Sunshine on a pewter hip flask ...

... caught my eye when I sat down to type this; the lines of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh engraved design picked out sharply. Near as sharp as this week’s writings, from which I am expected to a single … favourite. The one that, in this week, this hour (another hour might bring my thoughts to change) especially appeals, a duty which accompanies the hosting of this site.

Patricia’s snakes and ladders  in ‘Cripplegate Junction/Part 231 - Playing The Game’ evoked good memories, Jim’s ‘square inch’ just one highlight of  ‘The Shadow Series: I still Am’, and John’s 5th episode of ‘The curious cases of Dr. A. Marie Abernathy’ earned several re-readings and top place.

Words for next week: harvest  panache  sorry

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 21stMay , words and winners posted Friday 22nd

 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.

Light before half four

John’s ‘The curious cases of Dr. A. Marie Abernathy, Part 4’  has me enthralled, avid for continuation, and it is because I am trusting that won’t be the last (so I’ll have another opportunity to name him winner,) I’m placing him in third place. Patricia earns herself a vermilion rosette for her ‘Glory Day’ trilogy and David takes first place for ‘The Miner Forty-Niner’.

Such richness of writing deserves applause.  I have applauded myself this week, for finally making available as ebooks the first three of my ‘Love triangles with murder’ series. Details are on my Lines of communication blog for anyone interested – DI John Pettinger makes an appearance in ‘Commission & omission’. 

Words for next week: angle parody square

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 14th May , words and winners posted Friday 15th

 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.

Let me not name it to you

Last week, in a book containing glossaries of near-forgotten words, I found her name. But I fear to tell it to you for, as Terrie says, names hold great power and to reveal it might cause her to lose her magic. Suffice it to say, it’s one I doubt you’ll ever guess.

And, not for that snippet of wisdom, but because, by the narrowest of margins, Terrie’s ‘Gathering Magic’ charm-sharded its way to top place, leaving several panting in the rear, I declare her this week's winner.

Thank you all for another hard-to-choose-from week of entries (and I trust Patricia will be unable to resist a continuation with the following).

Words for next week: membrane perch  witness

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 7th May , words and winners posted Friday 8th

 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.

Not Scott Walker …

But nevertheless an attempt to make it easy – or at least easier – on myself, I decided this week’s winner would be the one with the most appealing, entertaining, individual use of  ‘goldfinch’. An entirely random rule and unlikely to be repeated anytime soon. So, we had lone and embroidered goldfinches from Terrie, ditto Patricia (along with a ‘tiny caged’ one) , a pendant from John and a ‘tumbledown lounge’ from Jim, but I was most charmed with Antonia’s ‘goldfinch in a flock of seagulls’ and am pleased to declare her this week’s winner.

Additionally, I’d like to echo John, Antonia and William’s gratitude for the richness of this site. While others languish somewhat, this has never missed a hale and healthy beat. Long may it last!

Words for next week:  palm vista weld

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 30th April, words and winners posted Friday 1st May

 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.

Yet again, a nigh-on photo finish

And yes … as predicted by John (truly, John, you’d be welcome to share responsibilities here), this week provided some tough judging, but hand in hand with that, of course, some fantastic reading and plenty of good-mannered, generous and very welcome comments.

In the end I went for the marginally more breath-taking – breath taken on reading the title – of David’s “The Water, Like a Witch’s Oils” but assure you that John, Terrie and Patricia were all jostling for places right behind.

Words for next week: extract  goldfinch  tallow

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 23rd April, words and winners posted Friday 24th

 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.

The guilt of pinning a tale

This yet another week where to choose one above so many excellent offerings has me dithering, even though I do know you understand that not being feted and hailed ­– or offered so much as a biscuit – is no indication of less than meriting. We write for the joy of writing, in the hope of entertaining our peers and to a large extent the accolade is unnecessary. Except, somehow, it is. But, more important, is the acknowledgement of our peers, that we have written, have entertained. So this week I thank you all, and pin the tail on William’s  ‘Coming to terms II’.

