Patrick: Friday Fictioneers 100 word story challenge

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Patrick had tried so hard to keep his father’s shop running, but with a baby on the way and the closing of the local mine most of the towns folk had moved away taking their cars and need for mechanical services along with them.

Patrick had a mate over in Bergenfield who’d got him some short term labouring work; it would do until the money came through from selling his home and his father’s shop. He planned to start fresh in a new expanding town. He had a good woman behind him and was confident they would make it through.

Claire Fuller (7)PHOTO PROMPT – Copyright – Claire Fuller

Friday Fictioneers is a challenge set by Rochelle Fields where writers around the world create 100 word stories inspired by the one image. For more information see: http://rochellewisofffields.wordpress.com/2014/11/19/21-november-2014/

My object was a rock

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So back in September I went to a ‘Writing for the Young Adult’ workshop ran by the Hunter Writers Centre. Talks were given by the wonderful Kaz Delaney, Lizzie Wilcock and Amy Lovat. It was fascinating and insightful, I found these three women to be lovely, with a wealth of knowledge between them.

For a bit of fun the ladies gave us two random photos and an object, we were then asked to write an opening line for a story and a scene of dialogue using the photos and item as a prompt. I got a photo of a river and a male teen wearing a leather jacket while playing the guitar, my object was a rock.

I thought I’d share what I came up with – I even made Genie a name plaque picture thingy, not at the time of writing, but last night when re-reading and deciding to share her with you.Genie

 *     *     *     *

Billy was going to be a star. Then Billy drowned when I crashed my car.

My bedspreads covered in glass. One of locals has thrown another rock through my bedroom window. It has been happening regularly since I crashed my car in the river. I’d just picked Billy, my boyfriend up from band rehearsal when a bright light exploded across the road in front of us. I freaked and swerved hard. My car rolled and ended up in the river. The next thing I knew I was laying soaking wet on my bed at home with no explanation as to how I got there.

 *     *     *     *

He looked at me, pain crinkling his already wrinkled old face.

I sighed “I’m sorry granddad, I just can’t”

“Darling, you haven’t left the house in months”.

He just doesn’t get it, no body gets it.

“I’m sorry” is all I can manage before slamming my head face first onto my pillow.

“Please Genie, life must go on”.

Right then another rock sails through my bedroom window, smashing the newly replaced glass.

I sit up to see my grandfather hot footing it down the stairs “see it’ll never be ok, I can never leave” but I’m screeching at empty air. I can hear my grandad out on the front lawn yelling.

*     *     *     *

http://www.kazdelaney.com/

http://lizziewilcock.wordpress.com/lizzie-wilcock/

http://www.amzlove.wordpress.com

https://www.hunterwriterscentre.org

Lost: Friday Fictioneers 100 word story challenge

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“We’re lost aren’t we” Tessa practically growled the words at me.

“Ok, Fine” I sighed “Yes we’re lost”.

It had been my idea to go wandering around a strange city, I hadn’t realised at the time how bad Tessa and I were at reading a map.

We bought our third Ice cream and continued to wander around.

“Wait isn’t that our hotel” Tessa squealed jumping up and down with excitement.

We practically ran to our Hotel. We agreed that we wouldn’t leave the hotel again unless on a guided tour and set out for the pool with Margaritas in hand.

PHOTO PROMPT -Copyright-Rochelle Wisoff-FieldsPHOTO PROMPT -Copyright-Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

Friday Fictioneers is a challenge set by Rochelle Fields where writers around the world create 100 word stories inspired by the one image. For more information see: http://rochellewisofffields.wordpress.com/2014/11/12/14-november-2014/

Today is your birthday

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Today is your birthday
And I hope you’re doing well
I contemplate sending you a message
But quickly realise it won’t reach you in your personal hell

Is it you that’s stuck
Or is it me that dwells
In a place of memories
And secrets not to tell

My knight in shining armour
You could never be
A drug to keep you high forever
Well that was never me

Will you always be with me
In that condemned place
Or as time consumes me
Will I forget it and your beautiful face

Today is your birthday
And I truly hope you are doing well
I wish for you a light to show you a path
Out of your personal hell

