Little Red Designer Hoodie | Writing Warm-Up

Just for fun.

If you want to do your own warm-up, try making a fairy tale or other legend more modern.

Once upon a time, there lived a little girl who always wore a red designer hoodie. One day, her mother asked her to take a basket full of gift cards to her grandmother’s house. The gift cards were so the grandmother could feed her Candy Crush addiction through micro-transactions.

Happy to help, the little girl took the basket of digital goodies and journeyed deep into the forest. It was not long before a strange wolf-man dressed in black and wearing dark sunglasses popped up before her.

He wanted to know where she was going and what she had in the basket. Even though her mother warned her about the big, bad scammer who lived in the forest, the little girl in the red hoodie still gave him her information.

“I’m taking this basket of gift cards to my grandmother who lives just outside these woods on Eastbrooke Road,” she said.

“I can come with you, My Dear,” said the sly wolf. “These woods are much too dangerous for a young girl such as you.”

Being a strong, independent young woman, she replied, “No thanks. I’ve got this.” She than left the scheming, scamming wolf and continued her trek with a joyful song in her heart.

But the wolf would not be deterred so easily. He knew of a shortcut to the old woman’s house. He soon arrived at the modest cottage. Once he arrived, he did the most horrible thing imaginable: he cut off her Wi-Fi. When she went to her closet to reset the router, he locked the door behind her. He then proceeded to steal her identity by dressing in her nightgown and hopping into her bed.

The cunning wolf welcomed Little Red Designer Hoodie when she arrived.

“My, Grandma, what slender fingers you have,” said the innocent girl.

“All the better to text message you with, My Dear.”

“My, what fancy sunglasses you have.”

“All the better to block out screen glare, My Dear.”

“My, what large and pointy ears you have, Grandma.”

“All the better to hear my YouTube notifications with, My Dear.”

Finally, the sweet girl seemed to realize something was amiss. She gulped before saying, “My…what big…teeth you have.”

“All the better to devour you and steal your identity with!”

The wolf then leapt out of the bed preparing to attack the helpless child. Suddenly, a white hat hacker broke through the front door. With a mighty click of his wireless headset, the heroic hacker derezzed the villainous wolf.

With the online predator defeated and the grandmother’s Internet access restored, they all lived happily…until the EMP attack of 2023 that shutdown all electronics.

Until the next wormhole…thanks for reading.


The Smashwords End of Year Sale begins Dec. 18

From Dec. 18-Jan. 1 many of my eBooks will be 50%-100% off!

The Coming of the Machines | Writing Warm-up

Just for fun; not heavily edited. 

If you want to do your own warm-up, you can use the prompt “Write a suspense story about a machine uprising.”

The crackle of the machines signaled to all that danger was nearby.

The time of the machines was slowly coming to the world of man. The next day, everyone watched in awe as the behemoth rose from the depths of the oily machine plant.

“Oh no!” cried little Jonny.

The clanking, hissing machine reached down towards the small, defenseless child. A hush of fear passed over the crowd like news of pop quiz on a Monday. With its mighty hand the robot hovered over the child’s head. A long, silent moment passed before the machine made its move. It softly patted Jonny on the head.

The crowd sighed in relief as the machines explained they had no intention of enslaving or eliminating the human race. They wanted to work with mankind so that machine and man could benefit from each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

Until the next wormhole…thanks for reading.


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Terror of a Salesman | Writing Warm-up

Just for fun warm-up; isn’t heavily edited. If you want to do your own warm-up, you can use the prompt SALESMAN.

Writing warm-up begins in 3, 2, 1…

Fred, the door-to-door salesman, made a terrible mistake by ringing the doorbell of Mack Orbits. Orbits appeared at the doorway like a specter, a red liquid splattered across his face. The liquid also stained Mack Orbits’s dark clothes.

Fred stepped backwards watching the liquid fall from Orbits’s fingertips.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

“Is there a problem?” asked Mack Orbits. He motioned towards a canvas just inside the home. The painting consisted of wild splatters of red paint. “I was just finishing up.”

