Friday, March 13, 2020

Tap

Tap...tap...tap. Three down, two to go. 

The crack of the rifle, a satisfying tap as the 0.308 caliber Winchester bullet pierced the target and embedded itself in the wooden frame, and the shuffling of combat boots filled the concrete chamber. Last one. 

There was no room for mistakes. He would have nine seconds tomorrow. Tap. He gasped for air and craned his neck for a glance at the stopwatch. Eight seconds and twelve milliseconds. Trembling, he let out a shaky sigh of relief. 

Five casings. 

Five headshots. 

Four guards and one Vice President. 

He was ready. 


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The above prompt has been attempted by my teen son.
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 In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story that includes tapping. You can play with the sound, make it an action, or create something unexpected. Tap a story and go where the prompt leads!

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Our Night



"Clarice! are you ready?" inquired Dad as he stepped into the house after a grueling day at work.

"Nah!" 

He was quick to walk towards her and find his preteen daughter lazing on the couch with a partially opened book on her chest.

"What happened? I thought you were keen to go to this concert?" 

"My friends refuse to come. I'm not the popular girl whose likes are supported by friends," she said in a sulky voice as tears dripped down her chubby cheeks. 

There was a brief pause. 

Then Dad proposed, "How about we make it OUR night." 


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Write a story about Clarice. She can be any Clarice real, historical, or imagined. What story does she have for you to tell? Go where she may lead!

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

TOUCHEYS CUBE - Your Multi-Textured Way to Mindfulness

One Cube - Six Unique Elements! Touch, relax, focus, relieve stress and anxiety, meditate or simply fidget. Give it a Touch!




Story

Sometimes we all need a way to slow downrelax and focus, reduce stress and anxiety. Our Toucheys Cube helps with that by engaging with our sense of Touch.   
All the different textures provide an ultimately satisfying experience to palm and fidget with, but also with Toucheys Cube you can practice Mindfulness using what we call the Texture Flow. Feel the differences and changes in the textures which engages our attention and focus, calms and relaxes. 
Using objects for Meditation is an ancient trick, so what is our twist? Toucheys Cube features Six unique elements - handmade, natural and contrasting textures, which fit into just one small cube.  
Toucheys Cube is safe and lots of fun for kids. It can be used both as natural tactile development toy and for kids meditation routines!

WHY TOUCHEYS CUBE?   

 Last but not the least, Toucheys Cube is an amazing gift for someone, who might be interested in mindfulness or your kid. 

Saturday, February 22, 2020

The Library Cat


Image result for image of a cat with glasses


Liz's eyes went wide as a hawk.

The seat was empty!

After a couple of blinks, she was quick to walk to the librarian, Sasha, who was a wreck.

"What happened? Why did Rainbow escape from her chair?"

"I think Rainbow is bored; she refuses to sit and listen to the children's stories. Now, they are devastated."

After a brief pause, "You go find her, while I'll get the right antidote." said the confident Liz.

She was quick to pick up a handful of Tom and Jerry comics and hand them to the tearful children to read them aloud.





In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about a library cat named Rainbow who escapes. 

Book Blitz: Mr. Sagittarius by M J Mallon



Who Is Mr. Sagittarius?
And what is his connection to twin brothers, Harold and William?
When Harold dies, he leaves a simple memorial request
Will his sister Annette honour it?
Or, will the magic of the garden ensure that she does.
A magical story expressed via poetry and prose with photographic images
Mr. Sagittarius is a collection of poetry, prose and photographic images inspired by the botanical gardens in Cambridge. It features a variety of my photos including: trees, a robin and a dragonfly! As well as this there are several stories, and even some Halloween poems!
Mr. Sagittarius is a magical celebration of the natural world, a story about the circle of life, with an emphasis on the changing seasons of the year and sibling relationships.
Cover, ebook, and graphics design by Rachael Ritchey.

Mr. Sagittarius is available at:

You can find Mr. Sagittarius on Goodreads. It helps out authors with further sales if you mark their books in your To Read shelf.