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I call mine Lancy

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Do you have a name for your car? I call mine Lancy. Lancy is the perfect mummies car, she has a nice compact exterior for easy parking, but she’s roomy inside with a lovely large wagon back end, plenty of room for baby, pram, food shopping etc. I’ve owned Lancy, a Mitsubishi Lancer Wagon for over a year now and it was only the other day when I was driving into Newcastle that I decided she needed her own name. I was willing her to overtake a truck up a hill – my inner monologue was something along the lines of: “Come on get up the hill, come on Betsy you can do it, hmm I can’t call her Betsy, umm Lancer, Lance, no not lance it’s a she, Lancy? Yeah that’ll do, Come on Lancy you can do it”. She totally over took the truck, redlining it. All my Cars have had names, hence why I thought Lancy deserved her own.Lancy Love

My first car was a little Ford Laser hatchback which my father gave me when I got my licence. My friends and I named Her Noah because she was filled with all sorts of stuffed animals, in my head Noah was female just super cool with a male name. Noah used to spend her time: going on late night drives to Gosford, playing music too loud, speeding around corners too fast, rubbing her belly on dirt roads and fire trails and playing chicken with guard rails up at Mt Sugarloaf. Noah only had a little engine, but before I got her she was in good nick, she had a light little body and was quite nimble. I think about Noah often and hope she’s loved wherever she is now.

I sold Noah to buy a Suzuki Vitara 4WD wagon, something a bit more capable on the dirt roads of the Watagan Mountains that I’d come to love driving. I don’t quite remember naming the Suzuki, but she became Betsy in the end. “Come on Betsy, you can do it, you can do it” Betsy’s little clapped out 1.6 engine didn’t like to move much. Once she got wound up a roundabout or corner would always come along and I’d been screaming “f*#k hold on Betsy, please Betsy” as the rear tyres squealed and bounced sideways. Betsy spent her time: on the beach, playing music too loud, bouncing around the Riffle Range, running over gutters and freaking out people in car parks (she used to pull up and smoke would rise from under her bonnet as she had messy leaks that required extra oil and water to be carried at all times). I sold Betsy when she became unused as I was walking to work and had my husband’s Patrol to drive. Betsy went to a young fella who loved her, but crashed her, she’s a cube now.

Bombodore, the Holden VT Commodore sedan. F*#k me I loved this car. I used to drive it around whenever my parents would go away – because driving a Commodore was way cooler than driving my laser, especially to go lapping in town. My mother owned her for ten years, and then I owned her for another four. She was Me. She was Family. She was Heavy, Noisy, Oily, Big, Boisterous and Beautiful. I have fond memories of riding in her as a child, found memories of freaking out my dad when he took for a driving lesson in her and found memories of the first time I drove her around in a circle in the dirt. The Bombodore spent her time: chewing up tyres and fuel, going around in circles in the dirt, playing music too loud and driving around aimlessly smelling like tobacco. She’s a cube now, I ran her into the ground and she enjoyed every minute of it, as did I. I will always love her.

There was also a point in time where I road my dad’s Honda 110 Postie Bike around, I crashed it twice and then went and bought a Honda 125 Scooter, I then fell pregnant and sold the scooter.

Anyway back to Lancy. Lancy spends her time: taking my son to swimming lessons and doing the food shopping. Umm yeah, Lancy hasn’t met a dirt road and she hasn’t had a sub-woofer and aftermarket speakers fitted – Yet – I’ve promised her there will be a time when she gets to enjoy playing music too loud and driving around aimlessly, once my sons older.

I feel that each car I’ve owned has matched the point I was at in my life. Maybe it’s that our cars are an extension of ourselves – Would you agree?

Allegiant

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Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth

Synopsis:

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

My Thoughts:

It’s been a few days since I finished reading Allegiant and I’m still sitting here like a stunned mullet trying to figure out what to write – I was that dumbfounded and disappointed in the ending.

I went out and bought Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant and Four all at once so I could read them as a whole. I hadn’t done any “research” on the series other than reading a few reviews on the first book and seeing a trailer on TV for the Divergent movie. I flew through the first two books and really enjoyed them, but am now regretting not reading Four before Allegiant. I suggest reading Four before Allegiant or it’ll be bitter sweet and feel rather pointless.

Now I suggest if you don’t want the ending spoiled you stop reading now, because I’m about to have a whinge about it.

