Last year, right before I went in for surgery, I wrote two new flash stories as a gift to myself. (Flash stories are usually very short, often 500 words or so, but less than 1500.) I didn’t think I’d be able to write much while I was recovering, but I thought I could at least stay on top of submitting these flash pieces and therefore make myself feel like a writer anyway. Happily, they both sold and the second one is now online.
Note: Both these stories are intended for adults and may not interest young readers.
Flytrap: “The Sea City Six”
Heather Shaw and Tim Pratt Kickstarted a new issue of their ‘zine Flytrap, and I jumped on the chance to submit a story to Heather (the fiction editor). Now you can read “The Sea City Six” and a whole bunch of other great stories (many by good friends!) online for free.
About the story: “The Sea City Six” is told from the point of view of a group of investigative reporters as they follow-up with a team of superheroes who failed to prevent a tragedy.
Daily Science Fiction: “Gather Your Bones”
Daily Science Fiction has an interesting model: if you subscribe to their newsletter, you get a new piece of fiction emailed to you five days a week. A week later, the story is published online at their site. I had previously only published collaborative work with them: The Alphabet Quartet. I was thrilled when they accepted “Gather Your Bones,” my first solo piece.
About the story: “Gather Your Bones” is told from the point of view of a witch talking to her client. Her client wants to exact revenge on a woman who hurt him, but as the witch digs deeper, she uncovers the uncomfortable truth. (This is story about “Nice Guys.”)
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I would have read them…but, is it like, not for ’11+’?
Hi Cleo! The stories don’t have bad language (or much of it), but I’m just not sure if they’ll be fun for younger readers. You’re welcome to try — they’re very short and the worst that will happen is that you’ll be a little bored. :-D
Love it! But you figured that.
Bored? When I read one of YOUR books? Nope. No way, so yes, I’m definitely going to check them out….and I happen to love short stories because they’re always filled with ‘quick fun’! :) O_O So excited!