Guest Post: Justin Bog's Sandcastle and Other Stories Is Gratis

Thank you Ben for allowing me the space on your blog to blather on about my first book, Sandcastle and Other Stories. Best to you in your curious Ohio fall . . . watch out for the ghost of Tecumseh.

"When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself." -- Chief Tecumseh

Since I grew up in Ohio, Tecumseh was a huge school hero of mine. I even went to the touristy outdoor theater performance of his Shawnee life with my family. His words stay with me and I listen to his wisdom. We had to leave the recreation of his life and death halfway through because my sister got something in her eye -- it wasn't one of the prop arrows.

I published Sandcastle and Other Stories last May, 2012, and it received a very good welcome. By the book's third day of publication, it was on two paid best seller lists at Amazon for short stories. This result blew my expectations out of the water -- as the Great White was blown to bits at the end of Jaws (sorry for that spoiler).

Now, months later, I want more readers to experience the tales. So, the book is going to be free at Amazon all weekend long, from September 29, 12 AM Saturday through Midnight on Monday October 1st. Please tell all your friends with kindles to check out the Amazon page and download the book and then to please read the book. That's a lot to ask of friends and readers, and I appreciate every single one.

Here's the link to the Sandcastle and Other Stories Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Sandcastle-and-Other-Stories-ebook/dp/B0081NXXO8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348769941&sr=8-1&keywords=sandcastle+and+other+stories

I promised Ben I would create a special haiku for the occasion of my first Amazon Select Event, but I couldn't stop with just one. Here are my two haikus:

Procrastination

dreams haunt and laugh at needs and

wants - thy kingdom come . . .

Thy will be done - in

global pockets, Sandcastle

builders unite now.

I began writing fiction too long ago now to remember what became of the short stories written after school homework, chores, and nighttime television -- All In The Family, Charlie's Angels, Fantasy Island, and the inspiring monster show The Night Stalker. Each story began in short form and, as years passed, these tales expanded, became more complex, richer in themes and intricate characterization. These are literary, psychological, and suspenseful short stories. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed writing them. Please let me know how they hit you too. You can find me here:

on my A Writer's Life blog link: http://justinbog.com/

email: justinbog@me.com

on Twitter: @JustinBog link: https://twitter.com/JustinBog

my Facebook Page link: https://www.facebook.com/JustinBog1

on Pinterest link: http://pinterest.com/justinbog/

"Show respect to all people, but grovel to none." -- Tecumseh

Justin Bog

justinbog@me.com

www.justinbog.com

My creative writing blog is here.

Follow me on Twitter @JustinBog

Buy my eBook at Amazon by clicking here.

Sweetest Posion

Skull and crossbones tattooed across your chest,

I ignored the warning label;

It was time to have my fill

Of bitter almond cyanide.

If it killed me, it was sweet;

If it didn’t, I could go all night.

 

Image Source:  Raffaele Marinetti

Guest Blog with Author/Guitarist Darian Kovach

Author and guitar legend, Darian Kovach was gracious enough to let me promote my book of short plays, Ten Minutes in Heaven, on his blog. It will be free this coming Monday (October 1st) on Kindle. So, check that out along with the great stories he's posted.

http://dariankovach.com/

A Hummingbird Haiku & Senryu

hummingbird echo

smell of nectar in the air

an empty feeder.

I knew Humming Bird

we walked and sang together

like young lovers do.

 

Prompt by Haiku Heights, word "hummingbird"

What happens when a gnome gets down?

"Ben we need poetry for this poor grunting misunderstood gnome!"

-Chris McQueeney (read his poem here).

Gerald grunted from the stone he passed
The children thought he was a ghoul
But they could never know
He was a hero on his thrown,
Watching over celery
That sometimes came to life
And feasted on their brains.

Cutting Our Losses

Our relationship devolved
into a choice between two wires -
one, though red, immaculate,
the other frayed beyond repair.