Ok, Ok, so Ms Roth, you give me characters that I love (Tobias & Tris), you put them through hell and make them lose all their family and friends, then for no good reason you kill Tris, POINTLESSLY Kill Tris! Chicago could still have settled the same way, Tobias could still have gone into politics and Tris could have spent her time helping the fringe dwellers. There was no point to it, no lesson to be learned by her death. Her parents had sacrificed themselves for her, she’d saved her city, and she’d lost countless friends, so why kill her. We know life is unfair Ms Roth and you successfully showed us that by Tris losing friends and family, and by Tobias’s relationships with his parents – So why take her from us and Tobias, all this does is make it feel pointless. All it does is say that love DOESN’T concur all, which may be true in the real world, shouldn’t be in book land. Love that ends happily ever after gives us hope, Hope is extremely necessary in this less than ideal world. Up until the point that you needlessly killed Tris, I loved the series, so why couldn’t she just have been gravely injured and taken months to recover instead – Hmmmmmm.

Anyway rant over.  Seriously though I really enjoyed the series, Allegiant’s got all the action, adventure and drama of the first two books, I just felt that the ending (for lack of a better word) “Sucked” and didn’t to Tobias and Tris justice.

The Restorer: Friday Fictioneers 100 word story challenge

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This was the image prompt > PHOTO PROMPT – Copyright – Jean L. Hays> and below is what my imagination made of it in 100 words.PHOTO PROMPT - Copyright - Jean L. Hays

I was left at the side of the road by my owner when he ran me out of oil.
Left to rust away and die.
The local teenage punks were hiding inside me puffing away on their foul smelling cigarettes.
Then one day a tow truck turned up, he was all shiny and smug.
I thought for sure I was going to the junk yard to be crushed.

I was taken to a restoration shop.
My engine got rebuilt, interior replaced and my body painted and polished.

I look brand new again. All thanks to my new owner, The Restorer.

 

Friday Fictioneers is a challenge set by Rochelle Fields where writers around the world create 100 word stories inspired by the one image. For more information see: http://rochellewisofffields.wordpress.com/2014/11/05/7-november-2014/ 

Divergent by Veronica Roth

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13335037Divergent (Divergent #1) by Veronica Roth

Synopsis:

In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue–Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is–she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are–and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

My Thoughts:

I’m actually halfway through the second book now and thought I better stop and write up something about the first, but I’m still at a loss as what to. I flew through Divergent then immediately went out and watched the movie, and that totally screwed with my head, I think. They changed a fair bit in the movie, but I think I would have enjoyed it if I hadn’t just read the book as I kept thinking to myself – It didn’t happen like that etc.

Anyway back to the book; so I read Divergent in two days, it would have been One if I hadn’t had to get some sleep to go to work the next day – So that shows what a gripping book it was. It’s quite easy to read and flows really fast. I know it’s been compared to the Hunger Games a lot, but I don’t think that comparison does it justice. So even if you weren’t keen on the hunger games don’t knock this one back as just another dystopian YA. We get a strong female lead, Friendship, Love, evil bad guys to hate on and standing up for what’s right all rolled up in this crazy fast engrossing story.

These Days

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Today is Photo Day at My son’s Day-Care center so I’ve dressed him up all spiffy in an adorable and highly appropriate yellow Little Monster t-shirt. Yes it will be interesting to see how dirty it is by the time they take his photo – I’ll let you know.

Riley’s newest obsession is shoes. If you leave a pair out he will slip his teeny tiny feet inside them and try to walk around, it is quite amusing to watch. He has also discovered throwing tantrums. The past two weeks I’ve gotten a tantrum every time I’ve tried to drop him off at Day-care, a tantrum every time I’ve taken something off him he isn’t supposed to play with (like his father’s work computer), tantrums when he wants to run off down the street and isn’t aloud, tantrums here tantrums there. Picture this; after a day a work you are having a glass of wine, while your toddler is trying to swipe your glass off of the table, you tell him No and hold the glass up in the air, he proceeds to throw himself on the ground and scream like a banshee – yeah I pretend he’s not there and finish my glass, her usually gives up after a while. I give him cuddles at Day-care and ignore the tantrums the rest of the time. I don’t know whether or not it’s the “right” way to handle it, but really I don’t care.

We’ve only got a few boxes left to unpack and we’ll be settled into our new home. You know the kind of boxes I mean, the ones where you stuff all the random stuff you don’t want to get rid of but have no place for – yeah four boxes of the left overs. I can’t bring myself to go through them so they are just sitting in the front room, I’m hoping if I leave them there long enough they will magically sort themselves out.

When we first moved in I planted a vertical herb garden in the backyard, shortly after our dog attacked and ate most of the said herb garden, so it has now been moved out the front to hide from her along with my Yakka’s and Native flowers.

In the rental property we lived in before we bought our house we never had a land line phone, just our mobiles (and mobile internet) but as we are now living in our own place we decided to get a land line Phone (mainly so we could get fast and reliable internet). I’ve only given the land line number to my mother as we don’t really intend on using it as a phone BUT the phone rings regularly – Dreaded Telemarketers.  I don’t answer our new phone.

