Romance in France on the first of May, a challenge a day in shorts and flash fiction . It's all about what makes you write, what's fun about it, where ideas come from and take you . Follow the prompts and have a go. I was really surprised at what I discovered!

You cover your skin with the finest material.

Short poems and a wandering mind. Life and love in the twinkle of a bird's eye. "Evening light fits the cove rock, a mouthful of gold. Cormorant bathes in amber, deeply still..." #29 non-fiction, #38 poetry. #5 haiku! These are in lots of different styles, free verse, rhymes, sonnet and other forms. Thank you for all your reads, votes and comments. You bring it alive! Thank you for visiting. Call again:) Rose. words and many images copyright all rights reserved cora-2 / @ RosyCarmelina 2019 :)) cover image J J Harrison Creative Commons share alike 3.0 Wikipedia page : cuckoo

Imperial law enforcer Amaranthe Lokdon is good at her job: she can deter thieves and pacify thugs, if not with a blade, then by toppling an eight-foot pile of coffee canisters onto their heads. But when ravaged bodies show up on the waterfront, an arson covers up human sacrifices, and a powerful business coalition plots to kill the emperor, she feels a tad overwhelmed. Worse, Sicarius, the empire's most notorious assassin, is in town. He's tied in with the chaos somehow, but Amaranthe would be a fool to cross his path. Unfortunately, her superiors order her to hunt him down. Either they have an unprecedented belief in her skills... or someone wants her dead.

When Tara Blankenship’s writing assignment takes her to an “eco village” on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, she anticipates a quiet couple of weeks in a quaint setting. (She’s far too mature to use the word boring, thank you very much.) What she stumbles into is anything but quiet and quaint. Someone has been slaughtering livestock to scare the villagers, mysterious intruders are searching the property at night, and Tara finds a grisly welcome-warning on the porch of her guest cottage. To top it off, the surly neighbor nearly runs her off the road on her first day. Why are the handsome ones always such jerks? Malcolm Ashcroft is the last person a sane woman would want to deal with, but he may be the only one with the key to solving the mystery—and giving Tara the story of her career. Of course… he might also be the man behind all the trouble.

In a post-apocalyptic world, a man happens across a girl hiding in a derelict building. He pledges to take her home to Haven, a settlement that is ever growing. But he'll soon discover that Haven is a viper's nest, as he and others struggle to survive in a world without much hope. Please note that this is very much a work in progress. It's being written as I upload parts and right now, only the first part of 'episode 1' is available. I hope to upload a part at least once a week. Each episode, even though I likely won't upload entire episodes in one go, are similar to an episode on TV where each contains their own narrative thread while also pushing the overall story forward. They're also of varying lengths. Also, feedback is very much welcome. It's one of the primary reasons I'm sharing the story here, with the other reason being to find readers who enjoy my writing in the hopes that they may purchase some of my writing. That said, I'm hesitant to majorly change the 'content' of what I've already uploaded for fear of people reading a later part and wondering why there are inconsistencies. So, I'd likely take the feedback on board for future parts, unless the feedback pertains to technical errors. I'm very much willing to listen to reader feedback for future parts, though I do have a story I want to tell. Also, I've rated the story as PG-13. I'm unsure as to whether it should be rated as PG-13 or R, so I included PG-13/R in the title for that reason. Apologies if you think it's more suitable for an R rating. I realise it does deal with some heavy themes. If enough people mention I should change the rating, then I have absolutely no issue doing that.

A relic, stolen from the heart of an ancient city. An echo of nationalist violence not seen since the dark days of the Second World War. Budapest, Hungary. When a priest is murdered at the Basilica of St Stephen and the Holy Right relic is stolen, the ultra-nationalist Eröszak party calls for retribution and anti-Semitic violence erupts in the city. Dr Morgan Sierra, psychologist and ARKANE agent, finds herself trapped inside the synagogue with Zoltan Fischer, a Hungarian Jewish security advisor. As the terrorism escalates, Morgan and Zoltan must race against time to find the Holy Right and expose the conspiracy, before blood is spilled again on the streets of Budapest. One Day In Budapest is a chilling view of a possible future as Eastern Europe embraces right-wing nationalism. A conspiracy thriller for fans of Daniel Silva, where religion and politics intersect.

Note: I will post a new chapter every Friday evening EST (Saturday morning where I reside halfway around the world in Indonesia). ~ ~ ~ Return to Earth casts strong characters in a rich story of family struggle set in a pristine Earth while entangled in conspiracy and murder. Even though technology advanced, man’s mission to recolonize Earth poses countless dangers. They must confront an environment alien to their upbringing, where nature’s wrath and predators proliferate. Where man once dominated, evolution may have dealt an unfair hand. However, a sinister evil attempts to cripple the mission, subvert its leaders and terrorize the colonists. This unknown malevolence demonstrated its willingness to kill, and endangers thousands to fulfill its twisted ambitions. Follow in the footsteps of Krylon Rhae and his family as they struggle for survival in an unsullied wilderness. Krylon, a mechanical genius, and his wife Tania, with a Ph.D. in Agronomy, must overcome the challenges confronting the colonists, unmask the perpetrators and thwart their corrupt objectives. The operation to colonize Earth and reestablish humanity’s presence could flounder. These intrepid voyagers might repeat man’s earlier failure. Traversing the vast ocean of space, they may perish as so many pilgrims of old. Who will come forth as their deliverer? Of greater importance, who wants them to fail - for what end?