My first short story of 2018, and it almost ties in to the new year, with a theme of escaping from the past. The story’s called Fire, and you can read it here. Love to know what you think of it.
Don’t forget my other short stories, free to read here. There’s also Millenary, the e-book anthology of the first twenty, downloadable from here. Fire is my thirty-ninth story, which means that the next anthology (imaginatively titles Millenary 2) will be available soon.
I’m excited to be part of an upcoming anthology called The Power Of Words, organised by M.L.S Weech. All the stories are either based on the First Amendment, or on the title of the anthology. There are a few more stories to come in, but four are so far confirmed, including one of mine, Ghost Stream.
You can read more about it in Matt’s latest update on his site here.
Seeing as it’s a special day for many, my latest free short has its roots in Christmas. There are so many traditions and rituals at this time of year, and many of them pre-date the events this holiday season is normally associated with. One story I heard concerned Christmas trees. The origins of having a tree inside the house go back to when belief in spirits in nature was widespread. The idea was to take in and care for a new sapling over winter, protecting it from the harsh weather, and when you replanted it in the spring, the spirits of the wood might show their gratitude in providing good hunting over the rest of the year.
So this short story (horror? folk tale? fantasy?) takes that idea and plays with it. Maybe it’s not a traditional seasonal story, but I hope you like it. And, as usual, please let me know what you think.
My latest free short story, Running The Gauntlet, is also the first to be set in the world of the Shadows series (to celebrate the release of the second book in the series, Shadowsiege – only 99p/99c for a limited time). It’s an idea that’s been kicking around in my head for a while now, and it gives a bit of background on Brice, one of the main characters in the series.
Hope you enjoy it. As always, I’d love to hear what you think of it.
Click here to read Running The Gauntlet.
Another free short story—The Gift And The Giver. Not going to say too much about this one—check it out here.
I wasn’t purposely basing the musician in the story on anyone in particular, but after catching Ed Alleyne-Johnson busking in York again last weekend, I’m sure he was a bit of an influence—although I’m sure he doesn’t feel the same way about performance as the story character does. If solo layered violin sounds interesting, check him out (edalleyne-johnson.com)
And if you want more short stories, click here.
Back to a sci-fi setting for this short story, although it’s very influenced by The Scheme For Full Employment by Magnus Mills—something I only realised after I’d written it. Sometimes I only know what I’m writing about once the words are on the screen.
It’s called Eight Hours, and you can read it here. I hope you enjoy it—I’d love to know what you think.
Another couple of weeks have passed, and so I have another short story for you. This time, I’ve got something with a horror feel (what with it being Halloween soon). Hope you enjoy it.
You can read Invitation To Dinner here.
For more short stories, click here. And if you want a free e-book of the first twenty, check out Millenary here.
Another new short story. This one strays into fantasy territory, but I still think it fits with themes of others I’ve written. Give it a read and let me know what you think.
Click here to read Old Bones Burn Strong.
If you want to read some of my other shorts, click here. And for those of you who prefer reading via e-books, the first twenty stories are available in a free download here.
After posting more than thirty short stories to this site, I’ve now bundled the first twenty up into a free e-book, Millenary. As the tag-line suggests, they’re all under 1000 words, so if you’re looking for a few quick coffee-break reads, check it out.
Another short story for you. After a serious one last time (Waiting), this time I’ve gone for something lighter (you’ll understand when you get to the end). It’s called They Need To Learn, and you can read it here.
I’ve got over thirty short stories on the site now, so if this one piques your interest, try a few others. The full list can be found here.
I’m also working on an e-book of the first twenty stories—ideal if reading web-pages isn’t your thing. Hopefully, that should be out in a few days (maybe even by the time you read this).
And, as always, I’d love to hear what people thought of this story, or any of the others. Add a comment on the page, or send me an e-mail.
Enjoy reading.
TW Iain 