PostsMad Utopia http://www.jmstrother.com/tiki-blog_rss.php?blogId=1 Fri, 30 Jul 2010 19:41:14 +0100 Tiki CMS/Groupware via FeedCreator 1.7.2.1 http://www.jmstrother.com/img/tiki.jpg Mad Utopia http://www.jmstrother.com//tiki-view_blog.php?blogId=1 en-us jstro@swbell.net (J. M. Strother) jstro@swbell.net (J. M. Strother We've Moved http://www.jmstrother.com/tiki-view_blog_post.php?blogId=1&postId=338 We've Moved



Mad Utopia has moved. That's right, my blog has made a radical shift. While still called Mad Utopia, and still hosted on the same servers, the underlaying framework has changed. I am abandoning TikiWiki as my blogging software and going with WordPress. If you have this blog bookmarked, or subscribe to the RSS feed, please take a moment to change those settings over to the new and improved Mad Utopia (external link). I'd really appreciate it.

What does this mean for #fridayflash?

The #fridayflash Twitter meme is alive and well. In fact, there is a new web form that you can use to log your story in for inclusion in The #fridayflash Report. Follow the link, or click on the #fridayflash Badge in the right-hand menu. This will take you to the form.

The form is a little quirky right now, but it works. If you are a member of my TikiWiki and loged in, the form works like most forms, with fields to fill in, an anti-bot CAPTCHA, and a Submit button. Except in Internet Exploder, where it tends to explode. But it still works. It just looks funky. We hope to clean that up at some point, but as my CSS teacher once said, “IE and CSS can drive you nuts.”

For guests, the form looks very weird, even if you are using other browsers. Again, it still works. After you fill out the fields, enter the CAPTCHA and hit ENTER. The form will successfully submit. There is a save button way up at the top left-hand corner, but it's easier to just hit return.

I hope to eventually have a #fridayflash button on the WordPress blog. I still need to figure out how to place clickable images in the WordPress right-hand menu. If you have any tips along those lines please pass them on.

Sorry about the messy form, but no move goes without a hitch.

What does this mean for the blog?

My new posts will be done on the WordPress side of the house. This means you can now use a normal commenting system instead of that funky one where you had to enter a title. Now it will be easy for you to leave links back to your own blogs. Hooray!

It also means that I can start to use some of the standard blog tools and widgets to spiff up the site. Mad Utopia is still in a state of flux, so bear with me. Eventually all the public pages will be done with WordPress, while TikiWiki will be used to drive operations in the background (such as generating the Report). I hope you like the changes as much as I do.
~jon
]]> jstro Fri, 23 Oct 2009 03:20:18 +0100 What A Terrific Crew http://www.jmstrother.com/tiki-view_blog_post.php?blogId=1&postId=334 What A Terrific Crew



I want to thank everyone who took the time to participate in the very thoughtful discussion on yesterday's post, Course Correction. What a wonderful crew we have here. I read each and every one of your comments and think I can draw some general conclusions.

Calm Seas Ahead

In broad terms, I believe we are doing almost everything right. The meme seems to work well for most everyone who commented. The only real concern is that some of us (me being one of the prime examples) may have been going overboard with the tweets and retweets. I think we need only apply a slight course correction to achieve clear sailing.

So here's the plan, or at least how I intend to proceed. You are all free to follow suit or not, depending on whether you think it will work well for you. That is, I will simply carry on as before, with the exception of cutting way back on tweets and retweets.

This Friday I plan to tweet my own story no more than three times on Friday. One of those tweets will certainly be around Noon, Eastern Time, on the theory that many people in the Eastern Time Zone (US) will be web surfing at their computers during lunch. The other two times will be as opportunity affords, probably just before work, and when I get home. I won't do any straight retweets. Not a one. I will continue to post tweets for those who do not have access to Twitter. Those usually come after work. I'll try to do that at least twice (since the morning crowd will already be history).

If I am able to read a story I like I will post an original review tweet, but my time is limited and I'm a slow reader. I expect my #fridayflash tweets to drop from around seventy or eighty to around ten or twelve. I will post The #fridayflash Report on Saturday, as usual. Then, over the course of the week I will periodically read some of the stories and will post original review tweets for the ones I really like. If everyone does something similar I think we will have a much less frantic #fridayflash, and potentially a much more effective one.

Stand By, Mates

Many other issues were brought up in the discussion yesterday. There were many valid points and suggestions made. They do need to be addressed, but for now I think we can table them for later. The big issue that needed to be addressed was nipping the overtweeting issue in the bud. We can hash these other things out at our leisure.

More Scuttlebutt

Stand by for more exciting news tomorrow. There is a #fridayflash contest in the works. Yes, I'm a big tease and will say no more until tomorrow's post.

OK, I lied. Here's a little more... It is designed to help bring you more readers.

Carry on.
~jon
Photo, Sunrise At Sea (external link) from the National Media Museum via Flickr Creative Commons
]]> jstro Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:43:31 +0100 Course Correction http://www.jmstrother.com/tiki-view_blog_post.php?blogId=1&postId=332 Course Correction



An issue has come up, from more than one quarter, about the number of tweets and retweets of #fridayflash links on and around Fridays. This is something that worried me early on. I wondered if all my retweeting would become an annoyance for people who follow me. Annoying people is the polar opposite of what we are trying to do, after all.

