Six-Word Stories - Prompting your way to MicroFiction
James Fahy & Beverley Lee :
The King & Queen of Bookstagram ♚♛
If you're on Bookstagram (Instagram's book lovers community), then you have probably crossed paths with James Fahy (@jamesfahyauthor) and/or Beverley Lee (@theconstantvoice) at some point or another. Not only are they two of the nicest people you'll ever interact with, they also write books, raise animals, interact with their followers consistently and support everyone in the community in whatever bookish endeavor they may have.
They inspired the minds of Bookstagram in February with their first 6 WORD STORY prompt challenge listed below. I was an active participant and had a BLAST trying to come up with good stories. After taking the month of March off to work on their upcoming individual books (continue below for a list of their books w/synopses), they're back at it again - with a new challenge ready for the willing starting on April 1st (no foolin')!
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| February challenge April challenge |
Use the prompts on the right (where it says April challenge 😉) and join in the fun!
Here are some examples from February's challenge - a mix of James, Bev's and I... take of it what you will 😈:
Haven't had the pleasure of coming across James or Beverley? Well that simply won't do! I've read all of their books and can truthfully say (and I'm always right 😉) that they are ALL good! Not big on trust? No problem! Scroll down and see the blurbs of all their books (CLICK TITLES to see my reviews) and decide for yourself if it's your cup of tea (or shot of absinthe), links to my reviews and keep an eye on this space for their upcoming work.
Let's start with the legendary James Fahy. Writer of Fantasy and Paranormal Fiction/Urban Gothic Novel. He writes two series concurrently - The Changeling Series and The Phoebe Harkness Series.
"James is traditionally published, represented by The Ampersand Literary Agency in Oxford and both the Changeling and Harkness books have been published by Venture Press, the digital imprint of London publishers Endeavour Press. Although he is very active on social media with promotions and competitions, and enjoys supporting indie authors and their work wherever possible.
He lives in the North of England amongst moors and wind turbines, with his extremely patient family, an excitable Akita and a very old cat.
When not writing or playing on social media, he cooks a lot, and occasionally sleeps." (This blurb taken straight from his website: https://jamesfahyauthor.wordpress.com/ - go check him out!)
The Changeling Series:
Isle of Winds is the first installment in a Middle-Grade age fantasy series
Robin Fellows lives with his grandmother and lives what appears to be a rather ordinary life for a normal twelve year old boy.
But when Robin’s Gran dies, quite suddenly and a bit mysteriously, his world is turned upside down. A long lost relative comes out of the woodwork and whisks him away to a mysterious new home, Erlking Hall, a quiet estate in the solitary countryside of Lancashire.
Suddenly Robin must adjust to his new reality. But reality is no longer what he thought it was…
Erlking has many secrets – as do his newly found Great-Aunt Irene and her servants. After a strange encounter on the train and meeting a cold, eerie man on the platform, Robin begins to notice odd happenings at Erlking.
There is more than meets the eye to this old, rambling mansion.
Little does he know that there is more than meets the eye to himself.
Robin is the world’s last Changeling. He is descended from a mystic race of Fae-people, whose homeland, the Netherworlde, is caught in the throes of a terrible civil war.
Not only this, but in this new world there is a magical force that has infiltrated the human realm.
Before he can wrench power from the malevolent hands of the Netherworlde’s fearsome tyrant leader, Lady Eris, he must first search for the truth about himself and the ethereal Towers of Arcania.
The first installment of The Changeling Series, Isle of Winds is an engrossing tale written in the traditions of high fantasy story-telling while carving out a magical new realm. It is perfect for fans of The Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter series.
