What Walks the Mall in Rainbow Snippets from Jeff Baker (October 21, 2023)

Posted on October 21, 2023 by jeffbaker307
Photo by Ben Mack on Pexels.com

Every week we post six lines from a work of ours, a work-in-progress or published or a recommendation of someone else’s work with at least one LGBT character. Posted at Rainbow Snippets here: [LINK] https://www.facebook.com/groups/963484217054974

Last week’s snippet reminded me of the fantasy series I write set in a mall. The Food Garden Court is the deliberately confusing name of a restaurant in a food court in a magical mall in a magical world. We again meet T’amec and Skid, two underpaid fast-food workers in these snippets from “Old Man River.” https://authorjeffbaker.com/2022/05/20/old-man-river-walks-the-mall-friday-flash-fics-by-jeff-baker-for-may-20-2022/

“Hey, look! There he goes.” He pointed.

Old Man River was unmistakable staggering along the side of the mall where the shops stopped and the polished brick wall started near the end where the Food Garden Court and the palm trees were. Some of the Mall exercisers ran their hand along the wall and at least one of them would grab the trunk of the palm tree and hold on as they swung around it to head back the other way.

“And you were worried,” Skid said.

“I was not,” T’amec said stirring the broth.

“Yeah you were. The last couple of weeks you kept saying ‘Hey, I wonder where our Old Man River is?’ You made it sound like you were in love with him.”

Okay, here’s a little more…

“I did not!” T’amec said with a laugh. “He’s too old and wouldn’t look as good in a Food Garden Court uniform as…” He stared for a second and looked away, blushing.

Skid grinned.

“Anyway, you notice he got a new suit?” T’amec asked.

“Yeah. Must have a formal to go to later.”

“Or his sweats are at the cleaners.” T’amec said.

My Brother and I really did work in a mall food court about thirty years ago, and there really were a group of early-morning mall walkers getting their exercise (and buying coffee!) and we really did refer to one of them as Old Man River. The mall these days is pretty empty, sad to say! I’ll be way busy next weekend, so I’ll see you all in a couple weeks! Happy Halloween! —-jeff

Posted in Food Garden Court, LGBT, Rainbow Snippets | 6 Comments

Progress Report from Jeff Baker for October, 2023. (October 21, 2023.)

Posted on October 21, 2023 by jeffbaker307

Photo by Amy Tharp

First Off: I’ve actually been reading! I’ve gotten to where I have to push myself to do that, but I have! In the last month I’ve read a couple of the stories in James Moran’s “Fear Itself,” that I hadn’t read yet; and Robert A. Heinlein’s funny YA novel “The Rolling Stones.” AS well as Steinbeck’s “Travels With Charley,” and a new book of poems by Bob Odenkirk and his kids “Zilot.” He says that was a word his kids made up for a blanket fort.

And I read another of C. L. Moore’s stories; “Lost Paradise,” featuring Northwest Smith, her Byronic adventuring hero of a somewhat desolate but fantastic future. (Think Han Solo and Indiana Jones put together but done about 45 years earlier!) And Moore’s prose is wondrous and gripping. Science-fantasy at its best!

I stumbled across a reference to 19th/early 20th Century writer Ellis Parker Butler while reading up on the Heinlein book and that reminds me I have the book of his Philo Grub (“Correspondence School Detective”) stories which were regarded as very funny once and which I’ve never read which I will have to dip into once I get back home.

And I’ve been writing. Not much on the project that’s due at the end of the year, but some work on various other longer work, including a humorous story I’m aiming for the Saturday Evening Post which is mainly in the plotting stage. Also did more plotting than writing on some other full-length fiction. Often it was the case of Oscar Wilde removing and re-inserting a comma.

And of course the flash fictions. I think I’ve done about five since this last report, including cheating and writing the story for next week as I will be at a convention.

I have several of the Queer Sci Fi columns done for the next few months. I just have to re-write or at least tweak one of them and the column for December I can just ad-lib as it is generally an end-of-the-year reflection.

So, I know I’ve been writing but I need to do a little more on the longer stories. Finish them so I can send them off.

AND keep reading!

That’s about it for now!

ADDENDA: Not quite! I knuckled down and wrote about six-hundred words on the project due at the end of the year.

THAT’S about it for now!

—-jsb, Oct. 21, 2023 5:11 a.m.

Posted in Progress Reports, Writing | Leave a comment

“Candy Is Dandy.” Early Halloween for Friday Flash Fics from Mike Mayak (aka Jeff Baker.) October 20, 2023.

