Author: Melinda Kucsera

Melinda Kucsera writes fantastic short stories, novels, and books when not being kidnapped by dragons or chased by armies of fictional creatures. (Her characters do, on occasion, rescue her.) She leaves the running of her newsletter to a cast of lovable characters who hog her inbox. Enough about her, it’s us you’re really interested in, her cast of characters. Join us every week for a new story at www.mkucsera.com/welcomecharacters. Over 15,000 readers have enjoyed their fight to survive and thrive as they straddle the often blurry line between fiction and reality. Let them take you on an adventure behind and between the scenes. Sign up at www.mkucsera.com/welcomecharacters to experience our weekly shenanigans. Go where no book or newsletter has gone before!
Curse Breaker, Fantasy, Mount Eredren, poem, poetry, Sarn, Sonnet9 Comments

Eavesdropping – Writing 101 #10

Melinda Kucsera

Eavesdropping Ran pretended to sleep. Often adults ignored small children, so his feigned repose went unnoticed and he heard the results. “–traumatic brain injury but he shows some improvement. He’s young. Recovery is possible but it’ll take time, how much I can’t say ’til he wakes.” Recovery sounded good. Papa’d be okay; Ran clutched his stuffed bear as the healer’s voice faded. Uncle Miren’s question cut the quiet, “When’ll he wake up?” Lying still, Ran waited; the reply was eaten by the quiet settling o’er the infirmary. He cried ’til a weak embrace, him, from his fears, pried. ~ ~ ~ A scene … Continue reading Eavesdropping – Writing 101 #10

poem, poetry, Sonnet7 Comments

Ripped from the Headlines! – A Daily Post Sonnet

Melinda Kucsera

Ripped from the Headlines! Ripped from the Headlines the ransom note came, each letter painstakingly cut, pasted, arranged to spell out a note licked by flame. A claim made from twenty broadsheets wasted on the demand for more land. The hostage taken turned out to be a wagon full of beans. The culprit, a dragon, skimped on postage by tossing the flaming note on the Queen’s hive, disrupting royal pollination and scattering her precious bees. Reports claim this winter we’ll be on short rations ’til bees start their flower nuzzling sport. Would someone send a representative to free the alimentary … Continue reading Ripped from the Headlines! – A Daily Post Sonnet

Curse Breaker, Mount Eredren, poem, poetry, Sarn, Shayari, Sonnet5 Comments

Friendship

Melinda Kucsera

Friendship Saveen regarded Ran in that open, trusting way of his; slow-witted they said; stupid, they called him, those orphan children, the Foundlings that mama had raised and led. Ran understood him even though Saveen was big like his uncle. His mind was small, which made him the perfect friend for one green eyed boy who didn’t want to be watched at all. They played knights and dragons. Creeping about from shadowed nook to pile of clothes, they slunk, stalking imaginary prey. Lookout! A monster’s rising–they pounce using spunk to defend ’cause no weapons are allowed, their foe fades to shadow and they stand proud. ~ ~ ~ Scene from … Continue reading Friendship

poem, poetry, Sonnet8 Comments

Written in Skin

Melinda Kucsera

Written in Skin Lines of heartbreak, disappointment, denials and recriminations–I cross them out. I start over; sketching’s such a trial. Erase those hazy outlines, blot them out, start again, dip the pen into love’s ink, but the ink pot’s run dry, there’s no love found. Snap the pen, toss it away, and trade ink for imagination’s paint. Pigments ground, brush in hand, stroke in a land; words now rush to create a world. Running out of skin, I write on the sky; quill morphs from a brush, I’m writing, ripping a tale out’ my skin. Spinning a story written on … Continue reading Written in Skin

