tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21638129176305679582024-03-21T05:03:55.580-07:00Story DumpKind of like a munitions dump--except for stories...seana grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03774794086733027289noreply@blogger.comBlogger134125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163812917630567958.post-19462151749872214772016-12-18T14:39:00.000-08:002016-12-18T14:54:26.715-08:00Wanda's Christmas Story<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last year, sometime around Thanksgiving, I was walking along and remembering the sad history of a story I wrote. It was a little long for the usual literary journal format, but it had been accepted somewhere eventually. The only problem was that they never actually published it. I happened to be at a writer's conference where they had their booth and enquired at some point, but the staffers said something about there being some big file mix-up or something, and it didn't sound like the chances of the story resurfacing were good. I later wrote the journal, but never heard anything back from them, so safe to say the rights had reverted to me. <br />
<br />
The story had a couple of things working against it, even apart from its actual merit--the length and its seasonal nature. It was a Christmas story. But I suddenly realized that I could actually publish it as a chapbook myself. I could make copies for family and friends and that would be one way of finishing with it. <br />
<br />
Still, I dithered. Should I use CreateSpace or Lulu? Would my friends be mad that I had resorted to an Amazon affiliate? Was it even really worth doing? I couldn't decide, time ran out and I put the idea aside. <br />
<br />
But I remembered the idea again this year. It was a little late in the season but I realized that if I didn't plunge in, I would have to wait another year. At first I couldn't even find a copy of the story. But when I finally did, I took it as a green light and went forward. <br />
<br />
It's quite a while since I wrote this story--I no longer even remember exactly when it was, or what inspired me to write it. I had had it professionally edited at one point, but when I looked at it with clear eyes, it needed more work. For me at least, editing always takes longer than it seems like it should, and then the whole process of formatting, though incredibly streamlined by places like CreateSpace and Lulu, always involve experiments and mistakes. Add to that a finicky tablet that I'm temporarily working on, and it was, shall we say, involved. <br />
<br />
But it's live now, both as a chapbook and an e-book. If you'd like to get a copy in either form, you can find it <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MQX264L/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482100400&sr=8-1&keywords=wanda%27s+christmas+story+seana" target="_blank">HERE</a>. It's not free, but it's as cheap as they'd allow me to price it. In any case, here's the cover, which I am quite unaccountably proud of, considering that I designed it almost entirely by accident.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2C83UchHUdrPCFSBSNKEfPlotQ8o_PIudRW0F-CjIpxSbr3vsuH9pb14QCD2XaQBmJf6XHiL800oa1joMZg_ygFhuYIvwGXot48LIBweDzRmyfKY16dwdsDbytpJV1h_QsCzBbvvbW773/s1600/Wandas_Christmas_St_Cover_for_Kindle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2C83UchHUdrPCFSBSNKEfPlotQ8o_PIudRW0F-CjIpxSbr3vsuH9pb14QCD2XaQBmJf6XHiL800oa1joMZg_ygFhuYIvwGXot48LIBweDzRmyfKY16dwdsDbytpJV1h_QsCzBbvvbW773/s320/Wandas_Christmas_St_Cover_for_Kindle.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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seana grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03774794086733027289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163812917630567958.post-47631462637092026802016-08-05T13:12:00.001-07:002016-08-05T13:12:19.102-07:00"Voyage, Voyage" by Caroline Couderc at Germ Magazine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In accordance with my decision to post links to some short fiction here, here is a link to a story just up at Germ Magazine. Although they bill it as literary fiction, in truth it has a little something for the suspense reader as well. Enjoy. <a href="http://www.germmagazine.com/voyage-voyage-by-caroline-couderc/" target="_blank">"Voyage, Voyage" by Caroline Couderc.</a></div>
seana grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03774794086733027289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163812917630567958.post-34134184586454124712016-07-21T16:09:00.000-07:002016-07-21T16:09:02.821-07:00Jolene McIlwain's "Seed to Full" at FlashFiction.net<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As promised, or at least mentioned, I am hoping to be putting up more story links here and at least today I am making good on my intention. Here is a link to a story by Jolene McIlwain at FlashFiction.net,entitled "Seed to Full". I'm not going to analyze it or critique it, but I will mention that the author's reflections on writing it come after, which answered or echoed many of my impressions. Check it out <a href="http://flashfiction.net/2016/07/flash-fiction-seed-to-full.php" target="_blank">HERE</a>..</div>
seana grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03774794086733027289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163812917630567958.post-30267638588615896092016-07-13T13:57:00.003-07:002016-07-13T13:57:52.944-07:00"Heartbreaker" by Maryse Meijer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I get an email from the writing magazine <em>Poets & Writers</em> every so often. Yesterday's was titled "Preview the Summer's Best Debut Fiction". I opened it rather idly, as, now that I'm not in the book business, I rarely know what's up and coming until it's down and gone. <br />
