Matthew Ledrew's Blog, page 29

Flash Fiction Memories

Back when I was in University I didn’t have this thing called ‘Facebook’.  No, I put off joining that for years (I still remember getting and ignoring a ton of ‘your friend is on Fb & you should join them’ emails).

Back in those days I had something better.  I had… Livejournal!

I mostly wrote about what was going on in my life and kept up with friends who were in different cities. Also, you could have .gifs as your profile picture. It was the best.

Another thing I used it for was writing drabbles, which are an early type of flash fiction. There was one group I joined called X-Men 100, where you could write drabbles about X-Men characters. Each week they’d post a word or phrase for inspiration and then you’d have 7 days to write and post something that was only 100 words long.

It was surprisingly easy to write these. Then again, I’ve never been much of a descriptive writer. I’ve always found it easier to write shorter things, and I get a weird satisfaction in cutting something down to the exact word count. It was easier with X-men drabbles, because everyone in the group knew these characters and their backstories, so you could skip all of that.

Only having 100 words to work with means that every word needs to count.

A couple weeks ago I decided to try writing something for the Kit Sora photo contest. It was fun to get back to drabbles, aka flash fiction. I really enjoyed writing it, agonizing over every word, and fighting with myself to cut it down to 250 words. But, then again, I’m weird.

–

So, let’s get into my process…

When I write flash fiction I always try to think of the picture I want to paint. What moment in time do I want to describe?

I also try to use specific descriptive words to paint a better picture. Instead of saying that someone’s scared stiff, I’ll go with ‘petrified’ (that’s 1 word fewer already!). I go on Thesaurus.com a LOT.

First I’ll write the scene without worrying about the word count. If I’m short, I’ll think about what could be added to create a more ‘rounded’ story or what could benefit from more description.

If I go over the word count, I get out the axe and start chopping things down.

But what to remove? Well, anything that isn’t necessary. Remember Checkov’s Gun – if it isn’t important then it doesn’t need to be mentioned. If you need to, simplify the story, boil it down to its essence. If you cut a particular thing, does the story still make sense? Do you need it?

I also keep a lot of versions. I wrote 6 versions before finally settling on one I liked that was within the word count. They were all kept in one document so that they could be quickly referenced. The reason I do this is because I might cut something in version 2 that I want to add in for version 5. Or I might add like the phrasing in version 1 and want to go back to it.

Writing Flash Fiction isn’t effortless for me, but that’s why I like it.

–

And now, because I can, here’s one of my old x-men drabbles, based on one of my favourite pictures, of Gambit sitting in a window, overlooking the city:

 

The lights of the city shone like forgotten stars.

Each window represented a life that had been swallowed by the big bad city. Everyone came here for different reasons, but all stayed for the same.

Inside each illuminated window was hope. Inside each darkened window – broken, shattered, forgotten hope.

Sitting on the windowsill, Gambit looked out at the city. What were his own reasons for being here? He couldn’t say. He didn’t know.

Somewhere in the city, a woman’s scream for help went unanswered.

Somewhere in the city, a window went dark.

He was a long way from the Bayou.

 

 

Flash Fiction/Photography Contest | Deadline April 30! |Engen Books | Kit Sora Photography!

[image error]Engen Books is proud to team with the imaginative and creative people of Kit Sora Photography to bring you the “Flash Fiction Photography Contest”!

Every month we’re going to upload one of the photos from the amazingly talented Kit Sora, a local Newfoundland artist known for her stunning work with props, lighting, and imaginative designs. Kit uses her art in a variety of fantastical settings, so we’re tasking the authors and creative minds of the Atlantic Provinces to write short fiction based on the subjects!

The catch: these entries must be short: a maximum of 250 words! Thus we have the Flash Fiction/ Flash Photography Prize from Engen Books and Kit Sora Photography. Every month Engen and Sora will select a winner from eligible entrants.

Winners will be crowned the prize-winner for that month and be allowed to use the title of “Prize/Award Winner — X Month” on their writing CV / resumé! Winners will be paid at a rate of 10 cents a word for their fiction and may be featured in an upcoming collection of Sora’s photography!

