The time has come to, perhaps, have a monthly meet-up for fellow fiction writers? How often this happens and if it happens on a monthly basis is ENTIRELY up to you! As it stands we are looking at using Zoom which allows for 100 people and 40min and that is what we’ll do for the foreseeable future.

I’m looking for people to host future months. What that entails is that you are part of the fiction community, subscribed to Top in Fiction, have a working webcam and microphone so you can facilitate the meet-ups and have the time available to devote about an hour to being a host.

Topics for discussion will be set before the meet-ups and will always revolve around the fiction writing community. And we encourage everyone to come with questions. You don’t have to be on camera or use your mic when in the meeting, though it would be preferred. And we will record all meetings to then share afterwards for those who were unable to attend.

The official invite, including the Zoom link to join will be sent on Friday, April 10th.

The Ultimate Serialized Fiction Discussion

This past Monday I had a really in-depth discussion with and on the topic of…you guessed it…SERIALS! Specifically how they are done using the tools that Substack provides and our own skill set to best manage our own serials. There’s lots to unpack in 90min and I can say we barely scratched the surface but we got somewhere! If you are writing a serial now or you’re on the fence about whether or not starting one is a good idea right now, give this a listen and ask questions in the comments. I’m sure my fellow hosts will be glad to take a stab at an answer.

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MICRO/FLASH FICTION

Seed of Light by of Fantasy and Fellowship [Fantasy]

It’s Always the Spouse by of Son of Ugly [Mystery]

SHORT STORY

Amelia on Mars by of Briefly [Science Fiction]

The Birth of the Four-Headed Monster by of The Joke’s On You [Comedy]

Hook, Line, and Sinker by of After Dark [Horror]

How to Talk to the Dead by of The Anatomy of Reality

Snow Falls by of A Terrific Friend of Yours

A Most Improper Algorithm by of Charlotte Henley Babb Writes [Speculative Fiction]

SHORT SERIAL

On a Mission [Shattered: Isaiah’s Side, Ch. 2] by of By CB Mason [Science Fiction]

SERIAL

Urd's Well [Ash & Oak, Ch.1] by of Notes from the Edge [Fantasy]

February being a short month still managed to bring some great stories worth reading. Here are some callbacks as well as a some new stories we’ve yet to feature for your reading pleasure.

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But before you go, a few updates for both readers and writers of fiction:

SPRING FEVER IS HERE

On March 20th a group of brave souls will share their works. If you’d like to enter there is still plenty of time! The deadline to let know that you’ve written a story for this specific event is March 16th. Be sure to schedule your story for March 20th and be sure to follow us both as we will go Live on Substack on that very day. Find out more about this amazing event and ask any questions you may have, HERE.

UPDATES TO TIF PRESS AND TOP IN FICTION WEBSITES

I’ve taken some time to do a bit of “Spring Cleaning” and I’m still smack dab in the middle of it! But, I thought I’d share a few changes that I’ve done thus far:

• I’ve taken down the link to the TiF Library temporarily. I’m working on officially making that our “archive” of previous years, thereby providing a brand new Library link that will only include 2026 submissions. I hope to have this all properly sorted by the Summer.

• The TiF Events Calendar has officially been updated with nearly all major events that readers and writers alike may want to make note of and perhaps even set reminders to. You’ll find a convenient link to the Events Calendar on either the Top in Fiction or TiF Press menu bar.

• The first ever Top in Fiction Monthly Meet-Up will take place in April. But, I’m asking all the writers in the community if this is something they’d be interested in having happen every month or even every other month? In the past, a monthly meet-up like this was hosted by Fictionistas. It has not happened in quite some time but I recall how helpful it was for me in my early days of using and navigating Substack and just being a fiction writer in general to have and to attend. Let me know in the comments, send me a private Note or email letting me know your thoughts and hopefully I’ll see you on April 13th!

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POETRY

Her Silent Song by of Mythscape [Free Verse]

MICRO/FLASH FICTION

Three Steps, Pause, and Turn by of Stories Sown With Hope [Fantasy]

Reconstruction by of The Second Sentence [Historical]

The Single Rose by of Tales of the Zeitgeist [Comedy]

First Time Home Owners by of The Butchered Writers [Horror]

SHORT SERIAL

What Passes Down by of Talebones

State Trooper by of Nathan Hatch [Horror]

The Long Dark by of J.M. Gooding [Horror]

The Revolution by of Bent Eye [Speculative Fiction]

The Black Swan by of Ink & Shadows [Horror]

SHORT SERIAL

Stillard [Part One] by of Writing on a Whim

The Lantern Bearer Part 1 [The Lantern Bearer, Ch.1] by of Stories Have Power [Fantasy]

SERIAL

Treachery and Tales [The Huntsman's Widow, Ch. 7] by of Smatterings [Fantasy]

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Now, for some important news before we get into wrapping up January in a neat little bow!

AN UPDATE ON MEDALLIONS

Every year that I am, for the most part, on my own running all of Top in Fiction and TiF Press, it means I have to evaluate everything that I do from the biggest task to the must smallest (yet no less time consuming) of tasks. And each time I do this exercise it ultimately means things must be cut in order to make room for things I feel are much more useful and helpful to the community of writers and readers that Top in Fiction is intending to serve. So, it is with a sorrowful heart that I have to end giving out medallions (for now). I just hate to end something 100%! It’s not in my nature. I would love nothing more than to bring back giving these out because I know how much it means, especially to writers, to be able to have some representation they can put on their work to show it was recognized. But with my time being taken up by other things, this just had to go.

THE MURDER ROOM - AN UPDATE

On Tuesday, February 17th a TiF Disruption email will be sent to everyone that will outline what The Murder Room is, how anyone can participate, and how readers can access this amazing place that will produce some great work of horror, mystery, romance, and more!

A BIT OF SELF-PROMOTION

I don’t normally inject myself into these emails but I’m trying something a bit different this year. Plus, I had a truly amazing conversation with which always seems to bring out the best in me. I need to make sure I have a “check-in” conversation with her at least once a year if only to keep me “in-check” with my ever-expanding mine field of ideas!

You can watch our 1hr+ long chat here:

The Literary Obsessive

In conversation with Erica Drayton

Listen now

2 months ago · 14 likes · 1 comment · Eleanor Anstruther and Erica Drayton

Also, in about 2 weeks, I’ll be sharing an extensive walk-through of my growing Tarot Deck collection. I’m close to 50! 😲 If you want to make sure you DON’T miss my Substack Live, make sure to FOLLOW me:

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MICRO/FLASH FICTION

Bullet by of Keep On Keeping On [Comedy]

Magic Takes Time by of Disco Insomnium [Speculative Fiction]

Jewel of the Village by of Exploring the Eyrie [Fantasy]

The Mississippi Remembers by of They Don’t All Have To Be Good [Literary Fiction]

Played by a Killer Piano: A Minor Accident by of Frantic Writing [Horror]

SHORT STORY

The Handover by of Sass&Sage’s Substack [Horror]

Deadwater Inn by of Deadwater Inn [Speculative Fiction]

Redcaps and White Knights by of Doctor Eclectic [Fantasy]

The Shortcut by of A Fictionalized Account [Horror]

Walk the Dog by of Charlotte Babb Writes [Literary Fiction]

The Emergency Contact by of Fictional Lab of Tapo [Literary Fiction]

Touched By The Sun by of Magical Musings with MeBrady [Fantasy]

SHORT SERIAL

Divine Curiosities [Episode 1] by of Meadoe’s Mythology Corner [Fantasy]

SERIAL

The White Horse [Tales from the Triverse] by of Write More With Simon K Jones [Science Fiction]

Not So Meet Cute [Daedalia, Ch. 1] by of Catch & Release

Turning on Paid Subscriptions - Nothing is behind a paywall but this is a way to show your continued support for amazing storytelling. Becoming a paid subscriber allows us to pay writers for their contributions up front as opposed to our business model now which is after publication. It also allows us to maintain our TiF Press publishing arm as well as pay for hosting support and much more. As we grow so will our ability to help even more writers reach their fullest potential. Upgrade Here

Short Story of the Month Club! - I want to make sure that turning on paid subscriptions means writers getting paid for their work and the best way I know how to do this is to pay for stories to be featured here, exclusively, every month here in Top in Fiction. But I meant what I said about never putting any posts behind a paywall. So, here’s the deal I want to make with you and future published writers: Each exclusive story will be released one week early to paid subscribers and then be free for everyone to read.

