Like any other type of story-telling, mini fiction – also called micro or flash fiction – has interesting characters who make a discovery, tackle a problem, or reflect a universal experience in a unique way. Flash fiction might illuminate a theme or illustrate a moment and like its lengthier relatives, has a purpose in being told. Themes reflected in this collection include humorous situations or points of view, yearnings of lost loves, relationships, and especially bold empowered women on their own in the world.The stories in this collection for the most part have come about from a Writer’s Digest prompt-a-day challenge. The prompt used for each writing is given, along with the number of words to emphasize how not all stories require the more than 1100 page length of Gabaldon’s A Breath of Snow and Ashes, or 10 books to tell.Most of the stories in Hot Flashes are total fiction. A few are fictionalized bits of memoirs from my own life. I leave it to the reader to decide which is which.