(JUNE 26TH PROMPT)

Prompt: “Drive!” Annie shouted. She kept shooting as Maddox rushed to the driver’s side and peeled out, kicking up a storm of dust.

Original post and photo found here.

Katy’s winning story:

Never had she thought that her escape plan would fail so badly. She dug a few more shells out of the front pocket of her jean shorts and reloaded as the Alpha Regiment gave chase on rusted motorcycles. A megaphone stuck to the lips of the Captain exploded with words Annie didn’t want to hear.

“Annie, stop the vehicle and come quietly and no one will be harmed.” Annie rolled her eyes and fired another round, nearly connecting with the Captain’s mechanical steed. His glare burned holes in her own and she swallowed nervously.

“Maddox, please. Just go faster!” Her boyfriend didn’t reply, but the car swerved dangerously, throwing Annie to one side.

“Maddox?” She attempted to pull herself up with the edge of the truck bed. “Maddox!”

Motorcycles surrounded the truck as it veered off the road and slowed to a complete stop. Hands grabbed the gun from her grasp and the Captain held her as gingerly as a vice grip while he zip tied her hands together. Annie strained to see where Maddox was, but only saw some soldiers carrying a black body bag towards the car. Tears blurred reality and she tried to keep her eyes on her shoes.

The Captain held her chin, forcing her to look at him. “No one,” he flicked his eyes in the body bag’s direction, “takes my daughter from me.”

Annie glared venom back at her father, even though she knew he spoke truth. She would never get away from the regiment. With zip-tied hands and the soldiers of the regiment around her, Annie knew she’d have to wait for the next boyfriend to try to sneak her out. Maybe next time. The next boy to fall for her like a siren. It was never about love. It was about freedom.

(JULY 17TH PROMPT)

Photo and prompt can be viewed here.

Prompt: His heart pounded ever louder in his chest as he watched her ascend. Where would it take her? And would it be better there? Surely it would…

KM’s Story:

Anguish slashed his heart as he knelt beside her. Drake had never prayed before, but as he watched her colorless form grow still, turned his tear streaked face heavenward and chanted, “Please don’t take her from me. She’s all I have.”

Her translucent eyelids quivered for a moment before opening. “Drake?”

“Ella, I’m here.”

Her cerulean eyes focused on his face and her gray lips twitched a smile. “It’s time.”

Fresh tears streamed down his cheeks. He pleaded, “No Baby, stay with me.”

She stared intently into his eyes. “You must not cry. Where I go, you cannot follow. Not yet. Your time is not yet complete here.”

He strangled on the sob that rose within his throat. “I cannot live without you!”

“You must.”

To his disbelief, the darkened forest exploded with a brilliant, golden light. The leaves of the trees above rustled, and he gasped as a golden liquid form appeared before him with outstretched wings that were blindingly beautiful. The creature spoke with the melody of a flute, “You will behold her beauty once again, friend. You must complete your journey in this realm so that you may learn and love in the next.”

Ella sighed once and grew still, as the golden creature reached into her body and pulled her spirit into its arms. For the first time, Drake beheld her true beauty and it was breathtaking. She smiled a radiant smile and spoke with the voice of an angel, “I love you.”

“As I love you!” His heart pounded every louder. Broken, but mesmerized, he watched in awe as the creature flapped its wings once and ascended into the skies. Drake looked at her cold, motionless body. “Soon my love.” He kissed her cool lips and smiled with the hope of things to come.

(JUNE 5TH PROMPT)

Prompt: Now that the snow was clearing, I could venture further out for food and supplies. With my bags full of loot and heavy on my back, I looked up and saw her standing there – STANDING! It sent shivers across my skin. “Momma, where’s your wheelchair?”

Photo and original prompt can be found here.