When will this endeavor begin? When we have at least 10 paid subscribers with increments as follows:

• 10 Paid Monthly Subscribers - 1 short story per month

• 15 Paid Monthly Subscribers - Increase pay per short story per month

• 25 Paid Monthly Subscribers - 2 short stories per month

If we get more than 25 monthly subscribers I will consider unlocking other things to support fiction writers, as well as hosting giveaways of print books from the TiF Press library.

TiF 2026 Plans Organized by Month

January

15 - TiF Annual Recap of 2025

16 to 18 - TiF Summit 2026

18 - TiF State of the Union 2026

February

16 - The Murder Room - A year-long event. At the end of the year the best “displays” will be selected to be in The Murder Room Volume I.

Picture it: You have a layover in a small town you’ve never heard of for a couple of hours. With no wi-fi signal to help keep you occupied on your computer or phone you find yourself wandering the airport. You find yourself outside to get some fresh air when you see a faded sign low to the ground that reads “The Murder Room - This Way ->” Looking around you realize no one else is there to ask if you’re reading this right. Shrugging your shoulders you make your way down a path dense with bushes and trees till it opens up to what looks like a large stately home. A girl of teenage years sits behind the reception desk chewing gum, her nose stuck in a book she’s almost finished. Without looking up at you she points a manicured finger and says “The room you’re looking for is down the hall to your left. Can’t miss it.” And she was right. A large ornate plaque reads THE MURDER ROOM with an arrow pointing to the left. You walk through a set of double doors and the smell of a musty room hits your nostrils first. The sunlight creeping through rips in dark, partially closed, curtains reveals dancing dust in the air, illuminating dozens of display cases of all shapes and sizes. The double doors swing closed behind you, the sound echoes, signaling just how large the room must be. You take one step closer when a disembodied voice startles you, “We’ve been expecting you.”

Enter a room of your own creation. The Murder Room has many displays of objects belonging either to the killer or the victim during a time of great tragedy. You decide the story behind each display case. The items contained within and the how they tie back to the killer. What will we find in your display case?

March

13 - Eye See You Anthology Release - First ever TiF Press anthology! Release date is March 13th. Pre-orders for the ebook and print book will be available soon. Support the community of up and coming fiction writers.

April

May

June

15 - TiF Summit 2027 Sign-Up OPENS!

July

August

15 - TiF Summit 2027 Sign-Up CLOSES!

September

A Teaser Surprise is Coming… 11

28 - These Wicked Things Event (and contest) Begins - The 3rd TiF Press Anthology will revolve around…you guessed it…wicked things. How you define wicked is totally up to you

October

1st to 31 - Pentober begins!

30 - These Wicked Things Event Day [August 13, 2027 Release]

November

9 to 13 - Secret Santa Plot Swap 2.0 Sign-Up Week - We’ll be upping the stakes this year and daring those who were on the fence this past Plot Swap to join in on the fun. Or, are you not up for the challenge?

15 - Annual Recap of 2026 Submissions Open - In order to be a part of this collection of “the best of the best” you must have been featured in at least one Weekly Issue or Monthly Recap in 2026 (previous years do not count).

16 to 20 - A TiF Day of Thanks Sign-Up Week

23 - A TiF Day of Thanks Day

December

22 - Secret Santa Plot Swap 2.0 - The best event of the year returns. On this date I will go Live and reveal who wrote whose swap for whom! Prepare to unwrap some stories just before Christmas.

No Scheduled Dates Yet

Inanimate Objects Publication - Print + Ebook

Let’s look at the numbers:

52 Weekly Issues
12 Monthly Recaps

The Breakdown:

# of Writers in 2025? 598
# of Submissions in 2025? 2,442

Genre Tracker of 2025? (Across ALL submissions)

Climate Fiction [13]
Historical Fiction [58]
Romance [75]
Comedy [94]
Poetry [109]
Mystery [119]
Science Fiction [218]
Speculative Fiction [274]
Fantasy [363]
Horror [420]
Literary Fiction [589]
Other [110]

# of featured stories in 2025? 1095

Writing Contests & Events

The below will be published Anthologies in 2026:

Eye See You - 27 submissions. 22 entered the contest. 5 just participated in the event. 3 judges. 19 stories will be in the anthology (17 from the submissions + 2 judges).

Inanimate Objects - 31 submissions. Everyone entered the contest. 4 judges. 26 stories will be in the anthology (22 from the submissions + all 4 judges).

Writing Events

Secret Santa Plot Swap - 24 participants. 24 plots swapped. 24 presents unwrapped on December 22nd.

TiF Disruptions

Mostly events put on, and organized, by members of the fiction community who allowed Top in Fiction to help them amplify what they were doing or interviews and events hosted by Top in Fiction.

A TiF Sociable [March 2025] - Before there was the TiF Summit this year, you could say we had a bit of a practice run with our sociable. 6 readers joined me Live to read their work to us, a captive audience! [Group A] [Group B]

Interview w/ [April 2025] - We chatted about The Midnight Vault I among other things.

The Future of Nature [April 2025] - An Earth Day event organized by and .

A CJ Sansom Event [April 2025] - Hosted by our very own Historical Fiction expert, . We discussed who CJ Sansom was and his importance to the historical fiction genre.

Small & Scary / Big & Beastly [May 2025] - An event hosted by to help highlight the fiction community both big and small.

A Discussion On Serials [August 2025] - With three leading ladies in the serialized fiction department: / /

Monthly Recap Live Interviews - [In order of appearance] / / / / /

Join me for my next live video in the app.

Get more from Erica Drayton in the Substack app

Available for iOS and Android

Get the app

Next, our Top in Fiction Recap of 2025 on January 15th. That’s where I’ll share nerdy numbers with all of you.

In the meantime, check out some great stories written this past month and don’t forget our archive which includes all 2k+ submissions we received in 2025.

Lastly, PAID subscriptions are turned on for those who’ve wanted to support Top in Fiction on a regular basis. We have plenty happening in 2026 and any assistance you can be towards our goals, would be appreciated.

Subscribe now

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POETRY

All The Good Days Are Gone - 12/11/25 [Free Verse]
of A Writers Voice

MICRO/FLASH FICTION

Eye of the Beholder - 12/5/25 [Horror]
of Watson’s House of Horrors

Twas the bite before Christmas - 12/18/25 [Horror]
of Life, Killer Plants, and Unionised Seagulls

What Waits at Home - 12/16/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Fiction Lab of Tapo

The Christmas Card - 12/19/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Briefly

None. - 12/6/25 [Literary Fiction]
of The Indian Story

Home Note - 12/25/25 [Fantasy]
of The FRICTION SECTION

SHORT STORY

Queenie's Christmas - 12/5/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Charlotte Babb Writes

The House on Dead Ebb Tide - 12/11/25 [Horror]
of Disco Insomnium

Christmas in Wonderland - 12/19/25 [Speculative Fiction]
of The Scroll

Leftovers - 12/26/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Just Write, Right

December 23: It's a Wonderful Life - 12/23/25 [Horror]
of Norm DePlume

something rotten this way comes - 12/3/25 [Horror]
of Reveries in the Warren

Crushed - 12/5/25 [Romance]
of Writing until the light goes out

FROSTY IS HUNGRY - 12/24/25 [Horror]
of Judith Ashcraft

Sylvia - 12/8/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Telling Stories

Lucky - 12/14/25 [Speculative Fiction]
of Parabolic

Any errors seen below such as typos, miss-labeling of genre or category, wrong link, wrong person mentioned, etc. please state the error in the comments and I will update immediately. Mistakes can happen. I am only human.

If you missed this conversation, you’re in luck cause the Live is here for your listening (and viewing) pleasure. Apologies if the volumes seem off, I’m not a sound tech!

We discussed TMVII, the process, the sponsors, and of course the stats, as well as a bit about the future plans of The Midnight Vault overall.

, , and have been working hard to make TMVII the viral success that it is today and soon, we’ll get to see a physical representation of their hard work when Volume II is released. Honorable mentions should also go to who was there from the beginning on this project. And all the writers who made the first, and especially the second iteration such an integral part of the fiction community.

It was a great hour long discussion that I think I’ll start to look forward to having with them every year. As they up their game with bridging community and storytelling, I hope to up my game with questions for them.

Below are the usual callback stories from the last four weeks of November, PLUS, I’ve gone ahead and included 25 stories from The Midnight Vault II. They are, by no means the best, as that honor is subjective to you, dear reader. But I hope they are as much of a varied selection for you to sink your teeth into, and if you have the time, go read all 98 of them!

