Short Story Connect discussion

Short stories are a fantastic genre because we all live such busy lives! If you are looking for a quick read, check out the link below to "14 Brilliant Pieces of Literature You Can Read in the Time it Takes to Eat Lunch" Underneath the author's picture, you can read the story for free! Included are stories such as:
- 'Happy Endings' by Margaret Atwood
- 'Pygmalion' by John Updike
- 'Hills Like White Elephants' by Ernest Hemingway
- 'Boys and Girls' by Alice Munro

http://mic.com/articles/90453/14-bril...

Do you have any other titles that you would include in the list? Feel free to post other "quick reads" in the thread with a link and a very brief description!

Great thread, Adam! One of my books will be free soon, but according to the other thread, it's not a short story ;) Will post my Christmas novella when it comes up free next time on Amazon!

Site that offers free short stories is Fiction Arcade- many classics here. http://www.fictionarcade.com/

Good classic selection (free) here: http://www.classicshorts.com/author.html

An anthology, SUMMER DREAMS, in which one of my stories appears, is free July 4 and 5.
http://tinyurl.com/pzzbpsl

A 4th of July story (free online) from Girl Stories & Game Plays: An Anthology of Stories and Plays. Enjoy: http://www.betsyrobinson-writer.com/j...

Thanks Amanda, Carla and Betsy for contributing to the thread!

Here are some more (you'll need to click through the article to get to each one)

http://flavorwire.com/379177/10-more-...

Oh, and my collection STRANGE COURTSHIPS: NINE ROMANTIC STORIES is free today for download on Amazon. It is currently #3 in literary fiction short stories!

http://www.amazon.com/Strange-Courtsh...

Lots of FREE short stories in the thriller, mystery and horror genre at http://robertsnovels.com or my blog at my profile page. My stories are always FREE and I appreciate your opinions and feedback.

My short story, Saturday Date (set in Bombay, India) is always free at Amazon and most other channels:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I8Z6DNM/

Hi all,

This isn't exactly a short story, but it's short...and a story. Not fiction though. Anyway I thought I'd share, since it's free to read and very brief.

The fact is, I'm fortunate enough to be featured this week as the guest writer on the J.Stockard Fly Fishing website. See my (brief) contribution to the world of fly fishing, entitled "Creature of Habitat," here:

http://www.jsflyfishing.com/blog/crea...

If you enjoy it, feel free to leave a comment there...and if you hate it, feel slightly less free! :)

- Mike

My short story - The Mastermind by R.C. Matthews - is free on Amazon from July 11 to 15th. Enjoy!

http://www.amazon.com/Mastermind-Wish...

I will be looking forward to it R.C. Hope you enjoyed mine at http://robertsnovels.com

Free this week. https://www.facebook.com/codyalanreel...

http://carvingfiction.blogspot.in/201...

my first story...
I'd like to read your feedback :)

Share it PlZ :p

FREE Right Now! Quick horror story about cargo pilot flying a coffin across the stormy midwest.

http://www.amazon.com/Fright-Flight-S...

Do you know this site: www.storycartel.com ?
There you can post or download free books or short stories in exchange for an honest review. I've already downloaded several wonderful stories!

For any of you who enjoy hearing stories, I can recommend the FREE New Yorker podcasts -- terrific! Also, I am starting a program of blog-exclusive audio versions of my stories -- so if you sign up, I'll be sending one in August (Library Girl, which was featured in CRACK THE SPINE.)


To sign up, go here; http://carlasarett.blogspot.com/

R.C. wrote: "My short story - The Mastermind by R.C. Matthews - is free on Amazon from July 11 to 15th. Enjoy!

http://www.amazon.com/Mastermind-Wish..."

Good to see that your story was available in Kindle Unlimited.

Speaking of free short stories, you can read my story "Do You Remember Me?" on my website at no cost. The story won the 2011 Porter Fleming Fiction Prize.

Sorry, forgot to give you the site: www.paulbyall.com.

Kathy wrote: "Good to see that your sotry was available in Kindle Unlimited."

Yes! If you have a chance to read it, please let me know what you think. The Mastermind is really background story to my Wish Come True series and may be more entertaining if you've already read Date Night first. So I'm interested in knowing what people think of it who haven't read any of the books in the series.

Harsh, I read your story, but I hesitate to give any sort of in-depth analysis in a public forum. I do think it has potential, and I like the tone you set. There are some unnecessary sentences, and I think you need a stronger beginning. Most good stories reveal at the outset something about what is to come. I'd be glad to offer more details in an email: pbyall@gmail.com.

