Well it is Friday again, looks around, and I seem to be able to steal the spotlight for the moment. Since I managed to slip in again I get to pick what is featured as well as introduce this week's prompts. So let me see if I can entice anyone with this week's offerings.

Prompt 230 – Creative
Tag – First Line
“I never said this wasn’t going to hurt.”

Prompt 231 – Creative
Tag – List of Words
Use the following words in a story: silk tie, dog toy, chain, bubble bath, and leather gloves.

I hope someone finds a little inspiration in one of them and decides to show us their take on it. Now two weeks ago, yes we had to deal with that nasty business last week, I managed to find some takers for both of the prompts. However James Savik really took off with prompt 229, which was : You entered into a contest and have won the chance to spend the day with your favorite star. Who is it and what do you do?
And here is just a snippet of his story so far.

The Rainmakers

 

Byrum, MS 3:00am

 

David Case got the call about 3am. He always loved those calls. It was either a drunk ex or a desperate client.

 

Either way he won.

 

He answered the phone, "Yeah?"

 

"Dave You available?"

 

"What have you got Max?"

 

"The Superdome people have a big concert this weekend and they're scared shitless that they'll have a repeat of the Superbowl fiasco."

 

"I thought that they had Courtland Systems people all over those control systems."

 

"They did. Courtland has all of his assets in Brazil on a big job for Petrobras and the Superdome people want a good Systems engineer onsite. You want it?"

 

"Sure."

 

"Good. You've hit the lotto with this gig. Look at your email for instructions. Be in New Orleans by ten at the Marriott. Marty Lebeau will be waiting for you there."

 

New Orleans

 

Dean Stalls had a big problem. The producer of boy-bands had at least three in play at all times: one emerging, one in its prime and one hobbling around long after its members were too old to interest Tigerbeat's readers.

 

It wasn't a band that was his problem. It was his solo act Kevin Carter.

 

Stalls had seen him when he was twelve and signed him on the spot. The Carter kid was a producer's dream: cute, charismatic, talented and malleable. He sang what they told him to. He did what they told him to. Stalls quickly turned Kevin Carter into another adorable teen idol. That had been four years ago and millions of albums ago.

 

Carter was capable and bright. He mastered the piano and classical guitar and practiced tirelessly. He listened to other musicians and developed a taste for classic rock. He was often seen in the tabloids wearing a Pink Floyd or a Led Zeppelin t-shirt.

 

Of course Stalls didn't care what the kid did in his spare time. He posed for pictures, behaved himself and played the songs that they gave him.

 

That was up until the boy turned sixteen and developed a mind of his own. Already a star, when it came time to press his fourth album, Carter had twenty-four songs produced and ready. It was his own original material and it was good. Damned good. It blew Stall's production people out of their shoes. They were excited. Some of the old hands that had worked for Cheap Trick or Supertramp and were in love with it. Against Stalls better judgement they pressed the album. It would serve the little shit right to fall on his face.

 

The album was pared down to sixteen songs. Carter named it Songs of the Highway. The CD cover was featured an empty instate with an electric guitar sitting on a stand. Who knew it would go triple platinum in near record time.

 

Old people- not just people in their thirties and forties, were buying it. People who had grown up on the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. Even the kids liked it. They liked it so much that Kevin Carter went from being a cute kid playing bubble gum music to near mythic proportions almost overnight. Even the most snobbish of critics sat up and gave props to Songs of the Highway as one of the most original and fresh albums of the decade.

 

Older groups were being re-discovered. The critics compared Carter's new album to Supertramp in its prime, so the kids bought Supertramp. They said he had a stage presence like a young Mick Jagger so the kids googled Mick Jagger to figure out who they were talking about and bought old Rolling Stones CDs. In the space of a few short months, Carter's charisma and talent had created a renaissance of rock.

James has a lot more of the story up. Want to read it? Of course you do! Read and leave him a comment here on the prompt page http://www.gayauthors.org/forums/topic/36938-prompt-229-creative/

Of course you might be interested to know someone also did Prompt 228 so go read that too. http://www.gayauthors.org/forums/topic/36937-prompt-228-creative/

Hopefully next week we might get a chance to read something new from you. Enjoy your weekend everyone.