<br />
It was quite a surprise, then, to see that the featured piece was a story by a writer I know--friend and former co-worker Maryse Meijer. I knew her book, a collection of short stories also called <em>Heartbreaker,</em> was due out, but it was still impressive to see the title story on their website. <br />
<br />
"Heartbreaker" is an edgy story, effectively done. It will likely make you uncomfortable, as it's meant to, but you've had fair warning. <br />
<br />
Here is the link to the <a href="http://www.pw.org/content/first_fiction_2016?article_page=4" target="_blank">Poets & Writers website</a>, where you can read or even listen to the story. <br />
<br />
Congratulations, Maryse!<br />
<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmfw1V068LxcND7A0ur0simfDMCvijCz_AiZgwkgNbE3BKJmAn0IrvkVSwhKbF8zMY5CNtMWP2kTGn5hAjWml3hHJREMHVaQm-OuaAOryBnX2Ji41x1YbLDeOeO39oq01S99QpWbF3n_FX/s1600/9780374536060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmfw1V068LxcND7A0ur0simfDMCvijCz_AiZgwkgNbE3BKJmAn0IrvkVSwhKbF8zMY5CNtMWP2kTGn5hAjWml3hHJREMHVaQm-OuaAOryBnX2Ji41x1YbLDeOeO39oq01S99QpWbF3n_FX/s400/9780374536060.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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seana grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03774794086733027289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163812917630567958.post-12747904168163440252016-07-07T22:32:00.002-07:002016-07-08T13:50:09.940-07:00Paul D. Brazilll's Friday Flash<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If you like your flash fiction gritty, you could do a whole lot worse than checking out Paul D. Brazill's <a href="https://pauldbrazill.com/2016/07/08/friday-flashes/" target="_blank">Friday flash fictions</a> right now. <br />
<br />
Just saying.</div>
seana grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03774794086733027289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163812917630567958.post-26458421965414893102016-07-03T13:01:00.000-07:002016-07-03T13:50:56.228-07:00"The Show-Off" and other stories at FlashFlood<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I posted about this at my more frequently used blog, <a href="http://confessionofignorance.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Confessions of Ignorance</a>, but I thought I'd mention it here as well, because I'm going to add it to the links here. I was motivated by an online writing group I'm in to come up with something for Flashflood in honor of the British National Flash Fiction Day. I thought at first I hadn't qualified, but then at the last minute it turned out I had, which was something of a relief, as I've been getting a fair share of rejections lately.<br />
<br />
My story "The Show-off" appears right near the end. You can find it <a href="http://flashfloodjournal.blogspot.com/2016/06/the-show-off-by-seana-graham.html" target="_blank">HERE</a><br />
<br />
Here are the names of others from the writing group that participated in the challenge, in case you feel like you'd like a way to sort through the many entries. I enjoyed all of them. <br />
<br />
<div class="mention completed mceNonEditable" data-mention="user:60598" title="April Bradley">
<a href="http://flashfloodjournal.blogspot.com/2016/06/a-mermaids-purse-is-also-called-devils.html" target="_blank">April Bradley -- "A Mermaid’s Purse Is Also Called A Devil’s Pocketbook"</a></div>
<br />
<div class="mention completed mceNonEditable" data-mention="user:51492" title="Jan Elman Stout">
<a href="http://flashfloodjournal.blogspot.com/2016/06/evensong-by-jan-elman-stout.html" target="_blank">Jan Elman Stout--"Evensong"</a></div>
<br />
<div class="mention completed mceNonEditable" data-mention="user:51238" title="Lisa Ferranti">
<a href="http://flashfloodjournal.blogspot.com/2016/06/carousel-by-lisa-ferranti.html" target="_blank">Lisa Ferranti--"Carousel"</a></div>
<br />
<div class="mention completed mceNonEditable" data-mention="user:60379" title="Caroline Couderc">
<a href="http://flashfloodjournal.blogspot.com/2016/06/between-lines-by-caroline-couderc.html" target="_blank">Caroline Couderc-- "Between the Lines"</a></div>
<br />
<div class="mention completed mceNonEditable" data-mention="user:60361" title="Jolene McIlwain">
<a href="http://flashfloodjournal.blogspot.com/2016/06/angling-by-jolene-mcilwain.html" target="_blank">Jolene McIlwain--"Angling"</a></div>
<br />
<div class="mention completed mceNonEditable" data-mention="user:72131" title="Gillian Walker">
<a href="http://flashfloodjournal.blogspot.com/2016/06/a-quiet-art-by-gina-walker.html" target="_blank">Gillian Walker-- "A Quiet Art"</a></div>
<br />
<div class="mention completed mceNonEditable" data-mention="user:71676" title="Ingrid Jendrzejewski">
<a href="http://flashfloodjournal.blogspot.com/2016/06/measurements-by-ingrid-jendrzejewski.html" target="_blank">Ingrid Jendrzejewski--"Measurements"</a></div>
<br />
<div class="mention completed mceNonEditable" data-mention="user:60362" title="Anne Weisgerber">
<a href="http://flashfloodjournal.blogspot.com/2016/06/upfurler-by-anne-weisgerber.html" target="_blank">Anne Weisgerber-- "Upfurler"</a></div>
<div class="mention completed mceNonEditable" data-mention="user:60362" title="Anne Weisgerber">
</div>
