Hey everyone! Hope you’re all doing great! I have once again won the weekly Reedsy contest — this time with my short sci-fi story Astro Naught!
It was really great to hear that Arielle and her team over at Reedsy enjoyed my story. I often put these things out there, with no idea how well they’ll be received — so it’s lovely to find out that people actually enjoyed them.
So, a huge thank you to Arielle and her team for hosting these contests and for picking my story as this week’s winner! I really love these prompts, and highly recommend writers of all skill levels to have a go! I’ve noticed a massive improvement in my writing as a result of these weekly challenges.
Head over to Reedsy’s site to learn more about their weekly contests. (And be sure to read the other stories on there, too! There’s some brilliant pieces.)
P.S. Check back tomorrow for my entry for this week’s Reedsy contest! I wrote it whilst deliriously ill…
As with the last #BlogBattle, I wrote this piece as quickly as possible — to give it a sense of urgency. I hope the sensation translates well to the story! You can read my entry here, it’s titled Public Order.
Our eyes lock, and for an instant, I can’t breathe. I avert my gaze to the floor. Keep walking, I tell myself. Just. Keep. Walking.
I really enjoyed writing this piece, and I feel as though it’s slightly more horrific than my straightforward horror pieces — mainly because, for the most part, it’s rooted in reality, rather than fantasy.
Another nice post to be making, in between all of the scary stuff! In addition to Chris nominating me for the Liesbter Award, PJ has nominated me for the Real Neat Blog Award! First of all, thanks so much, PJ — it really means a lot! Having two of these things in a week really put a smile on my face. If you haven’t already, I heartily recommend paying PJ’s blog a visit — it’s full of incredible poetry! PJ’s words are honest and sincere, and possess a quiet profundity that I think is really rare. So be sure to check out PJ’s work!
The rules for the Real Neat Blog Award are fairly similar to the Liebster Award:
Put the award logo on your blog.
Answer the 7 questions asked by the person who nominated you.
Thank the person who nominated you and add a link to their blog.
Nominate any number of people, linking to their blogs and let them know you nominated them by commenting on their blogs.
Come up with 7 questions for the people you nominated
So, let’s answer PJ’s questions! PJ asked some really insightful questions, and I’ve tried to be as honest as possible!
What are 3 things we can’t live without?
The biologist in me wanted to start listing the technical requirements for life, but anyone can pick up a textbook and find those out. 😉 For me, I think the top three things that I couldn’t live without would be:
Love — I cannot imagine a life without my partner
Music — a life without Pink Floyd or David Bowie or The Smiths? No thanks!
Books — who’d want to live in a world where neither King nor Pratchett put pen to paper?
Who do you wish could live forever?
Stephen King! His books were the first ‘adult’ books I read, in that awkward phase between childhood and adulthood — I was searching for a novel that appealed to me, and then boom, I read The Shining. Life was never the same, for 14-year-old me! Everything King writes is (in my opinion) gold. Plus, he writes faster than I can read! I don’t know how he does it. I hope he can keep pumping out novels for ever…
What’s your biggest pet peeve?
Oh, I have so many. I guess my biggest one would be people who make loud noises in quiet places. For example: people who talk loudly in libraries, people who have conversations over their phone’s loudspeaker whilst sitting in the quiet zone of the train, people who blast obnoxious music from their car, etc. I guess my biggest pet peeve is just inconsiderate people!
Name a memory that changed you in some way and why.
Sitting in the sun with my grandmother, after we’d both been for a swim. We sat there, letting the sun dry us, talking about nothing in particular — just enjoying the good weather and each other’s company.
I think this memory taught me of what’s really important — loved ones and happiness. And the importance of just relaxing and having a moment to catch your breath!
Night owl or early bird?
Night owl by nature! The darkness just feels right — not in a spooky way, either. I guess I’m just a nyctophile! However, I’m learning to appreciate the mornings more, as I get older. I try to not sleep in too much, anymore. I’m starting to enjoy the productivity that can be found in the daylight!
If you could travel to anywhere (for free) in the world, where would you go?
I’ve done a fair bit of travelling already, but there’s still so many places that I haven’t been. It’s my goal to have visited everywhere at least once before I die. If I could pick one place right now, I guess I’d pick the Phi Phi Islands in Thailand.
Honestly? Everything. From the book I’m currently reading (Cormac McCarthy’s No Country For Old Men), to the TV series I’m watching (Disenchantment), to the music I’m currently jamming (Anthrax’s Among the Living album, Ghost’s Seven Inches of Satanic Panic EP, Foals’ latest singles from their upcoming album Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost — Part 2, and Michael Kiwanuka’s You Ain’t the Problem), to the time of year and the weather — Josh in the sunny summer has very different creative ideas compared to Josh in the blustery autumn!
My seven questions:
1) What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done? If given the chance, would you do it again?
2) If you were to meet a genie, what three things would you wish for?
3) Do you consider yourself to be an introvert or an extrovert?