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POETRY

Winter’s hold - 11/9/25 [Fantasy]
of Navlys Unlocked

SHORT STORY

(MAN)I(N)FESTATION - 11/2/25 [Horror]
of MEAT SANDWICH

A complex case - 11/5/25 [Mystery]
of Grime Light

The Waiting Well - 11/13/25 [Horror]
of Snark Floats

The Stranger-in-Red and the Three Sealed Gifts - 11/20/25 [Fantasy]
of Hatching Stories

Tubby Time - 11/21/25 [Horror]
of My Sebstack

Iridium & Ichor - 11/26/25 [Romance]
of Ink & Shadow

Jeepers Creepers, It’s The Grim Reaper - 11/25/25 [Comedy]
of The Joke’s On You

THE MIDNIGHT VAULT II - A SMALL SAMPLING

With 98 stories to choose from, it’s difficult to say which is best. They’re all so damn good! I don’t envy the boys and the hard road ahead to putting together their next anthology. Till then, if you haven’t started yet, here are a few to get you started. But check out The Entire Vault here.

Waiting for the End by

Birds of a Feather by

W29 by

The Ferryman by

Hell’s Mirror by

The Whistleback by

For a Muse of Fire by

No Promise But Enlightenment by

It’s Never Aliens by

Sympathy from a Devil by

The Digital Reflection by

The Gospel According To Us by

The Gap by

The Billiardist by

Opposite Attraction by

Lonesome End by

Last Call by

Achievement Unlocked by

M.I.R.A. by

Fall Back by

Trompe L’oeil by

A Perfect Guest by

Blackbird by

3 Curses by

The Wager by

Novel-Vember - For those lost sheep looking for a new NaNoWriMo alternative? Let Top in Fiction and TiF Press be that place for you. All you need to do to join our Forum where we check-in every 5 days to ask how you’re doing and you share your word count, is to join as a Member over on TiF Press. It’s free and very easy to join today! Just CLICK HERE!

A TiF Day of Thanks - Probably the one event this year I’m most excited for. A chance for members of the fiction community, reader and writer alike, to share a note to someone else just to say…well…Thank you! Make it personal to the person, one of their stories you read. The choice is yours. And your thanks can be delivered anonymously. Sign-ups to send your note of thanks begin on Monday, November 17th. But act quickly! This is only open for 5 days! Then get comfy cozy for Monday, November 24th when I’ll read aloud the many notes that come in. Should be an amazing day of thanks for everyone when we need it most! An email will be sent when sign-ups open. If you want EARLY ACCESS to the form, Join our Discord Server where we’ll share the Form Link a full TWO HOURS before the email goes out!

A TiF Secret Santa Plot←→Swap - Have you got your plot ready? Just 50 words to enter using the theme “What’s Inside the Box?” It could literally be anything. But remember, you won’t be writing a short story based on your own answer to this question. That would be way too easy! The challenge will come when you receive someone else’s answer and you are now tasked to write a short story based on their plot! Are you up for it? Are you ready for the most awesome Secret Santa you’ve ever been a part of? Sign-ups begin THIS Monday, November 10th and will only be open till Friday, November 14th! If you want EARLY ACCESS to the form, Join our Discord Server where we’ll share the Form Link a full TWO HOURS before the email goes out!

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POETRY

Echo chamber - 9/30/25 [Free Verse]
of Long Oddities

Too Far Gone - 10/22/25 [Free Verse / Horror]
of Mina Howell

**The Locke Paradox - 10/21/25 [Free Verse]
of T.S. Morgan

*Ghost - 10/11/25 [Free Verse]
of Writing On a Whim

**October - 10/18/25 [Free Verse]
of A Ghost in the Doorway

MICRO/FLASH FICTION

**You’ll go, then I’ll go - 10/9/25 [Speculative Fiction]
of Cicada Cult

The Uneasy Morning - 10/17/25 [Speculative Fiction]
of I’ve Got Stories To Tell

Seasonal Creep - 9/28/25 [Mystery]
of Son of Ugly

**sugar addicts - 10/24/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Rachael Diane

Service Call - 10/31/25 [Science Fiction]
of Ghost Stories

SHORT STORY

**The Enigma at Beth Lake - 10/1/25 [Horror]
of Barking at Nothing

Chasm - 10/6/25 [Horror]
of Age of Aquarius and of Automatic Writer

**The Skin Archivist - 10/17/25 [Speculative Fiction]
of Sass&Sage’s Substack

**The Haunting of William Thorne - 10/19/25 [Horror]
of Unforgotten Books

**Quinceañera of the Damned - 10/31/25 [Horror]
of Miguel Martinez

**Texas Tea - 10/31/25 [Horror]
of Brooke Solomon

**The Waters of Lethe - 10/5/25 [Speculative Fiction]
of Synthesized Sunsets

*The Croning - 10/4/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Charlotte Henley Babb Writes

*Rahab - 10/11/25 [Literary Fiction]
of D.M. Clemens

**The Grand Union - 10/31/25 [Mystery]
of fiveleavesleft

Any errors seen below such as typos, miss-labeling of genre or category, wrong link, wrong person mentioned, etc. please state the error in the comments and I will update immediately. Mistakes can happen. I am only human.

News Around Town

It’s officially Spooky Season and we’ve got plenty to sink your teeth into! 🧛

Pentober 2025 ← [Click to learn more!]

31 hand-written stories. 31 prompts. Ink, Paper, Terror! See the full list of 31 words below. Use them as the inspiration to write your very own short-short story, vignette, or drabble (that’s a story that is exactly 100 words).

Then, take a pic and share it on social media. We’d love to say we’re everywhere, but we’re not. So, if you want us to see your story there are currently TWO ways to do it:

1. “@” mention over on Substack Notes when you share your story/pic.

2. Become a Member over on TiF Press and find the TiF Presents… Forum where we’ve got a few Topics of discussion open, namely, Pentober 2025. We’ll post daily reminders/calls for your fiction there as well!

Inanimate Objects ← [Click to learn more!]

The stage is set and the countdown is happening RIGHT. NOW. You have exactly 15 days to write your story. What dastardly and diabolical tale will you weave with the endless possibilities of inanimate objects at your disposal?

Whether you’re just wanting to participate in the event or enter the contest, only those who do so will be eligible to receive an invitation to join the 2026 Anthology!

And if you’re just here for the stories? Be prepared, because they ALL will drop on Halloween Day!

Now, onto the stories for this month.

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POETRY

Dispute with Melody - 9/23/25 [Free Verse]
of Across the Spheres

MICRO/FLASH FICTION

The Mask of the Pale Jester - 9/2/25 [Fantasy]
of Work in Progress

**Catherine Is Not Eating - 8/30/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Marsh Witches of the Godless Florin

The Ministry Of Otherworldly Compliance - 9/19/25 [Comedy]
of Once Upon a Draft

*Helpers’ Cake - 9/4/25 [Fantasy]
of The Story Scrapbook

*A Vampire Calls - 9/7/25 [Horror]
of Tales at Twilight

SHORT STORY

Tommy & Florence: The MacGuffin Caper - 9/6/25 [Historical Fiction]
of Naptime Novelist

**The Wendigo’s out Tonight - 9/7/25 [Horror]
of Peter’s Scribbles

**The Birthday Party - 9/15/25 [Horror]
of Larry Shell

**Prey for Her - 9/21/25 [Horror]
of Haints, Hollers, & Heresy

*The Dream Protocol - 9/17/25 [Literary Fiction]
of The Posthuman Curator

*rêve de la fleur noire - 9/26/25
of the velvet

*BetterYou - 9/1/25 [Speculative Fiction]
of G.S.Mucklow’s Substack

*The Orchard - 9/11/25 [Horror]
of Like Tears in Rain

*Please Hold - 9/19/25 [Literary Fiction]
of First Draft: The Writing Archives of Tiara Ito

*The wind in the willow - 9/16/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Oscar Ruto

*The Monster of Marrowby - 9/23/25 [Comedy]
of The Second Sentence

*Hatherfen Moor - 9/26/25 [Horror]
of The Sable Butterfly

Any errors seen below such as typos, miss-labeling of genre or category, wrong link, wrong person mentioned, etc. please state the error in the comments and I will update immediately. Mistakes can happen. I am only human.