I have limited time to get onto Twitter during the work day, at break times and lunch. At those times I try to catch up with who has posted a link, and then retweet them. I tend to do them in big batches. I think many of us do the same. This may not be the wise way to go.

Build Platform, Not Spam

The simple fact is if we, as a group, begin to overwhelm people's Twitter feeds they will come to regard us as spamers. Instead of building followers, we may drive them away. I don't want to see that happen. So far #fridayflash has been pretty darned successful, at least for me and people who have confided in me. In order to keep that success growing I think we need to make a minor course correction.

A New Strategy

I still think the concept of #fridayflash is sound. I also think we now have a large enough community to sustain it without all the frantic retweeting that currently goes on. The original concept of #fridayflash was to expose exemplar samples of your craft to the potentially huge audience on Twitter. Of course, in order to do that you have to tweet the URL so that people on Twitter will see it.

What I propose is that we continue to do our #fridayflash just as before: write your story, publish it on your blog on Friday, and tweet the link to it on Twitter along with the hashtag. But don't retweet your own link more than once or twice during the day. Morning, noon and night would be a good rule of thumb. Perhaps even just twice. Also, resit the urge to do broadside retweets of others. I have been very guilty of this, and it must drive people who follow me, who are not fellow flashers, nuts. Then, during the rest of the week, tell the world about the exceptional stories you read with an original tweet, not a retweet, along with a mini review. For example, if I read Randy Rocks the World on Tuesday and think it was really funny I might tweet this, on Tuesday:
Just read Randy Rocks the World, by Horace Mickelfish. What a hoot! Nice one, @GalacticOverlord. #fridayflash #humor http://bit.ly/1e7Ctm (external link)

This will keep the #fridayflash concept front and center without overwhelming the general public on Fridays (and a good bit of Thursdays and Saturdays). And it will fortify another founding principle of #fridayflash – that the cream will rise to the top.

Your Thoughts

I would love to see some discussion, both pro and con, on this concept. I feel that #fridayflash has truly become a community. I want to see it continue to grow. If any of you have other ideas on how we can get the word out without alienating people with a flood of retweets I'd love to hear them. Lily Mulholland, @CascadeLily (external link), has suggested we start a webring. That sounds like a good idea to me. Any other suggestions? We have a clever group of people here. I'm sure we'll figure it out.
~jon
Related items:
The #fridayflash Archive
Some Friendly #fridayflash Advice
Friday Flash – Behind the Scenes (external link) on Writers n' Writers
Flash Fiction Gets Social (external link) on Editor Unleashed
A Conversation With Laura Eno
Announcing #fridayflash
Image by the National Maritime Museum via Flickr Creative Commons
]]> jstro Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:21:51 +0100 The #fridayflash Report - Week 21 http://www.jmstrother.com/tiki-view_blog_post.php?blogId=1&postId=330 The #fridayflash Report



By now you know the routine. It is inevitable that I've missed someone's story, so I'll just say there are at least 63 stories this week. Stay tuned for a final count. If I missed yours don't hate me, just ping me down in the comments or on Twitter and I'll add it.

Conversely, if I've included your story and for some reason you don't want to be on the list, ping me for that too, and I'll take you off. My assumption is that if you tweet under the #fridayflash hashtag you want to be included. But sometimes other people may tweet the link to your story, which can lead to a misunderstanding on my part. That almost happened last week.

Three quick reminders that can help both you and me:
1. Use a URL shortening service. Your links tend to get mauled upon retweeting if you don't.
2. Use links to your post, not to your overall blog. That way people will find your story if they are browsing thorough the archives. I will no longer adjust links in the report. It just takes too much time.
3. If you format your tweet Title, by John Doe it makes harvesting the info needed for this report a whole lot easier. I am going to see if I can get folks who do this canonized. :)

Lots of great stories, as always. So get out there and start reading!

5 Minutes (external link), by Mark Kerstetter @markerstetter (external link)

A Child and the Musician (part 2) (external link), by C. A. Beninati @beninati (external link)

A Spiral-Maker's Questions (external link), by Jeff Posey @AnasaziStories (external link)

Are There Always Dogs? (external link) by Dana @ywgdana (external link)

Balatrophobia (external link), by Gary Harmon @Gary_Harmon (external link)

Beautiful Living (external link), by Estrella Azul @EstrellaAzul (external link)

Because I Can (external link), by Kevin J. Mackey @kevinjmackey (external link)

Black Male (external link), by Michael Solender @mjsolender (external link)

Call of Duty (external link), by Marisa Birns @marisabirns (external link)

Calm Before the Storm (external link), by Monica @MonicaEmme (external link)

CAMP (external link), by Jeremy C. Shipp @JeremyCShipp (external link)

Coming Home (external link), by KayAnna Kirby @kayannak (external link)

Communion (external link), by Joseph Paul Haines @josephhaines (external link)

