With the first month of 2026 behind us, it’s time to look forward to even more great fiction to come! And a little birdie in many corners of our community have confided in me that there will be great opportunities for all of us to write our best work, share our best work, and an abundance of readers to consume our best work! I am quite excited for 2026 and I hope you are too!
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 Eleanor Anstruther 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:
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: Erica Drayton
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.
MICRO/FLASH FICTION
Bullet by Blace Alcock of Keep On Keeping On [Comedy]
Magic Takes Time by Chris Hicks of Disco Insomnium [Speculative Fiction]
Jewel of the Village by E.A. Colquitt of Exploring the Eyrie [Fantasy]
The Mississippi Remembers by Ian Patterson of They Don’t All Have To Be Good [Literary Fiction]
Played by a Killer Piano: A Minor Accident by Irshaad of Frantic Writing [Horror]
SHORT STORY
The Handover by Wendy Russell of Sass&Sage’s Substack [Horror]
Deadwater Inn by Leo Vaughn of Deadwater Inn [Speculative Fiction]
Redcaps and White Knights by Randall Hayes of Doctor Eclectic [Fantasy]
The Shortcut by J. Kyle Turner of A Fictionalized Account [Horror]
Walk the Dog by Charlotte Henley Babb of Charlotte Babb Writes [Literary Fiction]
The Emergency Contact by Tapo Behera of Fictional Lab of Tapo [Literary Fiction]
Touched By The Sun by Maryellen Brady 💗📚 of Magical Musings with MeBrady [Fantasy]
SHORT SERIAL
Divine Curiosities [Episode 1] by Meadoe Hora of Meadoe’s Mythology Corner [Fantasy]
SERIAL
The White Horse [Tales from the Triverse] by Simon K Jones of Write More With Simon K Jones [Science Fiction]
Not So Meet Cute [Daedalia, Ch. 1] by Ben Wakeman of Catch & Release
Looking for even more stories to read? Click below: