My story, "Foolish Promises" appears in Behind the Revolving Door Volume II.

The subtitle is An Anthology of Choices, and my main character certainly has an interesting one to make in "Foolish Promises," a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin.

Check it out here:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/behind-the-revolving-door-an-anthology-of-choices-volume-ii-ann-stolinsky/1148810351?ean=9781951967086

or here:

https://www.amazon.com/Behind-Revolving-Door-Anthology-Choices-ebook/dp/B0G4HSGHJ7

My story long-listed for the Welkin Mini prize

My story got long-listed for the Welkin Mini prize--but I can't tell you yet which one is mine.  This is a competition for micro fiction, and out of 819 entries, mine was in the top 50.  

A lot of the titles are really long.  I think that's because the story itself could only be 100 words, so the titles have to do some of the work.   

Check out the list here: https://www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-prize/news

My story, "The Lighthouse Keeper," appeared today in Diabolical Plots

This is a rather dark, atmospheric story that I really enjoyed writing.  Read it for free here:

https://www.diabolicalplots.com/dp-fiction-117b-the-lighthouse-keeper-by-melinda-brasher/

My story, "The Trouble with Vegan Spiders" appears in On the Premises

 I won second place in On the Premises' "Expertise" theme.  You can read the story free here:

"The Trouble with Vegan Spiders," by Melinda Brasher

If you're interested in other stories set in the same tiny space settlement, check these out.

Free to read online:

"Stalked," also in On the Premises: https://onthepremises.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/On-The-Premises-Issue-22.pdf

"Foreign Bodies" in Intergalactic Medicine Show: http://www.intergalacticmedicineshow.com/cgi-bin/mag.cgi?do=issue&vol=i39&article=_001

"Passcodes" in The Future Fire: https://futurefire.net/2014.30/fiction/passcodes.html

In anthologies:

"Stashed Away" in The Martian Wave: https://www.amazon.com/Martian-Wave-September-2020/dp/1087902622

"Radish Hunting" in Animal Uprising: https://www.amazon.com/Animal-Uprising-Michelle-Mellon/dp/173354822X

"Salvage Operations" in Leading Edge: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1791953603

"The Twenty Percent Club" in Double Feature Magazine: https://www.amazon.com/Double-Feature-Magazine-Science-Fiction/dp/1540684997

"Sand and Fire" in Spark: A Creative Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/Spark-Creative-Anthology-Volume-IV/dp/0988807297

My story, "Vodnik," in audio at Tales to Terrify

My short story about a Czech water goblin and a man determined to settle a decades-old score appears in this week's edition of Tales to Terrify.  It's an audio venue, so if you don't have time to read, just listen!

Look wherever you get your podcasts or click here: https://talestoterrify.com/episodes/661-melinda-brasher/

This story first appeared in Uncharted and then in Shadows on the Water.

My story, "Midnight Muster," in Dragon Gems

Today is the release of Dragon Gems Summer 2024 issue.  My story about a resourceful passenger facing off against polite space pirates appears in its pages.  Check it out here:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DJ4BL496

My story, "Palatable Potions," is live on Zombies Need Brains

Zombies Need Brains just published my short story, "Palatable Potions," on Patreon.  The story will also appear in an anthology this summer, available for pre-order here:  https://zombies-need-brains-llc.square.site/ (Look for Zombies Need Brains Presents Year Two)

My article, "Postal Culture Shock," in The Mantelpiece

Check out my travel article in the February 2024 edition of The Mantelpiece:  https://themantelpiece.org/recent-issues

It's about my experiences with post offices in different countries, and it's a fun little read.  

My story, "Vodník," published in Shadows on the Water

Today is publication day for Flame Tree Publishing's Shadows on the Water anthology, which includes my story, "Vodník."  It's inspired by tales of the Czech vodník, a sort of water goblin that is in some versions a mischievous trickster and in some versions an terrifying stealer of souls.  Guess which one mine is.  

It's live in the UK and will go on sale in the US on February 13:   https://www.flametreepublishing.com/shadows-on-the-water-short-stories-isbn-9781804177785.html

My story, "Palatable Potions," to appear in Zombies Need Brains Presents

 

My light-hearted fantasy story, "Palatable Potions," was recently accepted by Zombies Need Brains Presents.  It should appear in March of next year.  I'll post again when it's live.

I enjoyed writing it a lot, and I'm very excited to see it published.  

If you want to check out Zombies Need Brains--who also publish themed anthologies--visit them at http://www.zombiesneedbrains.com/index.html of find them on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/zombiesneedbrainsllc

Short Story Dispenser

A few years ago, I got a poem published by Short Édition, the people who distribute short works of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry through their Short Story Dispensers in libraries, airport, cafes, etc.  The stories are free to the user.  You just decide if you want a 1-, 2-, or 3-minute story, push a button, and it prints you a tiny bit of literature on receipt paper.  Awesome. 

