Making time for self-improvement while writing, reading, and meeting all of life’s other obligations is a problem faced by aspiring authors everywhere. Downloading podcasts is one of the easiest and (usually) free ways to claim time for education.

A podcast is a downloadable audio program that you can listen to on a device (either computer or mp3 player) at your own leisure. You can listen to content on virtually any subject you like, usually without cost, whenever it is convenient. It is an easy way to snatch some extra story or nonfiction time when you are otherwise engaged doing dishes or driving to work.

Podcasts can be downloaded manually from your computer, but a much easier way is to simply use a podcatcher. If you use your phone as an mp3 player and you have internet connectivity, you can download a podcatcher application. If not, you can also search and download one onto your computer. My personal favorite is DoggCatcher on my Android phone, available through the Android Market. Another method would be to use Google Reader on your computer, open up the audio in another tab, and listen while browsing the web or doing other things.

In the interest of reclaiming time that would otherwise go down the drain with the dirty dishwater or out the window while driving, here are a few suggestions for aspiring authors and other bibliophiles.

Podcasts

I Should Be Writing by Mur Lafferty (@mightymur) – started out as a podcast for wannabe fiction writers. Now that she had published with a traditional publisher as well as self-published several podiobooks and ebooks, she continues to share her journey, commiserating with her listeners, cheering their triumphs, dispensing advice, and interviewing authors.

Grammar Girl by Mignon Fogarty – a podcast of quick and dirty tips for the grammatically challenged, or just those who would like to brush up on their punctuation skills. Not only is the show informative, it is entertaining as well.

Functional Nerds with Patrick Hester (@atfmb) and John Anealio (@JohnAnealio) – not specifically a writing podcast, but one that features interviews with many genre authors for those looking to stay current on new and upcoming books and authors.

Writing Excuses features four professional writers discussing the craft of writing. The podcast begins with the declaration, “Fifteen minutes long because you’re in a hurry and we’re not that smart.” While the format is short, the podcast hosts most definitely give intelligent and thoughtful advice.

So, if you have not tried these podcasts before, I urge you – in the interest of both education and entertainment – to reclaim some of your driving time by giving them a chance.

—–

Author Catherine Russell shares her life with her high school sweetheart, their son, and two ferocious puppies in the Wilds of Ohio while writing short stories, editing her novel, and learning more about the craft every day. Her work has been published in Flash Me magazine, Metro Fiction, Beyond Centauri, and the ‘Best of Friday Flash – Volume One’ anthology. More of her writing can be found on her writing blog at ganymeder.com.

Lily Mulholland

For National Flash Fiction Day on May 16th, Marc Nash will be publishing his second anthology of flash on Kindle, 16 stories called “16FF”.

Justin N. Davies has won the latest Flash 500 competition with his story “Dandelion Breeze”. It is up on the Flash 500 website and will be printed in the next issue of Words With Jam magazine.

Recently,  Rachel Carter has put together a flash-fiction anthology, ”Kissing Frankenstein and Other Stories”. It is a not-for-profit publication available at Lulu containing 53 different flash-fiction written by 40 different writers from all over the South West of England. Some of the writers are well-known (such as Tania Hershman) and other were new writers. Read all about it here.

Writer’s Digest has named Alex Carrick’s personal blog as its web site of the week. If you go to Writer’s Digest website and scroll down the right side of the screen, you’ll notice the description saying: “Alex Carrick’s blog is clean, crisp and entertaining. His stories range from humorous to thought-provoking, making it a fun read.”

Eric J. Krause has been interviewed about ”Ghost Betweens” and writing over at Different Outcomes. Go here to read his answers.

Over at Write Anything, Tony Noland is bemoaning the failing health of the apostrophe key on my old laptop. This has graver consequences than you might realize. Go read his article.

Jon Strother has a wonderful guest post, “The Challenge of Writing Flash Fiction”, up over at Amwriting.Org.

Congrats to all!

This is a great turnout for the NewsFlash this week as well, isn’t it so much more fun when you all send in your news items and the post is this long and wonderful? Thank you!

~ Estrella Azul

Keep the good news coming! You can send in your news items concerning the Friday Flash community to Estrella at estrella.azul@fridayflash.org or by contacting her on Facebook or Twitter. Or feel free to share your news by posting on the#fridayflash Facebook Group Page.

I don’t remember the last time we had more than 60 stories two weeks in a row. May is shaping up to be a prolific month. Keep up the great work!