4) In the future, humanity makes contact with an intergalactic alien species. You get the honour of presenting five pieces of art (music, books, TV shows, movies, etc.) — what do you pick?
5) What is the accomplishment you’re most proud of?
6) If you could rid the world of one thing, what would it be?
7) If animals could speak human languages, which species would be the rudest?
My nominations:
Gary Jefferies — not only is Gary a tremendously friendly guy, but he writes some terrific stories! Be sure to check out his work. Also, head on over to the community of writers that Gary is building with Rachael Ritchey (whom you should also check out) — BlogBattlers! They have monthly prompts, and it’s a lot of fun participating.
PMu — there’s some absolutely gorgeous artwork on this blog. Just go and have a look. Take my word for it.
Floating Gold — I found Floating Gold through the aforementioned BlogBattle. Like Gary, Floating Gold writes some amazing stories, and I cannot recommend them enough. So pop on over and have a read!
Seolin Jung — An Alien at Sea’s blog contains some amazingly creative pieces of fiction. Seolin’s work often broaches the topics of mental health and other such emotionally-charged subjects — always handled in a caring and intelligent manner. Have a read!
As with the other award nomination, there’s no pressure at all to make a response post! This is meant to be lighthearted and fun. If you do decide to make a response post, get silly with it and have fun! Have a good one!
Enjoy the adventure in space! And ask yourself: what would you do if you were stranded out in the cosmos, with no hope of rescue?
P.S. Bite-Sized Horror has taken a brief break, as I’ve had many other things to post about (such as various awards nominations, other contests, etc.) — it’ll be back next week! I didn’t want to spam all of your feeds with my gory nonsense…
Well, this is quite a nice post to be making — Chris Hewitt of Mused.Blog has nominated me for the Liebster Award! First of all, thank you very much, Chris — it really means a lot. If you haven’t visited Chris’ blog yet, I thoroughly recommend Mused.Blog — check it out! He’s got some excellent short stories and flash fiction going on.
So, what is the Liebster Award? Well, it’s essentially an award for bloggers with fewer than 200 followers (such as my blog). It’s an award given by bloggers to other bloggers — I think it’s a great way to support new bloggers and blogs that might otherwise fly under the radar.
There are a few rules to the award — answer the questions posed by the person nominating you in a post (with a link back to them), set five new questions, and nominate other bloggers wither fewer than 200 followers.
Okay! On to my answers! Chris came up with some really cool questions, so I had to give it a bit of thought… Be warned, these answers are quite lengthy! 😉
Oh no, it’s another global apocalypse. Only one book, one movie and one song will survive into the brave new world. Which do you pick?
The book would have to be Stephen King’s The Shining — it was one of the first ‘adult’ books I ever read… there are few authors who can tear your heart in two whilst absolutely terrifying you in the way that King does.
The movie would be Aliens! I love all things horror, and the original Alien is a masterclass in claustrophobic terror, but I just love James Cameron’s sequel! “Get away from her, you bitch!”
The song would be Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen. I dare anyone to listen to that song and not sing along — perfect for lifting spirits after the collapse!
Battle Royale: a T-Rex, three tigers, one hundred rats, which would win? Show your working out.
Now, that’s a good question. Buckle up for the answer!
It’s been estimated that the T-Rex had a bite force of 431,000 pounds per square inch (psi). A tiger has a bite force of 1,050 psi — which is still huge, considering that it’s twice that of a lion (we humans have a bite strength of 200 pounds). Rats are astounding creatures — they have a bite force of 24,000 psi! So, all of these creatures have the ability to puncture one another’s flesh with a reasonable amount of ferocity. The T-Rex could kill the other two in one attack, whereas the tigers would take a while to bring down the T-Rex. The rats would likely fail against the other two individually, but as a collective they might have a chance to bring down the predators.
The speed of the animals would play a large role, too. It’s been hotly debated how fast a T-Rex could run, but current estimates are around 11 and 33 miles per hour (mph). An adult tiger can run at 30 – 40 mph, so they’d easily have the advantage over the T-Rex — likely managing to get lots of quick attacks in between the Rex’s slower movements. Rats can only manage a paltry 8 mph — a good portion of their army would likely be KOd rather quickly by the predators.
You’d also have to factor in the hides of the animals, as well — how well could they withstand the attacks of the other two? I’m not an expert on this, but I’d guess that the T-Rex had very thick skin and would be able to take a lot of damage. Tigers are also fairly resilient animals, and could likely keep fighting until their last breath — but I imagine if the Rex were able to land a solid attack, it’d be an instant game over for the tiger. Rats, on the other hand, would likely face an instant death should an attack be successful against them.
Additionally, you have to consider terrain. Whose home ground is it? At the moment, I think it’s fairly even between the T-Rex and the tiger, but if the animal were in an environment to which it has adapted, I’d say that’d swing the balance.