TiF News

First, the Eye See You Anthology is in a bit of a lull while all of those who will be in the anthology are making any changes they want to make. I will then edit all of them before the process of compiling it all into the ePub and Print formats. I’ve actually been debating whether or not to show you what that process looks like and if you’re at all interested, let me know in the comments and I can definitely go Live to show you how that exactly works. The tentative publication date is February 13th, which also happens to be the first Friday the 13th of 2026. Seemed appropriate. And I hope to have pre-orders available before the TiF Summit Live 2026 happening mid-January.

The next TiF Press contest/event is fast approaching and I’ve just been shown the art work for it that was graciously commissions by the sponsors of this event; Killer Shorts. If you’re unaware: 1. This contest is on its seventh season. It started out as a contest for horror short screenplays and 1-page screenplays but it as of last season it now has a short prose category. TiF Press is hosting the Inanimate Objects contest/event this year and the winner will receive a free entry into this season’s Killer Shorts contest to submit their winning story! They have amazing prizes, a really cool trophy that the winner gets, and some truly amazing judges, one of which happens to be Tananarive Due. The Inanimate Objects contest/event will officially open for submissions on September 15th when the artwork will be revealed! With just 4 weeks to write your best story featuring an inanimate object in some way, the possibilities are endless!

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POETRY

Birchwood Tree - 8/9/25 [Free Verse]
of Writing on a Whim

MICRO/FLASH FICTION

Blink - 8/15/25 [Horror]
of Fictations

** Delete - 8/28/25 [Romance]
of Ruth O'Reilly

* The Broken Door - 8/8/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Observations in Time

** Artificial Angel - 8/6/25 [Science Fiction]
of Stories About Love and Death

* Saints of the Toilet Stall - 8/26/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Null Point

** Old Things - 8/29/25 [Horror]
of John Dyer Writes

** Pocket of Serenity - 8/28/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Saz’s Little Fictions

SHORT STORY

The Ever Elusive Elwin Gowers - 8/6/25 [Fantasy]
of Stories Have Power

Jenkins - 8/22/25 [Speculative Fiction]
of Monster of the Week

Rooted - 8/25/25 [Literary Fiction]
of In the Inversion Field

At the Edge of the World - 8/29/25 [Historical Fiction]
of Blackspire

* Dish Of The Day: The Host - 8/9/25 [Horror]
of Wendy Cockcroft's Writings

** The Handyman - 8/10/25 [Comedy]
of Stephen M Ricketts

* Zalyph - 8/21/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Synopsys

** The Molting - 8/22/25 [Science Fiction]
of Robert Garron’s Substack

SHORT SERIAL

The Mountain Takes [Pt. 2] - 8/5/25 [Horror]
of J.A. Evans Speculates

Trigger [Ch. 1] - 8/16/25 [Mystery]
of KC Writes

Any errors seen below such as typos, miss-labeling of genre or category, wrong link, wrong person mentioned, etc. please state the error in the comments and I will update immediately. Mistakes can happen. I am only human.

The skinny for news from this past month is that serials are finally getting their due! I’ve been wanting to come up with a way to highlight recurring (and consistent) serials for a while now and I think I have it! The Wall of Serials is currently in it’s beta stages and if you want IN, simply DM me and I’ll send over the details to get your ACTIVE serial onto the wall before it opens up for everyone/anyone to submit.

For now we are only looking for active serials. In 2026 we will begin to accept completed serials as well as short serials.

Also, we were joined by who discussed with us her journey bringing her YA novel, Shattered, from idea to publication. Check out our conversation, buy the first book in her Forged trilogy by clicking the link below, and be sure to subscribe to her Substack to get even more information about her work!

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POETRY

**My Apologies, Mr. Stevens - 7/23/25 [Free Verse]
of Paul’s Substack

MICRO/FLASH FICTION

Carnival - 6/28/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Annie Hendrix

So Help Me God - 7/13/25 [Mystery]
of Son of Ugly

*Family Pride - 7/11/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Just Write, Right

*Soulpiercer - 7/6/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Exploring the Eyrie

SHORT STORY

**To Sing Against the Sea - 7/4/25 [Fantasy]
of Stories from the Dreamatorium

Incandescent Fire. - 7/7/25 [Horror]
of Automatic Writer

**THE TROUBLE WITH TIME MACHINES - 7/9/25 [Speculative Fiction]
of Gabriel’s Substack

**Plastic Kiss - 7/13/25 [Horror]
of Basically Human

The Last Walk of Henry Chandler - 7/20/25 [Horror]
of J.’s Substack

**Glass Memories - 7/26/25 [Fantasy]
of Cozy Quill Tales

*By the Firelights - 7/31/25 [Mystery]
of The Vermillion Border

*The Lizard at the Last Free City in the World - 8/1/25 [Romance]
of The Dogs of Generation X

*ROBOhospital - 7/29/25 [Science Fiction]
of The FRICTION SECTION

*Cowboys Only Cry When They Bleed - 7/3/25 [Literary Fiction]
of MEAT SANDWICH

*The Legend of Hackberry Hill - 6/29/25 [Historical Fiction]
of Wendy Cockcroft’s Writings

*The Crown of Glass Fang and Thorn - 7/21/25 [Fantasy]
of No Longer A Blank Page

*Sweet Dreams - 7/5/25 [Horror]
of Pandoras Box of Infinite Stories

SHORT SERIAL

*Lucifer’s Lieutenant - 6/30/25 [Horror]
of Dan’s Deliberations

SERIAL

*The Fool [Smoke-Mouth, Ep. 1] - 7/26/25 [Fantasy]
of Talebones

Either read the below or watch the VOD or do both because there are some things mentioned in one but not the other and visa versa! It’s a lot of information so yes, it took a full hour, ya’ll!

When I realized Top in Fiction had completed a full year, 52 weeks, I knew I wanted (needed) to mark the occasion somehow. I could’ve just shared some fascinating (to me) facts and figures about how we’ve grown and what the fiction community built here has managed to do. But that seemed too boring. I’m sure I could do much more than that.

So I decided, why not share everything (and I mean everything) I’ve been planning behind the scenes since late last year and the entirety of this year. I have found that being transparent with one’s ideas, however big or small, is important.

TiF By the Numbers

I go into much more details on these numbers in the VOD.

587 different fiction writers featured.

1,227 Total # of stories featured!

• Poetry 124

• Micro/Flash Fiction 271

• Short Story 472

• Short Serial 92

• Serial 251

Started Counting January 2025: Number of Recommendations

1,385 stories recommended in 26 weeks

• Literary Fiction 338

• Horror 221

• Fantasy 220

• Spec Fic 134

• Sci-Fi 129

• Poetry 79

• Mystery 53

• Romance 44

• Historical Fiction 27

• Comedy 23

• Cli-Fi 7

• Other 110

MEDALLIONS: 1,023 medallions!

144 Emails sent / 1,508 subscribers

Top In Fiction is read across 50 US states and 66 countries.

Now, let me explain my thinking and reasoning for all that I’m about to share in the hopes you’ll better understand why I’m about to do what I’m about to do.

Substack is great. Without it Top in Fiction would not exist. And while the reason for its existence is still very much needed, I feel Top in Fiction has, and should, outgrown its current home. There are more eyeballs and way more readers outside the garden wall of Substack than inside. In fact, I would argue, and you might agree, that Substack is a majority of writers all seeking the same thing; READERS. So, I propose expanding the horizons of TiF in the hopes of reaching more readers.

This process will take time and will require building a foundation and portfolio of work that is housed, created, and produced outside of Substack.

And so, today I am introducing TiF Press! The website is up and running right now: tifpress.com and you can check it out now. At present you will notice it’s missing a lot of things that other publishing sites have and that’s content. I have solutions to this problem that I’m going to share with you now.

But first, some things are transition away from Substack and moving onto TiF Press such as the TiF 100 list will now be found over on TiF Press. The FAQs, Calendar and also the Genre Resource pages. This will lighten the load of our Substack that will now just be exclusive to the weekly emails, the monthly Lives, and any important Notification emails that need to be sent.

TiF Press will be divided into three major areas:

1. Anthologies - taking events that happen via Substack and seeking to put those stories written into collections for sale directly on the website and other online retailers, with the royalties being split between the writers and TiF.

2. Genre-Specific Digital Magazines - Digital magazines that can be purchased and downloaded as PDFs that will contain stories of various lengths and form factors, that I hope will test the limits of storytelling.