As always, if your story is not in the listing below please go to the Collector and add the details. It will be in next week’s listing. ~Tim

The Stories

27 by Carrie Clevenger ~ @carrieclevenger ~ Slice of Life

42 The meaning of life by Steve Green ~ Unspecified

A Change Of Plans by Jeffrey Hollar ~ @klingorengi ~ Horror

A Friendship by Richard Bon ~ @LiminalFiction ~ Slice of Life

A Theory Too Far Part 10 by Dan Waters ~ @Maulus ~ Mystery ~ Serial

Aftermath by Angie C. ~ @techtigger ~ Fantasy ~ Serial

Best Intentions by Jeffrey Hollar ~ @klingorengi ~ Humor

Big Enough by Michelle Ristuccia ~ @mrsmica ~ Magical Realism

Blood Brothers by Elisa Nuckle ~ @elisanuckle ~ Fantasy

Cara Mia by JC Rosen ~ @JCRosen ~ Slice of Life

Carving by Jen Brubacher ~ @jen_b ~ Unspecified

Clippy’s Revenge by John Wiswell ~ @Wiswell ~ Humor

Convention by Fernando H. Stevens ~ @FernandoHSteven ~ Unspecified

Cyotta Falls by Annie ~ @AnnieEvett ~ Western

Dandy in the Underworld by Elizabeth Myrddin ~ @emyrdd ~ Cross Genre

Death of the Cowboy by Tony Noland ~ @TonyNoland ~ Fantasy

Delirium by Cindy Vaskova ~ @Raptamei ~ Science Fiction

Dragonspy Rags by Aidan Fritz ~ @AidanFritz ~ Fantasy

Easter by Howard Litchfield ~ @Duchamps_Brides ~ Horror

Effort by Gail Aldwin ~ @gailaldwin ~ Slice of Life

Fairy Sacrifice by Fayne Riverdale ~ @FayneRiverdale ~ Fantasy

Fifteen reasons why we should stay together by Vincent Eaton ~ @#VincentEaton ~ Cross Genre

First Day by Tom Gillespie ~ @tom_gillespie ~ Slice of Life

Flutter by Rachel Carter ~ @rachcarter ~ Slice of Life

For The Dead Have Nothing To Lose by Kari Fay ~ @morganafiolett ~ Fantasy

Ghost Bus by Craig Smith ~ @CraigWFSmith ~ Horror

Horner for Hire: Mistress Mary by Austin Malone ~ Noir ~ Serial

Hospitality by JM Strother ~ @jmstro ~ Fantasy

Identity Theft by Anke Wehner ~ @Anke ~ Science Fiction

Impulse Control by Chris Munroe ~ @munsimunsi ~ Humor

Jane Doe by peggy ~ @peggywriter ~ Mystery

Let Them Eat Cake by Rob Smales ~ @RobSmales ~ Horror

Love and Need by Drew Payne ~ @drew_london ~ Slice of Life

Moon by Sylvia van Bruggen ~ @sylviavbruggen ~ Fantasy ~ Serial

Mother Issues by Tim VanSant ~ @TimVanSant ~ Crime

New Start for an Underachieving Romantic by Chris Morton ~ @chrris9 ~ Slice of Life

Newsmagazine Story v2 by Katherine Hajer ~ @eyrea ~ Science Fiction ~ Serial

Nostalgia by Leigh Andrews ~ @leigh_andrews ~ Slice of Life

‘Of Royal Cabbages And Queens’ by Natalie Wood ~ @natalieiwood ~ Cross Genre

Old Moon by John Xero ~ @xeroverse ~ Science Fiction

Open Wounds by Adam Byatt ~ @revhappiness ~ Slice of Life

Present by Denis Doran ~ Cross Genre

Scouts by Leonard White ~ @leonard_white ~ Urban Fantasy

Sticks and Stones by Jack Holt ~ @jackkholt ~ Science Fiction

Suspicious Minds by Clive Martyn ~ @clivem ~ Slice of Life

Taken by Helen A. Howell ~ @Helenscribbles ~ Horror

Teenage Kicks by Justin N Davies ~ @flyingscribbler ~ Unspecified

Testimony by John Xero ~ @xeroverse ~ Horror

The Bachelor’s Party by Erik Gustafson ~ @Eriktiger ~ Horror

The Graduate by Marianne Su ~ @writerlouise ~ Slice of Life

The Man Who Was Eaten Away by Kathryn Eastman ~ @katheastman ~ Slice of Life

The Murder by Danielle La Paglia ~ @Dannigrrl5 ~ Horror

The Nick Of Time (and other abrasions): Route d’abbaye Track Fourteen – Golden Slumbers by Al Bruno III ~ @albruno3 ~ Fantasy ~ Serial

