How to Write a Mystery Series
I’ve written novels before. I’ve even written sequels. But this is my first time writing a series. My first time writing a collection of novels, with a cast of compelling and recurring characters, that can either stand alone or be read in sequence…
“Indigo Night” – A Short Story by Alex Woodroe
“The last one.” The ship’s console lit up emerald green and the deepest of blue, colors that used to trigger an odd sort of nostalgia in Son, but lately only made him feel resentful. In the middle of the screen, a minuscule dot was steadily growing. Father’s voice soon followed from the speakers…
“Portrait of an Artist” – A Short Story by Casey Masterson
Artists thought they’d be the last ones laughed out of their professions by technology, yet they were amongst the first. What started as an amusing revolution of AI capabilities for content creators and web perusers was optimized to gain the attention of art critics and galleries…
“Midnight Frequencies” – A Short Story by Pedro Iniguez
The streetlight buzzed above the taco truck like a nest of angry hornets as it flickered in its death throes. Not unlike most neglected corners in Los Angeles, this particular stretch of downtown had been left to the bottom-feeders. At least down here, Enrique thought, the cops didn’t harass street vendors all that much…
“All I Want for Christmas Is Murder” A Larkin Day Holiday Short by Nicole Dieker
Larkin set down her glass of spiced wine. She wrote Is truth pleasant? on a yellow legal pad. Ben, at the end of both his breath and his tether, watched her. “Is something wrong?” he asked. “I know it’s pitchy…
“Such a Doll” A Short Story by Lyz Mancini
I was born on a conveyor belt. I remember rough hands, rap music blasting, and being shoved into a box. It isn’t a memory so much as a story, told to me so many times it feels like my own. But I was too busy screaming inside, my brain too busy growing, to truly know what was going on…
“Won’t Last Long!” A Short Story by Brian McAuley
Live in the glamorous heart of Hollywood! Spacious bachelor studio. Shared utilities in a growing community. Close to nature with stunning natural light. Won’t last long! Jeff’s holding his phone across the coffeeshop table for me to read the listing…
“Coneland” A Short Story by Joe Koch
The scuffed Plexiglas is hard to see through, but you can’t resist shuttering your eyes like using a View-Master to peer inside and look at your past. Like the wheel-card of slides in the stereoscopic toy, the scenes don’t change…
10 Tips for Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse: A Guide
Every millennia or so, this terrifying global catastrophe brings forth a season that zombie hunters everywhere simultaneously hold dear and dread. It is as much a time of creativity and perseverance as it is the worst fucking thing we do to ourselves…
10 Tips for Winning NaNoWriMo: A Guide to Getting Shit Done
Every November, this popular global writing challenge brings forth a season that writers everywhere simultaneously hold dear and dread. It is as much a time of creativity and perseverance as it is the worst fucking thing we do to ourselves each year…
The History of Indie Publishing, Part 3
Up until now, we’ve been talking about the past. The only thing constant, of course, is change, so let’s talk about the current state of writing, and publishing. EBooks are fully established. Independent and self-publishing are an integral part of the book world…
“The Imperfection” A Short Story by Mae Murray
Mira was in a hospital gown looking at her phone. The girl with the bleach-blonde pixie cut had been tantalizing in her OKCupid photo, but when they met last week, she noticed the deep-pitted acne scars peppering her jawline and the glaring red spots on her cheeks and between her thick brows…
“Called Home” A Short Story by Tanya Pell
El resented her father for calling her home. She stood in the backyard, arms folded across her faded t-shirt, staring out at the rows and rows of dry, brown cornstalks against an empty blue sky…
The History of Indie Publishing, Part 2
Before the actual crash of the midlist, the Internet was truly coming into its own. Online communities popped up everywhere. Smaller websites were able to code, or borrow code, to create message boards for groups of like-minded fans and authors…
“The Witch’s Aperture” A Short Story by Taylor Grothe
The bike seat pressed against my thighs, the wooden housing of the camera banging against my deformed spine. I was grateful for the misty shroud over my face. Were the neighbors to see me, they would whisper…