Here is a list of all the authors flashing this week, along with a brief snippet from their latest free work. Click the link after the snippet to be taken to the complete story on the author’s home page.
The next day I tossed and turned, only managing a little sleep. One of the downsides of working odd hours meant I passed the daylight hours buried under the covers, taking full advantage of my awesome blackout drapes. It didn’t hurt that my windows faced west—thank you, Damien for that! After my grandma passed, I inherited her shotgun-style house. While it was cute, it needed work, and I didn’t have the time or energy for repairs. Then, along came Katrina, and well, it was more cost-effective to bulldoze it than rebuild it. Damien had a fabulous mansion . . .
In Pieces #35 (9.1) by Julie Lynn Hayes
Once they ate their fill of the expensive finger foods—lobster en croute, caviar, and smoked salmon alongside nachos topped with pork and cheese and jalapeno poppers, as well as small chocolate cakes sprinkled with gold leaf, not to mention glasses of undoubtedly expensive champagne—they finished breaking down their equipment and loaded it. Ryan insisted on helping. He didn’t want to be dead weight. He might not be a member of the band, but as far as he was concerned, he was one of them, and not some delicate author who had to be cared for. With everyone’s help, everything was loaded in a short time.
Once they were finished and had made their farewells to their hosts, Deacon and Keanu took the van, and everyone else piled into Cameron’s sedan, Aiden again behind the wheel, with Abby sitting shotgun, and Ben and Ryan in the back seat.
Click here to read the entire Brief:
Adrift: Chapter 22 by J. Alan Veerkamp
Plodding barefoot across the cargo bay’s riveted metal floor was oddly comforting instead of outright painful. Every little sensation brought him a touch of joy and pleasure. A sure sign the Syn lurked under the surface. That and Arad found himself evaluating the DemiShou in an entirely inappropriate way. Not that he hand’t noticed before, but he seemed slightly obsessed with how the cryotubes’ transparent faces allowed near complete peepshow views of their inhabitants.
Shichi’s scales looked coarse, like rows and rows of serrated edges. Almost as if they could score patterns into another person’s bare skin.
Click here to read the entire Brief:
Denied: Chapter Sixty-five by Cia Nordwell
“What did you do, Kohen?” Captain stood, approaching the navigation console and looking at the screen. He frowned. “You know I can override this lock out. It’s a maintenance code.”
“I know.” I shook my head once, tilting it. “Did you really think I would try to stop you?”
Captain turned slowly without changing out heading, even though we were going to jump soon if he didn’t. “I don’t know. You’re not acting like yourself, and that bothers me. Especially after… what happened.” He glanced around.
“The supply run is not safe. Deke doesn’t need those guns.” I shot him
Wednesday Briefs 