L.G. Estrella's Blog, page 4

Hobby (Flash Fiction Fridays #78)

“So… what sort of hobbies do you have?” Simon asked Cuddles as the guinea pig munched on yet another potato chip. He’d opted for a different brand than normal, and the pack was covered in writing that hurt to look at, even with Advisor applying cognitive filters. Eldritch potato chips? Maybe. If anyone would eating something like that, it would be Cuddles.

“I’ve got plenty of hobbies.” Cuddles chugged down some whiskey. “I like building things.”

“Like models?” Simon asked.

“Something like that.”...

Seaside Surprise (Flash Fiction Fridays #77)

Spot swam through the water with a big, toothy smile on his face. His mother and the demolition rats had made a special fin that he could attach to his back. It would allow him to pretend to be a shark.

Since it was summer, the beach was full of people. He could swim in, pretend to be a shark, and then reveal the truth. Everybody would laugh. It would be hilarious.

Grinning, Spot rose up toward the surface, allowing all of the people in the water and on the beach to see it.

* * *

Fred was not ha...

Roof of the World (Flash Fiction Fridays #76)

The boy ran. Through the swirling snow and the tearing winds, he ran. And behind him, growing closer with each thunderous step, was the beast that had menaced his mountain village for weeks. Its roars echoed over the howling of the wind, and the boy realised, perhaps for the first time, that he was about to die.

He should have listened to his father.

He should have stayed in the village.

He should have done a lot of things.

Instead, he’d let his desire to see one of the mountain’s legendary grea...

The Ship of Cuddles (Fast Fiction Fridays #75)

“I almost died!” Simon wailed. “Wait… I distinctly remember exploding!” His eyes narrowed, and he rounded on Cuddles. “Did you bring me back to life?”

The cosmic guinea pig took a sip of his bourbon cola. “That’s such a crude way to put it. I prefer to think of it as reconstructing your body on a subatomic level followed by cramming your soul back into it before it can rejoin the Cycle of Death and Rebirth.”

“That’s the same thing!” Simon cried.

“Not from a technical standpoint. You see, there’s...

Taste (Flash Fiction Fridays #74)

The little boy flopped onto Spot’s back.

“Hey, Spot, have you ever considered eating me?” he asked.

The dragon opened one silver eye. “No.”

“Really?” The boy almost sounded offended. “Why?”

“It’s because you’d taste bad,” Spot said. “Plus, you’re small and stringy. It wouldn’t be worth the effort at all.”

“Hey!” The boy rolled over and did his best to crush the dragon in his python-like grip. Alas, being a little boy, he was dozens of times smaller than Spot. All he succeeded in doing was exhaus...

The Tortoise and the Hare… and the Dragon (Flash Fiction Fridays #73)

The hare mocked the tortoise for his slowness, running circles around him and laughing as the reptile plodded forward.

The tortoise thought he could beat him in a race? Was he crazy?

Hah!

With one final laugh, the hare turned and ran, racing across the open meadow toward the finish line a few miles away. Meanwhile, the tortoise continued his slow, steady march…

* * *

Spot frowned. He had heard the hare making fun of the tortoise. The hare had been really mean. It wasn’t the tortoise’s fault that...

Departure

It took Katie a few weeks to realise that the little girl she saw by the lake was a ghost. In her defence, she only ever saw her from a distance, and Katie herself was still coming to terms with her powers as a necromancer.

“It’s because you’re a necromancer,” her master said. “Necromancers are generally capable of seeing ghosts, spirits, and otherworldly beings.” He paused. “They’re also capable of sending them on their way.”

“You mean… to the afterlife?” Katie whispered.

“Yes.”

“Then… then why...

Rules for newbie servants at the castle…

1. If you see a protoplasmic horror stealing cake from the kitchens, ignore him. That’s just Sam doing Sam things. Just make a note of it on the chart, so the cooks know to make more cake.

2. If you see a dragon basking in the sun, don’t worry. That’s just Spot. If, however, the dragon does not have black scales and a white spot on his snout, immediately inform the closest zombie or ninja rat because that isn’t Spot. Also, run.

3. If you see rats wandering around with miniature weapons and equ...

Start Small

One of the questions that I’m often asked by beginning writers is how to write a novel.

Personally, I think that’s putting the cart before the horse a little.

In the same way that you wouldn’t try to build a house as your first DIY project, I don’t think that trying to write a novel for your first writing project is a good idea. It’s true that there are significant differences in structure and technique between long-form and short-form writing, but these differences are hardly insurmountable.

Wh...

Happy New Year

The upcoming year could easily be compared to a vast ocean, one full of possibilities, both good and bad. Yet if we are to sail across these unknown seas, there’s no reason we have to sail them alone. Rather than being ships passing in the night, why not be a fleet seeking safe harbour together?

With that metaphor in mind, allow me to wish you the very best of luck. I hope you know only happiness and success in the year to come and all the years to follow.

May fair winds and following seas be ev...