Showing posts with label Captured in Color. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Captured in Color. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Captured in Color: How Flash Fiction Shaped My Writing


 A magical necklace that strangles whoever betrays its owner. A plum wine shared between a Japanese ghost and an American exchange student. A stalker who paints portraits of the love he can never see. Eight miniature science fiction and fantasy stories capture moments of love, loss, and choice that shape the characters and the world they live in. Perfect for those who want a daub of inspiration and a spatter of philosophy to brighten their day. 




Release Date: Monday, November 19, 2018


How I Wrote It


Six years ago, I moved to Brea, in order start the next stage of my life. Although I’d been writing for over eight years, I still didn’t feel very confident in myself. Was I any good? Would anyone want my writing? I’d never been published. Part of the problem was that I only wrote novels. Was I capable of writing short stories? Every time I tried, I seemed to get lost in a tangle of words.
 
Then I discovered something called flash fiction, fully formed stories that clocked in at under 1500 words or about 10 pages. Publishers seemed interested in this new form of writing, but could I do it? I sat down and tried it. To my astonishment, not only did I discover that I could write flash fiction, I even got them published. Two of my stories appeared in Ether, two in Daily Science Fiction.

Now I’m starting a different stage of my life, as a published novelist, moving soon to North Carolina. But before I began this new journey, I wanted to share with you the stories that helped give me the confidence to be a writer. These eight polished tales contain unique worlds, charming characters, and interesting ideas, while also capturing the moods and struggles I faced as a growing writer.

 

Who Should Buy It?


This book is good for anyone who may not have much time on their hands, but still enjoys fully-formed stories packed with twists and turns, pretty writing, and food for thought. Although there isn’t material unsuitable for kids, thematically these stories are geared more for high school students and adults.

 

Why Should You Buy It?


I wanted to sell Captured in Color at the cheapest price I could, so that as many people as possible can sample my writing and see if it's something they enjoy. This book makes for a good stocking stuffer or a holiday gift. One notable thing I added in the back of the book is a brief description of how I got the ideas for my stories. This can provide insight for new writers, who may be looking for ways to get inspired for their own stories.

 

How Can You Buy It?


Right now Captured in Color is on pre-order at Amazon Kindle for 99 cents. It will be available for purchase on Monday, November 19, 2018. The paperback version, which cost $6.00, will also be available at around that time. (It takes a little more time to look through and proof the book, so it’s harder to predict the exact date, but it should be available before December.)

 

Still Not Convinced? 


If you’d like to look at the stories, you can read three of them free on my website, here: http://www.rebeccalangstories.com/free-to-read.html

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Now on Daily Science Fiction: Captured in Color

My second paid short story popped in my inbox on August 7th. (Check's still in the mail.)

Captured in Color

Link: http://dailysciencefiction.com/science-fiction/biotech/rebecca-lang/captured-in-color
 
Summary: Love or stalking? A chip in his arm prevents Frank from seeing the girl of his dreams, so he remembers her face by painting her image on the walls.

Excerpt

They'd shut out every photograph, every video, every image of her face. But they couldn't shut out his dreams. Her beauty clawed at his chest, like a living thing trying to get out. So Frank took to the streets with tubes of paint and a can of brushes.
 
Tonight he painted her face on a wall of crumbling concrete bricks.
 
Blue. That was the color of his work. Deep indigo, mixed with violet, as rich as her eyes. Long strokes with a thick brush formed the frame of her face. Delicate swipes created wispy strands of hair. The pent-up pressure of his chest eased, and Frank's heart became as still as a mountain lake.
 
Once more, he saw her.

Once more, the memories rushed through him
 
To read the full story for free, just follow the link above or click here.
 
How the Story Came to Be: Trying to inspire my poet aunt to write a short story, I took out The Writer's Toolbox (by Jamie Cat Caller) and spun the three palette wheels in the Protagonist Game. My aunt was supposed to write a story about "Frank the painter," whose goal was to "find true love," and whose obstacle was "the inspector." While my aunt struggled unsuccessfully to put together of a house painter who was having trouble with a person inspecting his work, my mind ran in a different direction. I was so inspired, I had to write my own story of a vandal and a police officer.