If you’re reading this on the Substack website or Substack App and you’re not yet subscribed, please consider doing so. It turns out that nearly 45% of our unique visitors aren’t subscribed! Crazy, right! That could be you! Don’t just be a unique visitor. Be a unique subscriber!

MICRO/FLASH FICTION

We Will Eat Like Kings by of Saz’s Little Fictions [Comedy]
‘Tonight’s the night.’ (First Line)

Worn Out by of NICK AFTER NORMAL [Thriller]
He leaves a mark. (First Line)

Caledonia Dreaming by of LEAVES [Literary Fiction]
“Ye’ll not see much o’ Scotland, lass, if ye wait for the rain to stop. It rains every day.” (Any Line)

Velvet Golden Years by of Writing From Weird [Fantasy]
She was old. (First Line)

Summer Camp by of Roman Espiriter [Horror]
They looked forward every year to summer camp season. (First Line)

SHORT STORY

A Quest for Spoils by of Actually Kitty’s Substack [Fantasy]
"Treasure," he said wistfully. (First Line)

Eidolon by of Corey’s Story Substack [Fantasy]
I BEAR THE FACE OF A WOMAN NAMED HELEN, and I will recount the sorrows I have suffered in her stead. (First Line)

Closing Time by of The Sudden Walk [Literary Fiction]
They think the only difference between them and me is a lack of ambition, alley cat smarts and the ninety nine cent gap between their minimum wage and my duty manager stipend. (Any Line)

Through the Clouds of Saturn by of Judith Ashcraft [Science Fiction]
We can put you on the moon, he’d said. (First Line)

SHORT SERIAL

The Red Line [Part Four] by of Forge City Noir [Mystery]
“This is murder,” he said, his voice tight with restrained menace. (Any Line)

Hey ya’ll,

On September 1st will be a major announcement email that will go out to everyone and for the first time in a long time…I’m nervous about it. So, I hope it goes well. But enough about that.

There were some submissions to our newly introduced TiF Originals that I’m excited to read.

The doors also closed on expressing interest in the next TiF Summit 2027.

TiF Press is preparing to release two books Fall and Winter of this year and things are progressing along quite nicely on that front.

From tomorrow to next week Friday I’ll be on various vacations and spending loads of time with family so you may not hear much from me. It’s the last few days of Summer for my 5yr old before he starts Kindergarten and after two full school years and two full Summer schools before even starting grade K, he deserves some time on the beach!

In the meantime, these weekly issues will still be coming as usual (apologies for the delay on this one but work this week has been a nightmare, of course, cause I’m going away for a week and a half, I expected nothing less). And know that I read all your comments, DMs, and emails sent.

Later, peeps!

- , Editor-in-Chief 😈

BE A PAID SUBSCRIBER TODAY

Paying for exclusive fiction short stories is coming. All made 100% possible by your continued support.

Upgrade to Paid

Paid Subscribers will get early access to TiF Originals, for a period of two weeks, after which time the story will then be made available to all subscribers.

If you enjoyed any of these stories, please consider sharing this post everywhere:

Share

Top in Fiction is the place where fiction lives, but it’s also the place where a community of fiction writers and readers can come together every week to share in their mutual love (and respect) of fiction. Read the guidelines carefully:

• Only fiction shared between August 8 - August 14 on Substack!

• Any story shared BEFORE the dates listed above will be removed.

• This form will CLOSE in 2 hours from NOW.

• Share fiction you’ve read AND/OR fiction you’ve written. (Self-promotion of your fiction is welcome!)

• If self-promoting, submit NO MORE THAN 2 stories! This is a strict rule that will be enforced.

• Story must be Free-to-Read (No portion of it can be behind a paywall).

• Story must be written in English.

• We DO NOT accept stories written by AI. If we discover, at any time, that AI was used, the story will be removed. Pangram or any such program that claims to detect the use of AI will NOT be used when making our own independent and final decisions.

Fill out this form for consideration in our Weekly emails:

Submit a Story

This is your final warning.

Just a few reminders/updates:

• Tomorrow is the deadline for TWO things:

  • TiF Summit 2027 - After tomorrow I will begin giving access to the TiF Summit Scheduler. So, if you want in, you have today and tomorrow to let me know!