In order to be eligible, entrants must be Canadian citizens and the work must not have been previously published. No more than five entries per photo, per author. Entrant must share the contest post on facebook / social media / twitter.

Call for Flying Story Submissions!

Over the last three years, the From the Rock series has become one of the preeminent anthology series’ in Atlantic Canada. We have been home to some amazing established talent and ‘broken’ some new authors that have gone on to dominate their fields, becoming genre bestsellers in their own right. From the Rock is a title readers consistently ask for, review well, and a great way for avid readers to get introduced to indie talent they might find interesting. In March 2018 the series’ third entry, Chillers from the Rock, went Bestseller on pre-orders alone!

And this year, we’re doing it again… twice!

After the colossal success of Sci-Fi from the Rock,  Fantasy from the Rock, and Chillers from the Rock, Engen Books has decided to continue the From The Rock line with a second entry in 2019: Flights from the Rock, to be available in Summer 2019.

Guest editor Lisa M. Daly helps explain this new collection: “2019 marks 100 years since the Great Atlantic Air Race when aviators left, or attempted to leave, Newfoundland to be the first to fly across the Atlantic. To celebrate, we are accepting submissions for Flights from the Rock, a collection of air powered stories! The theme is early aviation, from hot air balloons and dirigibles, to early aircraft and the technological advances of the war era, and those who dream of taking to the skies. Stories can range from science fiction to fantasy to dystopia to steampunk and all genres in between, as long as they are about flight. For inspiration, look to Newfoundland’s own aviation history, the early flights of Santos-Dumont and the Wright Brothers, or the science fiction writers of the 1800s whose characters traveled the skies and through space.”

Editors Ellen Curtis and Erin Vance are scheduled to return to helm the project, along with special-guest editor Lisa M. Daly.

Many authors have expressed interest, but anyone can submit to be a part of this Spring 2019 collection! Deadline is February 15, 2019 but get your stories in as quick as you can, as it gives our wonderful editors more time to work with you and make sure it is as good as it can possibly be!

What is the target audience?

For this specific collection, we’re going for an equivalent of PG to PG-13. Rather than limit our authors creatively, we encourage them to write from the heart and allow us to work with them to fine-tune the work after the fact.

Example: for Sci-Fi from the Rock, Christopher Walsh’s story had featured a fair amount of cursing. As a compromise, we settled on switching it out for classic-comic style “#@$#” bleeps. We feel it captured the classic all-ages style we were going for while remaining true to his work, and both parties were happy with the arrangement.

Titles by Chelsea Bee

Chelsea Bee is the author of 2 works published through Engen Books and its partners, including novels and short-form stories.

[image error]London Calling by Chelsea Bee

The Pitch: Olivia Williams used Shakespeare’s timeless words to comfort herself through childhood sexual abuse, disordered eating, and a toxic relationship.

She thought a summer studying in London in the legendary Globe theatre would be the healing learning experience she always longed for.

Surrounded by new friends, beautiful culture, and budding romance, Olivia knows her life is about to change.

She doesn’t expect this, though.

 

[image error]Chillers from the Rock by Erin Vance & Ellen Curtis

Series: From the Rock, 2018

The Pitch: Twenty-five short stories written by a diverse mix of some of the best suspense and horror authors in Atlantic Canada, including both award-winners, veterans of their craft, and brand new talent.

Edited by Erin Vance and accomplished genre author Ellen Curtis, this collection features the thrilling, creatively charged, astonishing fiction that showcases the talent, imagination, and prestige that Atlantic Canada has to offer.

Featuring the work of Paul Carberry (Zombies on the Rock), Kelley Power (Winner of the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts and Letters competition), Matthew LeDrew (Coral Beach Casefiles, Infinity, Xander Drew), Ali House (The Six-Elemental), an introduction by Dale Gilbert Jarvis, & much more!

Chelsea Bee

[image error]Chelsea Bee is a debut author living in Newfoundland, Canada with her partner, noisy calico cat, and a very anti social hedgehog. She has an Arts degree from Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Her first novel, London Calling, was published on July 15, 2017. In March 2018 she was one of the authors featured in the bestselling anthology Chillers from the Rock.