<a href="http://flashfloodjournal.blogspot.com/2016/06/electric-by-jude-higgins.html" target="_blank"> Jude Higgins--"Electric"</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://flashfloodjournal.blogspot.com/2016/06/contraband-by-paul-beckman.html" target="_blank">Paul Beckman--"Contraband"</a><br />
</div>
seana grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03774794086733027289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163812917630567958.post-1534396886024025862016-02-14T19:53:00.003-08:002016-02-14T19:53:49.144-08:00Stories, by John Edgar Wideman<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm trying to get a little more posted about the story world here. I am in an online chat group where a short short by John Edgar Wideman was linked to. It appeared in Conjunctions. I liked it. Here's the <a href="http://www.conjunctions.com/archives/c34-jw.htm" target="_blank">link</a>. Enjoy.</div>
seana grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03774794086733027289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163812917630567958.post-10695038161496306922015-10-03T15:08:00.003-07:002015-10-03T15:08:42.678-07:00My story up at Flash Jab Fiction<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A couple of weeks ago I mentioned two story challenges you might want to try. I ended up coming up with something for both of them. Today the second of these is up at <a href="http://seana-storydump.blogspot.com/2015/09/two-flash-fiction-challenges-you-might.html" target="_blank">Flash Jab Fiction</a>,which is author Jack Bates blog. by sheer coincidence the two stories posted today are posted by Santa Cruzans. I haven't met Morgan Boyd, but glad he took up the gauntlet! Have a <a href="http://seana-storydump.blogspot.com/2015/09/two-flash-fiction-challenges-you-might.html" target="_blank">LOOK</a> at "Enology (The Study of Wine)" and "Black and White and Red All Over".<br />
<br /></div>
seana grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03774794086733027289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163812917630567958.post-70197645723518267932015-09-19T15:13:00.001-07:002015-09-21T14:55:09.459-07:00Answering a challenge<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A Barman Considers the Past </div>
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<br /></div>
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A sharp blast of air from the door made the night manager of
the pub look up, and right away he recognized the spy, who came in from the
cold night to this overheated room. Christ, they were all here tonight: Tinker,
tailor, soldier, spy. It was like some kind of bloody children’s game, he
thought. No, he corrected himself: No child’s game. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Our</i> game. The game we used to be in on.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The spy sat down at the bar and ordered a whiskey. He
watched the others through the large mirror behind the bar, who watched him
back in turn—the looking glass war, as the barkeep liked to call it. For it was
a delicate truth, but they were not all absolute friends these days. The spy
had been a traitor to them all once, though give him his due, the bartender
thought, he had been our kind of traitor. He’d done the thing that any of them
would have. He had not exactly been a perfect spy, though, and had ended up a
most wanted man. The barman wondered what had finally brought him here, like some
kind of secret pilgrim. Maybe he was seeking absolution.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Ah, what poor sods they all were when it came down to it,
himself included. There had been a murder of quality since the old days, a real
decline in standards. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These days everyone
called him John the Square—behind his back, of course, but he knew anyway,
because bartenders, like writers, do end up digging out everything. But these
pups now hadn’t known him back in the day. Pity he’d never married, but then none
of them had. No, they’d all remained single, hadn’t they, single & single
again. There had been that girl, the little drummer girl, what was her name, Karla
maybe, who had gone the rounds of a small town in Germany they’d all been stationed
in at the time. Right, she sold time shares—it was all coming back to him. He
remembered there was some place near the eastern border, the Russia House she’d
called it, always trying to get people to buy in. He couldn’t remember, maybe some
of them even had. They’d all fought over her, anyway: Tinker the naïve
and sentimental lover, while our spy here had been a sort of chaste knight, acting
in the guise of the honourable school boy he had probably even been once. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bar manager himself had been<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>more the constant gardener type, tending the
soil of their relationship and biding his time. But that hadn’t worked with her
either. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Tonight “the Tailor”, perhaps reacting to the presence of
the spy at the bar, seemed to be on some sort of sad, nostalgic mission. Song
burst from him, a warrior’s dirge, a lament. The barman wondered if it wasn’t
some kind of call for the dead, a summoning. He shivered, half wondering if
Smiley’s people would answer it, gone to Hades as they all by now surely had. The
Tailor was drunk, but he really had been a tailor, a good one—it wasn’t just a
