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Monday, September 5, 2011

First Campaign Challenge

The first Campaign challenge is here! Thank you to Rachael Harrie and all her helpers for organizing it. Here's what the challenge is: Write a short story/flash fiction story in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, including a poem. Begin the story with the words, “The door swung open” These four words will be included in the word count.

If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional), use the same beginning words and end with the words: "the door swung shut." (also included in the word count)

For those who want an even greater challenge, make your story 200 words EXACTLY!

Once you’ve posted your Challenge post on your blog, pop back to Rachael's blog and link directly to it in the Linky List provided.

Entries in the First Campaigner Challenge will close on Friday, September 9th (at 11.59pm EDT), so make sure you get your post in the Linky List before then if you want to be eligible for a prize! As usual, while everyone is very welcome to take part in this Challenge, only Campaigners will be eligible for prizes.

Here's my story. Enjoy!

DEMON HUNTING


The door swung open and I rolled onto the gravel road. My demon hunter training allowed me to find my feet fast, but Soren was quicker. He leapt off the roof of the car and knocked me down.

I kicked with my legs and used the momentum to flip him over my head. He grunted with surprise, landing hard near the ditch.

I readied myself and willed my hands not to shake.

Soren crooked a finger and smiled, slow and sexy. “Drop the sword. You don't want to kill me.”

I hated how he could make me weak in the knees with just one smile. “But I really do.”

“How does that old saying go: she doth protest too much?” He chuckled and dared take a step forward. “Put down the blade, love. Talk to me.”

“Don't call me that!” I heard myself shriek. Taking in a deep calming breath, I could still smell his scent upon me. I shook my head. “No. I can't.”

I charged and was thrown back inside of the car. The gorgeous demon plucked my sword from my sweaty hands and climbed in with me. The door swung shut.

(200 words)
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63 comments:

  1. Alleged AuthorSeptember 5, 2011 at 2:59 PM

    Nothing like a gorgeous demon to get the blood pumping. :P

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownSeptember 5, 2011 at 3:14 PM

    oh for a few more demons like that! hi from a fellow campaigner...number 62 in the listx

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  3. Erin L. SchneiderSeptember 5, 2011 at 3:29 PM

    Great submit - love the banter between the two of them! This was a fun challenge, huh? :)

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  4. Nadja NotarianiSeptember 5, 2011 at 3:43 PM

    I can offer nothing better than a 'ditto' of what Alleged Author posted....delish! ~ Nadja

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  5. Francine HowarthSeptember 5, 2011 at 4:03 PM

    Hi,

    Oh lordy, Hell outside, now Hell inside! Fabulous. ;)

    best
    F

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  6. The East CoasterSeptember 5, 2011 at 4:23 PM

    LOL, Francine said it best!

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  7. E. ArroyoSeptember 5, 2011 at 5:06 PM

    Oh...where can I find me a demon like that? Awesome job.

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  8. prerna pickettSeptember 5, 2011 at 5:44 PM

    Very sexy and action packed!

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  9. AnonymousSeptember 5, 2011 at 5:46 PM

    I do like a sexy demon! Go on, what happens next? I'm #72

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  10. Carrie ButlerSeptember 5, 2011 at 6:04 PM

    Very nice! I love their exchange. Gah! Now I want to know what happens. Geez, Christine! :P

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  11. Golden EagleSeptember 5, 2011 at 6:23 PM

    I want to know what happens next! Gorgeous or no, it seems the character's in a bit of trouble.

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  12. Tara TylerSeptember 5, 2011 at 6:28 PM

    oooo! something to sink my brain teeth into! yum!
    when do we hear the before and after parts?

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  13. Elana JohnsonSeptember 5, 2011 at 6:43 PM

    Excellent! And exactly 200 words? You rock.

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  14. Christine RainsSeptember 5, 2011 at 9:24 PM

    Thank you, everyone! I'm excited that you like it. My nervousness has eased up with your kind comments. Maybe I'll make this a longer short story one day. Soren has been hanging out in my head a lot today, the persistent sexy demon.

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  15. Doralynn KennedySeptember 5, 2011 at 9:30 PM

    Oh I loved that. Great dialogue. I get a really good sense of the characters. I found the ending to be funny. Though, in reality, I know I wouldn't like having a demon in the car with me!

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  16. Avery MarshSeptember 5, 2011 at 9:44 PM

    Yowza, that was a fun read. ;)

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  17. Beth StilbornSeptember 5, 2011 at 10:14 PM

    Well done. Glad to see your comment that you may make this a short story.