Finally, we have to acknowledge bacteria and disease. The Rex existed at a much different time point to the tiger and the rat, so it would likely have a much different immune system. It’s well known that rats are efficient carriers of disease — if they were able to take a quick bite at the Rex, it’s probable that the prehistoric predator would not have the capabilities to deal with modern day diseases, such as the plague (yes, it’s still a thing). This might also be true of the tiger, as well — due to difference in environments.
Overall, I think it’d be close between the two predators, but the victor would likely die shortly after from infection. I think the likely winner would be the rats, due to their sheer number — a good few would perish, but I imagine one or two would escape the chaos, long enough to see the predators fall to disease.
Whew!
The Gods have chosen to remove one of your senses, in exchange, they’ll make one of your remaining senses a super-sense. Which one do you lose, and which one do you improve?
Technically, we as humans have a bucketload of senses — such as the sense to gauge time, senses for balance, senses for gravity, proprioception, etc., but I’m gonna keep it simple and stick to the basic five. (Have a google search on this topic, you can really go down the rabbit hole on our different types of senses!)
I’d choose to lose my sense of smell. It’s important for enjoying food, but I reckon it’s the one that I could do without.
I’d like to improve my hearing — imagine being able to navigate in the pitch black, using your own sonar!
You have died, bad luck! Luckily you’ve been offered the choice of being reborn at a time and location of your choosing with all your current knowledge intact. Where and when do you choose?
I’d like to go back to the mid-seventies. 1) I could see all of the awesome bands in their prime — Pink Floyd, Queen, Iron Maiden, Metallica, David Bowie, The Smiths, Joy Division etc. 2) I have a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and a master’s degree in neuroscience — I could win some Nobel prizes and be set for life with the winnings! The seventies aren’t so far back in time that scientific research would be difficult to conduct, and with knowledge of the right answers, I could focus my research.
What’s the best and worst thing about blogging?
The best thing is easily the other bloggers! I love the sense of community and the encouragement everyone gives each other.
The worst thing is the feeling of guilt I get when I can’t post or respond as quickly as I like! Sometimes, life gets in the way…
My five questions:
1) If money were of no importance, what would you be doing with your life, right now?
2) What’s your favourite genre, and why? (This can be for books, movies, or music!)
3) If you could take credit for one piece of work in history, what would it be? This could be a book, a song, a movie script, etc.
4) If you knew you would die in a year, what are the top things you’d like to do before kicking the bucket?
5) Tell me something that I (probably) don’t know! Did you know that the prominent joints on the legs of a flamingo are actually its ankles? The knees are closer to the body and are hidden by feathers!
Photo by Len on Pexels.com
My nominations:
PJ — PJ writes amazing poems, and has a real talent when it comes to making a big impact with few words. PJ’s works have an authentic rawness to them! (PJ actually nominated me for the Real Neat Blog Award, which I will be responding to soon!)
Rachel Admas — Rachel makes stunning artwork, often on paper. Her work is brilliantly original — I can’t recommend her blog enough.
The Rookery — a hypnotic blend of art, profound poetry, and general musings on life. I’m not quite sure what category The Rookery falls into, but it’s all brilliant!
There’s no pressure to make a response post, this is just a bit of fun! If you do make a response, I hope you have fun with it. The rules can be found here. Happy blogging!
The whole world seemed to hold its breath. A calm fell across the ocean, silencing the whispering waves and the crying gulls.
The waters around her were dark grey; murky and gloomy. She knew that the aquatic tranquillity was false – a temporary peace.
She trod the water, suspended between two ticks in time. The instant before had revealed a flash of black and white, a beady eye, a fin slicing the glassy waves. Then the depths had reclaimed it.
Her mind’s eye told her what was next: the strike from below, the eyes rolled white, a row of teeth.
Due to my busy schedule, this was written after the closure of last week’s CarrotRanch prompt, ‘interlude’. I had an idea for the theme, so I thought I’d write it and share it nonetheless!
Well, here we are again! It seems as though no time has passed at all, but somehow another week has gone by… This week’s theme was a celebration of legendary children’s author, Roald Dahl.
I chose prompt #5 — “Write a story infused with dark humour.” I wrote this story very quickly, as I spent the better part of the week in Prague for my brother’s stag party (the hangover was atrocious!). The title of the story is The Comicbook Kid, and you can read it here and here.
“Ralph’s parents were never the same after they died.” Continue Reading
As always, I hope you have fun reading the piece — I would have liked to work on it a bit more, but I’m happy with the story, considering how little time I invested in it!
Hey all! Hope you’ve had a good week — it’s flown by! This week’s Reedsy theme was centered around road trips!
I chose prompt #1 — “Write a story about a family road trip.” I think my story straddles the boundary between my horror and non-horror pieces of work. I’m quite pleased with it! The story is called Two Wheels to the Coast, and you can read it here.
Enjoy the short story! And think: how would you and your family fare on a road trip without a motorised vehicle?
joshuainsole.com 