Posted on October 20, 2023 by jeffbaker307

For a bit of Pre-Halloween romance, I turned this over to my pen-name Mike Mayak for this sequel to my story “Leader of the Laundromat.” https://authorjeffbaker.com/2023/05/05/meet-the-leader-of-the-laundromat-for-friday-flash-fics-by-mike-mayak-may-5th-2023/ What’s up with Mick and Justin? Some of my readers wanted to know! ——j

Candy Is Dandy

by Mike Mayak

The first thing they noticed was the large, half square arrangement of pumpkins in the parking lot.

“Landing strip for the Great Pumpkin!” Justin said with a laugh.

“Yeah,” Mick said.

Anyone would think that Justin and Mick had known each other for years rather than being basically on a first real date. They’d met that Spring at the laundromat, got to talking and Mick had told him he wasn’t ready for a relationship as his Husband had only been gone a few months. Justin had slipped his phone number in a note into Justin’s bag writing “when you’re ready” on it.

Mick had started texting Justin towards the end of summer. They’d met downtown during Justin’s lunch hour, Mick was self-employed and could lunch when he wanted. They’d had sandwich, salad and coffee. Mick had felt better than he had in a while, more comfortable than he’d felt with somebody since his late husband Paco.

Their plans for an official date kept getting waylaid. Finally they hit on the annual “Treet-O-Ween” Justin’s old school held for the kids. They’d hand out candy to costumed kids and have time to talk.

October 31st was cloudy, but not that cold. Justin’s sister was working for the school and had gotten them a spot to hand out candy from a table with little tissue-paper ghosts hanging from wires floating overhead. Mick and Justin had planned maybe to talk a little about themselves and maybe whether they would go anywhere from here.

Instead they joked, laughed, reminisced about Halloweens they’d been through and ate more candy than they handed out.

“Hey! You two are eating all the candy!” a kid dressed as Batman had said.

Justin and Mick handed him the bowl and laughed again.

“Paco hated handing out the candy,” Mick said about his late, redheaded husband. “But he was just a sentimental bowl of mush when the kids in costumes showed up!”

“Yeah,” I live in an apartment,” Justin said. “And the number of kids started dropping off about six years ago.”

“Then COVID killed it,” Mick said.

“Yeah,” Justin said. “I’m glad they get to do things like this.”

“Glad we do too,” Mick said, munching on a mini-chocolate bar.

“Think we really ate all the candy?” Justin asked.

“We’ll know if we get sick!” Mick said.

They both laughed again. Mick realized he hadn’t laughed this much with anybody since Paco.

They didn’t know for sure where this relationship was going to go, but Justin and Mick knew they were going to go together. Maybe cautiously at first, but together.

—-end—

Posted in Fiction, Friday Flash Fics, Friday Flash Fictions, Justin and Mick, LGBT, Mike Mayak, Romance, Short-Stories | Leave a comment

October Flash Fiction Draw Challenge—the Results! October 15, 2023.

Posted on October 15, 2023 by jeffbaker307

The draws for the October 2023 Flash Fiction Draw Challenge were a romance set on the Interstate involving a Rusted Musket.

E. H. Timms wrote “Shift Change.” https://thinkingthinking123.blogspot.com/2023/10/flash-fic-challenge-shift-change.html

And I wrote: “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World.” https://authorjeffbaker.com/2023/10/14/the-shot-heard-round-the-world-flash-fiction-draw-challenge-story-from-jeff-baker-october-14-2023/

Now, how about you? It’s not too late to write your own story from any of these prompts and post it here in the comments!

We’ll be back November 6th, 2023 with more prompts! Till then, happy reading!

Posted in E. H. Timms, Fiction, LGBT, Monthly Flash Fiction Draw Challenge, Short-Stories | Leave a comment

“The Shot Heard ‘Round the World.” Flash Fiction Draw Challenge Story from Jeff Baker. October 14, 2023.

Posted on October 14, 2023 by jeffbaker307

The Shot Heard Round the World

by Jeff Baker

Author’s Note: The draws for the October 2023 Flash Fiction Draw Challenge were A Romance on the Interstate involving a Rusty Musket. Here’s what I came up with.

The two forty-something men’s car barreled down the interstate.

“Hey! Slow down, will ya?” Rusty said. “You want us to get pulled over?”

“Speed limit’s seventy around here,” Tony said.

“Oh yeah. I keep forgetting.” Rusty said. “Changed it since we used to drive home from college.”

“That would be screwy if the cops pulled us over and found that gun in the trunk of our car!” Tony said.

Rusty laughed. “Then they’d see it’s falling apart and hasn’t fired a shot since Concord Bridge rudely unfurled in Seventy-Five.”

“Yeah, and it’s rustier than you are!” Tony laughed.

The two men both laughed. Then Rusty sighed.

“You know, I really lucked out the day I found the perfect man to go antiquing with…or to do anything with.”

