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Flash Fiction

The Flash Fiction Spy Story That Stole Round One

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woman writing a flash fiction spy story inspire by a bolt of lightning showing through a window

Flash Fiction weekend: Friday at midnight

Sweaty palms. Pounding heart. Wobbly tummy. The hero of a thrilling flash fiction spy story?

Not hardly! Just one of the 3200 writers awaiting our prompt assignments for the annual NYC Midnight Flash Fiction contest.

[A quick note if you’re new to the concept of “flash fiction,” the story format is usually defined as 1,000 words or fewer – as opposed to a short story, which is commonly more than 1,000 words and anywhere shy of novella length.]

So, what’s this NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Contest all about?

Now, those of you who follow me here or on social media might recall I’ve participated in the NYC Midnight Flash Fiction contest before. Actually, you can read my first post about the experience eight years ago, which includes my very first flash story. And you’re more than welcome to follow that thread of stories right on through my spot in the finals, when my favorite flash fiction story I’ve ever written earned an Honorable Mention and some bit of writing software I never downloaded. Hey, I’m an MS Word purist, what can I say?

To be perfectly honest, I had a brief but sad flash fiction contest run four years back. I was assigned the contest-killing MYSTERY genre in round two. (The only genre I dread more is POLITICAL SATIRE!) If you’re looking for “The Curious Case of the Flying Bathtub,” just forget it! That is one flash fiction that will never see the light of day. Chalk it up to a learning experience!

I can, however, quite happily direct you to my string of 100-word stories that I wrote for the NYC Midnight 100-Word Microfiction Contest during 2020 – a pretty great way to pass a pandemic.

Back to my Flash Fiction Spy Story …

As I was saying, Friday at midnight, I received these prompts:

Genre: SPY
Setting: A GREEN ROOM
Object: A JUICER

Given 48 hours, I had to compose a story of 1,000 or fewer words (not counting the title and required 2-line synopsis) that met the standards of the SPY genre, took place in a green room, and included the physical presence of a juicer.

While I know intellectually that I started entering these contests to expand my horizons and learn to write outside my comfort zones – romance, romantic comedy, and drama (kind of a catch-all for everything that isn’t something else), the unfamiliar genres still strike terror into my poor heart.

First things first – define SPY STORY

Whether or not it’s the best definition, I always review the genre definition provided on the NYC Midnight website. Why? Because that’s what the judges will use. Here’s the NYCM definition of a spy story from their Genre Definitions page:

A story that involves espionage, secret agents, or secret service organizations as an important context or plot device. Spy fiction emerged in the early twentieth century, propelled by the establishment of modern intelligence agencies and rivalries between them. Common elements: espionage, secret agents, rogue states, organized crime, fundamentalism, terrorist networks, technological sabotage. Spy fiction books include Graham Greene’s The Quiet American and John le Carré Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Spy fiction films include The Bourne Identity (2002) and The Lives Of Others (2006).

Finding my spy story

Yikes! Espionage? Rogue states? Technological sabotage? What do I know of such things? The extent of my understanding of “technological sabotage” is a highjacked email account. To be clear, I’m the hijackEE in the story.

When in panic mode, I tend to fall back on this classic bit of writing advice: Write what you know.

So, like many of my stories, a romantic relationship took center stage (think The Spy Who Loved Me). And the best part? The love interest gave rise to my spy’s conflict: love or country?

Using the setting and object to my spy’s advantage

For some (perhaps many?), the first image that comes to mind upon reading “a green room” is a room painted or wallpapered in some shade of green. Happily, having grown up in a musical family (though lacking any durable talent myself), I’ve been in the kind of green room I believe the contest organizers meant. That is, the backstage holding area for guests about to appear on stage.

[Side note: My most fun green room experience happened when my husband and I went to hear my brother’s band play in a very cozy venue in San Jose, where he opened for the Rembrandts (of Friends fame)! Their 1992 Untitled album is still one of my favorites!]

But I digress. The contest requires that most of the action of the story take place in the assigned setting, which led me to the idea of pre-performance action.

The juicer, one of the more innocuous of the objects I’ve had to slide into a story, was pretty easy to throw inside the green room. You’ll see it right at the top of the story.