Daisy, Daisy (external link), by Susan J. Cross @SusanJCross (external link)

Dear Elizabeth (external link), by John Wiswell @Wiswell (external link)

Delivered Fresh (external link), by Laura Eno @lauraeno (external link)

EULA (external link), by Cecilia Dominic @RandomOenophile (external link)

Faerie-led (external link), by Laurita Miller @LauritaMiller (external link)

Fog and Lembas (external link), by Deirdre Murphy @Wyld_Dandelyon (external link)

forgetting to run away (external link), by Laura Packer @storylaura (external link)

Fumbling (external link), by Rachel Blackbirdsong @RBlackbirdsong (external link)

Happy Ending (external link), by Trevor Mcpherson @3S_stories (external link)

Hibernation 2009 (external link), by Rosa Say @talkingstory (external link)

High Feast (external link), by Maria Protopapadaki-Smith @mazzz_in_Leeds (external link)

Humbling (external link), by Rachel Blackbirdsong @RBlackbirdsong (external link)

I Got Robbed by a Liquor Store (external link), by Alex Carrick @Alex_Carrick (external link)

Immersion (external link), by Lily Mulholland @CascadeLily (external link)

In Memory Alone (external link), by Al Bruno III @AlBruno3 (external link)

In The Name of Science (external link), by Linda Simoni-Wastila @drwasy (external link)

Intervention (external link), by Tony Noland @TonyNoland (external link)

Jack & Jill (external link), by Elizabeth Ditty @ditty1013 (external link)

Life On The Edge (external link), by Leigh Barlow @LeighBarlow (external link)

Mommy Dearest (external link), by Stefanie Howerton @SteferstheGreat (external link)

Organics (external link), by J. M. Strother @jmstro (external link)

PARASITE (external link), by Jeremy C. Shipp @JeremyCShipp (external link)

Nox and Grimm: A Sticky Situation (external link), by techtigger @techtigger (external link)

Righteous Be (external link), by unlikelyeden @unlikelyeden (external link)

Sea Glass (external link), by Shannon Esposito @soesposito (external link)

Silent Treatment (external link), by Taliana via the web

Slide into Satin and Gold (external link), by Michelle D. Evans @MichelleDEvans (external link)

Snapped (external link), by Jodi MacArthur @JodiMacArthur (external link)

Snow Quiet (external link), by Deanna Schrayer @deannaschrayer (external link)

Take a Hit (external link), by Donald Conrad @NoddlaNocdar (external link)

The Canon (external link), by Llanor Alleyne @Scetches (external link)

The Darkening (external link), by Alan Baxter @AlanBaxter (external link)

The Lake (external link), by Jim Wisneski @Wisneski (external link)

The Lake Story (external link), by Tim VanSant @TimVanSant (external link)

The Last Page.... (external link), by Chance @Chance4321 (external link)

The Shark (external link), by P.J. Kaiser @Doublelattemama (external link)

The Test (external link), by Barb Relyea via email

The Treasure Box (external link), by E. D. Johnson @geektreasure (external link)

The Tree Hugger (external link), by T.J. McIntyre @southernweirdo (external link)

The Way Home (external link), by Amanda Scotney @rasplemjelly (external link)

Things Are Going to Change (external link), by Clive Martyn @CliveM (external link)

Training (external link), by Lauren Cude via Facebook

Trout (external link), by Jeremy C. Shipp @JeremyCShipp (external link)

untitled (external link), by Elsa Pozu @elsapozu (external link)

V (external link), by Paul D. Brazill @paulbrazill (external link)

Vertigo (external link), by Sumit Dam @sumitsays (external link)

When a Man Goes Bad (external link), by Jon Gilbert @storytellerjon (external link)

White (external link), by ganymeder @ganymeder (external link)

Wizard's Last Hope (external link), by Chris Chartrand @ChrisChartrand (external link)

Thanks to all our readers. We love you. And please, if you enjoy a story leave comments when you visit. Writers love feedback almost as much as chocolate. Maybe more! Then go tell your friends to read it too. Help these writers grow.

You can subscribe to the #fridayflash hashtag (external link) on Twitter every week for more great flash fiction.

We're on Facebook (external link) too.
~jon
Related Link
The #fridayflash Archive - Check out previous reports to find stories from your favorite authors. Updated weekly.
~jon
]]> jstro Sat, 17 Oct 2009 21:30:17 +0100 Organics - #fridayflash http://www.jmstrother.com/tiki-view_blog_post.php?blogId=1&postId=328 Organics Lee Wen considered his options. Neither of them were good.

He was in no hurry as he walked through the park toward the tram station. No point in rushing anywhere, anymore. His sixtieth birthday, coming next Tuesday, marked the end of his career and all the benefits that came with it. No more housing. No more rations. No access to the tram, not that he'd have anyplace to go or anyone to see. Certainly no one would see him.

Since losing contact with Earth, and the critical supply ships that kept the colony thriving, draconian measures were implemented. The furor these caused at the time was met with a harsh response by the Governor's security force. New mandates were established: strict rationing of food and water, severe energy conservation, mandatory retirement at sixty, and rigorous reprocessing of all organics.

All organics.

