You might have heard (and even checked out) Ana Newfolk’s flash fiction-themed Valentine’s Bash on her Facebook Group, CafĂ© Lima. The party has just ended, and we now have permission to share this FREE compilation she made featuring many of the shorts that were posted during the authors’ takeover hours.
WordPress would only let me upload the PDF, but not the MOBI or EPUB, so I put them all in a folder on my Google Drive, instead. You should be able to access/download them there. UPDATE: Ana has now uploaded booklets to the files section of her FB Group, CafĂ© Lima – Ana Newfolk’s hangout, so if you join her group, you can get them there, too!
It includes a Valentine-themed short with my characters from Déjà Vu. Besides my own contribution, it includes shorts featuring beloved characters from these wonderful authors: Ana Newfolk, Avery Cockburn, Brigham Vaughn, Caraway Carter, Carly Marie, Chris Ethan, Clare London, Colette Davison, Dev Bentham, EJ Smyth, Eleanor Musgrove, George Loveland, Helena Stone, Jack Braegan, Katerina Ross, Katherine Wyvern, K. Evan Coles, K.M. Neuhold, Michele Notaro, Miranda Turner, and Noah Steele.
During Ana’s Valentine’s Bash I shared three Valentine-themed shorts. Now that the party is over, I’ll share them here, too! Each of mine was written using 5 random prompt words pulled from a random word generator.
đ±đ¶đđđđđŸđđ đčđđ¶đđœđčđŸđž featuring Raymond and Kevin from Of Rats and Cats.
Told from Raymond’s 3rd-person POV, and written using these words pulled from a random word generator (https://www.randomwordgenerator.com/): hand â sigh â brush â coal â eyebrow

âYouâre such a little traitor,â Raymond muttered as Pandemonium wound her way around Kevinâs ankles, scenting him as he stepped barely two yards inside Raymondâs apartment. âKeep it up and youâll get coal instead of catnip in your stocking this year.â
Kevin squatted and lightly brushed his fingertips along the back of the catâs neck. âWhoâs a good girl, huh? Whoâs a good girl?â he sing-songed as if he were talking to a dog. Pandy loved it, though, judging by the way she lightly nipped and tongued Kevinâs hand.
âBet she smells Corky and Isabelle on you.â Raymondâs grin contradicted the snark lurking in his words, just as the fresh whiff of berry scented shampoo wafting from Kevinâs damp hair gave lie to them. Doubtful that Kevin had handled his pet mice between stepping out of the shower and walking down the hall to Raymondâs apartment.
But, Kevin didnât refute him. Not with words anyway, although the cockily raised eyebrow probably meant to. Instead, he stood with a beaming smile and handed Raymond a red, heart-shaped candy box. âHappy Valentineâs Day!â Kevin gave Raymond a light peck on the corner of his mouth as he relinquished the package. An ABO package. Already-Been-Opened.
âThanks!â Raymond spun before his eyes could divulge his mixed emotions regarding the pre-opened candy box. His hand wobbled as he placed it on the countertop.
Sure, he and Kevin had been together only a few months, so it wasnât like they had a whole lot of emotion invested in their fledgling relationship, but Valentineâs Day gifts werenât supposed to be like bringing over whatever snacks you had on hand when getting together to watch videos.
Raymond had agonized over the decision of what to give Kevin. A three-month-old relationship was tricky. Risky, even. Doing too much and scaring away the boyfriend he was falling hard for worried the crap out of him. So did doing too little.
In the end, Raymond had also purchased a red, heart-shaped box. He sighed, picked it up, and turned back to Kevin with a smile pasted on his face. âDonât worry, itâs not candy.â Unlike Raymond, Kevin didnât have much of a sweet tooth, which made that opened candy box all the more inexplicable.
âThanks!â Kevinâs word mirrored Raymondâs own from moments earlier as he took the proffered box. âSo what is it, then?â The question in Kevinâs eyes seemed more concerned than curious as to the contents. Probably concerned about Raymondâs total inability to hide his emotions, damn it. Raymond had never been able to cover his feelings and was probably reading too much into the stupid unwrapped box anyway.
âGo ahead, open it.â Raymondâs smile was more authentic as Kevin peeled off the cellophane. Beef jerky was one of Kevinâs favorite snacks, so when Raymond had found a Valentineâs sampler of the nasty stuff, heâd known heâd found the perfect balance between thoughtfulness showing that he knew what his boyfriend would appreciate and going overboard into the scaring-him-off zone. He bounced on the balls of his feet as Kevin lifted the lid.
âFantastic!â The unaffected delight in Kevinâs tone washed away the last of Raymondâs qualms about his decision. Kevin looked up with a smile. âThank you! Open yours.â
Raymondâs eyes widened when he raised the lid. Every spot in the interior organizing form was occupied, but obviously not with the candy that had come with the box. The pieces were all square, but many of the spaces were meant for round confections.
âItâs caramels,â Kevin said quickly. âI know theyâre your favorite, but I couldnât find a heart-shaped box of them, so I bought an assortment for the box and substituted them. Sorry,â he bit his lip and rushed on. âI only just switched them and didnât know how bad the fit would be.â
In that moment, Raymond knew exactly how the Grinch had felt when his heart had grown three sizes that day. He sniffed and threw his arms around Kevinâs neck. âTheyâre perfect.â
đ±đ¶đđđđđŸđđ đčđđ¶đđœđčđŸđž featuring Sam and Henry from Til Death Do Us Part and From This Day Forward, and Okay, Then.
Told from Henry’s 3rd-person POV, and written using these words pulled from a random word generator (https://www.randomwordgenerator.com/): grow â cream â promotion â hover â coma

