“All words are pegs to hang ideas on.” – Henry Ward Beecher
INDEPENDENT AUTHORS
The Dark Netizen published a installment in his on-going flash fiction horror series.
Part 1- Twittering Tale: Campfire
Part 2- Flash Fiction: Boots
Part 3- Flash Fiction: Stay Out
Part 4- Flash Fiction: Into The Woods
Part 5- Flash Fiction: Into The Woods 2
Part 6- Flash Fiction: The Woods
Roger and Gary heard their friend’s cries for help coming from the woods.
— The Woods
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Next, Ventures Heart by Westley Nash, from his personal website, Thoughts of Steel. The form of the short story is unusual in that it is written more akin to a play than a typical prose work, however there is a reason for this, as the entire story is relayed via the transmission logs of a one Captain Taylor of the colonial ship, Venture’s Heart.
This is Captain Taylor of the colonial ship “Venture’s Heart” recording my final log prior to our departure towards the Perseus system. I am pleased to say that we have a clean sheet! Not that I want to tempt fate of course, but all in all the first stage of this mission has been a resounding triumph. — Ventures Heart
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Stacey Chesters published her debut novel, To Play With Sadness, on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback editions.
Synopsis:
A story of music and memory…
a forgotten daughter wants to help her father to remember who she is after over 20 years of silence.The fear of not being recognized.
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INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS
From Jokes Review, The Racoonist by Lee Blevins, wherein Mr. Blevins proves himself quite an agile, energetic and off-kilter humorist.
Rex considered himself quite animal-friendly but his instincts and training were violence personified and PETA wouldn’t like it if I told you what he did to that critter after it bit him. — The Racoonist
From 101 Words, Emma’s Ghost, a ghastly piece of flash fiction from Gudrun Roy.
“What is it, Emma?” I asked, finding her at the front door. “Stop screaming; it’s okay.”
“Ghost!” Emma yelled, hysterical. She pointed to the warped panel of glass in the door-frame; a pale, hazy stranger hovered just behind it. — Emma’s Ghost
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From The Stray Branch, Family Tree by Dan Klefstad, a grim and captivating tale of vampiric lust.
Childbirth hurts because a woman’s organs force a living thing from her body. It’s a pity mortals don’t feel this pain more often. — Family Tree
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From X-R-A-Y, Domestic Terrorist by Meeah Williams. A distinctively styled short story, as humorous as it is fragmented and perplexing.
“Do you happen to know where this train is headed?” He said, “No. But wherever it’s going I hope they serve hamburgers there.” — Domestic Terrorist
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From Terror House Magazine, MadDog78 by A. Elizabeth Herting, a sad and moving tale of troubled man in failing health. A peeling away of simulacrum.
One of the best short stories I’ve read in a very long time.
Whenever she asked him for a picture, he’d send one at least five years old or make excuses about why he couldn’t take a new one. He knew he was being dishonest, but he didn’t want to scare away the only woman he’d ever loved. MadDog78 was his link to a possible future—or any kind of happiness—and he wasn’t about to screw it up with reality. — MadDog78
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LITERARY EPHERMA
Completed the illustrated novel Goblin Slayer (Vol. I) by Kumo Kagyu (which inspired the comic and animated series of the same name). The book recounts the tale of a man obsessed with exterminating goblins in a cliche-ridden tabletop-inspired fantasy world (the gods are capricious beings who control the characters in the story by rolling dice, not unlike players in a D&D campaign). Rather than the mythic heroes one typically expects to find in high fantasy works, the titular Goblin Slayer is more like a janitor, who does the dirty and seemingly trivial work which, out of pride and indolence, his compatriots refuse. Originality by way of cliche. Better than expected.
“Imagine that one day your home is suddenly attacked by monsters. They swagger into your village like it belongs to them. They kill your friends, they kill your family, they loot your home. Imagine that they assault your sister. They torture her, they rape her, they kill her. They desecrate the bodies of your family, do whatever they want, cackling all the while. And you see it all from where you’re hidden, trying not to breathe. How could you ever let that go? So you get a weapon, you train yourself, you learn, you grow. Everything you do is to help you take revenge. You search them out, hunt them down, you fight, you attack, and you kill them and kill them and kill them and kill them. Sometimes things go well, and sometimes they don’t. But each time you ask—how will I kill them next time? What’s the best way to kill them? Day after day, month after month, that is all you think about. When you get a chance, of course you test every idea you have. And when you’ve been doing all that long enough… You start to enjoy it.” — Goblin Slayer
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The American Literary Blog published a wonderful piece on the love poems of American writer, Albert Pike.
I am the soul of the Universe,
In Nature’s pulse I beat;
To Doom and Death I am a curse,
I trample them under my feet.Creation’s every voice is mine,
I breathe in its every tone;
I have in every heart a shrine,
A consecrated throne.— Albert Pike
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Lastly, from Rachelle Gardener, Tightening Your Writing, a brisk and insightful guide to shearing away superfluous words in a text. She follows a lot of time-tested advice such as omitting excessive use of passive voice (indicated by words such as “was,” “were,” and, “that”). Seasoned writers
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Thanks for reading.
If you have any recommendations for writers or outlets you think should be included, feel free to let us know.
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