27 June 2025

Published June 25, 2025 by rochellewisoff

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PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

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Genre: Anecdotal History Lesson
Word Count: 100

GAME OF CONES

Leaving childhood behind at fourteen, I entered the workforce. I was hired by the local Dairy Queen for a dollar an hour.

I became adept at swirling those curls atop cones and sundaes.

Did I ever wonder about the company’s history? Nope.

That was then. This is now.

J.F. McCullough and his son Alex invented soft-serve. They shared it with ice cream shop owner Sherb Noble who, in turn, offered ten-cent cones to a sell-out crowd of 1600.

The men partnered, and the first Dairy Queen opened on June 22, 1940, in Joliet, Illinois.

Another delicious piece of history served.

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Thanks to Yvette Prior for a lovely interview. You can read it HERE.

6 June 2025

Published June 4, 2025 by rochellewisoff

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The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.

PHOTO PROMPT © David Stewart

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Genre: Anecdote
Word Count:100

CONNECTING FLIGHT

“Are you ready to go to the airport?”

I shuffled through the piles on my desk. “Daddy, I can’t find my passport.”

“Hurry!” He paced the floor.

Then I remembered I only needed my real I.D.

When we arrived at the check-in, panic set in. I’d forgotten to pack. We rushed home where I flung clothes into my purple suitcase: black swimsuits, black skirt, black pants, black…What’s with all this black?

Next-thing-I-know I’m lying in bed. I open my eyes. Somewhat relieved, I look at the clock. It’s 04:00. Dad’s been gone these past thirty years. Gee, I miss him.

*I wrote this shortly after I woke up from this very dream. Wasn’t sure what to call the genre. 😉

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And just a little something extra. 😉 It’s kind of long and has nothing to do with Friday Fictioneers. It’s an interview I did a few months ago with my author friend Diane Yates.

25 April 2025

Published April 23, 2025 by rochellewisoff

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The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.

PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bultot

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Genre: Novel Excerpt
Word Count: 100

BRAIN FOG

Elise’s cheeks blazed against the cold tile. The last thing she remembered was writing a check at the register when a wave of nausea and lightheadedness swept over her. The helpless feeling of losing control as she lost consciousness rushed back. She squirmed, wishing she could dissolve between the cracks. How many of those “gentle action” pink pills had she taken in anticipation of dinner?

You know you’re too damn smart for your own good,” her frustrated support group leader had snapped at her night before last. “Why do you even bother coming to meetings anyway?”

To learn new tricks…

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Screen Shot…to watch the interview Click the link below. 😉

To read my friend Diane Yates’ blog and watch our interview CLICK HERE

7 March 2025

Published March 5, 2025 by rochellewisoff

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The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.

PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

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Genre: Anecdote
Word Count:100

FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH

“Something’s happening here. What it is ain’t exactly clear.”

My thoughts scatter this morning like bits of flotsam, jetsam and lagan. The news blares in my ears and assaults my mind. Opinions swirl and spin with tornadic force. As the saying goes, everybody has one…nu?

Meanwhile, I’m gagging on social media fast food.

Yes. I have my own views. I don’t care to get into a virtual shouting match. Speak to me in private. I’ll say what I think. Or maybe I won’t. I hope we can still be friends. If not, perhaps we were never friends to begin with.

And while we’re at it:

10 January 2025

Published January 8, 2025 by rochellewisoff

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The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.

PHOTO PROMPT © Lisa Fox

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Genre: Anecdote
Word Count: 100

PURPLE PROSE

Addicted? Me? Nah. No way.

It is true that I’ve always loved purple—all shades of it, from pale lavender to deep violet.

It’s more than a color, or colour, depending on your locale. In North Carolina there’s even a boutique called, of all things, Purpleologist. They sell everything from knickknacks to jewelry, sunglasses, and clothes.

Twelve years ago, at a writer’s workshop, we bloggers were encouraged to create a memorable title to build our brand. “Addicted to Purple” was born—a bit of humor that seems to have caught on. That’s all.

Addicted? Me? Nah, I can stop anytime.

Here’s a link to Russell Gayer’s take on my addiction that he posted in 2012. (Note, he was at that same workshop)

A few years back, someone sent me the link to this song. He said it should be my theme song. 😉 It is my iPhone’s ringtone. 😀 What can I say? It works.

I can quit anytime.

