Benjamin J. Kirby's Profile

The Hermit

The old hermit was finally dead, laid out quiet and still in a diminutive wood casket. The stark, sharp-cornered pine box was now three quarters filled beyond the body of the hermit with trinkets, baubles, and the kind of scented... Continue reading

Posted Apr 2, 2014 at Clintonaut

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The Sweet Dolly Fordham Cat House Curse

It's flash fiction time again, and because it's Halloween, you knew this one had to be creepy. Chuck at Terribleminds gave us a set of parameters, including: Sub-genre Conflict Setting Must-feature ingredient There's, oh, around ten things under each. You... Continue reading

Posted Oct 31, 2012 at Clintonaut

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The Extraordinary Rendition

It's flash fiction from Chuck Wendig at Terribleminds! This one was good -- "Five Ingredients Make a Story"... so we picked five of ten, limited ourselves to 1,000 words, and, well, here you go. I went with a little different... Continue reading

Posted Oct 24, 2012 at Clintonaut

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Festival of Reading

I'm going down to the Tampa Bay Times Festival of Reading tomorrow. I'll be there at 10:00 to see Dennis Lehane, and if I have a chance at all, to make a complete ass of myself in front of him.... Continue reading

Posted Oct 19, 2012 at Clintonaut

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Spellbound

Did not forget to do Flash Fiction this week. It was just... different. Three sentences, under a hundred words. And it had to be totally creepy. Hard to do a story -- a whole story, not just a vignette --... Continue reading

Posted Oct 19, 2012 at Clintonaut

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Thanks so much, Ravens -- appreciate the feedback. It's good to be back.

Commented Oct 15, 2012 on The Black Lighthouse at Clintonaut

The Black Lighthouse

Well, my little extended summer break -- which turned into a summer and fall break -- from fiction has finally come to an end. Frankly, I'm glad. There's been a lot of stuff I've been wanting to do on this... Continue reading

Posted Oct 10, 2012 at Clintonaut

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The Good Old Days: Me and HRC

This was probably around 1996, 1997: No, my smile is not always that smirky. Okay, it kind of is. It's why people think I'm being an asshole when I'm not being an asshole. No, my hair doesn't look like that... Continue reading

Posted Sep 26, 2012 at Clintonaut

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Images I Like: My Backyard

My backyard, just after I mowed it. Continue reading

Posted Jul 29, 2012 at Clintonaut

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The Mission at Tapalpa Jalisco

Chuck Wendig has another flash fiction challenge at Terribleminds. This time it's a story in three sentences, under 100 words. I ususally think these challenges are a lot harder than his usual challenges -- 1,000 words and a usually some... Continue reading

Posted Jun 30, 2012 at Clintonaut

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Benjamin J. Kirby is now following Tina Bardine

Jun 29, 2012

Benjamin J. Kirby is now following Shari Hazlett

Jun 29, 2012

Benjamin J. Kirby is now following David Flintom

Jun 29, 2012

Nora Ephron: RIP

The writer and director Nora Ephron died. She was 71. I like to think tha the movies which had the biggest impact on my youth and early adulthood were action-packed thrillers like "Raiders of the Lost Ark" or "Star Wars."... Continue reading

Posted Jun 27, 2012 at Clintonaut

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Crooked Tree

I'm back. Kind of. I took a bit of a break from the fiction, and these challenges, which I missed. But like I said, I'm back. So now here's more flash fiction from Chuck Wendig at Terribleminds. He's had several... Continue reading

Posted Jun 19, 2012 at Clintonaut

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Ray Bradbury: RIP

Science fiction author Ray Bradbury died. He was 91. I still remember the way “Fahrenheit 451” made me feel -- excited, and a little bit scared. How did someone come up with that? I was a kid, and it was... Continue reading

Posted Jun 6, 2012 at Clintonaut

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Images I Like: Sharks

Sharks at the Florida Aquarium in Tampa. Continue reading

Posted May 27, 2012 at Clintonaut

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Images I Like: Summer in Florida

The clouds we get in Florida when the rainy season -- that's summer -- starts are fantastic. I love the clouds, I love that they tower over us. They're beautiful. Continue reading

Posted May 17, 2012 at Clintonaut

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Robert Caro at Work

Just some great visuals from the New York Times on Robert Caro, who is about to publish a biography of Lyndon Johnson. Of course, the pictures are really less about Mr. Caro than his work and where he works. You... Continue reading

Posted Apr 12, 2012 at Clintonaut

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The Good Old Days: Fun with Pictures Part III

It's no Texts from Hillary, but... That is actually one of the few pictures of myself I sort of like. I'm not a fatass, I still have hair, and I have a good hair cut. And my suit fits, and... Continue reading

Posted Apr 6, 2012 at Clintonaut

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The Best Liar You Know

I visit Terribleminds every day. If you are interested in writing even a little bit, you should, too. It is an indispensable resource. And kind of fun, too. The other day, Chuck's list was 25 Lies Writer's Tell -- and... Continue reading

Posted Apr 1, 2012 at Clintonaut

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The Good Old Days: Fun With Pictures Part II

Because this was sort of fun last time I did it: To answer several questions: yes, that is a cool tie I'm wearing. Yes, that is a limited edition Peter Max pin I'm wearing. It's based on his famous poster,... Continue reading

Posted Mar 30, 2012 at Clintonaut

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Red Base 7

It's flash fiction from Chuck Wendig's Terribleminds. This time around we had to choose from a handful of settings and set our 1,000 word story there. I'll tell you right now, as tempting as "Abandoned Amusement Park" was, I had... Continue reading

Posted Mar 28, 2012 at Clintonaut

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Breakfast to Cure What Ails You, and the Story of Petit Jean

This is a story I shared at work a few years ago when we were kicking the tires on some software that allows us to share documents, calendars, that kind of thing. It's really a recipe -- the idea was... Continue reading

Posted Mar 26, 2012 at Clintonaut

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Saint Patrick's Day

Happy Saint Patrick's Day, everyone. Sláinte. # # # # At That Hour At that hour when all things have repose, O lonely watcher of the skies, Do you hear the night wind and the sighs Of harps playing unto... Continue reading

Posted Mar 16, 2012 at Clintonaut

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