Thursday, January 24, 2008

An Invitation

A second invitation to submit a flash fiction piece for our Valentine's Day challenge. Mystery Dawg will post all stories from writers without sites of their own on Powder Burn. Both of us will list links to all the stories. Nice to keep it to around 700 wrds and maybe tie love and crime in a big red bow. We have about ten or so writers, but we want more. Come on. You know you want to. Would it be Valentine's Day without some mayhem.

Reading Sideswipe by Charles Willeford, the third Hoke Moseley. Does anyone have a better voice? Okay, maybe Ken Bruen but not many others. He can make you laugh and cry in the same sentence. Whose voice lights up your nights?

9 comments:

Gerald So said...

I didn't see your invite a week ago, but I'll give it a try. Is the posting day Valentine's Day?

pattinase (abbott) said...

Great, Gerald. Post it on that day but let us know the title ahead of time and we can post that with the link. Should be fun.

Sandra Ruttan said...

Shame - I'm theoretically south of the border then, with no internet.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Have a safe trip. I'll be wishing well for you.

Anonymous said...

Favorite stylists include Avram Davidson, Guy Davenport, Anthony Burgess, Ambrose Bierce and Saki (the last two childhood favorites I still will think of in this context). The clean, lean prose of Damon Knight and Vivian Gornick when they are in those moods. The evocation of Kate Wilhelm and Joyce Carol Oates. Fritz Leiber, Jorge Luis Borges (particularly as translated by himself in collaboration). Hammett.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Some new and interesting names here.
How about Richard Yates, Russell Banks, the early Anne Tyler, the early Alice Munro.
Oh, Anthony Burgess. I loved Earthly Powers. Bierce was amazing.
Never heard of Leiber, shame on me.

Anonymous said...

See Ed Gorman's note on NewImprovedEdGorman on the Lewton Unit films, in which he discusses Leiber's early story "Smoke Ghost." He'd be important for that alone. But also there's such novels as CONJURE WIFE, YOU'RE ALL ALONE, OUR LADY OF DARKNESS, and THE BIG TIME...and so many other short stories, and the occasional play for voices in semi-prose form. Meanwhile, I've been meaning to read more of your quartet, but it's been bare-bones for all but Banks, and only a few of his.

Graham Powell said...

I will try to have a story, but don't count on me unless I tell you I'm done.

My current favorite stylist is Ray Banks. He has a really strong voice.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Graham- We'll be glad to have it if you have the time. Frankly, I don't know how you get anything done with keeping this thing afloat.