And now it's time to announce the Lie or Die Winners! With 5 amazing stories, written using a winning idea from Aeicha Matteson and many votes cast.... the winning story is.....

SPLITSVILLE BY G.P. Ching!!! CONGRATS!!!!!!

And.... our grand prize winner is.........

LARRY KOLLER!!! CONGRATS!!!

Larry, you will be contacting shortly by K.A. Tucker with details on claiming your grand prize!!!

Thank you so much to everyone who submitted a story idea, thank you to all the authors who wrote the amazing stories and Thank you to everyone who voted! I also can't forget to thank you to my fellow blogger co-hosts. Everyone has been amazing and this event has been FUN beyond words.

Again, Congrats everyone!

The day has finally come! We held a contest for the best flash fiction idea, we chose a winner, and we sent five authors out to spin the fabulous idea in their own direction. What was the winning idea? An awesome one from Aeicha Matteson:

Meet the characters:

Ryder - female, human, teenager, short in height, long brown hair w/blue streaks, bright green eyes, smart, sassy, tough.
Ax - (short for Aximander), male, demon (but was once human before being sent to hell), as a demon he has no permanent form, thus he possesses humans. He's cunning, vindictive, but incredibly charismatic.

The conflict:

Ryder is a supernatural hunter (she hunts demons, monsters, evil baddies), but she has been possessed by the demon Ax, who has essentially bound himself to her...meaning no simple exorcism will release him. Ryder must find a way to break free of Ax while fighting for control of her own mind, body, and actions.

Check out Their abilities:

Ryder - as a hunter she is skilled in weapons, fighting, and supernatural knowledge/lore but does not have "supernatural or magical" abilities of her own.
Ax - can shift/shimmer (teleport anywhere, including hell) and has enhanced/heightened abilities (strength, speed, hearing)...when possessing someone these abilities are transferred into them while Ax resides within them.

The authors have plotted and toiled for many hours to create their unique flash fiction version of Ryder and Ax’s tale.  Now you’ll all get to read them! Each author is hosted on one of the below blogger sites:





Fiktshun - hosting Tiffany King
Two Chicks on Books - hosting G.P. Ching
Magical Urban Fantasy Reads - hosting Megan Duncan
Taking It One Book At A Time - hosting S.M.Reine

And I'm hosting K.A. Tucker! I'm excited to now share with you her flash fiction story based on the idea!

How to Outsmart a Demon

By K.A.Tucker

“All these demons and I can’t kill any of them,” I muttered quietly as I trudged through a river of murky green liquid, my sea green eyes darting from one moving shadow to the next.              

Yes, you can!  No one will notice, Ryder. Think of how easy it would be… Ax cooed. For five days now, that damn leech of a demon had camped inside my mind - taunting me, battling to dominate my will. I couldn’t shake him and it was getting really annoying. “Stop talking!” I snapped. Too loud. I clamped my mouth shut and checked the gloom for witnesses. None, it seemed. Not that they’d guess what was going on in any case. They’d just suspect me of being a crazy demon-in-a-human-body-visiting-Satan-in-Hell kind of girl. No one, including the persistent Aximander, believed that a human could resist a demon’s full possession.  Miraculously, I had done just that. Not without a constant fight, of course. I was now the freak show who argued with herself in the streets. It was a peculiar sensation, sharing my body with another being. Especially one as charming as Ax.

As if led by an invisible string, my arm lifted up and over my shoulder, my hand grazing the handle of my exquisite samurai sword. Such a beautiful, sharp weapon... Ax purred.  He was tempting me to attack a demon. It was clear he didn’t want me to reach Satan for some reason. Gritting my teeth, I forced my arm down to my side and marched further down the tunnel until I reached a fork. “Which way?”

Right, Ax advised. So I went left. We reached another fork. Left, he said. So I did, knowing the cunning demon assumed I’d do the opposite again. I plodded along, stepping over gnarly roots and wiping beads of sweat off my brow. “Could this be any more stereotypical?” I whispered, my eyes rolling over the dank, gloomy underground world. Hell was exactly as I had expected it to be.

                You’re the one who forced me into bringing you here…

                “You’re the idiot who fused yourself to my bones! Even the High Priest’s exorcism can’t peel you off.”

                I told you how to reverse it, if you don’t like it, Ax answered indignantly.

                I snorted. “Ya… kill myself.” I continued in silence for the next ten minutes, feeling the glowing demon orbs bore into me as I walked. None came forward to greet me. I wasn’t surprised.  Ax was a Possessor Demon. Average demons were wary of his kind.

We rounded a corner and the low, dark tunnel suddenly opened up into a remarkably bright, cavernous room full of sculpted stalagmites and burning torches. In seconds, I zoned in on the occupant   – a giant beast with horns protruding out of his forehead and dark, leathery skin. Part human, part bull, part ugly.  The creature sat in an elaborate stone throne studying a glowing red crystal ball in his clawed hand.

