V is for... Verse, Venice and Viziers

ack in 2011, I held a week-long contest to celebrate the fact that I'd reached my 500th post, after nearly four years of blogging.

At the time, I sorted many of my previous posts into groups, which made for easy referencing, especially of story material. (Also because I've never tagged my posts!)

When I celebrated reaching my 1000th post during last year's A to Z Challenge there wasn't time to sort all the posts between 2011 and 2016.

What better time than now?

I’m actually going to go over 1,000, and collate all posts to the end of 2016! And I’m going to link to every single post (except for the A to Z posts, which are mostly summarized), something I didn’t do in my original 500 compilation, or even in my 900th post compilation.

I’ve got lots of fun themes coming up for each day -- and each day will also highlight a fellow blogger or two!


Today is...

erse Venice, and Viziers

Also called Rome, Rhymes, and Risk: (historical romance, set in 1493) Book Two of the Middle Sea series, featuring Ayten and Devran from Out of the Water:

Ayten, an Ottoman girl kidnapped as a slave, is rescued and embarks on a voyage across the Mediterranean with her new friends, on their way to join Columbus' second voyage. She finds herself falling for the man who owns the ship: Devran, the son of the Grand Vizier.

Exiled for a crime he did not commit, Devran's also got one secret: before Ayten was kidnapped, her father had arranged for her to marry Devran.

Devran's been in love with Ayten for months - but having met him only after his exile, Ayten believes him a penniless rake. Their ship docks for a week at Venice, where Ayten turns her attentions to the Sultan's brother, Cem.

Can Devran prove his worth to her before they set sail again?

A snip from the Rule of Three Blogfest

Another snip

Third snip and photo!

A snip from the Campaign Challenge

A final snip from the Rule of Three

A snip from a blogfest on haunting

Photo (featuring Ioan Gruffudd)

End of drafting!

Interview with a character

Another Campaign Challenge snip
I'm sharing this one again here:

"Shadows crept across the wall. Devran picked up her quill and twirled it. 'I was banished to Smyrna.'

'Smyrna!'

'Yes.' Orange ink splattered onto his knee. 'I was there last autumn.'

The quill came close to her dress. 'So that's how you knew everyone at my father's funeral.' She pushed his hand aside and the quill fell on the sand.

'I wasn't long in Smyrna. My mother took ill and -'

'You said it'd been years since she'd passed away. Or was that a lie?'

'I was not lying, Ayten,' he said, rising. The sunset behind cast his body into shadow. 'I don't tell falsehoods or embellish my words. That would be the task of a poet.' He tossed the quill beside her.

'Tell me the story then, and we'll see what poetry comes of it. A young girl, lost in the city. The spoilt son of the Grand Vizier, who takes advantage of her innocence -'

'Be careful what rumours you repeat. Or have you not heard the one where I have a garden filled with bones?'

He spun on his heel and cut across the beach, trampling the wild grass. The sunk sank into the sea. Everything faded.


Here are the rules I followed (I met every single condition!):
'Write a short story/flash fiction story in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, including a poem. Begin the story with the words, 'Shadows crept across the wall'. These five words will be included in the word count.
If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional), do one or more of these:
  end the story with the words: "everything faded." (also included in the word count)
  include the word "orange" in the story
  write in the same genre you normally write
  make your story 200 words exactly!
Feel free to use the picture [of a couple on a beach at sunset] to inspire you, or else see how whacky, creative, and original you can get :)'"

Query critique by Matthew

Campaign Challenge snip

Paintings by Akzhana Abdalieva

Finished editing!


Today’s featured blogger is... two bloggers in Australia, Denise Covey and Trisha!

Have you written any flash fiction lately?