Yard Sale of Thoughts

I’m so pleased to announce that one of my 2023 short stories will be published in Horns & Rattles Press‘ first anthology, Fish Gather To Listen, which is scheduled to be released in August of 2023.

This sci-fi/fantasy/horror anthology will feature short fiction all about underwater creepies and hidden fears. My scary short “Cirrata” fits right in featuring a cursed umbrella and a demanding creature that lurks within its wet folds.

You can preorder a digital version of this anthology and even get a special glow-in-the-dark copy by visiting the project’s kickstarter page before the general print in August. A huge thank you to editors Victoria Moore, H.V. Patterson and Jes McCutchen for selecting my slithering story for publication.

I would also like to to thank Gregory Ashe and all my classmates in the Angled Dialogue course that I took this past winter for reading this story in its infancy and offering me honest and impactful advice. A thank you to my writing partners both near and far. Apparently, it takes a village to raise a writer as well.

Thanks to all of you for continuing to read my words and support me on my journey.

In the spirit of this anthology’s topic, I’m including a short poem inspired by an underwater theme.

Happy Sunday & Happy Father’s Day, too!

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Coral Relief

The reef secretes its mucus plug.
The underwater birth canal
is clean,
barrier-free, 
and ready for free-floating
lava to cling.

Blood-tinged tendrils
sway upwards
seeking sunlight,
reminding us 
that birth is release.

©2023 | K. Hartless