Back of the Envelope

Welcome to the ninetieth Storyblogging Carnival. One thing about using Roman numerals is that the number of numerals you end up using varies a lot. From eight two carnivals ago, down to two. Of course, if I was using Arabic numerals, I'd just be approaching three.

Anyway, on to the carnival.

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Musical Discord
by Madeleine Begun Kane of Mad Kane's Humor Blog
A 75 word brief story rated PG-13.

An orchestral argument in verse form

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Milton in Pisa
by Marco Kaufman of The Big Book of Grievances
A 245 word brief story rated PG.

John Milton meets Galileo on a trip to Italy.

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More About My Wicked Grandpa
by Perreti of My Grandpa
A 405 word brief story rated PG.

Grandpa gets the last laugh.

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Changes, Part IV (First Part)
by Tom Harrison of Monday Evening
The next 600 words of a 4,000 word short story rated PG-13.

The door through which Arthur Rodriguez had entered now opened, not onto the fenced compound that had been there before, but into a windowless hospital corridor. Part four of seven.

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Upon Meeting The 100% Perfect Moncton Girl
by Michael of project hitchhiker
A 1,500 word short story rated PG.

The most bizarre, vivid and wonderful hitchhiking trip I've ever taken.

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Pursue, Catch
by Peter C. of Engrossing Tales
A 1,684 word short story rated PG-13.

A serial killer finds a victim who's not who she turns out to be… and that's only the beginning.

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Living the Thinking Life (The Evolution of an Atheist)
by GrrlScientist of Living the Scientific Life
A 1,732 word short story rated PG.

"I was regularly lied to from the day I was born, although it took me awhile to realize it. What was this lie? I was told there was a god who both cared about me and wanted me to fear him, or else he would strike me dead with a Lightning Bolt from the Heavens. Because I was a small child who was inexperienced in the ways of the world, I believed this lie. At first."

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Crossing Over, Part IV (The Whole Story)
by Donald S. Crankshaw of Back of the Envelope
A next 2,722 words of a 17,473 word short story rated PG-13.

Continuing the CRFH fanfiction, Dave finds little success convincing people he's who he says he is.

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This concludes the eighty-eighth Storyblogging Carnival.

If you'd like to take part in a future carnival, please contact me. I am also looking for hosts. Other carnivals can be found here.

The Storyblogging Carnival can be found at The Truth Laid Bear's ÜberCarnival.

Welcome to the eighty-ninth Storyblogging Carnival. We have seven stories this time. Marco Kaufman makes his debut with a trio of fun stories.

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Precocious
by Marco Kaufman of The Big Book of Grievances
A 195 word short story rated PG-13.

A teenage boy is manipulated by a younger girl.

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Superdelegate
by Marco Kaufman of The Big Book of Grievances
A 223 word short story rated PG.

The last superdelegate is wooed by Clinton and Obama for the nomination.

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Die fröhliche Wissenschaft
by Marco Kaufman of The Big Book of Grievances
A 252 word short story rated PG.

A graduate student makes an amusing discovery.

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Changes, Part III (First Part)
by Tom Harrison of Monday Evening
The next 600 words of a 4,000 word short story.

Art was supposed to be at an interview with a company representative. Or, Private Arthur Rodriguez was supposed to be at an operations briefing; supposed to be wearing ACUs instead of jeans and t-shirt. Inside the fenced compound with no gate, it is starting to rain. Part three of seven.

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Rise of the Potato
by Goemagog of this space for sublet
A 674 word short story rated PG.

Birth of the evil potato hivemind.

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The Curious Case of Toulouse Le Grandfig (Part 1)
by Mark Rayner of The Skwib
The first 700 words of a continuing story rated PG-13.

The duty doc at Bellvue (circa 1951) discovers that his patient is more than another graphic designer at a Madison Avenue agency.

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Grail Quest, Part II
by JC of Simply Jews
The next 1,096 words of a 1,984 word continuing story rated PG.

JC's unusual take on the grail myth continues. The Sage of Wales is enjoying this series as he takes a few months off from chasing the minions Cthulhu.

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This concludes the eighty-eighth Storyblogging Carnival.

If you'd like to take part in a future carnival, please contact me. I am also looking for hosts. Other carnivals can be found here.

The Storyblogging Carnival can be found at The Truth Laid Bear's ÜberCarnival.

Welcome to the eighty-eighth Storyblogging Carnival. We have seven stories this time, from both newcomers, and some old-timers (including me).

One thing I'm getting tired of are submissions which aren't stories. Some of the carnival submission places allow you to submit to a lot of carnivals at once, and you can tell that some people just check off everyone there, including the Storyblogging Carnival. If it's close, I usually give it the benefit of the doubt, but posts explaining marketing or self-improvement strategies definitely do not count.

But enough ranting. Please enjoy the entries that do qualify as stories.

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Ode to a Grudge-holding Judge
by Madeleine Begun Kane of Mad Kane's Humor Blog
An under-100 word brief story rated G.

Just what it says, in limerick form.

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A Moment in Fiction
by Talulazoeapple of TalulaZoeApple
A 265 word short story rated PG.

