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POETRY
Her Silent Song by Maximilian Siddell of Mythscape [Free Verse]
He sits in the midst of this moss-clad wood, and the whole world breathes within him. (First Line)
MICRO/FLASH FICTION
Three Steps, Pause, and Turn by Stories Sown With Hope of Stories Sown With Hope [Fantasy]
Out from behind the rock clambered a bold little man, a brilliant red feather stuck in his equally brilliant red hat. (Any line.)
The Worst Valentine’s Ever by Saint-Lazare of Saint-Lazare, Writer [Horror]
The day of love became the day of rage and depression, on an international scale. (Any Line)
SHORT STORY
Penal Art by Ausiàs Tsel of Mediterranean Gothic [Horror]
Breathing had become a decision between two kinds of pain. (Any Line)
Sassafras and flatrabbit by A.P. Murphy of The Strangeness Kit [Romance]
Jean was unlovely on the outside but radiant within. (Any Line)
Nothing Personal by Anton Anderson of Anton Anderson [Speculative Fiction]
In which café is the assassin meeting being held? (Any Line)
Welcome Eternal, Your Helpful Mind AI by Matthew Feng of Reflecting on Aspects of Writing [Science Fiction]
Eternal is our best AI model yet. (First Line)
The Company She Kept by Tim Wright of Wright Stories: Funny, Dark, Suspenseful Tales [Literary Fiction]
Men have only one thing on their minds, Mama once said when Beth was fifteen and looking forward to her first high school dance. (Any Line)
SHORT SERIAL
Out of the Frying Pan - 5 by Sharron Bassano of LEAVES [Comedy]
“I never was in jail once in my whole life, Haylene, and because a you, I been locked up twice in two days..." (Any Line)
SERIAL
Kindred Spirits [Chapter 1] by Jean Marie Bauhaus of Through a Glass, Darkly [Mystery]
“I hate this guy,” Veronica Wilson announced as she stared at the television in disbelief. (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
Yesterday, Killer Shorts announced their Season 7 Quarterfinalists across their main, 1-page, and short story (prose) categories. And wouldn’t you know it, some from our very own community made it to this round! Congratulations to Saint-Lazare, Nick Buchheit, and Brooke Solomon! If you made it to the Quarterfinals, let us know in the comments!
Garen Marie has cooked up a brand new Spring of an idea and she’s graciously asked Top in Fiction to assist in bringing it to as many people as possible. Learn all about the Spring Fever! Horror in Bloom Substack Event and we’ll both see you on March 20th with your stories ready for a Sprint awakening unlike any other!
THE MURDER ROOM is officially OPEN for submissions! If you’re a writer, this is a great opportunity to get your work cross-posted on Top in Fiction! It will also be featured prominently in our museum room filled with artifacts of your creation. Read all about it HERE. And if you’re a reader, be prepared for actual fiction stories to be shared. Beginning a whole new chapter in what Top in Fiction shares.
The EYE SEE YOU (A HORROR ANTHOLOGY) is nearing the point of being available to pre-order!! I’m expecting the Proof Copy in the mail some time today when I hope to do a Live Substack unboxing! If you don’t want to miss it, make sure you’re following TiF Team to get notified when I go Live via the Substack app. This anthology that features 18 fiction writers will be available to purchase as an Ebook and paperback very soon!
An update on the TiF Short Story of the Month Club! What is it? An opportunity for Top in Fiction to feature exclusive short stories where we pay the writers once we reach at least 10 monthly paid subscribers. How can you join? Just become a monthly paid subscriber at $5 / $10 / $20 a month. From now on I will include the below bar to keep track of when we reach our goal and open up this feature. As members of the TiF Short Story of the Month Club it will entitle you to have access to the featured short story for one week before it’s released to everyone else to read.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Spring is drawing near and there’s no better time than now to think about our plans. Some like to do some cleaning, others look forward to what may start to bloom, and some of us just long for a time when the damn snow will finally be all gone! What are you looking forward to doing most this Spring?
I’ll share my answer in the comments and you should too!
Do you have a question you’d 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 😈
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Thanks so much for the pick, TiF!
Thank you!