He wanted a friend who loved horror movies Photo by Terrye Turpin edited with the Waterlogue app The way it started, I just wanted someone to like me. I wanted to have friends. I wanted to be more than that weird kid who lived with his grandmother above an abandoned movie theater. When people looked at me, they saw a scrawny boy with shaggy brown hair whose pants didn’t cover his ankles.

A horror short story Photo by Terrye Turpin edited with the Waterlogue app This story is one I wrote for a writing class. It lingered on my computer for awhile before I posted it on Reedsy and then on Medium. I never submitted it anywhere else since it had already been published that left it out of most literary magazines. If I had it to do over I'd hold it and try to get it published somewhere.

A short story Photo by the author This is one I wrote for an NYC Midnight story and it’s different from my usual horror style. The original version didn’t advance in that contest. I had included an odd bit about Holly’s ex that didn’t fit with the story. I was trying too hard to include a dark moment and it didn’t fit.

A short story Photo by the author This story is one I submitted to one of NYC Midnight's writing contests. I don't remember the prompts, but they had to be something amusing to result in the following tale. The Cook in the Kitchen Betty Norman held the dusty cookbook angled toward the sunlight spilling through the thrift shop’s window. Her husband Eustace tromped up behind her, his arms filled with a dozen mildewed copies of Popular Mechanics magazines and five dull-brass cabinet knobs.

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An NYC Midnight Short Story Photography by the author I don't remember the prompts for this one. I think the genre must have been Adventure or something like that. I do remember thinking this ended up a hot mess, and looking back at the feedback I received the judges agreed. It didn't advance, and it has languished in my files since February 2023.

Another NYC Midnight Story Obviously this image is AI generated. This week I have a treat of a tale from one of my entries in the NYC Midnight Flash Fiction contest. For this unfortunate assignment, I received the challenge of writing a spy thriller story in 1,000 words or less. To top that off, the story had to include a flamethrower.