Words for next week: fret  sea-glass  tear

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 16th April, words and winners posted Friday 17th

 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.

Sweet tooth

A listing in the paper this week, of the contents of food parcels for the elderly, included Custard Creams, which would suit me, but not my husband. (Not that either of us dare eat them anyway – too easy to ramp up the calories) However, for an ending par excellence, I declare Patricia's Kursaal 'The Obfuscation Orb' takes the Prediction biscuit this week. '

As ever, thank you for your entries, your comments and for not upbraiding  me about my omitting to change the date in last week's cut and paste.

Words for next week:  biscuit  quilt  suffice

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 9th April, words and winners posted Friday 10th

 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.

Whitening as I watch

Perhaps it’s the unexpected sight from my window of freezing fog and fuzzy-damp trees that dictated my choice of winners this week: Jim’s decidedly chilling ‘Tonight’s prey’. My writing week went pear-shaped when I realised that, book 5 having reached 42K words, I'd started in the wrong place, the MC was not the man I thought he was and the plot needs a total overhaul. Luckily, my beta reader returned notes and comment on book 4 which was far easier to pay attention to.

Words for next week:  share  shelf  turpid

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 26th March, words and winners posted Friday 27th

 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.

Black birds against spring sky

Another week of writing and reading richness and difficulty for me in choosing a winner from the many candidates, but while it was relatively easy to decide Terrie pipped the rest of you to the post, I was unable to decide which of hers – I was hovering between three – merited the topmost spot. So this is as much an award for  consistency as superb story-telling. Thank you all for so tirelessly posting and commenting each week; your participation propels this site to excellence.

Words for next week:  affect dregs journey

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 26th March, words and winners posted Friday 27th

 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.

Batter mix

The cookery book my mother bought me before I married is still referred to every pancake day, its ‘beat until the bubbles rise, then allow to rest’ followed slavishly. Judging this week’s entries here had similarities, except that so many of them rose to the surface only to be succeeded by the next and it was hard to pick a single one as ‘best’. But having allowed myself a couple of winners for at least the last two weeks I thought I ought to be more definite, and eventually, Jim’s ‘The Dark Side’ created a the longest-lasting bubble.

Words for next week: carillon  mail  petulant

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 19th March, words and winners posted Friday 20th

 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.

A blossoming without a doubt!

Apart from the exceptionally  rich landscape of entries this week, I was interested in John's picturing Terrie’s army of SAS armadillos in a meadow. I’d not previously put it into words, but I see their landscape as an ancient, sometimes jungly woodland, hillocky, and rocky and covering an area of several miles.  I suspect we’ll each have our own version which is part of the magic of reading stories (and, for me, one reason I fail to find film or tv adaptions satisfactory).

This week, the winners leapt out on first read, and stayed there despite many excellent contenders who halted me but didn’t change my mind. And as I cannot choose between them I declare Patricia’s ‘Siblings’ and John’s ‘Shot in the dark’ joint winners.

Words for next week: onus plumage vouch

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 12th March, words and winners posted Friday 13th

 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.

Resumption (fingers crossed) of normality

A weekend with crime writers – brilliant workshops, bizarre conversations and friendly advice and encouragement from all – followed by reading one of Douglas Lindsay’s DS Hutton novels, which I described as ‘human, amusing and gruesome’ and then to return to this week’s many superlative offerings here, it seems obvious that John’s ‘Weekday Special’ merits top place, with Jim a close second with ‘And the verdict is….’

Thank you all for entries, comments, patience and votes.

Words for next week: sandwich turbulent violet

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 5th March, words and winners posted Friday 6th

 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.

Awaiting your verdict

And, having only a phone to squint at, a slept-in-and-late-for-breakfast morning and a day of workshops ahead of me I managed to delete rather than re-set the mistimed  scheduled post.

Deadline for mill, derelict and inefficient  is Thursday 27th.

(I noted what you say about late posting/fewer comments Patricia but doubt there's a lot I can do except trust most folk will have a final look. For myself I am as likely to be late as early.)

