When I entered the author and blogging world over a decade ago, I started writing short fiction in addition to novels. Over the years, they accumulated in this space…over eighty were published here! Because they weren’t being widely read, I decided to take a step to reach more readers: put those stories into a single…
It is my privilege to share with you the story of an upcoming author who I don’t hesitate to say will be the next Stephen King. Matthew Crocker (follow him here) is well established in the writing community on Twitter, and while he’s been developing his craft, he hasn’t yet published any of his short…
In April, I was a judge for two writing contests – Dan Alatorre’s Word Weaver contest and Ryan Lanz’s short story contest. I was honored to be asked to fill the role once, let alone twice. And while I enjoyed judging great stories, I also learned a few things about how to make short stories…
We live in that castle on the hill. Can you see it? There’s plenty of room. Or there used to be. It’s filling up quickly. More quickly as time passes. There’s a place for the college students. And for the battered women. For the theater goers. And for the patients. And for those who simply…
On Friday, as I scanned the posts in my blog feed, I came across Dan’s flash fiction challenge. It had an intriguing title: Kiss Me. That is, write a kissing scene. Now, while I’m not a romance writer (as some of the writers commenting in the challenge clearly are), the need for a kissing scene has…
Welcome to the fourth and final installment of the Drake and the Fliers prequel/serial. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading the posts as much as I enjoyed writing them. If you missed the earlier posts and want to start at the beginning, click here. Before the Flight – Part 4 Drake held Kelsey’s fevered hand as…
Welcome to Part 3 of the prequel/serial to Drake and the Fliers. If you missed Parts 1 and 2 and want to start at the beginning, click here. Before the Flight – Part 3 “Why aren’t we sick?” Drake asked. Kelsey sighed and leaned against the window of the Denver hospital, focusing on the ceiling. “I…
Welcome back to the prequel/serial of Drake’s story before and during the virus. Click here if you missed Part 1 and want to start at the beginning. Before the Flight – Part 2 Drake’s mother set the parking brake and shut off the car, eyeing the dark and empty house. Her eyes glistened. Drake stared…
A few weeks ago, I handed off a final copy of Drake and the Fliers to some proofreaders. One of them asked if there was a story before the book, describing what took place before we join Drake in the office tower. There isn’t, but her question gave me an idea. Welcome to Part 1 of Before…
Welcome to Part 3 of my contribution to Eclecticali’s Masquerade blog party. This might be it. But I’m not sure. If you missed Parts 1 and 2, you might want to start there. The Presence James re-entered the hallway, baffled. Something had pulled Taliana into the library, but the room was empty and dark, neglected on what…
Allison Maruska 