Adri’s story:

She stood, a silent sentry in the snow. Getting cold, I decided to bring my bags into the house to put everything away and prepare dinner. “Mama, are you coming in?” She nodded, following me in. “I don’t understand, mama,” I said while preparing our meager meal. “How did this happen?” I smiled, pleased that she had finally gotten her wish to be out of the wheelchair. “How did you get better?” In a breathy voice she answered, “I’m free. Nothing tethers me.” I felt my face twist in confusion and turned to examine her more closely. “Mama…” I began hesitantly. “The city masters came,” she continued in the same soft tone. “They set me free from my prison.” Tears gathered in my eyes, and I rushed to my mother’s normal sitting room. The room that gave her the best view of the barren streets around us. Gasping, my hand flew to cover my mouth in despair. “MAMA!” I heard myself scream. Turning to face away from the image of death in front of me, the walking, talking version of my mother gave me a sad smile. “I was a burden. Now you are free of me.” Shaking my head in denial, tears continued flowing. “You…you can’t leave!” Raising her hand toward me, her image flickered, like a glitch in a computer screen. The images around me disappeared and all I could see was black. A man’s voice echoed through the darkness, “This is what will happen if you don’t follow orders. Do as we say, and your mother will survive. Become our operative, and we may help your mother walk again. Don’t and…well…” The voice trailed off and, tears still falling down my face after the too real virtual simulation, I agreed.

(MAY 23RD PROMPT)

To check out the photo and prompt, go here. Read Katy’s story below.

Prompt: Nobody survived except the boy alone. No one knew how or why. He took a step toward them and tilted his head…

I felt like a dog catcher trying to lure a stray whose owner had beaten it, then abandoned it. Someone had left this boy for dead. We were trying to be quiet and careful because we didn’t know what happened to everyone else yet. He didn’t see me peering at him from behind the corner, but my associates had definitely caught his attention. Idiots…. I had no patience for the clumsy group the Doctor had hired to round up survivors. The boy tilted his head again, crouching on all fours like an animal. Maybe we are dog catchers, I thought as I watched my team walk towards the boy, speaking down to him in a soothing manner. When one man, Marty, I think, got within two feet of the child, the boy pulled his lips back in a snarl. If he had feline ears, they would have been flat against his disgusting, grimy hair. I swallowed nervously. The boy’s teeth were stained red. Marty ignored the warning signs like the stupid oaf he is…was…and reached out to grab the boy’s arm. The snarl opened into a feral smile as the boy leapt for Marty’s throat and latched on with hungry jaws. Marty clawed at the boy, his eyes widening in surprise. And faster than I thought possible, Marty was down…unmoving. I accidentally tripped over my own feet and watched as the boy’s head swiveled in my direction. I ducked behind a toppled desk. Did he see me? A crack between the wall and the desk revealed the boy standing slowly—deliberately as the rest of my team ran away. His voice echoed in the empty halls as the feral grin spread wider on his bloody maw. “I love hide and seek.”

Interview by Angie Taylor 

Welcome, Harlow C. Fallon, to BOD’s author spotlight interview. It’s so fun to have you. Can we start right off with you telling all of us at BOD a little bit about yourself? 

Thanks so much for the opportunity, Angie! Let’s see…a little about myself…Well, I’m enjoying a “retirement” of sorts. I’m a mother to five grown children, all with their own families now, some with their own kids (five grandchildren and counting). My full-time job for the past twenty-five years or so has been homeschooling. But I have a degree in English and Art with a concentration in Creative Writing. I put all that aside to raise a family and homeschool them. Now that I’m an “empty-nester,” I’m excited to be writing again.

It’s been so fun to be a part of BOD with you from the beginning. Can you tell us how you came to be involved with BOD and what you like most about it?

Little did I know when I first joined BOD a year ago that it would become the crazy, wonderful group it is today. My friend and fellow author Chrystalla Thoma was the one who introduced me to the group. She and I had been friends on another site, Critique Circle, since 2009, so I was excited when she invited me to join BOD. I knew right from the start that I had found a special place. Everyone is so friendly and supportive. The camaraderie is unlike anything else on Facebook. I love everything about the group. You and Cheer and ER are amazing in how you’ve cultivated an environment where everyone can feel encouraged, loved and supported no matter what. I’m not always as active as I’d like in the games and launch parties, but the great thing about BOD is that you can be just a little involved, or very involved – no matter what, it still feels like home.

