitely helping. 

 

WRITING

My story, "Twisted," is out now in INFECTION: DRABBLES 1 (LEGENDS OF THE NIGHT). If you like your apocalyptic zombie fiction bite-sized (ha! get it?!), give it a try! 

 

** AVAILABLE ON AMAZON **

*****

 

READING

The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker is chilling, compelling and heartbreaking. The author does an amazing job of humanizing a horrifying character. With a few simple lines, she makes you re-examine everything you thought you knew, making you not necessarily forgive the character but feel for them. 

 

*****

 

WATCHING

Movies – We really liked "Awake" on Netflix. 

 

*****

 

WALKING

We participated in a virtual 5K that raised money for sea turtle conservation and research. During this sweat-soaked stroll, we saw so many turtles - crossing roads, sunning on banks, sticking their little heads out of lakes. They were totally cheering us on! 

 

Miles walked as of 6/30/2021 = 166.5/500 (Click here for what this craziness is all about.) 

 

*****

How's your summer going so far? Made progress on any projects? Have you read or watched anything you'd recommend?  

Rattled - Shallow Waters Vol. 6: A Flash Fiction Anthology

What happens when Rosemary finds an old abandoned car seat that might have more life in it yet? 

Find out . . . in my story "Rattled."

*** AVAILABLE ON AMAZON ***

From the publisher - 

Take a Deep Breath and Dive Beneath the Surface of Shallow Waters—Where Nothing Stays Buried.

With 20 Dark Fiction & Horror tales diving beneath the surface of life, death, and the mystery that lies beneath.

Piece Meal - Shallow Waters Vol. 3: A Flash Fiction Anthology

What happens when a gumball machine dispenses something far more sinister - and sweeter - than candy?

Find out . . . in my story "Piece Meal."

*** AVAILABLE ON AMAZON ***

From the Publisher - 

Shallow Waters—where nothing stays buried!

With twenty-one dark tales diving beneath the surface of life, death, and the pain between them.

Volume three includes horror, thrillers, suspense, and stories of hauntings, monsters, clowns, twisted love, and the beauty beneath it all.

Sight - 101 Fiction

Kooky Clara draws a map, even though she can't read it. 

Jenny can, even though she's about to wish she hadn't. 

** Check out Clara's map in my story, SIGHT, over in the March issue of 101 Fiction. **

From the Ground Up - The Sirens Call

I am thrilled to once again be included in the Women in Horror Month issue of The Sirens Call eZine.

"From the Ground Up" (p. 177) is short on words but long in the tooth.

In more ways than one.

READ THE ISSUE HERE!

Road Kill - HelloHorror

A son's rage.

A grandmother's love.

A monster.

A monstrous choice.

Road Kill, now in Issue 25 of HelloHorror.

Relentless Ruby, Find Me An Oasis - Nailpolish Stories

One haunted past

* plus *

One barren future 

* equals *

Two mini stories - Relentless Ruby and Find Me An Oasis, each exactly 25 words - published in the October 2018 issue of Nailpolish Stories.

Now that's my kind of math.

Bound - 101 Fiction

How do you tell a Werewolf (or other Were-Creature) story in exactly 100 words with a one word title?

Here's my way: Bound.

And if you're looking for other ways, check out 101 Fiction's September 2018 issue (Issue 20).

*****

Time for a blogging break! I'll still be around though, just popping in and out. A new post will be up on Monday, September 17th! 

Bite-Size Fiction for Your . . . um, Sweet Tooth

Halloween has come and gone, but it's never too late for a little creepy, a little crawly. Treat yourself to a couple of fun-size candy bars - don't pretend they're all gone! - and snack on these two new 100-word stories. You know, like before it gets really dark . . . .

*****

Hide-n-seek takes a turn for the worse in "Game" (101 Fiction, Issue 13) 

*****

In "Concealed," (p. 125, The Sirens Call, Issue 29) helping the neighbors has serious consequences. Download the entire issue FREE.

Undertow - 101 Fiction

For all those suffering winter woes and dreaming of warm, sandy shores - "Undertow" (101 Fiction, March 2015 Issue 7) will make you reconsider your next vacation destination. Remember, a beach can have a lot more than treasure buried beneath it . . . .

The Stakeout - Every Day Fiction

What do Valentine's Day, a "stalker" who leaves candy, and two older women with walkie-talkies have in common?

They all appear in my story, "The Stakeout," over at Every Day Fiction.

I really hope you enjoy it, and I wish you all a Valentine's Day full of love, laughs and friendship.

'Tis More Blessed Giveaway: WINNERS!

Last week, I participated in Milo James Fowler's 'Tis More Blessed Giveaway, where I raffled off two copies of my flash fiction collection, The People We Used to Be.

The tortoises were in charge of picking the winners. Here's what happened….