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  18. TrishaSeptember 6, 2011 at 1:08 AM

    Nice, love their exchanges...and I haven't really heard a description of the guy but I already think he's super sexy. hehe

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  19. JenSeptember 6, 2011 at 1:53 AM

    Good job! You can't go wrong with sexy demons!

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  20. 1000th.monkeySeptember 6, 2011 at 2:02 AM

    Oooh, lots of fabulous action and sexy ;)

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  21. AnonymousSeptember 6, 2011 at 4:47 AM

    Is that like the demon's in Philip Pullman, so she had to battle both him and his demon and lost?
    I hope it all turns out well for her in the end and that she can get the upper hand at some stage.

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  22. AnonymousSeptember 6, 2011 at 5:48 AM

    I agree with elizabethanne Christine and hope you'll make it into a longer story ;)

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  23. HeatherSeptember 6, 2011 at 1:16 PM

    Very nicely done! I like it - lots of action!

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  24. Christine RainsSeptember 6, 2011 at 1:51 PM

    Thank you for all the encouragement and compliments! :)

    Madeleine, not like Pullman's demons at all. Soren is a demon!

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  25. M PaxSeptember 6, 2011 at 3:15 PM

    Pretty demons, the ultimate bad boys :) Nice work.

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  26. Michael HaynesSeptember 6, 2011 at 5:56 PM

    Nice job! I especially liked the dialogue.

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  27. Denise Covey September 6, 2011 at 9:48 PM

    You made my blood pump! Denise

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  28. Christine DanekSeptember 6, 2011 at 9:52 PM

    Now I want to know what happens. Nice work.

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  29. UnknownSeptember 6, 2011 at 10:28 PM

    so much tension in so few words...zowie!

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  30. Ruth JosseSeptember 6, 2011 at 11:53 PM

    I want to know what happened before and what happens next! Well done!

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  31. Maeve FrazierSeptember 7, 2011 at 6:23 AM

    Great job! Nice submit. I love the ending!

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  32. Christine RainsSeptember 7, 2011 at 1:58 PM

    I'm blushing, everyone. Thank you!

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  33. Amanda MilnerSeptember 7, 2011 at 3:17 PM

    Oooh! I like it! And like everyone, I want to know what happens next! Gotta love a sexy demon encounter. ;)

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  34. UnknownSeptember 7, 2011 at 8:36 PM

    Sexy demon...now that I can like :). Thanks for your visit to my blog and comment on my entry!

    If you'd like to make this into a longer story, check out The Rule of Three Blogfest ---a month-long extravaganza in the fictional town of Renaissance this October, with some great Amazon vouchers and author appearances as prizes, and of course, loads of comment love and exposure for your writing.

    We need a Paranormal Romance in the town of Renaissance, and a sexy demon would be just the thing :)

    ReplyDelete
  35. Christine RainsSeptember 7, 2011 at 9:04 PM

    Thank you, Amanda and Damyanti! I'm tempted to do the Rule of Three Blogfest, but I don't know if I'll have the time next month.

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  36. Roland D. YeomansSeptember 8, 2011 at 12:43 AM

    What happened next? Great job. Thanks for the nice words for my entry, Roland

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  37. AnonymousSeptember 8, 2011 at 3:19 AM

    Very action packed, like it very much.

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  38. Alica McKenna JohnsonSeptember 8, 2011 at 10:34 AM

    Very fun- I knew a Soren once :) And worst movie blog fest- I must know more!

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  39. Lisa PottsSeptember 8, 2011 at 8:00 PM

    Nothing sexier than a bad boy and I love the back and forth between the characters. Great entry!

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  40. Juliana L. BrandtSeptember 8, 2011 at 10:28 PM

    Haha, I liked the line "but I really do." Hilarious.

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  41. Doreen McGettiganSeptember 8, 2011 at 10:54 PM

    This was very good and I would love to see it as a short story:)

    http://www.doreenmcgettigan.com

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  42. UnknownSeptember 9, 2011 at 3:11 AM

    Great going - now I want to read the rest!

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  43. AnonymousSeptember 9, 2011 at 9:24 AM

    Wow! A fight with a demon! Great entry!

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  44. Sheri L. Swift, AuthorSeptember 9, 2011 at 4:03 PM

    Interesting, I like that she was afraid & yet continued her pursuit. ; )

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  45. UnknownSeptember 9, 2011 at 4:45 PM

    oooooh.... I'm loving Soren!!! Very cool.

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  46. Francesca ZappiaSeptember 9, 2011 at 6:55 PM

    I loved your characterization! I'd like to see this as a short story, too. Great job!