The Ostrich and the Doctor by Natalie Bowers ~ @nembow ~ Slice of Life

The Scarlet Heart Dragon by Sonya Clark ~ @sonyabclark ~ Fantasy

The Ship-Maker by T.J. McIntyre ~ @southernweirdo ~ Magical Realism

The Son She Loved Less by Andy Hollandbeck ~ @4ndyman ~ Unspecified

The Transformer by Brinda Banerjee ~ @modscheherzade ~ Fantasy

The Vagrant (Part 28) by Peter Newman ~ @runpetewrite ~ Science Fiction ~ Serial

The War by Icy Sedgwick ~ @icypop ~ Slice of Life

The Wizard’s Prophecy, Chapter 32 by JB Starre ~ @JBStarre ~ Fantasy ~ Serial

Thou Shalt Not Covet by Catherine Russell ~ @ganymeder ~ Horror

Torchboy by Simon Towler ~ @EssayTee ~ Unspecified ~ Debut

Tugat haNefesh by J. Timothy King ~ @jtimothyking ~ Unspecified

Voices by Mrs G ~ @Mme_G ~ Unspecified

Voices- Friday Flash by Melissa L. Webb ~ @melissalwebb ~ Horror

When dealing with Pain by Nadine Maritz ~ @roguesavamp ~ Romance

Your Kung Fu’s Pretty Good, Old Man. You’re Not Too Bad, Either – Old Woman! by Stephen Hewitt ~ @ThoughtMonkeyZ ~ Humor

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Dan Powell’s submission to 1000 Words has been accepted and will apear sometime this month. 1000 words is celebrating National Flash Fiction Day by, over the course of May and early June,  posting the best of stories written in response to the images on their Pinterest board. At the time of writing, two of Dan’s stories have already been accepted. Dan also received his copy of “The Best British Short Stories 2012″, in which his short story, “Half-mown Lawn” appears.

“Red Riding Hood Revised”, Cahterine Russell’s #fridayflash, was published in the most recent Beyond Centauri. This was the first time she has received a contributor’s copy (as all her other sales were online or no contributor copy).

As A.B. Wells, Alison Wells is launching her debut novel, space comedy “Housewife with a Half-Life” today, on Tuesday May 8th. It’s available on Amazon.com, on Amazon.co.uk and on Smashwords.

Eric J Krause’s “Ghost Betweens” is now available for purchase in paperback at CreateSpace for $9.99. If you don’t have a Kindle or free Kindle Reader App, now is your chance to read his Young Adult Paranormal Romance/Adventure. (And do not let the YA tag throw you; it is a great read for adults, as well!) Click here to find it in the CreateSpace shop. Amazon will also be selling the paperback for the same price. That will be ready in 5 to 7 days. Enjoy reading, folks, and do not forget to leave a review at Amazon if you enjoy it!

101 Fiction, John Xero’s website, where he has been posting his own 101 word stories for over a year, is now open for submissions from anyone! The #fridayflash community has brought him plenty of visitors and great comments, now he hopes some #fridayflash folk might like to contribute stories too. 1 word title, 100 word story. Science fiction, fantasy, horror, surreal. For guidelines and submissions go here.

This is a great turnout for the NewsFlash this week, isn’t it so much more fun when you all send in your news items and the post is this long and wonderful?