Retirees were given two options. They could report to Hospice for end-of-life care, six months of pampered life and leisure before donating themselves to society; or they could beg on the streets. Beggars generally lasted about six weeks – six miserable weeks before usually committing suicide. Then their bodies would be collected for reprocessing. Even the Governor admitted it was harsh, but the very survival of First City was at stake.

Lee Wen needed to make a decision.

Lee had a small hoard of rations stored up, hidden behind an access panel in his living unit. He could perhaps make it last two months, with careful planning. He was convinced he could survive on the streets. A few did, after all.

Lin Chi was still around. She retired at least three years ago. He often saw her at Citizen's Park begging for food and scraps of material. Nearly everyone refused to even acknowledge her existence.

He ran into Lin about a month after she retired. He was not really watching where he was going, or he would have avoided her. But then suddenly there she was, standing right in front of him, smiling broadly just as she always did at the office. Her face quickly changed from joy to deep sorrow when he averted his eyes and quickened his pace. He always felt guilty about that, but was relieved that she never approached him since.

That is why most people choose Hospice, he decided. It's not the harshness of life on the street. It's being ostracized by everyone you ever knew. That would be hard to take.

It was already beginning. Within the last month or so people in the office started to distance themselves. Younger workers openly ogled his workstation, with its window view. His neighbors no longer waved when they saw him coming or going. While his credits were still welcome at the storehouse, and the staff there remained bright and friendly, next Tuesday his balance would evaporate and his ID would no longer open doors – except at the Hospice. The future was not bright.

He turned the corner and once again came face to face with Lin Chi. He felt the blood drain from his face and a sudden lump form in his stomach. Then, to his surprise, she smiled, just like she used to in the office, and there was a lively twinkle in her eye.

“Hello, Lee.”

“Lin.” He felt damned awkward. Here stood a woman he had once dismissed as a nonentity, smiling at him as if nothing had happened. “I, that is, it's good to see you.”

“It's good to see you too.” She turned, and started walking away, then beckoned for him to follow. When he hesitated she jerked her head in the direction she wanted to go and invited him to walk along with her. Somewhat perplexed, he fell into step with her.

“So, you retire next Tuesday.” She did not look at him. She walked slowly, almost at leisure, but constantly scanned their surroundings, as if on guard.

“Yes, that's right.” He noticed that others on the sidewalk cut them a wide path. No one looked at them.

“Have you decided what you are going to do?”

He looked at her, but she did not look up.

“Well, I sure as hell am not going to go gently into the night.”

Now she stopped, and turned toward him, smiled and patted his arm in a friendly manner. “Oh, I am so glad to hear that.” She began walking again.

“Listen, Lin. I want to apologize.”

“No need. We've all done it. We all feel guilty. Believe me, one gets used to it.”

“Still, I feel terrible for the way I...” They walked on in silence for a bit. “Tell me, how do you survive?”

She smiled again. “There is a third way.”

“I beg your pardon?”

She stopped and lowered her voice. “I came to invite you to join us. We have a settlement, not far from First City. Nothing glorious, but we survive. We are self sufficient.”

Lee was stunned.

“I won't ask twice. If you would like to join us, take the tram out to Landing Station next Tuesday morning. Bring everything you can carry. Someone will meet you.”

“What? I don't understand.”

“We need a design engineer. You are welcome to join us. Or we'll wait for Dak Ho to retire in six months. I'd rather have you.” She patted him on the arm again, then abruptly turned and walked briskly away.

On Tuesday morning he stepped off the tram at Landing Station, carrying two large satchels. Lin Chi was waiting for him.
© 2009 by Jon M. Strother. All rights reserved.
]]> jstro Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:18:29 +0100 A Belated Thank You http://www.jmstrother.com/tiki-view_blog_post.php?blogId=1&postId=326 A Belated Thank You



I'm not exactly know for being punctual. Archon, the St. Louis area science fiction convention, was more than a week ago. I intended to do a little write up but things got kind of hectic. Once back from the convention I needed to catch up on reading flash fiction posted under the #fridayflash meme, and entertain out of town guests. Suffice to say I let my Archon musings slide through the cracks.

Still, there is one thing I don't want to let slide.

I participated, not for the first time, in the Archon Amateur Writer's Contest. I did not win the contest, but I still want to give a tip of the hat to the three judges who came to the con and made themselves available for the story critique session. Not only did they take the time to read and rate each story in the weeks before the convention, they also marked up the stories, pointing out areas that needed development as well as things that worked particularly well. Then, at the convention itself, they came to the critique session to give us all direct feedback and encouragement.

So a big thank you to Angie Fox (external link), Haley Elizabeth Garwood (external link), and Jon Klement (external link) (a fellow who knows how to spell Jon!) for the time and effort you all took to help the eleven of us along our road towards publication. Thanks also to the Archon committee for hosting another great competition. Finally, congratulations to the winning author (alas, I did not catch your name) for your winning story, Walkie Talkie. Looking forward to next year.

