Carrie Baize's Blog, page 7

Flash Fiction Friday #6

“Are you sure it’s wise, Kalla?” Brand’s terror made his voice sound almost childish and the sound made it even more difficult for Kalla to take her companion seriously.

“It would be a lot less dangerous if you’d be quiet.” Kalla normally didn’t mind Brand’s chatter, or the fact that he was terminally afraid of almost everything, but traveling through the dark forest so near nightfall was a bad time to start jumping at shadows.

Brand’s eyes flashed in the growing darkness. “I thought you sai...

Return of the Spambots Nonentry

* * *

Today’s nonentry brought to you by The Return of the Spambots.

With additional support from The Cruelty of the Universe.

* * *

Yeah… that about sums it up.

I sat down and logged in: intent on forcing myself to write something of interest for you. I had already given up on the possibility of coming up with anything of real value, but I thought I might at least be able to come up with something interesting.

After seventy-five spambot comments promising to deliver Oakleys and Michael Kors...

Welcoming Spring

Here on the top half of the big blue marble we ride, we’re most a week into Spring.

Ah… spring… the warm sunshine, fragrant flowers, and beautiful…

Yeah – sorry – I can’t do it.

You see, “spring” here in the foothills of Central California means heat, dust, allergies, and extreme fire danger… all of which worsen exponentially by the time “summer” comes. Kind of makes me wonder what it would be like if we had decent rainfall again… there might be a story there. Just sayin’

No matter how uncomf...

Flash Fiction Friday #5

“How long you been running?”

Seriously? What the phaen kind of question was that? “Since just after I learned to walk. Does it matter?”

“It does.” The hunter nodded slowly. “It really does. You’re not at all what I expected when I picked up the…”

“I never am.” Trying to get into my head, now? For Gaal’s sake… “That’s the ticket, hunter. No one expects me to be who I am, so I just… disappear.”

“Didn’t work out quite the way you planned, this time,” the hunter replied.

If I could have found a...

You had four jobs… *sigh*

Back in January, I planned four things for you.

Here we are in March and I can only really think about checking off two… and they’re not even the “easy” ones.

The worn-down and still-healing author offers this update:

Flash Fiction Friday will return. I can’t commit to 13 March, but certainly by 20 March. When it does return, it will likely be monthly – maybe every other week… at least to start. But it will return.

A regular posting schedule should begin to show its long-lost head in the very nea...

Happy New Year!

I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.

Edgar Allan Poe

I know it’s a little late to wish you a Happy New Year – but at least it’s still January.

Last year wore me down and, by the end of it, I’d pretty much lost all drive. The Poe quote (it’s his birthday, by the way) sums up the last couple years pretty clearly, actually.

I have plans in place to avoid that this year – hopefully, they do some good.

Things you’ll see in the upcoming year:

The return of Flash Fiction Friday
At least...

Lost Time

Two weeks… did you miss me?

I wish I could say I’ve been having fun the whole time…

Waves of illness have brought my entire house down the last couple weeks. I missed blogging 10/7 because I couldn’t keep my eyes open for more than a few minutes at a time and last week… well, last week, I was exhausted too. My husband has pneumonia, you see… something we only found out after he felt like he was drowning while sitting on the couch: an ambulance ride and an all-niter in the emergency room later,...

B-Rated Inspiration

It’s September 30th.

That means tomorrow is October and NaNoWriMo Prep season has officially begun.

Ways of finding inspiration are easy to talk about, but strolling down any one of those possible avenues is another matter entirely. Sometimes, no matter how clear the picture is, the path to is just isn’t there… rather like those street artists that do the awesome 3D pits – except those chalk drawings are real obstacles when it comes to actually writing.

Enter this year’s twisted inspiration.

Drag...

Banned Books Week and AWOL Authors

That’s right… Banned Books Week is upon us once again!

You’ve read it here, before… bottom line for authors… if you have a story to tell, tell it!

When people cry out for books to be banned, they are squashing that expression and, honestly, no one can know the impact that story might have on someone that needs to read it.

So… Banned Books Week. Celebrate accordingly

On the subject of AWOL Authors…

Well… I must apologize. Profusely, even. Life has been anything-but-calm lately, and last week total...

For Whom The (James Scott) Bell Tolls

James Scott Bell blogs over at The Kill Zone with a host of amazing colleagues.

I may have mentioned him a time or two… in fact, I may even have mentioned this particular blog post before.

Write Until You Die reads like Mr. Bell is sitting in a chair next to me giving me the pep-talk.

It’s a wonderful read – especially if you’re in need of a writing-related boost – but here’s my “take away” from it…

— Creativity will be around as long as nothing damages the creative sparks in the brain

— Pigeonhol...