Congrats to all!

~~~

As you might have noticed last week, we have a brand new FAQ page here on FFDO. Go check it out if you are new to #fridayflash, a new community member or an existing member wanting to spark your memory of all things #fridayflash.

~ Estrella Azul

Keep the good news coming! You can send in your news items concerning the Friday Flash community to Estrella at estrella.azul@fridayflash.org or by contacting her on Facebook or Twitter. Or feel free to share your news by posting on the#fridayflash Facebook Group Page.

We are just a few weeks away from celebrating another anniversary of the #FridayFlash meme. I mention that now in case you want to plan something special to mark the occasion. (I wouldn’t say no to cake, for example. )

As always, if your story is not in the listing below please go to the Collector and add the details. It will be in next week’s listing. ~Tim

The Stories

You Stayed With Me by Anke Wehner ~ @Anke ~ Romance

Unseelie Court by Annie ~ @AnnieEvett ~ Magical Realism

To The Bone by W. J. Howard ~ @by_wjhoward ~ Horror

The Vagrant (Part 27) by Peter Newman ~ @runpetewrite ~ Science Fiction ~ Serial

The Unfinished Symphony by Brinda Banerjee ~ @modscheherzade ~ Magical Realism

The Three Builders by Larry Kollar ~ @FARfetched58 ~ Fantasy ~ Serial

The Sound of Daffodils by Tony Noland ~ @TonyNoland ~ Slice of Life

The Silence by Rebecca Dobbie ~ @rebeccaldobbie ~ Horror

The Prisons by Chris Munroe ~ @munsimunsi ~ Crime

The Nick Of Time (and other abrasions) Route d’abbaye Track Thirteen She Came In Through The Bathroom Window by Al Bruno III ~ @albruno3 ~ Unspecified ~ Serial

The Knight Who Shone Like The Moon by Kari Fay ~ @morganafiolett ~ Fantasy

The Kid by Patrick Anderson Jr. ~ @TheAddict83 ~ Suspense ~ Debut

The Great Master Gry by John Wiswell ~ @Wiswell ~ Fantasy

The Gold Foil Box by Leigh M. Lane ~ Horror

The End is the Beginning by Carrie Clevenger ~ @carrieclevenger ~ Paranormal

The Birthday Suit by Tom Gillespie ~ @tom_gillespie ~ Slice of Life

Strains by Marc Nash ~ @21stCscribe ~ Unspecified

Stars by John Xero ~ @xeroverse ~ Science Fiction

Standard Operating Procedure by Patrick Anderson Jr. ~ @TheAddict83 ~ Humor ~ Debut

Space Capsule by Chris Morton ~ @chrris9 ~ Science Fiction

Small Time Vengeance by Steve McHugh ~ @stevejmchugh ~ Urban Fantasy ~ Debut

Slice of life by Steve Green ~ Unspecified

Silhouette by Icy Sedgwick ~ @icypop ~ Horror

Sand by John Xero ~ @xeroverse ~ Unspecified

Safety Information by Drew Payne ~ @drew_london ~ Slice of Life

Roulette by Elizabeth Myrddin ~ @emyrdd ~ Cross Genre ~ Debut

Roots and Vines: The Unwanted Gift by Erik Gustafson ~ @Eriktiger ~ Horror

Reconnecting by JM Strother ~ @jmstro ~ Cross Genre

Presence Within Presents by Jeffrey Hollar ~ @klingorengi ~ Horror

Newsmagazine Story by Katherine Hajer ~ @eyrea ~ Science Fiction ~ Serial

Margie by Leonard White ~ @leonard_white ~ Horror

Mac Ensy: Private Eye Part 1 by Cindy Vaskova ~ @Raptamei ~ Crime ~ Serial

Lost & Found, Pt. 5 by Fernando H. Stevens ~ @FernandoHSteven ~ Fantasy ~ Serial

Losing Plato by Kemari Howell ~ @Kemari ~ Literary

Last Wishes by Tim VanSant ~ @TimVanSant ~ Literary

Knight’s Treasure by Fayne Riverdale ~ @FayneRiverdale ~ Fantasy

King by Jack Holt ~ @jackkholt ~ Fantasy

Home Schooled by ChrisWhiteWrites ~ @chriswhitewrite ~ Science Fiction

Heartbreak by Catherine Russell ~ @ganymeder ~ Humor

Happy Birthday by Rob Smales ~ @RobSmales ~ Horror

Gremlins in the Machine by Aidan Fritz ~ @AidanFritz ~ Fantasy

Friday Flash: A Long Walk Home by Jason Banks ~ @JG_Banks ~ Action ~ Serial

Falling Light by Denis Doran ~ Cross Genre

Faded By Time by Jeffrey Hollar ~ @klingorengi ~ Slice of Life

Electrica Amor Vincit Omnia by Stephen Hewitt ~ @ThoughtMonkeyZ ~ Slice of Life

Dust Rider Chosen by Sonia Lal ~ @soniawrite ~ Fantasy ~ Serial

