Month: June 2019

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Stonehenge Story Starts: What Big Eyes You Have… (Prompt)

Welcome to Stonehenge Story Starts, a weekly writing prompt and story sharing opportunity.  Each week, we post a writing prompt: an opening line, a concept, a plot hook, maybe an image.  The following Saturday, we’ll post again with the writing the prompt inspired.

This week’s prompt is: Retell the story of Little Red Riding Hood from a new angle–try any genre you like, such as science fiction, romance or horror.

Our writers will be writing for the prompts, but anyone is welcome to participate!  Just come by on Sunday to see the week’s prompt, write during the week, and send any writing you’d like to share to StonehengeCircleWriters@gmail.com by the following Friday at 8 pm.  On Saturday we’ll post participants’ writing (with credit to the author, of course).

Write as much or as little as you choose: a paragraph, a flash fiction piece (less than 1,000 words) or a short story.  (Note, for long writing, we may choose to post only a selection.)  You are encouraged to be as creative as possible with the writing prompts.  Try to do something unexpected, or explore a particular genre like science fiction or historical fiction.  Take the prompt literally, or decide it’s a metaphor.  Your only limit is your own imagination.

Happy writing!

 

If you like to plan ahead, next week’s prompt will be: You open your neighbor’s mail–what do you find? (Prompt courtesy of @tabloprompts)

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Stonehenge Story Starts: Betrayal in the Air (Results)

Welcome back for today’s stories!

This week’s prompt was: “Write a story using the words ‘traitor’ and ‘sky.’ (courtesy of @writingprompts)

Today we have two short stories, both science fiction but still taking the prompt in different directions.

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Cheryl Mahoney:

“I’m telling you,” Gretchen fumed, “that traitor left us here deliberately and just flew off into the sky without us.”

“I’m sure it was some kind of misunderstanding and she’ll be back soon,” Henry said placidly, sitting on his log in the middle of the forest and continuing to read a novel on his handheld viewer.

Gretchen sighed, loudly, and went on pacing the clearing.  How someone as trusting as Henry had ever got into the pirate business amazed her on a daily basis.  It was a wonder no one had killed him before this, although his ability to fix literally anything broken on a spaceship, from the engine to the ever-important coffeemaker, had probably preserved his life more than once.

She blamed herself mostly.  It had seemed like the smart choice to go with the captain down to the planet to pick up the pay drop.  To make sure nothing disappeared before it got back to the ship.  She’d even volunteered, for space’s sake.  In retrospect, it seemed painfully obvious that the captain would see this as a good opportunity to split the money two fewer ways.

“She’s not coming back, Henry,” she snapped.  “And unless you know how to build a spaceship out of rocks and twigs, we’re stranded.”

Continue reading “Stonehenge Story Starts: Betrayal in the Air (Results)”

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Release Day: The Servants and the Beast

It’s here!  We’re thrilled to announce the release of The Servants and the Beast.  This very special collaborative novel was written by five of our authors, and tells the tale of the Beast in a whole new way.  Buy your copy today!

You think you know the story – prince gets cursed, girl meets Beast, they fall in love and live happily ever after. If only it was that simple. But dating is tough even in the best of circumstances.

Ever since the fateful day when we let that horrible Good Fairy into the castle, our lives have been on hold. When she turned our bad-tempered prince into a Beast, she lumped us, his loyal servants, into the curse too, just because she assumed his rude behavior was our fault. Theodore the butler should never have let her inside, and the rest of us should have helped bar the door.

Now Theodore is an armchair, and we’re all trying to carry on our duties as a piano, a coat rack, a bookcase and the like. At least we have Robert to clean up the pink sparkles piling in the corners from the Good Fairy’s curse, since he’s a mop now.  We know we just need the Beast to fall in love to break the spell. We’re all doing whatever we can to help him find True Love, one visitor at a time, hoping the right person finally comes along–but will the Beast ever learn to love?

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Meet the Authors: Kelly Haworth

The Servants and the Beast will be out tomorrow, Friday, June 28th  (pre-order your copy!)  We’ve spent the week introducing you to the authors and characters of this collaborative novella.

Last but certainly not least, Kelly Haworth is here today with Theodore, the castle butler, who found himself turned into an armchair under the curse.  We have no doubt that Kelly politely asked permission to sit on him, which cannot always be said for the Beast.  Even so, Theodore is one of the Beast’s closest companions, and the narrator for Chapter Nine as tensions mount and the novella thunders towards a conclusion.

