It’s not really the end of the year yet, but everyone is reading for the end-of-year nominations, awards, and best-of anthologies, so now is the time to highlight my eligible work from this calendar year. And yes, like everyone else apparently, I find this quite awkward. I believe in the hustle, though, and I’m soothing myself with the fact that this post also serves as a roundup for anyone and everyone who might simply want to see what they’ve missed/what’s new. ♥
I’ve been casing our local Barnes & Noble for these all year. I get contributor copies, yes, but there’s still just something so special about seeing a book with your name in it in person on a store shelf. It’s simply thrilling! I hope I never get tired of that. Of course many of these works are available to read online for free, but if, like me, you like to hold pages in your hands, some of these are truly gorgeous and well worth a little spending money.
Below you’ll find 1 novelette, 7 short and flash stories, 3 poems, and 3 story reprints. If any of the works that aren’t free are on your reading list to consider for nomination, you’re welcome to email me at annie_07@alumni.utexas.net. Here we go!
I Am– long fiction/novelette
A woman wakes in the afterlife to find herself stuck in an infinite loop of iterations of herself, trying to break free.
I lie calmly on the island, my back throbbing against the pale rock, staring up at a sky that holds no sun, no moon, no stars, no clouds.
“I Am” was published in The Shadow Booth Vol. 3 edited by Dan Coxon (April 1, 2019). This was my longest work out this year. I have no idea if anyone likes it; it’s weird AF, but I literally gave myself an existential crisis writing it because I put my entire heart into it, so I hope you’ll give it a read if you like dark fantasy/horror dripping with strangeness and nihilism. You can order the ebook on Amazon or order in paperback from the publisher.
The Little Drawer Full of Chaos– short story
When May, a librarian obsessed with neatness, misshelves a single book, her tidy life with her girlfriend spirals out of control.
I scooped the last perfect sphere of chocolate chip cookie dough onto the pan, pressing the little edges down with my finger and lining it up in its row and column, spaced evenly from the others.
My next longest work published this year at just under 7,500 words (so a short story by most standards), and perhaps my personal favorite, is “The Little Drawer Full of Chaos.” It appears in Nox Pareidolia by Nightscape Press, edited by Robert S. Wilson (October 31, 2019). This one is cosmic horror/dark fantasy. It’s accompanied by beautiful art by Luke Spooner. You can order the paperback on Amazon or order the ebook on Amazon (free through Kindle Unlimited).
What Throat– short story
Jo, lost in the woods, is stalked by a monster that hunts using an unusual skill. Darcy, stranded in a cabin with two others, must keep out the eerie creature trying to sneak in.
It was embarrassingly easy to get lost.
I guess I’ll keep going by length because why not? Up next is my creepy horror story “What Throat,” which appeared in Artemis Rising 5 by Pseudopod (March 24, 2019). Narrated by Dagny Paul and Stephanie Malia Morris, hosted by Tonia Thompson, audio produced by Chelsea Davis. You can listen to the story and/or read along for free at Pseudopod.
The Reds– short story
What happens after the events of “Little Red Riding Hood”? Garnet is sent out to slay the last of the beasts, but she’s torn over completing the bloody lineage of her family.
The first time I ripped out a beast’s throat, I cried.
“The Reds” was published in F(r)iction No. 13 by the Brink Literacy Project (Spring 2019). It’s dark fantasy/horror illustrated by Enrica Angiolini, complete with perfect little section dividers. It’s violent and poetic. You can read the story for free at F(r)iction.
The Filling– short story
During a dental procedure, unusual Novocain side effects cause a patient to lose their grip on reality.
The dentist herself leads me back to the room, which I hesitate to call the operating room, but she leads me without saying Follow me or This way, please, and after all, I am here for an operation.
“The Filling” appears in Vastarien: A Literary Journal Vol 2, Issue 3, edited by Jon Padgett (November 2019). This one is weird literary horror in the vein of Shirley Jackson. Don’t read it if you’re already afraid of the dentist. Grimscribe Press was kind enough to offer a free reading of my story at this Dropbox link.
Fit for the Wolves– short story
A sacrifice meant for the wolves, Imaptien draws the hunger of a goddess instead.
When the goddess first lay down among the wolves, they did not eat her because she was pure.