poem, poetry, Sonnet29 Comments

What Do You Do When Not Writing? Assignment #9

Melinda Kucsera

What Do You Do When Not Writing? “What do you do when not writing?” she asked the scribe. Laying paper and ink aside, he regarded her but no answer blast past his consciousness. He blinked and she sighed. “That’s what I thought.” She left scrivener’s nook, took a boat to university’s isle, asked a student with her nose in a book the same question. “I go out, walk awhile,” shrugged the girl. “What about you professor?” “I read, improve my mind.” He turned and fled. Still not satisfied, she dragged a claw, tore reality, poked through my screen and said– but I had an answer … Continue reading What Do You Do When Not Writing? Assignment #9

poem, poetry, Sonnet19 Comments

The Red Thread Unraveled

Melinda Kucsera

Unravel I pulled the red thread, watched it unravel. I sought connections as stitches parted. I found none as thread pooled on cold gravel. Row by row came undone. Brokenhearted, I grabbed a spool and wound the thread back up. The pattern’s unraveled; the picture’s gone. What meaning I meant to find is bound up in the thread I wind until it’s all gone, and I’m left with a spool of bright red thread. I hold possibilities in my hand. New patterns to sew, stitches to try, thread spooled and waiting–I grab a needle, stand tall, boldly stitch a new design, and find the meaning … Continue reading The Red Thread Unraveled

Curse Breaker, Fantasy, poem, poetry, Sonnet17 Comments

Odd Trio, Cat’s Paw, Cat’s Vision and Cat’s Prophesy – A Four Sonnet Cycle

Melinda Kucsera

Pool (c) in medias res by Melinda Kucsera

An Odd Trio

An odd trio they made, a cat, a bowl
of soup, a beach towel, thought Moon Runner.
Maybe that was the norm on this atoll.
This scrap of rocky beach was no stunner.
All volcanic glass that cut at his feet,
White-caps slamming aground with enough force
to shatter a boat if he’d had one to beat.
Made him wonder why he’d chosen this course.
The cat nudged the bowl of soup with its head.
Not a golden drop spilled on the towel.
An intelligent gleam from its eyes led
him to join the cat on the soft towel.
He lifted the proffered bowl, sipped the soup.
‘Round the island appeared a golden hoop.

Continue reading “Odd Trio, Cat’s Paw, Cat’s Vision and Cat’s Prophesy – A Four Sonnet Cycle”

poem, poetry, Sonnet8 Comments

Ornate – Lifestyles of the Rich and Extravagant

Melinda Kucsera

Ornate We swam laps in our ornate pool, borrowed columns, statues from Greco-Roman rule, on a mountain we built our palace bold, mixing ancient and modern with our tools. Tiled and lit our courtyard crowned the mountain, statues placed to make it look more crowded. Still we’re lonesome like the carven fountains. For company there’s only the sky shrouded. We played rich and mighty in our castle, moved our pawns about the world to acquire, more fanciful things to deck our castle. Everything we want we always acquire. If you’ve a precious item we’ll want it; Just hand it over when we come for it. ~ ~ ~ The above … Continue reading Ornate – Lifestyles of the Rich and Extravagant

poem, poetry, Sonnet9 Comments

Dear Star SN 2014 – Assignment #8

Melinda Kucsera

Dear Star SN 2014, Thanks, you’re the closest star to go nova. ‘Cigar Galaxy’ or M82*, where you dwelt, twelve million light years ova’ in neighbor Ursa Major, when you blew. A prof caught you in the act**; the world watched, this astrophysicist got sacked cause you died in the birthplace of stars, and you botched my career. You Type Ia Nova***, you damned binary system with a white dwarf star–you just had to be special, outshine everybody else, be so close and morph my job into unemployment, you swine. You’re gone; I still thrive. Writing this letter didn’t bring back my job but I feel better. … Continue reading Dear Star SN 2014 – Assignment #8