  • TiF Original - The submission form closes tomorrow night. So, if you have an original short-short story you’d like to submit and get paid for your work, get that done ASAP!

• TiF Studio is OPEN (sorta…)

  • I need more warm bodies to test out this thing if I’m ever going to get a sense of what works and what doesn’t. So, if you’re interested in a platform built by a fiction writer with tools (now and always) that will cater to fiction writers (and readers), then head on over here: https://tifstudio.com

  • This platform is for both READERS and WRITERS. However, not all features intended for Writers is available. Sign-up. And once you do, post a “Beat” so I know you have and let’s fill the timeline with conversation and community so I can make this announcement to the larger subscriber list very soon! Thank you for helping me test this!

  • Oh, and if you have the time, please test filling in information on your Profile page! And maybe shoot me a DM too on TiF Studio. These are all the areas that should be ready to go as of today.

Top in Fiction is the place where fiction lives, but it’s also the place where a community of fiction writers and readers can come together every week to share in their mutual love (and respect) of fiction. Read the guidelines carefully:

• Only fiction shared between August 8 - August 14 on Substack!

• Any story shared OUTSIDE of the dates listed above will be removed.

• This form will CLOSE at 10pm EST on Sunday, August 16.

• Share fiction you’ve read AND/OR fiction you’ve written. (Self-promotion of your fiction is welcome!)

• If self-promoting, submit NO MORE THAN 2 stories! This is a strict rule that will be enforced.

• Story must be Free-to-Read (No portion of it can be behind a paywall).

• Story must be written in English.

• We DO NOT accept stories written by AI. If we discover, at any time, that AI was used, the story will be removed. Pangram or any such program that claims to detect the use of AI will NOT be used when making our own independent and final decisions.

Comments are turned OFF for all TiF Notification emails.

Fill out the online form for consideration in our Weekly emails:

Submit a Story

You will receive another email 1 hour before the submission form closes on Sunday.

If you’re reading this on the Substack website or Substack App and you’re not yet subscribed, please consider doing so. It turns out that nearly 45% of our unique visitors aren’t subscribed! Crazy, right! That could be you! Don’t just be a unique visitor. Be a unique subscriber!

MICRO/FLASH FICTION

The Forest of Tah-Dahs! by of Miss Laurie Mac Mac Mac [Fantasy]
“They’re calling my name.” (Last Line)

Lily White by of ANNIE HENDRIX [Literary Fiction]
I buy tomatoes at the farmer’s market, and Lily alchemizes them into shared joy. (First Line)

SHORT STORY

Glitch by of Brok3n Engines [Speculative Fiction]
"Dasha’s left hand did a thing." (First Line)

Death Drives by of One More Draft [Literary Fiction]
I had dinner booked with Francis. I thought I shouldn’t go. (First Line)

Danse Macabre by of Greg’s Substack [Horror]
The stones closest to the fence were worn smooth, inscriptions long unreadable—the dead here had been abandoned. (Any Line)

The Case of the Missing Movement by of Snark Floats [Comedy]
It was supposed to be a routine delivery. (First Line)

SHORT SERIAL

My, My! [They Were Shining, Part 1] by of The Môrdreigiau Chronicles [Fantasy]
He thought that Heledd’s friends were a bunch of empty-headed ninnies. (Any Line)

SERIAL

DAISY'S NIGHTMARE (Pt. 1, Ep. 27) by of Amanda’s Substack [Speculative Fiction]
“How long have you been… pretending to be Daisy?” he asked. (Any Line)

Survival (1.01 The Mechanical Crown) by of Write More with Simon K Jones [Fantasy]
A blackened finger lay in the snow, necrotic, oozing and sickly. (First Line)

Hey ya’ll,

I just want to take a brief moment to acknowledge the elephant in the room, the rather large AI-generated elephant in the room, and say how exhausting it is. There is no getting away from it, or avoiding it. I continue to see both sides of the argument for and against it play out in real time on every social media platform. Substack is certainly not immune.

So, am I crazy to want to build a place, not unlike the early days of Substack, that prioritizes the user and fiction writer experience, that gives readers an AI-free zone, over just slop everywhere? I don’t know.

But what I can say is that as I zoom out from Top in Fiction to look at the bigger landscape that now encompasses TiF Library, TiF Press, and TiF Studio, I’m glad that every single one stands for fiction first in just about every facet there possibly is. I am just one person so I believe I’ve gone about as far as I can go with the pillars that have been formed. Now, it’s just a matter of leading the people to these places and create a more cohesive way of interacting and using these tools as expected.

That will, in large part, be what 2027 looks like for me. No more pillars. Just working on the foundations we have and hopefully bringing everyone who wants to come along for the ride cause I feel it’s gonna be a great one.

It’s true AI is getting larger and more present in our every day lives. But we can choose to trust our gut and go where the supply is plentiful and the connections, the human connections, are 100% real.

TiF AROUND TOWN

Just some things I want to mention really quickly:

1. TiF Around Town Event news and important deadlines/links has moved to the TiF Library main page. Just click the + to dropdown everything you need to be aware of.

2. There are TWO main deadlines coming this Saturday, August 15th:

   1. TiF Originals - Submit a story for a chance to be paid for your work and have it be one of many that will be an exclusive original here on Top in Fiction and shared to our over 2,000 subscribers.

   2. TiF Summit 2027 - If you’re interested in reading your Fiction on Substack Live along with 50+ others, now is the chance to tell me you’re interested so you can get access to the TiF Summit Scheduler!

BE A PAID SUBSCRIBER TODAY

Paying for exclusive fiction short stories is coming. All made 100% possible by your continued support.

Upgrade to Paid

Paid Subscribers will get early access to TiF Originals, for a period of two weeks, after which time the story will then be made available to all subscribers.

- , Editor-in-Chief 😈

If you enjoyed any of these stories, please consider sharing this post everywhere:

Share

Top in Fiction is the place where fiction lives, but it’s also the place where a community of fiction writers and readers can come together every week to share in their mutual love (and respect) of fiction. Read the guidelines carefully:

• Only fiction shared between August 1 - August 7 on Substack!

• Any story shared BEFORE the dates listed above will be removed.

• This form will CLOSE in 2 hours from NOW.

• Share fiction you’ve read AND/OR fiction you’ve written. (Self-promotion of your fiction is welcome!)

• If self-promoting, submit NO MORE THAN 2 stories! This is a strict rule that will be enforced.

• Story must be Free-to-Read (No portion of it can be behind a paywall).

• Story must be written in English.

• We DO NOT accept stories written by AI. If we discover, at any time, that AI was used, the story will be removed. Pangram or any such program that claims to detect the use of AI will NOT be used when making our own independent and final decisions.

Fill out this form for consideration in our Weekly emails:

Submit a Story

This is your final warning.

TOP in FICTION NEWS

I’ve got good feelings about the direction Top in Fiction has taken this year and it’s all possible because of the writers and the paying subscribers that so much has been happening around here. I want to start with the pillars that are now the best foundations for it all:

• Top in Fiction is where fiction lives.

• TiF Press is where fiction is published.

• TiF Library is where fiction is archived.

• TiF Studio is where communities are nurtured.

• TiF Originals is where exclusive fiction is shared.

I think to explain this all I’m going to do a Live soon. Look for one to come around September. Till then, check out the sites (if you haven’t already) and prepare for this all to make even more sense.

Top in Fiction is the place where fiction lives, but it’s also the place where a community of fiction writers and readers can come together every week to share in their mutual love (and respect) of fiction. Read the guidelines carefully:

• Only fiction shared between August 1 - August 7 on Substack!

• Any story shared OUTSIDE of the dates listed above will be removed.

• This form will CLOSE at 10pm EST on Sunday, August 9.

• Share fiction you’ve read AND/OR fiction you’ve written. (Self-promotion of your fiction is welcome!)

• If self-promoting, submit NO MORE THAN 2 stories! This is a strict rule that will be enforced.

• Story must be Free-to-Read (No portion of it can be behind a paywall).

• Story must be written in English.

• We DO NOT accept stories written by AI. If we discover, at any time, that AI was used, the story will be removed. Pangram or any such program that claims to detect the use of AI will NOT be used when making our own independent and final decisions.

