No-one mentioned a rose garden

 Another week sped past, enlivened and embellished with dogs and gods and other horrors inbetween (and no-one mentioning a rose garden), which David's "pedigree Egyptian Pharaoh Hound" very neatly encapsulates, thus earning him this week's top spot. Thank you one and all for posts and much enjoyed comments. 

New words for the coming week are:  husk initial issue 

Entries by midnight Thursday 25th February, new words posted Friday 26th 

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

Blue shadows through a hawthorn hedge

The hedge being dun-coloured, the colours beyond unexpected, I took this as a not-bad metaphor for how three dun-coloured words are, week after week, brought to unexpected light by the skills of your several keyboards. And thank you all, both for the week-on-week pleasure and for you companionship.

 And on the subject of metaphors, I'm awarding Antonia an honourable mention for her " I believe the truth has shifted a little, like shingle walked on". Top spot goes to Terrie for her beautifully-told untitled album in the attic tale.  

New words for the coming week are: Egypt  mongrel pardon

Entries by midnight Thursday 11th February, new words posted Friday 12th

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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 for the money!!

Writing that is. On the way to writing this I wandered onto my Blurb site and checked profits on sales of my books over the past several years. An astounding £9.60. Just as well it's more important to me that I keep my brain ticking over.

And ticking brains a-plenty this week contributing here, but not so difficult a choice, because the pleasure received from each episode of Holly's current has been considerable so it's only right that episode number five earns top place.

New words for the coming week are:  album  shingle undiscovered

Entries by midnight Thursday 11th February, new words posted Friday 12th

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

A wealth of entertainments

 As Antonia so rightly says, each of us brings here, every week, well-worded stories to meet whatever triple-worded prompt I throw at you (this week courtesy of a Seamus Heaney poem). More often than not there are two or three which have a marginally greater impact than some of the others. Often others' comments open my mind to other interpretations, And sometimes, as I have said, it's nigh on impossible to separate them and is a source of some embarrassment that in choosing one, it might appear the rest are rejected.  (Even though I know we're all grown(-ish) up enough not to be too hurt.)

This week the choice is exceptionally difficult.  All are outstandingly, magically written. Jim's, without doubt, is the most horrifying; the final line of John's 'A hunting we will go' would've propelled it to top spot, but in the end (and I've re-written this three times) I'm picking Perry's 'Port in a storm'. 

New words for the coming week are:  pilgrim  plait  roadblock 

Entries by midnight Thursday 4th February, new words posted Friday 5th 

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

Occasionally-recurring glitch

That is, the disappearance of the delete' button for mis-placed or mis-spelt comments. It does seem to be linked to updates and has been happening at least since  2004 so, fingers crossed, will eventually right itself. In the meantime, a bit more care and some small tolerance should suffice. Not as if it's exactly horror, is it? Plus I think I can delete from behind the scenes, so if you copy/paste your comment into the right place I should be able to remove the duplicate.

Not always easy to say what horror is, exactly, is it? (my writing tends towards the noir), but the subtle, slippery, shy and insidious greyness of it is very evident in this week's winner – Patricia's 'Visitors' – my favourite of the many excellent and entertaining varieties on offer – thank you one and all.  

New words for the coming week are:  allocate poach  trajectory 

Entries by midnight Thursday 28th January, new words posted Friday 29th 

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

 

Back to self-indulgent

Having finally got launched on the sixth in my 'Love triangles with murder' series I'll again be hijacking the occasional set of prompts in an attempt to kickstart a scene or build a character's back story. Titled 'Mercy' there'll be little in the way of continuation but I will try and obey the rules and write a stand-alone entertainment.

Entertainment certainly to be found this week, even though Paris was a pain to use; I thank you all for your several impressive efforts which invariably made picking a 'winner' as difficult as ever. In the end, I chose Jim's 'déju vu' because of its near-silent but relentless and nigh-on invisible brand of horror. 

New words for the coming week are: early  mate  squalid 

Entries by midnight Thursday 21st January, new words 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.

Full house!

At least of the Prediction crowd, this week, and good it is to begin the year so strongly – welcome one and all to 2021.