3. Direct to Website Fiction - Fiction stories featured on Substack will be cross-posted on TiF Press. Stories featured weekly, with prior permission from the original writer to start with. Plans to expand to exclusive fiction in the future.

The way we are going to be implementing this:

1. Starting with the Eye See You Anthology! The winners of the contest will be contacted as well as some of those who just participated in the event to give an opportunity to be a part of this Anthology that will be available as a digital purchase directly on the website and later as a print book via online retailers.

2. Dead Paper is our first digital magazine featuring 100% horror fiction. An open call for submissions coming Fall 2025.

3. Starting in July, stories featured in our weekly and monthly issues (excluding Serials and Honorable Mentions) will be selected through a rigorous process and contacted for permission to cross-post their story directly on TiF Press.

But this is not all! Not by a long shot! Some other things at play here but with no definitive date:

Microzine Quarterly - a digital magazine dedicated to micro fiction from flash (1,000) to 6-word stories.

The Great TiF Tournament - a head-to-head battle between the best of the best fiction writers on substack to compete via a voting system on the best stories written each week with random challenges decided up on in advance. The brackets will go up and may the best fiction writer win!

TiF Subscriptions - Coming in 2026/2027 alongside the beginning of Anthologies and digital magazines. The Subscription will be done off of Substack, using a different system but will include packages of receiving the anthology, magazine, and other cool stuff.

Lastly! The TiF Summit 2026! Still being built and put together piece by piece but the tentative date for this 3-day event is January 16th - January 18th to coordinate with the release of the 2nd Annual TiF list on January 15th. More on this to come.

Phew! That was a lot to unload on you all, I know. I do want to point out that the emphasis going into 2026 is two-fold: growing readership for fiction writers and getting paid so that we can pay the writers who are entrusting us to promote their work to the world.

Moving away from Substack in this bold fashion is not going to be easy. I’m sure there will be many hiccups and bumps along the way but I have faith that this is the only and best move to make.

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POETRY

**Banish…ed, I Am - 6/4/25 [Free Verse]
of Reality … For Dummies

Hellhole - 6/22/25 [Free Verse]
of Tommy Green

*This Is A True Story - 6/16/25 [Literary Fiction]
of mare novum

MICRO/FLASH FICTION

Stitchboy - 6/2/25 [Horror]
of Cobwebs and Candles

*Drabbles of Body and Soul - 6/12/25 [Science Fiction]
of The Warthog Report

*Vignette in F minor - 6/8/25
of SLAKE

*Borrowed Humanity - 6/24/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Magical Musings with MeBrady

SHORT STORY

**The Black Dog of Grimmald Taer - 6/7/25 [Fantasy]
of No Longer a Blank Page

The Stray - 6/16/25 [Horror]
of Matte Black

**The Bone Caster - 6/15/25 [Horror]
of The Sable Butterfly

**God Doesn’t Attend the Auction - 6/22/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Bear Savo

*It’s Such a Beautiful Night - 6/2/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Going Away

*Amber Eyes - 6/20/25 [Horror]
of Only Child Originals

*Dead mall euphony - 6/26/25 [Horror]
of The Strangeness Kit

*Mycelium Eyes - 6/24/25 [Speculative Fiction]
of Artemis

*The House That Listens Back - 6/26/25 [Horror]
of Found In Between Pages

SHORT SERIAL

Brujas [Pt. 1] - 6/21/25 [Speculative Fiction]
of In a Room

SERIAL

*Weight of judgement [Valor in the Clouds, Chapter 1] - 6/13/25 [Science Fiction]
of The Steam Stack

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MICRO/FLASH FICTION

Boats Against The Current - 5/4/25 [Mystery]
of Son of Ugly

*Strange Man in the Park - 5/14/25 [Horror]
of Quills and Shadows

*How to Steal From Your Elderly Neighbor - 5/10/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Writing on a Whim

*The Belt Buckle - 5/17/25 [Literary Fiction]
of History, Landscape, Birds & Stories

SHORT STORY

I Let the Devil In - 5/8/25 [Horror]
of Saint-Lazare, Writer

**The Last Confession of Penelope Foote - 5/7/25 [Historical Fiction]
of Talebones

**Grey Eyes - 5/12/25 [Literary Fiction]
of My Literature & Life

Objectionable Conduct - 5/22/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Thin Air Fiction

Dyad - 5/23/25 [Speculative Fiction]
and

**The Last Sermon of Nathaniel Creed - 5/19/25 [Horror]
of The Gay Void

A Sudden Appearance of Angels - 5/28/25 [Speculative Fiction]
of Hebrew Horror

**Derek Patel's Last Entrance - 5/27/25 [Horror]
of Anne-Marie’s Stories

*GOBLA - 5/4/25 [Horror]
of SUM FLUX

*Kick Drum [Passing Strangers] - 5/26/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Catch & Release

*The Forester and the Child - 5/28/25 [Fantasy]
of Dunmore Dispatch

*Pillow Talk - 5/9/25 [Literary Fiction]
of The Literary Ledger

*Welcome to the Jungle - 5/27/25 [Horror]
of Age of Aquarius

SHORT SERIAL

*Sticks and Stones [Part 1] - 5/6/25 [Horror]
of Black Sun Books

SERIAL

Revenge Gambit [The Time Family Series, Prologue] - 5/14/25 [Speculative Fiction]
of The Time Family Novel Series

*The Sibyliad [The Pseudologue] - 5/23/25 [Literary Fiction]
of The Literary Salon with Thaddeus Thomas

*Moonthread [Ch. 1 - 3] - 5/28/25 [Fantasy]
of Anthony Writes Fantasy

Symbols of Resistance [The Shift, Agents of Chaos, Ep. 5] - 5/9/25 [Science Fiction]
of Ghost Stories

TiF Voices - Just a reminder that you can now submit an audio recording of yourself reading your story to TiF where it may be featured in a future weekly (Monday) email. More information about that can be found on our FAQs page.

TiF Monthly Recap will continue to be Live. I hope to have on a special guest for you each month. These happen on the first Wednesday of the month and the stories featured will be a 50/50 split between highlighting select stories from previous weekly issues as well as some new stories that have not been featured before. If you are wondering who gets a medallion vs who does not? Any story with an “*” in front of it (one or two) receives a medallion. This will change starting next month (June) when weekly featured stories will no longer receive medallions.

Medallion Update - I’ve changed the folder access to the main “Monthly Recap” folder that includes all 12 months of 2025. Each month will be updated as they happen. This will make it a lot easier on me to just update the folder and not have to give access on a per-folder basis moving forward. I have also added the March medallions which I had not realized till today that I neglected to put in the folder, so if you were looking for yours from March, you can now find them in the designated folder.

Weekly Emails - Starting Monday, May 12th, there will only be 10 featured stories and 5 honorable mentions. There will be NO medallions for weekly stories. All medallions will only be given to stories in the Monthly Recap emails on the first Wednesday of every month.

TiF Presents…Eye See You (A Friday the 13th Writing Event/Contest) - A mouthful, I know. But things are developing as we go along. I hope to have more concrete information to share with you in the coming weeks as to judges for the contest portion and possible prizes as well!

— Erica Drayton, Editor-in-Chief😈

POETRY

demeter at dusk - 4/29/25 [Literary Fiction]
of DISTILLIST.

**Merlin - 5/1/25 [Free Verse]
of JUDE GOODWIN // CANADIAN POET

*heavy body...organs - 4/26/25 [Free Verse]
of abstract alex

*What if Heaven and Hell Were Reversed - 4/17/25 [Speculative Fiction]
of Mina Howell

MICRO/FLASH FICTION

The Wheel and the Glass - 4/8/25 [Historical Fiction]
of The Second Sentence

**Demon - 4/22/25 [Horror]
of Layla Shaw

*Temperamental Twisters - 4/4/25 [Fantasy]
of Fantasy and Fellowship - Fiction by J. Louis

*If Pretty Is as Pretty Does... - 5/2/25 [Speculative Fiction]
of Stories Sown With Hope

SHORT STORY

**Comatose Living - 3/29/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Alex England

**Richter’s Box - 4/17/25 [Horror]
of MEAT SANDWICH

Child of Clay - 4/22/25 [Horror]
of Only Child Originals and of Loser’s Fiction

*The Collector - 4/20/25 [Horror]
of The Eldridge Horror

*# 1 2 3 - 4/5/25 [Science Fiction]
of Scrapbook

SHORT SERIAL

**Holy Smokes, Part 1 - 4/6/25 [Horror]
of Tales of the Unexpected

Blue Canary [Part 1 of 2] - 4/15/25 [Horror]
of The Strangeness Kit and of Just Wonderin’

SERIAL

The Call [Murmurs in the Walls, Ep. I] - 3/29/25 [Mystery]
of Naptime Novelist

*The Flaming Furies [Shadows in the Spotlight, Ep 12] - 4/1/25 [Mystery]
of Shadows in the Spotlight

*Acting Captain [Captain's Away!, Ch. 26] - 4/22/25 [Science Fiction]
of Assorted Nonsense

*Anthony’s Angel [Ch. 22] - 3/30/25 [Romance]
of Love Stories by Jhéanell Westonberry

*Brice [What's a Dragon?, Ch. 43] - 4/30/25 [Fantasy]
of The Dragons’ Den

March was a fantastic month for storytelling. Let’s face it, every month is a fantastic month for storytelling, actually! We had 200+ recommendations in just the past 4 weeks. Our very first TiF Sociable on March 28th was a HUGE success with over 50 people showing up for our first of two sessions! We plan on hosting another TiF Sociable on Wednesday, April 30th.