Hearts and arrows don’t have the same connotations here

So I’ve no intention of offering them as prompt words. what I am giving you is an opportunity to choose your favourite post which uses the words below, because I shall be away at a Crime and Publishment weekend; picking up tips on how to write and pitching ‘Drink with a dead man’ to an attending publisher.

This, of course, another week of richness on offer, for which I thank you, and am delighted to declare Terri the winner for her third episode of ‘Gathering magic’ – the whole of it enchanting.  

 Words for next week: broke elaborate key

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 20th February, new words posted Friday 21st

STOP PRESS:  https://www.philsloman.com/2020/02/the-prediction-one-time-only.html?fbclid=IwAR2uPpe7G1VEnwwYYuT4FTvoy6hmB5qHbGaSli_b-akaICQGdNdcnKH6HTM

 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.

Interim

Herewith words for next week. A snatched half hour before others wake up have given me time for a quick re-read, and I declare David's Bring home for Emma  winner for last week.  You’ll have a turn to choose in a couple of weeks. As ever, I thank you for your participation and comments, which is what keeps this site alive.

Words for next week: daisy opportunity stripe

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 13th February, words posted Friday 14^th

 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.

Peace, prosperity and friendship

Not yet apparent across the pond I dare say, but some 52 million Brits will be gearing up for celebration tonight. So it seems very fitting indeed to declare Antonia’s ‘Mad Italian’ episode 141 the supreme entry for last week and hope that this week’s words, along with February, draw dozens of customers to her shop.

Thank you, as ever, for your contributions and comments.

Words for next week: custom heal pound

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 6th February, words posted Friday 7^th

(winners may be a little later because I’ll be away from home)

 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.

And the earth moved

Well, in fact the house sort of shifted a bit. I thought ‘if I was alone in the house I’d be worried’ but, 6 a.m. and no-one in sight, I wasn’t. Twelve hours later I learned it had been an earthquake, epicentre six miles away. 

Much more vigorous and upheaving were the stories here this week, and it’s taken several re-reads and a glass of wine to decide Patricia gets first place for the clever ‘Back to square one’, and John a somewhat crud-encrusted one-off, new-depths-of-depravity  medal for ‘One-off’.

 As mentioned as a comment, I am trying to develop new characters and often find prompt words kick-start a trait or a plot line, so intend to pursue them here. Anything prefaced with ‘Snap:’ is part of that process, There’ll be little in the way of continuation, but I’ll aim to make them entertaining. Thanks for your indulgence.

Words for next week: decipher hare water

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 30th January, words and winners posted Friday 31st

 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.

January going on … and on

As do, thank goodness your contributions of comments and posts to this site – a rich bag this week. Nevertheless, not an easy choice for winner, so I’ve opted for two to share the honours:  Jim for his ‘Hiding in plain Sight’ and Holly for The Elders.

Words for next week: eighth filth shadow

s Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 23rd January, words and winners posted Friday 24th

 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.

If music be the food of … winning?

No. Don’t be led into thinking that, because it isn’t always the case, and David’s so very obviously stand-out winner, with ‘Bobby Thumbed a Diesel Down’ was as much on merit for the choice of words, the wonderful phrasing and the big story in so few words as the song, and that I YouTubed it while re-reading was only a small part of it. So thank you, David.

And thank you all, for the start of another Prediction year.

Words for next week:  cradle rupture poetry

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday16th January, words and winners posted Friday 17th

 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.

NOT starting as I mean to go on …

For a rag-bag of reasons, none of which in themselves were that involving but which, as a whole, seemed to have filled my time, I arrive at the first Friday of 2020 totally unprepared for judging the relative merits of the past couple of week’s entries as well as having failed to post a couple of more rule-abiding pieces, as intended. So, my apologies for such lack of discipline, but I’m declaring everyone a winner and promise to do better in future, to which end I’ve selected suitable reminders:

Words for next week:  discipline grit vow

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 9th January, words and winners posted Friday 10th

 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.

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