Photo by J. M. Strother.
This guy won Best Use of Fur in the Masquerade.
~jon
]]> jstro Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:33:07 +0100 The #fridayflash Report - Week 20 http://www.jmstrother.com/tiki-view_blog_post.php?blogId=1&postId=324 The #fridayflash Report



It looks like we had around sixty-three stories this week. I always seem to miss a few, thus the fuzzy math. If I left you out let me know. I struggled on whether or not to include a couple of them, as they are from people with protected Twitter accounts. I don't want to intrude on anyone's privacy, so I left them out. I'm trying to contact them to see if they would like to be added. So stay tuned. The list may end up reflecting the number before long.

Some people asked me if it was OK to post a previously posted or published story. Sure. As long as it's yours and you have the rights to it I don't care how old it is. The idea is to showcase your work. Tweet away.

I also don't care if you post more than one story a week. Ten or fifteen would get a little annoying, but if you want to show off something old, something new, go for it. Just nothing borrowed. Blue is OK too.

I've been toying with a "Best Of" anthology. There are a few other people who have also expressed an interest in that, or something similar. Any thoughts? Would any of you be interested in participating in a Best Of #fridayfalsh anthology?

OK, now for what you are really here for. Ladies and gents, I give you this week's flash:

4:45 (external link), by Tony Noland @TonyNoland (external link)

A Child and The Musician (external link), by C. A. Beninati @beninati (external link)

A Family Kerfuffle (external link), by Michelle D. Evans @MichelleDEvans (external link)

A Hell of a Job (external link), by ganymeder @ganymeder (external link)

A routine night at Roonies (external link), by Karen Schindler via email

A Very Final Solution (external link), by Avery Tingle @IronMan1176 (external link)

A Word of Advice (external link), by Barb Relyea via email

An Evening Encounter (external link), by Lauren Cude via Facebook

Baby on Board (external link), by Hazel Gaynor @hotcrossmum (external link)

Burnt (external link), by Emma Newman @EmApocalyptic (external link)

Conflict of Interest (external link), by P.J. Kaiser @Doublelattemama (external link)

Consumed by the Moon Man (external link), by Jeff Posey @AnasaziStories (external link)

Crazy Jane's Dream (external link), by Laura Packer @storylaura (external link)

Dead.Again. (external link) by Michael Solenderby @mjsolender (external link)

Dental Check (external link), by Lily Mulholland @CascadeLily (external link)

Different Perceptions (external link), by Eric Krause @ericjkrause (external link)

Dream Fulfillment (external link), by E. D. Johnson @geektreasure (external link)

Dreaming Lies to Change the Truth (external link) by Kaolin Fire @kaolinfire (external link)

Eviction Notice (external link), by Dan Faust (protected account, listed by permission)

Frankie's Girl (external link), by Carrie Cleaver @shadowsinstone (external link)

Friends Like These (external link), by Gary Harmon @Gary_Harmon (external link)

Graveyard Tales (external link), by Laura Eno @lauraeno (external link)

Goodbye (external link), by Tomara Armstrong @2maraA (external link)

H (external link), by Paul Brazill @paulbrazill (external link)

Home Sweet Home (external link), by techtigger @techtigger (external link)

In Which Expectations May Differ Slightly (external link), by Kate Sherrod @KateSherrod (external link)

Indulgence (external link), by Marisa Birns @marisabirns (external link)

It Pays To Do Research (external link), by J. M. Strother @jmstro (external link)

Justice For Cody (external link), by April L. Hamilton @indieauthor (external link)

Kinetic (external link), by Sayer @Sayer (external link)

Late Bloomer (external link), by Maria Protopapadaki-Smith @mazzz_in_Leeds (external link)

Mass Extinction (external link), by Patty Jansen @pattyjansen (external link)

Memories of Feet (external link), by David Masters @davidmasters (external link)

Milking 101 (external link), by Daniel Warskow @bookwook (external link)

No Militaries in the Gay (external link), by John Wiswell @Wiswell (external link)

Not A-Mused (external link), by Tim VanSant @TimVanSant (external link)

Not Today (external link), by Jim Wisneski @Wisneski (external link)

One for Sorrow (external link), by Kevin J. Mackey @kevinjmackey (external link)

Outsourced (external link), by Shannon Esposito @soesposito (external link)

Perfect Day (external link), by Linda Simoni-Wastila @drwasy (external link)

Pre-Wedding Tension (external link), by Dan Powell @danpowfiction (external link)

Real Estate Purgatory (external link), Alex Carrick @Alex_Carrick (external link)

Roadside Burials (external link), by Al Bruno III @AlBruno3 (external link)

The Rosetta Stone (external link), by anniegirl1138 @anniegirl1138 (external link)

Sideswiped by Jesus (external link), by Cecilia Dominic @RandomOenophile (external link)

Snatches of Life in Colour (external link), by Clive Martyn @CliveM (external link)

The Backstreet Berlin Brawl (external link), by Chance @Chance4321 (external link)

The case of... - Found (external link), Anthony Deaver by @AnthonyDeaver (external link)

The Dreamer (external link), by Jennifer Derfoldy @jenni_fleur (external link)

The Escape Artist (external link), by Mark Kerstetter @markerstetter (external link)