BOD is a great place! I’m so happy to be a part of it as well. What can you tell us about your writing journey? When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was about ten years old. I’m also an artist, as most writers are, so I always struggled with whether I wanted to write stories or illustrate them. I also dealt with ADD as a kid (and still do somewhat as an adult), and so I often got distracted and lost interest in my writing, rarely ever finishing anything. In college I pursued creative writing, then went on to earn a Master’s degree in seminary and found an outlet for writing there through the seminary magazine. As I already mentioned, raising a family took precedence for the next several years, and it wasn’t until 2009 that I finally found some time in my life to pursue fiction writing.

That’s wonderful! I’m sure your life experiences as a mother and grandmother have shaped the writer you are. Did you have a favorite book or series you loved when you were a child or a favorite author that has influenced your writing?

I’ve always loved nature and the outdoors, so any books on that subject really caught my attention. My favorite book as a kid was Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell. I also loved My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George. Later I discovered science fiction and I was hooked on that genre. I remember reading Alas Babylon by Pat Frank. It was my first taste of post-apocalyptic fiction and it blew me away.

Then I discovered Ray Bradbury. I devoured everything he wrote. I began to pay attention to his writing style, how he composed sentences, what he did that made his stories so absorbing. I wanted to write like Ray Bradbury. I also loved Frank Herbert. Dune is one of my all-time favorite novels. Those two authors probably influenced me more than any other.

Island of the Blue Dolphins was one of my favorites as well. And I’m so glad you became interested in sci-fi. I loved “All the Wild Places: The Elmwyn Journey, Book 1.” It’s such a perfect sci-fi/fantasy adventure story. Can you tell us a little bit about where you came up with the idea for this story and what readers can expect in Book 1?

All the Wild Places came from an idea that had been floating in my head for a while. It began with a weird question: How would I react if I found out my father was from another world? Crazy questions like that pop into my head all the time. What if…this, or what if…that. So I started writing a few paragraphs, which sparked more what ifs and led to more of the story. Everyone who’s read both books has asked me, “How in the world did you come up with all that stuff?” I think my head is just wired a little differently.

All the Wild Places is about a young woman who discovers her father is not from this realm, but from another realm called Elmwyn. All along she believes her father is insane but when two men show up with an outrageous story about her father, she’s forced to face a completely different reality. She ends up traveling to Elmwyn, and both books tell her story, her journey in that realm.

What can you tell us about your involvement with Prep For Doom? What was it like being a part of such a collaboration?

I loved my involvement in the Prep For Doom anthology. I wrote my story fairly early on, as the idea for it had formed in my head almost as soon as the announcement was made that there would be an anthology. The interaction with the other authors made it a wonderful experience. We all shared our ideas, snippets of our stories, our thrills and our worries, and as it all came together it only got more exciting. That’s what I’ll never forget about Prep For Doom. ER Arroyo was amazing in how she kept it all organized and kept us pushing forward, and Sara Benedict did a great job editing some of the stories too.

What else would you like us to know about your writing? What can you tell us about book 2 in The Elmwyn Journey? Are you currently working on any other writing projects?

In Book 2, The Reach of the Hand, Sulee’s journey continues in Elmwyn, and she finds herself facing challenges and the worst experiences, things she never thought she could endure. It’s really about her finding her own courage, about being able to look fear in the eyes and without backing down. She learns a lot more about the realm of Elmwyn, but most importantly, she learns about herself and her place in this new world. It’s not always pretty.

Outside of my Elmwyn Journey novels and the Prep For Doom short story, I also have a short story coming out next month in the Future Chronicles anthology series created by Samuel Peralta. My story will be appearing in the Immortality Chronicles. I also have another short story in an anthology coming out later in the year, but it’s currently top secret, so for your own protection, I’ll have to leave it at that.

You mentioned that you’re an artist. So, I probably already know the answer to this question, but if you weren’t a writer, what would you most like to be to express your creativity? What other hobbies or talents are you interested in?

Without a doubt I’d be an artist. I love to create art using a variety of mediums, and it allows me to get really weird if I want. I also love making jewelry. Outside of that, I love learning about edible wild plants and medicinal herbs and their uses. I figure it might come in handy when the zombie apocalypse hits.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done? What’s on your bucket list of things you still want to do and hope to do soon?

