The story of the week for January 5 to 9 is A Honeymoon Walk by Perry McDaid. (Sorry, I didn’t realize I’d missed this week!)
The story of the week for January 12 16 is The Incantation by Frank Solomon.
BARRY O’FARRELL: Any Publicity is Good Publicity
The promotion to name our giraffe is going terrifically well. The enthusiasm and excitement generated amongst the general public is way above our expectation.
In fact, the only promotion I can think of which has been more successful was the very first one we ran to help name our unicorn.
Barry O’Farrell is an actor living in Brisbane, Australia. More of his work can be found in Cyclamens & Swords and A Story In 100 Words.
JD HAGER: Running Late
Doc Brody was late for the appointment, which had clearly been scheduled for high noon. He had personally requested promptness. “Don’t be late,” he’d said. How unprofessional. How inconsiderate. Was his time somehow more valuable than mine?
Really, what kind of self-respecting outlaw shows up late for a gun fight?
J.D. Hager lives in Northern California with his wife and a small collection of animals. When not writing short stories he goes undercover as a middle school science teacher. More words can be found at jdhager.wordpress.com.
FRANK SOLOMON: The Incantation
“Tell me,” she pleads for seemingly the umpteenth time.
“What?” I pretend not to know.
“Tell me!” Her voice begins to shake.
I could rebel. Tease. Start a fight. Suggest a doctor. Prescribe a Prozac. Instead, I acquiesce and recite the magic words: “Everything will be all right.”
“…Thank you.”
Frank Solomon retired from the University of Kentucky after 30 years of writing utilitarian stories for a cybernetic audience. Now he attempts to entertain an audience that lives and breathes.
JT GILL: I Wish
“Please don’t make this harder than it has to be, Alan.”
“Sarah, listen to me. I want to make this work.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not? What have they done to you in here?”
“I love you, Alan, but you have to go. I’m not supposed to have imaginary friends anymore.”
JT Gill is a 21-year-old college student in Virginia. His work has appeared in Nanoism, and many more publications will soon be inserted into this part of the bio. He writes quite often.
NEWS: Story of the Year Finalists and Prize Details
Because the new Top Stories system was set up halfway through this year, we have six Stories of the Month all vying for the top honour: Story of the Year. The six finalists from 2014 are:
JULY: Paper Crosses by J Ian Manczur
AUGUST: Through the Window by Alex Mascarenhas
SEPTEMBER: Summer Learning, 1975 by Jennifer L Freed
OCTOBER: The Mapmaker’s Calligraphist Daughter by Bob Thurber
NOVEMBER: Inspiration by Perry McDaid
DECEMBER: The Learner Voice by Arthur Brown
Have an opinion? Let everyone know who YOU would pick in the comments!
I’ll be selecting and announcing the prize winner very soon. Speaking of which…
Story of the Year Prize
The prize for the Story of the Year winner will be:
- $50 (Canadian)
- Enshrinement in the new 50WS Hall of Fame
I’m still thinking through the fine details of the 50WS Hall of Fame, but in general it will be an exclusive way to recognize the most noteworthy authors who have contributed to the site.
RUBY RAY: Early Proposal
“Darling, you can’t marry your Teddy Bear.”
“Why not?”
“He’s not real.”
“Of course he’s real. You tell me to talk to him when I can’t sleep. Anyway, I’m not marrying anyone else.”
“Darling, you’ll find someone just like your Daddy.”
“Exactly. I’m marrying Ted as soon as I’m eight.”
Ruby Ray has been a Jill of many trades and mistress of some of them. Anyway, she hopes to have mastered (mistressed?) a few more before she takes it easy for good.
ALISON V KING: Old Hands
September raged outside, violent bursts of russet and gold. Her tiny hand made a fist around my finger. “We’re in this together,” she said without words.
Different hospital. Different decade. The ache is deep and I am sinking. Papery fingers entwined. “We’re in this together,” she says without words.
Always.
Alison has been writing since she was old enough to hold a pen. Her first story was a horrible island romance scribbled at the tender age of eight. She has recently been featured in Firewords Quarterly and Journeyman Magazine and hopes to one day remain seated long enough to produce a novel.
ROSS SAYERS: In Memoriam
The man, who it later emerged had lost his family’s savings on a lousy pair of nines, stepped off the ledge of his office window on the 44th floor.
His wife below, suffering a rush of blood to the head, ran forward, arms out. Their last embrace was very brief.
Ross Sayers is a Creative Writing Masters student at the University of Stirling. He got the idea for the story from Placebo’s music video for ‘Pure Morning’.
BARBARA COMSTOCK: How to Annoy the Tooth Fairy
The Tooth Fairy had visited and left $5 for that first tooth. Later, Chloe wrote this note, all phonetically:
“Dear Tooth Fairy,
You took my tooth, but you didn’t leave any money. Please leave it tonight.
Love, Chloe.”
She winked me a smile. “Tooth Fairy’s so busy, she won’t remember!”
Barbara Comstock teaches English Language Arts in middle school and is easily amused.