“Fit for the Wolves” came out in Gorgon: Stories of Emergence by Pantheon Magazine, edited by Sarah Read (February 15, 2019). It’s part invented modern myth, part critique of traditional myth, and part horror story. It’s a sensual tale of a goddess stuck in her role who finally decides to step out of it to see what happens—incontrovertibly changing everyone involved. You can order a print edition or the ebook from Amazon (free through Kindle Unlimited).
Redless– short story/flash fiction
The color red goes missing from the world.
It’s the stop sign that finally does it.
“Redless” is in The Binge-Watching Cure II: Horror Edition by Claren Books (December 26, 2019). This little 999-word story is balls to the wall crazy, but everyone who’s read it so far seems to love it. You can order the print edition on Amazon or order the ebook on Amazon.
She Sleeps– short story/flash fiction
She wakes to accept the offering of her captors.
She lays curled atop a pile of glittering diamonds, caught between the roaring surf and a five hundred foot cliff that forms a semicircle around her.
“She Sleeps” is out in Frozen Wavelets, edited by Steph Bianchini (October 31, 2019). At just under 500 words, this is a tiny little moody piece, grusome and deceptively poetic. It hovers between dark fantasy and horror. You can read the story for free at The Earthian Hivemind.
To Write– poem
A nightmare in which no one can speak.
Tonight I dreamed / my mouth was zippered shut, / like some macabre doctor / had taken the school teacher’s gesture / quite literally / and replaced each lip with one half a zipper.
“To Write” has the honor of opening Do Not Go Quietly by Apex Publications, edited by Jason Sizemore and Lesley Conner (May 24, 2019). It’s horror disguised as a dream, which I truly had. You can read my poem for free at Apex.
The Wooden Box– poem
A wooden box of memories kept inside the ribcage.
I never noticed the zipper / hidden over my chest bone / until after you died.
“The Wooden Box” is out in Uncanny Magazine Issue 31 (November 5, 2019). It’s a personal, speculative piece about grieving my dad. You can read it for free on the Uncanny website or listen to it for free on their podcast (starting at 50:00).
the warped barbed wire– poem/haiku
the warped barbed wire / an opening zipper / revealing what’s wild
Finally, my haiku with the first line “the warped barbed wire” appears in A Book of the Year 2019 by the Poetry Society of Texas for winning the Squirrel in a Cactus Garden Prize. This one is not genre, and I can’t quite imagine anyone nominating a haiku for anything unless perhaps there’s a haiku award I’m unaware of, but for the sake of thoroughness, I’m including it here. And since it’s quite difficult to obtain a copy of ABOTY unless you’re a PST member, the poem is reprinted above in its entirety.
Also worth noting, I had three reprints out this year. They are not eligible as original works, but I hope you’ll check them out anyway. (I’ve had stories nominated for awards one year too late before, and I have to tell you, it’s heartbreaking.)
Zanders the Magnificent– short story reprint
Robby and Bobby are identical twins raised in the secretive shadow of their dead father, a famous magician who met his tragic end on stage.
“My handsome, darling boys,” Mrs. Zander said, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. “Which one of you wants to be alive today?”
“Zanders the Magnificent” is performed in Pseudopod Episode 669 by narrator Jon Padgett, hosted by Alasdair Stuart. You can listen to the story for free on Pseudopod. It was first published in Fireside Magazine Issue 21, edited by Brian J. White, where you can still read the story for free accompanied by an exquisite illustration by Galen Dara.
Cilantro– short story reprint
“A Neugebauerian yarn of culinary chaos sure to turn stomachs and cause nightmares.”
“Come on. A little poison never hurt anyone.”
“Cilantro” is in Year’s Best Hardcore Horror Volume 4 by Red Room Press, edited by Randy Chandler & Cheryl Mullenax. You can order the ebook, paperback, or audiobook on Amazon. “Cilantro” was first published in Fire: Demons, Dragons, and Djinns by Tyche Books, edited by Rhonda Parrish, and you can also order it in ebook or paperback on Amazon.
Glove Box– short story reprint
A rash of mysterious assults breaks out in the city.
“There was no one in the store, save the two of them.”
“Glove Box” is in the Tales to Terrify 389, read by Alex Ford. You can listen to the story for free on the podcast, starting at 11:00 in. “Glove Box” was first published in The Dark City Mystery Magazine July 2018 Issue by Dark City Books. It was a 2017 Bram Stoker Award Finalist in the Short Ficiton category.
Thank you so much to all who read and support me! It means the world.
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“White Paint,” Cemetery Dance Magazine #78