The Drowned Tomb. War is coming. The summer heat is sweltering, and the young changeling, Robin Fellows, awaits further training. He has gained much skill in the Shard of Air, but what is coming next? After his previous tutor was revealed to be an agent of the mortal enemy of all Fae, Lady Eris, Robin is assigned a new mentor to continue his magical learning. Enter Calypso, a water nymph and member of the race of Panthea that also inhabit the mysterious, enchanted Netherworlde. Her job: to instruct Robin in the Shard of Water, a powerful magic with which the user can cast huge bolts of ice and command entire oceans to bear down his or her will. But all is not well at Erlking Hall, and war is fast approaching the Netherworlde. More agents of Lady Eris are in pursuit of young Robin, the Scion of the Arcania and last Changeling in the world. They’re out for the Shard of Water as well. And they’ll stop at nothing to find it, no matter who gets in their way…
What follows is a spellbinding journey, as Robin and company navigate once more the enchanting and at times terrifying Netherworlde. The Drowned Tomb is the mesmerizing second instalment of James Fahy’s bestselling Changeling series. Perfect for fans of High Fantasy storytelling and fae mythology, this sequel to Isle of Winds is a must have.
Book 3 - Chains of Gaia - coming Spring 2017!
Robin Fellows lives with his grandmother and lives what appears to be a rather ordinary life for a normal twelve year old boy.
But when Robin’s Gran dies, quite suddenly and a bit mysteriously, his world is turned upside down. A long lost relative comes out of the woodwork and whisks him away to a mysterious new home, Erlking Hall, a quiet estate in the solitary countryside of Lancashire.
Suddenly Robin must adjust to his new reality. But reality is no longer what he thought it was…
Erlking has many secrets – as do his newly found Great-Aunt Irene and her servants. After a strange encounter on the train and meeting a cold, eerie man on the platform, Robin begins to notice odd happenings at Erlking.
There is more than meets the eye to this old, rambling mansion.
Little does he know that there is more than meets the eye to himself.
Robin is the world’s last Changeling. He is descended from a mystic race of Fae-people, whose homeland, the Netherworlde, is caught in the throes of a terrible civil war.
Not only this, but in this new world there is a magical force that has infiltrated the human realm.
Before he can wrench power from the malevolent hands of the Netherworlde’s fearsome tyrant leader, Lady Eris, he must first search for the truth about himself and the ethereal Towers of Arcania.
The first installment of The Changeling Series, Isle of Winds is an engrossing tale written in the traditions of high fantasy story-telling while carving out a magical new realm. It is perfect for fans of The Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter series.
The Phoebe Harkness Series:
New Oxford.
A third of the human population has been lost.
The wars came, and they created a monster. The Pale, a subhuman, vampire-like drone. Then they lost control.
In the thirty years that followed, humankind sought to rebuild itself within the walls of New Oxford.
But society had become fractured – humans now lived incongruously among Genetic Others, themselves a group of many subspecies.
The most dangerous of them all: the vampires.
Somehow, these groups have managed a peaceful co-existence under the controlling government influence of the Cabal. But that is all about to change…
When Phoebe Harkness receives a phone call in the middle of the night, things take a turn to the horrifying. Her supervisor at Blue Lab One, a high-security research facility, has gone missing.
And all that is left behind: her teeth.
Dr Harkness now finds herself in a race against time to stop further bloodshed and uncover the mystery behind the victims of this horrific crime. She must navigate the dark underworld of the vampire community, without becoming someone’s prey herself…
But she is not alone – on her side, against all odds, is another vampire. Together they must fight for answers before it’s too late…
Hell’s Teeth is the gripping first instalment of the urban gothic Phoebe Harkness series. It follows the young doctor as she stalks through the corrupt dystopia of New Oxford.
A third of the human population has been lost.
The wars came, and they created a monster. The Pale, a subhuman, vampire-like drone. Then they lost control.
In the thirty years that followed, humankind sought to rebuild itself within the walls of New Oxford.
But society had become fractured – humans now lived incongruously among Genetic Others, themselves a group of many subspecies.
The most dangerous of them all: the vampires.
Somehow, these groups have managed a peaceful co-existence under the controlling government influence of the Cabal. But that is all about to change…
When Phoebe Harkness receives a phone call in the middle of the night, things take a turn to the horrifying. Her supervisor at Blue Lab One, a high-security research facility, has gone missing.
And all that is left behind: her teeth.