code name. He had been <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the </i>tailor of
Panama once, if reputation was anything to go on. Of the nine tailors in town—but
the night manager caught himself up short. </div>
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<br /></div>
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The nine tailors. He shook his head ruefully as he wiped
down the bar. Now <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that</i> was another
story altogether. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> by Seana Graham (with apologies to </span><span class="st"><a href="https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=john+le+carre+novels" target="_blank">John le Carré</a>)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="st"><i>This story was written for a challenge Brian Lindemuth conceived and posted over at <a href="http://www.dosomedamage.com/2015/09/flash-fiction-challenge-book-title-story.html" target="_blank">Do Some Damage.</a> The contest has been extended till <b>9/28/15</b>, so you still have time to come up with an idea. </i></span></div>
</div>
seana grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03774794086733027289noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163812917630567958.post-59671430857673712792015-09-17T19:07:00.001-07:002015-09-17T19:07:20.489-07:00Dear Lucky Agent Contest 2015<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Sorry to post this at the last minute, but in order to enter a
contest, I have to mention the Dear Lucky Agent contest in a couple of
social media places. I'm not on Facebook or Twitter, so lucky you, I'm
mentioning it here. I am not intentionally doing it late in order to
give you less of a chance, I'm doing it late because I'm a
procrastinator. And didn't know today was the day. Not great excuses,
but real ones.<br />
<br />
Anyway. If you have a completed mystery, suspense or thriller novel, you can submit the first 150-250 <br />
words
for a chance at a critique of your first ten pages, a subscription to
Writer's Market for a year, and a book, How to Get a Literary Agent.
And, you never know--the agent might like your book. It happens.<br />
<br />
Get going because you only have till midnight Pacific Standard Time. And good luck. Here's the link.<br />
<br />
http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/18th-free-dear-lucky-agent-contest-thriller-mystery-suspense</div>
seana grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03774794086733027289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163812917630567958.post-2400814180108274322015-09-08T13:25:00.001-07:002015-09-08T13:25:08.044-07:00Two flash fiction challenges you might want to try<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Jack Bates over at Flash Jab Fiction has a challenge up right now to take a look at the photo he's posted and then come with a story of 750 words or less. Read all about it <a href="http://flashjab.blogspot.com/2015/08/flash-jab-challenge.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>. But hurry because you've only got till the end of the month to do so. <br />
<br />
And word came out from <a href="http://www.dosomedamage.com/2015/09/flash-fiction-challenge-book-title-story.html" target="_blank">Do Some Damage</a> that Brian Lindenmuth is hosting a challenge there. The basic idea is that you write a story using as many book titles as you can in a thousand word or less piece. Details <a href="http://www.dosomedamage.com/2015/09/flash-fiction-challenge-book-title-story.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>. This one only runs till 9/21, so get going!</div>
seana grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03774794086733027289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163812917630567958.post-44761624775491782672015-08-15T15:03:00.001-07:002015-08-15T15:03:16.884-07:00The New York Times on the connection of fiction and crossword puzzles<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I really liked this <a href="http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/08/15/puzzling-through-my-fiction/" target="_blank">Opinionator</a> piece by Ben Dolnick on the connection he sees between solving crossword puzzles and writing fiction. I hadn't thought about it before, but as I had been just thinking about the "puzzling" aspect of short story writing yesterday, I found this very apt. </div>
seana grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03774794086733027289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163812917630567958.post-44343114063241551852015-07-20T22:46:00.000-07:002015-07-20T22:46:14.526-07:00Sixfold<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Sixfold publishes under an interesting premise. You send in a story with a minimal fee. Then you're sent back stories in rounds which you critique and rate and by this method, better or best stories rise to the top. I was game a round or two ago, but not under the illusion that the story I sent in was great or would win. I just wanted some feedback.<br />
<br />
My story came out somewhere in the middle of the range. Some people liked it, some people did not. I thought that was pretty fair. My yardstick was based on another story altogether. Here's the link to that one:<br />
<br />
http://www.sixfold.org/results?game=306&sort=finalrank&page=4<br />
<br />
Yeah, you have to scroll down to near the end of the list and look for the entry Marian Chase. The author has chosen to be anonymous, but luckily their story is still available. Do me a favor, make an extra effort and go read it.<br />
