Friday 14 December 2012

Seventy Fifth Friday Flash: Penguin, Bear and the Shadow


Image Source: Douglas Orton Imaging 


At first she thought it was her imagination. It had been following from outside the store and when she saw it swallow an old woman she knew it meant business. Penguin waddled along, staring back over her shoulder. The shadow was fast approaching. Threatening to engulf her.

Looking for shelter in the underground parking hadn't been the best idea. It was well lit, but some of the lights were flickering which only put her more on edge.

The shadow was gaining. If only she had stayed at home and ordered her art supplies like a modern penguin, but she adored the old lady at the local craft shop and didn't want to see her go out of business.

An old bear was getting out of his battered yellow pickup truck. He wore a brown raincoat and a wide brimmed hat. His large nostrils sniffed the air. She went up to him just as he started walking towards the shopping centre entrance. He stopped and looked down at her. She pointed at the menacing shadow. Scowling the bear moved the penguin behind him with his big paw.

Just as the shadow was about to pounce the bear roared. The shadow quivered and stopped for a second before attacking. Roaring in pain and anger the bear flailed at the shadowy entity. Penguin had to do something. Then it hit her. Using her lock picking skills she broke into an SUV, hot-wired it and turned on the high-beams. The shadow shrieked like an banshee as it was blasted away.

Bear was in a bad way. He was bleeding and part of his left arm was missing. She felt awful dragging him into it and went over to help. Doing what she could until the ambulance arrived she rode with him to the hospital. It was one of many journeys they would be taking together.  

Monday 3 December 2012

The Next Big Thing

I was tagged by writer, friend, reviewer and blogger Dave-Brendon. You can find out about his next big thing here.

If you would like to be tagged please let me know and I will add you.

Here's some info about my next big thing. Please let me know if you have any questions of your own.


What is your working title of your book? African Superhero. It is very likely to change. Hoping something catchy yet meaningful comes to mind soon! 

Where did the idea come from for the book? Conversations with someone close about African culture and that it would be a good idea to put a supernatural/fantasy spin to it. 

What genre does your book fall under? Superhero/fantasy/adventure plus a whole blend of other genres.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? I'm still fleshing out the charaters, but so far Samuel L. Jackson, Morgan Freeman, Emma Stone, Zooey Deschanel and Sanaa Lathan

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? What if all the stories about the monsters you heard growing up were all true?

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? We shall see.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? Only about 5,000 words in. Long road ahead. I'm thinking it will take at least another 6 months to a year. There's a lot of research and character threads to piece together.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? Not sure. Any suggestions?

Who or what inspired you to write this book? Above mentioned conversations plus the fact I needed to write about something closer to home and not try fit in with everyone else. Really let my imagination go and see what comes out. It may be a disaster or it may be my best project so far. Either way I'm sure it's going to be a fun journey. 

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest? Hoping to bring the superhero genre to Africa, but have a worldwide appeal at the same time. Bringing in modern technology, social media and global politics into the mix. 

*****
I've tagged some great writers too.
David Ward "| Whatever Writer | SEO/Copywriter | Deist | Cinephile | Stubborn | Gonzo Journo | Capricorn | Capetownian | Aspiring Novelist | City-Spy | Feather-Footed |"

You can find his short fiction under the Vicarius tab and his more philosophical non-fiction pieces under the Aliquam tab.