Virtual Book Tour and A Real Challenge

Richard Alan’s  MEANT TO BE SERIES VIRTUAL BOOK PUBLICITY TOUR will officially begin on March 5 and end on March 23 2012. Please contact Dorothy Thompson at thewriterslife(at)gmail.com if you are interested in hosting and/or reviewing his book. Thank you!

I am so excited to be part of a Virtual Book Tour.  Each day I participate in a different interview, blog, or guest blog.  There will also be giveaways.  I will try to keep you updated by twitter of the various stops I’m making during the tour.  Click on the image below for the schedule of events.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While on tour the second challenge came out from Rachel Harrie’s Fourth Writer Platform-Building Campaign.

Prompt 1: 

Two people are sitting together under the remains of a concrete bridge. Their backs are against a rusted bridge support. One person’s leg is cut. The other person has wet hair.

Prompt 2: 

(Source)

Prompt 3

(Source)

Prompt 4

(Source)

Prompt 5

(Source)

Second Campaigner Challenge

Do one or more of the following:

1. Write a pitch/logline for a book based on the prompts (less than 100 words)
2. Write a short story/flash fiction piece of less than 200 words based on the prompts
3. Write a poem with a twist using the prompts as inspiration (in less than 200 words)
4. Write a story/poem in five sentences, each sentence based on one of the prompts
5. Write a poem/flash fiction piece (in less than 200 words) about the water pear *without* using the words “pear”, “spoon”, or “droplet”.

Here is my entry:

Two people are sitting together under the remains of a concrete bridge. Their backs are against a rusted bridge support. One person’s leg is cut. The other person has wet hair.  Three children are in the midst of a large garbage dump.

“It’s not a bad cut,” he told his sister.  “Besides, the rain has almost stopped.  I see another garbage truck coming.  We better get out there and see if there’s something for us to eat.  I’m so hungry, my belly aches.”

On the other side of the world, my son runs along the pier chasing his ball.   He has thoughts of the cotton candy he ate at the fair yesterday.   He doesn’t worry about hunger and if anything, he could stand to lose a few pounds.

How will he react when he is kidnapped?  How will he manage to exist when he is left on a garbage dump on the other side of the world, to fend for himself?  After a life of not knowing hunger, will he have the physical and social skills to join with the other children in a desperate attempt to survive?

I welcome your critique of this piece.  Flash fiction is very new to me.  Now I can go and read other people’s entries.  There were so many wonderful flash fictions stories from the first challenge.  It was fascinating how many different themes came out of the same input.  I expect to see that here also and I’m really looking forward to it.

Until next time – Happy Reading!

Richard Alan

Challenge Accepted

I wrote in my last blog that I was participating in the Fourth Writer’s Platform-Building Challenge.   Today @RachelHarrie posted the first challenge.

“Write a short story/flash fiction story in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, including a poem.

Begin the story with the words, “Shadows crept across the wall”. These five words will be included in the word count. If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional), do one or more of these:

• end the story with the words: “everything faded.” (also included in the word count)

• include the word “orange” in the story

• write in the same genre you normally write

• make your story 200 words exactly!”

Being someone who never backs away from a challenge, following is my 200 word entry.

*  *  *

Shadows crept across the wall.  The orange sun set.  She was nervous.  Her fiancé was coming home.  They hadn’t seen each other since entering the Army.  The last time, eighteen months ago, was in Fiji, spent mostly in swimsuits.  She was proud of her looks, which made heads turn.

She drove Army trucks until the IED.  Badly burned, it was a miracle she survived.  Her soft skin was replaced with scar tissue.  What would he think?  She desperately wanted to be held by him.  Would he want to spend their lives together now?  She had written him about her disfiguration, suggesting he reconsider their relationship.

He replied that they would talk when he got home.

His car pulled up.  Looking sad, he walked to the door with a pronounced limp.  She opened it.  He immediately threw his arms around her, kissing her.

“I have something to show you,” he said, revealing titanium leg braces.  “I lost my legs below the knee.  If you want to breakup, I’ll understand.”

“Look at me.  What do you see?”

“I see the woman I want to marry.  And you?”

Crying, she replied, “I see my strong legged fiancé.”

Except for their love, everything faded.

*  *  *

This was a very interesting assignment.  My first draft was 483 words.   I didn’t think there was any way this story could be edited down to 200 words without loosing its essence.  It took me a while, but I did it.  A lot of words can be superfluousness.  Live and learn.

*  *  *

My next blog will have three book reviews and more helpful links.  Happy reading!

Richard Alan

CONGRATULATIONS! And the winner is…

CONGRATULATIONS to Christopher Belton @ BeltonWriter for winning the signed copies of  MEANT TO BE and THE COUPLES.  Christopher, please contact me with mailing instructions (DM using Twitter).  As an added bonus all subscribers to this blog will receive a Smashwords coupon for a free download of MEANT TO BE.  Anyone signing up for the blog between now and the end of this month (February 29 – Yeah leap year) will receive the same free coupon for a MEANT TO BE download.  Sign up in the box one column over.

*****AUTHOR PARTICIPATION*****

  

Fourth Writers’ Platform-Building Campaign

I am very excited to be participating in the Fourth Writers’ Platform-Building Campaign.  It is running now until March 17.  The campaign is the brain-child of writer and blogger, Rachael Harrie.  She states in her current blog:

“My Writers’ Platform-Building Campaigns are a way to link writers, aspiring authors, beginner bloggers, industry people, and published authors together with the aim of helping to build our online platforms.

The Campaigners are all people in a similar position, who genuinely want to pay it forward, make connections and friends within the writing community, and help build each others’ online platforms while at the same time building theirs.”

This is a super idea!  For more information and to enroll, click Fourth Writers’ Platform-Building Campaign.

* * * * *

I will also be participating in a Pump Up Your Book: Virtual Book Publicity Tour during the month of March.  I will be tweeting my locations on Twitter, so be sure to follow me @VillageDrummerF.  Visit Pump Up Your Book! for more information about virtual tours.

I will be blogging about both of these experiences as they take place.  Advice from anyone who has experienced these networking events is very welcome!

Happy Reading to All,

Richard Alan

Website

Facebook

Blog