In January we had on Mark of the Brand to help me show off our TiF Rebrand. February was J. Curtis and Shane Bzdok to give us a first look at The Midnight Vault and share some interesting facts around how that project came together. This month I brought back on Shane Bzdok, where we talked at length about interior book design! I had so much fun getting to share my favorite interior book designs and talking ad nauseam about the interior look and feel that went into The Midnight Vault.

If you’ve got an hour to spare, pull up a chair, grab a snack, and a drink, and hunker down for a great conversation!

Important Dates/Events to Remember:

TiF Presents…Eye See You | Have you thought of a story idea to write for this event? Remember, the story must be written between 3/31 - 6/1 and submitted via a FORM that will be sent on 6/1. Then all participants should schedule their story to be shared on Friday, June 13th!

The TiF 100 [Monday, April 14] | This is the Top in Fiction official list of 100 fiction writers. This list in no way covers all of the fiction writers that can be found but it’s our list and we are damn proud of it.

Earth Day Event [Monday, April 21st] | Special guests and will be joining me to talk about their event. The order of things will be slightly different for this event. There will be NO news/updates segment. Instead, I will begin by reading off the featured stories and then invite the guests to join me.

TiF Sociable [Wednesday, April 30] | There are two time slots for this event. We are still accepting any fiction writers who want to come on and read their work to join us! DM me or leave me a comment down below. I will reach out on April 17 to get more information and outline the guidelines as well.

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POETRY

**Venom - 3/19/25 [Free Verse]
of Dawn of Conquerors

*Life Long Blues - 3/5/25 [Free Verse]
of Blace Alcock

MICRO/FLASH FICTION

Tomorrow Will be Jealous - 3/7/25 [Literary Fiction]
of In the Inversion Field

**Heads for Sale - 3/5/25 [Horror]
of Haints, Hollers, & Heresy

October Honey - 3/11/25 [Horror]
of PineBox Readings

**Strangers in Costumes - 3/8/25 [Mystery]
of abstract alex

*No Escape From Being - 3/12/25 [Horror]
of Ashley T.K.

*The Bathing Pool - 3/13/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Tales at Twilight

*A Slice of Apology - 3/14/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Futures and Follies

*Teddie & the Goat - 3/22/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Linda’s Substack

*Charcoal Teeth - 3/28/25 [Speculative Fiction]
of Null Point

SHORT STORY

Leaving; Maybe - 3/20/25 [Speculative Fiction]
of Thin Air Fiction

Ad Me - 3/28/25 [Speculative Fiction]
of Andy Futuro

**Revelation Day - 3/28/25 [Science Fiction]
of Copper Frog Press

*DRH 1138 - 3/20/25 [Science Fiction]
of Future Thief

*Recount - 3/9/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Short stories once a month

*Twisted Lullaby - 3/23/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Nova Nevédoma

SERIAL

Valley of the Gods [Part 1] - 3/14/25 [Fantasy]
of Josh Tatter Has Thoughts

*Twilight in the Lemon Grove [Departures, Ep. 40] - 3/18/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Catch & Release

*Deranged Smile [The Haunting of Watermill Valley, Ch. 5] - 3/3/25 [Horror]
of Scary Spines Serial Fiction

Let’s all keep our fingers crossed for another some day!

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

If you want a chance to get an ebook copy of The Midnight Vault, share your favorite Twilight Zone episode in the comments and why it’s your favorite! There are 5 ebooks up for grabs!

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NOTE

Two Sentence Horror - 2/1/25 [Horror]
of Telegrams from Blooodstream City

SUBSTACK LIVE!

Jumping with Janus - 2/26/25 [Speculative Fiction]
of Ferns of Columbo

POETRY

**White Horse Remix - 2/2/25 [Free Verse]
of The Jolly Carper

**Say it with Flowers: Roses are Dead - 2/14/25 [Free Verse]
of Love to Hate and the Joy we find

Privacy - 2/22/25 [Free Verse]
of In a Different Place

MICRO/FLASH FICTION

Render Us Rotten - 2/14/25 [Horror]
of Only Child Originals

*Campfire - 2/16/25 [Science Fiction]
of Coracle Voyager

*Chasing Time - 2/4/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Targeted Nightmares

SHORT STORY

Je m'appelle toi - 2/19/25 [Horror]
of Just Wonderin’

**Wheelman - 2/16/25 [Noir]
of Sex, Drugs & Criminality

**Eight Minutes - 2/28/25 [Science Fiction]
of Taro Bahar

*Hot and Cold - 2/2/25 [Horror]
of Black Sun Books

*The Uninvited - 2/13/25 [Horror]
of Mina Howell

*A Murder of One - 2/12/25 [Mystery]
of The Unfiltered Pen

*The Kangaroo Boy - 2/2/25 [Speculative Fiction]
of Profiltron

*Bonewhistle - 2/27/25 [Romance]
of Talebones

SHORT SERIAL

For the Better [The Trials of The Hearken, Pt. 1] - 2/7/25 [Science Fiction]
of Gibberish

Ink in Water [The Weight of Being Whole, Part I] - 2/16/25 [Horror]
of SUM FLUX

*Blackhurst Asylum - 2/11/25 [Horror]
of Suspense that turns pages, not stomachs

*Skyline [Part 1] - 2/14/25 [Magical Realism]
of Michael Arturo

SERIAL

The Ring [Prologue] - 2/9/25 [Mystery]
of A work of fiction

*Snowmen are Murder [Part 5] - 2/5/25 [Mystery]
of Tell Me a Mystery

Before we get on to today’s VERY SPECIAL NEWS that was announced and shown off earlier today, I want to give one final nudge of reminder to all the writers who are subscribed to TiF!

TiF Presents… Return to Sender (A Valentine’s Day Writing Event)

The deadline for submission is in TWO DAYS (Friday, February 7th). The theme is “Return to Sender.” How you choose to interpret that theme is entirely up to you. Be it poem, card, illustration, or story. , of The Romantic, will be looking them over and selecting our favorites, which we will share on Friday, February 14th at 10am for our first ever TiF Disruption, Live! Event.

We will share our favorites in a post that will be sent immediately following our Live Event and we will also mention all the others, with clickable links back to their newsletter where you can read their submissions. We strongly urge all participants to share their work on Friday, February 14th so that we can link back to you!

Submission Link

Now, onto what was shared during today’s first Monthly Recap Live!

I’ve been talking about a much needed rebrand for Top in Fiction. On so many levels I felt it was needed and if you listen to the Live you’ll hear me touch on just some of those reasons. I am so grateful to , without whom I likely would never have discovered to reach out and bring my vision to life better than I ever could. Christopher truly did capture exactly what I wanted in my brain and made it what you see here today.

Make sure you send Christopher a DM on Substack so he can help you bring your vision, whatever that may be, to life on the page/screen!

In the coming weeks you’ll see the new logo, wordmark, and rebrand appear on all things Top in Fiction. Starting with the website. My next big chore, because I like uniformity, of course, is to update ALL of the medallions from 2025 with the new logo in the center. This will take time so I ask for your patience as I make my way towards updating this for everyone.

If you like/love the rebrand, or even if you just appreciate what TiF has managed to do these last 7 months, a donation would be greatly appreciated in order to pay for this rebrand. From this moment forward, all donations received will go towards paying for the rebrand.

Donate Today!