Comments are turned OFF for all TiF Notification emails.

Fill out the online form for consideration in our Weekly emails:

Submit a Story

You will receive another email 1 hour before the submission form closes on Sunday.

TOP IN FICTION

TIF LIBRARY | TIF PRESS | TIF STUDIO | TIF ORIGINALS

Leave a comment

POETRY

The Climbing Adventure, A Preschool Story by of “CJs World on Substack” [Comedy]

COMIC/CARTOON

Dark Power by of Finding Dee Fish [Comedy]

MICRO/FLASH FICTION

Come With Me to the Desert by of Foxglove & Flame [Literary Fiction]

Fellow passengers of a night train by of betweenintentions [Literary Fiction]

SHORT STORY

Back From The Brink by of Gravity of Darkness, and other writings [Climate Fiction]

The First Law of Mars by of Snark Floats [Science Fiction]

Buick in the Driveway by of Messy Business [Thriller]

Familiar Boogeyman by of Love and Other Fictions [Literary Fiction]

SHORT SERIAL

Dawn's Hwy [Pt 1] by of In Between the Lines [Literary Fiction]

Ultra Woman [Pt 8] by of And the Quest for Pop Culture [Speculative Fiction]

If you’re reading this on the Substack website or Substack App and you’re not yet subscribed, please consider doing so. It turns out that nearly 45% of our unique visitors aren’t subscribed! Crazy, right! That could be you! Don’t just be a unique visitor. Be a unique subscriber!

POETRY

la luna. by of unreadwords [Free Verse]
one morning (First Line)

MICRO/FLASH FICTION

Come With Me to the Desert by of Foxglove & Flame [Literary Fiction]
“I’m not afraid to die,” he said. “Come with me.” (Any Line)

Mercy's Accomplice by of firesidewhispers [Thriller]
Following his tracks, she found Abel prancing and growling at a man half-buried. (Any Line)

A Lunch to Remember by of Exploring the Eyrie [Cozy]
You can’t have too much of a good thing… (Any Line)

SHORT STORY

Slug Spider Gecko Dog by of Foolish Words [Cozy]
If you had—which one—if you had one to pick, if you had to pick one, which one would you pick? (Any Line)

The Kind of Boy They Watch by of The Midnight Quill [Thriller]
My therapist, Dr Harper, asked whether I ever think about hurting people. (First Line)

Passport by of Anton Anderson [Speculative Fiction]
Two lines to the boarding gate moved slowly past me. (First Line)

Cutting Corners by of After Dusk [Horror]
The sky was orange. (First line)

SHORT SERIAL

The Red Line -- Part Three by of Forge City Noir [Thriller]
He could turn Doyle’s dirty money into the hope and healing that Forge so desperately needed, but it had come with entangling strings and secrets that needed keeping. (Any Line)

SERIAL

Diary of a Madman: Entries of Confusion (The Beginning) by of Ink & Shadows [Horror]
“Let the madness BEGIN!” (Any Line)

Hey ya’ll,

Quick Note: Starting now, TiF Around Town announcements of upcoming events and important date-specific information has now been moved to The TiF Library. This will leave the email open for briefer and shorter and more personal messages, like the one you are about to read as I share my personal thoughts on the latest Substack “update.” TiF Around Town can now be found on the Issues page in a drop-down as shown below:

The Heatwave event just past and you can read those amazing stories here. If you’re looking for other major events that are coming up, reminder to visit The TiF Library where TiF Around Town has moved.

Have you heard about TiF Originals? Top in Fiction is finally going to start paying writers for exclusive short-short stories and our patrons (aka paying subscribers) will get access to these stories early. After a period of 2 weeks the story will then be made available to everyone. It’s 100% because of the paid subscribers we have that we are able to do this. And if we get more paying subscribers we can offer exclusive fiction more often next year.

Quarterly Reviews are a hit and I’m so happy to be able to say that! The next issue will come in October. Till then, keep reading and liking and commenting on the great work that’s out there. If you’re a writer, keep writing. These many ways of highlighting and promoting fiction is only possible because of each and every one of you!

