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POETRY
The Fool on the Heath by A.P. Murphy of The Strangeness Kit [Free Verse]
Donât be unwrapping no word-present (Any Line)
heart-nose mother by Bruce Dobbins of Bruce Dobbins [Free Verse]
Twist my intestines around the rail of a scenic point of view. (First line)
MICRO/FLASH FICTION
Exchange by Robert Garron of Robert Garron's Substack [Science Fiction]
One of the merchants raised his hand and struck the newly purchased thrall, knocking him to the ground like dead weight. (Any Line)
Marina Grande by Anjay Dee of Anjay Dee [Literary Fiction]
The storm had passed in the night. (First Line)
SHORT STORY
Pink Wafers by E. Pearce đŠ of The Midnight Quill [Fantasy]
Mr Townsend even joked he was watching his weight; no one needed to ask if that were true because his torso was mostly just ribcage at this point, but the observation felt light. (Any Line)
The Spirits' Gift by Anton Anderson of Anton Anderson [Fantasy]
The nothingness has only you, the way you truly are, and this acceptance (or the lack of care) feels truly inviting, making me breathe deeply and easily. (Any Line)
SHORT SERIAL
La Bella Morte, Part One: Dr. Simmons by D.S. Brandt, Author Goblin of Tales of Calamity and Triumph [Speculative Fiction]
My name is Thomas Edwards, and I remember the first time I met Dr. Victor Simmons. (First Line)
WALL OF SERIALS
Check out our Wall of Serials where we have a dedicated page showing you ACTIVE stories:
Hey yaâll,
After sitting alone in a Zoom chat for 40min last week Monday, April 13th, I realize that perhaps Meet-ups may just be a thing of the pastâŠand thatâs okay. There may have been many factors as to why no one showed up. I set-up the Zoom incorrectly. I picked the worst time for anyone. Everyone was busy. And the one I know Iâm most responsible for, I did a piss poor job of promoting and sharing that it was even happening!
In any event, perhaps I will try again in a few months. Till then, we do have some other rather important bit of news to share! đ„ đ„ đ„
Eye See You | A Horror Anthology pre-orders are available!! Tell your family, friends, and neighbors!
This is the very first (of many) TiF Press anthologies that is finally happening this year. A few months late but well worth it! I will have a more proper celebration over the next 6 days leading up to the actual release date of 4/28!
Substack Live! tomorrow at 10am EST / 7am PST Join me tomorrow for a release party celebration!
Click the book or the button below to pre-order the ebook for $4.99! And if youâre having any issues, please send TiF Team a DM, leave a comment, or reply to this email.
Looking for the Print version? Well, youâre in luck because it is currently available for purchase on Amazon (US) and Barnes & Noble! It will be available in other retailers in other countries like UK, Australia, Canada, and the Middle East but it can take a while for that metadata to reach those sites. Iâm checking and refreshing my pages throughout the day and soon weâll have a UBL (universal book link) landing page where all the links around the world are listed!
IMPORTANT UPCOMING EVENTS
Donât be overwhelmed by this long list Iâm sharing. Turns out the latter half of the year is the busiest time for events! This is just to keep certain future dates in the forefront of your mind. As long as you stick right here and receive our emails youâll never miss an important date or event.
TiF Summit 2027 Sign-Up (June 15th - August 15th) - Would you like to join us and read your fiction on a Substack Live? This past January we had 50 different readers across a 3-day Voices event who took turns reading their work one after the other! You can rewatch many of those Voices here. And come January 2027 you could join us as we attempt to do it all over again, only this time bigger and better than ever! The quick and easy sign-up to let me know youâre interested begins mid-June but if youâd like to let me know earlier (June 1st) join our Discord here. Right now Iâm looking to fill 75 spots (a 50% increase). Donât miss out!
â11â (September) - I wish I could share more about this special event but itâs much too soon. More information will be shared in August.
Pentober 2026 (October 1st - October 31st) - Itâs that time of year again to grab your pens/pencils and paper and step away from technology to write a short story! The word prompts will be shared on September 1st.
A Deadly Game | A Horror Anthology (September 28th - October 28th) - The third anthology that will be published by TiF Press in 2027 and our second collaboration with Killer Shorts who will be sponsoring this event. The winning story will receive a free entry in their 8th Season Prose category. More information to come this Summer.
A Secret Santa Plot-Swap Sign-Up (November) - This was a run-away hit from last year that I didnât think would go off so well but weâre back! Are you up for the challenge? We might keep the same theme as itâs so versatile of âWhatâs inside the box?â Iâll make my final decision by October. But the rules remain the same: Youâll write a brief synopsis for a short story. Iâll take yours and, using a randomizer (ie a rather complicated formula Iâve devised just for this), will swap it with another. Youâll then have a little over one month to write a short story based on someone elseâs synopsis! Last year we had 24 brave souls take up the challenge. Will you join us? More information to come in October.
TiF Summit 2027 (Thursday, January 14th - Monday, January 18th) - The dates are tentative at the moment. Day 1 will be the TiF Annual Recap where we look back at how we did in 2026. Days 2 through 4 will be the Voices event where we will be adding hours to accommodate participants and viewers in other parts of the world so everyone can read and listen to stories when it suits them best. Day 5, the final day, will be the TiF State of the Union where we look forward to the Top in Fiction and TiF Press plans for 2027.
SUBSCRIBER UPDATES
Our very first anthology featuring 18 writers is out but weâre not stopping there. We have one more anthology coming in 2026 and plenty more planned for the future! But we need your help and support to make it all happen and pay the writers what they deserve. Consider becoming a MONTHLY subscriber and youâll help us reach out goal of paying for exclusive short stories right here on Top in Fiction that you can read early before it is made available to everyone else.
Paid Monthly Subscribers will get early access to the TiF Story Story of the Month, for a period of two weeks, after which time the story will then be made available to all subscribers. Writers will be paid from the monthly subscribers.
- Erica Drayton, Editor-in-Chief đ
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I appreciate the inclusion đthank you!
Thanks for the recommend for my little Shakespearean poem!