We really do admire
Not only is she a prodigious author of “an ongoing collection of character-driven speculative fiction with a spiritual, supernatural, or uncanny twist” but she is also a generous and consistent champion of other writers.
Twice a month ‘Talestack’ “share(s) all the most news-worthy announcements from around the Substack fiction community”.
I was pondering how the Talebones collection offers “a mix of historical, fantasy, horror, and literary fiction with gentle humor … to suit a variety of tastes!” and wondered what I could offer as a celebration of the generosity at the heart of it all.
Perhaps a short tale high on “character-driven speculative fiction with a spiritual, supernatural, or uncanny twist”.
The lousy apartment wasn’t much, but accommodation was hard to come by. Sure, the landlord lived in the basement but apart from an acrid stench of sulphur, that wasn’t a hassle. Yes, the radiators were permanently on high, and red walls are claustrophobic. But, hell, I’d signed the paperwork real quick. Missing rent payments wasn’t the plan. “You agreed, boy”, he hissed. Damn, he looked pretty scary behind his desk, long talons tapping the section of the contract marked ‘Talebone’. The flames leaped higher, dizzyingly intense. I wondered why I hadn’t noticed the landlord’s forked tail until that moment.
(100 words)
There is a small crowd of us, cajoled by
into regularly writing 100-word tales. I am grateful for the nudge.
LOVE IT! 😂
But I'm a tad concerned for our narrator, here. Look out for those binding contracts, they'll getcha! 😈
I should show this story to my landlord. I bet he'd get a laugh.