<br />
And after you do, go enter the Sixfold contest. Find out all about it <a href="http://www.sixfold.org/submit?game=309" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
seana grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03774794086733027289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163812917630567958.post-85236842100530416602015-07-12T10:09:00.001-07:002015-07-12T10:09:26.312-07:00And the winner is...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8rob0UHXem4AsT76Mc_ITR6yDA33fn9OuI09yG7ytpzAhX52wn7XxEm44biV2Rzyd4Zryhcd5ivPZoGQeT-w3fnRzqYoGXd67LLdnMFHnxBlyr90hIse3d-LWh5tePsAKRuMM6WLXqGU/s1600/Cocoon1outlines-M.O.-250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8rob0UHXem4AsT76Mc_ITR6yDA33fn9OuI09yG7ytpzAhX52wn7XxEm44biV2Rzyd4Zryhcd5ivPZoGQeT-w3fnRzqYoGXd67LLdnMFHnxBlyr90hIse3d-LWh5tePsAKRuMM6WLXqGU/s320/Cocoon1outlines-M.O.-250.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<i>I'm re-posting this from <a href="http://confessionofignorance.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Confessions of Ignorance</a>, as it actually is more appropriate here. </i><br />
<br />
I was talking to a friend last night and the conversation suddenly led me to remember that the winning M.O. story was up at Criminal Element and I said I would post a link here. So I got over there and read it this morning and liked it. It's a very different sort of story than the one I wrote, and, I suspect, than the other candidates. Here, forthwith, is <a href="http://www.criminalelement.com/stories/2015/07/the-mo-short-crime-fiction-wishful-thinking-issue-the-cocoon-by-louis-rakovich" target="_blank">"The Cocoon"</a>, by Louis Racovich. Congratulations, Louis.<br />
<br />
I assume it's purely coincidence, but I got something of a consolation prize from Criminal Element the other day, in that I won a copy of <i>Charlie Martz and Other Stories, </i>which is a collection of the unpublished short stories of Elmore Leonard. When you consider that the entire television series of Justified came out of one Elmore Leonard story, you may agree that a Leonard story is no slight thing. So I'm looking forward to the book's arrival.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
seana grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03774794086733027289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163812917630567958.post-1232045421512200742015-06-27T13:23:00.002-07:002015-06-27T13:25:27.643-07:00Flash Flood Fiction--some links<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As I mentioned yesterday, I'm taking part in <a href="http://flashfloodjournal.blogspot.com/2015/06/its-raining-fiction.html" target="_blank">Flash Flood Fiction Day</a> which is now live. Every ten minutes or so a new story pops up. I've been dabbling mainly at random and have been enjoying the stories very much. But in case you don't feel like wading through the so far 128 stories, here are couple I've run across which knocked my socks off:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://flashfloodjournal.blogspot.com/2015/06/grizzly-by-angela-readman.html" target="_blank">"Grizzly" by Angela Readman</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://flashfloodjournal.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-devils-blessing-by-johnny-heriz.html" target="_blank">"The Devil's Blessing" by Johnny Heriz-Smith</a><br />
<br />
A funny one:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://flashfloodjournal.blogspot.com/2015/06/two-clones-walk-into-pub-by-lance-cross.html" target="_blank">"Two Clones Walk Into a Pub" by Lance Cross</a><br />
<br />
Or of course you could always read mine:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://flashfloodjournal.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-rival-by-seana-graham.html" target="_blank">"The Rival" by Seana Graham</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Or just head on over and choose something at random. There's pretty much every kind of story there, they're short, and it's fun. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqL3wBNsSvy4cLbV7ea3ogDYaD1myE_VcavndK1XFqNlN9URyaB6nQey9uc0rSzB5Ms7mDU47mxolnSpZDdPWUYDsQQwH8L1VLpYTVEFBahG340SBNVx2EZdLU1I9IAkk0aZIJ0CXNRKkn/s1600/flash+flood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqL3wBNsSvy4cLbV7ea3ogDYaD1myE_VcavndK1XFqNlN9URyaB6nQey9uc0rSzB5Ms7mDU47mxolnSpZDdPWUYDsQQwH8L1VLpYTVEFBahG340SBNVx2EZdLU1I9IAkk0aZIJ0CXNRKkn/s400/flash+flood.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No, really--DON'T try this at home.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
seana grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03774794086733027289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163812917630567958.post-2644366629775187792015-06-26T13:05:00.000-07:002015-06-26T13:05:04.868-07:00M.O. "Wishful Thinking" results and Flash Flood Fiction Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>(Reposted from Confessions of Ignorance)</i><br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Sorry to be straying so far off track here these days, but I thought I'd mention a couple of things that I actually know something about. The first is that the results of the<a href="http://www.criminalelement.com/blogs/2015/06/announcing-the-m-o-wishful-thinking-selected-story-by-reader-votes-crime-hq" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_blank">M.O. </a>Wishful Thinking contest have come in, and though I didn't win I still enjoyed the process and am glad I took part. I'll post a link to the winning story here I think on the 10th, but if I get sidetracked you can always check in over there.