EDITOR FAVORITES
MYSTERY MONDAY
“The Mysterious Scent of Cookies” uses vivid descriptions that may have the reader reminiscing on their childhood memories and leave them hungry… for more of the story and cookies!
“The Nose” has a great incorporation of the theme and has well-developed characters and a clever twist.
TECHNO TUESDAY
“Tisshe Kaori” – wow, wow, wow. This science fantasy was an instant yes as soon as we read it. Fascinating magic, beautiful prose, and a twist that’ll keep you on your toes.
“The Purple Dawn” is creepy and sneaky! The perfect Halloween story. It’ll get under your skin before you know it!
WACKY WEDNESDAY
A shootout with gun-toting minotaurs? “Mama Louise’s One-Eyed Gumbo” starts strong and doesn’t slip, with engaging action, hilarious dialogue, and great characters.
“Scentsational” takes a great premise— a shop full of magical scents— and puts it to fantastic use, with a twist that made us laugh out loud.
THRILLER THURSDAY
What if you could sense Death, before it arrived? Tense and lyrical, “Rainbow’s End” immerses the reader in the experience of a young man desperate to save someone he loves from a death before her time. This one had us at the edge of our seats.
“Waypoint Guardian” – Combining banter between two brothers, a dash of peril as they flee mysterious enemies, and a very insistent skunk, this romp absolutely delivered on its premise.
FANTASY FRIDAY
“The Queen and I” is a much-needed story of adoption and female friendships and motherly love. It’s so raw and deep and both heartbreaking and heartwarming at once. Such a memorable story with so much heart behind it.
“Shadow Wolf” brings such a gloriously unique twist on red riding hood. The eeriness and haunting style absolutely brought this story to life and made it linger long in the memory. The amount of realistic character development in such a small number of words is masterfully done!
READER FAVORITES
- “The Queen and I“ by Beka Gremikova (Fantasy Friday)
- “Of Cedar and Death“ by Kaitlyn Emery (Staff Saturday)
- “The Candlemaker“ by Cassandra Hamm (Fantasy Friday)
- “The Mysterious Scent of Cookies“ by Rachael Kemme (Mystery Monday)
- “Scentsational” by Cassandra Hamm (Mystery Monday)
Editor Favorites and Reader Favorites are just two of the factors that we consider when determining which stories are selected for our seasonal anthologies. If you see your story here, it means you’ve earned some extra attention! We’ll announce which stories actually make it to the finals when we post the Anthology Long List in February. In the meantime, keep reading and voting!
Tell us your thoughts!