Henry jerked as he blinked awake, then he snickered at the sight of Samâs hand hovering over his head as if its owner couldnât quite decide the struggle between petting Henryâs head and letting him sleep. âHappy Valentineâs Day,â Henry murmured.
Petting won the battle. âLove you,â Sam whispered the return greeting as his fingers laced through Henryâs hair. âSorry, you looked like you were having a bad dream.â
âI dreamed about the island again.â But Henry didnât want to worry his husband with details of that stormy night heâd relived in his dream. He grinned and turned on his side to face Sam. He had good memories to balance the bad. âI wonder what I was doing a year ago today?â Sam already knew that he and the other survivors had stopped tracking individual days a few months into their experience. Ultimately, theyâd kept track of the longer periods like moon cycles and years but hadnât wanted to know which specific day it was out in the world. That would have been too depressing.
âSame as every other day?â
Henry snorted. âYeah, pretty much.â Theyâd had plenty to do each day just to survive, but thereâs also been time to sit and watch the grass grow and the waves lap the shore while obsessing over what Sam might be doing. Henry closed the gap between them and kissed his husband. âHow about you? I guess it was better than our first Valentineâs Day apart.â
Sam would have spent last year with Nash, his fiancĂ© at the time. In factâHenry winced, remembering that Sam had previously mentioned heâd proposed to Nash on Valentineâs Day. Based on Samâs grimace, he was remembering that, too.
âSorry,â Henry muttered. âWill I ever learn to think before I speak?â Hell, Sam wouldnât want to recall their first Valentineâs Day apart, either. Poor guy had probably wished for a medically induced coma to get through it.
âForget it.â One side of Samâs mouth quirked up, and he took a deep cleansing breath. âRemember our first Valentineâs Day together?â
Henry nodded. âWe were also celebrating my recent promotion. You gave me a gorgeous bouquet of lavender and cream-colored roses.â
Samâs fingers traced a tingly trail down Henryâs side. âWeâd already said âI love you,â but still, Iâd wanted to do something different from clichĂ©d red roses.â
âPerfect choice.â Henry snuggled closer. Even after eight months back home, he still relished quiet moments in Samâs arms more than just about anything. Just about. He pressed a kiss to the curve of Samâs neck. It was early enough they might have the opportunity toâ
They sprang apart at the sharp click of the door across the hall opening. Sam puffed out a soft laugh. âTonight.â
âTonight,â Henry whispered as Aiden knocked on their closed door.
đ±đ¶đđđđđŸđđ đčđđ¶đđœđčđŸđž featuring Gavin and Matthew ~and~ Victor and Bryan from DĂ©jĂ Vu. This is the one that’s included in the compilation that I’ve linked to, above.
Told from Gavin and Victor’s POVs, and written using these words pulled from a random word generator (https://www.randomwordgenerator.com/): band â command â spine â deer â split

Gavin spun his wedding band with his thumb and clasped Matthewâs hand. The Valentineâs Day crush at the restaurant had been worth the effort to bask in the wide smile Matthew beamed at him now.
The cold, February night air chilled his cheeks, but it would be only a short walk home. Plenty of peopleâcouplesâwere out and about, so Gavin had no sense of foreboding before the strange, naked man appeared yards in front of them in a brilliant flash that split the night.
Matthew stumbled to a stop, and Gavin pulled him close. People whoâd been behind them hastily detoured around them, giving a hard nudge with their shoulders. âOuta the way, dumbasses.â
Did they seriously not see the hairy, naked guy? Matthew clearly did. He stared like a deer caught in theâŠwellâŠthe glow of a shimmeringâŠcupid?
âWhat the hell?â Gavin gasped as whatever-it-was pulled a bow and arrow from behind his back and pointed it straight at Matthew.
More walkers on the street jostled them into the entry alcove of the storefront theyâd stopped in front of. There was nowhere to run to as the creature took aim. Gavin shoved Matthew behind him, and the bizarre cherub commanded in a booming voice, âMove!â
âNo!â Gavin yelled. He stared at the shimmering being, but his peripheral vision caught the turning heads of passersby as they gave him a wide berth.
Matthew struggled, muttering, âYouâre not made of armor.â Meaning, if the thing wanted to shoot Matthew, Gavin didnât need to go down with him.
âNo!â Gavin repeated, and the arrow loosed.
He felt nothing, but some corner of Gavinâs mind realized it had gone through himâŠand Matthew, pinning them to the building. His legs buckled, unfeeling, beneath him. The arrow had hit him dead center, severing his spine.
A gut-wrenching gurgling noise erupted behind him as Matthewâs upper body slumped forward.
* * * *
Bryan snorted a laugh and petted Felix, who lay curled beside Victorâs keyboard. âIf youâre writing these wacky death scenes to get me to stop reading over your shoulder, you should know that theyâre having the opposite effect.â
âI know.â Victor smirked and pushed back his chair. âWho knew you had such a sick sense of humor?â And it wasnât as if Bryan didnât know Victor would rewrite the scene to something more befitting the romance/mystery novel it was a part of. Victor glanced at his watch. âTime to leave?â
âUnless we want to lose our reservations.â
Victor stood and pulled on the heavy coat Bryan handed him. âHappy Valentineâs Day, Love.â
Bryanâs smile widened. âHappy Valentineâs Day.â
Three flashfics at the same time?? That’s like…Christmas!! đ I love all of them, but Raymond and Kevin?? Seriously, I adore the shit out of them. đđ What do I have to bribe you with to write more of them?? đ
LOL. You don’t have to do anything. I keep thinking up stories for them in my head. I suspect it’s only a matter of time. :-/