How it worked out

Happily, this story ended up (as the post heading suggests) earning me the top spot among my group of thirty writers and gave me a nice leg up going into the second heat of round one.

If you’d like to read more stories from this contest, follow this space. You can enter your email where it says “Send blog updates!” to receive an email notification when I post the next one. Don’t worry – I promise not to flood your inbox!

I hope you’ll enjoy reading the first (and maybe last) flash fiction spy story I’ve ever written!

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THE SPY WHO SANG OFF KEY

The State Kremlin Palace Photo Attribution: Валерий Дед

On the brink of superstardom, duty calls. Will Sasha sacrifice
fame, fortune, and even (maybe) love—and hit a clinker for his country?

“Thirty minutes to curtain!” The page might as well have dropped a ticking timebomb into our green room.

Zoya’s busy concocting a smoothie, her back to me. I can’t resist wrapping my arms around my ginger goddess, especially since this embrace may be our last. I’ll admit falling for Zoya complicated the mission. I regret nothing.

I close in tight and nuzzle her sweet-smelling hair. “Hi.”

She startles, dropping two handfuls of kale into the whirring juicer, and slaps at the off button. The blades grind to a halt. “Zhopa!” (Brat!)

Whoops. “Nervous?”

Dumb question. As if it’s not stressful enough we’re playing the State Kremlin Palace, tonight’s concert will be televised worldwide, our first audience beyond Russia. All four of us are on edge.

Zoya answers by holding her left hand aloft, visibly trembling. “Papa is seated in the front row.” I’ll never get used to the intimate way she refers to the Russian president’s top goon, aka Ivan the Terrible. “I don’t know how I’ll manage to play the right notes,” she confesses.

The same way I’ll purposely sing the wrong ones: we’re pros. At least lives don’t depend on Zoya’s accuracy.

I kiss her neck. “You’ll be perfect.”

With a nervous giggle, she shrugs me off. “Look who’s talking, ‘Sasha the Great.’” I glance at the guys, relieved they’re too engrossed with their phones to hear Zoya using the fans’ embarrassing nickname.

“I have it easy,” I say. “All I have to do is open my mouth. You’ve got to wrangle four strings and a bow—all while balancing a violin under your chin.”

“Hence, my liquid calm. Nazdarohvyeh.” She raises her sludge in a one-sided toast and guzzles down every vile drop.

I honestly wish I liked the stuff. My nerves could definitely use some calming.

Tonight’s the biggest night of our lives, and I am about to flame us out.

The guys are gonna hate me. Zoya will never kiss me again. Bye-bye, rock star status.

And that’s my best-case scenario.

*

I was twelve when they recruited me for the “Gifted and Exceptional” program. My voice hadn’t even thought about changing yet, but the scouts were convinced I could be the next Harry Styles.

Easiest decision ever. The girl I liked didn’t know I existed, but she sure as heck knew Harry. I was all in.

Mom was thrilled—“Our little Thomas, a rock star!” Dad wept when they handed him an envelope of cash with a promise of lots more where that came from.

My new school was far from Topeka, but the rigorous program left no time to miss my old life or entertain silly crushes on the girls in my class. Voice lessons kept my dreams on track. Meanwhile, our teachers drilled us in geography, world history, and politics.

I never questioned why we had to learn Russian until we could speak without a trace of an American accent. Or why we learned to speak English as a Russian would.

*

“Ten to curtain!”

“I can’t wait to introduce you to Papa after the show.”

My stomach lurches as if I drank gallons of Zoya’s green slime. “Mhmm.”

Zoya takes my hand, laughing at my grimace. “Don’t be nervous, milyy. He’s a pussycat.”

Oh, honey. If you only knew how I make Papa purr.

*

Probably because the eighteenth-birthday “field trips” were shrouded in mystery, us Lower School kids made up our own wild stories about the solo outings. All I knew for sure was that everyone returned with an overnight maturity—and a new name.

I was eager for my turn but scared shitless, too. When that fancy car whisked me away on my birthday with only the clothes on my back, I knew I’d left my innocence behind.

