March's Theme by Eric Price

“I know what you're thinking. ‘Did he fire six shots or only five?’ Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kinda lost track myself. But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and would blow your head clean off, you've gotta ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya, punk?”—Dirty Harry Callahan₁

Welcome to Lightning Quick Reads for March, where we explore the theme: Luck. What did you expect for the theme? Movies from the 70s? Well, did ya, punk? We can do that some other time. So let’s get to this. ‘Coffy’ anyone?

I felt lucky when Kai asked me to poison your mind write this into. But what is luck? Finding yourself in the right place at the right time? Some pre-destined outcome? We have lucky objects such as a rabbit’s foot… well, not lucky for the rabbit. And what about all the idioms? Down on your luck. Luck of the draw. Born under a lucky star. Get lucky.

“You're lucky, he's lucky, I'm lucky, we're all lucky!”₂ As a reader, you’re going to get lucky when I dive back into science fiction for, at least, the next four months. (I haven’t published, or written, a science fiction story since 2011. Though I did have a short science fiction poem published in April 2013.) Of course, if you don’t like science fiction, or my writing, then I guess you’re unlucky. I don’t know what the others are writing about, so you may get lucky and like something they have to say.

“I'm gonna make [you] an offer [you] cannot refuse.”₃ Come back here periodically throughout the month, and you can read the different ways our twelve authors choose to handle luck. On the 19^th, we’ll discuss luck at the round table in Camelot. “No, on second thought, let’s not go to Camelot. ‘Tis a silly place.”₄ Instead we’ll do it right here at LQR. “Which one of you nuts has got any guts?”₅ On the 25^th you can share your own luck themed flash fiction. With all this luck, “you’re gonna need a bigger boat.”₆

“But enough of words, actions speak louder than. Action now. Observe all.”₇

_{The ‘Lucky 7’ Movie Quotes
1)  Dirty Harry (1971)}

_{2) The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
3) The Godfather (1972)}
4) Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
_{5)  One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s nest (1975)
6)  Jaws (1975)
7)  A Clockwork Orange (1971)}

_{And an honorable mention to Coffy (1973), which was lucky enough to get referred to by name. Four of these movies started life as a book. I highly recommend them all.}