An ongoing fictional narrative.

[Since the description Talula provided isn't that detailed, I'll just add that it's about a startling encounter. -DSC]

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Changes, Part II (First Part)
by Tom Harrison of Monday Evening
The next 550 words of a 3,000 word short story.

Was it the botched attack Private Rodriguez remembers, or the industrial accident his doctor tells him about? Either way, things grow more difficult and disturbing.

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Grail Quest, Part I
by JC of Simply Jews
The first 888 words of a continuing story rated PG.

Sooner or later, everybody goes on a quest for the grail, whether it's real or not.

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I Heart Jane Austen Fanfiction
by Juliana of Funnier That Way
A 1152 word short story rated PG.

It might seem familiar to you.

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Stay Gold
by Michele Catalano of A Big Victory
A 2,579 word short story rated G.

Rivalries and gang wars in 70's suburbia

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Crossing Over, Part III (The Whole Story)
by Donald S. Crankshaw of Back of the Envelope
A 2,721 word excerpt of a 17,472 word short story rated PG-13.

A College Roomies from Hell!!! fanfiction, in which I reveal the difference between Dahlia and Dave.

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This concludes the eighty-eighth Storyblogging Carnival.

If you'd like to take part in a future carnival, please contact me. I am also looking for hosts. Other carnivals can be found here.

The Storyblogging Carnival can be found at The Truth Laid Bear's ÜberCarnival.

Welcome to the eighty-seventh Storyblogging Carnival. We have six stories this time, including one of mine. Please enjoy.

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Temper, Temper
by Madeleine Begun Kane of Mad Kane's Humor Blog
An under-100 word brief story rated G.

The tale of an ill-tempered felon in limerick form.

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Changes, Part I
by Tom Harrison of Monday Evening
A 600 word brief story rated PG.

The attack was bad, the pull-back was worse, and then everything got really weird.

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the little shepherd
by Doc Rampage of Doc Rampage
A 972 brief story rated G.

On the side effects of enthusiasm.

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A Seat on the Porch
by Andy Osterlund of Archiandy
A 1,292 word short story rated PG.

A discrete shooting leaves a man contemplating his passive endurance.

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Crossing Over, Part II (The Whole Story)
by Donald S. Crankshaw of Back of the Envelope
A 1,531 word excerpt of a 17,472 word short story rated PG-13.

A College Roomies from Hell!!! fanfiction, in which Dave gets in trouble. Which is hardly surprising.

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Dogged Love
by Andrew Ian Dodge of Dodgeblogium
A 2,125 word short story rated PG-13.

A naked cut up man wakes up in her house...wearing her dog's collar.

[Don't forget, Andrew also has a new book out. -DSC]

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This concludes the eighty-seventh Storyblogging Carnival.

If you'd like to take part in a future carnival, please contact me. I am also looking for hosts. Other carnivals can be found here.

The Storyblogging Carnival can be found at The Truth Laid Bear's ÜberCarnival.

Welcome to the eighty-sixth Storyblogging Carnival. We have seven stories this time, including one of mine (which was submitted late, but I decided to allow it). Please enjoy.

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Yard Yarns
by Madeleine Begun Kane of Mad Kane's Humor Blog
A 100 word brief story rated G.

Story in limerick form about my adventures in non-raking.

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Food Presentation
by Robyn of Food for Life
A 237 word brief story rated G.

"All I hear is the ticking of my watch. I look quirky and idiosyncratic glancing at the clock in my classroom every three seconds."

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The Dumpling Queen of Wanchai Ferry
by Edith of Edith Yeung.Com: Dream. Think. Act.
A 328 brief story rated G.

A tale of dumplings.

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On the floor: first dance
by Causalien of Ultracrepidate
A 367 word brief story rated G.

“I am sorry, this other lady already booked me for the next dance.” I said as I grabbed a random girl around me for a dance. I apologized later for the rude behavior...

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You still have to fill out the forms.
by Juliana of It's funnier that way
A 685 word brief story rated R.

A lesson in correct behavior, this is the story of an obnoxious but otherwise harmless fat man who tests the patience of a long-suffering bus driver.

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The Crossing Over
by Donald S. Crankshaw of Back of the Envelope
A 2,171 word excerpt of a 17,472 word short story rated PG-13.

A College Roomies from Hell!!! fanfiction, in which Dave gets in trouble. Which is hardly surprising.

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Summer of My Blissful Miscontent
by Wendy Tatum of I'm Just Saying
An 1,394 word short story rated PG.

Sometimes you just got to let it all go, and laugh about it.

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Something about the Fridge
by Andrew Ian Dodge of Dodgeblogium
A 1,954 word short story rated PG-13.

The name of the story says it all.

[Andrew also has a new book out. Be sure to check it out. -DSC]

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This concludes the eighty-sixth Storyblogging Carnival.

If you'd like to take part in a future carnival, please contact me. I am also looking for hosts. Other carnivals can be found here.

The Storyblogging Carnival can be found at The Truth Laid Bear's ÜberCarnival.

This is late. The carnival itself was a bit late due to an unfortunate mishap, but I still should have linked to it sooner. Anyway, here it is. Kai did an excellent job.

