She liked the #vespers held in the park. She could actually attend the evening service because it wasn't held on church-guarded holy ground, but she could appreciate nature's peace. The darkness also made it easy to pick up a snack afterward.

Inspiration: vespers
Potential: low
Notes: Eh, it's a vampire thing. Although I like the whimsical nature of the character, this isn't particularly a story idea in itself. And she does appreciate nature and creation, still.

The #impact of the sword in her gut was so slight that she didn't even feel the pain for a moment, just a sharp, searing heat. Steam hissed as her flesh quenched the blade.
"Ah, yes, this is a good one," the smith said, smiling.
"Will she live?"
"Maybe. Who cares?"

Inspiration: impact
Potential: high
Notes: She does live, maybe because the person who asked cared enough to try and save her. And she does have a weird magical link to this evil (well, it's forged that way, at least) sword, which would complicate some things.

One of my favorites, great for using CSA spinach, sorrel, and/or cherry tomatoes.





Chicken Piccata-ish

4-6 chicken cutlets*
2 T. vegetable oil
salt
pepper
1/4 c. flour
1/3 c. white wine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. chicken broth
2 T. lemon juice
1 1/2 T. capers, drained
1-2 c. rinsed and chopped spinach and sorrel** mix, or baby spinach
2 T. butter
1 fresh lime, sliced thinly and seeds removed
1 lb. spaghetti
olive oil


* I got this many cutlets from one large but not monstrous chicken breast, by dividing the thin part in half and the thick part in thirds. Your mileage may vary. It's easiest to make cutlets when the chicken breast is still slightly frozen in the center, and then to thaw completely before cooking.
** The spinach and sorrel was from our CSA share. Sorrel is a very tasty citrusy green (that can be used from its stem to its leaf), but spinach alone will also work well.

1. Start water boiling to cook spaghetti. Prepare spaghetti while finishing the rest of the steps, and add butter or olive oil to the spaghetti before serving.
2. Heat oil in saute pan.
3. Season cutlets well with salt and pepper, then coat with flour. Once oil is hot, add cutlets to pan. Cook 2-3 minutes on first side, flip and cook 1-2 minutes on second side, or until golden brown. Transfer to plate and cover to keep warm.
4. Add wine to pan and stir quickly to deglaze. Add minced garlic. Cook until garlic is golden brown and wine has reduced, about 2 minutes.
5. Add broth, lemon juice, capers, and spinach/sorrel. Cook until greens wilt.
6. Add cutlets back in and cook for about 1 1/2 minutes, just to warm them up.
7. Add butter and sliced citrus fruit. Cook just until butter melts.
8. Serve on top of spaghetti. Yum!

Notes: This is a really quick recipe--about 1/2 hr, including prep. The chopping and slicing can be done pretty easily while other stages are going on, and it takes hardly any time to cook. It makes a very strong sauce--a little bit goes a long way flavor-wise, which is why it is served on top of spaghetti that already has olive oil or butter in it. I really liked this recipe; I think it's pretty fantastic.

If you want more sauce, you can double the liquids and at the very, very end add in 1 Tbsp. cornstarch mixed with 1 Tbsp. water, stirring constantly until sauce thickens. But then the sauce can be a bit overwhelming.

Tomato Variation
Omit spinach. Instead, use 1 small package of cherry tomatoes, chopped in half. Add with the butter at the end of the recipe. Excellent for midsummer.

Every #harvest was hard work for the farmer. When the harvest was bountiful, she worked in the field every day. When the harvest was small, she trolled the highways for field fertilizer, looking for hitchhikers and vagrants and stalled cars.

Inspiration: harvest vss365
Potential: high
Notes: This is basically a complete microfiction. Could be amped up, rewritten a little, more show less tell. And seasonal!

Between the holidays, the kids’ school stuff, and various minor crises, I’ve been kept pretty busy with non-writing stuff. This is not the first year that I’ve ended up doing a Nov/Dec market list newsletter; I should really just make that the annual plan!

But! On Sunday, I wrote the highest number of words in a day that I’ve managed so far on my current SF work-in-progress. Why? Well, I had a critique group submission deadline and I wanted to finish the chapter and submit it. Who says critique groups aren’t useful?!?

And I should share my own awards eligibility post! I had one new short story published this year, “Beck’s Pest Control and the Case of the Drag Show Downer.” Beck has an unconventional pest control service, a client struggling with a fame-hungry poltergeist, and a daughter having trouble finding friends at her new Deaf school. It’s just another day in the life of a single mom.
“Beck’s Pest Control and the Case of the Drag Show Downer”



“Entertaining” – Locus
“Genuinely exactly what I needed after a stressful month-and-change.” – E. Taft

Published in PodCastle on June 21, 2022, 6,090 words, available in audio and print.

The #stranger was polite, even covered his mouth and turn to the side to spit. Doc found no sign of the suppurating sores that mark the afflicted, so we let him in. Then he spat pus that had no external source.

"It's in my soul, you see."

#horrorprompt #vss365 #prompt

Inspiration: suppurating + stranger
Story potential: Medium
Notes: I do like the idea of a pestilence where the worst is what you can't see.

I #permute the summoning spell a little each time, hoping to catch an angel as yet unfallen. I tell myself the price is necessary. Only an angel can save us. But my garden grows with pretty maids all in a row, and the shovel is heavier each grave I dig. #amwriting #vss365 #prompt

Inspiration: #permute
Story potential: Low.
Notes: This is good, but it isn't actually a story idea.

"Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?" she asked coyly. Then, as her fingers explored the bulge in his pocket, she frowned. "Wait, what is this? Is it a gun?"

He sighed and pulled out his pocket knife. His personalized, gun-shaped pocket knife.

"Whoa!" she said, backing off. "I'm not--into that kind of thing. I mean, no offense, but maybe we're not so compatible after all."

"I'm not either," he hurried to assure her. "The reason I have this is kind of a long story, but--"

Inspiration: That exact item in the Lilian Vernon catalog. LOL.
Story potential: Medium.
Notes: I kinda want to know the story, too. Like, is he some kind of spook or special forces? Is this a family thing?

Right here, right now, is all we got. I tell myself that because I hate the part that comes next. The flying, mostly. The being shot at is bad, too, but if they don't hit you you don't even notice it. If they do hit you, you're dead. The explosions take some getting used to, and I'm pretty sure I have some kind of PTSD, but I can still shove it down and ignore it. For now. No, it's really the flying. I must be the only superhero who, when they found out that they had an ace power, broke down and wept with terror. I hate heights, you see. It's why I learned how to backfly. People think I'm showing off, but it's really that I can't stand to look down. If I'm looking at the clouds, I can pretend I'm floating on the ocean.

Inspiration: An anthology call for superhero stories, looked up the art and it was all flying folks.
Story potential: High.
Notes: Eh. Could be interesting to have a whole team of conflicted superheroes who support each other and understand and etc., but one on it's own not as much. Actually, waitaminit, that makes it high potential. Yeah. I like it.

The mini-bats came at night, small swarms that could be stopped by mosquito netting but nothing else. Window screens did not keep them out, though soon enough we started lining the windows with mosquito netting as well, and draping layers of mosquito nets in makeshift hallways guests had to walk through to reach our homes. Still, we all became listless and tired from the blood loss. Our saviors from the mini-bats ended up being actual bats, bred from the DNA samples impregnated in mice and hand-raised to stay near human habitation. They took to eating their smaller lookalikes as readily as they would insects, and slowly we started to regain our strength. The child mortality rate went down.


Inspiration: Pokemon Go zubat
Story potential: Low.
Notes: Meh