I did spend some time pondering on the potential (or intent) of Perry's dialogue-rich triplet titles when taken as a whole, and promise the idea only occurred to me after I'd posted 'Je suis desolée', and for a while thought David's windmill shadows in the evocatively-named Wicken Fen might clinch it, but Holly's delicious 'Sink or    Swim' leap-frogged both to become first winner of the year.  

New words for the coming week are: counter  heal  Paris 

Entries by midnight Thursday14th January, new words 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.

Glass half full

Which I dare say it will be, at least a couple of times tonight.  So I've started judging early (but will, as ever, check for later arrivals before making a final choice) from what I thought was a tricky set of disparate words, but which didn't faze many of you for long. As so often, I've discarded the idea of naming a shortlist, recognising its a cop-out for me, and chosen this week's winner on the basis of the shout of laughter reading it generated: John's 'Holiday sentiment', but, as ever was entertained and impressed with the rest. 

new words for the coming week are: embarrass miracle reed

Entries by midnight Thursday 7th January, new words 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.

Happy Boxing Day

Even though my Christmas plans went pear-shaped and I now have the leisure and lack of distraction, I admit I'm relieved not to have been obliged to pick a winner from last week's offerings as it would have been impossible (and how frequently that now applies, as each of us continually raises our game; hones skills of concise, precise wordery!) Thank you all, yet again, for wonderful entertainment.  

For those in need of mental exercise other than Monopoly and mince pies:

new words for the coming week are: abdicate  love  pith

Entries by midnight Thursday 31st December, new words posted Friday 1st January (winners likely later)  

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.

'Tis the season … and all change again

 The time has long passed when a standard set of criteria can be applied to the week's entries, and it truly has become a no-rules; never-the-same-two-weeks-running entirely discombobulating place to enter if you are trying to do anything other than entertain. Which seems to be fine for all of us, not least because along the way we are so very richly rewarded for our time.

This week is no exception. I have no hesitation in nominating Patricia whose 'Pop-up' entry sent me to searching out 1970s Guinness ads, and the 'tock followed tick' of the waiting surfer. Magic. 

  Words for the coming week are:  aloof  ermine  rigging 

I'll schedule new words to appear Saturday 26th December (!) but don't anticipate selecting winners from the above. Like most folk, our Christmas plans have been altered yet again from the norm and I'll be tidying and making preparations rather than travelling to Wales or hosting family it'll be Dearly Beloved and me spending our first Christmas just us two in 54 years of marriage.  

And hopefully you too will celebrate in the best way currently possible and trust 2021 will be brighter.

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.

And you all deserve a decoration

What a week of entertainment! I doubt it's been surpassed for quality and wealth of enjoyment. And though my picking a winner can be no more than a going through the motions for form's sake, I really cannot say any one piece is better than the rest so having gorged on each and every one, I turned to the comments and tried to work out a universal favourite from them, but that led to even more procrastination as it seemed Perry had won the popular vote. Possibly. Or Holly. Or …  So I decided it had to be me and, after another read, and because WWI themes have an especial appeal,  Jim's 'The spoils of war' grabbed my attention yet again, so  that can be my final decision. Thank you one and all. 

this week’s words are:  Guinness  merge  slur

Entries by midnight Thursday 17th December, new words posted Friday 18th 

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.

Manufactured 'fun'

Several sorts of stomach-churning, neck-tingling, throat-catching brands of horror in this week's offerings and I think it is because David's 'No laughing matter' touches more on a reality I too have experienced – and fear I could again, the enforcement of others' ideas of 'enjoyment' one of the more to-be-feared facets of care in later life (Cue that Who song!!) that make it my winner this week.

Interesting divergence of opinion re Monty Python  et al; my lukewarm attitude has my sons declaring I have no sense of humour, whereas I stoutly claim it to be subtle. Thank you all for the stimulation.

