The Grizzly Machine

by Sam Kostakis Krissa stepped up to the curved metal counters, crossing from the polished floors of the mall into the colorful ring surrounding the Here & There Coffee Bar. Under her feet, the ground swirled with stars and nebulae. A black hole opened and closed hungrily feet away, sucking the light from the surrounding bodies into it.  “Good morning,” the Grizzly said. Krissa tore her eyes away from the black hole on the floor, Read more…

Fanfiction, Michael Fassbender, and Writing for Yourself: A conversation with Sierra Simone

by Marleigh Green I sat down with hybrid author, Bethany Hagen, whose tenure boasts a whopping 28 books under her pen name, Sierra Simone. She began as a traditionally published YA author, and broke out into indie publishing when she decided she wanted to explore writing romance and erotica. Her books include the ever-popular spicy BookTok-recommended Priest, the dark and twisted Thornchapel quartet, and my personal favorite, Misadventures of a Curvy Girl.  We discussed the Read more…

Blue Horizon

by Elizabeth Gomez I remember when the Beatitudo landed on Mars. I was six years old and sitting on the stained carpet of my father’s family room. The CRT TV crackled with faint images of the red  planet; the voices of the astronauts hissed through its speakers.   Delora Bates, a young astronaut from the middle of nowhere, emerged from the space  shuttle. Dust and a silver space helmet obscured her large grin. I could barely see Read more…

The Witch of Briar Wood

by Anna Carson The house in the Briar Wood was owned by a woman with white hair. She lived alone most days, with no company but the trees and the animals around her, and the rare plants and occasionally dangerous herbs she kept. Her house was two stories of quaint red brick and climbing ivy and great glass windows, backed by a great greenhouse with wrought iron fixtures, both distinctly out of place in the Read more…

Neither of These Men Are Named Steve

by Susan Matteucci Maybe if I hadn’t opened the door? No. The shades were open, he would have seen me. Maybe if I hadn’t been home. Mmm… no, I’d have just come home to David Abernath sitting on my couch asking how come I didn’t have HBO. “Hey, you’re smart.” He stepped on my foot. David Abernath knocked on my door, complimented me, and then stepped on my foot whilst entering my home. What were the Read more…