The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus #5) by Rick Riordan

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18705209

Synopsis:

Though the Greek and Roman crewmembers of the Argo II have made progress in their many quests, they still seem no closer to defeating the earth mother, Gaea. Her giants have risen—all of them—and they’re stronger than ever. They must be stopped before the Feast of Spes, when Gaea plans to have two demigods sacrificed in Athens. She needs their blood—the blood of Olympus—in order to wake.

The demigods are having more frequent visions of a terrible battle at Camp Half-Blood. The Roman legion from Camp Jupiter, led by Octavian, is almost within striking distance. Though it is tempting to take the Athena Parthenos to Athens to use as a secret weapon, the friends know that the huge statue belongs back on Long Island, where it “might” be able to stop a war between the two camps.

The Athena Parthenos will go west; the Argo II will go east. The gods, still suffering from multiple personality disorder, are useless. How can a handful of young demigods hope to persevere against Gaea’s army of powerful giants? As dangerous as it is to head to Athens, they have no other option. They have sacrificed too much already. And if Gaea wakes, it is game over.

 My Thoughts:

The seven demigods of the prophecy Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Leo, Piper, Hazel, and Frank are going on their final adventure to defeat Gaea, while Nico, Reyna and Coach Hedge attempt to bring the Athena Parthenos to Camp Half-Blood  – Ok, awesome high action and high-jinx to come – Right?

What I was hoping to get out of this final instalment, keeping in mind I’ve invested ten books worth of emotion into this world of Riordan’s:

  • More of Reyna.
  • Nico coming out.
  • Percy being awesome and he and Annabeth living happily ever after.
  • Leo recusing Calypso.
  • An Epic finale.
  • Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter staying separate, but forming a truce and maybe even hinting at inter camp events later on.

The Blood of Olympus is the fifth and final book in The Heroes of Olympus series and the Tenth book if we look at it as one massive Percy Jackson Demigod Olympus saga, Which I Do.

The Blood of Olympus is fast paced and quick to get into the action. The last instalment definitely doesn’t disappoint on action and suspense. It has all the Riordan elements and style I have come to love, even if the Percy awesomeness is a little light (more on that later). We get monster battling and butt kicking, parental god drama, sibling rivalry, bromances and sister hoods forming.

In the five Percy Jackson and the Olympians books Percy was the viewpoint character, The Heroes of Olympus books swap chapter by chapter between the seven demigods of the prophecy. In Blood of Olympus the chapters are from the perspectives of Jason, Piper, Leo, Reyna and Nico, making this book the first time in the series that someone other than one of the seven demigods of the prophecy are the viewpoint character.

So whoop whoop we got plenty of Reyna as she was a viewpoint character – it was awesome I loved being in Reyna a Nico’s heads.

BUT I really missed Percy’s voice. It began with him and I wanted it to end with him. I was totally fine with another demigod saving the day (I love the others too), but I wanted to hear it or rather read it from Percy – major let down.

I was getting quite agitated at one stage when it felt like the book was turning into a bag-out-Percy-a-thon. I felt that maybe a few of Piper or Jason’s chapters could have been given to Percy and it would have made me love the book 100% – Like there was a really sweet scene between Percy and Annabeth, but it was from the perspective of Piper – Seriously, give me some insite into that Seaweed Brain.

Nico finds his place in the end and intends to stay on at Camp Half-Blood. He even opens up and tells Percy about the crush he had harboured for years. I was really nice to see Nico finally at peace with himself.

Leo, that adorable lil Latino and Festus his super-awesome-mechanical-bronze-save-the-day-dragon, Yes! Festus is back! And together they kick dirt mother butt (with help from Piper and Jason) and rescue Calypso from her island prison. Gods Yeah Leo!!!!

In the end a friendship is formed between Camp Half-blood and Camp Jupiter, where weekend visits and inter camp exchanges take place and they band together in times of need etc. So it’s a queasy-cheesy-happily-ever-after that all the demigods deserve.

It leaves me imagining old Percy and Annabeth in New Rome with grandkids running amuck as Percy stirs them up.

OR Leo and Calypso, exploring the world before returning to camp half-blood year’s later to accidently (and to everyone’s glee) gate crash Piper and Jason’s wedding.

4.5 stars because Leo is so Awesome, but it lost the 0.5 because there wasn’t enough Percy.