(originally published January 18, 2020)
I’d like to start off by saying that as an author I love all my stories equally, and that there’s really no such thing as a “Top 10”, just as there would be no “Bottom 10”. After all, if I didn’t care about some of these stories I wouldn’t have wanted them in this anthology.
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That being said, here are 10 of those stories that I’m really excited to share with you.
1. The Lightbulb Forest. While trying to come up with a name for this collection, one suggestion I thought of was ‘The Lightbulb Forest‘. It was more of an image than a phrase, but it stuck in my mind, and when I closed my eyes I knew exactly what this forest looked like. When it was chosen as the title, I decided that I should write a story about it and what it felt like to be there.
2. Authentic New Island Experience. (Dystopian) This story’s appeared in ‘Dystopia From the Rock‘ and I’m delighted it has another opportunity to be read. The idea was formed after hearing my sister talking about the tax increases in Newfoundland and how expensive it was going to be to register her car. I started thinking about what would happen if taxes rose so high that someone could no longer afford a car or house or even water. What would it be like if tourism was more important than people’s rights?
3. The Customer is Always Right. (Humour) I’ve worked many retail jobs in my life, and I still work in customer service. This story is for all of you who have/still do.
4. Usurper. (Thriller) Originally written as a monologue and inspired by London’s infamous serial killer. Best read with a Cockney accent.
5. Last Crossing of the Night. (Drama) In my writing club we sometimes give ourselves prompts for next time, and this story came from one of them. We had to write a story set in one location with 3 characters, each with a different job. Person A is already there; the story starts when Person B enters; the story ends when Person C enters and Person A leaves. The jobs and setting were picked out of a hat, and I had one heck of a time coming up with something. Although the details might seem a little odd, I’m happy with how it turned out.
6. The Devil’s Mark. (Sci-Fi) I’ve had this story idea for years, but was never sure if I wanted a short story or a novella or to weave it into a novel. It takes place in the world of Segment Delta, but in a vastly different community with different ideals and beliefs.
7. Sacrifice. (Drama) It didn’t win or place in the Kit Sora August contest, but I like it and it’s my short story collection, so it’s in!
8. Family Secrets. (Fantasy) A story about loss and secrets.
9. The Inevitable. (Thriller) I was asked to write a story about a person discovering her powers while on a date. The asker assumed I was going to write a cute little date story, but instead I came up with this. [Lesson learned – unless the path is clearly marked, I’ll get lost and bash my own way through the forest.]
10. The Battle of San Remo. (Humour) This story makes me laugh. Originally appearing in Gathering Storm Magazine, it was written for the prompt “When in Rome” and was inspired by the Battle of Alesia, which is totally insane and something I’d recommend looking up [I discovered it on ‘Ruining History: The Most Insane Battle in History‘].
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