‘Sea Monkeys’ by Peter Foote | Short Story Winner

Tiny fingers dig into beach sand until foaming sea water fills the hole. Shelby unfolds the envelope she found in the old comic book and sprinkles dried eggs which disappear into seawater.

“Please work,” Shelby says biting her lip.

Peeling apart the envelope, Shelby folds the waxed paper into a lopsided boat. Digging hands into pockets, she places seven jelly beans inside the bobbing craft, the setting sun reflecting off the water.

The morning sun chases Shelby down the beach, her flip-flops slapping the wet sand.

Peering into the pool, Shelby finds a mermaid smaller than her pinkie finger lounging inside the paper boat, iridescent tail hanging over the side. The mermaid cradles a purple jelly bean covered in tiny bite marks, looks up at Shelby and smiles, jelly bean smeared on her face.

“The purple ones are my favourite too,” Shelby says, her grin turning into a sad frown. “I can’t stay, school starts tomorrow.”

Ears drooping, the mermaid balances the jelly bean one-handed and points to the open water.

“You have to go home too?”

With a sad smile, the mermaid nods, tail swirling in the water, scales sparkling.

Kneeling in the wet sand, Shelby digs a channel allowing the incoming tide to connect with the pool. The gentle ocean waves grab the paper boat as it bobs through the breach, her jelly beans around her, the smiling mermaid waves goodbye.

“It was nice meeting you, I hope we met again!” Shelby calls out.

Peter Foote is a Freemason and owner of the FictionFirst Used Bookstore, a bookstore located in Nova Scotia that ships used genre fiction and manuals worldwide. He is from Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia and currently resides in Kings County, Nova Scotia.

To read the second and third place entries and for more contests and opportunities, please subscribe to the Fantasy Files Newsletter.

For exclusive content and FREE books, be sure and check out the Engen Books Patreon.

Words © 2018 Peter Foote. Image © 2018 Kit Sora.

Winner: “Sea Monkeys” by Peter Foote | Kit Sora Flash Fiction Photography Contest

After much deliberation, Engen Books is proud to announce the winner of the March 2018 Kit Sora Flash Fiction Photography Contest: Peter Foote with his story, Sea Monkeys!

We received over forty submissions for this month’s collection, all of them spectacular in their own right. To find the winner we used a double-blind alternate-vote method, in which no judge knew the name of the person who had written any story. Each judge then compiled a list of their own personal Top Ten picks, and each entry was assigned a point title. The lowest entries were whittled down every round until only one remained!

There wee four judges for this inaugural month of the contest:

[image error]Amanda Labonté lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland, where she gets much of the inspiration for the characters and places about which she writes. Though she knew she wanted to be a writer since the eighth grade, it was many years before she finally walked into a creative writing class and found a new home. As the co-owner of an educational business and mother of two she spends much of her day with kids of all ages. They give her some of the best reading recommendations.

[image error]Matthew LeDrew has written eighteen novels for Engen Books, Black Womb, Transformations in Pain, Smoke and Mirrors, Roulette, Ghosts of the Past, Ignorance is Bliss, Becoming, Inner Child, Gang War, Chains, The Long Road, Cinders, Sinister Intent, Faith, Jacobi Street, Infinity, The Tourniquet Reprisal and Exodus of Angels.

[image error]Kit Sora is an artist and photographer from St. Johns, Newfoundland. Her photography draws inspiration from fantasy, dystopia, and thrillers to create evocative imagrey that startles, inspires, and excites.Kit signed with Engen Books in 2018 as head photographer, producing the thrilling image for Chillers from the Rock and re-imagining the covers to the entire Black Womb series into the Coral Beach Casefiles series.

Drew Power is a currently seated member of the Sci-Fi on the Rock committee. He was recently featured as the model on the cover of the bestselling collection Chillers from the Rock.

Runners up include Out of Reach by Jeff Slade and Water’s Rising by Amanda Evans.