AN UPDATE ON TIF STUDIO…

Moving forward the updates about TiF Studio will be made here but only if I have a lot to share. If you want to learn more about the reason for TiF Studio’s existence and what exactly it’s meant to accomplish or maybe you want to help me do some alpha and beta testing of this new platform that I hope to have ready by 2027, I suggest joining our Discord Server as that is where I’m most likely to drop information and ask questions from potential users.

For now, the URL is up and in “Maintenance Mode” which means it’s just a placeholder page until I think it’s ready to open the doors for users.

Whether or not this becomes a collosal mistake or an absolute success story will be up to you. But if you’re not hanging out on Substack Notes, here are the screenshots I’ve shared there to give you just a taste of what TiF Studio is and hopes to be some day.

BE A PAID SUBSCRIBER TODAY

Paying for exclusive fiction short stories is coming. All made 100% possible by your continued support.

Upgrade to Paid

Paid Subscribers will get early access to TiF Short Stories, for a period of two weeks, after which time the story will then be made available to all subscribers.

- , Editor-in-Chief 😈

If you enjoyed any of these stories, please consider sharing this post everywhere:

Share

Top in Fiction is the place where fiction lives, but it’s also the place where a community of fiction writers and readers can come together every week to share in their mutual love (and respect) of fiction. Read the guidelines carefully:

• Only fiction shared between July 25 - July 31 on Substack!

• Any story shared BEFORE the dates listed above will be removed.

• This form will CLOSE in 2 hours from NOW.

• Share fiction you’ve read AND/OR fiction you’ve written. (Self-promotion of your fiction is welcome!)

• If self-promoting, submit NO MORE THAN 2 stories! This is a strict rule that will be enforced.

• Story must be Free-to-Read (No portion of it can be behind a paywall).

• Story must be written in English.

• We DO NOT accept stories written by AI. If we discover, at any time, that AI was used, the story will be removed. Pangram or any such program that claims to detect the use of AI will NOT be used when making our own independent and final decisions.

Fill out this form for consideration in our Weekly emails:

Submit a Story

This is your final warning.

We currently have 7 Yearly Subscribers, and their support is making this first step possible.

Below I’m going to outline how this will all work but first, I want to thank the paid subscribers we have right now, without whom this definitely wouldn’t be possible. A TiF Original is exactly what it sounds like and I hope it serves the community in carrying on the TiF mission of a place where fiction lives.

So, in an effort to keep this as simple as possible, here’s the proposed breakdown and how it will work for the second half of 2026 and all of 2027:

💰 Payment

• The payout to a writer will be $50.

• This amount may increase (or decrease) over time, depending on subscriber support.

• A collaborative story of two writers is accepted. And the payout amount will be split between the writers.

• Once a writer’s story has been selected they will be ineligible to submit a story in future calls for submissions. This is to ensure we are giving everyone an opportunity to be paid for their work. This policy will change as we add more months of exclusive stories to our present rotation.

✍️ Story Length & Content Guidelines

• Maximum length: 1,500 words.

• Top in Fiction welcomes stories from almost every genre, provided they’re suitable for a broad audience. What may get your story disqualified is if it includes the following:

  • Explicit sexual content (smut)

  • Excessive profanity

  • Extreme graphic violence

  • Political satire

  • Content that would generally require a trigger warning

My goal is for any reader to enjoy every story we offer.

📅 Publication Schedule

• Exclusive stories will initially be published four times per year:

  • March

  • June

  • September

  • December

Since we’re already halfway through the year, there will be two submission opportunities this year. August 1st and November 1st the doors will open for story submissions with a 2-week window to submit.

ALL WRITERS will be notified of the decision in the last week of August and November respectively.

📖 Exclusive Rights

To be eligible, stories must:

• Be previously unpublished anywhere, including your own Substack, blog, website, anthology, collection, or other platform/medium.

• Remain exclusive to Top in Fiction for a period of three months after publication.

Once that exclusivity period ends, you’re free to republish the story wherever/however you’d like.

Only the story chosen must adhere to the exclusive rights. All stories not chosen will not be required to follow the exclusive rights rules.

🚫 AI Policy

Top in Fiction is committed to publishing work created entirely by human writers.