Welcome to the eighty-fourth Storyblogging Carnival. It took some begging on my part, but we have a ten stories this time, including some faces we haven't seen recently, as well as someone completely new. Plus, we have a few regulars as well. Please enjoy.

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Fisherman
by Jeremiah Lewis of Fringe Blog
A 50 word brief story rated PG.

How catching fish is akin to life experience.

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Brief Respite
by Jeremiah Lewis of Fringe Blog
A 50 word brief story rated PG.

A man struggles with his wife's departure.

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How Future People Fly
by Jeremiah Lewis of Fringe Blog
A 50 word brief story rated PG.

Interstellar travel requires more than just numbers.

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The Nudes
by Jeremiah Lewis of Fringe Blog
A 50 word brief story rated PG.

A man becomes aware of the beauty of women after he loses his sight.

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The Office of Second Chances
by Donald S. Crankshaw of Back of the Envelope
A 226 word brief story rated PG.

Less a short story than a premise for one, this answers the question of what happens when the hero fails to save the world.

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The Gathering of the Aetoi
by Brad of The Vega Mythos
An 800 word excerpt from a 16,000 word story in progress rated PG.

Vega Mythos is intended to be a contribution to the conspiracy theory genre. In the movie and novel Contact, Earth receives an extraterrestrial message from the star Vega. Shortly after seeing the movie I looked up the origin of the star's name. I thought it strange that Sagan chose a star whose name meant "The Falling Vulture". So I began playing around with the idea of there being something sinister about the star Vega. Thus Vega Mythos began. So far, The Vega Mythos has been an exercise in comparative religions for the most part. I haven't got around to addressing Contact, Sagan or wormholes just yet. It reads as nonfiction but the basic theme that ties the whole thing together is fictional, that is to say, it is a story. The excerpt I have submitted discusses the symbolism of vultures in the New Testement. Other chapters are listed to the left in a suggested order but it is a work in progress so it lacks continuity and completeness.

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The Morning After
by D Kai Wilson of Avalon's Mistress
A 1,529 word short story rated PG.

Written when a friend asked me what morphine felt like, in second person.

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Beasts
by D Kai Wilson of Avalon's Mistress
A 1,535 word excerpt from an continuing novel rated PG-13.

First chapter of a yet unnamed novel - talks about nuclear war and collecting material to record how the world once was.

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The Pathfinder: A Parallel Roads Novel (Prologue and Chapter 1)
by Lyle Skains of Hermitville
A 2,700 word excerpt of a novel rated PG.

At almost 25,000 miles in circumference, the Earth is a hard thing to lose. But lose it exactly what Gloria Walker does in the culmination of the worst day of her life. She awakens to a strange new set of worlds, where anything is possible, and where she alone is responsible for all of them.

The Pathfinder: A Parallel Roads Novel is a science fiction/fantasy novel that tells the story of the one unique person in the universe who can travel between parallel dimensions without machines or magic.
Susheel's conflicted love relations are complicated by his flickering perception of reality.

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An Arkham Welcome
by Andrew Ian Dodge of Dodgeblogium
A 5,138 word short story rated PG-13.

"It would be inaccurate to say that the Sage of Wales was pleased to be landing in Boston on this particular January morning. In fact, he would rather have been sitting on the opposite side of the ocean just passed over, reading by the fire, his dog Eden by his side. Alas, The Sage had been summoned by his Alma Mater to address them about some of his recent exploits in the study of and battle against Cthulhu."

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This concludes the eighty-fourth Storyblogging Carnival.

If you'd like to take part in a future carnival, please contact me. I am also looking for hosts. Other carnivals can be found here.

The Storyblogging Carnival can be found at The Truth Laid Bear's ÜberCarnival.

Welcome to the eighty-third Storyblogging Carnival. There are five stories this time, so let's begin.

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Ode to a Greedy Squirrel
by Madeleine Kane of Mad Kane's Humor Blog
A 100 word brief story rated G.

A limerick.

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Charge
by Madeleine Kane of Mad Kane's Humor Blog
A 120 word brief story rated G.

Limerick and short tale about a father, a daughter and a charge card.

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Bob and the Pool
by Goemagog of This space for sublet
A 1081 word brief story rated PG.

Bob gets thirsty.

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Welcome to the Pack
by Andrew Ian Dodge of Dodgeblogium
A 3,136 word short story rated PG-13.

Parks in London are not just for the priveledged and the drunks...some of them hide interesting secrets. Have you ever wondered why many have high shrubbery so you can't see in?

[Andrew's recovering from illness, so we're republishing one of his old stories. -DSC]

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Ma
by Nema Nambiar at Reason and Rhyme
A 1,700 word short story rated PG-13.

Susheel's conflicted love relations are complicated by his flickering perception of reality.

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This concludes the eighty-second Storyblogging Carnival.

If you'd like to take part in a future carnival, please contact me. I am also looking for hosts. Other carnivals can be found here.

The Storyblogging Carnival can be found at The Truth Laid Bear's ÜberCarnival.