About M J Mallon

M J writes YA Fantasy/Paranormal novels, Horror/Ghost short stories and multi-genre flash fiction as well as micro poetry – haiku and Tanka. She shares book reviews, poetry, flash fiction, photography and inspirational details of her writing journey at her lovely blog home: M J Mallon.
M J is a member of two professional writing groups: The Society of Children’s Writers and Book Illustrators  and Cambridge Writers, and she runs a supportive group with fellow Administrator, D G Kaye, on Facebook: Authors/Bloggers Rainbow Support Club.
M J works as a Receptionist/Event organiser for an international sixth form and lives in Cambridge, England.
Other Books by M J Mallon:
Coming in 2020
YA Fantasy: The Curse of Time Book 2 Golden Healer.
Short Stories in Anthologies:
Bestselling horror compilation, Nightmareland, edited by Dan Alatorre  (“Scrabble Boy” by M J Mallon
Ghostly Rites Anthology 2019 (“Dexter’s Creepy Caverns” by M J Mallon)
Ghostly Writes Anthology 2018 (“Ghostly Goodbye” by M J Mallon)

You can follow M J Mallon at her author page on Amazon.


Book Blitz: Something Old, Something New



Something Old, Something New: An Anthology of Indian Second Chance Romance Novellas Kindle Edition 
Seven bestselling authors. Seven incredible second chance romances. One epic anthology. 

What would you do for another chance with the one you love? 

Something Old, Something New - a unique novella anthology - tries to answer this question with fantastic, different, desi dramas. 

Whether it is shapeshifters or shifting interracial relationships, single moms in small towns or rich alpha heroes, friends-to-lovers or passionate ex-husbands; this anthology has something for everyone. 
           
Something Old, Something New explores the many different facets of love, forgiveness, fated mates and more in seven, distinctly Indian tales!

Never Stopped Loving You by Ruchi Singh
Will they be able to put aside their differences and come together to fight the unknown enemy?

Bad memories surface, as Radhika steps back into big bad city Mumbai. A budding fashion marketeer she doesn’t have any option but to deal with her inner demons and make a name for herself. 

A chance encounter puts Radhika in Arjun’s path once again. To his acute disappointment, he finds that she still had the power to affect him in the worst possible ways. 

As both fight their feelings for each other, a secret comes to light which blows their world apart. 

Read an Excerpt from Never Stopped Loving You

All of a sudden, he turned around and faced her. “Radhika, this is not the right place to talk. Something has come up. Please have dinner with me whenever you are free. We have to talk!”
“About what?”
“About us.”
“There is no us.”
He blanched as if she had slapped him. 
“Lance was the person with you that night at the resort.”
She staggered back and caught hold of the chair-back.
“He told me everything last Tuesday. Karishma misled… me. I don’t know what to say. Sorry seems so lame in the light of… in the light of how I reacted and treated you.”
So that was the reason! Mighty Arjun Singh Tomar, the hotshot lawyer, had come to know the truth and now wanted to apologize. A sliver of anger ran through her. A mere dinner and an apology couldn’t erase the torment she had gone through. She wanted to rant and shout at him, to inflict the same wounds on him that he had given her. But she did nothing. What would that achieve? She had Yash. He was coming to pick her up in the evening and she didn’t want this to linger on.
“Radhika, I… I don’t know where to begin—”
“It’s not required. Apology accepted. You don’t need to do anything else. Please leave now.”
He stared at her, looking uncertain again. “Radhika?”
“It’s okay. I have moved on. You should marry Karishma. She loves you. You both will be perfect for each other.” 
His face contorted distastefully. “Like ACP Yash Kelkar is perfect for you?” he sneered. “Is he the reason you want to get rid of me? Is he coming today? Are you guys going out for dinner again?”
To her panic, he came around the table.
“Does he make your pulse go wild the way I do?” He caught hold of her hand and jerked her to him.
“Arjun!” She struggled against his grip. His familiar perfume made her pulse go really wild. What was wrong with her? She was now equally angry with herself too and lashed out, “If nothing works, bring it down to sex. Is that what your modus operandi is now?”
His grip relaxed but he didn’t let her go. “I have never been myself when I’m around you.” He trailed a finger from her cheek down to her throat.
She jerked her head away. “Great! So, blame everything on either Karishma or on me.”
To her surprise, he let her go. “Do you love him?”
“Do you really expect an answer to that question?” She glared at him. 
He sighed. “No. But I’m done with Karishma. I never realized she would go to this length to separate us. Radhika, pl—” Thankfully his phone rang, taking his attention off her, else his affectionate demeanor had begun to unnerve her.
She watched his back as he spoke over the phone about some case and she noticed his wrist that caused a memory to jiggle back into her head. He was wearing the watch she had gifted him on their honeymoon. She closed her eyes. Why was he doing this to her? Disrupting her life again with little gestures of affection. The way he had done in Panchgani—playing with the kids, going on treks with her, including her in the conversation with their grandmothers.
He concluded his call and turned around. “Listen Rads, this needs my attention. I have to go. But I’m not giving up. I’ll call you later, so please, do answer the phone.”
“I won’t.”
He smiled, a bit sadly and a bit in amusement, saluted her and left.