The craziest thing I’ve ever done was catch water moccasins as a kid. I used to pry open their mouths and stare at their fangs. What was I thinking?!? How did I ever manage to do that and not get bitten?!? My guardian angel must have been working overtime! He probably retired after that. I never told my mom about my snake encounters until about ten years ago, and I swear I saw her hair turn gray right in front of me. But I confess, I still love snakes.

As far as my bucket list, I’d love to see the Grand Canyon, and I’d love to do that as part of a road trip across the US. I live in Michigan and my brother lives in L.A. I’ve always wanted to drive there, just to experience the parts of the US I’ve never seen (and also because I hate flying). I don’t know if that’s ever going to happen, but a girl can dream!

Yep! That’s crazy. I hate snakes, so that pretty much sounds like torture. But the Grand Canyon? You totally need to do that. Thank you so much, Harlow, for spending time with us at BOD and for sharing yourself and stories with all of us!

Thank you very much for having me, and thank you for all you do to make BOD such a fantastic group.

ABOUT HARLOW

Harlow C. Fallon grew up in a home where reading was always encouraged. With an artist father and a librarian mother, Harlow’s love of literature and art blossomed and flourished. She cut her teeth on the complex fantasy worlds of The Wizard of Oz and Peter Pan, and later fed her imagination a steady diet of Edgar Allan Poe, John Wyndham, Ray Bradbury and Frank Herbert.

Today, her imagination continues to thrive. She channels her energies into writing, fueled by the curiosities of the world and the mysteries of the universe. Science fiction and fantasy are her genres of choice.

Harlow and her husband have five grown children, and have made Michigan their home for the past fifteen years.

Website, Twitter, Amazon, Prep For Doom

Thank you, Kate Corcino, aka Myra Lang, for joining us for BOD’s author spotlight interview.  I’m excited for all of us at BOD to get to know you better! First off, I’ve often wondered how authors come up with pen names and the reasons behind choosing a pen name. Can you tell us about yours?

Sure! I initially chose a pen name as a layer between myself (and my family) and the world…except I’m terrible at keeping secrets, so that idea ended quickly. But the name has huge personal significance for me. Kate was the name of my paternal great-grandmother, a woman who I resemble very closely, but who was kind and patient and sweet (basically everything I aspire to be and fall short of!). And Corcino is my maternal grandmother’s maiden name. My ‘Buela was definitely the matriarch of the family—tough and hilarious and loving, and very much the boss. So my pen name is a way to call down some of that feminine energy to me and my career while honoring the women who came before me.

That is so cool! What a neat way to honor them. Thank you for sharing. Tell us a little bit about your writing history. When did you know you wanted to be a writer, how long have you been writing, and what was the first story you wrote?

I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. I’ve been writing just as long. The first real, formal story that I remember writing was in the fifth grade. I wrote an Anne McCaffrey fan fiction featuring Lessa and F’lar’s son F’lessan. Ha ha! Wow. It’s been a while since I thought of that. I should probably try to find it in my mom’s garage!

I had the opportunity to read Spark Rising in preparation for this interview. And I have to say that magical/paranormal dystopian stories are some of my favorite kinds of dystopian/apocalyptic stories. Can you tell us where your inspiration for Spark Rising came from?

Spark Rising actually just came to me. There was young woman with these strange powers living in an abandoned gas station in the desert after an apocalypse, and she just started talking to me. It wasn’t until I was three or four chapters in that I stopped and plotted out the story. It’s funny—I knew the gas station immediately. It’s a station between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, NM on the edge of Santo Domingo. My husband and I stopped there often when we lived in New Mexico.

What was it like being a part of writing Prep For Doom?  What did you learn from collaborating with so many authors? Tell us anything you’d like about the experience.

It was an amazing experience! I was initially afraid that planning for a project like this would feel chaotic, or that the authors would be in competition, but it was just a wonderfully well-organized, very organic coming-together of ideas. Everyone was supportive and enthusiastic. And I loved collaborating with Casey Hays for our stories—the moments in chat when an idea would come together, like the guitar pick, were gold! It was my first collaboration, but it definitely won’t be my last.