Doppelgänger by Kathryn Eastman ~ @katheastman ~ Unspecified

Dinosaur Hall by DL Thurston ~ @DL_Thurston ~ Humor ~ Debut

Daughter of Cronus by Stephen Hewitt ~ @ThoughtMonkeyZ ~ Magical Realism

Crisps by Natalie Bowers ~ @nembow ~ Slice of Life

Companion- Friday Flash by Melissa L. Webb ~ @melissalwebb ~ Horror

Coffee Shop by Stewart Harding ~ @stukulele ~ Slice of Life

Bloody Peasants by James Tallett ~ @thefourpartland ~ Fantasy

Bemused by Jeffrey Hollar ~ @klingorengi ~ Unspecified

Angeles Thorn by Magaly Guerrero ~ @PaganCulture ~ Literary

An Escape by H.W.Litchfield ~ @Duchamps_Brides ~ Urban Fantasy ~ Debut

Alone by Clive Martyn ~ @clivem ~ Slice of Life

All in a week’s work by Helen AHowell ~ @Helenscribbles ~ Cross Genre

“After Supper” – Story a Day May #2 by Shan Jeniah Burton ~ @ShanJeniah ~ Slice of Life ~ Serial

A theory Too Far Part 10 by Dan Waters ~ @Maulus ~ Mystery ~ Serial

A moment of internetlessness by Leigh Andrews ~ @Leigh_Andrews ~ Slice of Life

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I’m feeling very lucky, though, because I absolutely love reading! I can read a book in a heartbeat. I’m a firm believer that reading affects our writing, especially enriching our vocabulary. So, I copy passages that especially touch my heart, acquire knowledge and discover new things, analyze, interpret and appreciate those written words.

And, when I’m really lucky, I find answers to questions I never even knew I had.

Bird by bird is my favorite book for 2011, and this is one of the passages which caught my attention and keeps popping up in my mind.

What people somehow forgot to mention when we were children was that we need to make messes in order to find out who we are and why we are here – and, by extension, what we’re supposed to be writing.

~ Anne Lamott

I love how honest and true it rings.

Because, let’s face it, most of us grew up learning how to do everything right – how not to color outside the lines, not to leave food on the plate, not to think of ourselves first, not to break the rules, not to step off the beaten path, not to make messes and mistakes, not to write about that particular embarrassing family holiday for our English composition homework because it’s private, and so on.

When, in fact, doing (well, trying to, at least) everything right only wears us down; perfectionism is tiring.

Coloring outside the lines makes us unique with a different vision than others’.

Leaving food on our plates means we’re done for right now, but we’ll eat again when we’re hungry.

Thinking of ourselves first isn’t selfish, but necessary, and makes us happier so we can make the people around us happier.

Breaking the right set of rules which don’t work for us sets us free to do something we love.

Stepping off the beaten path will lead us to find, and especially to make, our own way to where we need to go and not somewhere other people envision us to go.

Making messes and mistakes may set us one step back, or even more steps back . . . but we need to make mistakes in order to find out who we aren’t.

And finding out who we aren’t helps us find out who we are and why we’re here. There is no better way to learn and to grow.

And, by extension – with a little imagination and a lot of courage we can write about that particular embarrassing family holiday even if it feels like it’s private; because we’re writers and that’s what we do.

We’ll change names, setting and character descriptions, we’ll enhance specific traits and leave out others, we can even call it fiction; no one has to know it was a true story.

Maybe it won’t work, maybe it will be boring. Maybe we’ll rewrite it and it still won’t work. We’ll write something else.

Maybe we’ll write and rewrite a lot of stories which won’t work. They’ll challenge us!

But after writing them, we’ll know. We’ll get there.