His golden eyes flickered over to me as he inhaled deeply through a wide snout. “Aximander!” he boomed in a baritone voice.  “A female host this time… Interesting!”

                I opened my mouth but faltered, unsure of how to address the king of all evil. Satan? Master? Did I kneel? No. Ax would never kneel for anyone.

Satan gestured me forward. “Well?”

                “I thought I’d try something different,” I finally said.

                Oh, she feels different alright, Ax murmured in a seductive, low tone.

I closed my eyes, fighting the urge to shudder.   

                  “Who is she? Besides some cute teenager with blue hair,” Satan asked with curiosity.

                “Her name is Ryder,” I explained carefully, referring to myself in the third-person. “She was a demon slayer.”

                The beast’s gigantic head tipped back as he bellowed with laughter, slapping his knee. “How ironic! She’s now possessed by one!”

                I felt a smile stretch across my lips. “Yes, I thought that would amuse you.”

                He’s going to figure it out and when he does… Ax warned in a singsong voice. 

                I ignored him. “She’s small but feisty. Put up a good fight.”

                His eyes rolled over my shoulder to the weapon strapped to my back, “I believe it.”

                I chuckled in mock amusement. “She swore she’d break free of me.”

                Satan chuckled along. “How? She’d have to kill me!”

                She’d have to…I instantly processed Satan’s words. Noooo!  Ax cried out as I reached back and whipped my sword from its sheath with Ax’s super-human speed. The blade arched through the air and down in one fluid motion, cutting through Satan’s flesh like softened butter. His severed head bounced off the throne’s arm before hitting the ground.  

                 And then suddenly I was back in my mother’s living room… completely alone.    

So, go visit each site above and VOTE for your favorite! Why vote? Because on October 24th, a Grand Prize winner will be drawn. What could you win? A pile of signed print copies of the authors’ books and some swag. Check out the official page here for a list (grand prize winner contest open to U.S. residents only but anyone can vote; one vote per person and you can vote on any of the blogs.) Want to earn an extra entry into the grand prize? Tweet the following and paste the link into the form with your vote!:

“I voted in the #LieOrDie Flash Fiction Showdown. Why don’t you? http://bit.ly/3zlyR7”

NOTE: This is the SAME FORM on all FIVE Blogs,
so Please only VOTE ONCE!
VOTING ENDS: OCTOBER 23rd, 2011 AT 11:59PM PST

So… GO check out the 5 fabulous versions of 1 amazing idea and GO VOTE for your favorite one!

The judges have met, deliberated, and after much debate, decided. It wasn't easy. There were some really amazing ideas. And we would have loved to see all of them written by all five authors. But that wouldn't be very fair. Not really, anyway.

So, after a few punches, kicks, screams and much pulling of hair, we quietly sat down and for the most part agreed - and ended in Majority Rules - that the winner should be....

Aeicha Matteson

Congratulations Aeicha Matteson! Your idea was absolutely awesome. One that we think will result in some very different story ideas by the authors, one that can pose a bit of a challenge for them, and ultimately one we could all agree upon!

So, here's the idea that is being revealed live, at this very moment, to the authors. They've had no previous knowledge or peek at the winning idea, so they're all getting it at the same time. No unfair advantage here. For the authors who don't stalk our blogs early, well, they get that much less time to toy with this.

THE IDEA

Here are the characters:

Ryder - female, human, teenager, short in height, long brown hair w/blue streaks, bright green eyes, smart, sassy, tough.

 Ax - (short for Aximander), male, demon (but was once human before being sent to hell), as a demon he has no permanent form, thus he possesses humans. He's cunning, vindictive, but incredibly charismatic.

Here is the conflict:

Ryder - is a supernatural hunter (she hunts demons, monsters, evil baddies), but she has been possessed by the demon Ax, who has essentially bound himself to her. Meaning no simple exorcism will release him. Ryder must find a way to break free of Ax while fighting for control of her own mind, body, and actions. 

These are their abilities:

Ryder - as a hunter she is skilled in weapons, fighting, and supernatural knowledge/lore but does not have "supernatural or magical" abilities of her own.

Ax - can shift/shimmer (teleport anywhere, including hell) and has enhanced/heightened abilities (strength, speed, hearing)...when possessing someone these abilities are transferred into them while Ax resides within them.

Awesome, right? We are all super excited to see what these five incredibly talented authors come up with!

The authors will have until October 18th to write their 800 word flash fiction story. And on October 19th, all five stories will be revealed on all five of the participating blogs.

You will have a chance to vote for your favorite idea and enter to win the grand prize.

For more details in the meantime, be sure to check out the
Lie Or Die contest page >>> HERE<<<

Stay tuned! We'll be back on the 19th for your chance to vote.

