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SHORT STORY
Dragon Spurs: Nik's Tale by Christopher Dale Roberts of Christopher Dale Roberts [Fantasy]
You are about to enter a world where swords are the weapons of choice, but it is not the Middle Ages. (First Line)
Resurrection Photo by Leo Vaughn of Deadwater Inn [Speculative Fiction]
âIâm telling you, it was a job well done.â (First Line)
we wasn't no good together by Peter Smetanick of Disorder [Literary Fiction]
Yeah, the night Iâm thinking of probably should of told me that we wasnât no good together, me and my ex, but I still hung on longer, almost the same way that old bar of soap hangs around on lip of the tub, broke damn in half, barely of use, but still too early for that trash bin. (Any Line)
The Storyteller by Hannah S. of Hannah S. [Literary Fiction]
At lunchtimes Casey Robertson sat outside on the snowy stoop of her middle school building writing stories about the Nebraska Night Stalker. (First Line)
Deceit of the Devout by Daria of Daria [Science Fiction]
And now she had to go back and tell everyone that the very thing that had brought the galaxy together into a time of peace was all based on the lies of a murderer. (Last Line)
Georgia Coffee by Oscar Ruto Chemelil of Oscar Ruto [Literary Fiction]
âWhat I do is art,â she insisted. (First Line)
Smokey by Norm DePlume of Norm DePlume [Literary Fiction]
He knew the feeling because Saul had murdered seven people, so far. (Any Line)
SHORT SERIAL
Stillard by Bri Heron of Writing on a Whim
As soon as our car drove into Stillard, a neighborhood that was described as a bustling and fast-growing community in the heart of Brownwood, I knew a false picture had been fabricated. (First Line)
The Lantern Bearer Part 1 [The Lantern Bearer, Ch.1] by Rob Mortell of Stories Have Power [Fantasy]
Kira drifted through the battlefield, alone, with a lantern only the dead could see. (First Line)
SERIAL
Ambulance Bus [NextGen, Ch.1] by Steven Cary of NextGen [Speculative Fiction]
The song in Henry Simonâs head began with the scattering of crows. (First Line)
WALL OF SERIALS
Check out our Wall of Serials where we have a dedicated page showing you ACTIVE stories:
The TiF Library is a comprehensive list of all stories recommended each week!
Over 2,000 stories to search and choose from!
Use it to find even more fiction to read!
Top in Fiction News
Next week Tuesday the wait is over. If you tuned in to our TiF State of the Union then you heard me talk about The Murder Room. If youâre a writer, youâll want to get in on this opportunity to be immortalized. If youâre a reader, youâll want to get in line for a ticket to enter The Murder Room and discover things you canât even begin to imagine!
The space has been cleared. The cases are ready for your work. The date where all will be revealed is February 17th. Are you ready?
Short Story of the Month Club update - Thereâs always time to support your local fiction writer! One great way to do that is by becoming a MONTHLY subscriber of Top in Fiction. With your monthly contribution you can be directly responsible for paying a writer for their work that will be prominently featured on Top in Fiction as well as TiF Press. The writer will be paid from 100% of one month of Top in Fiction earnings from our monthly subscribers! That could be you! But, before we can make this happen, we need at least 10 monthly subscribers.
As of today we have 2 paid monthly subscribers. Just 8 more to go and opportunity will await one lucky fiction writer every single month! And as a thank you for your contribution all monthly paid subscribers will get to read the Short Story of the Month one week before everyone else! » UPGRADE TO MONTHLY PAID HERE «
I have it on good authority that a writing event is imminent. Organized by another but sheâs entrusted me to use the mighty power of Top in Fiction to share this news! Look for a very special TiF Disruption this Friday, February 13th for all relevant information!
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
What are you reading this week/month? Drop the title and author. I could use some new material!
Iâll share my answer in the comments and you should too!
Do you have a question youâd like to ask the readers/writers in our little fiction community? Let me know in the comments and I just might select it for a future weekly issue!
- Erica Drayton, Editor-in-Chief đ
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Oh, to be featured here one day.
Honored to have The Lantern Bearer listed amongst these other great stories.