We’ll know what we’re supposed to be writing.

When I’m not afraid to fail, I won’t. When I’m not afraid to fall down, falling down won’t feel like failure. I have fallen down enough to get more comfortable with it, to know how productive it can be, how necessary it is to growth. Still, when I sense the ground beneath me giving way, I have to remind myself that it’s OK if I falter.

I have to remind myself that it’s more than OK!

~ Jan Denise

Happy writing everyone!

~ Estrella Azul

Originally posted as a guest post by Estrella Azul on Fear of Writing.

Dan Powell’s

“Golden Opportunity”, PJ Kaiser’s story which appeared in “Literary Mix Tapes:  Nothing But Flowers”, has been selected for inclusion in the “Movie Project”.

You can now purchase the e-book version of Eric J Krause’s “Ghost Betweens” for Kindle, on Amazon.

***

Alan Baxter woke up to a Ditmar Award nomination. Read all about it in his blog post.

The No Sleep Podcast is adapting Al Bruno III’s story “The Man That Ate Newborns” into an audio play.

Over at Write Anything, Tony Noland answers the perennial question: “How’s that novel coming along?”

Have you signed up for some dark and quirky urban fantasy from Emma Newman, as part of her Split Worlds project? You are missing out if you have not. This past week, she was over at Jon Strother’s place with her flash fiction, “The Necessary Witness – part two”.

We really do have such a talented group of writers here. Congrats to all!

~ Estrella Azul

Keep the good news coming! You can send in your news items concerning the Friday Flash community to Estrella at estrella.azul@fridayflash.org or by contacting her on Facebook or Twitter. Or feel free to share your news by posting on the#fridayflash Facebook Group Page.

We have only three stories this week with an unspecified genre. I know how difficult it can be sometimes to decide what genre fits a story best. Many of us don’t think about genre when we write — it’s more of a marketing term than a writing term — and I confess I’ve entered stories as unspecified a time or two. But genre is something that may draw readers to your work. And we all want to draw in more readers, don’t we? Unspecified will remain a choice, but we hope you’ll consider whether your story might be better served if you specify a genre.

As always, if your story is not in the listing below please go to the Collector and add the details. It will be in next week’s listing. ~Tim

The Stories

A Father’s Love by Chris Munroe ~ @munsimunsi ~ Horror

A Latte, A Biscotti, and a Miracle by Tony Noland ~ @TonyNoland ~ Slice of Life

A Snowball of Terror by Brainhaze ~ @brainhazewp ~ Slice of Life

A Theory Too Far – episode 9 by Dan Waters ~ @Maulus ~ Mystery ~ Serial

Betrayal Births Moirai by Annie Evett ~ @annieevett ~ Romance

‘Bloody Kids’ by Natalie Wood ~ @natalieiwood ~ Cross Genre

Brush with Death… and his Friends by Clive Martyn ~ @clivem ~ Urban Fantasy

Can you see me now? by Tom Gillespie ~ @tom_gillespie ~ Humor

Destination Unknown by Melissa L. Webb ~ @melissalwebb ~ Paranormal

Dr. Mom by Rob Smales ~ @RobSmales ~ Horror

Dust Devil by Sonia Lal ~ @soniawrite ~ Unspecified

Escape by Larry Kollar ~ @FARfetched58 ~ Magical Realism

Essies by Aidan Fritz ~ @AidanFritz ~ Science Fiction

Fairytale by John Xero ~ @xeroverse ~ Urban Fantasy

Finally by Danielle La Paglia ~ @Dannigrrl5 ~ Slice of Life

Have Gun Will Travel by Jason Banks ~ @JG_Banks ~ Unspecified ~ Serial

‘Hideous Laughter’ by Natalie Wood ~ @natalieiwood ~ Cross Genre

How to Know When You’re a Hypochondriac by Alex Carrick ~ @Alex_Carrick ~ Humor

In the Shadow of the Temple by T.J. McIntyre ~ @southernweirdo ~ Fantasy

Indigo Priest by Cindy Vaskova ~ @Raptamei ~ Unspecified

Just Aphasia Going Through by Marc Nash ~ @21stCscribe ~ Experimental

