Flash Fiction Fridays

Welcome to Flash Fiction Fridays. Every Friday evening (UK time) I post an author’s short short story. For the first episode, because I only decided to do this on the morning I planned to post it, I invited Joe Café novelist and musician (and more) JD Mader to let me have his short story ‘Green’ which I critiqued in my Bailey’s Writing Tips (BWT) podcast red pen episode no.1. Technically I did post ‘The Threadbare Girl‘ the previous Friday evening so that I’ve called that zero instead. So, this is the story (stories) so far…

Posted:

1. Green (325 words) by interviewee (and much more) JD Mader (23rd Sept). It was also the subject of red pen critique podcast no.1, not that there was really anything about it to critique.
2. Captain Jack’s Cave (717 words) by Neil L Yuzuk (30th Sept). This story was also featured in BWT podcast short stories episode 001.
3. The Ruby Stradivarius (588 words) by Issy Flamel (7th Oct). This story was also podcasted in episode 002 (Monday 5th December).
4. Horror story (986 words) by Theodore P. Druch (4th Oct). This story was also podcasted in episode 002 (Monday 5th December).
5. Halloween night (511 words) by interviewee Marla Madison (21st Oct). This story was also featured in podcast short stories episode 001.
6. Lorna doomed (999 words) by Phoebe Matthews (28th Oct). This story was also podcasted in episode 002 (Monday 5th December).
7. On the Bridge. At eight p.m. (542 words) by spotlightee Mioara ‘Mia’ Johansson (4th Nov). This story was also podcasted in episode 003 (Sunday 18th December).
8. Curbside (249 words) by guest blogger Kenneth Weene (11th Nov). This story was also podcasted in episode 003 (Sunday 18th December), together with Kenneth reading his 513-word story ‘In the Army’.
9. Loss (314 words) by yours truly, Morgen Bailey :) (18th Nov). This story was also podcasted in episode 005 (Monday 16th January).
10. Confession (968 words) by Theodore P. Druch (25th Nov). This story was also podcasted as episode 004 (Monday 2nd January).
11. The White Witch of England (984 words) by Jane Risdon (2nd Dec). This story was also podcasted as episode 004 (Monday 2nd January).
12. The Grey Stones and Leaden Cross (520 words) by Issy Flamel (9th Dec). This story was also podcasted in episode 005 (Monday 16th January).
13. The Paper Doll, an unlucky story (996 words) by Cindy Vaskova (16th Dec). This story was podcasted in episode 007 (Monday 13th February).
14. One Christmas (994 words) by Rosanne Dingli (23rd Dec). This story was also podcasted in episode 004 (Monday 2nd January).
15. That old feeling (548 words) from JD Mader (30th Dec). This story was also podcasted in episode 005 (Monday 16th January).
16. Zombie Fight Song (999 words) by Bob Frey (6th Jan). This story contains some strong language and was also podcasted (slightly edited to suit the ‘clean’ rating) in episode 006 (Sunday 29th January).
17. The Advert - a Friday 13th story (997 words) by Susi Holliday (13th Jan). This story was podcasted in short story episode 007 (Monday 13th February).
18. The Old Barn (411 words) by Theodore P. Druch (20th Jan). This story was also podcasted in episode 006 (Sunday 29th January).
19. The Visit (998 words) by short story author and novelist Ralph Murray (27th Jan). This story was also podcasted in episode 006 (Sunday 29th January).
20. The Red-Haired Girl (100 words) by Smoky Zeidel (3rd Feb). This story was podcasted in episode 008 (Monday 27th February).
21. Albeit for Small Mercies (272 words), an unlucky second-person story by yours truly, Morgen Bailey (10th Feb). This story was podcasted in episode 007 (Monday 13th February).
22. A Damned Hot Day (477 words) by Michael C Boxall (17th Feb). This story was podcasted in episode 008 (Monday 27th February).
23. You are What You Don’t Eat (981 words) by Joy V Smith (24th Feb). This story was podcasted in episode 008 (Monday 27th February).
24. Cindy Vaskova returns with another flash fiction story Fragments from the Past (2nd March). This story was podcasted in episode 009 (Sunday 25th March).
25. Discarded (279 words) by multi-genre author Karina Kantas (9th March). This story was podcasted in episode 009 (Sunday 25th March).
26. Desire (127 words) and The Birthday Cake (159 words) by horror, crime, thriller writer, interviewee and spotlightee AJ Kirby (16th March). This story was podcasted in episode 009 (Sunday 25th March).
27. Baby Fat (837 words) by Sheila Pierson (23rd March). This story was podcasted in episode 010 (Sunday 22nd April).
28. Refugees in the cave (753 words) by Joy V Smith (30th March). This story was podcasted in episode 010 (Sunday 22nd April). I shall also be reading out ’A Fine Day‘ (1498 words) by interviewee and multi-genre writer Jim Sellers in that episode.
29. Spotlightee Mia Johansson returns with another flash fiction story – The Jazz and The Blues (6th April). This story was podcasted in episode 011 (Tuesday 29th May).
30. AJ Kirby returned with two stories (13th April). These stories was podcasted in episode 011 (Tuesday 29th May).
31. The Ticket (614 words) by children’s author and illustrator Carrie King (20th April). This story will be podcasted in episode 011 (Tuesday 29th May).
32. Bowed out (742 words) by novelist and short story author Marc Nash (27th April). This story will be podcasted in episode 012 (Sunday 17th June).
33. Hachette (582 words) by comic fantasy (“and a little horror”) author Will Macmillan-Jones (4th May). This story will be podcasted in episode 012 (Sunday 17th June).
34. Over by me, Morgen Bailey (11th May). This story will be podcasted in episode 012 (Sunday 17th June).
35. Revenge is a dish best served… alive (701 words) by Christopher Farley (18th May). This story will be podcasted in episode 013 (Sunday 15th July).
36. AJ Kirby returns with another piece of flash fiction entitled I dream of violence (25th May). This story will be podcasted in episode 013 (Sunday 15th July).
37. Dreams by JD Mader (1st June). This story will be podcasted in episode 013 (Sunday 15th July).

