Liss Thomas's Blog: Mingling Myths and Monsters with Mortals, page 20

Temper Tantrum - Pt 2 - CCC

Writing Prompts – Creative Copy Challenge #286 « Writing Prompts – Creative Copy Challenge:


Image courtesy of ["Danilo Rizzuti"] /FreeDigitalPhotos.net
LockWornGet outPleaseRaceBrutalScentFireUnder
Why

Jill slammed the door to her room and locked it with a firm click. Tom turned the knob anyway before he gave up and went back downstairs. Worn out from the chase, he heated up the day old coffee in the microwave and downed the tar like substance as he checked the doors and windows. He smiled as he secured the deadbolt, pleased with himself. She would have to break a window to get out and he’d be awake to hear it. She would never know of the brutal race he’d run to get to her first. Others had been on her scent. He’d eliminated one of them but the others would continue to come.Tom watched the fire in the hearth and calculated the cost of telling her the truth. Why he pulled her from that club. Who else knew she’d been there and what they wanted from her. A tree branch snapped outside causing a low growl to rumble up Tom’s throat. His incisors elongated and he sniffed the air. Two more had come. Under the cover of a dark moonless sky, they would find him instead.

This is not what the prompt said to do - The Pocket Muse

Prompt:  Write About someone who is pretending to be someone or something that he is not

What I wrote is not quite what this wanted.  I don't know where I went wrong but... 

Image courtesy of ["Sira Anamwong"] /FreeDigitalPhotos.net


A normal neighborhood like all the others housed a normal home on a dead end street.  The neighbors saw the comings and goings as normal.  Who wouldn't.  The family of five just moved in.  The father, a carpenter, worked to restore the old plantation like home to its former glory, according to his contract with the perk of a rent free stay.  It would take a lot of work but he was good at it.  The mother worked in the home and did the best she could keeping the old place showroom ready.  The two older siblings, a boy and a girl attended the local high school as a sophomore and a freshman respectfully.  Their younger sibling, a rambunctious little girl of six, roamed fearlessly around the old home finding treasures and hiding places.  But more hides in the darkness.  Everyone knew it was there but no one spoke of it, even to the new tenants until it was too late.  It watched them.  It watched her, the fearless one.  The one who might discover him.  He needed to keep her away until he completed his work.
The neighbors heard it occasionally and feared what lived there.  No one stayed long enough to find out what it was.  They simply called it the 'House Demon'.  The inhabitants heard it growl whenever they ventured into a dark recess.  They glimpsed a shadow just outside of view.  It appeared harmless if not a bit unnerving so they remained.  He remained.  But it's only a matter of time before their paths collide.
Prelude to WIP:  Monster Plantation

The Paperback is Now Available!

I am so excited about the Paperback!Finding it now on Amazon!

Here's an excerpt
I awake with a start. It is early, perhaps near dawn. Did I hear something to jar me from my fitful dreams? I listen, but hear nothing. Something woke me, I am sure of it now, but I’m unable to put my finger on it. Pulling the blankets back, I sit up. I feel something that makes me hurt inside. The sensation is new and not overpowering, but a little disturbing. I go to my bathing room and run cool water into a basin, splashing my face. The feeling is still there. Perhaps it will go away with breakfast. After washing and dressing, I make my way to the cooking fires to prepare breakfast for Missy and myself. I carry the tray of breads and fruits to her room. I knock. I knock again. Opening the door, I glance inside, ready to retreat if she is still sleeping. I panic. Missy is not in her room. Flinging open the door, I put the tray down. Her bed is made. I check the washing room which is also empty. I check my room just in case. Not there. I run to my parents’ room with my heart thrashing in my chest.
“Where is she?” I cry without preamble. “Where is she?”
Mother comes to me and tries to calm my fears. “She left this morning before dawn. She has started her quest.”
“I don’t understand. What quest? Why didn’t she tell me? Who is protecting her?” I look in turn to each as I question them. I can’t think straight. The hurt inside is growing, increasing with my panic.
“Charlie, Missy has gone on a quest to become a monster. I explained to her what happened to you when you touched her. She wants you to be as you were. As she completes the tasks of her quest, she will gain traits of a monster, strengths and abilities you probably take for granted. She will grow stronger, and so will you.”
I am reeling from the news. Did I want her to become a monster like me? Somehow, I always envisioned myself as a human for her. Staggering toward the window, I look out into the distance. I scan the horizon for any sign of her. She’s gone. My human is gone. 
“Who’s protecting her?” I ask not looking at them.
“This is a quest she must complete on her own, Charlie,” Mother says.
I whirl in a rage. “You sent her into our world alone?” I let out a stream of curses as the hurt inside turns to nausea.

Ode to Ice Cream - CCC#285

Writing Prompts – Creative Copy Challenge #285 « Writing Prompts – Creative Copy Challenge:


ChipFlipDipDripClipSipTipHipGyp
Nip

Image courtesy of ["Icecream" by Salvatore Vuono] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net




Ode to Ice Cream

My flava's, Chocolate Chip 
One lick makes me Flip 
No, not one! Double Dip!
I'm too fast, it won't Drip 
Disappearing at a quick Clip 
Down to the cone, more to Sip 
I need another, leave a big Tip 
Through the door, using my Hip
It looks smaller! What a Gyp! 
You want a taste? Well, just a Nip

The Next Big Thing - Part 2

I've done this before but was invited to do it again.  My debut novel, Finding Monsters is currently available on Amazon.


Now, I'm working on the sequel to Finding Monsters, entitled Becoming Monsters.

