Deadlines can wreak havoc on your life, be they personal or professional. Ever since I closed the poll for May’s genres, I’ve been toiling with the three storylines. After a few days, I turned my attention to the first genre and started delving into the idea for my latest fairy tale. Having done a few recently, I wanted to alter my regular formula for the style. With my latest structure in place, I headed to NYC Midnight to fill out the meat of the story...

Wayne’s personality has not softened since his first meeting with the students of the Academy. And the only student to interact with the arrogant boy is Darren, who hopes for something about his mother’s past. As time passed the students reclaimed their regular life, and Darren received a letter from his childhood friend, Randall. The letter talks about how Randall has leaned upon Darren’s actions when he humbled Dolmen...

With the scientists discovering a way to defend the settlement from the newest menace, Tarian directs Lloyd to perfect their defenses. The quartermaster diligently works to ensure their safety, and he believes he’s successfully improved their perimeter. With the recent threat neutralized, Lloyd throws himself back into the construction of munitions to preserve the colony from the ever-present horde. As Lloyd adds to the colony’s stock, shape shifting bandits attempting to penetrate the updated defenses...

Running low on supplies, Marcus collected Bret and Wayne and dragged them to the train station. When it arrived, he ushered the farmhands onto the steam-powered locomotive and dropped into the first seat he found. Throughout the trip, the pair talked about the recent dangers. The occasional tidbit floated into Marcus’s mind, and he slumped over the back of the chair and dismissed their worries, professing that the Southern Region didn’t have any problems aside from not catching enough fish...

With April coming to a close, I turned my attention toward the last piece of flash fiction for my patrons, a Political Satire. As I thumbed through headline after headline, I kept coming back to COVID-19. So, just like last month, I tackled a story concerning the virus, though this time, the headlines about states reopening were the inspiration. But I needed a seed so the tale could flourish. When I found that kernel, the story flowed through my fingers on the page...

Fresh off a meeting with his constituents, Olyver works with Caitlin on a way to ramp up the colonization efforts. After multiple edits, the two produce a draft of the orders that will catapult them to the rest of the system. Now they need to get Quinn’s consent, but he’s steadfast in his belief that they have to expand at a snail’s pace...

After the Captain locked down every member of the crew who attended Rylan’s gathering, they all wait for Rylan’s plan to unfold. Unfortunately, with each passing day, the ship gets closer to their home, and the tensions begin to mount. Annabelle constantly attempts to pry more information from Rylan, but he refuses to disseminate more information. The day the ship arrives in their home system, the former technician has Darvan pass out data crystals with all the information each of the escapees need...

Between the long workdays and the hectic time during this quarantine, I grabbed my second prompt and thought about what kind of tale I wanted to tell. I knew it needed to be a fairy tale, but beyond that, everything was blank. This time the prompt I retrieved from NYC Midnight didn’t generate a buzz in my mind. After dismissing about a dozen false starts, the story finally unfolded into a basic narrative. As my fingers found a groove, I plucked some elements from The Noodle Trap, primarily the aspect of nature mingling with an everyday location. The main difference between the two is what the wild intermingles with, and in this piece of flash fiction it’s a retirement home like the one from the Psych episode, The Old and the Restless ...

When I found Blood Is Thicker available on Audible, I pounced on it eager to consume the next story in the Montague & Strong Case Files. With the first two books in this series, Orlando Sanchez crafted a beautiful world with characters so engaging and fascinating that I couldn’t wait to follow along in their adventures. With each word, I wrapped the narrative around me like a comfortable blanket, letting the plot unfurl in my mind...

After months of study, another student is being brought into the Academy. While the students are eager to meet the new student, Roland grumbles about being forced to take on the newcomer as a roommate. His attempts to convince Darren to take on the new pupil continue to fall apart. The day of the fresh student’s arrival comes, and Roland is late entering the cafeteria, and while all the students are hesitant to room with the unknown student, they are eager to meet Wayne Iydril...

During my day job, one of my coworkers commented that during this quarantine to help stem the spread of COVID-19, that I would be fine. Well, as the days unfolded, I’ve realized just how accurate he was. Aside from spending time with my family, I threw myself into my writing. As I started collecting and organizing all my scattered stories for my Wattpad series, I recognized that the Action/Adventure story could be placed into one of those worlds, giving my patrons a little extra insight into the world that Transformation is exploring. With the setting determined, I turned to NYC Midnight and plucked a prompt from the list...

When I’m scrolling through my Facebook feed, sometimes I’ll see a book recommendation in there. I usually skip them, but occasionally the cover or tag line pulls me in. I cannot remember which captivated me with Dead of Night, but I took a lengthy look at the ad and followed it to the Amazon page to get Dead of Night...

With the live shapeshifter, Caleb captured, the scientists endeavor to perfect the serum they equipped gave Caleb. While they continually tell Tarian they are on the brink of a discovery, the settlement’s leader grows unsatisfied with their progress. He makes almost daily trips to discover their status. On one occasion, Keldon tries to stop him from distracting the scientists...

With the birth of his newest child, Marcus returns home to work his estate and care for his herd. Marcus and Talia help spread the expertize of husbandry to the other farmers in the Region. After scouring up all the unemployed citizens, Nathaniel sends them to the Eastern Region, and Marcus selects the best of the bunch. One day after selecting his men, Marcus interrupts Preston’s instruction for the fresh recruits a brief reprieve. During the break, Marcus catches sight of something on the horizon...

I don’t remember how I stumbled onto the Souls of the Never. But while pursuing my library, I stumbled upon the title and read the publisher’s summary...