Story A Day 12-14, zombies, sky and mothers

* In case you can't find the other links, I've removed the stories from online so I can publish them elsewhere.

Catching up for Story A Day for May so there're three stories and an amazing video.

Today's prompt is to finish Sam's Story. Sam just got a dream promotion, or so he/she thinks....

# 14
Sam's Story
by Christine Verstraete

The dream job Sam had wanted was finally within reach.

Any other time she would've jumped at the chance...

She took the letter from the envelope and read it once more.

All her hard work had finally paid off. All those hours and late night meetings.

Lead, it said. No more late nights. The opportunity to do more of the kind of projects she liked.

With a sigh, Sam crumpled the envelope and threw it on the floor.

It was too late now. Joke's on her.

Hands on the trigger, she held tight to the gun and peered through the upper window at the throng of zombies surrounding what was left of the mail delivery person, hoping they'd go away soon, hoping they'd go to some other house.

(c) 2013 C. Verstraete

* 128 words
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(A change of pace - loved this when I saw it!)



#13

Above

by Christine Verstraete

From my perch above, all is beauty.

Dots of light become stars on earth. Seas are spots of azure. The land is green and bright.

No decay, no death, no war.

Perfection.

(c) 2013 C. Verstraete

* 32 words

 - inspired by the beautiful photos and song of Canadian Astronaut and Commander Chris Hadfield.

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#12

... A mother's love never dies...

Mother's Day

by Christine Verstraete

No one expected the virus to do this.

No one.

Those who died came back and wandered the earth. Hungry, devouring, unexpected.

But the babies... so innocent, so precious.

When they began undying, panic set in. No one knew what to do.

I took them in.

I looked at my hungry charges, their faces gray, their eyes a milky white.

I filled the baby bottle with liquid protein made from raw meat. Disgusting, but necessary. The zombie baby grabbed it eagerly and began to suck.

It worked... for now. I wasn't sure how I'd handle it if they stayed alive and undead, if they continued to grow and thrive.

For now, I cared for them like any mother would, smiling when the baby's tiny hand caressed my cheek.

(c) 2013 C. Verstraete

* 128 words

Miniatures Monday - Victorian-style cabinet

This is one of those wood cabinets from Michaels. I want to fill it with a bunch of different type boxes. I decorated it with scrapbook paper on the back and top, then glued Victorian lady figures on the front and inner doors that I found at The Graphics Fairy.

 I love how this came out!  There is lace on the shelves and the shelf edge. I put Victorian lady stickers on the back walls. I replaced the knobs with regular dollhouse knobs that I painted white.

Next, I want to decorate another cabinet with a large door and a pole inside to hang miniature clothes. These will go in the display room for my miniature ladies' shoppe that I'm planning. More minis are at my website.

New zombie book bookmarks, GIRL Z: My Life as a Teenage Zombie

I had to share! Just got my bookmarks for GIRL Z: My Life as a Teenage Zombie. Aren't they cool?? (minus the fingerprint of course!)

The black is glossy in front which is kind of neat. Stay tuned for a giveaway with some other stuff.

Blueberry Muffins, a treasure among the Vikings? Yes, in The Buttersmiths' Gold

Taking a break between A Story A Day to share this book  - a cute concept! Check out the trailer at the end and be sure to enter the contest for an Amazon gift card!

The Buttersmiths' Gold

BATTLES. BLUEBERRIES. BOVINES.

TORBJORN AND STORFJELL’S HISTORY UNFOLDS IN AN EPIC Evertaster NOVELLA.

Everyone knows the most coveted treasure of the Viking Age was blueberry muffins. Blueberry muffins so succulent that if you sniffed just a whiff, you'd want a whole bite. If you bit a bite, you'd want a batch; if you snatched a batch, you'd stop at nothing short of going to war just to claim them all. 

Young Torbjorn Trofastsonn comes from the clan that makes them. He's a Viking through and through – he's thirteen winters old, larger than most respectable rocks, and most of all, a Buttersmith.

That's what he thinks anyway, until a charismatic merchant makes Torbjorn question his place among the muffin-makers. When Torbjorn lets the secret of his clan's muffin recipe slip, he calls doom and destruction down upon his peaceful village and forces his brother Storfjell and his clansmen to do the one thing they are ill-prepared to do: battle for their lives.

   About The Buttersmiths' Gold

The Buttersmiths' Gold is a spin off novella in the Evertaster series that tells the story of two Viking brothers and their adventurous past.

The Evertaster series (Book #1 released June 14, 2012) is about Guster Johnsonville, who goes searching for a legendary taste rumored to be the most delicious in all of history. Along the way he meets a slew of mysterious characters, including two Viking brothers Torbjorn and Storfjell. The Buttersmiths' Gold is their story. 124 pages. By Adam Glendon Sidwell. Published by Future House Publishing.

Evertaster, Book #1:

A legendary taste. Sought after for centuries. Shrouded in secrecy.

When 11-year-old Guster Johnsonville rejects his mother’s casserole for the umpteenth time, she takes him into the city of New Orleans to find him something to eat. There, in a dark, abandoned corner of the city they meet a dying pastry maker. In his last breath he entrusts them with a secret: an ancient recipe that makes the most delicious taste the world will ever know — a taste that will change the fate of humanity forever.