 Ruchi Singh
About the Author:
Author of the bestselling romantic thriller ‘The Bodyguard’, Ruchi Singh is an IT professional and novelist. Her other notable published novels are ‘Jugnu (Firefly)’ and ‘Guardian Angel’. Winner of TOI Write India Season 1, Ruchi also publishes short stories under ‘Hearts and Hots’ series, besides being a contributing author to many anthologies. For more visit her Website.

Giveaway:
First Prize - A Kindle
Second Prize - 6 Months Kindle Unlimited Subscription



Thursday, February 20, 2020

Book Blitz: The Cheese & Chutney Affair


The Cheese & Chutney Affair: A laugh-out-loud romantic comedy by [James, Dee, Downer, D. R.]


Authors: Dee James & D.R. Downer


Blurb: Bhairavi Chandrasekar, aka BC, the spunky girl who was ready to take on the world, was the epitome of bold and beautiful. A fresher right out of college, BC knew she could meet the world head-on; that is, till her darling dad was by her side. Music, her dream job, independence, she had it all! Now, if only something could be done about her arrogant boss who she lovingly referred to as 'swine' (in her mind, of course!).

Alessandro Davolli, aka AD, was a hot, Italian hunk and a proverbial bad boy. A marketing genius, he thought he could wrap every woman he met around his finger, making them dance to his tunes. That was until he met Bhairavi! Outspoken, opinionated, and someone who gave it as good as she got, she was the definition of difficult. Now, if only he wasn't attracted to her!!

Add then there was BC's father who polished his gun at the sight of AD. What about AD's aunt? Where did she fit into all this? Will Alessandro and Bhairavi ever find their happily ever after? A roller coaster romantic comedy written by two authors - Dee James & D.R. Downer, now available in Amazon!

Excerpt:
Bhairavi’s heart skipped more than a beat. For a moment, she even forgot to breathe as she looked at the handsome Italian bending down to look her in the eyes. She was captivated by the rich, hazel color of his eyes. “It’s certainly not that, Sir. All I meant was…” she was cut short, once again.
“Sir? Where did that come from? Look, Bhaairavi, I’ve repeatedly told you right from the very first team meeting that I would like to be addressed as AD. This ‘Sir’ culture…it is just so…so… Indian. We are an international organization. I think we need to lose our local culture, no?”
“Of course! We need to lose our local culture, like addressing people as Sir and Madam in India, or unnecessary flirting in Italy. You’re right, we need to lose it,” said Bhairavi. “Good night, AD! I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Alessandro looked at her in exasperation. One moment she seemed to show signs of attraction, the very next moment retracting. Damn! Frustrated, he turned around on his heels and walked away.
Bhairavi heaved a sigh of relief. Did I just kiss my career goodbye? I mean, he was just being nice and all…WTF is wrong with you, Bhairavi? Just because you can’t keep your hormones under control, doesn’t give you a right to act like a bitch in front of your boss!!!

Author bio:
D.R. Downer is an Indian, Indie bestselling author who predominantly writes in the mystery, crime, and thriller genres. Starting his professional journey as an Executive in the sales department of a UK-based organization, Downer has since then handled many roles and responsibilities in the Marketing, Sales & Customer Service departments across industries. He finally shifted over to Advertising and spent a good 11 years in the same. One fine morning, he found writing was his true calling, and that's all it took for him to start typing. Now he spends hours glued to his laptop, writing his next bestseller. Apart from being an author, Downer is also a much sought-after editor and a ghostwriter.


Dee James is an Indian indie author and a book blogger who writes sweet, dreamy, romantic stories. Born and brought up in India, Dee J writes techie manuals for a living and sweet love stories for passion. Her books feature a heavy dose of the contemporary Indian scene with drama, angst, and love of course. Dee J loves to read, write, sing, and cook. If she isn't spending time with her son, you can bet she's either reading or writing romance. Apart from happily ever afters, lipsticks, eyeliners, and coffee are her other weaknesses!

Social Networking Links (authors):

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