I hadn't actually found one, however, until I heard there was one at the Tempe, Arizona public library.  So I went and checked it out.

Here it is, with a lovely mural behind it.

I printed out several short stories and sat there in the library, reading.  A lovely experience.  There's no way to choose what you want, besides picking the length, so I couldn't get my own poem, but apparently more than 2600 people have printed out my poem.  What a lovely thought.

If you want to read it, however, it's also on their e-zine here:  https://short-edition.com/en/story/poetry/to-my-students

If you're in the Tempe area, go check out the short story dispenser.  There may also be one at a Mesa library.  But go soon.  They may be temporary.

Other dispensers: https://short-edition.com/en/p/find-a-dispenser-near-you  

My Story, "Vodník," published in Uncharted Magazine

This story takes place in the Czech Republic.  When I lived there, the stories and imagery of the Vodník (often translated as "water goblin") fascinated me.  So here's my own take on the famous creature:

Vodník, by Melinda Brasher

https://www.unchartedmag.com/stories/vodnik/

A vodník statue in České Třebová.  Image courtesy of ŠJů, Wikimedia Commons, creative commons license 3.0.  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Park_Javorka,_vodn%C3%ADk_%2801%29.jpg

All over the Czech republic you can find vodník statues around ponds and mills.  The creature is also popular in folk art, like that of Josef Lada (google "vodnik lada").

Mine's a darker take on the sometime-playful water goblin.  For a really dark take, read about the poem by Karel Jaromír Erben:  http://from-my-pov.blogspot.com/2012/02/water-goblin.html

Dvořák also wrote music to accompany the tale.  You can find it on Youtube ("Dvorak Water Goblin")  

The Tertiary Lodgers from Alternating Current

Alternating Current has announced its partial lineup for its newest anthology:  The Tertiary Lodgers.  The collection tells classic stories from the point of view of secondary (and tertiary) characters.

And guess who's in it?  

Yours truly.  

My story, Foolish Promises, is the story of Rumpelstiltskin from the point of view of the miller's daughter's brother.  

I'll let you know when it's published.

Check out the other story titles (or submit your own in the next couple of days while the submission window is still open):

http://www.press.alternatingcurrentarts.com/2020/08/the-tertiary-lodgers.html

Hiraeth Publishing and my Short Story

Hiraeth Books is going to publish my short story, "Stashed Away," in their September 2020 sci-fi anthology. The working title is "Martian Wave." I'm excited to read it.

If your quarantine reading stack is getting low, check out their other offerings: https://www.hiraethsffh.com/

My article, "Night Watchman," in Hippocampus

I wrote "Night Watchman" about a strange little aspect of my time living in Mexico.  Now you can check it out in Hippocampus Magazine.

https://www.hippocampusmagazine.com/2019/05/night-watchman-by-melinda-brasher/

My story in Leading Edge

My short story, "Salvage Operations," appears in the latest issue of Leading Edge. 

While stranded on a strange planet, Peter has to decide whether letting one man live is worth risking the safety of the whole colony.

They created some lovely art for my story, which involves colonists salvaging the wreckage of a probe ship crash.  Now take a look at the cover.  Yes, the cover image is from my story. 

If you want to read more, buy Leading Edge Issue 73 on Amazon.

My short story on Pseudopod!

For those of you who aren't familiar with EscapePod, Pseudopod, PodCastle, and Cast of Wonders, they're part of a family of well-respected literary podcasts that were among the first and now longest-running shows of their kind.  Escape Pod does science fiction, PodCastle does fantasy, Cast of Wonders is aimed at the young adult who like speculative fiction, and my story appears in Pseudopod, the horror podcast. 

Now, I don't write a lot of horror, and this story, "A Learned Man," is not a gruesome slash-em-up.  The host of the episode, Alasdair Stuart, calls my story "Horror of the rarest, subtlest vintage.  Expertly, chillingly done."

"A Learned Man" appeared a while back at Electric Spec, but now it has new life (and voice) with Pseudopod.  The reader, Wilson Fowlie, does and excellent job making it come to life.

Listen (or read) for free here:  Episode 602 of Pseudopod:  A Learned Man

If you like to encourage the arts, please leave a comment in the forum or share on social media.  Thanks!

My Short Story in Ember; a Journal of Luminous Things

My short story, "The Curse," about a woman haunted by a decision she made years ago, is out in <i>Ember; a Journal of Luminous Things</i>.

The cover art is beautiful, and there's more artwork throughout, so I'm excited to get my contributor's copies and see how it all looks in print.   

If you're interested, use this link to get a 35% discount:   https://go.egjpress.org/e31-brasher  There's a fancy limited-time edition and a trade paperback.