Lastly, on Monday I will share just a few of my plans moving forward with TiF that will involve seeking volunteers to join the TiF Team and turning on paid subscriptions for the TiF Magazine (placeholder name) to start some time this Fall!

As always, thanks for being a part of this growing community! Keep reading and keep writing!

POETRY

**Outside Air - 1/6/25 [Free Verse]
of Voices of the Mad

**Uncannyland - 1/26/25 [Free Verse]
of Camelia Baker

*the best kinds of dreams - 1/31/25 [Free Verse]
of manic phase writing

MICRO/FLASH FICTION

Cloudless Sky - 1/6/25 [Speculative Fiction]
of THE FICTION DEALER

Day Twelve - 1/22/25 [Science Fiction]
of Strange New Worlds

Saturnal Cancer - 1/28/25 [Horror]
of Graphomania with M.P. Fitzgerald

*elegance - 1/13/25 [Horror]
of unspooling

*# 1 0 8 - 12/28/24 [Literary Fiction]
of Scrapbook

*Fall Away - 1/9/25 [Dystopian]
of The 60-Second Story

SHORT STORY

My Little Bluebird - 1/1/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Aaron Martinez

**The Wolfman Kindly Requests - 12/31/24 [Horror]
of Ashley T.K.

Play Your Hand - 1/5/25 [Speculative Fiction]
of Future Thief

Memento Mori - 1/12/25 [Horror]
of Age of Aquarius

Series of Dreams - 1/15/25 [Horror]
of HEBREW HORROR

**Sweet Bloody Sugarcane - 1/14/25 [Horror]
of Consume, The Blog

**A Woman Scorched - 1/21/25 [Humor]
of Characteristically Speaking

Tragedy Mill - 1/30/25 [Fantasy]
of Loser’s Fiction

*Arrival at Proxima b - 1/14/25 [Science Fiction]
of Redd Oscar Writes

*The Trials of Mrs. Oakwood - 1/20/25 [Literary Fiction]
of The Second Sentence

*Slow Hands - 1/16/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Josh Tatter Has Thoughts

*The Gift - 1/15/25 [Literary Fiction]
of All Writes Deserved

SHORT SERIAL

Wild Times at the Ruby Slipper [Pt. 1] - 1/20/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Dork Mansion Dispatch

SERIAL

Fallout [Ch. 53] - 12/28/24 [Literary Fiction]
of The Literary Obsessive

*Maybe There Isn't A Good Answer [Mercy, Ch. 1] - 1/3/25 [Literary Fiction]
of Mercy, Maine, and Me

*Children of the Cold - 1/8/25 [Fantasy]
of The Wanderer

Read the Recommendation Post Comments for Even More Stories!
Meet-Up #1 | Meet-Up #2 | Meet-Up #3 | Meet-Up #4 | Meet-Up #5

TiF Vol 2 January Monthly Recap

210KB ∙ PDF file

Download

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[DOWNLOAD YOUR MEDALLION HERE]
Want to know how to use your medallion? Click Here!

How could TiF ever hope to capture all the fiction written in a year by the hundreds of fiction writers in our growing community? We couldn’t possibly. But we can damn well try. And this issue is attempting to do just that. There are over 750 stories by over 300 writers to choose from! But, with this massive compendium of stories and writers there’s no easy way for me to list them all here in this email. For starters, the email would be cut off! And the last thing I want to do is have the possibility of leaving even one amazing writer out of their time in the spotlight! Solution? I’ve created the largest PDF that TiF has ever put out.

A LITTLE ABOUT THE PDF

This is very different from the weekly PDFs. I’ve decided to organize it into 3 Parts as follows:

Part 1: The Official Annual List

This includes all of the stories chosen directly by everyone who has ever been featured in the last 6 months here on TiF. Now, the list of people who submitted their choice was originally 180+, however, it is now only 147 and I want to explain why that happened:

• Any story submitted that had already been Featured in a previous weekly issue or monthly recap was removed (thereby receiving a medallion already). This list is intended to highlight favorite stories that may have been missed either the first half of 2024 or any time throughout the year. I realize this may not have been clear at the outset and I’ll be sure to use language that makes this more clear when putting together the 2025 annual recap issue.

• The story is no longer available on Substack. Some people have either deleted their Substack altogether or moved their entire publication off of Substack and it’s not on their own website elsewhere. [I will say that I am looking at ways to expand Top in Fiction to incorporate stories shared outside of Substack in the future]

• The story is behind a paywall. All stories featured on TiF should be free to read at time of listing.

• If the story is too political or extreme in any way based off the title or from reading a few lines of the story, then it was removed. Unfortunately, while I believe in free speech, this list is viewed by far too many people who’ve come to trust TiF to find something they may like to read and I rather not enter into a debate on things outside of the mission that TiF is trying to invoke; community through storytelling.

So, if you filled out the Google form but your story is not listed in this section it is likely for one of these four reasons.

Part 2: The Weekly Issues

I’ve compiled all 25 issues from the very beginning for you! Almost 375 stories in total! WOW!

Part 3: The Monthly Recaps

Yep, that’s right, I’ve secretly created PDFs for all 6 monthly recaps! 78 total stories to choose from!

For those of you keeping count, this massive PDF has 750+ stories to choose from and I could not be prouder to list them all here for you.

A LITTLE ABOUT THE WRITERS

What makes this list so unique and amazing, for me, is seeing just how vast this community truly is. It might seem small compared to others, but from where I’m sitting, it feels like home. A place of wonder and adventure and just damn good storytelling.

I never would’ve imagined that hundreds (and almost thousands as we reach this milestone soon) would flock to Top in Fiction in search of a place to call home, a place to find great stories to read, and a place to be in a community that values the art of storytelling in so many beautiful ways.

So, if you haven’t already, give these amazing writers a follow if you can. Or if you feel so inclined, subscribe to their newsletter. Cause based on 2024, I’m simply giddy with anticipation at what else they all have in store for us in 2025!

THE TiF SCHOLARSHIP

How to explain this without going on and on for paragraphs? I honestly don’t know how so I want to try and just tell you my idea and see if you get my vision and want to support it:

Being a fiction writer can seem like a very solitary thing. We go off somewhere and write and then we come out of the shadows and hit publish and ZOOM, off it goes to who knows where in the hopes that the eyeballs of perfect strangers will read what we’ve poured our heart and souls (some of us may have even shed some blood, sweat, and tears) into!

But no one truly understands the things a writer might need to start, to keep going, and especially to finish. On the surface they may seem commonplace or easy to come by or unnecessary even, but to a writer they are paramount. What are these phantom things I speak of? Well, let me mention a few:

• Writing Software - yes, Google docs is free, but not everyone wants to use Google docs. Why not find a way to give copies of Scrivener to those who’ve never had it or can’t afford it?

• Cover Design or Image Creation - Canva is free but limited. Why not give someone the benefit of a year’s worth of Pro access? Or perhaps the opportunity to use a service like 99Designs and get a professional cover done for their book?

• Publishing [Ebook and Print] - Vellum, while only available for Mac users, is a great tool that allows creating the right files needed with the push of a button. There’s also up-and-coming Atticus which is web-based and therefore accessible to Mac and PC users. Having access to this can make the publishing process that much easier.

Now, what didn’t I mention? Two main things: ISBNs and Editors. The two most costly of things that, while I’d love to offer to help a writer pay for these things, that may not be possible today. But, I hold out hope for a future where paying an editor to edit work is also an option on the table.

These are just some of the things I’d love for TiF to help writers out there to access and use to help them on their journey towards publication. That is the purpose of the TiF Scholarship. To take work off their site and put it in people hands in a fully finished and formed way.

I could go on and on about this, but I’m going to leave it there as the moment you’ve all been waiting for, or possibly scrolled past all of this to get to is here:

This TiF Annual Recap PDF is 60+ pages and I’m hoping you will donate $5 / $10 / $25 to download it.

I want to stress that downloading the PDF is FREE for everyone. You DO NOT need to donate anything to acquire the PDF.

All donations made by clicking the button below will go towards the TiF Scholarship Fund. I will be open and transparent as to how to apply and who will be the receipient of a TiF Scholarship. I hope to begin the process this Spring.

And depending on how much we get, I’m going to try and stretch these funds as much as possible to help as many as I can jump the hurdles that so many fear or simply cannot afford.

THE TiF ANNUAL RECAP of 2024!

I present to you the “Class of 2024” fiction writers! Enjoy! And, as always, because fiction never takes a holiday, we’ll see you on Monday!