Dr Harkness now finds herself in a race against time to stop further bloodshed and uncover the mystery behind the victims of this horrific crime. She must navigate the dark underworld of the vampire community, without becoming someone’s prey herself…
But she is not alone – on her side, against all odds, is another vampire. Together they must fight for answers before it’s too late…
Hell’s Teeth is the gripping first instalment of the urban gothic Phoebe Harkness series. It follows the young doctor as she stalks through the corrupt dystopia of New Oxford.
What do you do when your world is turned upside down?
When you discover your father had a direct hand in the genocide of much of the world’s human population?
Phoebe Harkness’ life has changed forever. Thirty years after a cataclysmic world war that eviscerated one third of the human population, a new sub-species of vampire-like drones has set its teeth to the survivors of humanity.
They’re not the only ones: ‘Genetic Others’ such as vampires, werewolves and more roam the streets of New Oxford, trying – and sometimes failing – to live peacefully amongst humankind.
But that is all about to change.
A spate of serial killings have occurred, rocking the already fragile ecosystem of New Oxford.
Brutal murders and mutilation are now commonplace.
Phoebe must get to work. She is named as liaison between the Genetic Others and the Cabal, the ruling order of the walled city.
She must negotiate with the Tribals, a subset of werewolves cast aside by the cultural hegemony of the Cabal.
But before she can make any progress with the Tribal leader, Kane, she learns of more murders – and three missing students. And Kane’s daughter is among the missing…
One of the victims leaves a message in blood: ‘Crescent Moon’.
Now Phoebe must act urgently with the help of Kane and her former paramour, vampire Allesandro to track down the culprit of these horrific killings.
But who is conducting all of these strange happenings behind the scenes?
And what does it have to do with the Crescent Moon…?
Crescent Moon is the gripping second instalment of the urban gothic Phoebe Harkness series. It follows the young doctor as she stalks through the corrupt dystopia of New Oxford.
When you discover your father had a direct hand in the genocide of much of the world’s human population?
Phoebe Harkness’ life has changed forever. Thirty years after a cataclysmic world war that eviscerated one third of the human population, a new sub-species of vampire-like drones has set its teeth to the survivors of humanity.
They’re not the only ones: ‘Genetic Others’ such as vampires, werewolves and more roam the streets of New Oxford, trying – and sometimes failing – to live peacefully amongst humankind.
But that is all about to change.
A spate of serial killings have occurred, rocking the already fragile ecosystem of New Oxford.
Brutal murders and mutilation are now commonplace.
Phoebe must get to work. She is named as liaison between the Genetic Others and the Cabal, the ruling order of the walled city.
She must negotiate with the Tribals, a subset of werewolves cast aside by the cultural hegemony of the Cabal.
But before she can make any progress with the Tribal leader, Kane, she learns of more murders – and three missing students. And Kane’s daughter is among the missing…
One of the victims leaves a message in blood: ‘Crescent Moon’.
Now Phoebe must act urgently with the help of Kane and her former paramour, vampire Allesandro to track down the culprit of these horrific killings.
But who is conducting all of these strange happenings behind the scenes?
And what does it have to do with the Crescent Moon…?
Crescent Moon is the gripping second instalment of the urban gothic Phoebe Harkness series. It follows the young doctor as she stalks through the corrupt dystopia of New Oxford.
Book 3 - Pale Children - coming 2017
Both the Changeling series and the Harkness books have been released in second edition anthologies: the Changeling anthology containing over 50 pages of bonus background material on the Netherworlde.
In addition to these two main series, James is also working on a short fiction compilation project, and a stand-alone novel. (as yet untitled)
I present to you, the beautiful and talented, Beverley Lee. (Keep an eye out next week for my Q&A with this lovely sparkle of joy!)
From as far back as she can remember, Beverley Lee has always been in thrall to the written word. Her earliest memories are of books and how they made her feel. She spent most of her formative years with her nose between the pages, or at the local library, devouring books, and losing herself in the worlds of fantasy and adventure. She was that child who would always try to find Narnia at the back of any available wardrobe. Even now the smell of paper in a bookshop makes her feel like she is eight again.
