I entered the Fiction War Spring Flash Fiction competition, and spent the last weekend in April crafting a 990-word story to meet the prompt "Take Flight." Contest finalists were announced today; unfortunately I'm not one of them. However, this also means I'm free to share this one publicly now. Without further ado, here is my … Continue reading (Fiction) Paris
Author: Cindy Cook DeRuyter
(Fiction) Lezioni Italiane [YeahWrite Super Challenge Round 2 Entry]
This was my entry into Round 2 of the YeahWrite Super Challenge #4. For this one, I had to write a story of no more than 1,000 words, using the setting depicted in the photo below for at least one scene. I also had to make at least one of the characters learn a non-violent … Continue reading (Fiction) Lezioni Italiane [YeahWrite Super Challenge Round 2 Entry]
(Fiction) Vanished [YeahWrite Super Challenge Round 1 Entry]
Kate attends a county fair for the first time in 15 years to face her past. When she confides in her new boyfriend, she gets much more than the comfort she so desperately needs.
Have You Seen This Child?

Psssst… Excuse me… Have you seen this baby? I miss him terribly. It seems like I just saw him a month or two ago...
(Fiction) Hannah and Gretchen

Author's note: I entered the Fiction War Winter Flash Fiction contest in January and had to submit a story of no more than 1,000 words using "Grimm's Fairy Tales" as the prompt. I had fun with this one, although it's a dark fairy tale (as were those told by the Brothers Grimm, of course.) I … Continue reading (Fiction) Hannah and Gretchen
(Fiction) The Fox King

Long ago, in the days when beasts could still speak and walk among us as equals, the land at the westernmost edge of the world was ruled by the Fox King. Now, the annals of history tell us little more than that the Fox King ruled for a short period of time. What … Continue reading (Fiction) The Fox King
8 Easy Ways to Save More and Spend Less in 2017

If "save more" or "spend less" are on your list of resolutions for the new year, check out these 8 ways to make that happen!
Nobody Told Me…
Marriage is hard. Nobody told me that “for worse”, “for poorer” and “in sickness” might all come at the same time, like some evil trio bent on destruction. And destructive, they can be.
(Fiction) Ascension
Because I seem to enjoy crazy writing competitions, I entered the Fall "Fiction War" competition last month and had 3 days to write a 1,000 word story including the prompt "I can't leave her now. She's already gone." I found out today that my story didn't place, but I still had fun with it. Be … Continue reading (Fiction) Ascension
(Fiction) The Schlimmster
This is the 1,000-word flash fiction story I entered for challenge #2 of the NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Challenge. I had 48 hours to craft a story in the "fantasy" genre, at least part of the story had to take place on a cotton plantation, and I had to include an "object" at least once … Continue reading (Fiction) The Schlimmster