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Meanwhile, though, a friend happened to mention the Flash Flood Fiction Day coming up on Saturday (tomorrow) at <a href="http://flashfloodjournal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Flash Flood Journal</a>, and I somehow managed to write something up quick and get it in in time to be published there. They tell me it ought to be up at about 2 PM British Summer Time (BST) or 6AM California time, as near as I can reckon. So look for "The Rival", or just check out the website and see what everyone's come up with. I know that's what I'll be doing. The maximum word count is 500 words, so these will be short pieces for your delectation. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguIWin9c1KtbQsvbeuI8Y8SigMdIjmX7mxvOJ8J1dniYKKVY80qKkcgxZ36mI6scDZmGgp6USDTagtEm7BFdcw-wOf2weyWsO9u24O05fh8XJwyQkw3qVWCslijUEd8GRc-5kFO8X0FNI/s1600/flash+flood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguIWin9c1KtbQsvbeuI8Y8SigMdIjmX7mxvOJ8J1dniYKKVY80qKkcgxZ36mI6scDZmGgp6USDTagtEm7BFdcw-wOf2weyWsO9u24O05fh8XJwyQkw3qVWCslijUEd8GRc-5kFO8X0FNI/s400/flash+flood.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kids, don't try this at home.</td></tr>
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seana grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03774794086733027289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163812917630567958.post-81629755140285154192015-06-12T23:27:00.000-07:002015-06-12T23:27:13.574-07:00made the M.O. shortlist<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have a story that's made the short list over at <a href="http://www.criminalelement.com/blogs/2015/06/pick-a-story-for-the-mo-wishful-thinking-read-previews-vote-short-fiction-crime-hq" target="_blank">The M.O.</a> , which is the contest section of Criminal Element. I was pretty excited about just getting to be a contender, as I'd tried once before and didn't get that close. I sent in the bio and photo for the <a href="http://www.criminalelement.com/page/the-mo-short-crime-fiction-rogues-gallery-of-2015" target="_blank">Rogues Gallery</a> yesterday, but hadn't heard that the shortlist story beginnings had gone up on the website. So the first news I had of it was when someone I don't know found my email, presumably through my blog, and took the trouble to tell me that someone else was doing a good job of promoting their story, and then went on to tell me that I didn't stand a chance of winning.<br />
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Well, I never thought I had a <i>great </i>chance of winning. But if the whole contest is really about how large a pool of people you draw in to vote for you through social media, then what's the point of winning? It doesn't mean anything about your story, it just means that you're a good marketer.<br />
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So my request to you is to head on over to<a href="http://www.criminalelement.com/blogs/2015/06/pick-a-story-for-the-mo-wishful-thinking-read-previews-vote-short-fiction-crime-hq" target="_blank"> read the opening paragraphs of the stories</a> in the contest and do what the contest asks of you: vote for the story that you most want to read the rest of. Seriously, it doesn't have to be mine. After all, I won't be voting for it. I already know the ending.<br />
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Oh, and here is the winning story from the last round:<a href="http://www.criminalelement.com/blogs/2015/04/the-mo-short-crime-fiction-long-gone-issue-fix-me-sw-lauden" target="_blank"> "Fix Me" by S.W. Lauden</a>. However it rose to the top, it's a pretty great story. </div>
seana grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03774794086733027289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163812917630567958.post-40223508483532796552015-01-01T14:59:00.000-08:002015-01-01T14:59:19.701-08:00Chance of Showers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFazSt_Kgc1GzswmPws1mwXiABuuUvq0nY4WTmPz3yb4uGZpeiQ0D-I33Ia3H3f53Fxn7neE_lJglNQJTrjZzKj_Eka5gNZkBtvu9ITYvLm7xsskPGNULCSxe6xV8ZzgfKMfiFp0-BrFN6/s1600/locked+gates+of+panmure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFazSt_Kgc1GzswmPws1mwXiABuuUvq0nY4WTmPz3yb4uGZpeiQ0D-I33Ia3H3f53Fxn7neE_lJglNQJTrjZzKj_Eka5gNZkBtvu9ITYvLm7xsskPGNULCSxe6xV8ZzgfKMfiFp0-BrFN6/s1600/locked+gates+of+panmure.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“In the Event of Rain”, the sign on the locked iron gate
read, "All Ceremonies Will be Postponed." Ann looked first at her rain
soaked wedding gown and then at her waterlogged bridegroom, wondering if she'd
ever meant to marry at all. "We can still get a refund," she said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">"Let's elope instead," Joe said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ann smiled, remembering what it was about him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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seana grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03774794086733027289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163812917630567958.post-39867188771218254692014-12-29T14:39:00.001-08:002014-12-29T14:39:36.552-08:00Paul D. Brazill's "The Long Haul" over at Spelk<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm going to try and get up a few story links here in the coming weeks and months. The road to hell paved with you know what, but at least I can start by pointing you to a story from Paul D. Brazill over at Spelk. I've read a fair share of Paul's stories over recent years and I think <a href="http://spelkfiction.com/2014/12/28/the-long-haul/" target="_blank">"The Long Haul"</a> is fairly representative of his style and his humor. Enjoy.</div>