I'll be hosting the next Storyblogging Carnival, the eighty-third, here at Back of the Envelope. This will be the second of the monthly Storyblogging Carnivals. If you use your blog to share your fiction, then the Storyblogging Carnival is your opportunity. Here we host any and all forms of storytelling in blog format. If you're curious about what this looks like, have a look at some examples of previous storyblogging carnivals. This next carnival will be going up January 7th.

If you'd like to participate, please e-mail your story submissions to me at dscrank-at-alum-dot-mit-dot-edu (or post in my comments), including the following information:

• Name of your blog
• URL of your blog
• Title of the story
• URL for the blog entry where the story is posted
• (OPTIONAL) Author's name
• (OPTIONAL) A suggested rating for adult content (G, PG, PG-13, R)
• A word count
• A short blurb describing the story

The post may be of any age, from a week old to years old. The submission deadline is 11:59 PM Eastern time on Saturday, January 5th. More detailed information follows (same as always):

1. The story or excerpt submitted must be posted on-line as a blog entry, and while fiction is preferred, non-fiction storytelling is acceptable.
2. The story can be any length, but the Carnival will list them in order of length, from shortest to longest, and include a word count for each one.
3. You may either send a complete story, a story in progress, or a lengthy excerpt. You should indicate the word count for both the excerpt and the complete story in the submission, and you should say how the reader can find more of the story in the post itself.
4. If the story spans multiple posts, each post should contain a link to the beginning of the story, and a link to the next post. You may submit the whole story, the first post, or, if you've previously submitted earlier posts to the Carnival, the next post which you have not submitted. Please indicate the length of the entire story, as well as the portion which you are submitting.
5. The host has sole discretion to decide whether the story will be included or not, or whether to indicate that the story has pornographic or graphically violent content. The ratings for the story will be decided by the host. I expect I'll be pretty lenient on that sort of thing, but I have some limits, and others may draw the line elsewhere. Aside from noting potentially offensive content, while I may say nice things about stories I like, I won't be panning anyone's work. I expect other hosts to be similarly polite.
6. The story may be the blogger's own or posted with permission, but if it is not his own work he should gain permission from the author before submitting to the Carnival.

If you'd like to be added to the e-mail list, please let me know. Finally, I appreciate folks promoting the carnival on their own blogs, and I'm always looking for bloggers willing to host future carnivals.

Welcome to the eighty-second Storyblogging Carnival. There are four stories this time. This is the first of the monthly carnivals, and I have to admit, my rhythm is off--I neglected to send out my usual last minute reminder until it was pretty late, so we don't have as many stories as I was hoping. Still, we've got some stories, so let's get this carnival rolling...

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First (and Last) Visit
by Madeleine Kane of Mad Kane's Humor Blog
A 100 word brief story rated G.

Limerick and anecdote about being allergic to cats.

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Three Lions
by Tom Harrison of Monday Evening
A 500 word brief story rated PG.

A simple children's story in which three lions have an adventure.

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Emily Chesley: The Humble Beginnings
by Mark Rayner of The Skwib
The first 1,250 word of a continuing story rated PG-13.

Writer, poet, social activist, explorer, aviatrix, and 92-year-old pole vaulter: Emily Chesley played many roles in her long and remarkable life. This week I am posting abridged excerpts from her biography, *Get Bent: Emily Chesley’s Life of Speculation*, which recounts the humble beginnings and formative experiences of the Speculative Songstress Of The Southwest. (First chapter)

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Domestic Bliss
by Charmaine Frost at Reason and Rhyme
A 12,576 word brief story rated PG.

Those with admitted dysfunctional lives in unkempt homes may be enthralled to learn about an alternative. Charmain Frost explores such an alternative as only she is able

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This concludes the eighty-second Storyblogging Carnival.

If you'd like to take part in a future carnival, please contact me. I am also looking for hosts. Other carnivals can be found here.

The Storyblogging Carnival can be found at The Truth Laid Bear's ÜberCarnival.

Welcome to the eighty-first Storyblogging Carnival. There are four stories this time. This is the last of the bi-weekly carnivals. From now on, the Storyblogging Carnival will be monthly, so the next one will be the first Monday in December. Hopefully, this will give people more time to write, and have stories ready for each carnival.

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The Great Divide
by Jeremiah Lewis of The Fringe
A 50 word brief story rated PG.

A woman can't explain.

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Under the Blue Curve
by Mark Rayner of The Skwib
A 500 word excerpt from a 4,500 word short story rated PG.

"When Elisa sat down for lunch, Henry Overduin had no idea how much she was going to change his world." A SF love story in a world where the datasphere is all-encompassing for everyone except people like Henry, who can't access it at all.

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Werewolf's Lament
by Andrew Ian Dodge of Dodgeblogium
A 689 word brief story rated PG.

The sequel to "I, Werewolf."

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The Hippo
by Goemagog of This Space for Sublet
A 839 word brief story rated PG.

Things under my couch.

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This concludes the eighty-first Storyblogging Carnival.

If you'd like to take part in a future carnival, please contact me. I am also looking for hosts. Other carnivals can be found here.

The Storyblogging Carnival can be found at The Truth Laid Bear's ÜberCarnival.

