THE HAMBURGER MEDIUM

Contest number twelve at First Line Fiction took a line from one of my favorite authors, Hunter S. Thompson. At first, the challenge was too daunting - Thompson has such a specific voice that to write on top of that you would be railroaded into just re-writing "Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas."

But it turned out to be a lot of fun. Eventually, I incorporated a short story I was stuck on the longest time. So in essence, I killed two birds with one stone.

The basis of the original story revolved around a tragic accident that happened at the Grand Canyon some twenty years ago. A group of young college students who were sightseeing, stopped for a picture at point where there were no rails. One of the students just "slipped" out of the group and before anyone realized what happened she had fallen to her death.

Hope you enjoy my story, The Hamburger Medium.

SECOND TO ONE

My father very rarely spoke about his childhood. I assumed it was because most of it was spent hungry and fighting with his six other brothers and sisters. Then again, it could've just been something like...World War II getting in the way of having a memorable childhood.

There was one little story he did manage to tell me; that he cried like a baby and clung on to his father's leg like a beggar monkey when he was left at his great-aunts house in the country side. You see, my father was one of three boys and he was right smack in the middle. To ensure that one of the boys survived, my grandfather decided to hide him there because Tokyo was more likely a target for bombings.

"Second To One"  is a fictional short story based this one my father had told me. It was submitted in the First Line Fiction Contest #11, though it did not place.

If you have the time, please give it a read and I hope you enjoy it enough to share it on Facebook or Twitter.

Banzai!

I Feel A Celebration Coming On

Sometimes I get the gist of the modesty thing and other times I'm like screw it - toot my own horn! People pay big bucks for marketing and promotion as long as there's something to promote and to me,  a short story that came in second place in a writing contest is a big thing.


Agatha The Thirteenth is a story about two friends who audition for a part in a soap opera. It's a bit humorous and authentic because I based it on the experience I had auditioning for movies and television. Although, the ending is truly fictional - the character is a concoction of various oddballs I've known.


It's under 1800 words and should take about three to five minutes to read. I discovered with this contest, that's the key. Tell the story in about 1780 - 1800 words and you have a chance. Unless you're already a pro, stories over 2000 words are really a challenge to keep a reader's attention.

Hope you enjoy it and if you do, please share it - First Line Fiction makes it easy with a facebook and Twitter button. Better yet, leave me a comment and tell me what you like or don't like about the story.

Happy Fourth of July, folks! And don't blow up your fingers.