The driver delivered me to some hotel in the Virginia boonies and told me which room to report to. It’s still hard to believe I officially became a spy for the CIA in such an unremarkable place.

A large, gruff man I’d never seen before invited me into his room. “Tolko russkiy,” (Only Russian) he said.

I nodded.

“I have a secret that puts your country at risk. Your job is to make me tell it to you.”

Make him?Even if I had a weapon, I’d never been trained for combat.

Oh.

He smiled as understanding stained my cheeks.

I considered bolting. Even if the car was still downstairs, then what?

No more Harry. No more exceptionalness.

I thought about the Upper School students, who’d left for their field trips as boys and returned as men. I wanted this.

By the time I left that hotel room three days later as Sasha Krukov, I felt confident I could get a secret out of anyone—especially an old pervert with a weakness for young boys.

*

“Five minutes to curtain!”

In a corner of the green room, I warm up my voice. All those lessons will pay off tonight, particularly my special training in the art of using the musical alphabet to communicate intel—like the nugget I finally wormed out of Ivan the Terrible just in time for tonight’s broadcast: the location of the illegal nuclear stockpile.

Oh yes, Zoya’s Papa gave up that plum right before I let him suck my toes.

And now, I’m ready to do what I must. As soon as the first note of my coded message clashes with “Red Mother,” my star will crash and burn. So be it. I had my moment in the sun.

If Ivan’s told the truth about being the President’s sole confidant, his days are likely numbered. It’s probably bad form to root for the murder of my girlfriend’s dad, but I pray Ivan will get his due before he comes for me.

As for Zoya—sigh—even if her perfectly pitched ears could forgive my musical atrocities, they’ll never forget. Damn. I think I loved her.

“Curtain!”

Yep, for all of us.

*

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Books

Age-Gap Trope: Five Reasons We Love It!

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Galitzine and Hathaway portray the perfect age-gap trope in The Idea of You

The age-gap trope taking over Netflix

If you loved The Idea of You, starring sexy leads Nicholas Galitzine and Anne Hathaway, you’re probably a fan of the age-gap trope.

Hayes is a 24-year-old rock star (in the book, he’s only 20) who is charmed by 40-year-old Solène when she accidentally wanders into his trailer at Coachella, mistaking it for a public bathroom. Though Hayes seems thunderstruck at first sight, Solène’s feelings spool out over the course of the next few hours as she watches Hayes in his element, signing photos for fans, singing, dancing, even dedicating a special song to the woman he’s just met.

There’s no denying the chemistry of these two actors. Just look at that steamy photo! But even setting aside this couple’s on-screen connection, there’s something about the age-gap trope, specifically the younger-man/older-woman (YMOW) romance, we can’t seem to resist.

Why do we love it so?

Is it possible to pinpoint the “special sauce” of the YMOW dynamic that draws us in as readers and viewers? I’m no sociologist, but I am a writer. This is the stuff that occupies my brain!

Before we go any further, let me state very clearly that I’m referring to adults well past the age of consent. Let’s use movie-Hayes’s 24 years as our lower bound. While there are fewer hard-and-fast rules on the upper age limit for the older partner, let’s keep our leading lady within 25 years of her partner for the sake of this conversation.

Let’s break this down by comparing and contrasting two YMOW couples: the Hayes/Solène pairing from The Idea of You and the Henry/Thea pairing from Fixer Upper, a standalone offshoot from the Cupid’s Fall series.

First, a word about Fixer Upper

Thea swoons over her hot young handyman in the age-gape trope novella, Fixer Upper

FIXER UPPER: A steamy age-gap romcom novella

Newly divorced Thea Delaney is enjoying a peaceful first evening in her very own home when her bathtub crashes through the ceiling. Enter Henry, the handsome, young handyman with a killer smile and perfect biceps. Thea is smitten.

Reeling from a breakup, Henry Cooper just wants to put in an honest day’s work, but the handsy cougars won’t leave him alone. When Henry goes to work for Thea, a curvy, middle-aged teacher, he is charmed by her easy blush and intrigued by the juicy paperback on her nightstand.

Weeks of flirty banter crank up the tension, but if Henry can’t convince Thea his attraction is real before the project is done, their fragile connection will fold like a house of cards.

