FlashBlog

FFO Alumnus Stefanie Freele Publishes Short Story Collection

bhighsmith — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:19:23 +0000

Stefanie Freele published two flash stories here (1 2) at Flash Fiction Online. We’re glad to note that she’s recently published a short story collection, Surrounded by Water, with Press 53. Stories in this collection received much note: first and second places in Glimmer Train fiction contests, a 2010 Million Writers Notable Story Award, an Editor’s Pick in the Mid-American Review Fineline Competition, and a Pushcart Prize nomination. (See more details at the publisher’s site.)

You may view the Amazon.com’s page for Stefanie’s collection here.

Congratulations, Stefanie.

FFO Staff Publications

bhighsmith — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 23:15:43 +0000

I presume that many writers like to see magazine editors and slush pile readers out there trying to publish, too. It’s both a humbling and educational experience. So here are recent publications of the FFO staffers I’ve heard from so far. I’ve got no problem putting mine at the top of the list:

William Highsmith, “Journey to the Center of the Flat Earth,” Flurb, A Webzine of Astonishing Tales, issue #13, published in March 2012 by the notable Rudy Rucker.

Nancy Green:

Women Writing the Weird, anthology by Doghorn Publishing (edited by on-hiatus FFO staffer Deb Hoag).
Paths Less Travelled, a short story collection, pub. by Musa Publishing, May 11, 2012.
Shots at Redemption, a short story collection, pub. by Musa Publishing, June 1, 2012

Karen T. Smith has various publishing efforts in play.

Patrick Dey (now on hiatus…we hope), AI Robot, Flash Fiction Online, Jan. 2012.

SFRevu of Flash Fiction Online Feb. Issue

bhighsmith — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 19:37:45 +0000

Sam Tomaino at SFRevu has reviewed Flash Fiction Online’s February 2012 issue. Thanks, Sam. The Feb. 2012 issue had three new flash stories, including:

Surface Tension by KJ Kabza,
Lovestruck by Zach Shephard, and
Classic Flash: Man May Love by Robert Sharp

Speaking of Surface Tension, Sam said, “A very good, subtly written tale.”.

See Sam’s other short fiction reviews here.

Six Questions For…Editors and Slush Readers

bhighsmith — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 23:38:00 +0000

Author and blogger Jim Harrington has been asking editors and slush pile readers to “list, in excruciating details, all that each desires in his/her stories.” Good idea. He poses this request in the form of six question and–not unreasonably–gathers his continuing responses at the Six Question For… blog.

Jim has posted a response from FFO slush pile reader Pat Dey. (Authors: if you get one past Pat, you’ve done well.) Here is Six Questions for Pat Dey, Slushreader, Flash Fiction Online, and here is the general link to the Six Questions For blog, “where editors and publishers discuss writing flash fiction, short stories, poetry, and novels.”

Congratulations to FFO Alumnus KJ Kabza

bhighsmith — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 18:53:35 +0000

KJ Kabza has been busy lately. Not just busy, but productively busy. He has a story in the current issue of Flash Fiction Online, entitled Surface Tension. He also has a novelette in the March/April issue of the The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, entitled “Gnarly Times at Nana’ite Beach.” As of the time of this post, F&S still has information on its online site for the Jan./Feb. issue. However, the March/April print edition is now arriving at mailboxes, according to FFO editor Suzanne Vincent.

FFO sends a hardy congratulations to KJ.

Ralan.com–Great Info Site for Writers & Readers

bhighsmith — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:00:14 +0000

Ralan.com is a must-see for writers to find out what’s going on in magazine publishing, online or print. There, writers can find out who’s accepting submissions presently and what they’re looking for.

Readers might not know about it, but it’s handy for them, too. They may find publications of interest to them that they’d never heard of, some quite obscure.

Ralan (the man), categorizes publications along logical lines, from a writer’s point of view, such as pro-paying, semi-pro-paying, etc. In certain cases, a publication crosses those categories. FFO, for example, is placed in the Flash/Poetry category. However, since FFO is an SFWA (Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America) pro-paying publication, it also falls into the pro-paying category. This hadn’t come up before, but Ralan was kind enough to put a special entry in the pro-paying category that directs readers to the Flash/Poetry section.

Thanks, Ralan!

SFRevu’s Review of FFO, Jan. 2012 Issue

bhighsmith — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:04:39 +0000

Sam Tomaino at SFRevu has reviewed Flash Fiction Online‘s January 2012 issue. Thanks, Sam. The Jan. 2012 issue had three new flash stories, including:

Sea Ink by Jennifer Linnaea,
To Fly a Pig in the Dorseny Sky by Tom Crosshill, and
AI Robot by Patrick Dey.

Sam also review other short fiction publications, Including Asimov’s and Analog, here.

Tom Crosshill is a veteran at FFO with these earlier stories: Sandra Plays for Cast-Iron and The Zombie of His Early Days.

Enjoy the new issue and let your friends know about it.

Tolkien’s Prose Poor?

bhighsmith — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 23:14:40 +0000

CS Lewis would disagree, but–as reported by the Guardian–the Nobel Prize committee declined LOTR for its “second-rate prose.” (Cough.)

And don’t miss a slightly shorter work, the Jan. 2012 Flash Fiction Online edition following its reboot efforts.

Facebook Lament

bhighsmith — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:33:29 +0000

Writers are an emotional lot and for the most part live on Facebook. I propose, therefore, this slightly altered song as the official Facebook lament, based on “Release Me,” by songwriter Eddie Miller, whose song was covered by many.

UnFriend Me

Please unfriend me, let me go,
For I don’t like you anymore.
To waste our tags would be a sin;
Unfriend me and let me like again.

I have found a new friend dear.
LOL I want her near.
Her pokes are warm while yours are cold;
Unfriend me my darling, let me go.

Please unfriend me, can’t let you see?
You’d be a fool to status me.
To live a lie would bring us pain,
So unfriend me and let me like again.

Flash Fiction Online Reboot

bhighsmith — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:31:04 +0000

Flash Fiction Online has reopened for business with a new editor. Suzanne Vincent, one of our first staffers, has taken over as Editor in Chief. Many of our existing staffers remain,…(read more).