Peter Foote is a Freemason and owner of the FictionFirst Used Bookstore, a bookstore located in Nova Scotia that ships used genre fiction and manuals worldwide. He is from Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia and currently resides in Kings County, Nova Scotia.In 2017, Foote endeavored to bring the Atlantic Canadian writing world together by forming a group known as the Genre Writers of Atlantic Canada (GWOAC) that seeks to cross promote and support authors working in the genre fields at any level, including hobbyists all the way up to experts in the field. The group is currently 189 members large and grows daily.

The winning entry will be featured on this website as well as on the Fantasy Files newsletter (click to join!). The second and third place entries will also be featured in the Newsletter.

Click here to see the next Kit Sora Photo Contest!

Short Story: The Vicious Ones | Ali House

Let’s be honest, anything I write today will be overshadowed by the news that Chillers From the Rock is an ebook bestseller on Amazon – and I’m totally okay with that. Woohoo!

In celebration, here’s a horror story that I didn’t finish in time for submission + a tale of how it came to be. And to make it deliberately scarier, I’m posting it late at night!

*Spooky voice*  Read more, if you dare….

The Vicious Ones

Once upon a time, many centuries ago, our clan lived in harmony with the Vicious Ones.  They had a different name back then, back in the peaceful days, but it has been lost to time.  While they were not as advanced as we, we watched them grow over the years, learning how to adapt to this world.  They were aware of our existence, as we were of theirs, but we kept to our own clans, existing side-by-side in harmony.

But one day those within our clan began to disappear.  We stopped hearing their voices in our head, finding only silence when we searched them out.  Our clan realized that something terrible was going on, and sent out warnings about the new, unknown danger, putting everyone on alert.

Eventually one of our clan was able to send us an image of a Vicious One descending on them before the image disappeared and there was only darkness.  We never heard from that clan member again.

It was our nature to be peaceful and seek resolve without violence. We tried to communicate with the Vicious Ones, to ask why they were doing this, but they were not evolved enough to understand our language.  Or maybe they did hear our thoughts but were too wicked to care.

Some talked of fighting back, but we knew that using physical violence would damn our souls to the Eternal Darkness.  So we continued with our futile plan of trying to make these evil creatures understand our pain, hoping that one day we would be heard and they would end their reign of terror.  We knew that any moment we might be taken away, yet still we dared to live.

Then the Vicious Ones came for me, wrenching me from my home and severing my link to the rest of the clan.  Where once I heard a multitude of voices in my head, there was now silence and despair.  I was put into darkness, and taken far away from my home.  We had often wondered what the Vicious Ones did with those they captured.  The answer was more disturbing than I could have imagined.

As I stared at the sharp knife before me, I tried to project my thoughts into the creature standing before me.  I tried to tell them how beautiful life was, how I loved my family and friends, and how they had taken me from a life that I was not ready to leave, but they did not listen.

As the knife sliced into my flesh, I could see tears form in the eyes of my tormenter.  I wondered if my message had reached them, if they would realize their mistake and let me go, but my hopes were dashed as they raised the knife again.  Tears began to fall from their eyes as another slice cut into me, and I realized that I could only send my emotions and nothing else.

My tormentor cried, but they did not understand why…

______

So, how did I get the idea for this story? It starts with my bad eyesight in Grade Four, getting contacts in Grade Nine, and then having Laser Eye Surgery four/five years ago. The surgery had given me 20/20 vision but it also made me susceptible to certain things… things like onions.

The idea for this story came about when I was cutting an onion and sobbed as much as if I was watching “P.s. I Love You” (my go-to sad movie). 

As tears literally streamed down my face I wondered why the heck I was crying so much, and thus this story was born. 

Short Story: The Vicious Ones

Let’s be honest, anything I write today will be overshadowed by the news that Chillers From the Rock is an ebook bestseller on Amazon – and I’m totally okay with that. Woohoo!

In celebration, here’s a horror story that I didn’t finish in time for submission + a tale of how it came to be. And to make it deliberately scarier, I’m posting it late at night!

*Spooky voice*  Read more, if you dare….

The Vicious Ones

Once upon a time, many centuries ago, our clan lived in harmony with the Vicious Ones.  They had a different name back then, back in the peaceful days, but it has been lost to time.  While they were not as advanced as we, we watched them grow over the years, learning how to adapt to this world.  They were aware of our existence, as we were of theirs, but we kept to our own clans, existing side-by-side in harmony.