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  47. DeanaSeptember 10, 2011 at 3:46 PM

    Oooo, very spicy with the whole struggle! This sounds like a great piece of a much larger story. I loved it!

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  48. Elizabeth MossSeptember 10, 2011 at 6:16 PM

    Hi Christine! I'm Elizabeth Moss and you were put in my part of the judging element for the campaign challenge.

    I'm delighted to say I loved your story and you'll be going through to Stage Two!

    So congrats!

    What I love about your story is how it begins so dramatically in media res. The backstory is expertly revealed in the sparse phrase 'My demon hunting background' - no more is required. The action is in your face from the start and doesn't let up until the door swings shut again. Soren is sexy, and you can see why she's torn. (And in case we were in doubt, you cleverly slip in that 'she doth protest' to ensure we know this is boy on girl action.) Exciting, breathtaking, dynamic, telling dialogue, and all I can ask is - what happens once they're inside the car together??

    Love it. Best of luck with the next round.

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  49. Christine RainsSeptember 11, 2011 at 1:49 PM

    Elizabeth, thank you! Wow, I'm honored and excited to have made it through to Stage Two. This Campaign has been so much fun so far.

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  50. AnonymousSeptember 11, 2011 at 2:56 PM

    Ohhh all alone in the car! That is one sexy demon.

    Congrats on moving to stage two!

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  51. UnknownSeptember 12, 2011 at 11:21 AM

    Why, oh why did the door have to swing shut? I want to know what happens next!

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  52. K.T. HannaSeptember 12, 2011 at 3:34 PM

    A good demon can spice anything up! :D

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  53. Michael Offutt, Phantom ReaderSeptember 13, 2011 at 11:28 PM

    Hello,

    I'm just letting you know that one of twelve finalist judges selected your entry in this year's challenge to be a winner. Rachael Harrie will be in touch with you (I'm guessing) sometime this week. You've won a prize but I'm not sure what the prize is.

    There were 384 entries, you made the final 12. That is top 3%. I'd say that's pretty awesome. Rach herself may choose one Grand Prize winner from the twelve but that will be up to her.

    The finalist judge that selected you was Heather Arundel.

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  54. HeatherSeptember 14, 2011 at 12:03 AM

    Well, I just came by to inform you of your finalist status...but somehow Michael beat me to the punch! Congrats to you! I really enjoyed your piece, it was fantastic and sucked me in!

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  55. Christine RainsSeptember 14, 2011 at 2:23 PM

    Thank you, Michael and Heather! I can't believe I made it to the final 12. I'm blushing. The Campaign has been a lot of fun so far. I know I say that a lot, but I really mean it.

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  56. Rachael HarrieSeptember 19, 2011 at 10:33 PM

    Hi Christine, congratulations! A Finalist in my First Campaigner Challenge, well done you :) I've now awarded places and decided on prizes, and have popped over to let you know *drumroll* :)

    You've come in Tenth Place out of 384 entries - fantastic job!!! I'm with Alleged Author, your entry definitely made the blood pump, why can't we all have our own gorgeous demon to hunt ;)

    Well done again - make sure you pop by my blog to see what you've won!

    Hugs,

    Rach

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  57. Natasha HanovaSeptember 20, 2011 at 2:05 PM

    Congrats on your win!

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  58. Barbara V. EversSeptember 20, 2011 at 3:59 PM

    Oh my! I'm at a loss for words, so I'll just say congrats on your win. You deserve it.

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  59. UnknownSeptember 20, 2011 at 5:46 PM

    Love demon-hunters! And the name Soren...very original! Congrats to you!

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  60. Christine RainsSeptember 20, 2011 at 9:55 PM

    Wow! Thank you, Rachael. And thank you to all those who helped out. I'm still blushing.

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  61. Jessica TherrienSeptember 21, 2011 at 12:12 AM

    I'm with Alleged Author...hottie demons do it for me lol! Congrats on your win! Oh Yeah!

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  62. Kate SwensonSeptember 22, 2011 at 1:50 PM

    ooo - naughty demon! This whole piece really rolls. Congrats on the win!

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  63. Sommer LeighSeptember 23, 2011 at 8:31 PM

    Hi Christine, congratulations on winning one of the prizes from the first campaign challenge! The signed copy of Please Ignore Vera Dietz is my gift to you, but I can't find an email address to contact you at so I can get your mailing address. Can you email me at tellgreatstories@yahoo.com so I can get your name/address to send your prize to you?

    Thank you!
    Sommer Leigh
    http://www.sommerleigh.com

    ReplyDelete

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