On Monday, I received some fantastic news: five of my fantasy drabbles have been accepted for publication in the latest volume of Iron Faerie Publishing’s Hawthorn & Ash flash fiction series, Mistletoe and Vine!

Arlise Dun, who features in all of these drabbles in some way

These stories of exactly one hundred words are as follows:

Shiver (Dark Fantasy)A Mouthful of Water (Sword & Sorcery)Born of the Moons (Dark Fantasy)On the Roadside (Dark Fantasy)Sacrifice (Romantic Fantasy)

All of them are set in Anura, and all of them feature Arlise, but she isn’t the main character in all five. “Born of the Moons” sees cameo in a minor somewhat antagonistic role, while she’s the unconscious subject of the core conflict in “On the Roadside”. Nevertheless, these five stories form a sort of overarching narrative from her time as the shield bearer and mistress of a Prince in the Colonia to a wandering adventurer in the Sea of Sands, her first missions as a Watcher, and ultimately her happy ending with Earc.

These drabbles were a joy to write. Even if the harsh word limit made them a challenge, it was a challenge I relished the entire time. A hundred words leaves little room for plot or setting or characterization, so you have to make what you have count. Based on the feedback so far, it seems like I succeeded. “Sacrifice” and “A Mouthful of Water” in particular might rank among the best stories I’ve ever written. I can’t wait to show them to the world!

I don’t have a release date yet, but since the anthology doesn’t close until December 31st, it seems safe to say we’re looking at sometime in 2026. Keep your eyes on this blog for updates!