THE LOGOS FICTION CIRCULAR is a weekly series which collects independent fiction from around the web. We are consistently on the look-out for new authors and publishers—recommendations are always welcome.
§00. Editor’s note: links affixed to author/publisher’s name will redirect to author/publisher social media, links affixed to story/article titles will redirect to the site whereupon the named piece is archived. The ‘authors’ section focuses on individuals who author and publish their own literary work, the ‘organizations’ section focuses upon independent presses, lit-mags, e-zines and other literary organizations who publish fictive work of multiple authors and ‘literary ephemera’ focuses on non-prose non-fiction literature, such as certain poems, news and art theory articles, reviews, interviews and critiques. All author/publication names arranged by alphabetical order (including ‘the’ and ‘a’).
§01. Editor’s note on criteria for inclusion: a publication is considered ‘independent’ if it is self-contained and sustaining, that is to say, if it does not rely upon the staff, organizational prowess or financial backing of large corporations, academies, governments or other large entrenched organizations. For example, Sink Hollow Litmag will not be included on the list, not due to the quality or lack thereof of their work, but rather, because they are supported by Utah State University (and thus, are not independent). All works which are included are those which were read by the editor during the week of publication; their inclusion does not mean that they were published the same week as the circular containing them.
AUTHORS
From Ian Kelly, Box Office.
Sex scandal followed drug rehab, relationship turmoil ran concurrent to family fall-outs.
All of it was box office. (I. Kelly, Box Office)
From Ramya Tantry, Human Trial.
“Subject 23 is not responding. Should we call it?”,the resident asked.
“Yes. Clear it and bring in Subject 24.”, the doctor replied.
“Doctor, Why are we killing humans?”
“We are not killing.Everything is trial and error until we find a perfect match.We are creating Super-humans.” (R. Tantry, Human Trial)
From Shreya Vikram, Like Dying, Yes.
There is no death without the dying, and yet there can be no comparison between a corpse and its body. (Vikram, Like Dying, Yes)
From Steve Hart, Promise of Shaconage—Act 85: The world changed (serialized novel).
This night was still and muggy. The river flowed slowly from the lack of rain. Everything seemed hot, even the cool grass and bed of ferns upon which he rested. (S. Hart, Promise of Shaconage)
From The Dark Netizen, The Misty Stone. The story of a jungle expedition gone awry. Reminiscent of H. Rider Haggard.
“Boss, why are we rushing it so much? Why not wait until this deathly fog reduces? We have lost half our men trying to navigate the perils of this jungle in such poor visibility. All this just for a stone?” (TDN, The Misty Stone)
From Thoughts of Steel, “Nomad” (our ending was your beginning).
It’s been so long since our brief eternity passed from wonderland. (Thoughts of Steel, Nomad)
ORGANIZATIONS
From our own site, the poem The Lord of Want and the short fictions, Lanterns In The Night, The Fissure, &, Strawberry Moon by K.E.—as well as Roadkill, a short story by D. A. Estringel.
For a moment there was nothing in all the world but those eyes. The fleeing shadows unmasking a face, bloodless as the white-bone of the moon which loomed above them like the half-formed relic-egg of some unimaginable beast, aborted-fetal in the endless gyre of its galaxial womb. (K E, Lanterns In The Night)
From Examining The Odd, a republication of American writer, Clark Ashton Smith’s short story, The Forbidden Forest (1943), and Dunce by Mike Russell.
‘What’s underneath the plaster, mister? Show us!’
They swear he has a third eye under there. (M. Russell, Dunce)
From Fictive Dream, The Storm by Suzannah V. Evans. The story a town which undergoes a strange, amphibious transformation.
When she undressed, it seemed to him that her skin was water. (S. V. Evans, The Storm)
From Gone Lawn, Home by Cecile Barlier.
Above the seat next to Jacqui, the head of my brother Guil surfaced like a puppet. (C. Barlier, Home)
From Jellyfish Review, A Great Fall by Mark L. Keats. Appears to be some of kind of political metaphor.
When it was reported on later, no one questioned how it had gotten up there, on the wall. There were no ladders or even built-in footholds. No trees to climb. Only an immense sense of presence. (Keats, A Great Fall)
From Jokes Review, Memo From Senior Management by Josh Trapani.
Hey, Team! Wasn’t last week’s mandatory active shooter awareness training a blast? Those instructors did a bang-up job. We were blown away! So glad we bit the bullet and shelled out for it. (J. Trapani, Memo From Senior Management)
From Literally Stories, Evil Is Afoot by Frederick K. Foote. A macabre tale of betrayal and retribution. That which is evil is not necessarily that which appears so.
