This story was written for an alphabet challenge and previously published on another site. The challenge was to start each sentence with a letter of the alphabet, using each one in order, beginning with J. Written by Wodke Hawkinson.

Jail wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Killers and perverts ran amok. Learning to stay out of their way wasn’t easy. Meaty hands reached through the bars attempting to grab new prisoners as they were brought in.

“Never again,” I swore under my br...

There is often more to a short story than meets the eye. For readers, a short story is a brief vacation from reality. For authors, it is so much more. A short story is a vehicle for introducing your writing to new readers, readers who might not commit to an entire novel but would certainly give a short story a chance. With so many books out there vying for attention, readers have more choice than ever before. Digital books, self-publishing, and expanded venues are all factors that combine t...

 The science fiction stories of Michael K. Rose can most accurately be described as eclectic. He is best known for his science fiction adventure series Sullivan’s War and in this collection you will find stories that adhere to the strongest expectations of the genre, such as “Sergeant Riley’s Account,” “Sleep” and “A Random Selection.”

But you will also find stories that, while speculative in nature, owe more to literary fiction than anything else. Works such as “Main &...

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Each writer probably has his or her own personal pet peeves or elements that stand out in a manuscript like literary speed bumps. For many authors (Stephen King comes to mind), adverbs are problematic and amateurish. Others are snagged by exaggerated verbs that project from a good story like the needles on a cactus. For instance: “I hate taxes,” he groused as opposed to “I hate taxes,” he said. (I actually prefer the more colorful verbs, but that’s ...