My short stories, 'Always' and 'Life-Changers' are always free and they have download links attached to their GoodReads pages! I'd love it if anyone was keen to give them a read & some feedback. :)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Hey all, my collection of short stories: Rain on a Summer's Afternoon is FREE on kindle this week: http://www.amazon.com/Rain-Summers-Af...

Hi folks. Although my main focus is completing my three-part historical fiction series, I'm also working on a short story collection. Each story takes place within the same era as the novels but they are a standalone collection. Here are two for you:

Names: http://wp.me/p4EAi1-3g

Storms: http://wp.me/s4EAi1-storms

Hi All - Date Night by R.C. Matthews (Book 1 of Wish Come True Series) is free from 7/31 to 8/2 on Amazon. It is 175 pages.

http://www.amazon.com/Date-Night-Wish...

If you read it, please consider leaving a review on Amazon and GR. I would appreciate it.

Virginia wrote: "Hey all, my collection of short stories: Rain on a Summer's Afternoon is FREE on kindle this week: http://www.amazon.com/Rain-Summers-Af......"

I just downloaded it. I'll read it by the weekend and get feedback to you. :-)

Kathy wrote: Good to see that your story was available on Kindle Unlimited."

Kathy - I also just added Date Night and Fair Game to Kindle Unlimited last night. So if you enjoyed The Mastermind you'll have access to the other two. The third book in the series is being edited now and will be out soon.

R.C. wrote: "Virginia wrote: "Hey all, my collection of short stories: Rain on a Summer's Afternoon is FREE on kindle this week: http://www.amazon.com/Rain-Summers-Af......"

Thanks, RC! Much appreciated.

Virginia wrote: "Hey all, my collection of short stories: Rain on a Summer's Afternoon is FREE on kindle this week: http://www.amazon.com/Rain-Summers-Af......"

Oh my, Virginia. I'm already done reading these story stories and I have to say they were so much fun. You have a wonderful imagination. I laughed a lot reading these. But I'm begging you to make The Wolf Mage into a longer story. It is wonderful.

Robert wrote: "I will be looking forward to it R.C. Hope you enjoyed mine at http://robertsnovels.com"

Hahaha! You totally got me on this one! I was soooo certain that the flight was going to crash at 3:04 a.m. Nice twist.

Free today through Monday, August 25th! No obligations to review, but it's always appreciated.



http://www.amazon.com/Wish-Paranormal...

Kara wrote: "My short stories, 'Always' and 'Life-Changers' are always free and they have download links attached to their GoodReads pages! I'd love it if anyone was keen to give them a read & some feedback. :)..."

I read your story, Always, and posted a review.

I have a few free shorts on Smashwords -

The Interview
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Stephen Gordon is down and out and hopes to land a great job in what he hopes will be the last interview.

I'm Sorry
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
How far would you have to be pushed before you killed someone?

The Second Coming
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
A bit of a philosophical rant on people that claim to be religious.

Please leave reviews!

Thanks

Dave

My short story, The Dryad, is free from Friday, September 5th through Sunday September 7th!

"A family at odds doesn't realize they're being watched, or that this camping trip may change them."

The Dryad is available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dryad-short-sto...

Want a little background? Read my blog post at http://lnahay.com/2014/09/04/the-drya...

Thanks for these updates. I also want to remind the Kindle Unlimited Subscribers that if you choose to read these books through your subscription instead of as free downloads, the authors will get paid for a borrow!

L. and Dwayne, I subscribe to KU, so I have your stories in line to be read through my subscription.

My Kindle book titled Alive Into Hell, which contains 20 of my previously published short crime stories, is free on Amazon until September 15, 2014. Here's the link if anyone is interested in downloading and reading it:

http://goo.gl/YZ0nMK

Thanks to all who decide to check it out!

BJ Bourg
www.bjbourg.com
http://rightingcrimefiction.blogspot....

I've got two free flash fiction stories over on Smashwords:

A sci-fi story, Existence: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

A paranormal short, Even the Paranormal Play Sports: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

John Northcutt YoungHello. My short story "A Note" is free on Amazon Sept. 25-29, 2014. Thanks for looking.

http://www.amazon.com/Note-John-North...



An unpublished writer discovers his purpose in life through a suicide note.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: Sounds like a good opening for my suicide note. Direct, inclusive, not too personal or formal. Will stick the note on my body so whomever (or is it whoever? Hell this is a suicide note, don’t need to be grammatically correct) will be sure to read it. Finally something I’ve written will be. Can’t even get published in Timbuktu’s pay by copies literary magazine. I’m a complete failure. Totally. Ultimately. Wonder if Hemingway or Toole jotted farewell notes before going?