seana grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03774794086733027289noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163812917630567958.post-60959273769550113572014-08-01T14:44:00.004-07:002014-08-01T14:44:52.126-07:00NANO Fiction contest<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I got an email from Nano Fiction about their annual prize contest today. Entries are 300 words or less. For better or worse, I don't tend to write that short, but if it's your thing, check them out <a href="http://nanofiction.org/" target="_blank">HERE</a><br />
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Here's an <a href="http://nanofiction.org/weekly-feature/interviews/2014/05/6-questions-with-2014-nano-prize-judge-kim-chinquee" target="_blank">interview</a> with the judge, "Queen of Flash" Kim Chinquee, about what she's looking for. <br />
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It's all over by the first of September, so get cracking. </div>
seana grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03774794086733027289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163812917630567958.post-4289906942691664582014-07-29T14:06:00.003-07:002014-07-29T14:06:45.171-07:00Writer's Digest "Dear Lucky Agent" contest<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It was a toss up which blog to post this news on, but I decided to post it on my book review blog and will just link to it here. It's a free contest for any middle grade novel you might be trying to get out there. You can go straight here <a href="http://tinyurl.com/pwbds3q"><strong>http://tinyurl.com/pwbds3q</strong></a><strong> </strong>or follow the link to<a href="http://backlist-seanag.blogspot.com/2014/07/writers-digest-dear-lucky-agent-contest.html" target="_blank"> Not New for Long</a> to learn all about it.<br />
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Hurry, though. It all ends tomorrow.</div>
seana grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03774794086733027289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163812917630567958.post-57304877233163587552014-07-19T15:18:00.001-07:002014-08-01T14:36:47.098-07:00Outside the Orbit of Jupiter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Here's what I came up with for Hannah Tinti's first<a href="http://www.one-story.com/" target="_blank"> One Story</a> short story class. (Will Allison did an editing one previously will be doing another soon--check out their website for details. I believe they aren't quite up yet.) Hannah put fashioned a little space story as an example to show the process and it began with two astronauts stepping outside the orbit of Jupiter. For some reason this gave me a germ of a story, and I decided to riff on a couple of her elements, though in a completely different genre. Here's the result.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">Outside the Orbit of Jupiter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">by Seana Graham</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">We had just stepped outside the Orbit of Jupiter, the little
club where John and I liked to spend Saturday nights that summer, when we
noticed a big, scruffy looking guy sitting with his back to us on my Ford
Fiesta, apparently not bothered at all that his weight was probably making a
major dent in the hood. It was around one in the morning and still so warm that
everyone had drifted outside for air before the last set. The great planet
glowed on the neon sign above us, and from within a revolving palette of desert
colors escaped through the doorway, perhaps not unlike the gaseous clouds of
the king of planets itself. John and I had been hitting the club scene together
for about three months now, which was long enough to have learned a few things
about each other, but not nearly long enough to know everything. Certainly not
long enough to have opened up all the sad and sordid baggage of the past.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">“Buddy, do you mind?” John asked, in his typical assertive,
non-violent and at the same time somehow totally macho way. He walked slowly
towards the car holding his hands out to his sides in a gesture that signified
he was unarmed and a person of good will. We had met in a training session for
a peaceful protest we’d participated in, and John had proved to be something of
a star when it came to pacifist tactics. Despite this, what I found myself
saying was, “John, I think we should call the police.” “Just let’s give this a
chance, first, Mary,” he said to me in that soothing, dismissive tone that men do
use with women when they are getting in the way of some manly act of bravado. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">I stopped in shock as the man on the car turned and gave
John an all too familiar half bleary, half belligerent look and then bounced
his massive bulk up and down on the hood in an act of deliberate provocation. I
remembered many such looks, although the bouncing up and down on the hood part
was, of course, new. What was the bitter acrimony of divorce for if your former
husband was just going to track you down and sit on your car in the end anyway?
