The Pluriverse app lets Veronica avoid anything messy and complicated. Bad commute? Coffee spill on your dress? Just open the door to a universe where it never happened!But when it comes to her flirty coworker, messy and complicated may be just what she needed...This story won the "The Door to the Multiverse" contest in March 2024. The prompt was "finding the door to the multiverse" and the limit is 2,000 words.Enjoy!…
Kitty scored higher than almost anyone on the Love Matches. So why can't the government find her a partner? One night, the sassy chef takes matters into her own hands--with the help of a smart assistant that's too smart for his own good.This short story won the Trials of Love Contest in March 2024.…
This is an entry for the contest "Is This Love or Something Else?" It's a Valentine's Day twist on the Romeo and Juliet story.The italicized section is the prompt, and the entry is limited to 2,000 words.Enjoy!…
This is a flash fiction entry for the contest "This or That," using the following prompt words: revolutionary, can see the future, always losing things, metropolis, rainy day. It's limited to 1,500 words. Enjoy!…
Polite society no longer recognizes Eleanor Cawley. But at tonight's banquet, she'll recognize them--and everything they'd like to hide.Look for music boxes in lava cakes, daring escapes by hot air balloons, and more!This short story was a winner in the Summer Showdown contest by antiheroesgalore.…
As much fun as a girl can have in under 600 words.…
The prince must be married before the Hour of the Rat or *she* will possess him.Kaya doesn't believe in the legend of the Lady of the Nine Tails. As the chief attendant to the prince, she knows his safety is in her own--very human--hands.Sasaki became the court astrologer to clear his father's name and restore the land after a disastrous war. His father failed to exorcise the Lady last time. Sasaki won't let it happen again.And he's starting to notice the traits of the Lady in Kaya: jealous, vengeful, mischievous ... and beautiful.…
Meet the Hlífir, who fascinates entities of all species across the homeworlds!It longs to know what lies beyond its planet. If you promise information--or better yet, to take it away--you will definitely have its attention. Whether you can handle the attention of the Hlífir is another question.The character profile won first place in the Fantasmical 2023 contest.…
Rihito needs to sell more taiyaki pastries than his rival Toma to win a coveted spot at a prestigious snack company.But when things get heated between the two, it's not just the chocolate that starts to melt...This short story was a winner in the Pride Festivals & Japan contest.…
Here's my entry for lowfantasy's monthly flash fiction contest. (Edit: It won!)The prompt: Write a flash fiction describing a character with an amazing superpower that you created.…
Every night in the twelfth hour, a beautiful ghost begins calling from the palace well. Will the emperor save her or lose himself in its depths?This story is for the contest "It Begins at the End." The prompt: "Write a love story ending with your favourite opening line in literature."…
Hina just wants to protect the orphans of her temple and have a nice supper of grilled mushrooms.But the moon god Tsukuyomi has other plans for her--and they don't involve surviving until morning. Their showdown involves a feather robe, magic mirrors, and an accidental love poem ... that may not actually have been accidental.This short story was written for the Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month contest.The prompt: The goddess has one job--to deliver blessings to her people and make sure they survive. The Moon has one goal--to make sure she never gets to do that.…
Amaya's fish tail doesn't get her down. Life in the palace pond would be just fine--if it wasn't for the prince who thought he could cook her for dinner. Oh, and the assassin who decided to toss his sword AND a stolen treasure in her direction.Peace--and tasty snacks--won't return until Amaya unravels the plot that threatens to destroy that awfully good-looking prince. Er, and the world at large...This short story is an entry for the MerMay 2023 contest (prompt 1).…
Alex would rather be on Broadway than at a preschool dressed as a potato. And he'd rather be anywhere than home with his orphan niece. She's been living on corn dogs and "Revenge of the Ninja Zombie Princess" for about eleven months straight.Now he has just one last day to connect with her--or lose her to the world beyond the screen.But no one told him that to bring her back from the game, he'd have to do it literally.Will the potato-turned-ninja save his niece? More likely, will she save him from singing showtunes for alien robot spiders?You probably weren't asking those questions, but rest assured that this story has the answers!This piece is an entry for the Quarrel Bug Contest.…
This is a short murder mystery with a smidge of romance. You've got best friends at their high school graduation, a Kdrama idol, and a beautiful corpse. Will Yuna put the rumors to rest and stop that insufferable cutie from quoting lines from his own shows?This short story is an entry for The Connection contest.…
You have just eight letters to communicate Earth's last words to anyone who's listening.But who would actually show up for SAVE US? Maybe FREE FOOD would do it. Or just PARTY!!!In this short story, you find the perfect words and get an answer from the other side. The truth is out there ... and it's about to challenge you to a little game of "Space Invaders."This is an entry for the May 2023 Mayday contest.…
Everything Boy is *everything* at Barrington High: its homecoming and prom king, its lacrosse hero and senior class president. He's good-looking, athletic, and just plain nice.He may be too good to be true, but what he really is ... is even better.This flash fiction piece is an entry for round 1 of the Summer Showdown contest (antiheroes in the YA genre).…
When Arthur doesn't show up for their picnic date, Mio brings the picnic to him. She fills his office with cherry trees, two slightly homicidal squirrels, and a live tourist on an electric scooter.And that's only the beginning...For Arthur, disruption is what businesses should do--not childhood friends. But during a ball at his family's estate, he's going to have to choose between who he's always been and who he could become.This short story was a winner in the Sakura Blossoms contest.…
Melliblue is thrilled to spend her college break tending the flowers that serve as her world's early-warning signs of danger.But her gardening partner has other ideas, from picking forbidden fruit to breaking into secret places. He also knows much more about her family's voyages into deep space than has ever been made public.Is he just a harmless daredevil--or more dangerous than anything outside the garden's fragile walls?This short story was written for the Spring Fiesta 2023 contest.…
At the end of senior year, Kent receives a letter from his future self: "You can't stop Alicia from dying. You can only make sure she lives."Sure, he can do that. But who's Alicia? And how's he supposed to help when he's stuck in the cafeteria eating tacos?This is a flash fiction piece for the Summer Countdown 2023 contest.…