“The night creature finds me sitting, waiting on the doorstep of the inn. It comes not as a raging monster, but as a handsome young gentleman dressed in quality and taste. I’m thankful for that consideration.” (F.K.F., Evil Is Afoot)
From Lost Balloon, Terrarium by Amanda Hays.
He never watches reality television, says it makes him feel weird to spy on all those other humans. He stares at the lizard. (A. Hays, Terrarium)
From Molotov Cocktail, Slip The Collar by Kelsey Ipsen.
The physiotherapist is pulling and tugging at me. We hear a crack in my shoulder and see that a bone has popped out of my skin. We both stare, the bone is shiny-white and oddly sharp.
“It will get worse before it gets better,” the physiotherapist reminds me, and I nod before arranging my next appointment. On my way home, I purchase a lightweight and oversized jacket to cover up my protrusion. I don’t want to offend anyone. (K. Ipsen, Slip The Collar)
From Musepaper, President Marilyn Monroe Devours Her Young by Joanna Koch.
I’m going to disappoint you. But you know that already. If I don’t, you’ll keep me around and alive. And where will that leave us? Like an old married couple. (J. Koch, President Marilyn Monroe Devours Her Young)
From Okay Donkey, Ganymede by Chelsea Harris.
The owners before us were in their seventies, stabbed in the heart and the neck by a couple high on junk, looking for money. (C. Harris, Ganymede)
From Poetry Under Cover, Traitor by Indira Reddy.
i sigh,
my traitor body,
slipping towards
evolutionary dead-end,
evokes moments
where we touched
the soul (I. Reddy, Traitor)
From Reflex Fiction, Arigatou by Max Riddington. A somber meditation on fading memory.
My dad is speaking Japanese. With a Leicester accent. He is not Japanese but was in Hiroshima during the war, after the bomb dropped, so he picked up a few phrases, none my mum ever wanted to hear. Back then he was eighteen and had hair. Small compensation for knowing every day you might die. (Riddington, Arigatou)
From Short Fiction Break, Forked Tongue by Jess Bagnall.
I try moving to shift the feeling; only to find my body frozen in place. (J. Bagnall, Forked Tongue)
From Spelk, I Love Our Voices When We Sing Off-Key by Timothy Boudreau.
I tell you we have our own light, our own suffusion (T. Boudreau, I Love Our Voices When We Sing Off-Key)
From Splonk, Drowning A Mermaid by Gerard McKeown.
I asked where all the water went.
‘All around the world,’ you said, then dived in yourself. (G. McKeown, Drowning A Mermaid)
From The Arcanist, What Do You See When You’re Both Asleep? by Christi Nogle.
It was strange at first, like seeing colors you haven’t seen before.
You’re supposed to train for several months before it’s safe to use full-time. (C. Nogle, What Do You See When You’re Both Asleep?)
From The Drabble, Riding Motorcycles by Dianne Moritz.
Driving down Flying Point
Road today, I thought
of you and me winding
up Mount Tamalpais,
dust coating our happy lips. (D. Moritz, Riding Motorcycles)
From The Fiction Pool, The Carriage by Adam Kieffer.
My forehead yawns above my eyebrows to the brown grey tufty triangle formerly known as my hairline. I can live with the grey hairs (in fact I think they are quite distinguished for a man of my position) but the thinning & the receding? (A. Kieffer, The Carriage)
From X-R-A-Y, The Call Was Coming From Inside The Cockroach by Maggie Dove (RomComDojo), a charming tale about the peculiarities of regional pride in America.
I found out that day that the real, scientific term for the legendary New York cockroach is the “American Cockroach”.
They were the same goddamned bug.
And New Yorkers still said theirs were superior. (Dove, The Call Was Coming From Inside The Cockroach)
LITERARY EPHEMERA
From Drunken Pen, Facing Rejection & Fighting Imposter Syndrome.
From the Guildy Pleasures podcast (S01 E05, 01-28-2018), Dan Klefstad reads a excerpt, entitled, Hauptsturmführer Soren, from his novel-in-progress, The Guardian.
He’s also come up with a Hollywood pitch-line.
From JPC Allen, Writing Tip—Benefits of Screenwriting.
From HorrorMadam, a interview with horror author, Nick Stead.
From New Pop Lit, The Literary Brat Pack, on the authorial trio of Bret Easton Ellis, Jay McInerney and Tama Janowitz.
From Rebecca Gransden, news on the release of her new novella, Sea of Glass.
From Silent Motorist Media, a interview with author, S. L. Edwards.
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