The Fable of the Starfish (external link), by Barry Northern @BarryNorthern (external link)

The Hunted (external link), by Chris Chartrand @ChrisChartrand (external link)

The Numbing Effect (external link), by Sarah Joyce Bryant @thenightwriter (external link)

The Pizza Guy (external link), by T.J. McIntyre @southernweirdo (external link)

The Tragic Fate of Armani Claudius (external link), by Lionel Braud @ltrain75 (external link)

Three points for the Devil (external link), by Susan J. Cross @SusanJCross (external link)

Trinity (external link), by Sumit Dam @sumitsays (external link)

Tumbling (external link), by Rachel Blackbirdsong @RBlackbirdsong (external link)

Waiting by the Window (external link), by Laurita Miller @LauritaMiller (external link)

Worms Matter (external link), by Stephen Parolini @noveldoctor (external link)

You Can't Get There From Here (external link), by Al Bruno III @AlBruno3 (external link)

You Have Been Replaced (external link), by Elizabeth Ditty @ditty1013 (external link)

I'd like to once again thank all our readers. We love you. And please, if you enjoy a story leave comments when you visit. Writers love feedback almost as much as coffee, or chocolate even. Then go tell your friends to read it too. Help these writers grow.

You can subscribe to the #fridayflash hashtag (external link) on Twitter every week for more great flash fiction.

We're on Facebook (external link) too.
~jon
Related Link
The #fridayflash Archive - Check out previous reports to find stories from your favorite authors. Updated weekly.
~jon
]]> jstro Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:47:25 +0100 It Pays To Do Research http://www.jmstrother.com/tiki-view_blog_post.php?blogId=1&postId=322 It Pays To Do Research “The title search came back fine.”

“But?”

“Oh, nothing... really.” He fumbled with some papers. “It's just gone through a number of owners.”

“What, is it haunted?”

He laughed at that. “It's a good deal, Jack. You can't find a big Victorian at this price. Not in this town. Now that's a fact. Anything else is just talk.”

“I'll think about it, Henry.” I promised I'd get back to him.

I went directly to the library. And there was always the local Historical Society.


“$145,000. That's my final offer.”

“145!” Henry laughed out loud. But I knew I had him.

“That house is haunted, Henry.”

“Now where'd you hear such nonsense, Jack?”

I dropped the folder on his desk. The grin left his face as he flipped through the articles and coroner reports. “Henry, you'd be lucky to give that house away.”

“That's bull. This house is a steal at 175, and you know it.”

I collected my folder. “145, Henry. Call me if you change your mind.”

He called.


It was a steal at 175, and an even better deal at what I paid. But it certainly seemed to be haunted. There were lots of small unexplained annoyances. Furniture never stayed put. I'd find the claw-footed bathtub full of hot water in the middle of the night. Still, I persisted, for I am not afraid of ghosts.

One night, about two weeks on, I heard noises downstairs. I grabbed a heavy stave I kept near the bed, and crept to the stairs. “Who's there? I've got a gun!” I lied.

There was a skittering sound, almost like a dog scrabbling across a linoleum floor. 'Probably just kids.' I descended the stairs as quietly as I could. The third step from the bottom creaked when I stepped on it. The noises stopped, throwing the house into total silence.

There were more skittering noises as I made my way towards the kitchen. “If you kids don't scat, you'll be sorry!” The basement door slammed as I entered the room. “Okay! I warned you!”

I yanked the door open. There was no one there. I flipped the basement light switch. The lights did not work. It figured. I gripped my cudgel and went down anyway.

It was fairly dark, but street lighting came through the four small windows. The light cast stark shadows in which anything could be hiding. I was halfway across the basement when something started taking shape near the furnace. Slowly, it took on the form of a man.

He looked to be dressed in mid-nineteenth century attire. He bore an uncanny resemblance to the original owner. Except for the oddly twisted neck, he looked just like the man in the Historical Society photos.

“You better get out of here!” I brandished my club.

He roared with laughter.

I backed away, which emboldened him. It was obvious that I would not make it to the stairs. Quite suddenly he rushed forward, hand reaching for my chest, intending to stop my heart. I dropped the staff and grabbed for his arm.

His look of surprise was precious. He glared at his wrist, which I firmly held. “What is this?” he raged.

“It's time for you to go.”

The wail of his passing added to the rush that flowed into me.

I was only dimly aware that the Police had arrived. Loud banging on the front door roused me from my ecstasy. I ran upstairs, disheveling my hair as I went. I gave them my best wide eyed look as I opened the door.

“We had a report of a scream from this house.”

I stepped aside as if to let them in. “I saw a ghost!”

The lead officer gave his partner a knowing look.

“Anyone hurt?”

“No.”

“Sorry, buddy. We don't do ghosts.”

“That's... that's okay.” I stammered as they turned away. I closed the door and smiled. “I do.”
© 2009 by Jon M. Strother. All rights reserved.
]]> jstro Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:28:25 +0100 The #fridayflash Report - Week 19 http://www.jmstrother.com/tiki-view_blog_post.php?blogId=1&postId=320 The #fridayflash Report



At least 63 stories this week. Great turn out and wonderful work. What a terrific group of writers we have. Let me know if I missed your story. I always miss someone (even my own!). :o This was done pretty hastily, so let me know if I've messed up any links.

