A Wintery True Story of Mine in Short Reads

If you want a heartwarming little tale for Christmas, I have one for you.  It took place near Flagstaff, Arizona, and be warned:  snow is involved.  

Read it here:

"To the Young Couple Building a Snowman on the Aspen Loop" on Short Reads

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

A review of my story, "The Lighthouse Keeper," in Reactor Magazine

I just stumbled on a review of "Must Read" short stories from November last year.  And my story's there on the list!  

Read it here:  https://reactormag.com/must-read-short-speculative-fiction-november-2024/

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, "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, "A Learned Man," on the Just Chills podcast

One of my creepier tales, "A Learned Man," appears on a cool podcast today:  Just Chills.

You can listen to "A Learned Man" here or find it on Spotify, Apple podcasts, etc.  

This story was first published in Electric Spec and then Pseudopod.  It's based loosely on an El Salvadorian folktale I found in a book in a small-town library in El Salvador.  When they kicked me out for siesta, I sat in the square writing, and finished almost the entire first draft in one sitting, which is rare for me.  

Enjoy! 

My story, "Bones and Blooms," in Sonoran Horror

Check out my weird little story, "Bones and Blooms," in this anthology of horror set in our beautiful part of the desert:  Sonoran Horror.

 Check it out on Amazon here.  

   

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 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

NaNoWriMo 2023

 Okay, I'm a NaNoWriMo rebel this year, but I just finished my personal writing goal for this November, so I'm celebrating. I'm still going to keep going strong for the rest of the month (and beyond).

For those who aren't Nanowrimoers, it's National Novel Writing Month. Regular participants write the rough draft of a novel (50,000 words or more) in one month. Rebels like me do different things. I counted time spent on an existing novel, using a time-to-word formula I developed a couple of years ago, because I needed to spend time researching, reorganizing, revising, etc. in addition to writing.

My project is a novel-in-short-stories set on an ill-fated space colony. Several of these stories have already been published in literary magazines. If you want to check them out, see the list here: https://melindabrasher.wixsite.com/writer/short-stories

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 to be published in Shadows on the Water

My story, "Vodník," is to be published in Flame Tree's Anthology, Shadows on the Water, early next year.  It's set in the Czech Republic, where tales of the vodník, a sort of water goblin, fascinated me.

See Flame Tree's post (and the book cover) here:  https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/fantasy-gothic/gothic-fantasy-successful-submissions-shadows-on-the-water

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")  

My story, "Silence," in The Dread Machine

Looking for something creepy to read?  Look no further.  The Dread Machine just published one of my stories.  

"Silence" takes place on a space ship where you're completely alone.  But that's okay with you.  Until things start going thump in the night.

And yes, it's written in second person.  I kept thinking, "This will never sell. Second person is weird."  But the story kept reverting to second person, as if on its own, even when I tried to turn it to first person.  That's simply what the story wanted to be.  

I'm happy that I found it a home at the Dread Machine, where you can read all sorts of other interesting stories too. 

Click here to read "Silence."

     

NaNoWriMo 2021

 NaNoWriMo Rebellion Complete (sort of)

This year, instead of writing a 50,000-word novel from scratch, as is the traditional goal of NaNoWriMo (National Novel WRiting Month), I dedicated the same amount of time to revising the first part and reworking/finishing the second part of a middle-grade novel I wrote during another NaNoWriMo.

I just finished the time/word count this evening.

I still need to write a few more scenes and revise the second part (which will, of course, require more revision of the first part).  But I'm pretty happy with how things have gone.  

"The Symbolic Cemetery," My Newest Published Work

 Head on over to the Baltimore Review to read my non-fiction piece about mountain climbing and the sometimes-deadly lure of the mountains.  

But first, some pictures.  Memorial plaques at the Symbolic Cemetery in the High Tatra mountains:

Me at Kôprovský štít, which I mention in the piece:

That lake you see in the picture above is a glacial tarn, Veľké Hincovo pleso,  Here's a shot from its banks:  

Near the Symbolic Cemetery in winter:

Want to know more?  Read The Symbolic Cemetery 

My Poem Published in Short Edition's Short Story Dispensers

My newest published piece is a poem I wrote several years ago as a tribute to my ESL and GED students.  This year it finally found a home with Short Edition.  Appropriate, I'd say, considering the current climate.  

You can read "To My Students" here:  https://short-edition.com/en/story/poetry/to-my-students

Short Story Dispenser.  Image from Short Edition.

Short Edition publishes its work in e-zines like this, but also in short story dispensers!  These are like free vending machines for literature!  I think it's the coolest idea.  They're popular in libraries, airports, coffee shops, etc.  Check here to find one near you:

https://short-edition.com/en/story/poetry/to-my-students