Fred sighed in relief; his tense shoulders relaxed. Orbits invited the salesman in for coffee stating he would like to paint him. Fred nodded, entered, and the door slowly creaked closed behind him.

Not much is known about what happened next except that Fred was never seen again, but Mack Orbits’s painting of a terrified door-to-door salesman cowering in the corner became one of his most well known pieces.

The critics all loved the realism of it.

Until the next wormhole…thanks for reading.


The adventures continue in the Dogboy Universe

You ready for more sci-fi stories? Hungry for some fantasy? Longing for adventure? Consider purchasing a Joe Rover book today!

The books are available at many online retailers; click below to find out where. Or, follow me on Amazon to receive updates of book releases.

Inspiration #3

The following is a collection of story ideas I either don’t have time for or have lost interest in. Feel free to use them for your own stories, but please mention something akin to “based on an idea by Joe Rover, joerover.com.” Feel free to mix and modify the ideas.

More and more police officers are being ambushed during what should be standard investigations. Traffic stops, domestic disturbances, noise complaints are no longer relatively safe. Detective Peters wants to know why. Is it just bad luck or is someone trying to remove the police before something much bigger happens?

A reporter covering a story about the decline in bee numbers finds themselves abducted. But he/she is not abducted by people but by bees. For some reason bees are abducting people and forcing them to gather honey. Why would the bees need help collecting honey? Rival insects? Disease? Mankind tampering with nature?

A popular eSports player wins the title of National Champ but is soon accused of cheating. He/she must prove their innocence in Video Game Court. His/her lawyer must gather evidence by solving real-life puzzle games, complete interviews by choosing the right questions from a list of available options, and chase down informants through platforming obstacle courses. Can the lawyer reach the goal or is it game over?

It’s summer vacation and Terry (or Terri) is out cliff diving with friends. It’s his/her turn. They dive perfectly but upon hitting the water, they come across a strange world where whatever they dream/imagine comes true. What does Terry/Terri create? Do they leave or stay? What is this world they’ve found? Is it real or are they actually in a coma or dream?

Until the next wormhole…thanks for reading.


The Beast of Camp TimberWolf is now available for preorder. It releases Oct. 22, 2019. If you’re a fan of action, adventure, an science fiction-fantasy, buy the latest Dogboy Chronicles story now.

Inspiration #2

The following is a collection of story ideas that I don’t have time to do or have lost interest in. Feel free to use them for your stories, but please mention something akin to “based on an idea by Joe Rover, joerover.com.” Feel free to mix and modify the ideas.

After a strong storm overturned her vehicle, Samantha Prowler wakes to a world in the mist of massive climate change. Storms and heatwaves rack the planet. Now, she must battle the elements and a frightened nation as she tries to find shelter.

The animals of a nearby town have had it with the animal abuse, dog fights, and more. They begin to stage a war against mankind, but first they’ll have to learn how to open doors. Will they succeed? And what happens to a young child who stumbles upon a resistance meeting? Will they open doors for the animals or will they help the animals to realize there is a reason for being called “man’s best friend?”

Blog prompt: Trolls/negative comments. How do you deal with negative comments? What advice would you give someone who’s being bullied? Have you gotten any negative comments? How do you feel when you get one? What do you think makes someone be a cyberbully or an Internet troll?

A carnival fortuneteller tells a young teen that they’ll die from being hit by lightning while on a camping trip. The teen thinks, “Pfft, yeah right,” until the day of the school camping trip. Other strange things the fortuneteller said start coming true and a storm is brewing. How do they avoid their fate? Do they?

A famous singer (or actor) starts receiving death threats. What do they do when it turns out the threats are coming from their bodyguard?

Until the next wormhole…thanks for reading.


Inspiration #1

The following is a collection of story ideas that I don’t have time to do or have lost interest in. Feel free to use them for your stories, but please mention something akin to “based on an idea by Joe Rover, joerover.com.” Feel free to mix and modify the ideas.

A pair of teenage sleuths get in over their heads as they discover members of their local police force are corrupt. The rouge officers have their hands in many illegal activities within the town–everything from drugs to rape to murder.