Scheduled:
38: ‘Her reflection calls her Tess’ (925 words) by poet, novelist and article writer Kimberly Gray (8th June). This story will be podcasted in episode 014 (Sunday 12th August).
39: ‘The Picture’ (418 words) by comic fantasy (“and a little horror”) author Will Macmillan-Jones (15th June). This story will be podcasted in episode 014 (Sunday 12th August).
40: ‘Sacrament’ (831 words) by Travis Eaton (22nd June). This story will be podcasted in episode 014 (Sunday 12th August).
41: ‘Portraits of a young artist in Istanbul’ by short story author and novelist Gene Parola (29th June). This story will be podcasted in episode 015 (Sunday 9th September).
42: you could have your American Independence Day story listed here (6th July). This story will be podcasted in episode 015 (Sunday 9th September).
43: you could have your unlucky story listed here (13th July). This story will be podcasted in episode 015 (Sunday 9th September).
44: ‘Sleep well’ (727 words) by Christopher Farley (20th July). This story will be podcasted in episode 016 (Sunday 7th October).
45: you could have your story listed here (27th July). This story will be podcasted in episode 016 (Sunday 7th October).
46: ‘Blank. Screen Blues.’ (407 words) by comic fantasy (“and a little horror”) author Will Macmillan-Jones (3rd August). This story will be podcasted in episode 16 (Sunday 7th October).
47: you could have your story listed here (10th August). This story will be podcasted in episode 017 (Sunday 4th November).
48: you could have your story listed here (17th August). This story will be podcasted in episode 017 (Sunday 4th November).
49: you could have your story listed here (24th August). This story will be podcasted in episode 017 (Sunday 4th November).
50: you could have your story listed here (31st August). This story will be podcasted in episode 018 (Sunday 2nd December).
51: you could have your story listed here (7th September). This story will be podcasted in episode 018 (Sunday 2nd December).
52: you could have your story listed here (14th September). This story will be podcasted in episode 018 (Sunday 2nd December).
53: ’The Moon’ (410 words) by comic fantasy (“and a little horror”) author Will Macmillan-Jones (21st September). This story will be podcasted in episode 19 (Sunday 30th December).
54: you could have your story listed here (28th September). This story will be podcasted in episode 19 (Sunday 30th December).

55: you could have your story listed here (28th September). This story will be podcasted in episode 19 (Sunday 30th December).

If you’d like your story considered, email me your story (in full; up to 1,000 words, no more please or it won’t be flash fiction) and I’ll take a look. If it’s suitable I’ll email you with the Friday I plan to run it and it’ll be added to the schedule on this page. I’ll then need c.200 words on the inspiration behind it, a 200-word max third-person biography, links to your website, blog etc., and a photo of yourself and / or book would be great too. If that’s as clear as mud take a look at the posted ones to see what I mean. Please remember that this is a family-friendly blog so no stories with strong language, extreme violence, or unpleasant / explicit scenes please… besides, suggestion can often be more powerful than blatancy.

NB. the copyright will always remain with you so you can still do whatever you like with them, although for most competitions / submissions having your story appear on my blog would count as being ‘published’. I will not use your fiction for any purpose other than to have the link appear on this page which directs to your piece. I will promote this page from time to time on Twitter and the likes, so that visitors come here, and hopefully onwards to you.  I don’t pay you for your stories but it’s an opportunity for the readers of this blog (average 150-200 visits per day) to learn a little about you and your writing. And I get to read a load of short stories… my favourite format.

I know there are a lot of poets out there and Poet Philip Ellis asked me via Twitter if I’d take poems and whilst I’m no poet, I said “sure, why not” (or something like that), so I started weekly slot called Post-weekend Poetry running every Monday evening.

If you love short flash fiction, take a look at Indies Unlimited Writing Exercises Contests page.