But one day those within our clan began to disappear.  We stopped hearing their voices in our head, finding only silence when we searched them out.  Our clan realized that something terrible was going on, and sent out warnings about the new, unknown danger, putting everyone on alert.

Eventually one of our clan was able to send us an image of a Vicious One descending on them before the image disappeared and there was only darkness.  We never heard from that clan member again.

It was our nature to be peaceful and seek resolve without violence. We tried to communicate with the Vicious Ones, to ask why they were doing this, but they were not evolved enough to understand our language.  Or maybe they did hear our thoughts but were too wicked to care.

Some talked of fighting back, but we knew that using physical violence would damn our souls to the Eternal Darkness.  So we continued with our futile plan of trying to make these evil creatures understand our pain, hoping that one day we would be heard and they would end their reign of terror.  We knew that any moment we might be taken away, yet still we dared to live.

Then the Vicious Ones came for me, wrenching me from my home and severing my link to the rest of the clan.  Where once I heard a multitude of voices in my head, there was now silence and despair.  I was put into darkness, and taken far away from my home.  We had often wondered what the Vicious Ones did with those they captured.  The answer was more disturbing than I could have imagined.

As I stared at the sharp knife before me, I tried to project my thoughts into the creature standing before me.  I tried to tell them how beautiful life was, how I loved my family and friends, and how they had taken me from a life that I was not ready to leave, but they did not listen.

As the knife sliced into my flesh, I could see tears form in the eyes of my tormenter.  I wondered if my message had reached them, if they would realize their mistake and let me go, but my hopes were dashed as they raised the knife again.  Tears began to fall from their eyes as another slice cut into me, and I realized that I could only send my emotions and nothing else.

My tormentor cried, but they did not understand why…

______

So, how did I get the idea for this story? It starts with my bad eyesight in Grade Four, getting contacts in Grade Nine, and then having Laser Eye Surgery four/five years ago. The surgery had given me 20/20 vision but it also made me susceptible to certain things… things like onions.

The idea for this story came about when I was cutting an onion and sobbed as much as if I was watching “P.s. I Love You” (my go-to sad movie). 

As tears literally streamed down my face I wondered why the heck I was crying so much, and thus this story was born. 

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Chillers from the Rock becomes an Amazon Canadian Bestseller in 4 categories: Vampire, Werewolf/Shifter, Vigilante Justice, & Hot New Thriller Releases!

[image error]Chillers from the Rock, the third volume in the modern From the Rock series, hit #1 Bestseller in 4 different categories on March 18, 2018: a full 10 days before its release. The categories include Vampire Thrillers, Werewolves & Shifters, Vigilante Justice, and Hot New Releases – Thrillers. As of this writing it has reached #116 on the overall paid Amazon ca charts.

Chillers from the Rock features twenty-five short stories written by a diverse mix of some of the best suspense and horror authors in Atlantic Canada, including both award-winners, veterans of their craft, and brand new talent.

Edited by Erin Vance and accomplished genre author Ellen Curtis, this collection features the thrilling, creatively charged, astonishing fiction that showcases the talent, imagination, and prestige that Atlantic Canada has to offer.

Featuring the work of Paul Carberry (Zombies on the Rock), Kelley Power (Winner of the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts and Letters competition), Matthew LeDrew (Coral Beach Casefiles, Infinity, Xander Drew), Ali House (The Six-Elemental), an introduction by Dale Gilbert Jarvis, & much more!

Engen Books would like to congratulate editors Curtis & Vance on this achievement, and thank her fans and peers who helps make this possible. We also extend gratitude an congratulations to authors and contributors: Kit Sora, Drew Power, Peter Foote, Teresita E. Dziadura, Dale Jarvis, Eryn Heidel, Sam Bauer, Maggie Carroll, Matthew Daniels, Kelley Power, Lynn Reicker, Paul Carberry, Michelle Churchill, Jon Dobbin, Chantal Boudreau, Jeff Slade, Ali House, Bronwynn Erskine, Chelsea Bee, Anastacia Hopkins, & Shannon Green!

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