“Yeah!” Tony said with a broad smile. “If we weren’t heading home I’d kiss you right now! But I guess I’ll have to wait!”

Rusty pointed ahead. “Don’t have to wait. Rest stop ahead,” he said.

“Well, I guess we don’t have to wait,” Tony said, flipping on his turn signal.

“Yeah, because I can’t wait,” Rusty said. “Three bottles of unsweetened tea! Yipes!”

The two men laughed again as they turned into the rest stop.

—end—

Posted in Fiction, LGBT, Monthly Flash Fiction Draw Challenge, Romance, Short-Stories | Leave a comment

Ghost Pirate Haunts Rainbow Snippets! From Jeff Baker, October 14th, 2023.

Posted on October 14, 2023 by jeffbaker307

Every week we post six lines from a work of ours, a work-in-progress or published or a recommendation of someone else’s work with at least one LGBT character. Posted at Rainbow Snippets here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/963484217054974

“The Three Phases of Ghost-Hunting” is Alex Brown’s contribution to the YA Halloween anthology we sampled last week where all the stories involve YA POC and the writers are also POC. Me? I’m incredibly white-bread. (My middle name is “Skip,” you don’t get whiter than that!)

Here are some snippets as two friends investigate a haunting in the mall after-hours.

The ghost of a pirate haunts the Golden City Mall Food Court.

Well, okay, the pirate doesn’t haunt the food court because it’s a food court…According to local legend, Terrifying Bob allegedly buried his forbidden treasure one thousand paces inland from Angler Rock. And yes, Angler Rock was responsible for his ship wrecking. Or that’s how the story goes, anyway. Nowadays, that would put Terrifying Bob’s treasure right under the middle of the food court.

Hungry for more about this supposed mall ghost who floats napkins and makes food vanish?

So that’s why I’m spending Halloween in the Golden City Mall food court—dressed as a fashionable witch—with my best friend, a microphone, a few tea candles and a to-go box of Sbarro pizza. Sure, we could be going to a cool party, or getting jump-scared in our town’s haunted corn maze, but instead we’re doing a public service. We’re going to accomplish the impossible; contact Terrifying Bob and ask him to leave the napkins and Sbarro in peace.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention the book! “Night Of the Living Queers.” Here’s a link. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61775756-night-of-the-living-queers?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=csD0VtUI8o&rank=1

Next week, mall spookiness of my own. —–jeff

Posted in LGBT, Rainbow Snippets | 2 Comments

Friday Flash Fics in a Beautiful Pea Green Boat by Jeff Baker, Friday October 13th, 2023.

Posted on October 13, 2023 by jeffbaker307

Beautiful Pea-Green Boat

by Jeff Baker

It was late afternoon when Billy Delaware’s doorbell rang.

The man who stood there was six-foot-one, a little bit of a gut, red hair and beard that were going white. Billy could see the long shadows of the warn October afternoon and the fading green on his small boat on its trailer in front of the house.

“Hi, I’m Charles de Salle,” the bearded man said. “I saw your ad in the Eagle about the boat.”

“Oh, oh yeah,” Billy said. He remembered placing the ad and being surprised that nobody called about it.

“Are you sure you want to get rid of it?” Charles said. It’s in great shape.”

“Yeah,” Billy said. “I don’t use it anymore. My Brother and I used to go out on the lake on the weekend but he got married and moved and I’m kinda busy with work and all.”

“Damn shame to lose it,” Charles said. “I mean, it’s not the Nautilus or anything but it looks like a good serviceable boat.”

“Yeah, I know.” Billy said.

“Well, maybe you just need someone to help you with it,” Charles said.

He leaned over and kissed Billy full on the lips. After a moment of pure bliss, Billy started to laugh.

“That is NOT how it happened seventeen years ago!” Billy said.

“I wanted to ad-lib this year!” Charles said, laughing too.

“Okay, we’ll give you a Tony Award,” Billy said, kissing him again.

It was a sentimental thing, recreating the moment they had met. They started doing it after Charles had been living there two or three years on the anniversary. The irony of the whole thing was that Charles had bought Billy’s boat but when he moved in a year later he brought the boat with him and parked it in the same place in front of the house.

“Hey, what do you want do do for dinner?” Charles asked.

“What did we do on that first date?” Billy asked.

“Went out for coffee at Riverside Perk,” Charles said, laughing again. “And that’s when I asked you your name! I’d forgotten to!” They both laughed.

“Hey, it’s warm enough,” Billy said. “Let’s order that box of tacos from the taco place and eat them out in the boat.”

“Right in front of the house.” Charles said, kissing him. “Such a sweet, romantic man.”