Welcome to the eightieth Storyblogging Carnival. There are four stories this time. This is rather low, especially considering that I delayed a week just to get this many. I think what this means is that the Storyblogging will be going on a monthly, rather than a bi-weekly schedule. From now on, the carnival will go up on the first Monday of each month. Of course, that means the next one, the eighty-first, will be up in two weeks, but the one after that won't go up until December. We'll see how well that works.

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Greetings from Bonodminton!
by Mark Rayner of The Skwib
A 150 word brief story rated PG.

At last, intelligence is found on another world! But there's bad news too.

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The History of the Domini: Part V (The Whole Story)
by Donald S. Crankshaw of Back of the Envelope
The next 317 of a 2,098 word continuing story rated PG.

The war with the Malwer concludes.

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The Tragic Story of Larry and Wanda Pogo
by Mark Rayner of The Skwib
A 400 word brief story rated PG.

Another tale from the absurd series "Toulouse Le Grandfig and the Land of the Future", in which we learn of a couple overcoming adversity, only to find tragedy.

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I, Werewolf
by Andrew Ian Dodge of Dodgeblogium
A 2,259 word short story rated PG.

The title says it all.

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This concludes the seventy-seventh Storyblogging Carnival.

If you'd like to take part in a future carnival, please contact me. I am also looking for hosts. Other carnivals can be found here.

The Storyblogging Carnival can be found at The Truth Laid Bear's ÜberCarnival.

I'll be hosting the next Storyblogging Carnival, the eightieth, here at Back of the Envelope. If you use your blog to share your fiction, then the Storyblogging Carnival is your opportunity. Here we host any and all forms of storytelling in blog format. If you're curious about what this looks like, have a look at some examples of previous storyblogging carnivals. This next carnival will be going up October 15th.

If you'd like to participate, please e-mail your story submissions to me at dscrank-at-alum-dot-mit-dot-edu (or post in my comments), including the following information:

• Name of your blog
• URL of your blog
• Title of the story
• URL for the blog entry where the story is posted
• (OPTIONAL) Author's name
• (OPTIONAL) A suggested rating for adult content (G, PG, PG-13, R)
• A word count
• A short blurb describing the story

The post may be of any age, from a week old to years old. The submission deadline is 11:59 PM Eastern time on Saturday, October 13th. More detailed information follows (same as always):

1. The story or excerpt submitted must be posted on-line as a blog entry, and while fiction is preferred, non-fiction storytelling is acceptable.
2. The story can be any length, but the Carnival will list them in order of length, from shortest to longest, and include a word count for each one.
3. You may either send a complete story, a story in progress, or a lengthy excerpt. You should indicate the word count for both the excerpt and the complete story in the submission, and you should say how the reader can find more of the story in the post itself.
4. If the story spans multiple posts, each post should contain a link to the beginning of the story, and a link to the next post. You may submit the whole story, the first post, or, if you've previously submitted earlier posts to the Carnival, the next post which you have not submitted. Please indicate the length of the entire story, as well as the portion which you are submitting.
5. The host has sole discretion to decide whether the story will be included or not, or whether to indicate that the story has pornographic or graphically violent content. The ratings for the story will be decided by the host. I expect I'll be pretty lenient on that sort of thing, but I have some limits, and others may draw the line elsewhere. Aside from noting potentially offensive content, while I may say nice things about stories I like, I won't be panning anyone's work. I expect other hosts to be similarly polite.
6. The story may be the blogger's own or posted with permission, but if it is not his own work he should gain permission from the author before submitting to the Carnival.

If you'd like to be added to the e-mail list, please let me know. Finally, I appreciate folks promoting the carnival on their own blogs, and I'm always looking for bloggers willing to host future carnivals.

The seventy-ninth Storyblogging Carnival is up at the Skwib. Three stories this time. Hopefully, we'll be able to drum up a few more in the future.

Welcome to the seventy-eighth Storyblogging Carnival. This is actually the third anniversary edition of our little carnival, but I'm afraid I haven't made as big of a deal out of it this time. Still, I felt I had to have an entry of my own, so I added a small excerpt from Water. A couple of other writers have made their own contributions. Enjoy.

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Subway Encounter
by Jeremiah Lewis of Fringe
A 50 word brief story rated PG.

An awkward encounter on a subway leads to strange feelings of guilt.

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Death of a Civilization
by Jeremiah Lewis of Fringe
A 50 word brief story rated PG.

A theory of a lost civilization.

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Gather Round the Radium Fire
by Mark Rayner of The Skwib
A 250 word brief story rated PG.

The genteel story of a group of French friends enjoying their new radium fire.

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Mist Magic 30 (Beginning)
by Dave Gudeman of Doc Rampage
The final 628 words of a continuing story rated PG.

This is the end of the serial. The bad guy got away with it, but fortunately, so did the good guy

[The final chapter of Mist Magic. Yay for completeness! -DSC ]

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A rtura
by Donald S. Crankshaw of Back of the Envelope
A 2,549 word excerpt from a 190,000 word novel rated R.

Aulus's first mission is not without complications.