Top 5 reasons the age-gap trope zings the heartstrings

1. Power Imbalance

Power comes in many forms. Youth and beauty, experience and money, talent, career, confidence, freedom, support, fame. Every couple deals with some level of imbalance, but by definition, an age-gap romance starts right off the blocks with built-in imbalance. With imbalance naturally comes conflict, which is the pivot point for a great story!

In general, readers of this trope might expect the younger of the couple to be the more physically attractive, more energetic, have less baggage to carry in terms of exes or children, be less jaded about the world. In general, readers of this trope might expect the older of the couple to be more experienced in the ways of the world, less controlled by physical passions, more serious about a career, more interested in the security of a relationship, more constrained by the past.

Obviously, every characteristic is a sliding scale – and this is where the fun comes in! The art of the age-gap trope lies in challenging these generalities to create an unexpected and enduring dynamic.

Here’s how our stories do Power Imbalance:
Anne Hathaway and Nick Galitzine in the age-gap trope romance The Idea of You

Hayes/Solène
These two flip the script in delicious ways. While Hayes’s sex appeal is undeniable, Anne Hathaway is no slouch! Hayes’s rock star career affords him a world-weariness unusual in such a young man. Solène has an ex and a daughter (nearly Hayes’s age) to navigate. Hayes is sensitive, thoughtful, talented, and serious about his commitment to Solène. While she admits to loving Hayes, she’s not willing to tie him down or incorporate him into her life in any meaningful way. Ouch.

Henry and Thea - a modern age-gap romcom

Henry/Thea
Though Thea’s older, Henry is more mature in many ways. Thea carries a heavy load of shame from a failed marriage, an embarrassing fantasy life, and some extra weight she packed on over the years. Henry is an accomplished carpenter, but shying away from his true passion (painting) makes him feel like a fraud. They’ve both spent too long with the wrong partners, so there is a lot of pent-up sexual energy on both sides. Thea employs Henry, which gives her an upper hand in their power dynamic.

2. Relatable

82% of romance readers are women whose average age is 42 (according to a recent study of Romance Book Genre Sales Statistics). It’s not a stretch to say that many of us readers can relate to the fantasy of a younger, sweet, sensitive, virile, stunningly good-looking man being attracted to a slightly older female lead.

Relatable may not equate to realistic, but that’s where the fantasy of romance enters the room.

Here’s how our stories do Relatable:

Hayes/Solène
Enter the divorced mom of a teenage child. She’s unattached romantically when she meets Hayes, but part of her naturally holds back because that young man she is insanely attracted to is not only (almost) the right age to be her son, but he’s exactly the right age to be her daughter’s boyfriend. Hence why she tells Hayes she’s ashamed by “the idea of you.” What a delicious dilemma!

Henry and Thea - a modern age-gap romcom

Henry/Thea
Thea’s not the same size as when she slid into that wedding dress. And after only being with one man for as long as she can remember, the idea of letting another man see her naked is terrifying. Perhaps we, like Thea, would rather pick up a book than go to the gym? Is it any wonder Thea escapes to her naughty pirate fantasies? Wink.

3. Taboo

The very idea of the YMOW romance is a taboo.

We hear of “robbing the cradle” – a horrifying metaphor. The older woman is called a “cougar,” the implication being that she has stalked her prey.

Here’s how our stories do Taboo:

Hayes/Solène
Poor Hayes and Solène! Once the paparazzi gets wind of their relationship, H and S are forever trying to dodge the cameras. Her daughter is mortified. The comments on social media are as hideous as we’d expect them to be. The world vilifies Solène, whose age has automatically rendered her unworthy, for snagging Hayes from their possible future clutches. She’s embarrassed to introduce him to her friends.

Henry and Thea - a modern age-gap romcom

Henry/Thea
Henry knows a cougar when he sees one, thanks to the handsy women he’s worked for in the past, and Thea is anything but. Her sense of propriety inhibits even her innermost fantasies and makes her feel like a terrible person and a romantic fool all at the same time. Her inhibitions become their biggest obstacle.