As you can see, Larry went at this with the same gusto he has when attacking a basil plant. Mrs. Larry? Not so much.

Once Larry picked a name, we moved him away so Mrs. L could pick a winner. But apparently, she had no desire to be involved in something as pedestrian as a raffle and thus, she turned her nose up at the whole affair.

So, we let Larry pick the second winner, since he obviously has no qualms about participating in games of chance.

And the winners are - 

JULIE

and

MICHELLE

If you send your email addresses to Madeline Mora-Summonte (at) hotmail (dot) com, I'll get The People We Used to Be out to you ASAP. I hope you enjoy reading it!

'Tis More Blessed - GIVEAWAY!

It's time again for Milo James Fowler's 'Tis More Blessed Giveaway, where every Friday in December literary giveaways abound! 

Click here for the list and links of all the authors
participating TODAY = DECEMBER 20, 2013

I'm really excited to offer up two Kindle copies of my flash fiction collection, The People We Used to Be. 

How to Enter: Leave a comment. (That's it. We've all got enough to do, especially around the holidays. At least one thing should be simple, right?)

All the names will go into the tortoises' food dish and they'll each choose a winner. They've been training hard for this moment - chomping on their greens to keep their strength up, napping to conserve energy, and soaking in the "spa," also known as the water dish, to keep their muscles loose. And they insist there will be no shenanigans, like rubbing basil on any of the paper slips to influence their choices. They run a tight terrarium. 

Deadline: Saturday, December 21st at 5 pm EST. I'll announce the winner here on the blog some time next week. 

Good luck!

Maybe Someday - Every Day Fiction

Halloween brings out the monsters and zombies and creepy crawlies, and yes, I'm scared of all of them. (My Halloween costume should be a chicken suit.)

But one non-Halloween related thing that frightens me is the thought of making the wrong decision. I have to remind myself that I do not make my decisions lightly, that I take many things into consideration, that I am doing the best I can at the time and that's all I can do. Still, it's scary.  

So, on this day before Halloween, I give you a horror story of a different kind - Maybe Someday at Every Day Fiction. I hope you enjoy it.

Motivational Monday: An Ebook Release!

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming - Motivational Mondays - for...well, for me actually practicing what I preach....

Here it is: the release of my first ever ebook. This collection has been a long time coming, mostly because I've been too anxious to take the plunge. But I did it. Finally. So please, use me and my ebook as an example, a motivator, to go ahead and take that chance, that next step, that plunge. Take something you're passionate about and do something creative and wonderful and fulfilling with it.

I just want to say thank you to my wonderful, supportive husband who is truly my best friend, and to all of you who read my stories and are moved by them - whether to tears or to terror. Thank you!

*****

ABOUT THE BOOK:

The stories in this flash fiction collection are like day trips - brief, illuminating journeys - across the landscape of the human condition. 

An old woman, with the help of a neighbor and a terrified dog, challenges a young punk disturbing the peace. 

A middle-aged woman confronts a former lover as he holds her at gunpoint. 

A boy learns the meaning of true friendship as a baseball game takes a terrifying turn. 

A runaway searches for her own face among a wall of Missing posters. 

Some of the characters find the strength to move forward while others struggle to just move on. Old. Young. Grieving. Lost. Alone. Smart. Funny. Tough. They are us. 

This collection of 17 stories contains both new and previously published work. It includes "Hungry," winner of the Writer Advice 6th Flash Prose Contest and "A Quarter for Your Thoughts," winner in the Published Flash Fiction category of the Florida Writers Association's Royal Palm Literary Awards, 2008.

HOW TO BUY:

Available exclusively through Amazon

[If you don't have a Kindle or a Kindle App, click here for PC, here for Mac.]

"The House Holds Its Breath" Is Up At Fiction 365

"The House Holds Its Breath" is one of those stories that I refused to give up on; I believed in it that much. It won an Honorable Mention in a contest and received lots of great feedback from judges and editors, but yet never made it into publication...until the fine folks at Fiction365 decided they liked it and they wanted it.

If you head on over and read it, I hope you enjoy it and I hope it makes you think - just a little - about how precious every day truly is.

"Forget Now" Up at Nailpolish Stories

My 25 word story, "Forget Now," is up in the March issue of Nailpolish Stories, A Tiny and Colorful Literary Journal. Just scroll down a bit to find me.

I love the concept of this journal - all the stories use nail polish names as titles! Too fun!

What's Left

My flash fiction piece, "What's Left," is now up over at Apollo's Lyre (September 2011.) Click here if you'd like to read it.

This is one of those stories that started out as an image that just wouldn't go away - a scar, alive and ropey and raw, snaking down a woman's back. This story is where that scar, that image, took me. Not at all where I thought I would end up, but I'm glad I took the journey.