4 Lost Men (external link), by Amanda Scotney @rasplemjelly (external link)

A Bottle of Spirits (external link), by Shannon Esposito @soesposito (external link)

A Handful Of Bugs (external link), by Al Bruno III @AlBruno3 (external link)

A Reservoir Dog (external link), by Lily Mulholland @CascadeLily (external link)

Aeolus (external link), by Ganymede @ganymeder (external link)

B is for Blank (external link), by randilin @randilin (external link)

Bite (external link), by Chris Lynch, by @chrislynch_mwm (external link)

Blink of an Eye (external link), by Clive Martyn @CliveM (external link)

Borrowed Time (external link), by TheBusyMystic @TheBusyMystic (external link)

Boundaries (external link), by April L. Hamilton @indieauthor (external link)

Day 8 (external link), by Chance @Chance4321 (external link)

Deadly Spider Monkeys (external link), by Chris Lynch @chrislynch_mwm (external link)

Dignity (external link), by Monica @MonicaEmme (external link)

Enter the Grim (external link), by techtigger @techtigger (external link)

Evening on the Lake (external link), by Kevin J. Mackey @kevinjmackey (external link)

Extinguished (external link), by Laurita Miller @LauritaMiller (external link)

Fictional Character (external link), by Gary Harmon @Gary_Harmon (external link)

Five Hundred Franks (external link), by Tony Noland @TonyNoland (external link)

Gentle Giant (external link), by Karen Schindler via email

Harbinger (external link), by Gloria Oliver @GloriaOliver (external link)

I Was A Teenage Romeo (external link), by Chris Chartrand @ChrisChartrand (external link)

I/O Error (external link), by Sumit Dam @sumitsays (external link)

In the Sinister Lair of Dr. Heisenburg (external link), by Dana @ywgdana (external link)

Just Another Day (external link), by Lauren Cude via Facebook

Let Go (external link), by Marisa Birns @marisabirns (external link)

Making Amends After the War (external link), by Christine Love @christinelove (external link)

Malingering (external link), by Joseph Paul Haines @josephhaines (external link)

North On The Yellowhead (external link), by Donna Carrick @Donna_Carrick (external link)

On The Shore (external link), by Deirdre Murphy @Wyld_Dandelyon (external link)

Parousia (external link), by Jennifer Jones @jentropy (external link)

Puma and Jaguar Save the Planet (external link), by Maria Protopapadaki-Smith @mazzz_in_Leeds (external link)

Quentin (external link), by Paul D. Brazill @paulbrazill (external link)

Question (external link), by Mark Kerstetter @markerstetter (external link)

Rabid (external link), by Jodi MacArthur @JodiMacArthur (external link)

Reliable Photographer (external link), by John Wiswell @Wiswell (external link)

Rhiannon's Glade (external link), by Barry Northern @BarryNorthern (external link)

Sandstorm (external link), Carrie Cleaver @shadowsinstone (external link)

Side of a Bullet (external link), by E. D. Johnson @geektreasure (external link)

Small Comforts (external link), by Trevor Mcpherson @3S_stories (external link)

Smile (external link), by Dan Powell @danpowfiction (external link)

Soulless (external link), by T.J. McIntyre @southernweirdo (external link)

Still Eight (external link), by Stephen Parolini @noveldoctor (external link)

Stumbling (external link), by Rachel Blackbirdsong @RBlackbirdsong (external link)

Sudden Standards (external link), by Matthew Glenn Ward @MattWardWriter (external link)

The Apple Tree (external link), by Jim Wisneski @Wisneski (external link)

The Book (external link), by Leigh Barlow @LeighBarlow (external link)

The Bronze Head (external link), by Elizabeth Ditty @ditty1013 (external link)

The case of... (external link), by Anthony Deaver @AnthonyDeaver (external link)

The Chase Begins (external link), by Jeff Posey @AnasaziStories (external link)

The Chosen One (external link), by Eric Krause @ericjkrause (external link)

The Escape (external link), by P.J. Kaiser @Doublelattemama (external link)

The Fable of the Peacock (external link), by Barry Northern @BarryNorthern (external link)

The Family Stew (external link), by Ryan Harron @rharron (external link)

The Lonely Man (external link), by Chad Beninati @beninati (external link)

The Mystery Writer (external link), by Tim VanSant @TimVanSant (external link)

The Seagull Poet of Butter Bay (external link), by Alex Carrick @Alex_Carrick (external link)

This Seat Taken? (external link), by J. M. Strother @jmstro (external link)

The Sum of His Deeds (external link), by Michael Solender @mjsolender (external link)

untitled (external link), by KayAnna Kirby @KayAnnaKirby (external link)

We All Travel (external link), by Laura Eno @lauraeno (external link)

when i refuse the lithium (external link), by Linda Simoni-Wastila @drwasy (external link)

You Can Call Me Al (external link), by netta50 @netta50 (external link)

Yours (external link), by unlikelyeden @unlikelyeden (external link)

Readers: If you enjoy a story you read in the #fridayflash please leave comments when you visit. Writers love feedback. And please tell your friends to read it too. Help these writers grow.

