EMAIL CUT OFF? CLICK HERE TO OPEN IN BROWSER.
If you’re reading this on the Substack website or Substack App and you’re not yet subscribed, please consider doing so. It turns out that nearly 45% of our unique visitors aren’t subscribed! Crazy, right! That could be you! Don’t just be a unique visitor. Be a unique subscriber!
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.
COMIC/CARTOON
Audrey Under the Tree [Audrey, The Unicorn Girl, Ch. 8] by E. H. Lau of Hatching Stories [Literary Fiction]
"Can you believe some people actually find the oni cute?" (Any Line)
MICRO/FLASH FICTION
Wearing Your Heart On Your Back by Leeron Heywood of Writing From Weird [Horror]
Cathy wasn’t surprised that her brother Carl ignored her calls for weeks. (First Line)
Nashoba: A Native Version of the Tale of the Wolf & the Hare by Laura Thompson of BoomerSpeak [Fantasy]
The rabbit thought for a moment, then said to the wolf, “Brother. If I loose you from the trap, you’ll only attack me, for the wolf and the rabbit are not friends.” (Any Line)
SHORT STORY
Where Are They? by Sarah Tinney of Saz’s Little Fictions [Horror]
He started noticing marks on some of them, silver scars that reflected in the moonlight. (Any Line)
Spectrophobia by Lauren Salas of Cobwebs and Candles [Horror]
There were no mirrors in Ciarán Hyde’s house. (First Line)
The Mango trees call to him by Isha Jain of The Indian Story [Literary Fiction]
He didn’t exactly know what he was looking for, but it was not in the hundreds of places he had visited. (Any Line)
Tiny Furry Gods by J.M. Gooding of J.M. Gooding [Comedy]
The human shuffles into the hallway while I pace ahead of him like an executioner escorting a condemned man. (Any Line)
Perfectitude by Layne Mercer of The Vermilion Border [Literary Fiction]
What Kimberly Anne Clay wanted more than anything, more than the promotion that she deserved or a man capable of monogamy or a bra that fit well, was to finally, for once in her life, just get everything done. (First Line)
May Day Mayday Mayhem by John Overman of Daily Delirium [Literary Fiction]
Squirming, the protester twisted his face upward, and Bemis could see bits of gravel stuck to his chin. (Any Line)
SHORT SERIAL
A Dialogue & A Solo [Substantive Change, Ch. 8] by Zackary San Martin of The Literary Ledger [Literary Fiction]
The sky was painted a deep violet and pink from the reflections of the sun, as if the day were refusing to die without a final, satisfying denouement. (Any Line)
DIRECTORY OF SERIALS
Hey ya’ll,
on Monday, June 1st, I’m giving everyone who is in the Top in Fiction Discord Server official early access to the TiF Summit 2027 Sign-Up form. If you want just a hint on how important it will be to get that early access, all 50 who participated this past January were already invited and everyone said, YES! At the moment I’m hoping to add an additional 25 spots and start a waitlist after that in case anyone from the original 50 are unable to attend next year.
I anticipate those 25 spots will go quickly. Possibly even before the sign-up is shared to everyone on 6/15.
A NOTE TO THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED IN TIF SUMMIT 2026: You will still need to fill out the sign-up form for 2027. Look for my EMAIL for the sign-up. Unlike everyone else, you will get access to THE SCHEDULER on 6/15, but only as long as you sign up ASAP!
In OTHER news: I’ve renamed our Threads / Instagram / X accounts to Top in Fiction. Not only that but as of last week I started sharing links to the featured stories specifically on Threads which lends itself to creating a main Post with “threads” for each story. If you have any of the below accounts I recommend Following Top in Fiction. I will make sure to follow you back, and next time your story is featured I’ll try to remember to mention you in the post. Also, resharing our posts when you see them would be helpful as well. I’m dipping ONE toe back into social media, being very careful who I follow and checking settings to try and minimize how toxic we all know social media can be. Will this work to bring more eyes to the stories? Only one way to find out…
IMPORTANT UPCOMING EVENTS
TiF Summit 2027 Sign-Up (June 15th - August 15th) - Would you like to join us and read your fiction on a Substack Live? You can rewatch many of those Voices here. The quick and easy sign-up to let me know you’re interested begins mid-June but if you’d like to let me know earlier (June 1st) join our Discord here.
Right now I’m looking to fill 75 spots (a 50% increase). Don’t miss out!
SUBSCRIBER UPDATES
Consider becoming a MONTHLY subscriber and you’ll help us reach our 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 😈
If you enjoyed any of these stories, please consider sharing this post everywhere:
Select Your Preferred Storefront
PRINT ONLY
Amazon (US) / Amazon (UK) / Barnes & Noble / Bookshop.org