Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, free fiction, speculative fiction, Writers, writing on August 23, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Today, a little free fiction from Jo Jones, who writes speculative fiction and loves reading, history, writing and Star Wars. A woman after my own heart!
STDD CASE FILE RUS1896JM – by Jo Jones
“This is not the first time we have met Miss Michaels. But….. we are getting ahead of ourselves. Or maybe behind?” He shakes his head. “Even I can’t keep up! Anyway, where are you thinking of this time?”
Enjoy!
* * *
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, free fiction, Writers, writing on August 7, 2025| 1 Comment »
Howdy Readers! Today I’m happy to share a bit of fun free fiction from that master of humorous sci-fi David Hankins!
The Devil’s Footlocker by David Hankins – FREE STORY – Amazing Stories
Phil could sell anything to anyone. New Milwaukee, like most habitats orbiting Earth, was a moldering dump that smelled like rancid grease wrapped in locker room funk, but that was precisely why Phil had come. Suckers living in squalor made easy marks. The locals couldn’t get enough of his micro-transmat-powered Dust Zappers.
Enjoy!
* * *
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, awards, creativity, fantasy, Fiction, free fiction, Writers, writing on July 8, 2025| Leave a Comment »
I talk about science and fiction here, but I also like fantasy, science and otherwise. What’s up in the world of speculative fiction, fantasy edition? The World Fantasy Awards shortlist, that’s what!
Here’s the full ballot, with links to the short fiction list where available:
Here Are the 2025 World Fantasy Award Finalists – Reactor
Short Fiction
“Our Best Selves” by Hiron Ennes (Weird Horror Magazine #9)
“Godskin” by CL Hellisen (Strange Horizons, March 4, 2024)
“The V*mpire” by PH Lee (Reactor, October 2024)
“Raptor” by Maura McHugh (Heartwood: A Mythago Wood Anthology)
“Everything in the Garden is Lovely” by Hannah Yang (Apex Magazine #143, March 2024)
Do some of these look dark and scary and filled with content warnings? They do, but perhaps that’s your thing? If not, check out the other novels, novellas and more.
Winners will be chosen and awards presented at the World Fantasy Convention in the UK this November!
* * *
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, free fiction, sciency fun, Writers, writing on May 13, 2025| Leave a Comment »
I don’t know about you but I have certain authors whose writing just fits. Ilona Andrews is one such writer. (Or two, really, since “she” is a pair.)
I’ve mentioned them before but I’m going to do it again, because they are in the middle of another online story, published in installments.
Here’s the main page: The Inheritance.
Reader, if I could pay for it now and get the whole thing, I would. Instead, I look forward to new installments Mondays and Fridays. Now you can too!
* * *
Posted in Entertainment, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, #ThingsMyFatherLikes, Audio, classics, free fiction, public domain, Writers, writing on April 11, 2025| Leave a Comment »
My father grew up loving the Sherlock Holmes stories. He wasn’t the only one, of course, and Sherlock has remained a driving force in modern culture since he was first invented by Arthur Conan Doyle.
Now that the books are in the public domain, there are a lot of new Holmes stories coming out, which is great. But if you want to go back to the originals and you enjoy audiobooks, consider this collection of 19 Sherlock Holmes short stories on the BBC, narrated by actor Hugh Bonneville: Sherlock Holmes Short Stories.
Sherlock Holmes Short Stories – Hugh Bonneville hosts new Sherlock Holmes series on BBC
His adventures have been enjoyed by audiences around the world for over a century with new generations discovering his thrilling tales through blockbuster films, television series, and even video games.
Now, the great detectives’ most famous mysteries are being brought to life in the new podcast Sherlock Holmes Short Stories hosted by Hugh Bonneville.
Enjoy!
* * *
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, drabble-adjacent, free fiction, politics, selling of the soul, writing on April 3, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Today, I wrote a 200-word story (a double drabble?) inspired by modern politics, and those who are willing to sacrifice everything for power.
The muted roar of the crowd echoed through the green room. He gave himself a final check in the mirror and checked for consensus updates.
:: Tie too tight, one response said.
He loosened the half Windsor.
:: Hair too perfect, another said.
A quick head toss fixed that.
:: Walk more like a gorilla.
What the hell was he supposed to do with that kind of feedback? He expanded his stance, arms bent at the elbow, and strutted side to side.
His reflection sighed.
:: Accept all changes?
The button flashed green on his behavioral adjustment interface.
He stared at the screen. He used to enjoy this job. Before they promised him power. All he had to do was agree to a chip in his head and external control of his every move.
Was it worth it?
The crowd cheered his campaign’s warmup act. What a difference from the old days, when sincerely held speeches were met with yawns. Now all he had to do was read three-word slogans from the crowd-sourced teleprompter.
His wife said she didn’t even know him anymore.
Was it worth it?
He stared at the screen.
:: Accept all changes?
:: Yes / No?
— J.R. (Never Going Into Politics) Johnson
* * *
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, free fiction, speculative fiction, Writers on March 7, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Oh hey, I think I missed sharing this collection of free stories from Reactor Magazine. I haven’t read all of these but Reactor tends to have very high-quality fiction, and all for free free free! Check it out, browse, and enjoy.
Some of the Best from Reactor: 2024 Edition!
The 2024 edition of Some of the Best From Reactor is out today! This bundle features just some of our favorites from the thirty-five original stories published on Reactor in the past year.
Of course, you can always read the selected stories—and all other Reactor stories—for free whenever you’d like! To make it even easier to catch up, we’ve gathered all our stories from 2024 in one convenient post.
Because life’s too short to read bad stories.
“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.”
― Philip Pullman
* * *
Posted in Funny, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, current events, free fiction on February 15, 2025| 1 Comment »
Voting for the Mayor Who Promised to Blow Up the City Doesn’t Mean I Approve of the Mayor Blowing Up the City
by Mike Drucker
It’s so easy to label people these days. From the way folks have been talking, you’d think everyone falls into two buckets: those who voted against the mayor who promised to blow up the city and those who voted for the mayor who promised to blow up the city. And now that the mayor, whom I voted for, is blowing up the city, as he promised, I’m one of many people who are being unfairly blamed for something I didn’t want. Okay? I didn’t want the mayor to blow up the city like he mentioned many times; I just wanted him to fix the old bowling alley like he promised in passing once.
* * *
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, #ChooseYourFuture, books, climate, climate change, climate fiction, creativity, environment, free fiction, green futures, inspiration, Writers on January 23, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Perhaps you remember me mentioning the submission call for this year’s Grist climate collection. Folks submitted (1200 of them!), editors did their editing thing, and now we have a brand new collection of free climate stories for 2025!
Here’s the full collection, including twelve new stories with the goal of looking “beyond the current moment to picture what could be.”
Imagine 2200 climate fiction contest: The 2025 collection – Grist
Welcome to the 2025 Imagine 2200: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors collection. For four years, this contest has celebrated stories that invite us to imagine the future we want — futures in which climate solutions flourish and we all thrive. These stories have never pretended the path will be easy — some of the most compelling Imagine stories showcase the struggle as well as the successes — but they all offer the promise that through the transformative power of radical imagining, we can envision a better world and work toward making it our reality.
Yes, please!
* * *
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, free fiction, genre fiction, humor on December 26, 2024| Leave a Comment »
A fun short story from Andrew Jensen in Stupefying Stories:
The display of Screwdrivers I was admiring wasn’t the problem. The talking alien was.
* * *
You must be logged in to post a comment.