Winners, Faeries & Microfiction Monday

My blog contest closed on Friday, and now it is time to congratulate the winners! Thanks to everyone who participated and shared the contest information with others. I met my goal of 100 followers and then some. Wow! Never underestimate the power of supportive blog friends.  Here are the winners (chosen in three separate, random drawings):

~~  $20.00 Amazon gift certificate  ~~

Cathy C. Hall (Cathy C's Hall of Fame)

~~ On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King ~~

J.L. Campbell (The Character Depot)

~~ Journal by Peter Pauper Press ~~

Donna Volkenannt (Donna's Book Pub)

Congratulations! Goodies will be shipped upon address verification. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Now on to the ever enjoyable Microfiction Monday, where 140 characters tells a story.   For more fun reads, click over to Susan at Stony River and link to other microfiction gems.

“Will I really be slow dancing in my very own show?” Fae giggled. 

Satyr rolled his eyes. 

“Bimbo! I said pole dancing in your very own shoe!” 

No liberally sprinkled faerie dust could that dread odor quench. 

She learned that magic held no power 

o’er a young lad’s shoe-sweat stench!

Go ahead and roll your eyes. I deserve it. The first is groan-worthy. As to the second, anyone who ever had a little boy at home knows exactly the stinky shoe smell to which I refer. If someone bottled that eye-watering odor and unleashed it over a city it would be considered biological warfare. Moms, you know it's true!

Thanks for visiting. Please check back here for Wednesday's post and then Book Blurb Friday, a new meme I'm hosting every week. It is a fun and rewarding challenge, and I hope you'll opt to participate.  For details, scroll down to my last post, or click on the tab above under the blog header.  Please come back and join the fun!

Til next time -
Lisa

Clip art courtesy of Webweaver.nu.

Book Blurb Friday - It's a Go!

Book Blurb Friday is on! Official start date:  

Friday, March 4th.

In case you missed my initial post on this original meme, here's a recap:

Every Thursday evening I'll post a photo that we'll pretend is the cover of a book. In 150 words or less (length of the average book blurb) write the blurb that you think belongs on the back of the book. You create the story, decide the genre, fiction or non, etc. You'll post your blurb on your site with a link from/to this one so others can find you or come here to participate.

The goal: Write a book jacket blurb (150 words or less) so enticing that potential readers would feel compelled to buy the book.

The above photo is our first Book Blurb "book cover." Please do not post anything yet---our kickoff date is next week, Friday, March 4th.  I posted the picture now so we'll all have a week to ponder our blurb.

On Thursday evening next week I'll re-post the above photo with my own book blurb of 150 words or less, as well as a Mr. Linky widget where you can leave a link back to your blog.  I will also post a new "book cover" picture to be inspiration for the subsequent Book Blurb Friday.  Please post your book blurb on your blog next Friday, March 4th along with the photo above and a link back here so your readers will have the opportunity to link to the book blurbs of other participants, or perhaps join in the book blurb fun. (Don't forget to enter your name in Mr. Linky after you post so others can link back to you!)

If you already participate in Microfiction Monday, hosted by Susan at Stony River, then you are familiar with how this works. If you are new to the meme game, please feel free to post your questions in the comment section here or email me at writinginthebuff@hotmail.com and I'll respond straightaway.

That's it! I hope Book Blurb Friday will be fun for everyone and generate ooh-gobs of story ideas for each of us. Thanks for playing along.  You have a whole week to write your Book Blurb (based on the above "book cover" photo) for the official kick-off date, Friday, March 4th.

Til next time -
Lisa

P.S.  My blog contest ends tonight at midnight, so there's still time to enter. For details click on the tab above just under the blog header. The winners will be announced on Monday!

Get Paid! AND Microfiction Monday

My followers topped over 100 this weekend! Yay! Thanks, everyone!

Did you know there are paying markets for your microfiction? Those 140 character gems might earn you a buck or two. More on that below. For now, thanks to Susan at Stony River for hosting Microfiction Monday. Here is the picture for this week and my two stories (each 140 characters or less) to accompany it.

Ann awoke, shivering. 

The nightmare lingered—myriad doorways leading to the same endless abyss; 

an echoing silence. 

She wept, fearing sleep.

Homer raced to class. 

“You’re late for 1^st period.” Railed the teacher. 

“But early for 2^nd!” Homer declared. 

That Homer. Always an optimist!

Two paying markets for your 140-character-or-less stories are Thaumatrope ($1.20 per microfiction) and Nanoism ($1.50 unpublished, $1.00 previously available online).  The payment is roughly equivalent to $0.05 per word. You won't retire with millions, but after a few sales you'll have earned enough for a trip through Starbucks' drive-through. And you'll have a blast writing microfiction in the process.

If you have a minute, please scroll down two blog postings to my February 16th post titled: "Book Blurb: Your Opinion is Requested."  I'm considering starting a Friday meme and would like to have you vote on whether or not you might participate. There is a polling widget on the post to make it easy to render your opinion anonymously.

Thanks for stopping by! I'm looking forward to reading the other microfiction stories.

Lisa

My blog contest ends on midnight, Friday February 25th, so there's still time to participate.  The winners will be announced next Monday the 28th.  For details, click the contest tab under the blog header.