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SHORT STORY
How Boys See Things by The Radical Individualist of The Radical Individualist [Literary Fiction]
I challenge anyone to remember any more than just small fractions of the life they’ve lived over the years. (Any Line)
Past Lives and Loaves by H. A. Titus of Tea and Tales [Fantasy]
When vampires weren’t skulking, they were sweeping their cloaks. (Any Line)
Helen's World by Tim Wright of Wright Stories: Funny, Dark, Suspenseful Tales [Literary Fiction]
Helen’s world between home and the schoolhouse teemed with threats, strange men who might simply be going the same way as she, or they might be following her. (Any Line)
We are not friendly. by Catalina Angel of The Ambassadors: Planet Earth [Speculative Fiction]
We believe in the power of weaponized bureaucratic incompetence. (Any Line)
SHORT SERIAL
Ordinary night out in the city [The Romance Novel, Pt. 1] by Lara A.G of The Studio Rulam [Romance]
They found themselves on the dance floor, strangers just an hour ago but something little more now. (Any Line)
Rearview Horizon [Part 3] by Vince Wetzel of Space Between [Literary Fiction]
Regardless of where she was in the room, Will felt a spotlight on her, as though she was the star of his movie. (Any Line)
SERIAL
Bastion of Rome [Chapter XX] by Tom Morrison of Tom Morrison [Fantasy]
The smell of today’s breakfast, horsemeat stewed with some type of roots and dumplings, mostly displaced the lingering stink of the last dozen or so large amphoras of pickled fish, which would be consumed for lunch. (Any Line)
DIRECTORY OF SERIALS
Hey ya’ll,
I have to admit, sending these “late” every week is beginning to bug me. So, I am making the difficult, yet very internal, decision to just screw it and release as I wish. Stop cowering in fear over AI which is, yesterday today and tomorrow, everywhere. I can only move forward with my plans and let whatever happens, happens. Take on those issues at those times.
With that said, I am continuing with my futile mission to incorporate social media and our Top in Fiction accounts more. At least from a Threads standpoint. I want to spend a couple weeks working on one before I incorporate another. In July I want to upgrade us to using Bluesky alongside Threads. But, until then, if you can follow the 4 accounts below and if you’re on Youtube as often as I am, make sure to Subscribe to our channel! Might there be more regular content coming there soon? A gurl can dream, can’t she!
And now… a bit of TiF Press news!
Work on our 2nd anthology is coming along fairly well! Inanimate Objects is on track for an October release. In time for our Halloween event! I’m deep into one of my favorite stages in this process; the formatting. I’m working on the epub file first this time and then I’ll get to work on the print files. I’m also working on getting the cover design finalized and showing the authors before I show it off to the world! All very exciting stuff!
BUT I have some other bit of news that I have been keeping under my hat but I can’t hold it back any longer. Wait, have I shared this already? I honestly can’t remember! lol Anyway, last year’s Secret Santa Plot Swap collection of 24 stories is going to be released this holiday season as an ebook only, directly on our TiF Press shop! If you have visited there at all in the last month or so you will have seen a placeholder there already! :hint hint:
I was asked by multiple people who participated last year why it wasn’t being published as a collection. I honestly didn’t have an answer and so…WHY THE HELL NOT?! I hope you will support our efforts and the writers who are featured in this collection. Volume 1 will release on the same day as this year’s SSPS (Secret Santa Plot Swap), December 22nd. Look for pre-orders to begin the first week of November, right before the sign-up begins for Volume 2. Yes, that means these SSPS will now be another opportunity to get your work published. For now, the theme of “what’s inside the box?” remains the same.
I’m excited to expand the plans of TiF Press to publish three books a year instead of what I thought would be just two! This expands the opportunities for so many authors to see their work out there and for you, dear reader, to show your support by buying their work.
All authors who are published in our anthologies receive royalty payments.
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 now, 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 😈
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