Brandon Barrows's Blog

The new issue of Rock and a Hard Place Magazine is out and includes my story "Lucky Duck," about an unemployed guy trying his hand at a little robbery. When the dog makes the heist.
When life gives you a chance to make a connection after all these years.
One swing of the machete solves all your problems . . . and maybe makes some new ones.
Best eaten cold? Small-town revenge stays hot for years.

All this and more in Issue 15 of Rock and a Hard Place. We’re at it again, with stories that shine the spotlight on the desperate, the down-on-their-luck, and the dangerous and depraved. The only question is, do you dare?

Fiction and essays by:
Colin Adams-Toomey, Brandon Barrows, Travis Wade Beaty, Christina Boufis, Colin Brightwell, Zack Budryk, Gabriel Hart, Philip Kimbrough, Sally Milliken, Joshua Murray, Kirstyn Petras, Emilee Prado, M.E. Proctor, Tim P. Walker, and Richard Zaric.

Rock and a Hard Place is the literary magazine that knows that when your back is against the wall,there are still no guarantees against back-stabbing.

My story "A Damn Fine Day" has won the 2025 Mustang Award for western fiction. I've been a finalist multiple times over the years, so to finally win feels fantastic and slightly unreal. You can read the story in full for free right here. Please check it out and let me know what you think!

The new issue of Weird Fiction Quarterly is out , with a King in Yellow theme, and includes my story "Kihongurui (Yellow Book Madness")! We at Weird Fiction Quarterly have seen the Yellow Sign.

It happened shortly after a copy of an infamous play, The King In Yellow – the second act of which is a doozy – appeared one day on the desk at headquarters.

It wasn’t that devastating. Even though one of us (not naming who) immediately started gnawing at their wrists and had to have their face covered with a mouthless mask to keep from chewing.

The rest of us, nearly sixty in all, began raving about yellow kings and weird places like Carcosa where someone named Cassilda or Camilla threw a ball by a lake.

In their masks Carcosans cavort beneath the two suns which shine a ghastly hue, and they want you to know…well, soon enough.

Let’s go see the awaiting King. He wears no mask.

He asks the same of you.

The new issue of Guilty Crime Story Magazine is out and includes my JD story "Play It Cool," plus five more brand-new stories! In issue fifteen:

"Gunman At the Corner Of Naples and Damnation" by Coy Hall - Raf saved Inspector Mosca's life, the cop wants to repay him, but can he be trusted?

"Play It Cool" by Brandon Barrows - Can a little crime relieve the boredom of a hot summer night?

"Mick & Petey's Dumpster Dive" by Jack Bunker - Getting their hands dirty was inevitable...

"Missing Rachel" by Christine Eskilson - Lily likes her stepmom, really, she does and when she's not around...

"Mapache Is Ravenous" by Anthony Neil Smith - Mapache is hungry for something the feds just can't give him.

"Pain Killer" by Danny Sophabmisay - Odell once had a promising career in baseball, now the only thing he knows is pain.

Six hot new stories for the dog days of summer!

Get yours here!

I'm thrilled with this blurb I just got from fellow author Coy Hall for my mystery novel The Darker the Night​, coming next year from Rowan Prose Publishing!

"Barrows peels back the skin, exposing the dark labyrinth of blood that runs hard through broken families. The Darker the Night is a satisfying rush of a murder mystery.The character work is excellent, with depth and nuance throughout. Matt Allen as the lead is imperfect, sympathetic, and real. Barrows introduces characters who hide behind masks, which he enjoys pulling off as the story progresses. Sometimes old houses with chipping paint have good strong bones, while the most beautiful abodes are cheap and rotten beneath the façade. In Barrows’s vision, that equally applies to people."

Thank you, Coy! I really appreciate the kind words, especially from an author of your caliber!

You can pre-order The Darker the Night right here!

Hey, it's my birthday and I'm working on a new Sam Harrigan novel. The best gift you could give me would be giving the first Sam Harrigan novel a chance . If you like classic PI mysteries, gunfights, fistfights and femme fatales, you'll love it.

My crime story "Just By Watching" is in the July issue of Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Magazine!
Check it out: ​https://bwgwritersroundtable.com/just-by-watching/

WHO ARE WE NOW? the romantic suspense novel I wrote is out!

If you enjoy my mysteries, check this out, but fair warning: it is spicy! As dark secrets unravel around her, Skylar must follow her heart—and maybe find her once-in-a-lifetime love.

Skylar spent years trapped—in a dead-end relationship, in her mother’s cold shadow. But when her mother vanishes without a trace, Skylar is thrust into a mystery that upends everything she thought she knew. With her two best friends, Barrett and Levi, by her side, Skylar hunts for answers—and along the way, finds herself drawn to both men in ways she never expected. As secrets unravel and danger draws near, Skylar must find the courage to reclaim her future... and her heart.

Get yours now in ebook or paperback!

Coming soon from 13 Days Publishing!

I missed a month mostly because I was really busy and also because I didn't have much to share. But I'm back and I have good news!

My story "A Damn Fine Day" has been nominated for a Mustang Award!

This is my fourth nomination in five years and I'm really crossing my fingers, hoping for a win finally. Please cross your fingers for me as well.