You can subscribe to the #fridayflash hashtag (external link) on Twitter every week for more great flash fiction.

We're on Facebook (external link) too.
~jon
Related Link
The #fridayflash Archive - Check out previous reports to find stories from your favorite authors. Updated weekly.
~jon
]]> jstro Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:54:22 +0100 This Seat Taken? http://www.jmstrother.com/tiki-view_blog_post.php?blogId=1&postId=318 This Seat Taken? She stiffened when she saw him spot the empty seat beside her. Actually, it was just mostly empty. A small boutique bag occupied it, her signal to the world that yes, this seat is taken. But she knew from where he stood, near the doors, he could not see her bag. Dammit if he wasn't working his way back through the crowded car of the 6:15, apparently intent on sitting there. Her right hand drifted down, and shoved the bag out just a wee bit more, to make the claim more obvious.

It would be different if he wasn't so... gross. The guy was massive, dressed in grimy jeans and a T. Obvious sweat stains radiated from his arm pits. As he got closer she could see his shoes, dun colored work boots, spattered with something, obviously in desperate need of a trash can. She turned her full attention to her book, determined not to look up.

“This seat taken?”

She pretended not to hear.

He turned, positioned himself, and started to lower his butt towards the edge of the seat. “You mind?”

She shot him a nasty look, grabbed her bag, and nestled it on the floor next to her other bag. “Be my guest.”

If he recognized sarcasm he gave no indication. Figures. Too stupid to know it when he heard it.

“Thanks.” He settled in, taking up as much room as a 1.5 adult male does. He stank. “I'm beat. Been hauling mortar all day, and the heat's a bitc... It's a scorcher. Putting up Hancock tower, downtown.”

Her eyes remained fixed on the book. She read the same sentence for the third time.

“What'cha reading?”

She finally looked up at him, flipped the book cover towards him, forced a smile. “It's a romance. You wouldn't like it.”

“You got that right.”

Her eyes were already back on the page.

“You need an iPod.”

She scowled at him. “What?”

“Better for shutting out other people.” He did a quarter turn away from her and struck up a conversation with the guy standing next to him. Something stupid, like sports statistics.

There was a sudden metallic screeching. The the car rocked violently, first one way, then the other. The big oaf fell into her. Then they lurched the other way, causing her to crash into him. Her chin rammed into his back, driving her teeth together in a painful snap. People screamed as the car tumbled in it's death roll.

Pain seared through her: her mouth, her left arm, her left foot. She was knocked loopy when her head banged against the sidewall of the car, or the sidewall of the car collapsed inward towards her head. Everything was completely askew. It took a while to realize that people were climbing up the seats, from the front of the car towards the back, as if the seats were ladders. It was complete pandemonium. She was only vaguely aware that water was also climbing the seats towards her.

She heard someone screaming about the rear doors, yet no one seemed to be leaving. Get off of me! She shoved people away as they clawed their way upwards.

The big oaf stood up on the back of the fore seat, grabbed the overhead bar, and drove both feet into the window just in front of her. Once. Twice. It popped out with a bang on the third try. People immediately began pressing towards them, threatening to crush her.

“One at a time!” He decked a guy trying to wedge his way in. “We'll all get out of here. Don't panic.” He began shoving people through the gaping maw. The first few stopped dead in place, stricken anew.

“Keep moving!”

“We're in the river!”

He rose half way out. There were two loud splashes, then he was back inside, shoving people through the hole, ones and twos at a time. She got stepped on repeatedly.

He shoved the last of the able-bodied up and told them to hold pat. Then he began assisting the injured up towards the opening, or down, depending on where he found them. On his third pass he noticed her again. “You still here?”

“My foot!” She pointed to where her left foot was firmly wedged between the seat strut and the outer wall.

“Damn!” He bent and tried to pull it free. She forced herself not to scream in pain. “That hurt? She nodded. “Double damn!”

Again he held the overhead bar and stomped with both feet, this time on the back of the offending seat. He did it again, and again, seemingly to no avail. But the struts gave, bit by bit. At last she pulled her foot out of her shoe. It flopped about, like a broken doll's. She screamed, both from joy and pain. Without further ado he grabbed her and hoisted her out to waiting hands. She turned to reach for him just as the car gave one last twist. She saw his eyes go big and round as she was thrown into the water.

“There's a man in there! There's a man in there!” She kept screaming to the water patrol as they wrapped her in a blanket. “You've got to get him!” She started beating the poor guy on the chest with her good hand when the boat turned for shore.

Ashore, emergency crews did their best at triage. She was put into Group B, non-life-threatening injuries, and given another blanket. The fireman who immobilized her foot sympathized about her friend, whom she kept wailing about, before moving on. She curled into a fetal ball and wept.

She became aware of someone standing next to her. Through her tears she saw dun colored work boots in desperate need of a trash can.
© 2009 by Jon M. Strother. All rights reserved.
]]> jstro Fri, 02 Oct 2009 05:26:07 +0100