Leftover Duck Soup

Drabbles are 100 word stories, no more and no less. One of mine won a prize in a recent Scribophile contest. I chose my favorite Groucho Marx quotations and wove them into a more contemporary satire.

Second Place: Leftover Duck Soup 

Judge’s Comments: “Loved the comedy running through this. It reflects Groucho Marks’ humour so well, I could see the conversation taking place in my head. It made me laugh out loud, which given the subject matter, is no mean feat. And all dialogue, which isn’t easy. Nicely done!”

I hope it will afford a chuckle! Here’s the story:

Leftover Duck Soup

“Groucho, you can’t possibly vote for him again! Think about our children!”

“Why should I care about posterity? What’s posterity ever done for me?”

“You think he’s done a good job with Covid? You’d take hydroxychloride?”

“Certainly, I intend to live forever, or die trying.”

“Didn’t you hear Fauci last night?”

“Why a four-year-old child could understand that report. Run out and find me a four-year-old child.”

“You’re terrible!”

“Those are my principles, and if you don’t like them… well, I have others.”

“I can’t stand it!”

“Thanks for coming. I’ve had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn’t it.”

Llorona wins first place!

I belong to Scribophile, a writers’ group which fosters peer review for writers seeking their best work. Alex Cabal, the group’s administrator, sponsors competitions to provide members both incentive and focus. I entered “Llorona” in the “Who’s Afraid of the Dark?” contest and just learned that it was awarded first place.

Here’s a link to the story provided by Bewildering Stories Editor Donald Webb: http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue869/llorona.html

Here is what the contest judges had to say:

FIRST PLACE –

Llorona – by Robert Walton

We were quite simply enthralled by this spooky western featuring the imperturbable Joaquin Murrieta, a gray-shaded hero who faces evil and brings goodness where it’s needed. We absolutely loved that this piece, though short, went for the interplay of light and dark within humanity and succeeded in doing so with subtlety, charm, and adventure. Interesting, nuanced characters felt authentically real as they inhabited a near-tangible setting for an entertaining take on the classic ghost story, celebrating the light that empathy gives us, and how it can be used to both mitigate and snuff out darkness.

I thank Alex, the judges and all those who entered for helping me find my best story!

Seven Deadly Sins, a YA Anthology: Avarice

I belong to Scribophile, a writers’ group dedicated to raising the quality of members’ writing and sharing useful information. Members gently (but incisively!) critique each other’s writing and sometimes pool their efforts in publications. I’m greatly honored that editor K.T. Stephens included a story of mine in the latest Seven Deadly Sins Anthology: Avarice. The book was published today and is available on Amazon as both a paperback and a Kindle book. Here are the links:

https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Deadly-Sins-Anthology-Avarice/dp/1986315843/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1521134488&sr=1-1

 

https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Deadly-Sins-YA-Anthology-ebook/dp/B07BH2Y1CQ/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1521134488&sr=1-1

Avarice!

I thought I’d give you a heads up. I’ve made a modest contribution to what promises to be a great anthology. Avarice is the latest volume in The Seven Deadly Sins, a YA Anthology and will be available early in April. My story “Fallen Angel” is tucked into the mix of compelling stories. I’ll update you as publication approaches.