4. Depth

No romance works without a believable intimacy, and this is where the age-gap trope really has to make sure the physical attraction doesn’t become the end-all, be-all. Because the truth is, they’re going to age – Spoiler alert! – and not at the same rate. We need to know our characters’ relationship will endure.

Here’s how the issue is normally addressed: he’s an old soul, sees her like no one else, and makes her feel sexy (again). She appreciates him for more than his pretty face (and gorgeous body) but also makes him feel like a god.

Here’s how our stories do Depth:

Hayes/Solène
Hayes is a musician and a talented songwriter. Artists are almost automatically assumed to be deep. There’s also something very sexy about how sure he is that he wants Solène – and that he’ll wait for her. He never wavers for a moment on his feelings, nor is he shy about sharing them with her. Solène does drop everything to follow him on tour but realizes she’s a fish out of water when she tries to fit in with his friends. It’s clear she appreciates his many gifts, she has a very hard time trusting that he is mature enough to give up everything and choose her.

Henry and Thea - a modern age-gap romcom

Henry/Thea
Henry is used to “being catnip for older women.” Unlike most guys his age, Henry would rather pick up a paintbrush than head to a bar (another artist!). When he falls for someone, he falls hard – and it’s always for the wrong person. His good looks actually get in the way of his attempts to woo Thea because she can never wrap her head around why he wants her. Thea feels like a silly schoolgirl around Henry, but once she makes herself vulnerable, the sparks fly!

5. Angst

Why oh why do romance readers love angst? I guess because it feels that much better when it all works out in the end?

It’s a given that Reality, that evil witch, will rear her ugly head and the couple will be kept (or torn) apart, and man, it’s gonna hurt. Actions have consequences; people get hurt. But what fun to discover if the pair can – if they WILL – claw their way back to each other!

Here’s how our stories do Angst:

Hayes/Solène
Oh, the scandal when Solène’s daughter finds out – not to mention her ex-husband! But in the end, it’s Solène’s internal struggle with her shame that breaks these two apart. So they make a deal to come back in five years and see if their feelings hold up. A long time in real life but a pretty quick montage in movie land.

Henry and Thea - a modern age-gap romcom

Henry/Thea
Henry can see how much Thea wants him and how much she wishes she could believe he really wants her too, but her damaged self-esteem is an obstacle he’s not sure he can overcome. He worries his advances, which she receives as teasing, might actually cause her further pain and shame. Thea is her own worst enemy. If only she could see herself as Henry sees her.

SO, have I got you hungry for your next YM/OW age-gap romcom?

If you’re a fan of the YM/OW age-gap trope, you might enjoy Henry and Thea’s tale. It’s a quick, fun, steamy novella.

Here are two ways you can grab Fixer Upper and fall in love with Henry and Thea!

Henry and Thea in a swoony age-gap trope romcom
Download Fixer Upper for 99¢
Cupid's Fall Box Set with all 4 book covers and bonus book - Fixer Upper
Buy the Cupid’s Fall box set and get Fixer Upper (and Thea’s recipe book) FREE!

For more scoop on Henry and Thea, head to the Fixer Upper page .

As always, I love hearing your thoughts. Feel free to comment below or shoot me an email.

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(Not to be confused with my NEWSLETTER, which is all the current book stuff, sneak peeks, special deals, etc. And you can sign up for my newsletter by clicking on the big open heart at the bottom of this page.)

Books, Flash Fiction, Writing

Miniature Magic: Tiny Tales Inspired by Daily Writing Prompts

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Cover of Tiny Tales: A year of daily writing prompts. Four tiny open books across a white background

On January 1, 2023, I committed to composing a tweet-length piece to daily writing prompts all 365 days of the year. I say “piece” because these 280-character compositions end up ranging from stories to limericks (and other largely satirical poetry) to observations about the world around me.

So I “joined” the hashtag #vss365 on Twitter – now X – which is a very cool, clever oasis inside a swirling tornado of despair (and my sole reason for staying on the platform). The daily prompts are assigned by a team of writers pre-selected by the person who started this whole trend several years back. [Read more about #vss365 right here.] Anyone who wishes to participate can simply post using the day’s prompt and tagging #vss365.

