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A very talented YA author I know is looking for followers for her blog. Seems that publishing houses these days place a strong emphasis on their authors' social media savvy.

Visit http://freckle-head.blogspot.com and sign up to follow.

7 Suspenseful Sentences

A story I wrote recently is about a young girl growing up in a rough section of New York who escapes into fantasy whenever the harsh realities of life catch up with her. The ghetto becomes a kingdom, her mother's tattered clothes becomes elegant robes, and the people who threaten her turn into fantastical animals.

In this scene, the young girl (Esther) and her mother (Crimson) are in a bank when two robbers enter.

The silence was shattered as two snake-like creatures entered the bank. The beasts bristled with evil, their heads darting furtively. Their eyes were dark and menacing, and venom dripped from their gold fangs. One stayed at the back of the building, while the other slithered further into the room.
Crimson pulled her daughter closer and covered her with her cloak. “Stay still, and don’t make a sound,” she cautioned. The coolness of the icy floor beneath her and the warmth of the velvet above made Esther feel like she was two different people.

I think I can relate to Esther. Part of the fun of writing is escaping from your own life briefly and creating a whole new world.

You'll find other writers' entries for Suspenseful Seven Sentences Sunday at http://suspenseful7ss.blogspot.com

Flash from My Past

I love prizes. I love deadlines. I love writing flash fiction. I enter as many competitions that feature all three of the things I love as I can find.

Today's posting features an excerpt from a story called "Stall," which got honorable mention in a competition sponsored by Gemini Magazine. The protagonist is a Russian mail-order bride, who is trying to evade the man who has brought her to America by hiding in the women's restroom in an American airport, hoping she'll miss the connecting flight to her new husband's hometown.

Suddenly, from the other side of the door, Katya heard a woman’s voice. Although she couldn’t understand what was being said, she knew from the intonation that the woman was upset. Katya peered through the crack between the cubicle door and the wall. There was a man in the restroom. Him. Katya shuffled her feet away from the door, but she was too late. He had recognized her shoes.

The whole story can be found here. I hope you will enjoy it.

Please make sure to check out the other Suspenseful 7 Sentence writers by visiting http://suspenseful7ss.blogspot.com