Kidnapping of Scheherzade by Brinda Banerjee ~ @modscheherzade ~ Literary

Killing fields by Steve Green ~ Horror

Laila by Magaly Guerrero ~ @PaganCulture ~ Paranormal

Lest We Forget by ChrisWhiteWrites ~ @chriswhitewrite ~ Historical

Madie: Of Dreams and Meetings by Marsha Loftis ~ @marshaloftis ~ Urban Fantasy ~ Serial

Monkey Tree by Fayne Riverdale ~ @FayneRiverdale ~ Cross Genre ~ Debut

Mutual Friend by Stewart Harding ~ @stukulele ~ Suspense

Object Lessons by Jeffrey Hollar ~ @klingorengi ~ Horror

One Night In 2003 by Richard Bon ~ @LiminalFiction ~ Slice of Life

‘On Will’s Birthday’ by Natalie Wood ~ @natalieiwood ~ Cross Genre

Picnic Time by Jeffrey Hollar ~ @klingorengi ~ Horror

Reaching for the Moon Redux by John Wiswell ~ @wiswell ~ Humor

Riding Fence by Jeffrey Hollar ~ @klingorengi ~ Science Fiction

Seeing the Light by Icy Sedgwick ~ @icypop ~ Paranormal

Smores by Leonard White ~ @leonard_white ~ Horror

So lucky by Leigh Andrews ~ @Leigh_Andrews ~ Non-Fiction

Speed by Katherine Hajer ~ @eyrea ~ Crime

The Carpet Situation by Andy Hollandbeck ~ @4ndyman ~ Slice of Life

The First Night of Spring by Drew Payne ~ @drew_london ~ Fantasy

The Legend of Baggy Pants by Wakefield Mahon ~ @WakefieldMahon ~ Humor ~ Debut

The Little People by Leonard White ~ @leonard_white ~ Fantasy

The Mermaid and the Oil Baron by Craig Smith ~ @CraigWFSmith ~ Fantasy ~ Serial

The Necessary Witness (Part 2) by Emma Newman ~ @emapocalyptic ~ Magical Realism ~ Narrated

The Nick Of Time (and other abrasions): Route d’abbaye Track Twelve- Polythene Pam by Al Bruno III ~ @albruno3 ~ Fantasy ~ Serial

The Perfect Getaway by Jack Holt ~ @jackkholt ~ Science Fiction

The Qomolangma Monorail by Tim VanSant ~ @TimVanSant ~ Humor

The Two Little Boys by Timothy Collard ~ Horror

The Unexpected Consequences of Inflation by Natalie Bowers ~ @nembow ~ Cross Genre

The Vagrant (part 26) by Peter Newman ~ @runpetewrite ~ Science Fiction ~ Serial

Tracing Time by Denis Doran ~ Slice of Life

Vagrancy by Nick Bryan ~ @NickMB ~ Humor

Vision by Helen A. Howell ~ @Helenscribbles ~ Fantasy ~ Narrated

Watersdeep’s Edge by Shan Jeniah Burton ~ @Shan Jeniah ~ Fantasy

Weaving Lost Notes by Annie ~ @AnnieEvett ~ Magical Realism

When Jack Danced For The Dragon by Kari Fay ~ @morganafiolett ~ Fantasy

Xavie by Lisa McCourt Hollar ~ @jezri1 ~ Horror

Zugzwang by John Xero ~ @xeroverse ~ Science Fiction

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The Best British Short Stories 2012, in which Dan Powell has a story included, was published at the beginning of this week. Dan’s local library will be buying in a copy and are asking their reading group about his doing a reading and/or some kind of writing workshop for them. Also, Dan’s story, “Peekaboo”, has been accepted for the imminent National Flash Fiction Day anthology Jawbreaker. Dan has been quite busy. He was interviewed by Nuala Ní Chonchúir regarding his writing over on Nuala’s blog Women Rule Writer.

After a six month break Mari Juniper is back to writing. Here is the article she wrote for #Amwriting.org, the important lessons she learned from her time away.

Tom Gillespie has signed a publishing deal with Crooked Cat Books and his new novel, “Painting by Numbers”, will be out later this year.

Eric J. Krause is having a release party for his young adult paranormal novel, “Ghost Betweens”. You can join in while it runs from April 24th until the 27th.

Congratulations to all!

~ Estrella Azul

Keep the good news coming! You can send in your news items concerning the Friday Flash community to Estrella at estrella.azul@fridayflash.org or by contacting her on Facebook or Twitter. Or feel free to share your news by posting on the#fridayflash Facebook Group Page.

The length of flash fiction makes for good reading when you’re on the go. Do you read #FridayFlash on a mobile device such as a Kindle, Nook, iPad, or smartphone? Would you be interested in some sort of FFDO app? Let us know in the comments.

