Lazette Gifford's Blog, page 72

Flash Friday # 106 -- The Replacement

 







     Tana paced in front of the airlock leading to scout ship. She didn't curse; she'd already run out of words half an hour before. Krisin leaned against the wall by the airlock and ignored her, but even he was starting to look annoyed.

"Why can't Daynel ever be on time?" Tana finally demanded, spinning on Krisin as though he would have an answer. "We're going to be late with the

Flash Friday #105 -- That Lost Feeling

     Trenton caught the portly man by the collar, lifting him off the ground as the guide kicked. It did no good; Trenton was too cold to feel anything.


"You said you know the mountains!" Trenton snarled, looking to where the path ended abruptly in a dark abyss.

"No, not really," Gerland replied, his voice an annoying squeak. Trenton hadn't talked to him much on the journey because

Annoying Main Characters and Good Bad Guys

 









This last month I've read a number of different genres: fantasy, mystery, romance and literary fiction. I'll try any book that looks interesting. The last book I finished, however, clearly brought to mind something I've been seeing happen more often in all types of books.

As writers, we've all seen the advice to make certain our main characters are not perfect. Give them flaws

Friday Flash # 104: Good Fortune

 





"We're cleared," Daniel said as he pushed back from the comm station. He glanced around and nodded. "Do we have leave, Captain?"

At least he was polite enough to ask for it. Her last comm officer had been left behind on a fringe world when he pushed her one too many times, thinking he could win command. Not of her ship. Daniel, at least, knew who was in charge.

At least that had

Friday Flash 103 -- Escape

 



    The worst part of the trouble hadn't been being arrested by the Trisban guards. It hadn't been the trial and the accusation of being an assassin. He'd planted the rumor himself.

For Danus, the worst part was the realization he might be too late to save his friend.

The cells were far worse than he'd expected. Rats ran down the stairs; sleek fat things and fearing nothing. The place

Flash Friday # 102 -- Limitations

 



    There are always limitations.

Learning to be a mage was all about learning how to live within those limitations in order to maximize power. Neason had spent most of his life learning not to let stray thoughts leak away his power. At twenty he was well known for his control, and that was why the temple sent him to the valley of Kerisin where a curse seemed to be destroying the crops

Don't worry about it, you poor little author

  







(The above works can be found here, except for Autumn Winds, which will be released in about a week.)



I recently had an encounter with an Indie group on Facebook that truly took me by surprise. They were so set in their ways that I had the feeling I was dealing with a traditional publishing group in disguise. The problem wasn't that they were even wrong for most writers, but

Flash Friday #101 -- Something Lost

 

Not many ships headed northward this late in the season, but Garwood's aunt had done the readings and she'd never been wrong. "Go this week," she said, holding to his arm and shaking it as though he wasn't paying attention. "Get stocked and go with the tide late Friday. You'll have good luck with it, my boy. Don't leave without him, though."

He'd tried to ask who, but she was already

Flash Friday #100 -- It's All in a Name (100 word drabble)

 




    This desolate place was Apricot's last hope. He entered the temple, bowing to the old man standing inside.



"Please help me. I've failed at every job I've held. Someone makes fun of my name and I end up in a fight."



The old man shrugged. "There's only one answer."



"Yes?"



"Change your name."



Apricot stared in amazement. "Yes! What name should I choose?"



"I'm found of

Flash Friday # 99: Survivor

   






    Garis had been abandoned over a century before because the world never took to terraforming. Even the sheep meant to feed this world and a few others had died off. The humans left, moving to a new settlement and better conditions. For a scavenger like Jared, Garis represented a possible windfall. He'd done the studies; the settlers had been well funded, but when the world failed