I had no idea where the adventure might lead me. Despite challenges ranging from difficult prompts (more on that below), awkward time zones, war in the Middle East, and other personal stressors, I did it!

But WHY?

In case you missed it, I answered this question in a blog post one week into my year of daily writing prompts. But short story tiny, I love a challenge, I love learning, and I love meeting creative folks.

And here’s another reason I didn’t mention back in January of 2023: it feels pretty great to be able to publish a whole year in stories. Speaking of which…

Tiny Tales: the collection

cover of tiny tales: a year of daily writing prompts made into stories

Here it is! An actual book!

Knowing I would want to publish my stories after the fact definitely influenced the care I put into creating my daily pieces. Sure, slapdashing a tweet on the internet could be embarrassing for the few hours it might circulate in cyberspace, but I could live with that.

Not so for a published book with my name on the cover.

How can you get a copy?

Easy – and free, if you’d like! All you need to know about finding Tiny Tales in print or ebook is right here. But here’s a little tidbit only my insiders know: if you choose the option to buy the ebook at Smashwords, you can name your price! And yes, that price can be $0.00.

What kind of stories did I write? Glad you asked!

Even though these tiny stories are a departure from my Cupid’s Fall series, readers familiar with my “author brand” will no doubt hear my voice inside these compositions too. Nowhere is this more evident than the table of contents, where I have divided the entries into broad categories such as Romance, Observations, True Stories, and Limericks (by far the largest section of the book).

It seems I am always ME, even if I’m sometimes mini-me.

The joy of “one and done”

Tiny-format writing has both the advantage and disadvantage of offering a closed, defined space. The disadvantage would be the lack of depth I’ve enjoyed writing a four-book series. You get to know your characters intimately – yes, I do mean INTIMATELY – in a novel-length story, even more so in a series. They live in my head as they must so I can convey them appropriately to my readers. With the daily prompts, I don’t have any carryover from one day’s tiny story to the next.

Which is also a big advantage. I found myself flexing my writing muscles with much more freedom (read: reckless abandon) on topics I would never wish to explore for 80,000 words. Romance gone sideways, dystopian situations, even a touch of horror. It’s fun to press at the boundaries in short bursts. And who knows what might inspire expansion into a longer story?

The Wordle Effect

Before giving this a try, I would have said I don’t need prompts to write. I have enough story ideas to keep me busy for three lifetimes. And yet, I enjoyed joining in with my fellow writers. I call this the Wordle Effect.

Why did Wordle take the world by storm? Because we’re all striving to discover the same word on any given day. And when we compare notes, we learn how other people’s minds work different from our own. We learn from each other. We struggle together. And at the end of the day, nobody can remember yesterday’s word!

My favorite prompts were the ones that lent themselves to many different usages. Think of all the idioms and expressions using the word “hand,” for example.

About the prompts …

All the writers who accepted the responsibility for doling out 15-16 days of prompts chose their words very carefully. Usually the word was presented with some context as to why it was chosen. Many reflected the writer’s personal style or genre.

Oddly, the more generic the prompt, the harder it was for me to formulate an idea. I did better with specifics, something that could quickly form a picture in my mind.

Two of the prompters chose themes that were feeling a bit narrow by the end. One chose a different color each day, which challenged me to find meanings beyond the visual representation. Another writer who is steeped in fantasy chose a different animal each day, many of which were imaginary. Have you ever heard of a wolpertinger? I had not, but now I will never forget the word. Here’s my wolpertinger story.

Are daily writing prompts for you?

I can’t say – and maybe you’re not sure either? But here’s what you can do: try it out.

Listed at the back of the book are ALL 365 PROMPTS in order of their appearance in 2023. Try your hand at writing your own short story.

Don’t like those? There are literally hundreds of sites that put out daily writing prompts. I’ve listed some of my favorites in the book as well.

OR if you’re feeling adventurous…

Open Twitter (X) and search on the hashtag #vss365. Find today’s prompt, write your piece, and post if you dare.

All I ask is that you please let me know (tag me or shoot me a DM on Twitter) so I can be sure to give your post some love.

Thanks for reading!

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