As always, if your story is not in the listing below please go to the Collector and add the details. It will be in next week’s listing. ~Tim

The Stories

Xeroversal by John Xero ~ @xeroverse ~ Science Fiction

Within Death’s Realm, We Dance by Clive Martyn ~ @clivem ~ Horror

When David Henderson Wakes Up… by Chris Munroe ~ @munsimunsi ~ Horror

Villain of My Heart by Jason Banks ~ @JG_Banks ~ Fantasy ~ Serial

Ungrateful Species by Clive Martyn ~ @clivem ~ Science Fiction

Tiaden Dawn by Shen Hart ~ Fantasy ~ Serial

The Wrong Black Cat by Jeffrey Hollar ~ @klingorengi ~ Horror

The Wizard’s Prophecy, Chapter 29 by JB Starre ~ @JBStarre ~ Fantasy ~ Serial

The Vagrant (Part 25) by Peter Newman ~ @runpetewrite ~ Science Fiction ~ Serial

The suspect by Alex Tomlin ~ @tomo4242 ~ Humor

The Nick Of Time (and other abrasions) Route d’abbaye: Track Eleven ‘Mean Mr. Mustard’ by Al Bruno III ~ @albruno3 ~ Unspecified ~ Serial

The Necessary Witness by Emma Newman ~ @emapocalyptic ~ Magical Realism ~ Narrated

Strangers by Lisamarie Lamb ~ @lisamarie20010 ~ Cross Genre

Schroedinger’s Traffic Light by D. Paul Angel ~ @D_PaulAngel ~ Humor

Revolution by Cindy Vaskova ~ @Raptamei ~ Science Fiction

Revival by Jack Holt ~ @jackkholt ~ Science Fiction

Prophet Warning by Nick Bryan ~ @NickMB ~ Humor

Part II Collecting Double Barrel Al by Helen A. Howell ~ @Helenscribbles ~ Noir ~ Serial ~ Narrated

Neo Nero by ChrisWhiteWrites ~ @chriswhitewrite ~ Science Fiction

My First Comedy Open Mic by Dana Sitar ~ @danasitar ~ Slice of Life

My Addiction – My Gift My Curse – Story Timeline by Nadine ~ @roguesavamp ~ Fantasy

Music And Magic by Jeffrey Hollar ~ @klingorengi ~ Magical Realism

Meng Xiang Zu – Dreamtime Tribe by Aidan Fritz ~ @AidanFritz ~ Unspecified

Mannequin by John Pender ~ @johnlpender ~ Cross Genre

Make Yourself at Home by Steve Lakey ~ @shyrewode ~ Humor

Lottery by Kari Fay ~ @morganafiolett ~ Unspecified

Lost & Found, Pt 4. by Fernando H. Stevens ~ @FernandoHSteven ~ Fantasy ~ Serial

Liz and Jeff Trimble’s European Vacation Slide Show by Tim VanSant ~ @TimVanSant ~ Humor

Little Caesar by Tom Gillespie ~ @tom_gillespie ~ Magical Realism

Joining Brodie by Lisa McCourt Hollar ~ @jezri1 ~ Paranormal

Instincts by Tony Noland ~ @TonyNoland ~ Thriller

Infinitely more difficult by Mrs G ~ @Mme_G ~ Literary

How Are You? by Chris Morton ~ @chrris9 ~ Experimental

Host by Marc Nash ~ @21stCscribe ~ Literary

Greenhayes by Gail Aldwin ~ @gailaldwin ~ Slice of Life

Gargoyle by Craig Smith ~ @CraigWFSmith ~ Urban Fantasy

Garden War: Rise of the Fungi by Anthony Deaver ~ @bishopneo ~ Fantasy ~ Serial

Extraction by Jeffrey Hollar ~ @klingorengi ~ Action

Deterioration by Natalie Bowers ~ @nembow ~ Science Fiction

Detergent by Rachel Carter ~ @rachcarter ~ Slice of Life

Deferred Promises by Sonia Lal ~ @soniawrite ~ Unspecified

Cursed by Annie ~ @AnnieEvett ~ Horror

Communication, Lost by Jim Bronyaur ~ @jimbronyaur ~ Horror

Collision by Icy Sedgwick ~ @icypop ~ Noir

Brother bird day by Leigh Andrews ~ @Leigh_Andrews ~ Unspecified

Broken road by Steve Green ~ Unspecified

Black Queen Chess Piece, Bouquet of Flowers & a £10 note by Sasha ~ @SashaWaters ~ Mystery ~ Debut

Black Knight > King Arthur by John Wiswell ~ @Wiswell ~ Humor

Angelic, Retribution, Guardian (3 drabbles) by John Xero ~ @xeroverse ~ Cross Genre

Amazons vs. Aliens by Katherine Hajer ~ @eyrea ~ Science Fiction

Al Fresco by Denis Doran ~ Slice of Life

Ailurophobia by Rob Smales ~ @RobSmales ~ Unspecified

A theory Too Far – Part 8 by Dan Waters ~ @maulus ~ Mystery ~ Serial

A Chase by Brainhaze ~ @Brainhazewp ~ Unspecified

2023 by Monica Marier ~ @lil_monmon ~ Science Fiction

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