This fortnight’s story is The Tracker. I’m not going to say any more about it. Give it a read and let me know what you think.

Read it here. For other short stories, click here.

Another short story for you. This one’s called Clay, and you can read it here.

When I wrote the first draft of the first Dominions novel, I had whole sections from Sertio’s point of view. I explored his reasons for becoming an artist, and the shocking truth that drove him. But it didn’t fit with the rest of the story, and so I cut it, leaving only the smallest of hints.

So I knew I had to return to Sertio at some point (and I have plans for him in later Dominions books). But for now, I thought it would be interesting to see him at work. Again, there are only hints at his past, but it’s interesting to see a darker side of a character who appeared so carefree and full of life in Dark Glass.

It’s a bit different to my other stories, so I’d be interested to hear what you think, either in the comments section or directly (twiain@twiain.com).

Don’t forget the other short stories, too‌—‌25 of them now, and all free to read here.

There’s a new short story to read. It’s called Ghost, and I’m not going to even hint what it’s about‌—‌you’ll have to read it for yourself. You can find it here.

If this piques your interest, I’ve got more short stories freely available. Click here for the full list.

And, as always, I’d love to know what you think. Contact me, or add a comment.

Another free short for you. This one’s called ‘A Joke‘, but don’t expect many laughs.

This was something of an experiment. I started with the line ‘a man walks into a bar’ (hence the title of the story), and wrote whatever came to mind. It ended up pretty dark and twisted, and strays into possible supernatural territory, but after editing it, I’m pleased with how it’s turned out. It’s even sparked ideas for more stories featuring Grim.

Hope you like it. Click here to read it, and I’d love to know what you think.

I’ve posted Monster, another free short story.

‘They call me a monster, but only because they do not understand.’

Click here to read this story, and don’t forget the other shorts. I have over twenty now, each under 1000 words long.

Let me know what you think.

Read Monster here.

Check out more short stories here.

I’ve posted a new short story, Perfect. It’s a bit of a break from the usual darker stuff. Hope you enjoy it.

You can read it here, and for a list of all my other shorts, click here. Let me know what you think.

Another free short story this week. It’s called Never Only One Side.

After doing a short story consisting of nothing but dialogue a while ago (Allegiance), I thought I’d try something similar, but this time only giving one side of the dialogue (imagine listening in to only one side of a phone call).

I’d love to hear what you think of it. Either add a comment, or contact me.

I’ve got a new short story up for you. This one’s called Investigation, because I’ve been meaning to try a mystery thing for a while now. It was fun trying to get the clues, and the motives, all included in under 1000 words. Let me know what you think.

You can read it here, and find all my other short stories here.