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This concludes the seventy-seventh Storyblogging Carnival.

If you'd like to take part in a future carnival, please contact me. I am also looking for hosts. Other carnivals can be found here.

The Storyblogging Carnival can be found at The Truth Laid Bear's ÜberCarnival.

Welcome to the seventy-seventh Storyblogging Carnival. There are seven entries today. Enjoy.

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Mist Magic 27 (Beginning)
by Dave Gudeman of Doc Rampage
The next 310 words of a continuing story rated PG.

Help approaches. Either help for me or help for the killer.

[I knew Doc was blogging again. Now it looks like he may actually finish Mist Magic. -DSC ]

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Thag mad at teenager!
by Mark Rayner of The Skwib
A 450 word brief story rated PG.

The continuing adventures of Thag: he learns that teenage crushes can be dangerous (and annoying).

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A taster... of what's to come?
by Andrew Ian Dodge of Dodgeblogium
A 491 word brief story rated PG.

"I have been pondering a new novel in the last few days. It won’t be another mythos tale but more of my techno-thriller writing. Here is a taster of what its about. Not telling too much."

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Selling Tickets To Brooke Astor's Funeral — Scam or Satire?
by Madeleine Begun Kane of Mad Kane's Political Madness
A 588 word short story rated G.

Every so often a journalist will ask me to comment on a news story, hoping I'll send him an amusing quote. This time the story concerned a Brooke Astor ticket sale scam.

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Perils of Peeping
by Goemagog of This Space for Sublet
A 788 word short story rated PG.

Spying on others won't save you from the giant chicken attack.

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Dirty Old Man
by Elvis D of 365Fiction
A 1,500 word short story rated R.

A man in his mid-thirties wonders whether he's turning into a dirty old man.

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Speedy Date
by Elvis D of 365Fiction
A 1,607 word short story rated PG.

Speed dating for the struggling writer.

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This concludes the seventy-seventh Storyblogging Carnival.

If you'd like to take part in a future carnival, please contact me. I am also looking for hosts. Other carnivals can be found here.

The Storyblogging Carnival can be found at The Truth Laid Bear's ÜberCarnival.

Welcome to the seventy-sixth Storyblogging Carnival. There are eight entries today. Enjoy.

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Proceedings
by Jeremiah Lewis of Fringeblog
A 50 word brief story rated PG.

A woman finds a note in her husband's pocket.

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She's a Lady
by Jeremiah Lewis of Fringeblog
A 50 word brief story rated PG.

A vamp finds a new lover.

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The Last Journey
by Jeremiah Lewis of Fringeblog
A 50 word brief story rated PG.

A well-traveled individual finds his jaded experience is no good to him on his latest and last journey.

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Sunburnt
by the Dodges of Dodgeblogium
A 143 word brief story rated PG.

"Sunburn...it’s the heat from your lies."

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The Five Second What???
by Madeleine Begun Kane of Mad Kane's Humor Blog
A 279 word brief story rated G.

Not everyone knows the five second rule.

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Thag Grok Free Will!
by Mark Rayner of The Skwib
A 500 word brief story rated PG.

The continuing adventures of the caveman Thag: in this story, he wrestles with the difficult question of free will vs determinism.

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My Friend Peter
by Ian Welsh of The Agonist
A 993 word brief story rated G.

My clothes were threadbare, and I would look in the mirror and I could already see myself at fifty, living the same hand to mouth, job-to-job life. Through it all two people helped me; two people stuck by me and never made me feel worthless. One of them was Peter.

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Paparazzi Fodder
by Elvis D of 365Fiction
A 1,861 word short story rated R.

A disturbing tale about disturbing people.

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This concludes the seventy-sixth Storyblogging Carnival.

If you'd like to take part in a future carnival, please contact me. I am also looking for hosts. Other carnivals can be found here.

The Storyblogging Carnival can be found at The Truth Laid Bear's ÜberCarnival.

Welcome to the seventy-fifth Storyblogging Carnival. There weren't many entries this time around, possibly due to the summer doldrums. Still, we have four stories this time, including one of my own. Enjoy.

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Sage of Wales Writes...
by Andrew Ian Dodge of Dodgeblogium
A 317 word brief story rated PG-13.

The sage is inspired by song.

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Thag Not Talk Much!
by Mark Rayner of The Skwib
A 450 word brief story rated PG-13.

The continuing prehistoric saga of Thag. In this episode, Thag unveils his cave art that he's painted for the Drunka Grunka tribe, and they wonder why he won't talk about it.

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Abort! Abort! Abort!
by Elvis D of 365Fiction
A 1,160 word short story rated R.

A paparazzo's tale.

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The Hunter of Shades
by Donald S. Crankshaw at Resident Aliens
A 5,307 word short story rated PG-13.

Searching for the dark things which are killing his people, the Hunter finds something unexpected.

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This concludes the seventy-fifth Storyblogging Carnival.

If you'd like to take part in a future carnival, please contact me. I am also looking for hosts. Other carnivals can be found here.

The Storyblogging Carnival can be found at The Truth Laid Bear's ÜberCarnival.