Forced to flee by a cult of murderous chefs, the Johnsonvilles embark on a perilous journey to ancient ruins, faraway jungles and forgotten caves. Along the way they discover the truth: Guster is an Evertaster — a kid so picky that nothing but the legendary taste itself will save him from starvation. With the sinister chefs hot on Guster’s heels and the chefs’ reign of terror spreading, Guster and his family must find the legendary taste before it’s too late.

a Rafflecopter giveaway



** Watch the trailer

Mini Treasures Miniatures Award for 2013

  A nice surprise! Candid Canine was named one of the 25 favorite blogs that help bring visitors to  the Mini Treasures Wiki, a great resource site. Tons of mini links and things to find there.

Thanks Johanna!

* Check out the Mini Treasures Pinterest board

* Mini Treasures blog

Story a Day 2, Disconnect, a zombie story

Today is Day 2 of A Story A Day for May.


(I've deleted many of the stories so I can use them elsewhere... but here is one to read:)

Disconnect

By. C.A. Verstraete

As his memory faded, Josh bemoaned the loss of his life, the loss of friends, family, and oddly enough, the loss of his phone and being connected.

Minute by minute the essence of who he was grew weaker as the zombie poisons made their way into his bloodstream and attacked every living cell.

In those last few moments before the world, and life as he knew it, disappeared behind the milky white film forming over his eyes, he took one last longing look around him.

As darkness fell, he gave a final, sad cry. The phone dropped from his hand, pulling with it one of his rotting fingers, both shattering like broken dreams on the blood-spattered sidewalk.

* 117 words, inspired by a post at Story A Day, http://storyaday.org/writing-prompt-social-speech/

(c) 2013 C. Verstraete

*** Why the weird stories, why zombies, you ask? Well, it begins with my book, GIRL Z: My Life as a Teenage Zombie, coming in August...

A to Z Blog Challenge - W to Z - White Hutch & Yellow Dollhouse

 * The posts are part of the A to Z Blog Challenge 2013. **

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I fell behind so I'm doubling up a few posts to catch up.

I wanted to share some of my favorite dollhouse projects. Hope you enjoyed seeing some different minis this month.

W- for my White Hutch and White Cabinet 

  

 I am planning a large ladies shoppe and a smaller display room so am painting some furniture. The first is the Michael's wood hutch. I used scrapbook paper and a Paris graphic from the Graphics Fairy. Love how it turned out! I put regular gold knobs that I painted, too.

X -  Extremely - dare I say it? Cute.  Joy Cox makes the cutest faces on her mini dolls like this half scale witch on ebay uk. 

Y - See Yellow House below.  Z: Zombies, of course. I want to leave this post up a few  days so Z will be for Zombies and a Walking Dead mini scene made by miniaturist Dorothy, which will be featured shortly at my other blog, GirlZombieAuthors. And check back here for a Story a Day for May. Well, I'll try.

The cabinet was the standard mahogany color. It simply looks better painted and papered! I plan to fill it with miniature shoes and purses. (Ignore the fingers and dirty mirror. ha!)

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Y - My Yellow House 

This is one of my favorite miniature projects. Had some pix up a loooong time ago, so this is probably new to most.

The house was a kit I bought years ago which though half scale was sold as a children's playhouse. (Wish I'd bought the other kit as they're long gone; forgot who made it.)

(One of the sides.  Lilies were handmade. Other flowers were a kit; resin birdhouses on wall.)

  I didn't stick to scale as at the time I had these kits which were a smaller 1" scale and filled in with other things, which to me still fit. I did use a half scale chair and items on the porch. 

The stones in the chimney and outside of front porch  are those polished rocks you find at museums attached in stucco (lightweight Spackle - wall compound.) 

I tried to do other different things like use a small wood birdhouse topped with a woodsie for a table.

(Other side has iris, trailing vines and a bench where someone stopped for a break. And  had to have a flamingo!)

(Just about every house I build has to have a dog, of course. The flowers were made in a film canister (remember those?) that is scored, painted and has gold metal tape attached.) 

Hope you enjoyed seeing the project! 

A to Z Blog Challenge - V is for Miniature Violin -the real thing

  * The posts are part of the A to Z Blog Challenge 2013. ** 

I fell behind so I'll have to double up posts next week.

(Photo: David Edwards)

Today I wanted to share an amazing miniature violin, handmade by UK artisan David Edwards. It is an incredible 2-inches long.

Edwards made the 1/12th scale violin last year in pearwood with fingerboard, tailpiece and pegs in ebony. The bridge is recycled ivory. The strings and tailgut are real gut. There is a sound post inside just like the real instrument and it is resting on a full-size violin peg. 

See more of Edwards' work at his blog or Facebook page.

A to Z Blog Challenge - U is for Unusual Minis

Thanks for coming back for the A to Z Blog Challenge 2013 (click link to see the 1,000+ blogs enrolled. yes that many!)

(And if you like horror and all things zombie, I and my co-bloggers will also be blogging daily over at GirlZombieAuthors so be sure to check it out.)

Today's letter is U for Something Unusual in Miniature ....

Sharing a little Halloween bed I made - Love the bat pillow!  This is half scale (6 inches = 1 foot)

A to Z Blog Challenge - T is for Miniature Christmas Tree

Thanks for coming back for the A to Z Blog Challenge 2013 (click link to see the 1,000+ blogs enrolled. yes that many!)

(And if you like horror and all things zombie, I and my co-bloggers will also be blogging daily over at GirlZombieAuthors so be sure to check it out.)

Today's letter is T for Miniature  Christmas Tree


'Tis not the season, but you can't have Santa (see yesterday's S post) without a Christmas tree...