Category Archives: Read Short Fiction
NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION WANING? WAX IT WITH THONGDEE’S “WAITING TO BE THIN” OVER AT READ SHORT FICTION!
It’s only a couple of weeks into 2012, and if one of your New Year’s Resolutions was to lose weight—but the only thing you’re losing is steam—then don’t miss Seenat Thongdee’s short story “Waiting to be Thin” at Read Short Fiction. This hilarious look at the daily “battle of the bulge” might be just what you need to get gaining on your goal again.
We are especially pleased and proud that with “Waiting to be Thin,” Seenat makes her writing debut. We hope to see this fresh new voice grace many pages of many publications in the future.
Enjoy!
http://www.readshortfiction.com/2011/12/waiting-to-be-thin-by-seenat-thongdee/
LIKE POE’S WORK? CHECK OUT MATT HOFFMAN’S “BRO” NOW UP AT READ SHORT FICTION!
For an early-winter chill, read Matt Hoffman’s “Bro,” now up at Read Short Fiction: http://www.readshortfiction.com/2011/11/bro-by-matt-hoffman/
If I make any comments about this story, it will spoil it. What I will say is that if you enjoyed Poe’s “William Wilson,” and the last scene in Drag Me to Hell terrified you, then you’ll get chills reading this. If you’d care to know why I loved this story so much, my comments appear at the end of the story.
Enjoy!
OUR READ SHORT FICTION EDITORS’ INTERVIEW IS UP ON DUOTROPE NOW!
Rob Mayette and I, co-editors of Read Short Fiction, recently completed our interview for Duotrope (http://www.duotrope.com/), the popular online writer’s market database which also features a free submissions tracker. It’s now posted.
If you’d like to see the listing for our publication that’s been going strong for two years now, you can check it out here: http://www.duotrope.com/market_4000.aspx. Want to read the interview and learn more about what we’re looking for and how we run things? You can read that here: http://www.duotrope.com/Interview.aspx?id=4000
Enjoy…and if you’re a writer, consider submitting your work to us!
HAUNTING SHORT FICTION ON RSF: FINDING A BOOK UNDER THE BUREAU YOU LEAVE YOUR KEYS ON
If you’re looking for a short little haunting something to read for Halloween, then don’t miss Michael J. Rosenbaum’s “Finding a Book Under the Bureau You Leave Your Keys On” up now at Read Short Fiction.
I’ve known many people who frown on the use of second person POV. I happen to love it—because when it’s used correctly, as in Carlos Fuentes’ classic horror tale Aura, it has a truly haunting quality which supports the tale. It seems so integral to the piece, in fact, that to even imagine it written in any other POV ruins it. Rosenbaum has absolutely achieved this difficult feat: the second POV here creates a ghostly tone and a voice out of oneself or from the other side of the veil that compliments the existential theme beautifully.
Read this haunting piece here: http://www.readshortfiction.com/2011/09/finding-a-book-under-the-bureau-you-keep-your-keys-on-by-michael-j-rosenbaum/
LOVE POE’S “A DESCENT INTO THE MAELSTROM?”…DON’T MISS MARK SUTZ’ “GIBRALTAR” ON READ SHORT FICTION!
If you’re looking for some high seas fun this August, then don’t miss Mark Sutz’ “Gibraltar” over at Read Short Fiction!
What sold me on “Gibraltar” was its mood and tone—I was reminded of Melville, a few of Poe’s sea tales, and Sting’s “Why Should I Cry for You” all at once. What I also found interesting is that the language used makes the story seem as though it was written and/or takes place a couple of centuries ago, and yet it’s actually set in modern-day times. But what struck me most about this piece was its overwhelming sadness…and there’s a big surprise at the end.
Don’t miss this summer treat at Read Short Fiction here: http://www.readshortfiction.com/2011/07/gibraltar-by-mark-sutz/
LIKE THE MOVIE TWISTER? READ “THE SPIDER IN THE SINK” ON RSF!
Jean Ryan’s short story “The Spider in the Sink” is now up on Read Short Fiction! If you are fascinated with storm chasing, tornadoes or are a fan of Storm Stories or Twister, then you’ll want to check this out.
Spoiler-free comments:
I was sucked in from line one, but the beauty of this piece for me was that I didn’t know from paragraph to paragraph exactly where it was going; I also am a fan of the second person POV as long as it’s done well: when it’s done well, it has the most haunting and almost ominous quality to it. This is certainly one of the best pieces of second-person POV I’ve ever read, a true testament to the fact that choosing a POV for a story can make it a winner or a loser. In this case, it’s a winner.
Also, the spider has long been a symbol of fate—and certainly, when we talk about tornadoes, there is always that element of fate involved (that line from Twister “You haven’t seen it miss this house, miss that house, and then come after you!” comes to mind).
“The Spider in the Sink” is one of those stories that’s going to stick in my memory for a long, long time. Catch it now at Read Short Fiction here: http://www.readshortfiction.com/2011/06/the-spider-in-the-sink-by-jean-ryan/
REGRETS? YOU’RE NOT ALONE…READ “GEORGETOWN KISSES” AT RSF!
I’ve never felt such sympathy for a guy I didn’t like too much, and that’s what sold me on Sarah Harris Wallman’s “Georgetown Kisses,” now published at Read Short Fiction. I found him to be an Everyman, a man who has, like all of us, made mistakes—and one critical, very large mistake (and possibly a second, eventually, as the ending suggests) that destroyed his life as he knew it. The characters, even Trimble’s wife Sylvie, whom we never really meet, are so real, so well-defined—so the people-next-door. “Georgetown Kisses” is a stellar example of creating not-so-nice characters who still manage to tug at our heartstrings.
You can read the story here: http://www.readshortfiction.com/2011/05/georgetown-kisses-by-sarah-harris-wallman/
TROUBLE IN LOVE? CHECK OUT READ SHORT FICTION’S “DOG FARTS AND DANCER GIRLS”
Brady Allen’s “Dog Farts and Dancer Girls” is a comment on what can break down in a romantic relationship—often, it’s what’s never said.
I love the mood in this piece; I can feel the weight of what’s unspoken in that car in the first scene—even though I’m not quite sure what it is right off the bat, I know that it’s something monumental, something that threatens to split this couple in half. If you’ve got trouble in love, this story might just give you some ideas on what you shouldn’t do.
Check it out at Read Short Fiction here: http://bit.ly/ktuDxc
DOWN ABOUT YOUR LIFE? CHECK OUT “THE MINX” ON READ SHORT FICTION!
Cassandra Dunn’s short story “The Minx” is up at Read Short Fiction, and if your winter blues aren’t fading fast enough, this piece might be just the right pick-me-up!
What I love about this piece is its pervasive sense of sadness. The speaker laments her own life, but is realistic about how her choices got her to that life–yet there’s a piece of her that wishes she were someone else. And really, who hasn’t done that at least once or twice? Well, the end might surprise you.
Check it out here: http://www.readshortfiction.com/2011/03/the-minx-by-cassandra-dunn/
PUT SOME MURDER IN YOUR MARCH
“Beware the Ides of March” has new meaning!
Judy Viertel’s “Man Murders Wife” is now up at Read Short Fiction—while it doesn’t have the hallmarks of a ghost story, it is a testament to the idea that subtle is better, and it will haunt me for many days to come. Don’t miss it! http://www.readshortfiction.com/2011/03/man-murders-wife-by-judy-viertel/