Mark Rayner has the latest Storyblogging Carnival posted at The Skwib. Eleven stories this time, with a breakfast theme.

Welcome to the seventy-third Storyblogging Carnival. Enjoy.

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The Mouse Killer
by Jeremiah Lewis of Fringe
A 50 word brief story rated PG.

About a cat who behaves much like a person.

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The Return
by Jeremiah Lewis of Fringe
A 50 word brief story rated PG.

Fallen angels seek a laborious, but poetic return to Heaven.

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Conscience
by Jeremiah Lewis of Fringe
A 50 word brief story rated PG.

Conscience as a skin condition.

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Rogue Signals
by Jeremiah Lewis of Fringe
A 50 word brief story rated PG.

In the future, containment is the only option, even at the expense of beauty.

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A Lamb on the Lam
by Madeleine Begun Kane of Mad Kane's Humor Blog
A 100 word brief story rated PG.

News story in limerick form.

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The Turtle and the Rabbit
by Phil at Phil for Humanity
A 212 word brief story rated G.

A fable about reverse discrimination.

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Necklace
by Jolanda Dubbeldam at Reason and Rhyme
A 346 word brief story rated G.

A caring woman is angry at an uncaring man who caused her to fire a family man.

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The Monkey’s Tail, as Told by Marcel Duchamp the Day After Charles Lindbergh Landed at Le Bourget Field
by Mark Rayner of The Skwib
A 500 word brief story rated PG.

The last Dadaist pursues his absurd desire to have a tail.

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How Potter Ends...
by Andrew Ian Dodge of Dodgeblogium
A 520 word brief story rated PG-13.

A vision of how the Harry Potter series might end.

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Uprising
by Elvis D of 365fiction
A 1,553 word short story rated R.

Home robots keep the peace--sorta.

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Chain
by Elvis D of 365fiction
A 1,882 word short story rated PG-13.

The story of a misplaced cigarette.

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Generations
by Elvis D of 365fiction
A 1,917 word short story rated PG-13.

A young man discovers his grandfather's secrets.

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Tales from the Riverbank
by Riversider of Save the Ribble
A 2,000 word short story rated PG.

In this humorous tale, two friends kayak their way down the river Ribble, then ride the tide back home again.

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This concludes the seventy-first Storyblogging Carnival.

If you'd like to take part in a future carnival, please contact me. I am also looking for hosts. Other carnivals can be found here.

The Storyblogging Carnival can be found at The Truth Laid Bear's ÜberCarnival.

I meant to get this up sooner. There was a problem with the permalink at first but it should be fixed now. Anyway... the latest Storyblogging Carnival is up at Dodgeblogium. Thanks for hosting it, Andrew, and I apologize for not getting the link up sooner.

Welcome to the seventy-first Storyblogging Carnival. This one is a bit unusual as a number of entries come from a single writer, Jeremiah Lewis. Jeremiah's a great writer, but because of technical problems, some of his submissions to recent carnivals were lost, so we're putting them all in this one. Since they're all part of his fifty word series, they're all really short. Enjoy.

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The Weekend After
by Jeremiah Lewis of Fringe
A 50 word brief story rated R.

Reflections on a violation.

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Marketing Education
by Jeremiah Lewis of Fringe
A 50 word brief story rated PG.

An executive makes the evening news.

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Ancient Vessel
by Jeremiah Lewis of Fringe
A 50 word brief story rated PG.

A valuable antiquity, overlooked.

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Entertainment is a Killer
by Jeremiah Lewis of Fringe
A 50 word brief story rated R.

The secret life of clowns.

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Marriage Proposal
by Jeremiah Lewis of Fringe
A 50 word brief story rated PG.

For some things, only a shotgun will do.

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Jesussic Park
by Mark Rayner of The Skwib
A 800 word brief story rated PG-13.

Imagining what the Sermon on the Mount would have sounded like if there were raptors (and a T-Rex).

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Crippled
by Elvis D of 365fiction
A 1,398 word brief story rated R.

The ultimate test of artificial intelligence.

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This concludes the seventy-first Storyblogging Carnival.

If you'd like to take part in a future carnival, please contact me. I am also looking for hosts. Other carnivals can be found here.

The Storyblogging Carnival can be found at The Truth Laid Bear's ÜberCarnival.

Welcome to the seventieth Storyblogging Carnival. If you're wondering, I did delay this carnival by a week in order to get a few more entries. That was enough to bring us up to five entries. Enjoy.

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Only in Queens, New York
by Madeleine Kane at Mad Kane's Humor Blog
Less than 100 word limerick rated G.

Story in limerick form about a Queens, New York encounter with a cop.

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Thag Grok Cow!
by Mark Rayner of The Skwib
A 351 word brief story rated PG-13.

Thag continues his sabbatical with the Drunka Grunka tribe, where he learns that everybody is a critic.

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The Quiet Bar
by Elvis D of 365fiction
A 925 word brief story rated PG.

The new boss puts in an appearance.

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But there were times, Dear...
by Postmodern Sass of Postmodern Sass
A 1,083 word short story rated PG.

It's about the Dean of my college, who died.