TiF Annual Recap of 2024

3.72MB ∙ PDF file

Download

The PDF contains 750+ stories from 350+ writers, written in 2024. Take your time and enjoy! Also included: 25 Weekly Issues & 6 Monthly Recap Issues

Download

Download

*A note on the medallions = These are JUST for those who filled out the TiF Annual Recap form that was open since October 15. If you did not fill out the form, unfortunately, you won’t find a medallion. If you did fill out the form AND your story is in PART 1 of the PDF, then you should find a shnazzy new medallion that debuts the color of the 2025 medallion. This color pattern is just for the TiF Annual Recap of 2024 stories.

First, I want to say, this crazy idea that I had this past Summer became even more successful than I could ever have imagined. You came together to support each other and that is a wonderful sign of things to come in 2025.

Second, because this is the last day of 2024, some of you may not open this today or even tomorrow, as you’re busy celebrating the end of one year and start of a new one with family and friends, and that’s okay. This email will be waiting for you when you have a free moment, or when you are looking for a distraction. What better kind than these stories that will transport you elsewhere for a time.

You will notice this issue has 20 stories instead of the usual 16 and that’s because we’re covering 5 TiF Weekly issues instead of the usual 4. There are 10 brand new featured stories and 10 recap stories (5 featured and 5 honorable mentions from the past 5 weeks).

To close out the year I want to give personal Thank You’s to everyone who volunteered their free time to help TiF grow to where it is today! Without all of you we could’ve easily fizzled away over time. But there are many others who deserve their own recognition:

TiF Ambassadors: / / / / /

You truly did give me a break from putting these weekly lists together and for that I am forever grateful.

I need to also give personal thanks (again) to for offering to make the TiF Medallion as awesome as it looks with her redesign skills, for helping me redesign the PDF (that you’ll all get to see in 2025), who helped me out behind the scenes with some weekly posts while I was battling months of illness this season, and in the early days to who suggested we use the Template system for our Friday recommendation posts! All unsolicited help that I appreciate immensely. Please do, keep’em comin’!

One Last Thing: On Wednesday, January 15th The TiF Annual Recap of 2024 issue will be ready for you. It will include a list of 750+ stories by over 300 writers throughout Substack! I know what you’re thinking; that is a lot. It will be organized by GENRE which should hopefully make it easier for you to find what interests you most. Because the list is very long the only way to view it is by downloading a PDF that will be in the email.

And because this took me no less than several months to put together, I’m including a “donate” button in the email. It is NOT required to donate anything to download the PDF and read all of the amazing stories that came out of 2024, but if you’d like to show your support, the option to do so will be there. What is my reason for including the donate button so prominently in this issue? Well, it’s two-fold and I promise to share more information about both in the New Year:

• A TiF Rebrand - I’m looking to hire to do a complete overhaul of the logo, banner, and other aspects of TiF to give us a bit more class and professionalism. I intend on taking TiF beyond the confines of Substack to share the stories it features and help the writers growth (and sales) as much as possible. Having the right look and feel to carry us into that next chapter is key and for this kind of rebrand funding is needed. I will share more on the exact cost on January 6th.

• The TiF Scholarship - I’ve been thinking a lot lately on how to make this work in a way that will help more than just one person. There are so many aspects to publishing that some people might need over others and by taking whatever monies come in, through donations, I can work with those who are serious about publication to determine their needs and how TiF can help them financially. I will share more specifics in February.

And with that, I want to wish you all the best 2024 happy ending.

Sincerely Yours,

POETRY

The Apple Tree and the Sun - 12/7/24 [Free Verse]
of Airings

*Maples - 12/4/24 [Free Verse]
of Pic Poesie

*The fisherman and the black shell - 12/13/24 [Free Verse]
of Lighthouse

MICRO/FLASH FICTION

Whale Eater - 11/27/24 [Science Fiction]
of Grim Acres

Analgesia - 12/2/24 [Speculative Fiction]
of Ferns of Columbo

*Life Among Clouds - 12/6/24 [Speculative Fiction]
of Stories Darkly

*Meatballs - 11/29/24 [Literary Fiction]
of Scrap Paper

*Flicker - 12/6/24 [Horror]
of Jason Duck- A Writer's Journey

SHORT STORY

**Of Teeth and Heart - 11/26/24 [Literary Fiction]
of Dunmore Dispatch

**Albuquerque Crusade - 12/3/24 [Literary Fiction]
of Open Letter

The Beautiful Who Will Be Damned - 12/15/24 [Fantasy]
of Cosmos Etherika

**Fiona's Floating Bed. - 12/19/24 [Literary Fiction]
of sanctuary

*Horn of Plenty - 11/27/24 [Horror]
of Only Child Originals

*The Last Cup - 11/24/24 [Speculative Fiction]
of Written Ward

*Harlan's Christmas Wish - 12/13/24 [Literary Fiction]
of Poison Ivy House

*An Inheritance of Ash and Rain - 12/6/24 [Literary Fiction]
of Ars Corvi

**Christmas Pinch - 12/25/24 - [Literary Fiction]
of False Choices

SHORT SERIAL

**The Student Ripper Killings [Part 2] - 12/9/24 [Thriller]
of The Jack Croxall Newsletter

The Scream [The Cooperatives, Ch. 2] - 12/27/24 [Science Fiction]
of Story Voyager

SERIAL

*Freedom House - 12/5/24 [Literary Fiction]
of SCRIBBLER

I want to point your attention to the Top in Fiction disruption that happened just this past weekend. It’s no secret that The Twilight Zone is my favorite show and the kind of stories I like to write, so when I saw that several writers within our very community where working behind-the-scenes to celebrate the 66th anniversary of The Twilight Zone’s debut, I was more than happy to use TiF as a vehicle to promote them all. 31 stories went LIVE on Sunday, November 24th. It will take a while to get through them all, but if the strange and macabre is your kind of genre to read, check them out HERE.

Lastly, in the United States we celebrate Thanksgiving. It’s a time to give thanks for family, friends, etc. So, I hope to ask a favor of you, regardless of if you celebrate the holiday or not. As we close out November and count down the days of December, if you at all feel a sense of gratitude for Top in Fiction and all that is has brought you as a writer and reader this year, please share us within your inner circle.

This level of sharing doesn’t just have to be here on Substack Notes but it can also be with your email list (if you have a newsletter) or on your social media (if you’re active at all). One of the reasons I wanted to purchase the TopinFiction.com domain was so that sharing TiF wouldn’t be tied to Substack or having to explain to outsiders looking for a place to find new fiction what exactly “Substack” is. Sure, the fiction is coming from Substack but TiF is much more than the sum of its parts. Plenty of us use Substack as the place where we park our fiction but not where it’s going to stay. I hope to make TiF emblematic of the idea that fiction is everywhere and can be accessible to everyone anywhere. So, before you take a look at this Monthly Recap, take a moment to share TiF in whatever capacity that you can, everywhere you are able. Thank you.

Share Top In Fiction

POETRY

**Weeping Willow - 10/28/24 [Free Verse]
of Tommy Green

MICRO/FLASH FICTION

Countdown - 10/30/24 [Folklore]
of Exploring the Eyrie

The Rubbers - 11/15/24 [Humor]
of The Annals of Los Perdedores

*Dark Windows - 11/4/24 [Speculative Fiction]
of Dan’s Deliberations

*The Email - 11/15/24 [Literary Fiction]
of Airings

*What Would An Astronaut Do? - 10/28/24 [Science-Fiction]
of Penumbrology

SHORT STORY

bluebird - 11/3/24 [Horror]
of Porn Name Pseudonym

**Tara - 11/8/24 [Mythology]
of Synopsys

**And So It Begins - 11/8/24 [Dystopian]
of Just Write, Right

Krampus - 11/16/24 [Horror]
of Nancy’s Substack

*The First Death of Segitars Arpadi - 11/5/24 [Fantasy]
of Falden's Forge

*Deep Mink - 11/1/24 [Horror]
of Automatic Writer

SERIAL

**Hypnotic [Chapter 4] - 11/19/24
of The FLARE

*The Last Hero of Astra [TAS, Ch. 1] - 11/8/24 [Science-Fiction]
of The Trials of Astra

*First Branch of the Old Tree - 11/8/24 [Historical Horror]
of Loser’s Fiction

*Cinder Hollow: Story 1 - 11/6/24 [Horror]
of Short Shivers