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Meet the Authors: Karen Blakely

Only a few days are left until our new release, The Servants and the Beast, is out on Friday, June 28th  (pre-order your copy!)  As release day approaches, we’re introducing you to the authors and characters of this collaborative novella.

Karen Blakely is here with her character Lady Jayne Beatrice Anne Smythe, once the Queen’s secretary and now a bookcase after the curse took effect.  The two are joined by Robert, a footman who wishes he’d been turned into something more formidable than a mop.  Even so, Lady Jayne quite likes Robert…  These two narrate Chapters Seven and Eight, as the curse drags on and the servants grow ever more desperate.

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Meet the Authors: R. A. Gates

Our new release, The Servants and the Beast, will be out Friday, June 28th  (pre-order your copy!)  We’re counting down to release day by introducing you to the authors and characters of this collaborative novella.

Today we’d like you to meet R. A. Gates and her character Charles, a musician transformed into a cello.  He wishes he’d been turned into a lute instead (ladies love a lute!) but is proud of his mighty bow.  You can read about Charles and his friend Victor the violin in Chapter Five of The Servants and the Beast.

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Meet the Authors: Cheryl Mahoney

Our new release, The Servants and the Beast, will be out Friday, June 28th  (pre-order your copy!)  We’re counting down to release day by introducing you to the authors and characters of this collaborative novella.

Cheryl Mahoney is seen here with Hugo Livre, the castle librarian, who found himself trapped in a painting after the curse took effect.  He is profoundly grateful that his painting is at least in the library, where he can reach the books (you understand his priorities).  Hugo narrates Chapter Three of the novella, as a visitor to the cursed castle disrupts his reading.

Standing beside Cheryl is Archambault, the footman-turned-coat rack, stylish in his signature pink color.  And if you look closely, you may glimpse a representation of the Good Fairy on the bookcase in the background…but you probably don’t want to meet her!

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Meet the Authors: Jenniffer Lee

Our new release, The Servants and the Beast, will be out Friday, June 28th  (pre-order your copy!)  As we count down to release day, we’ll introduce you to the authors of this collaborative novella.  Come by each day to see a photo of one author and a character they created.

Jenniffer Lee poses here with Maximus Stein, the castle musician who finds himself turned into a piano when the curse overtakes the castle.  He tells his story, including introducing you to his true love Rebecca, in Chapter Two of the novella. You will, of course, have to read the book to find out if they have a happy ending.

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Stonehenge Story Starts: Betrayal in the Air (Prompt)

Welcome to Stonehenge Story Starts, a weekly writing prompt and story sharing opportunity.  Each week, we post a writing prompt: an opening line, a concept, a plot hook, maybe an image.  The following Saturday, we’ll post again with the writing the prompt inspired.

This week’s prompt is: A story using the words “traitor” and “sky”

(Courtesy of @writingprompts)

Our writers will be writing for the prompts, but anyone is welcome to participate!  Just come by on Sunday to see the week’s prompt, write during the week, and send any writing you’d like to share to StonehengeCircleWriters@gmail.com by the following Friday at 8 pm.  On Saturday we’ll post participants’ writing (with credit to the author, of course).

Write as much or as little as you choose: a paragraph, a flash fiction piece (less than 1,000 words) or a short story.  (Note, for long writing, we may choose to post only a selection.)  You are encouraged to be as creative as possible with the writing prompts.  Try to do something unexpected, or explore a particular genre like science fiction or historical fiction.  Take the prompt literally, or decide it’s a metaphor.  Your only limit is your own imagination.

Happy writing!

 

If you like to plan ahead, next week’s prompt will be: Retell the story of Little Red Riding Hood from a new angle–try any genre you like, such as science fiction, romance or horror.

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Stonehenge Story Starts: Failed Endeavor (Results)

Welcome back for today’s stories!

This week’s prompt was: “You had one job to do…”

Today we have one flash fiction story from R. A. Gates, and, perhaps appropriately, the beginning of a short story that didn’t get finished from Cheryl Mahoney.  We hope you’ll enjoy reading!

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R. A. Gates:

“You had one job to do,” Mrs. Renfield told Laney as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “The simplest job I could find. The one job I thought couldn’t end in disaster. But leave it to you to find a way to mess it up.”

Laney stared at the ground below her feet, waiting for her high school Charms teacher’s rant to end. She was totally overreacting. Laney did exactly what she was told to do. She just added a little extra pizazz, that’s all. It was the school’s biggest fall event after all; the Autumn Carnival. Her booth had to compete with the big rides and games. No one was stopping by her booth.

Continue reading “Stonehenge Story Starts: Failed Endeavor (Results)”