Belated Campaign Challenge Flash Fiction

Last week, Rachael Harrie, the host of I'm a Platform-Building Campaigner, gave us a challenge to write a flash fiction under 200 words starting with "Shadows crept across the wall..." Last week was super busy for me. Thus, I didn't know about it until it was a day too late to enter.

Well, I wrote one anyway. It's a few words over 200 but close enough. Enjoy!

A Father's Love
by Julia King

Shadows crept across the wall as she crouched, awaiting her father’s return. She’d been there two weeks now, trying not to let anxiety overcome her. But it had set in after five days. They needed food so he left, hugging her tight, saying he loved her more than anything in the world.

But the world had changed. No one was safe anymore, least of all healthy men like her father. Even though he was on the emaciated side, he could still fight if he were caught. Inside, she knew he was gone—a machete in his hand to slaughter the enemy, if not the enemy himself. Years before an epidemic infected the land driving some people insane—cannibalistic.

He’d told her if he wasn’t back in two weeks she should leave. It was time. She picked up her scant belongings and trudged out of their hiding spot. Upon leaving the alleyway, she tripped over something. Picking herself up and dusting off her pants, she found her father’s zombified form holding a knife, a jagged slit across his bloodied throat.  

He’d killed himself to save her, humanity still a part of him in some way. Tears trickled from her horrified eyes. She was alone now. But her father’s love would carry her through whatever lay ahead. 

_________________

Creepy, huh? I hope you don't have to sleep with the lights on tonight... 

PS: Don't forget to enter my flash fiction contest to have a chance to win a $25 Amazon.com gift card. The contest ends today, Tuesday, February 28, 2012 at 5:00PM MST. For more information, follow this link.

Writing. Jewels.

A New Zombie Initiate Announced... OK... Giveaway Winner

My blog post comes a bit late today. I had to play with my nephews and niece for a little while after work. They've been out of state for a couple months which resulted in me missing them a lot. Who could blame me for putting off writing a blog post in order to spend some time with my little lovelies. No one at all!

Well, it's time to announce the winner of a brand new copy of Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris. I let randompicker.com make the decision cuz I'm sort of am in love with it. 

Without further adieu, the winner is....

Brittney

Woot Woot! Congrats, friend. I hope you enjoy this snark attack of a book that is now gonna be yours! Yes, I wrote snark. That wasn't a typo. I didn't really mean to write shark. haha. Silly me. Brittney, I will email you about getting the book. 

I hope you all have a zombirific weekend. Just don't get attacked by any flesh eating monsters. 

Gurgle.... 

See you all next week as usual on Tuesday and Friday!

In Which Julia Becomes Obsessed

Today's post is gonna be short. Maybe my shortest one. Ever. But I share something funny with you. Well, at least I feel it's funny, although, somewhat annoying.

Ok, here it is: It's maddening what looking for a literary agent will do to you! I'm officially an obsessed email checker! I have to check it at least once every half hour or more to see if I've received one of those all important manuscript request emails! Or even just a rejection would suffice. I'm hopeless!

I hope I'll get used to the arduous suspenseful waiting. If not, I'll probably turn into a crazy dog lady (I like dogs more than cats).

Anyway, querying is fun, though. I'm enjoying researching agents and getting to know them through their bios.

Have a great Friday and wonderful weekend!

PS: Don't forget to enter to win a fabulous Zombie book called Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris. Follow this link to enter!

Thriller

Last night I saw Thriller performed by Odyssey Dance Theatre in Salt Lake City, Utah. For those who do not know what this is, I will tell you. Basically, the dance group performs multiple dance routines based around different scary Halloween themes. Of course, Michael Jackson's Thriller is the opening and closing dance of the production. Yep, they do the whole Thriller dance and that's exciting in it’s self, but the other dances are just as great. I was impressed.
Before and after the performance, Zombies and other demonic and scary creatures crept through the auditorium terrifying the guests. My friend and I had a system to watch out for the zombified women who did all they could to scare the guests. While we chatted, I watched one side of the auditorium and she watched the other. We were never approached. Phew! The zombies crawled on seats and sneaked up on people to get their desired reaction, screams. One girl was so scared of them that the zombies kept on taunting her to get her to scream some more.
As for the dances, my favorite had to be Frankenstein and his Bride. Frankenstein’s bride flawlessly played the part of a limp, dead person after Frankenstein inadvertently broke her neck. She is dragged around the stage and flung around like a rag doll due to Frankenstein’s failed efforts to bring her back to life. My second favorite dance was Dem Bones. The dancers wore glow-in-the-dark bone costumes. All you could see were the glowing bones while they tapped away a scary, yet comical dance.
For many years I have wanted to see this dance production, and now that I finally have, I think that it is going to become an annual event. You should go see it sometime if you are in SLC during Halloween! BTW, my camera wasn't cooperating, so the pictures didn't turn out too great.