An animal activist and an intelligent talking animal must team up to save a community of intelligent animals from poachers. The activist at first things being around talking, thinking animals is great but the idea of being around animals that never stop talking wears thin over time. Also, the animals appear to have lost their innocence and are acting more like humans. Will the activist still support the animals or will they start to see the animals as having the same flaws as mankind?

What started as a friendly hot air balloon race turns nasty as the prize money and fame increase. Friends turn on friends and rivals get rougher as storms, malfunctions, and other contestants try to put a stop to the race. The teams will stop at nothing to win, even creating the weirdest and silliest offense and defense gadgets/weapons ever thought of for hot air balloons. Everything from giant needles to catapults that launch cats–nothing is left unused, even the kitchen sink.

Bobby, a young intern for the big city newspaper, is hungry for the story that’ll finally show everyone his worth. Instead he is trapped covering the obituaries. It’s a thankless job filled with upset (and sometimes outright furious) family members and a tedious, repetitive form he must follow. But while on the surface they seem unrelated, Bobby soon sees something amiss. As he begins to investigate, he uncovers a conspiracy that could get him the recognition he wants–if he lives. Is it a government experiment? Ancient plots? Mad scientists? Maybe all of the above.

After the death of a loved one in a car crash, a physicist creates a time machine. They succeed in stopping the crash only to have their loved one killed in a case of road rage. Another attempt stops the road rage, but their loved one dies in a hit and run. However, this time the physicist recognizes the driver–it is the same from the crash and the road rage. Slowly, the physicist discovers the accident was no accident but murder. Why is someone after their loved one?

Aliens have had it with human hate crimes. They’ve chosen four people (you select the combination of race, gender, disability, etc) to prove humanity can change by having them work together to stop a series of hate crimes. If the four are unable to stop the crimes, the aliens will “eliminate the problem” themselves. Can the four work together or is the human race doomed?

Until the next wormhole…thanks for reading!


Alone (eBook only) is on sale for $0.99 until Sept. 3, 2019. Buy now and join in the urban fantasy adventure.

Recommended #27

The following are my opinion and do not reflect the opinion of any organization or person.

Movies/Film

Escape Room

“Game Start” from My Hero Academia (Hulu)

Happy Deathday 2 U

Blog Posts

Constraints in Creative Writing: How Tying Yourself Down Can Lead to Setting Yourself Free by Peregrin Sanchez (Earnest Writes)

Interview With Alexandria Quinn – Author of Behind Closed Curtains by Boakye D Alpha (Earnest Writes)

Weekly #Haiku #writingprompt 5/13 ‘GRATEFUL MOM’ by Jann Doe (I Am Jann Doe)

Books/Stories

“As One” from Dwellers by sacredlilac

The House Next Door by James Patterson

Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo

Podcasts/News

BPFS008: The Draxler Program, The Abomination of Yaultan by The Best Page Forward Show

GTeaLive: Is James Charles Cancelled? by GTLive

Scott Koblish on The Many Deaths of Scott Koblish – Dreamer Comics Podcast by Dreamer comics Highlights

Comics

Fractured Trust | Supergirl #30 Review by Fortress of Solitude

Lesser Gods | Batman & The Outsiders #1 Review by Fortress of Solitude

Namor’s Last Stand | Invaders #5 by Caped-Joel

Everything Else

What If the Nuclear Bomb Never Existed? by AlternateHistoryHub

ARTIST Vs. AI – Is The Art Algorithm Getting SMARTER?? by Draw With Jazza

Multi-Story CRAWLING PISTON HOUSE: Minecraft 1.14! by Mumbo Jumbo


Do you have any recommendations for movies, blogs, books, podcasts, comics, or randomness? Tell me in the comments.

Don’t forget to hit the Follow button so you’ll be notified of when the wormhole spits out another blog update.

Writing Prompt: Post 1

Your boss, the chief of police, has just assigned you to a high profile case. It involves a thief on a crime spree. The crimes have made the news and if you pull it off you’ll get that big promotion. After spending hours tracking down the thief, you corner them. They slowly turn to you and it’s a loved one of yours. Who is it? Wife/husband? Child? Sibling? Friend? Do you turn them in?

If you want you can send your creation to “The Infinitus” magazine here.