Not sure how long my note should be. Fifty words or less? War and Peace length? That would take years. Wanted finished by midnight. Maybe do a video? Naw, no camcorder. Technology today is astonishing. Even suicide can be upgraded. Guess I’ll stick to the old-fashioned way. If good enough for Uncle Raymond, but that’s another story. Besides he didn’t leave a note. This is me. Need to stay focused. Is there a ‘How-to’ on suicide? You would think somebody would have scribbled something by now. Like what instruments to use. Pen, pencil, crayon? Medium or fine point? I chose ‘BIC Round Stic Med/Moy’. Wonder if that’s medium in another tongue? Will probably never know. Ink color was a natural. Black felt right. But red was second.

Paper choice was difficult though. Notebook with lines across and holes down the side shouted immaturity. Colored stick-up notes too cute. Wonder it that’s what high school cheerleaders choose? Sending an e-mail, another high-tech innovation, didn’t seem right. “Tasteful and tactful” as Mother always said. Decided to use the good stuff like the dishes she set for Sunday dinners. After all, one doesn’t commit suicide every day. White, bond, watermarked, 100 percent cotton fiber, 24-pound weight. Sorry if Whomever is offended the paper wasn’t recycled. But hey, I’m not the first to go down with a tree. Not sure I believe in reincarnation. Once through life is enough. Especially when you’re a loser. I’m a disappointment to myself. Sisyphus’s stone. Maybe if I came back as a bunny? Naw, probably wind up road kill or gobbled up by the food chain. Like I wasn’t this time. Metaphorically.

Also haven’t decided what to or not to wear. After all this classifies as a statement. Maybe a Fashion Emergency? Does the newspaper print attire? Needs to concur with what side of five. T-shirt and shorts are comfortable but look sloppy. Designer labels shout identity crisis. Don’t own a tux. If go naked will tape the note to my chest. Covering my genitals will imply a hang-up like not properly potty-trained or an unnatural relationship with my mother.

Then there’s the biggie—how exactly to extinguish my life. Get off Earth. (Why are there so many euphemisms for cutting out? Why are we afraid of death? It’s frightful to live. Switch long distance telephone companies.) Probably go with a combination. A lethal alliance. Pills, hanging, drowning, gunshot, car wreck, slit wrists, jumping from somewhere high. Naw, scratch that. Got vertigo. Is that why I never climbed the Ladder of Success? Fell off the first rung. I’m a never been. An absolute waste. Also rule out car wreck. My wreck is in the shop, probably cost a fortune to bail out. Twelve-years-old, nearly 200,000 miles. Shakes like an earthquake. Rattles like a train. Smokes like a…dammit all I can think of is chimney, even my suicide note is cliché. Probably blew a gasket. Forget about eating for a while. Oh yeah, forgot I’ll be dead. No worries. (more…)

Begin Again will be free from 9/27 - 10/1 probably starting around noon today. It's new adult genre, written in first person, past tense.

Two, perma-free short stories by me, on BuzzyMag:

Extra Credit: http://buzzymag.com/extra-credit-by-p...

Synchronicity: http://buzzymag.com/synchronicity-by-...

Enjoy!

With the release of my new horror short story collection, Killers and Demons II: They Return, I'm offering the original book, Killers and Demons, free for October on Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

Hi,

My short story, "I've Walked In Those Shoes" is free on Kindle Unlimited.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NLQ6RCU



Thanks to all you decides to read it!

Monique wrote: "Hi,

My short story, "I've Walked In Those Shoes" is free on Kindle Unlimited.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NLQ6RCU



Thanks to all who decide to read my book.

Hello, My short story Dealing with Smoke Part 1 is coming out tomorrow..heres the link

http://amzn.com/B00O33HI14

Thank you in advance for reading it

Going to check it out now
Monique wrote: "Hi,

My short story, "I've Walked In Those Shoes" is free on Kindle Unlimited.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NLQ6RCU



Thanks to all you decides to..."

Hello, the first part of my three part short story "Dealing With Smoke" is free online right now. Heres the link:

http://amzn.com/B00O33HI14

Download and Review
Thank You

Check out my 6,800 word dystopian shorty story "They Must," which was inspired by Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"..

Download for FREE on Goodreads here --> https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

Reviews would be appreciated,

Thanks

A.F. wrote: "With the release of my new horror short story collection, Killers and Demons II: They Return, I'm offering the original book, Killers and Demons, free for October o..."

Do you give pdf copies?

Iesha (In east shade house at...) wrote: "A.F. wrote: "With the release of my new horror short story collection, Killers and Demons II: They Return, I'm offering the original book, Killers and Demons, free ..."

Sorry, no. I stopped the PDF option at Smashwords after several of my books were pirated.

I see. Sorry that happened to you.