Curse Breaker, Keysta, poem, poetry, Sarn, Shayari, Sonnet22 Comments

Secret Admirer – A Daily Post Sonnet

Melinda Kucsera

Secret Admirer She fingered the course cloth of his green cloak. Her savior–a man with green eyes that burned with magical fire. Course fabric she strokes, feeling arms carrying her, unconcerned by the enemies still fighting. Three shafts bloomed in her attacker’s neck, her savior’s work, before he’d rescued her. Danger still loomed as he ran through forest where shadows lurk. Sudden impact–she’s falling; one raider’s accosted them. She’d hit her head, missed the fight; vile unconsciousness betrayed her. She has his cloak, his presence it insists. Her savoir’s face in good lighting she yearns to see, to give her thanks and his name learn. ~ … Continue reading Secret Admirer – A Daily Post Sonnet

poem, poetry, Sonnet10 Comments

Photo-Fiction Challenge #5 – Evasion

Melinda Kucsera

Evasion She sat reading and fading where she sat. First her feet slipped into nothing, a toe at a time. Her legs went next, but she sat still and continued reading even though her body shifted out of time part by part. Her torso next phased out following her legs. Not some invisibility trick or try to fool the eye, she’s going now, her arms are vanishing, soon her head will go and all that will be left standing is her clothes and the grimoire that she read. For the invisibility spell cast had helped her to evade her past at last. Prompt … Continue reading Photo-Fiction Challenge #5 – Evasion

poem, poetry, Sonnet10 Comments

Photo-Fiction #11 – Blood and Secrets

Melinda Kucsera

Mistress A secret only told by bloody lips. A secret held in by a blood-tipped touch of a finger pressed to pursed ruby lips. Not a hint of the secrets in her clutch. Not in those dark amused eyes that promise, from the black and white tile floor where she lies, that hugging her secret close gives her bliss. She won’t explain the red drenching her guise. If your spies fail to report in, you’ll know, its their arterial spray coloring her hands and hips. A bloody sip they owe; she collected. Their bodies lay cooling somewhere you’ll never find. That enchantress, your own bloody, secret-keeping mistress. … Continue reading Photo-Fiction #11 – Blood and Secrets

poem, poetry, Sonnet4 Comments

Supernova – Writing 101 #7

Melinda Kucsera

Supernova Explosion that outshines a galaxy, radiating energy like a sun, expelling its material to be swept up in a shock wave, it’s remnant done. Its light fading, streaking across space time to strike the telescope trained on that star, pierce the eye pressed to the lens that one time. Re-ignition of fusion killed that star long ago, while we watched, worried ’bout work tomorrow. Seconds later another star suffers a core collapse, worries lurk while we gaze, distracting from another explosion, a star dying in the black, while work-worries blind us to the star’s lack. ~ ~ ~ For more about supernovae, check out … Continue reading Supernova – Writing 101 #7

poem, poetry, Sonnet16 Comments

Guilty Pleasures

Melinda Kucsera

Guilty Pleasures Not dark chocolate, peanut butter or anything edible; not silk or chrome or anything tangible; no gold ore, silver medallions or anything bone; no banal evening guiltily indulged in and gone; no apology whispered, nor promise betrayed; no treasure divulged, nor business deal skillfully maneuvered; no bold deity that needs appeasing, nor ancient text whose sight invites thieving– True though all of those items are pleasing, once had, they’re gone and that leads to grieving. He takes his pleasures from things eternal, whose use doesn’t reduce the original. ~ ~ ~ In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “No Apologies” and “Hate to Love.” Continue reading Guilty Pleasures

poem, poetry, Sonnet31 Comments

Veterans

Melinda Kucsera

Veterans Beneath the poppies they lie, our fallen protectors, who gave their lives to stop foes from near and far from taking God-given rights to life and liberty. In the throes of battle they never failed to take down the enemy, ’till snicker-snack, their match met, one unlucky sword thrust took them down. Up they got to fight ’till a bullet catch– then to earth they went, eternal sleep bent. Their eyes close on this churned up battlefield, then open on a field of poppies meant to greet their tired souls. Red flowers reveal their memory honored by those they saved, their struggle ends now … Continue reading Veterans