If we cut the first we would explode,
burning out our flames,
while moving on.

If we cut the second
…neither knew.
but both of us preferred
the end.

Din the Dragonfly Part 2

and now the epic conclusion...

Din raced back through the smoke. The air grew hotter and hotter. He couldn’t see but let the intensity of the heat guide him. Hopefully, the dragon wouldn’t notice him until the last moment. It was his only chance.

A cold breeze of air hit Din. Wings lifted the massive creature. The dragon was distracted. Din stretched his own wings and legs. With all the speed he could gather, he jetted off. Soaring faster than he ever had before, Din flung himself into one of the dragon’s eyes, partially blinding it. The worm thrashed about, as the dragonfly hung on for dear life. He knew he had to finish what he started. Slowly, shaking, he let go. The dragon saw him hovering and swung its tail. Din, did the unthinkable, flying toward it. The dragon was confused but continued its attack as Din flew closer and further, just out of reach. He had the massive creature under his command.

He flew back and forth taunting the worm once or twice more and then shot back toward its eyes. The tail followed. It struck the creature, blinding it completely. Din buzzed in triumph but only for a moment. The tail swung back in his direction. He couldn’t avoid the impact.

Din fell helplessly as the dragon flew back toward its lair in the mountains. He thought of his triumph, and though they scorned him, the family he had saved. They doubted him but the runt had proved them wrong. It wasn’t the biggest or the strongest that saved the pond that day; it was Din, who fought for everything he had.

The other dragonflies approached, as the dragon fled. They saw Din strike the ground, unable to save him. His marbled eyes reflected light but none of them could see from where.

Din's life became legend. The other dragonflies told stories to their children. They praised the weakest members of their group. None in their pond ever went hungry or struggled for their food again. There were no lonely runts and all were loved.

My Review of Double the Sin (An Erotic Short) By Charity Parkerson

This is my first foray into video book reviews. Check it out!

Freud and Oedipus

Freud and Oedipus
Have thought out my demise:
To kill the father that
I’ve tried not being;
Date women like
I swore weren’t mother;
Fucking hell,
I failed at both.

Din the Dragonfly Part 1

And now a two-part flash-fiction event...

Din was the runt but he didn’t act like it. He fought with greater spirit than the other dragonflies. But they were always bigger. He struggled more for food. None of the others thought he’d make it past his larval stage. But they were wrong. Din, grew up as much as was able and set out. The pond by the yard held nothing for him. He wanted rivers and great plains his brethren could only dream of. They would tell stories of Din the Magnificent taking on the different birds and lizards, breaking out of spider webs and conquering the clouds.

Away from the pond however, was very different than Din thought. Life seemed colder, unpredictable. Birds were everywhere he flew. He couldn’t hide inside a bush because the lizards found him. And the spiders were the worst of all. They built the most expansive webs to catch him. He narrowly escaped and wondered if he made the right decision, going out into the world. Even the other dragonflies he met were of a different breed. Some ignored him, others eyed him hungrily. But Din was his own dragonfly. If the world wasn’t his he at least belonged to the world and that was something.

The world was a cruel parent, thought Din as smoke filled the air. He had the first day of flying he could remember without predators. They all went off somewhere but he didn’t think where. It was too good to be true, skimming the grass, eating gnats and mosquitos. His wings brushed by the leaves. It was surreal until the smoke began pluming.

Din ran smack into a tree, unable to see. What was going on? He flew as high as he could. That’s when he saw it in the distance; a real dragon. Din couldn’t believe his glassy eyes. They were supposed to be myth. And here one was. It was headed straight for… Din gulped. That’s the way he had flown. The others were in danger.

Haiku in the Night

Hearing the child
her crying makes me realize
honesty is sweet.

Thunder from the sky
and train become a chorus
with the ceiling fan.

The wind howls much like
wolves, coyotes that were shot
and then forgotten.