JAMES GALLANT: He Avoided Those Year-end Blues

Amusing, Submissions, , , , ,

Treeless, he burned unopened Xmas cards, turned a blind eye on Scrooge and the Wonderful Life. For plugged ears, there were no jingle bells, and the Salvation Army lady was clapperless. An invitation to drinky midnight hoopla declined, sound asleep at ten, he was in fine fettle on the first.

James Gallant is the winner of the 2019 Schaffner Press Prize for music-in-literature for his story collection, La Leona, and Other Guitar stories, just published. His e-novel, Whatever Happened to Ohio? from Vagabondage Press, and a collection of essays and short fiction, Verisimilitude: essays and approximations, published by Fortnightly Review press (UK), appeared in 2018.

CAROLYN R RUSSELL: By Dawn’s Early Light

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

Shane had convinced her: that he was kind, that their fates were entwined, that he wasn’t like those creeps her mom breakfasted with on weekends. Liv couldn’t save her mother, but she could save herself. That she was now running for two was a wild card she’d figure out later.

Carolyn R. Russell is the author of The Films of Joel and Ethan Coen, published by McFarland & Company in 2001. Her humorous YA mystery, Same As It Never Was, was released in 2018 by Big Table. Carolyn’s new YA dystopian thriller, In the Fullness of Time, was published by Vine Leaves Press in March of 2020, and her essays and short stories have appeared in a variety of publications. She holds an M.A. in Film Studies from Chapman University, and has taught on the college, high school, and middle school levels. Carolyn lives north of Boston with her husband and two children.

ALYSON TAIT: Just a Vial

Adventure, Artistic, Submissions, , , , , ,

Riannah’s favorite spoon mixed her coffee as cream poured in. Fingers moving and eyes unfocused, she slid into a memory.

A potion brewed into a beer.
Dinner with a friend.
Ambulance lights.

Liquid dripped in her lap, pulling her back to reality. She sighed. Time didn’t stop for witches, either.

Alyson lives in Maryland where she got married, had her daughter, and began her writing journey. She has appeared in Altered Reality Magazine and (mac)ro(mic). You can find her on Twitter at @rudexvirus1

MICHELLE WILSON: Shadow Rival

Artistic, Submissions, ,

A week into our relationship, he worries, “Someone’s going to take you away from me.”

With the insurmountable zeal of one possessed, he roots out this adversary in my ex-boyfriend, office colleagues, the sound of incoming text messages, my frightened eyes.

Never does he think to look in the mirror.

Michelle Wilson’s words have appeared in Entropy Squared, 50-Word Stories, 101 Words, Literally Stories, Flash Fiction Magazine, and Mr. Beller’s Neighborhood, among others. She lives in Miami Beach, Florida. Sometimes, she can be found at medium.com/@wilsmk.

ELIZABETH LORAYNE: Lock Box

Adventure, Odd, Submissions, , , ,

His hand trembled as he slid the lock all the way to the right. Click. Giving it one extra, reassuring nudge, he thought, “There, now no more evil can be created.”

Scratch, scratch, scratch.

His knees weakened. From within the bolted box, he heard it: the pen, writing once more.

Elizabeth Lorayne is a printmaker, artist, and an award-winning and critically acclaimed author. Her work has also appeared in The Haiku Foundation Blog, Boston Literary Magazine, and Cathexis Northwest Press. She holds a B.S. from The New School in Manhattan, where she studied art, psychology, and creative writing. She lives in Newburyport, Massachusetts with her husband and daughter.

MICHAEL BIRD: Before You Judge

Artistic, Submissions, , ,

The rules are easy.

Don’t hit people, or shout at them.
If they say you’re too close, you’re too close.
If they say don’t touch, you mustn’t touch.

When I grew up, people didn’t follow the rules.
Didn’t follow them with me.
That’s my excuse.

I know it’s not enough.

Michael Bird is a Romania-based writer and journalist, with stories published by Here Comes Everyone, Lune Journal, Bandit Fiction, Storgy, Grist and Bristol Short Story Prize, among others. As a journalist, his work has appeared in Vice, Politico, Mediapart, EU Observer, and Business Insider, and on the BBC and Deutsche Welle. See more at michaelbirdjournalist.wordpress.com.

ROSALEEN LYNCH: Providing Opportunities for Another to Excel

Artistic, Submissions, , ,

I let her save me. Let her fish me from the sea and drag me to the shore. Push water from my lungs. Breathe for me. Bring me back to life.

She was afraid of everything until she realised her own strength. And how much I needed her to live.

Rosaleen Lynch is an Irish community worker and writer in the East End of London who pursues stories conversational, literary, and performed. She has words published in Jellyfish Review, EllipsisZine, Fish, Mslexia, The London Reader, Litro, and other lovely places and can be found on Twitter at @quotes_52 and 52Quotes.blogspot.com.

LISA MARIE LOPEZ: The Things We Said

Artistic, Submissions, , , , ,

We were playing catch in my backyard when Billy started in with his stories.

“My dad met Willie McCovey once.”

My face twitched. “Yeah? Mine met Willie Mays.”

Truth was, neither of us had a father. Still, I pretended to believe Billy’s stories, even though I couldn’t believe my own.

Lisa Marie Lopez resides in Northern California with her husband and two box turtles. She’s been recently published in The Ocotillo Review, From the Depths literary journal, and The Atomic Flyswatter: Vol.1 anthology. Say hello on her Facebook page.

SUSAN SAGARIN: The New Normal

Submissions, Touching, , ,

For decades, Stacy’s bedtime was three a.m., after Channel Four played the Star Spangled Banner and signed off for the night.

Now, Stacy and Channel Four are always on. At three a.m., she is spooning Dilaudid into her mom’s mouth.

Stacy hums the anthem. Her mom’s eyelids flutter, then close.

Susan Sagarin retired from Bloomberg Industry Group in 2020 after a 30-year career as an editor and content specialist. Her fiction, nonfiction, and recipes can be found at inspirationonafternoonlane.com.