All of us at BOD benefited from the awesome experience you had with Prep For Doom.  I hope you and many BOD authors have another chance to collaborate soon. Besides Spark Rising and Prep For Doom what other stories have you written or are working on?

I have a collection of short prequel stories set in the same world as Spark Rising. It’s called Ignition Point, and it’s offered for sale on Amazon. I’m currently editing Spark Awakening, the sequel to Spark Rising. I’m also writing my first paranormal romance, which is different for me, but I’m all about new experiences. If you can’t have fun, why bother?

What other talents or hobbies are you interested in?

I love learning practical skills—I knit and I‘m learning to spin. I’m training away my “black thumb” and finally having success with gardening! I love learning about natural remedies. Modern medicine is amazing and certainly has its place, but when you start having to medicate away your side effects, it’s time to take a step back and reevaluate.

When you’re not writing, what does a typical day-in-the-life of Myra Lang look like?

Chaos! Ha ha ha! I’m a homeschooling mom, so I have my two youngest children at home with me full-time. We school in the mornings, and then they have outside classes in the afternoons, or we do field trips or projects at home. We love making things. They’re finally getting old enough that I can give them instructions and set them loose, so I have the ability to sit close by and write while they work.

That’s amazing! I have always admired people who homeschool. It takes a lot of patience and creativity. So, well done! Since it’s summer, do you have any fun vacations planned? If you could go on any vacation this summer where would you go, with whom, and why?

We just had a stay-cation because my husband’s time off happened at the same time my brother and sister were visiting from Virginia and Indonesia. My husband and I did go for a day-long trip through the back roads of New Mexico on his motorcycle, and we’re planning a trip to visit family in Houston soon.

If I could take my family anywhere…? That’s tough. I’d love to take them on a round-the-world trip so they could experience different cultures and have a sense of history and world communities the way I did growing up. I’d also love to throw everyone in a camper and start driving around the US. Maybe I can plan both someday!

Sounds like the realized summer plans and the future wishes would be perfect vacations! Thank you so much for spending time with us at BOD and for sharing a little bit about yourself with us!

ABOUT KATE

Kate Corcino is a reformed shy girl who found her voice (and uses it…a lot). She believes in magic, coffee, Starburst candies, genre fiction, descriptive profanity, and cackling over wine with good friends. She’s been a legal videographer, a teacher, and a law student, and believes in chasing dreams. She also believes in the transformative power of screwing up and second chances. Cheers to works-in-progress of the literary and lifelong variety!

She is currently working on the second book in the Progenitor Saga after the releases of Ignition Point and Spark Rising, the first books in a near future post-apocalyptic dystopian adventure series with romantic elements, science, magic, and plenty of action.

She lives in her beloved desert in the southwestern United States with her husband, several children, three dogs, and two cats.

Find Kate online: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads

SPARK RISING

Alex Reyes spent half a lifetime searching for the perfect weapon. He’s finally found her…

Two hundred years after the cataclysm that annihilated fossil fuels, Sparks keep electricity flowing through their control of energy-giving Dust. The Council of Nine rebuilt civilization on the backs of Sparks, offering citizens a comfortable, powered life in exchange for control of those lives, particularly over the children able to fuel the future. The strongest of the boys are taken as Wards and raised to become elite agents, the Council’s enforcers and spies. Strong girls–those who could advance the rapidly-evolving matrilineal power–don’t exist. Not according to the Council.

Lena Gracey died as a child, mourned publicly by parents desperate to keep her from the Council. She was raised in hiding until she fled the relo-city for solitary freedom in the desert. Lena lives off the grid, selling her power on the black market.

Agent Alex Reyes was honed into a calculating weapon at the Ward School to do the Council’s dirty work. But Alex lives a double life. He’s leading the next generation of agents in a secret revolution to destroy those in power from within.

The life Lena built to escape her past ends the day Alex arrives looking for a renegade Spark. Together they will ignite a revolution that could topple a government conspiracy or push the world back into apocalypse. Good thing Lena Gracey and Alex Reyes feed on pressure–and the electricity.

Where to Buy: Kindle, Nook, iBooks, Kobo