“John, that’s Pete, my ex, and being pleasant to him isn’t going to work.” I was
speaking from long experience while simultaneously rummaging through my purse
for something that would be more effective—like mace, a copy of the restraining
order or, at the very least, my car keys. It took John a few more steps to
awaken from whatever fantasy of masculine prowess he was currently living out,
and when he stopped and turned in bewilderment, the pepper spray I was holding
was unfortunately pointing toward both of them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">“John, drop the Gandhi pose and have the good sense to get
out of my line of fire,” I said. I wasn’t really paying attention to him
anymore, if the truth be known. I was focused on the now fading blue squid
tattooed on Pete’s right bicep, a token of his days as a heavy weight high
school wrestling champion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s what
they’d called him back in the day, “The Giant Squid”, because of his size and
the way his arms wrapped around his opponents like two lethal tentacles. He
still had the weight but his wrestling glory was far behind him— or at least I
hoped it was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John must have picked up
on the fear beneath the bravado in my voice because we now advanced on Pete
together, somehow hoping that between us we could take him. I felt that we had
never been more of a team than we were at that moment, and might not ever be
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“How’s it going, Pete?” I asked,
pointing the pepper spray directly at his face. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">“Janie’s dead,” Pete said. He gave me a baffled, half
malevolent look, as if it were all my fault, and then burst into tears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was clear that he’d been drinking. John
looked at me, more than a little baffled himself, unable to follow the sudden
turn of events. “Janie’s his dog,” I said, lowering the pepper spray, and
then, “his baby.” The golden retriever he had raised from a pup and whose
pride of place I had never been able to usurp during our brief and bitter
marriage. From inside the Orbit of Jupiter, we could hear the band tuning up
again, and people were putting out their cigarettes and heading back in. John
caught my eye, making motions that we should return as well. Clearly his
enthusiasm for this adventure had waned. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">“You go,” I said. “I’ll be all right.” “You’re sure?” he asked.
I nodded. I could see he was relieved. Guilty, but relieved. I watched his
narrow back retreating and then I looked at Pete, who was still weeping
copiously. I took a deep breath, though the air was full of smoke. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The night is dark and I am far from home</i>,
I thought. Then I sat down on the car hood next to him and, taking his hand in
mine, said, “Tell me all about it.” </span></div>
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seana grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03774794086733027289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163812917630567958.post-20318461940639637912014-07-16T13:55:00.001-07:002014-07-16T13:55:40.314-07:00Kurt Vonnegut on the Shape of Stories<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The One Story class with Hannah Tinti has ended now. I may or may not post the story I came up with here in the course of the next few days--I have to think about it a bit more. But in any case, I again feel fine sharing another Kurt Vonnegut video which is easily available on YouTube. Very apt and very lovely. Also funny.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/oP3c1h8v2ZQ" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Also mentioned in the course, but independent of it, is this <a href="http://mayaeilam.com/2012/01/01/the-shapes-of-stories-a-kurt-vonnegut-infographic/">infographic </a>from graphic designer Maya Eilam illustrating Vonnegut's points in her own way.</div>
seana grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03774794086733027289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163812917630567958.post-19466528075532524822014-07-10T23:58:00.002-07:002014-07-10T23:58:55.492-07:00Kurt Vonnegut on YouTube<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I've been taking a One Story class led by Hannah Tinti this week. I am enjoying it quite a lot, and I recommend it to you should they offer it again. I am not going to post any of the actual material from the class, but their intro included a short video on Kurt Vonnegut talking about writing short stories, and as this is not their own material, I do feel perfectly fine about displaying it here. It is short. Take a look.<br />
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And thank you, Mr. Vonnegut. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/nmVcIhnvSx8" width="420"></iframe></div>
seana grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03774794086733027289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163812917630567958.post-61386785807621097762014-06-23T15:30:00.001-07:002014-06-23T15:30:22.257-07:00Paul D. Brazill on the latest Thuglit outing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The indefatigable Paul D. Brazill has put up a bit on Thuglit 11 over on his blog. I suspect these tales may be on the dark side of the spectrum for the faint of heart, i.e., me, but somehow Paul always makes the stories he describes sound appealing. It is very hard to write up short fiction, but Paul seems able to always be both succinct and descriptive. Check out his <a href="http://pauldbrazill.com/2014/06/23/thuglit-11/" target="_blank">review</a>, and then you can follow the link if you'd like to purchase a copy.</div>
seana grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03774794086733027289noreply@blogger.com0