27 December 2024

Published December 25, 2024 by rochellewisoff

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PHOTO PROMPT © Jennifer Pendergast

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Happy holidays to all who celebrate at this time of the year! In light of that and the fact that I’ve been battling some kind of sinus crud, today’s story is a rerun. However, the prompt is new. 😉

Genre: Pure Fiction
Word Count: 100

SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Ted set up a row of chairs in the reception hall. Jessica plopped down on one and pouted. “This is all-kinds-of wrong.”
“Hey sis, ever hear of John Cram?”
“No.”
“Lemme educate you. John Cram patented the folding chair in 1855. Then in 1947 Fred Arnold created the first aluminum one and by 1957 his company was manufacturing—”
“Ooh, cram your history, Mr. Wikipedia.” Jessica gritted her teeth. Tears stung her eyes. “It’s just not fair.”
Ted hugged her. “You’re going to be a gorgeous bride tomorrow.”
“What about my garden wedding? It’s not supposed to snow in May!

We celebrate both holidays in our house! Happy Merry from us to you!

In Loving Memory of John Scheuch.

25 October 2024

Published October 23, 2024 by rochellewisoff

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The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.

PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bultot

Genre: Historical Fiction
Word Count: 100

PRELUDE TO A NIGHTMARE

The setting sun’s light made the waters of the sea sparkle. Aliseyu basked in its warmth. Hutash had been good to them today. A grand catch of fish would provide a feast for the village tonight.

Aliseyu’s father recounted histories with the other men who paddled their long tomol. Even though he’d heard it many times, Aliseyu never tired of hearing the story of Hutash leading her Chumash people over the rainbow bridge to their home by the ocean.

In the distance, a huge boat with white flags appeared. As it came closer, Aliseyu blinked. Perhaps it was a dream.

On our recent trip to California I learned of the Chumash people who all but perished at the hands of the Spanish. To learn a little more about them CLICK HERE.

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20 September2024

Published September 18, 2024 by rochellewisoff

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The following is a repeat and if you remember it, bless you. It means you’ve been on board the FF bus for seven full years! 😀

Genre: Historical Fiction
Word Count: 100

RADIUM DIAL

“Jinny was barely growed. 1914-1934” Her lower lip quivered as she traced the dates on the headstone with a frail finger. “She earned $17.50 a week painting them glow-in-the-dark clock numbers.”

Wind gusting across St. Columbus Cemetery chilled me. “Let’s get you home, Mrs. Abbot.”

“Not yet. I want you to see.” She seethed and brandished a Geiger counter probe over her sister’s grave. “Jinny took sick. Strange. Her jaws done crumbled. Died like the other girls at her factory. The doctors made lame excuses. Damned liars is what they was.” The machine sputtered. “That sound like Diphtheria to you?”

To know more…lots more CLICK HERE.

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6 September 2024

Published September 4, 2024 by rochellewisoff

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CLICK TO HOP ABOARD

Genre: Historical Fiction
Word Count: 100

AND THEN ALONG COMES MARY*

“Papa, where’s Baby Abigail?” asked four-year old George.

Despite his success in business, Colonel Zadock Pratt had little success in marriage.

After a few months, his first love, Beda had succombed to consumption. He’d then found solace in the arms of her sister Esther, only to lose her two years later.

Zadock sat his son and two-year-old daughter Julia on his lap.

Seven years with their mother (Abigail Sr.) had not been long enough. She had passed away three months before, ten days after giving birth.

Heaving a tearful sigh, Zadock whispered, “Baby Abigail’s gone to heaven to be with your Mama.”

*Note: A year later he married Abigail’s sister Mary. 😉

There’s so much out there about Zadock Pratt’s life that boiling any part of it down to only one hundred words was quite the challenge. CLICK HERE for more.

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A Review to Savor

Published August 19, 2024 by rochellewisoff

I met Kathleen M. Rodgers at an Ozarks Writers League conference in November of 2015. (Wow, that was a fast nine years!) She was the speaker that weekend. We both felt the instant connection, not only in writing, but in the fact that both of us have survived ED, ie, eating disorder. And both of us are military wives. Her husband was a US Air Force Pilot and mine served twenty-eight years in the US Navy.

CLICK to read her Amazon Author Bio

and HERE to check out her writing. You won’t be disappointed. 😉

At the time Kathleen and I met, LAST DANCE WITH ANNIE was a short story in my anthology THIS, THAT AND, SOMETIMES, THE OTHER.

I knew at some point I needed to expand that short story into something longer, like a novel. I started and stopped more than once. Revisiting the past can be painful. One agent who represented LDWA for a season said she could sell it if it were a memoir. This just wasn’t an option for me.

Meanwhile, Kathleen has been in my court, cheering me on. The agent released me from my contract after a year. I set the manuscript aside for a yet another year, still feeling that this story had a purpose. Then two years ago, Lia Wu, owner of Ozark Hollow Press offered me a contract. The timing was right.