fiction recommendation

Great Reads, Volume 2: It’s Raining You-Know-What

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Maymaykitten

Before we get to the awesome stories, I just wanted to say an enormous “Thank You!” to everybody who came out to the Chesterfield Petsmart on Sunday, December 21st to support Furget Us Not Rescue. The event was a big success, all because of you! 🙂  In the near future, I will be doing an in-depth piece about book promotion to help my fellow authors, including what worked and didn’t in terms of advertising, a copy of my proposal, event dos and don’ts, and much more. In the meantime, though, I have a nice little post-holiday gift for my fellow fans: FIVE absolutely excellent stories for you to enjoy – two original flash fiction pieces, and three fanfics, all on the theme of cats and dogs!

The two original stories aren’t just two of the best cat and dog stories I’ve ever read – they’re two of the best stories I’ve ever read, period. Seriously, if you haven’t read these, your life is not complete. Go fix that now, by reading and reviewing these phenomenal fics.

In terms of the fanfics, we’ve got one for The Mentalist, one for Smallville, and I even went old-school with a golden oldie written for The X-Files! So go forth, read, and enjoy!

ORIGINAL STORIES

“The Last Accounting ” by JR Hume

For full appreciation of the awesomeness, make sure you read the Rainbow Bridge verse by William M. Britton. You will need tissues for both the poem and the story. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Also, if you love the story: a.) let the author know and b.) check out the plethora of other stories by JR Hume!

“Nikki Comes Home” by Christopher Owen

This one just rips me to shreds. But, like, in a good way. I’ll never forget this story as long as I live, because of how deeply it touched me. So short, so sweet, so perfect. Another major Kleenex alert. If you love it (and you will), tell the author!

FANFICTION

The X-Files

“Walk Like a Man” by Windsinger (aka Sue Esty)

Took me three days to track this one down, but man was it worth it. I couldn’t let myself give up, because I just had to share this story with other fans. When something you read has stayed in your heart – like exact quotes from the text – for over a decade, you know it’s something special. Another Kleenex Alert (best to have two boxes on hand), and warnings also for disturbing themes of child abuse. The overall message is positive, but the journey is rough. You have been warned.

Smallville

“My Favorite Things” by paperbkryter

No tissues needed here – all smiles for this one. A sweet Season One story featuring the beauty and innocence of Clark and Lana’s early friendship. Oh, yeah, and there’s some really cute cats in it. A guaranteed pick-me-up after the first three tear-jerkers. 🙂

The Mentalist

“Big Red Tabby” by ruuger

Another one that’ll leave you smiling. The talented ruuger lifts Jane out of his gloom and sends him on a mini-adventure to help out a worried little boy, with some adorable results. Features great characterization, as always, plus some nice jokes and sweet moments. A very well-rounded fic.

Don’t forget to review!

Up Next On ATHF: November/December Race Highlights, January Race Results, 10 Things You Should Never Say to a Writer, one of the BEST writing resources on the web, 10 Reasons The Mentalist Fans Will Love Forever, and Care and Feeding of Your Forever Obsession

Great Reads, Volume One: Mmmmm, Brains!

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ZombieBlogBigger

So, it’s Halloween, and if you’re like most people, you’re in the mood for some brains – er, I mean, zombie stories. Below you’ll find some of my favorites – two fanfics, and one original fiction. This is the first in a series of posts where I’ll be recommending some great fic and fanfic from around the web. Future volumes will feature stories about animals, superheroes, time travel, werewolves, and many more topics!

If you have a fic you’d like to recommend for an upcoming volume of Great Reads, feel free to leave a link in the comments section. My only rule – it has to be someone else’s story, not your own. It should also be either fiction or fanfiction, and free to read. Length and subject matter are completely open, so go crazy!

In the meantime, go crazy reading these great stories. Oh, and if you really like them, why not take a moment to let the author know? Reviews are free to write, and priceless to the author who receives them. 🙂

Original Fiction

“The Former King of Fort Wal-Mart” by Brock Adams

One of my all-time favorite Every Day Fiction stories – the character is deeply relatable, and the plot is different from other zombie stories I’ve read, giving it a very fresh feel. Well, as fresh as you can get when reading about rotting flesh. Go check it out!

Fanfiction

Supernatural

“Decomposure” by paperbkryter

Not exactly a zombie fic in the traditional sense, but close enough. It’s dark, it’s creepy, and it’s hard to get that “dead” smell out after you read it. I’ve been following this author for many years now. If you’re a fan of either Supernatural or Smallville, then paperbkryter’s stories fall into the category of “must-read.”

The Mentalist

“Red Ruin” by ruuger

Yes, you read that right, there’s a Mentalist zombie story. The moment I found this, I just knew I had to include it in Great Reads. Not only is it different from any other Mentalist story out there, but it also has the same high quality and great characterization that make all of this author’s stories shine. Go fight zombies with Jane and Van Pelt!

 

Up Next: Movie reviews for X-Men: Days of Future Past and The Wolverine

Call for Funny Fantasy Fiction

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Hey, who doesn’t like a little alliteration? 😉

And who doesn’t love a hilarious fantasy story that makes you spray Pepsi all over your computer screen?

Unfortunately, although fantasy/humor is one of my all-time favorite genres, it doesn’t seem to get a whole lot of love from the publishing industry. Fantasy is supposed to be a long, epic journey filled with really evil dragons and sword fights and heroic deaths…right? So, if you’ve written a funny story about a disgruntled warlock, it can be doggone hard to find someplace to submit it. (Believe me, I’ve looked).

That’s why I was so thrilled to discover this new anthology that is specifically looking for funny fantasy stories: Alternate Hilarities 3: Hysterical Realms. My first thought was, “They’re already on number three? How did I not find this sooner??” Alternate Hilarities 3: Hysterical Realms is currently open to flash fiction (500-1,500 words) and short story (1,501-6,000 words) submissions. They pay half a cent a word plus one share of royalties for flash, one cent a word and two shares of royalties for short stories, and all authors get a copy of the E-book. They’re also planning a Kickstarter campaign to increase author payments and hopefully fund a print edition of the book.

The deadline for submitting to this anthology is July 31st. So what are you waiting for? Dust off that warlock story, polish it up, and send it in!

Looking for even more places to send your laugh-out-loud fantasy tale? Try Unidentified Funny Objects (you’ll have to keep an eye on their website to see when they’re opening up to submissions for their next anthology). Also, Every Day Fiction loves humor in all of its glorious forms, and Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine is one of the few mags known to favor fantasy and scifi stories on the more lighthearted end of the spectrum. The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction  is another option, as their guidelines state a continuing need for humorous stories.

All this talk about funny fantasy stories got you in the mood to guffaw? Go read “Letter to the Editor” by Joshua Brown. I guarantee you’ll be wiping Pepsi off your monitor. 🙂

-Gretchen