This stand-alone story was written for Three Word Wednesday (this week’s words: abuse, cramp, and hatred). Della threw the plastic grocery bag onto the floor. Outside the foggy perimeter of her rage, she heard the crunch of glass breaking. Great. There went the jar of spaghetti sauce. Now, she’d have to clean the mess off [...]

Tags: flash fiction, magical realism, short stories, Three Word Wednesday
Filed under: Appalachian fiction, Southern fiction, Three Word Wednesday, flash fiction, short stories

This teensy stand-alone piece was written for Three Word Wednesday (this week’s words: feign, imply, and virtue). My wife sees green horses, but to me, they look blue. We agreed to a compromise: for us, horses are “bleen.” We’re the only people I know who see bleen horses. Everyone else says they see brown, black, [...]

Tags: magical realism, nanofiction, short stories, Three Word Wednesday
Filed under: Appalachian fiction, Southern fiction, Three Word Wednesday, nanofiction, short stories

(This is a stand-alone story, written for Three Word Wednesday.) Waking with the sun, Jonathan Sizemore Fouts rose clear-headed for the first time in days. He dressed quietly and tiptoed out of his room. If Fred, his roommate, woke up and got to talking, Jos wouldn’t get going until noon. Normally Jos would listen and [...]

Tags: flash fiction, magical realism, short stories, Three Word Wednesday
Filed under: Appalachian fiction, Southern fiction, Three Word Wednesday, flash fiction, short stories

(I wrote this for Three Word Wednesday – it features Laurel, from my novel-in-progress Heart’s Chalice. These flash fiction pieces, though most of them take place before the main action of the novel, are not necessarily being written in chronological order.) While Aunt Sophie worked, Laurel sat nearby on a stool. Her legs weren’t long [...]

Tags: flash fiction, magical realism, short stories, Three Word Wednesday
Filed under: Appalachian fiction, Heart's Chalice, Southern fiction, Three Word Wednesday, flash fiction, short stories

(I wrote this story for Three Word Wednesday — it features Raoul and Renata, characters from my novel-in-progress Heart’s Chalice.) “I’m never acting again. Not even if I live to be one hundred.” On his way up the mountain trail, Raoul kicked at a twig. It stuck in his boot laces. Cursing, he shook his [...]

Tags: flash fiction, magical realism, short stories, Three Word Wednesday
Filed under: Appalachian fiction, Heart's Chalice, Southern fiction, Three Word Wednesday, flash fiction, short stories

(I wrote this for Sunday Scribblings and Weekend Writer’s Retreat – it features Laurel and her mother Marie, from my novel-in-progress Heart’s Chalice. These flash fiction pieces, though they take place before the main action of the novel, are not necessarily being written in chronological order.) One more time, and she’d be satisfied. Well, almost. [...]

Tags: flash fiction, magical realism, short stories, Sunday Scribblings
Filed under: Appalachian fiction, Heart's Chalice, Southern fiction, Sunday Scribblings, flash fiction, short stories

(I wrote this for Sunday Scribblings and Weekend Writer’s Retreat – more of Laurel and Nate, from my novel-in-progress Heart’s Chalice. These flash fiction pieces, though they take place before the main action of the novel, are not necessarily being written in chronological order.) On her sixteenth birthday, Laurel had a hard time saying goodbye [...]

Tags: flash fiction, magical realism, short stories, Sunday Scribblings
Filed under: Appalachian fiction, Heart's Chalice, Southern fiction, Sunday Scribblings, flash fiction, short stories

(I wrote this story for Three Word Wednesday — it features Marie, a character from my novel-in-progress Heart’s Chalice.) At Aunt Sophie’s funeral, Uncle Jerry gave Marie a jewelry box tied with gold ribbon. Sophie had wanted Marie to have it. The box held not jewelry but the key to a better life. Marie wouldn’t [...]

Tags: flash fiction, magical realism, short stories, Three Word Wednesday
Filed under: Appalachian fiction, Heart's Chalice, Southern fiction, Three Word Wednesday, flash fiction, short stories

(I wrote this for Sunday Scribblings – more of Laurel and Nate, from my novel-in-progress Heart’s Chalice. These flash fiction pieces, though they take place before the main action of the novel, are not necessarily being written in chronological order. In this story, Laurel and Nate are first-graders.) When recess finally came, Laurel pulled Charlotte’s [...]

Tags: flash fiction, magical realism, short stories, Sunday Scribblings
Filed under: Appalachian fiction, Heart's Chalice, Southern fiction, Sunday Scribblings, flash fiction, short stories

(I wrote this story for Three Word Wednesday — it features Raoul, a character from my novel-in-progress Heart’s Chalice. Note: though my drawing ties into the story abstractly, this isn’t a horror story.) In Raoul’s mind, Renata’s words rang: “You want to be an actor? Well, act.” He’d been brave enough to try out for [...]

Tags: flash fiction, magical realism, short stories, Three Word Wednesday
Filed under: Appalachian fiction, Heart's Chalice, Southern fiction, Three Word Wednesday, flash fiction, short stories