Her writing journey began at the age of seven, when she created terrible, but enthusiastically written, cliché ridden pony stories, complete with illustrations, for her long suffering teacher. But she can’t remember a time when she didn’t make up stories in her head, even when there was no chance to write them down.The closest thing to magic that she knows is creating characters and new worlds that never existed before. She loves the way the images and voices take form, and the way they take on a life of their own as the words spill out. Beverley is very much drawn to the darker side of fiction and the shadowy place between light and darkness where nothing is quite as it seems. She loves flawed characters – they have a depth and a tantalising wealth of possibility.
Inspiration comes in many forms - a snippet of conversation, a stranger on the street, a song lyric fleetingly heard. Life is inspiration. The very best story is the one you have to tell.
She is a people watcher, a dreamer, a lover of nature and simple things. She collects feathers, picks up seashells and likes to run her fingers over old stone. There’s history there. Stories just waiting to be discovered.The best way to grow is to support other people and she is passionate about helping other writers as they begin their journey. (Blurb taken straight from her website: http://beverleylee.com/)
The Gabriel Davenport Series:
In a house built on truth something lays hidden.
Beth and Stu Davenport moved to the English hillside town of Meadowford Bridge to give their young son, Gabriel, an idyllic, rural childhood. But in a single evening, the Davenports' dream is shattered by a hidden, ancient darkness-- and their lives are forever changed.
Years later, Gabriel Davenport, now a capable, curious young man, makes the ill-fated decision to go looking for answers about his mysterious past. As soon as he begins his quest, his life becomes a place of shadows. The people he loves and trusts are acting abnormally. The strange woman who lives upstairs is even more haunted than usual. Even his most trusted friend seems to be hiding something.
As one fateful night deepens, and the line blurs between darkness and light, Gabriel must confront the terrible events that destroyed his family all those years ago. He is faced with a choice: continue living the life that was never his to begin with, or give himself over to a terrifying new reality more sinister than anything he's ever known.
The darkness is watching.
Beth and Stu Davenport moved to the English hillside town of Meadowford Bridge to give their young son, Gabriel, an idyllic, rural childhood. But in a single evening, the Davenports' dream is shattered by a hidden, ancient darkness-- and their lives are forever changed.
Years later, Gabriel Davenport, now a capable, curious young man, makes the ill-fated decision to go looking for answers about his mysterious past. As soon as he begins his quest, his life becomes a place of shadows. The people he loves and trusts are acting abnormally. The strange woman who lives upstairs is even more haunted than usual. Even his most trusted friend seems to be hiding something.
As one fateful night deepens, and the line blurs between darkness and light, Gabriel must confront the terrible events that destroyed his family all those years ago. He is faced with a choice: continue living the life that was never his to begin with, or give himself over to a terrifying new reality more sinister than anything he's ever known.
The darkness is watching.
A Shining in the Shadows. (publishing 4/7/17)
Gabriel Davenport has been remade from darkness. Now, he must adapt to survive .
In a small seaside town, Gabriel's maker unwittingly takes his wards into the throes of a deadly new game. There are rumblings on The Bloodvyne, the mental web of linked vampire consciousness. Whispers about a cleansing, about the ruling council hunting vampires with impure blood.
Gabriel finds himself thrust into a new nightmare, where the hunter becomes the hunted. When his maker is taken, he must battle to untangle the mystifying clues laid out in an uncovered labyrinth to find the only creature strong enough to fight against those that hunt his new-found family.
Gaze long into the darkness, and you'll find old vampire foes out for revenge, new ones with their own agenda, and a witch who holds the key. But just who is the monster in the middle?
In a small seaside town, Gabriel's maker unwittingly takes his wards into the throes of a deadly new game. There are rumblings on The Bloodvyne, the mental web of linked vampire consciousness. Whispers about a cleansing, about the ruling council hunting vampires with impure blood.
Gabriel finds himself thrust into a new nightmare, where the hunter becomes the hunted. When his maker is taken, he must battle to untangle the mystifying clues laid out in an uncovered labyrinth to find the only creature strong enough to fight against those that hunt his new-found family.
Gaze long into the darkness, and you'll find old vampire foes out for revenge, new ones with their own agenda, and a witch who holds the key. But just who is the monster in the middle?
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