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Displaced in Time
by Patrick G Cox at Dodgeblogium
A 2,977 word short story rated PG.

A time travel story.

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This concludes the sixty-ninth Storyblogging Carnival.

If you'd like to take part in a future carnival, please contact me. I am also looking for hosts. Other carnivals can be found here.

The Storyblogging Carnival can be found at The Truth Laid Bear's ÜberCarnival.

Welcome to the sixty-ninth Storyblogging Carnival. We have four entries this time, but a number of them are significantly longer than usual, so there's plenty of reading material. Enjoy.

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Loneliness
by Fred Vaughan at Reason and Rhyme
A 650 word brief story rated PG.

Ray finds himself minimizing his good fortune with statistics and analogies to discovery.

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The Ark
by Andrew Ian Dodge of Dodgeblogium
A 956 word brief story rated PG.

So you thought you knew what Noah was on about...

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At Recess, There will be Worms
by Mark Rayner of The Skwib
A 2,500 word short story rated G.

A semi-autobiographical story about April worm-flinging and other childhood rites of passage.

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Bangkok Adrenaline
by Conan Stevens of World's Biggest Action Hero?
A 25,075 word screenplay rated G.

"This is a script I wrote, which has been filmed and is due for cinema release in Sept. The script is about 4 broke foreigners living in Thailand coming up with a plan for some easy(?) cash."

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This concludes the sixty-ninth Storyblogging Carnival.

If you'd like to take part in a future carnival, please contact me. I am also looking for hosts. Other carnivals can be found here.

The Storyblogging Carnival can be found at The Truth Laid Bear's ÜberCarnival.

Andrew hosts the latest Storyblogging Carnival, with six stories, at Dodgeblogium. Go read.

Welcome to the sixty-sixth Storyblogging Carnival. We had five entries this time, one from a new authors. I didn't have a lot of time to put into this one, since I'm gone for today and had to get up really early. Still, I'm sure the authors put plenty of work into it, so enjoy.

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Glitch 100 words
by Andrew Ian Dodge of Dodgeblogium
A 100 word brief story rated PG.

It's 100 words and the title says it all.

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Real Friends
by Anonymous at Zechary White
A 273 word brief story rated G.

A war story.

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Thag not grok big bottoms!
by Mark Rayner of The Skwib
A 350 word brief story rated PG.

The continuing saga of Thag — in which he learns the penchant the Drunka Grunka tribe has for an overabundance of rump.

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The Long Journey Back
by Mama Kelly at A Blog of Two Witches
A 3,261 word short story rated PG-13.

While this story is a work of fiction, elements of the abuse are inspired by real life events.

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Leprechaun Love
by Charmaine Frost at Reason and Rhyme
A 3,403 word short story rated PG-13.

A painfully shy new employee lifts the fortunes of a dating service.

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This concludes the sixty-fifth Storyblogging Carnival.

If you'd like to take part in a future carnival, please contact me. I am also looking for hosts. Other carnivals can be found here.

The Storyblogging Carnival can be found at The Truth Laid Bear's ÜberCarnival.

Welcome to the sixty-fifth Storyblogging Carnival. We had five entries this time, one from a new authors. I didn't have a lot of time to put into this one, since I'm gone for today and had to get up really early. Still, I'm sure the authors put plenty of work into it, so enjoy.

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Plates of Meat
by 100 Words of The Centurion Diaries
A 100 word brief story rated G.

A shoe story.

[Although I normally reject submissions that don't include a blurb, I let this one slide since it was so short... plus, we were short on stories this week. -DSC]

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Steaming
by Andrew Ian Dodge of Dodgeblogium
A 100 word brief story rated R.

100 words of steaming... er.

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Mist Magic 22 (Beginning)
by Dave Gudeman at Doc Rampage
The next 271 words of a 7,000 word story in progress rated PG.

In which I learn the origins of the story of the Minotaur.

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Thag not got milk!
by Mark Rayner of The Skwib
A 600 word brief story rated PG.

The latest chapter in the humorous saga of Thag — prehistoric everyman — in which he learns about milk, and asks the Elder's council to let him go learn to make beer.

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Surmounting Marriage
by Madeleine Begun Kane at Madkane's Humor Blog
A 700 word brief story rated PG.

What happens when a couple who has no business mountain climbing, does it anyway.

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This concludes the sixty-fifth Storyblogging Carnival.

If you'd like to take part in a future carnival, please contact me. I am also looking for hosts. Other carnivals can be found here.

The Storyblogging Carnival can be found at The Truth Laid Bear's ÜberCarnival.

The latest Storyblogging Carnival is up at Dean's World. There are eight stories this time, from a variety of authors. Go have a look.

The latest Storyblogging Carnival is up at The Skwib, Mark Rayner's place. There were only three entries this time, but we decided to go ahead anyway. We've had a couple of really low ones recently, but that may be blamed on the holidays we're just coming out of. If it continues, though, we may have to turn the carnival into a monthly, rather than a fortnightly, event. Let me know what you think.

The latest carnival is up at Dodgeblogium, hosted by Andrew Ian Dodge. There are eleven stories this time, but five of them are really short, so go have a look.