The "Uncovered" Clarity of Night Contest

Two of my close friends have made it into the Top 40 of The "Uncovered" Clarity of Night Contest (huzzah!), Katherine Tomlinson and John Donald Carlucci. Please, take a look at their stories, as well as the other fine entries in the competition.

Get Plugged In #9

Oh, I've got some great ones today...



Paulie Decibels has the fourth installment of Warsaw Moon up at Disenthralled Magazine.

Richard Godwin talks to Hilary Davidson and comes up with one of the most fascinating interviews of the year. Vegetarians, the darker side of the mind, and murder...oh, my.

Soon, we all will have the opportunity to vote for the finalists in the next The Clarity of Night Contest, but in the meantime? Check out the best entries of the past, with the E-Book "The Clarity of Night Contests Volume 1: 2006-2010" which includes Sandra Seaman's "Civic Duty."

Jason Duke debuts on Crimewav.com with "Phoenix Nightlife."

Last but certainly not least, Beat To A Pulp Magazine has scored a major coup! A certain artist will illustrate the anthology "Beat To A Pulp: Round One." Who? You have to click the purple to find out.

Best Of: "In Vino Veritas, In Tequila Mors"

I am undone.

I am undone by a pair of lips.

By a kiss.

By a whisper.

I believe that Adam was just an allegory. Because if he were a real man, he’d say “all that from just a rib? Well, God, why don’t you take out the other one and even me out?”

I wanted it all, and at least in terms of money, I could afford it. Something about her was different…I still don’t know what it was. She wasn’t exceptionally beautiful or intelligent…or even charming. Yet she had enough of each of those qualities to keep me intrigued, just like my wife did when we first met in college.

It was a casual friendship that turned into something else before either of us knew what happened. We meshed together. I felt like a new man, and I expanded the horizons of her future. Our relationship took on a life of its own and soon discretion went out of the window as we traveled together.

Eventually, reality reared its ugly head and this “second honeymoon” was over. Things became too intense and I wanted out, and to buy her out. We drank; we fought…until we were exhausted. Finally, I asked her to leave the love nest we made……and I kissed her.

I whispered, “Goodbye.”

I thought she went to pack, but she went for a gun instead.

I am undone.

Now we won’t worry about fidelity…our future…or anything, because we’re going to sleep for all of eternity.

The writing/flash fiction site The Clarity of Night had a contest had a contest where the challenge was to tell a story in which wine (or liquor) plays a crucial part. It had to be 250 words or less and that kind of affected the ending, cutting it a bit short.

"In Vino Veritas, In Tequila Mors," or "Truth In Wine, Death In Tequila" was based on the recent demise of a certain sports figure.

"In Vino Veritas, In Tequila Mors"

Over at The Clarity of Night, they have a contest where the challenge is to tell a story in which wine (or liquor) plays a crucial part. It has to be 250 words or less.

The list of the submissions so far; which include Eric Beetner, Sandra Seamans, John Carlucci, and one by that ill-tempered hack, Cormac Brown, called "In Vino Veritas, In Tequila Mors."