1. What is the working title of your book?The title of my second novel is Becoming Monsters.
2. Where did the idea come from for the book?This book is a logical sequel to my debut novel, Finding Monsters.

3. What genre does your book fall under?As with the first, this is a Young Adult Fantasy novel

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?I chose Elle Fanning and Ben Barnes for the lead roles of Missy and Charlie.  Their are a few more characters that take on lead roles at times.  For  Saal, who is a large imposing bad ass, I would use Idris Elba.

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?A sinister villain from the monster realms escapes to the human world and Missy must return to a life she left behind to stop him.

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?Self published
7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?This manuscript to only a few months to write.  I've completed one set of re-writes and am in the process of round two.
8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?My story has been compared to Chronicles of Narnia but with a hint of romance thrown in.  It also has a bit of fairytale lore mixed in for fun.
9. Who or What inspired you to write this book?My family has been very supportive to my writing and encourage me to continue.  Once I started, I just couldn't stop and now have a few more drafts to the series ready for re-writes and publication.

10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?An intense race against the clock, romance, murder, and a final showdown you have to read to believe!

Temper Tantrum - CCC

Writing Prompts – Creative Copy Challenge #284
Image courtesy of [twobee] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
ShorterLongerDragSmellQuitHotBetterHaulSweat
Sharp

The smell of cigarettes and sweat mingled in the air. Hot, acrid cigar smoke increased the blue haze filling the nightclub. Tom quit smoking years ago but the urge still lingered in the back recesses of his mind. He worked his way through the rough crowd in search of Jill and saw her in a corner. He watched her lips pull a long drag on her cigarette and push the smoke toward the ceiling. Without a word, he hauled her up sharply and made for the exit.“Hey!” Jill shouted as she jerked free from his grip.
“Don’t make a scene,” Tom said as he got a better hold on her arm but she struggled against him. The longer she resisted, the shorter his temper became but he kept it in check. His hand grew vice-like as he pulled his struggling quarry through the oblivious crowd and out the door to the waiting limousine. The driver opened the door and helped get the struggling girl into the back before Tom climbed in.“I hate you, Dad,” Jill spat as the car pulled from the curb.
“I can live with that,” Tom said.

Writing Prompts – Creative Copy Challenge #283

Image courtesy of [Pixomar] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net


FingerLoadChangeOldWallSignTabNearestGasSpiral
He trailed a finger down her warm back but she didn't wake. His other hand felt the cold unforgiving steel of his pistol, silencer in place, loaded and ready. For a change, he'd switched to the smaller pistol instead of his old favorite 'Make My Day' gun. He slid it out back under the bed and allowed himself time to think. The situation would spiral out of control if he wasn't careful. She should have been an easy target to eliminate but as he stared at the dingy walls of his small apartment, he realized he liked the company. He'd have to check the news soon for any sign the cops knew the missing girl. Perhaps she would stay if he asked nicely but how could he keep tabs on her while he worked? His next hit needed to be scoped out and followed. He thought of drugging orgassing her but it seemed wrong, distasteful really. The apartment nearest to his was vacant. She could stay for a while undetected. He pulled a wicked knife from under his pillow and slid it under the bed next to the gun. Yes, she could stay.



This prompt marks the start of one of my many WIP's.  The working title, "The Assassin's Last Victim".  

Trespass Transgression - CCC 2 - Archived Challenge

Another Challenge from the Archive
Trespass Transgression
Image courtesy of [winnond / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Winnie the PoohPrior work historyBathroomSongHead-shotAuthoritiesLawsuitsPropagandaTwitterOrange Juice
She knocked on the door but it went unanswered.  Her hands held several subpoenas for lawsuits her clients wished to file.  The authorities had been called of course but would drag their feet on this case.  Not important enough since the defendant's prior work history showed a clean record.  She'd done her homework though, and the clean slate wreaked like a dive bar bathroom.  She knocked again and the door popped open a fraction.  The melody of a children's song played from inside. 
"Hello?" she called loud enough for anyone to hear but none answered.  Stepping inside she saw a breakfast table for a child with a small plate of eggs and orange juice in a small cup.  Winnie the Pooh sat next to the empty high chair, a companion left behind.  "Don't make this any harder than it already is," she added as she set the documents on the table.  She moved through to a small living room with papers thrown about.  She stooped and picked up a flyer reading of extremist propaganda, another on gun control, and finally a faded news article showing a gruesome head-shot with even gorier details below it.  Dropping the papers, she backtracked toward the kitchen.  She pulled against the now closed door and found it locked.  She tried to release the lock but it held firm.  The twitter of song birds could be heard on the other side of the door.  Their happy tunes did little to suppress the fear growing inside her.  Silent hands attacked and covered her mouth to stifle the scream.  No one would hear it.  No one would find her.  They never did.

FREE DOWNLOAD!

FINDING MONSTERS will be available on Amazon for free on Oct 31st!Make sure you get your copy this Wednesday!

The Addiction is Back-Writing Prompts – Creative Copy Challenge #282

ThinkHuddleMindPureBreakShowTrueSilentNothing
Previous

My eyes stare in blank confusion as I huddle in silent solitude. My mind crumbling and shaking along with my limbs. The previous addictions break through leaving pain. Always pain, I think. I try again and again but nothing appears; I weaken. I gasp, close to defeat but push ahead for one more fix. Success. Pure bliss fills my burning brain. The burning subsides, my eyes clearing. A smiles shows on my face, a genuinely true smile...CCC is back!

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