So your chimneys I sweep, and in soot I sleep (William Blake)

I was reminded of another delicious word this week, but I’m saving that for later. Hopefully this selection will not cause head-scratching and discombobulation, and the birthday boys post their entries  before they begin to celebrate.

But at least it made picking a winner easier: Patricia provided three well-researched pieces, of which my favourite was the succinct ‘Basic Instinct’, and Antonia’s Mad Italian 90 earns second prize. As ever, thank you for the entertainment and for the reading and commenting which ensure this site stays alive and kicking.

Words for next week: brittle orphan sculpture

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday January 31st, words and winners posted Friday 1st February

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever social media you prefer.

Three for the price of one

Which was what John’s ‘The November Wind’ delivered to me this week, no doubt unintentionally. The title had my head veering between ‘November Rain’ and ‘Mandolin Wind’ and then the text delivered ‘The Edmond Fitzgerald’, thus it became this week’s sure fire winner. Not that I want to create a precedent!

I’m also going to mention three others which each delivered a sparely depicted insight into tragedies: David T’ Atlantic Crossing, Bill’s ‘Becalmed and Patricia’s ‘God Speed.

Thank you all - a great and varied week of reading. Look forward to next week’s variations.

Words for next week: ankle fuliginous worry

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday January 24th, words and winners posted Friday 25th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever social media you prefer.

Time for a cuddle

Not that I’m fed up with gore and evisceration, mutants, mayhem and cross-dressing, you understand. Just that I’ve had a pig of a day (pdfs, nothing dreadful!) cannot choose between five top tales, and a home for teddy bears feels highly enticing, so this week Antonia takes the podium for the 29th episode of her ever-entertaining  ‘Stop the week I want to get off.’ (For another treat, do check out Rosie’s entry)

I thank you all for the considerable entertainment of your writing, your contributions of well-considered comments, and look forward to seeing what horror you can wreak with these gentle words:

Words for next week: mariner poem rut

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday January 18th, words and winners posted Friday 19th

  Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever social media you prefer.

Wheels on the road

A fortnight off, much of it very pleasurable, and now to get to grips with a new year and the achieving of one resolution (made for the third year running) to get three much-laboured over novels out into the world and a fourth one finished, to which end I’ve spent several days reading the 360 pages of the first one aloud and am now suffering from a sore throat. 

No shouting needed to pick the first winner of 2019, even though I confess it’s the eighth time I’ve been made to feel slightly nauseous by the vivid nastiness in Jim Deegan’s Conscription series - excellent stuff!

Words for next week: appendix barrage cure

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday January 10th, words and winners posted Friday 11th

  

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and use of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever social media you prefer.