Flame(>499 words)

Doing Donuts

/ Liz H-H / 16 Comments

The prompts suggested by fellow bloggers and writers for Linda Hill’s Just-Jot-It January 2023 have been great sources of inspiration for revising my novel. We’re only half way through the month, but if you want to play (read others’ posts and/or write your own), here is where you go to join in the fun! 

Today, I offer up my response to the prompt “DONUT,” which has nothing to do with my novel, but everything to do with beating the doldrums and trying new things. Hope you enjoy, and try something new today!

*** 

Doing Donuts

“And after that, you told Kevin it was the last time?” Aribeth raised an eyebrow, quizzical, if not skeptical.

“I did, and I really meant it at the time,” Claudia gazed into her cup, swishing the tea leaves in search of possible patterns or prophetic truths. “But now, I’m not so sure.”

Their wooden chairs creaked in sympathy with their discomfort at revisiting the topic once again. Same local coffee & tea shop “Bean Me Up, Scottie”, quickly emptying of the morning rush, same low murmur of the regulars and staff. Claudia had her usual blueberry scone and English Breakfast tea, and Aribeth sat with a cooling Americano in a tall mug, no cream, no sugar. A gust of wind smacked against the picture window, and both jumped at the rattle of rain and sleet. They laughed; the icy rain apparently wanted to be part of their weekly ritual, too. Continue reading →

January 23-25: Unbelievable, Journal

/ Liz H-H / Leave a comment

Just Jot It January

January 25: Journal

Gratitude

J-ust flipping through the journal stacks

O-prah, Ladies’ Home, and Country Shacks

U-p and comers follow their lead

R-ead with interest to determine their need

N-ow I, unfunded, can afford to say “no”

A-nd walk away from the circus show

L-imited funds have their happy use

© Liz Husebye Hartmann (2022)

January 24: Unbelievable

What’s in a Name?

“But I swear to you, it’s all true!”

“Yeah, I think you spend too much time on your own, Megan,” Flora laughed. She frowned at Megan, at the hair that hadn’t seen a stylist for an entire summer, the crow’s feet limned in white from squinting into the sun, and the strong, tanned legs with skin just a bit too dry. At least she was still shaving her legs, but the cuts-offs were torn and baggy, and there was a stain on the oversized t-shirt.

Flora continued, “So where is this little forest man you’ve been telling me about?”  Continue reading →

Just-Jot-It-January (Jan 10-11)

/ Liz H-H / Leave a comment

Just Jot It JanuaryChocolate and Cosmopolitan

So, this month I’m doing a challenge to write a micro a day, for Just-Jot-It-January. Thanks to Linda G. Hill, bloggers in the “Play Group” have proposed a one-word prompt for each day. We share our responses back to Linda’s page, and are able to read what others come up with. I’ll post my responses every few days in bundles, to respect your in-boxes. But if a prompt tickles your imagination, please click its connecting link to read more!

Jan 11:  Cosmopolitan

Summer Dreams

Joshua hooked up the donkey to the wagon, checking that the traces were secured to the yoke and tongues. He patted the donkey’s neck and laid an affectionate arm across its withers while he waited for his pa. Scanning their small lands, the half-grown fields, the river that flowed past the hardwood forest, and big sky, his eyes rested again on their wagon. Continue reading →

Just-Jot-It-January (Jan 9-Unicorn)

/ Liz H-H / Leave a comment

 

 

Just Jot It January

So, this month I’m doing a challenge to write a micro a day, for Just-Jot-It-January. Thanks to Linda G. Hill, bloggers in the “Play Group” have proposed a one-word prompt for each day. We share our responses back to Linda’s page, and are able to read what others come up with. Most days, I post my responses every few days in bundles, but today’s single prompt – UNICORN —  reminded me of a fun piece I wrote in late 2020, in the Before Times. And if this prompt tickles your imagination, please click the connecting link on the bottom of the post to read others’ responses!

During late 2020, the Rough Writers of Carrot Ranch were challenged to write a 99-word flash that combined Romance and Western; I guess in that sense, the task might classify as Speculative Fiction, with my addition of a magical unicorn. In order to get to the final flash, we all had to cycle through a series of steps/products that varied in number of words, point of view, tagline, and weird trope prop. That’s the technical, but read on for what turned out to be a revelation for me, and hopefully, entertaining for you: Romance of the Rails.

© Liz Husebye Hartmann (2022)

To see others’ Jan 9 responses click the following:

(https://lindaghill.com/2022/01/09/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-9th-2022/)

So, this is happening…

/ Liz H-H / 3 Comments
Kittelson troll boy with a cauldron

Hugo, in the early days, as seen by Kittelson

I have the great pleasure of being allowed to sit in the Author’s Chair in the Saddle Up Saloon over at the Carrot Ranch. It’s headquartered somewhere in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and around the world, where Rough Writers play with weekly prompts, poetry challenges, and the occasional Online Karaoke. Cowpoke or not, all are welcome to play and/or read.

My time in this week’s Author’s Chair is a bit of dark humor about a hungry giant, some carelessly spunky spelunkers, and the townsfolk nestled in the valley below (based on a Six Sentence Story that like Hugo, got a bit larger). Here’s an excerpt to start, or go on ahead and belly right up to the bar at the Saloon for the full text, and an audio of me reading the tale. Once upon a time:

Giant Problem Solved by Liz Husebye Hartmann

(Trigger alert: Not a tale for the wee ones)

Hugo’s belly pangs rumbled down the darkening mountainside above Heffinger Hollow. He was sorely tempted to nibble on a half-cooked morsel or two of the spunky spelunkers that frequented Carbuncle Caverns. This particular group of spelunkers had surprised the village by sneaking in to the Carbuncle and setting out to explore without a guide. They’d zigged when they should have zagged on that seventh leg of the descent, and had fallen deep into the bowels of the lowest cavern of Carbuncle.

This had proved deadly for them, but put their corpses within easy reach of Hugo…

But a bit of history, first…”

[Please click here to continue]

© Liz Husebye Hartmann (2021)

Who Wrote the Book of Love, Again?

/ Liz H-H / 14 Comments

The book lay before him, splayed open and heavy, the archaic lettering spidery and so faded in places, the necessary ingredients for the desperately desired results were difficult to read and translate in the tallow candle’s light. Up above him the shadowed shelf contained what he hoped was the correct final ingredient; if he’d read the spell book correctly, the results would be abiding love, but if he had not, the potion would deliver never-ending death. Continue reading →