Tagged with The Lucky 7 Meme!

Mina Burrows, blogger and fellow lover of Austen, Stoker, and Poe (and a fellow "Mina," as well!), has tagged me with The Lucky 7 Meme. Thanks for the shout out, lady!

Here's how to order! Uh, I mean...here's how it works. 

1. Go to page 77 of your current MS
2. Go to line 7
3. Copy down the next 7 lines as they're written-- no cheating!
4. Tag 7 other writers
5. Let them know!

Well, allrighty, then: here are 7 lines from one of my WIPs, a paranormal romance/pseudo-memoir tentatively titled There Are Monsters. Constância, a reluctant 21st century vampire, tries to work through her grief over the loss of her parents by journaling about her drastic transformation during her senior year of high school in 1987. In this snippet, the 7th line on the 77th page is the end of a section, so to give you 7 lines, I had to trip into the next section (and a little into the 8th line, just to complete the thought - don't shoot me!)

Back in Anne’s room I ripped my top off, hung it on the doorknob, and jumped back underneath the bedclothes.  Aching for Tristan, and from whatever the Change was working within me, I rocked myself back to an uneasy sleep.

#

Mom was a real pleasure to deal with when she picked me up Saturday morning.  Surly, sarcastic, and accusatory by turns, she made the ride from New Rochelle to Mount Vernon only slightly less painful than the bacterium working its way throughout my system.  It took every ounce of self-restraint I possessed (and some I didn’t) to hold my tongue and not lash out at her.

And now for the tagging!

If you've been following along, you'll know I tossed my hat in the ring for Cherie Reich's 2nd Annual Flash Fiction Blogfest this week. My little romantic tale, Mom Guilt, didn't make it to the final round, but I had a blast writing it, as well as meeting other brave and creative bloggers. I thought I'd give props to 7 other participants whose stories I especially enjoyed (click on the red links below to read their groovy, fewer-than-300-words, entries):

Surrender to the Sea by Andrea Teagan

Footloose by Jamie Gibbs

Lightning Flashed (untitled) by Jennifer

A Choice at the Crossroads by Chris Fries

Seasons by Christine Rains

Lightning Flashed (untitled) by Joshua

Lightning Flashed (untitled) by Angeline Trevena

I hope you do check them out, as they're all terrific in their own, special ways! And to the good people whom I've tagged - if you've recently been tagged with the Lucky 7 Meme thing and/or you're not up to doing it for the time being, no worries; I really just wanted to showcase your work for this blogfest! :-)

My 1st Attempt at Flash Fiction!

Click here for more info!

Author Cherie Reich is currently hosting her 2nd Annual Flash Fiction Blogfest and, in my typically reckless way, I thought, "Wow, I've absolutely no experience with writing flash fiction...so I should totally give it a shot!"

Here are the rules:

1. Entries must begin with the two words: Lightning flashed.

2. Entries must be 300 words or less and be in prose.

3. Entries must be posted on your blog between May 21 - 23.

4. You must sign up in the linky to have your entry be counted.

On May 25, Reich will announce the six finalists and open voting through May 28th.

On May 29th, Reich's third year blogversary, she will announce the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners as well as a random winner selected from the participants list.

There are prizes, y'all! So here's my entry, which I lovingly titled Mom Guilt.

~

Lightning flashed and I slapped my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming the house down. Nothing like a bit of middle-aged mom guilt to set you on edge, especially in the wee hours of the morning, as you stealthily creep out of someone else’s house.

Mom guilt. Because I finally gave in to all the longing and desire I’d buried in the dank closet of my tortured, tired soul, for so very long... Hah – that sounded like something my thirteen year old might write in her diary. Excuse me – her journal.

In fact, I didn’t feel like a mom at all, but a teen, trying to sneak out without waking her parents. Only, you know, less obnoxious.

“What are you doing?”

I jumped in place and the shoes I carried thunked to the floor. “What the hell do you think? Our kids will get back from that camping trip at eleven, so I’m going home.”

Greg rubbed the sleep from his eyes before crossing his arms. His longish floppy locks, adorably crumpled, were at odds with the serene, soul-searching look in his wise, dark eyes. I felt like I was being turned on by Spock.

“This could be your home.”

Thrilled and terrified, I sputtered, “But, but…our kids! Our exes! Our mortgages, our distinctly complicated lives!”

Lips I’d warmly received only a few hours earlier curved in a smile. “These can all be worked out. You just have to want to.”

My heart surged as nature’s fiery strobe light illuminated us. “And…you want to? Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” He reached for me. “Stay.”

I exhaled slowly, then gave him my trembling hand. “Fine. But I’m not making any promises.”

A gentle tug and he enveloped me. “You already have.”

~

So, there it is. Hope y'all enjoyed it!