My monthly newsletter always has an exclusive Flash Fiction or Bonus Scene or Exclusive WiP Sneak Peak. These offerings are exclusive to subscribers for at at least a month before I’ll share it more widely on my blog and add it to the appropriate page here on my website.

This one is from my January, 2023 newsletter. If you don’t want to miss out on the Bonus Scene for Of Rats and Cats that’ll be in my next newsletter—going out on March 7—you can sign up, here:

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A Strange Request at a Piano Bar

Uses the prompt words:
carnival ~ sprained ~ mask ~ oxidation ~ awkward ~ apple ~ juvenile ~ controversy ~ twirl ~ sassafras

Andrew winced when his childhood best friend turned boyfriend, Carl, poked a sharp elbow into his ribs and hissed, “Are we at a carnival or a piano bar?”

In Carl’s defense, that sassafras tea song someone had requested was annoying. Andrew almost sprained his face affecting an exaggerated mask of merriment because Carl was being a pouty pain in the ass. “Be thankful it’s the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band song and not Stacey Dillsen singing that corny ditty.”

With a laugh, Carl popped an apple garnish from his Appletini into his mouth.

Andrew cocked an eyebrow and added, “Or would that be an improvement?”

As teens, Carl had laughed his ass off at the juvenile antics of Stacey Dillsen’s awkward character on Nickelodeon’s Zoie 101, a show that had ended amidst controversy surrounding another teenaged star’s pregnancy.

“Definitely would be an improvement.” Carl scowled at his second garnish. “Did the slice I already ate have this much oxidation?”

“Yup.” Andrew’s grin was more natural now as he gave his cocktail stick a twirl before sucking off the maraschino cherry.

Carl shrugged and ate it anyway.

Andrew chortled. “You expect me to still wanna kiss that mouth?”

Carl blew him an apple-scented kiss. “I remember when you snorted an earthworm on a dare when we were twelve, so yeah, I’d be pretty damned insulted if you had a problem kissing me because I ate a slightly browned apple slice.”

Carl supplemented his statement by planting a quick peck to Andrew’s lips.

“Yeah.” Andrew smiled. “Definitely better than that worm.”

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The Bonus Scene for Of Rats and Cats that’ll be in the aforementioned March 7 newsletter will use the following prompt from that same book:

Write the Story: A Wild Animal Loose in the House

Include the following in your story: pregnant ~ community ~ logo ~ statistics ~ democracy ~ honesty ~ criminal ~ ankle ~ orange ~ comment