On the wall beside the bookcase in the hallway of their cozy suburban home, framed and under glass was that original ad that Billy had placed seventeen years ago: Beautiful Pea-Green Boat.

—end—

Posted in Fiction, Friday Flash Fics, Friday Flash Fictions, LGBT, Romance, Short-Stories | Leave a comment

My Latest Story in RoMMantic Reads: “At Auction,” by Skip J. Hanford.

Posted on October 10, 2023 by jeffbaker307

NOTE FROM JEFF: I’m turning this over to my alter ego Skip Hanford (the side of me that writes more erotic, kinky stuff) as he basically wrote this new story! —–jeff

Hi! I’m Skip and my new story in “RoMMantic Reads” is called “At Auction.” A fantasy/paranormal kink thing that is based on a couple of things. First: my wishing that I’d been able to be “out” when I was in College about 40 years ago. Second: some kinky stuff I have fantasized about doing when I was with my closeted boyfriend in the mid-1980s.

It also has some hints of the kinky dystopia I use as a background that I (Skip) am using in a longer story/novel that slothfully working on!

And I wouldn’t mind looking like that alternate world version of Ty; minus the scar, tatts and that blinking light thing!

Thanks for letting me ramble!—-Skip

Here’s “At Auction.” https://rommanticreads.wordpress.com/2023/10/09/skip-james-hanford-at-auction/

And all my thanks to Fiona Glass! —–Skip

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Kink, Liminal Sky, Paranormal, RoM/Mantic Reads, Science Fiction, Short-Stories, Skip Hanford | Leave a comment

Romance! The Interstate! A Rusty Musket! Draws for the October 2023 Flash Fiction Draw Challenge —-Jeff Baker, October 9th, 2023.

Posted on October 9, 2023 by jeffbaker307

First, here’s the prompts for the October 2023 Flash Fiction Draw Challenge. Then my usual long-winded explanation:

A Romance

Involving a Rusted Musket

Set on the Interstate.

Now, on to the details.

Hi! I’m Mike Mayak, I also write as Jeff Baker and I’m the current moderator for the monthly Flash Fiction Draw Challenge, which was started by ‘Nathan Burgoine a few years ago and carried on by Cait Gordon and Jeffrey Ricker. It’s a monthly writing challenge mainly for stress-free fun that anyone can play.

Here’s how it works: the first Monday of every month I draw three cards; a heart, a diamond and a club. These correspond to a list naming a genre, a setting and an object that must appear in the story. Participants write up a flash fiction story, 1,000 words or less, post it to their website and link it here in the comments. I’ll post the results (and hopefully have one of my own written!) the week of October 16th, 2023.

As I’m no good making videos I did the drawing offstage and the results were the Five of Clubs (a rusted musket) the Four of Hearts (a romance) and the King of Diamonds (the interstate.) So we will write a romance, set on the Interstate Highway (or any highway!) involving a rusted musket!

So, get to writing and I’ll post the results next week!

Thanks for playing, and I’ll see you next week!

And have fun!

——mike

Posted in Monthly Flash Fiction Draw Challenge | 1 Comment

“Night of the Living Queers.” Rainbow Snippets by Kalynn Bayron, from Jeff Baker. October 8, 2023.

Posted on October 8, 2023 by jeffbaker307

Every week we post six lines from a work of ours, a work-in-progress or published or a recommendation of someone else’s work with at least one LGBT character. Posted at Rainbow Snippets here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/963484217054974

I love anthologies! Especially YA anthologies! This snippet is from Wednesday Books’ new YA anthology “Night of the Living Queers.” https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61775756-night-of-the-living-queers the book’s theme is LGBT People Of Color (writers as well as characters) set on a Halloween Night with not only a Full Moon but a Blue Moon! (Yes, the second Full Moon of a month on the 31st will always be a Blue Moon.) Of course, very strange things happen on this Halloween with stories running the gamut from comedic to affirming to tragic.

My snippet is from Kalynn Bayron’s story “The Visitor.” I love this description of the anticipation of Halloween. It reminds me of my Grade School days. Of course, Toya has other reasons to want that night to get here…

All day I counted down in hours. Big chunks of time seemed to go by quickly when I kept track that way. But in the afternoon I switched to increments of thirty minutes, then fifteen. The anticipation grew as the moments passed…By the time the sun tucked itself behind the horizon and the clock lurched past the 8:30 P.M. mark on Halloween night, time felt like it wasn’t moving at all. I looked at my phone for the hundredth time that day.

Yeah, a flashback to October nights around 1969 for me!

Next week, something else from this cool anthology, something a little goofy! —-jeff

Posted in Anthologies, Halloween, LGBT, Rainbow Snippets, Young Adult | 2 Comments