 I really can't wait to see what all the authors come up with using this killer idea. However, I'm hosting Kathleen's story here, so I'm pretty much her head cheerleader in all things Lie or Die, so Kathleen, Ninja of words and stories - work your magic and bend those words!!

Lie or Die Flash Fiction Showdown: Step 1: Submit Your Idea Now!

Here is your chance to come up with a story idea and have not 1 but 5 authors spin it into an 800 word flash fiction tale! That’s 5 different YA paranormal authors with their own style and their own creativity taking your idea in 5 directions! Where will they go? You’ll have to wait until Oct 19th to find out.  

But, for now, get your story idea in! You have from Sept 29, 2011 12:00am to Oct 8th, 2011 11:59pm EST to submit your ideas by choosing characters, conflict and abilities. Details are in the form, which is at the bottom of the post. Only entries into the form will be considered.

Anyone can enter their idea (open to international) and the winning idea will win a print book of their choice from one of the participating authors. What should you enter? Well, seeing as all of the authors are YA Paranormal writers,  chances are anything to do with a hot, young heroine/hero of the non-human type will spark their interest. But, so could a grotesque villain…Should it be regular old Earth or a dystopian world? Should unicorns frolic and mermaids flap about? Should there be a love triangle? YOU DECIDE!


Example:

Characters - "Bill" - a male vampire, tall, dark and boring, prefers computers to good times, over 150 years old. "Sookie" - a female human, blond, barmaid, perky, Southern, sweet and hospitable but will resort to extreme violence when provoked.

Conflict - Someone wants Sookie dead. People she knows are being killed and it looks like Sookie is next. AND, there's a new vampire in town. He's tall, blond, sexy and powerful. While Bill may be old reliable, there's just something about Eric that she can't resist.

Abilities - "Bill" - speed, strength, can heal with his blood. "Sookie" - telepathic, good with a shotgun.

On Oct 9th, our 5 expert judges a.k.a fabulous bloggers Fiktshun, Two Chicks on Books, Magical Urban Fantasy Reads,  A Life Bound by Books, and Taking it One Book at a Time, will choose THE IDEA, based purely on what sounds like the most fun to read about and announce it at Sunday, 6pm EST.

From there, the authors will have 10 days to take the idea and run with it. For more details about the Lie or Die event, >>>CLICK HERE<<< to visit the official event page. 

 Want to know a little bit more about the authors participating?

SM Reine

SM Reine: SM Reine is a writer and graphic designer obsessed with werewolves, the occult, and collecting swords. Her YA fantasy books, "Six Moon Summer" and "All Hallows' Moon," have been praised as "fresh and fast-paced" and "captivating." Sara spins tales of dark fantasy to escape the drudgery of the desert, where she lives with her husband and the Helpful Baby. Visit her at her website HERE.

G.P. Ching

G.P.Ching: Author of The Soulkeepers (DarkSide Publishing, 2011) and rebel suburbanite who makes wicked cookies, kicks patootie at Guitar Hero, and thinks guinea pigs are the perfect pet. Visit her at her website HERE.

Tiffany King

Tiffany King: Hi, my name is Tiffany King the author of the Paranormal/Romance YA novel “Meant to Be” and "Forgotten Souls" and I’m practically a native Floridian. My family and I have been here for the last fourteen years and have gotten quite used to the mild winters and scorching summers. I went back to school when I turned 31 and will finish up this spring. I wrote my book “Meant to Be” two years into my degree program and put it on hold while I finished school. Of course my degree has nothing to do with writing *drat* but that doesn’t mean that I’m not going to keep writing. During this process with “Meant to Be” I discovered just how much I love to write and I have many story ideas tucked away. Visit her at her website HERE.

Megan Duncan

Megan Duncan: Megan Duncan is a lover of all things paranormal, fantasy, sci-fi and anything just out of the ordinary. She is continually fighting her addiction to chocolate and living in her overactive imagination. Visit her at her website HERE.

K.A. Tucker

K.A.Tucker: Born in small-town Ontario, Kathleen published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons. She is a voracious reader and the farthest thing from a genre-snob, loving everything from High Fantasy to Chick Lit. Kathleen currently resides in a quaint small town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures. Asylum, the sequel to Anathema,  will be released January, 2012. Visit her at her website HERE.

UPDATE: Starting Friday, 9/30, for a daily chance to win an eBook from Amazon of one of the participating author's books of your choice, submit your idea and tweet the following:

"I submitted my story idea for the #LieOrDie event! Go submit yours http://bit.ly/oAbLbI!"

You only need to submit one idea, but you can have a chance to win an eBook each day through October 8th, by tweeting and spreading the word. The daily winners will be announced on Twitter.

So, now it's YOUR turn!

Give the authors YOUR ideas!