Flash Fiction Winning Entry: The Dragon of Ják

by Anna O’Connell In the village of Ják, Father Peter was washing the soot from his hands, following Compline on the Day of Ashes. He had remained to extinguish the candles and stepped outside and over to the trough to the side of the door, where he poured water from a small pitcher over his fingers. He had a brief pang of hunger and allowed a sigh to pass through his lips, the wordless sound Read more…

Flash Fiction Runner-Up: Salmren’s Triumph

by Will Nuessle Salmren’s Triumph – a drinking song (to be enjoyed lustily and drunkenly if at all possible) The songs they sing of a dragon’s wing – but who sings songs of the tail? A leathery, cut-down-the-heathery thing – but who sings songs of the tail? Now Salmren knew, was to him they flew, to show him the things only dragons shew, Teburah the red and Ceejarno the blue – but who sings songs Read more…

An Interview with Jayci Lee

This week, we’re excited to catch up with #OwnVoices romance novelist Jayci Lee, author of A Sweet Mess (Macmillan Publishers), a delectable romcom involving a small town baker, a celebrity food critic, a one night stand, and a big misunderstanding over a “Frankencake.” In addition to giving us the lowdown on why it was so important for her to feature Asian-American characters in her novels, Jayci also shared some inspirational advice for aspiring writers, what Read more…

Book Review: Arséne Lupin, Gentleman Burglar

Arséne Lupin, Gentleman Burglar has been well known throughout Europe for quite some time. It was a big hit when it arrived in print in the early twentieth century and has since inspired multiple spinoffs in the form of comics, television shows, and movies across the world. Still, Lupin didn’t enter the main stage here in the USA until the eponymous Netflix show began making waves. –Lukas Harnisch-Weidauer The main character of the show, Assane Read more…

An Interview with J.L. Schnelle

We spoke with JL Schnelle about her horror story, [An Acceptable Loss], which was published in Enter the Apocalypse by TANSTAAFL Press. We discussed her experience with short stories, her writing practices, and her toolkit for dealing with writer’s block. —Katsumi Sterling  If you could go back in time and tell your struggling, aspiring younger self one thing, what would it be? I think I’d have to tell them that first drafts don’t have to be Read more…