 This week’s words are:  eradicate, tinsel urge

Entries by midnight Thursday 10th December, new words 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 uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

Wrapping books to Guns'n'Roses …

 … Eighteen of them – everyone's getting books from me this year, as a thank you for the services of our local independent bookshop during lockdowns – and took me nearly as long to work out the Royal Mail website for parcel collection, but all done now. Yet  to discover whether we'll be travelling to spend Christmas with child 1 and child 3.

 Today's discovery, for you, is that Terrie's The Secret Armadillo Soldier (SAS) Diaries - entry 129 is this week's winner, for the simple reason that I found it highly entertaining – and know I'm not the only one.

                                                this week’s words are:  allocate butler cushion

Entries by midnight Thursday 3rd December, new words posted Friday 4th

 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.

Taking the biscuit

 In the end it was David's trading custard creams for jewellery that elevated him into first place this week, such a smoothly-written tale, one of several contenders which took quite a lots of separating. At times it doesn't seem fair to you that each week the choice is mine, but I assume none of you are distressed enough to desert. And thank you, as ever for a week of writing and the all-important sharing of comments.

this week’s words are:  alarm contradict hump 

Entries by midnight Thursday 26th November, new words 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.

Awarding the intrepid

Breaking the rules this week (but if I can't, who can?) I'm nominating a non-writer for the top spot, courtesy of  Antonia's  ever-excellent Stop The Week; I Want To Get Off (123) in recognition of Shaun's car-buying contribution. I do, of course, thank you all for another week of entertainment, in both writing and the ever-important comments, without which this site would soon cease to sparkle.

this week’s words are:  custard emboss language  

Entries by midnight Thursday 19th November, new words 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.

Fireworks of the magic kind …

 ... is what this week brought (unlike the wider world's activities, for which much thanks.) 

And it is grateful I am for Terrie's blazing return, along with the sparkling and colourful rockets offered by the rest of you, all insisting on several re-readings to extract full enjoyment. Hard to choose, but eventually, so glad to have the back, I settled on the  'dillos, as captured in The Secret Armadillo Soldier (SAS) Diaries - entry 123.

this week’s words are:  drift camel sanguine

Entries by midnight Thursday 12th November, new words 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.

So you get your revenge …

 ... by making me have to decide on a favourite from a whole field of favourites.

With effort, I narrowed it down to four posts, from three of you, then swithered back and forth for an age, finally deciding on the basis that I read traces of my most-favoured fictional heroes in Perry's 'Hero'. But please, please, the heel-snapping rest of you, do not despair: if this was a horse race you'd all have muddy faces. 

 this week’s words are:  scalp tine vague

 Entries by midnight Thursday 5th November, new words 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.

Nothing took anyone's fancy?

Or did shyness keep you from stating a preference?  Last week's words certainly threw up a challenge (you are not alone in cursing the person who chose them!) but at least I can say, with confidence, that my favourite this week, for its elegant subversiveness, was Patricia's 'The Before Times'.

 this week’s words are:  casual  inherit salubrious 

Entries by midnight Thursday 29th October, new words posted Friday30th

 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.

Schedule for Friday 16th October

I thank you for your choice of winners from last week, while I visited what, to my husband, was the Jurassic coast, and to me was Hardy country, two books of whose referenced the hotel we'll be staying at.  

 this week’s words are: beard public rune

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.

Birds at the scarlet berries

Whatever the saying is about lots of berries meaning a hard winter, all I know is that I don't recall what has recently been identified as a whitebeam – a decades-old "free tree" opposite my kitchen window – ever having berries, never mind the quantity there this autumn. Only time - and snow - will tell.

In the meantime, I have to tell you I'm off again next week, so next Friday will schedule new prompt words and I'll ask you, once again to choose your favourite.

 This week, it's my turn, and, after two weeks off I find I'm sadly out of practice when it comes to making a decision about a winner, especially when the criteria, the factors that give pleasure vary for each and every one. In the end I decided Jim deserves a mention for his ability to keep me reading through eight episodes of 'The Box', despite the gruesome horror, but the second paragraph of Perry's 'Exiles' was so delicious that it had to be awarded first place.

 this week’s words are: proof tendon yawn

 Entries by midnight Thursday 15th October, new words posted Friday16th

  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.