AI may not be used in any part of the writing process, including drafting, editing, rewriting, or assisting with the creation of a submission.

If AI use is discovered before or after publication—including after payment has been issued—the story will be withdrawn, and the writer will be permanently ineligible to participate in future Top in Fiction and TiF Press projects.

❤️ Want to Help Us Publish More Stories?

If we can add 3 more Yearly Subscribers or 5 Monthly Subscribers, we’ll be able to add to our Fiction on TiF commitment beginning in 2027.

Instead of publishing 4 exclusive stories each year, we’ll publish 6, releasing a new exclusive story every other month—and, more importantly, paying two additional writers for their work.

Thank you to everyone who has supported Top in Fiction and helped us reach this milestone. I genuinely couldn’t do this without you.

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments! I’ll be in there to answer as many as honestly as possible.

Upgrade to Paid

A “TiF ORIGINAL” CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

In the future this Call for Submissions will be sent under the TiF Notifications Section and won’t include so much intro. It’ll look a lot more like what you see here and nothing more:

• Any genre except:

  • Explicit sexual content (smut)

  • Excessive profanity

  • Extreme graphic violence

  • Political satire

  • Content that would generally require a trigger warning

• Word count cap: 1,500 words

• Deadline: Friday, August 14th

Be a TiF Original

The Heat by of Tales of the Zeitgeist

Heatwave's Promise by of Gregory Blair - Scribbling Entertainment

The Fall of the Aquamen by of In A Different Place

Shedding the Past by of Snark Floats

The Cult of the Giant Zucchini by of Life in the Slow Lane

Check It Out by of R.L. Butler

The Foothills, July, 1949 by of LEAVES

Heat Index by of The Radical Individualist

TiF PRESS PUBLICATIONS IN 2027

For anyone interested in getting their work published, there will be 3 opportunities for you to do so this year:

• A Deadly Game Event - Our Halloween themed event this year will be a bit different. We’re going to let the readers decide on the best story. [Opens 9/28. Closes 10/28.]

• “11” - A special event that I can’t tell you much about until late Summer.

• Secret Santa Plot Swap 2.0 - We’re back and as a bonus, all who take up the challenge and participate will be invited to be in the Volume II ebook. [Sign up begins the first week of November]

Top in Fiction is the place where fiction lives, but it’s also the place where a community of fiction writers and readers can come together every week to share in their mutual love (and respect) of fiction. Read the guidelines carefully:

• Only fiction shared between July 25 - July 31 on Substack!

• Any story shared OUTSIDE of the dates listed above will be removed.

• This form will CLOSE at 10pm EST on Sunday, August 2.

• Share fiction you’ve read AND/OR fiction you’ve written. (Self-promotion of your fiction is welcome!)

• If self-promoting, submit NO MORE THAN 2 stories! This is a strict rule that will be enforced.

• Story must be Free-to-Read (No portion of it can be behind a paywall).

• Story must be written in English.

• We DO NOT accept stories written by AI. If we discover, at any time, that AI was used, the story will be removed. Pangram or any such program that claims to detect the use of AI will NOT be used when making our own independent and final decisions.

Comments are turned OFF for all TiF Notification emails.

Fill out the online form for consideration in our Weekly emails:

The NEW Submission Form

You will receive another email 1 hour before the submission form closes on Sunday.

Anastasiia was faced with over 100 stories across Poetry, Micro/Flash Fiction, Short Story, and Serial categories and she chose her favorite from each. They also include a short review as well.

Please, enjoy these selections, follow and subscribe to Anastasiia to read her work, and especially, take a few moments to share this issue with your friends and subscribers. Sharing is the single most easy and important thing you can do to support this publication and the writers we feature. Thank you and enjoy!

EDITOR’S CHOICE

POETRY

MICRO/FLASH FICTION

SHORT STORY

SERIAL

VISIT THE TiF LIBRARY FOR MORE STORIES

If you’re reading this on the Substack website or Substack App and you’re not yet subscribed, please consider doing so. It turns out that nearly 45% of our unique visitors aren’t subscribed! Crazy, right! That could be you! Don’t just be a unique visitor. Be a unique subscriber!

MICRO/FLASH FICTION

What Friends Are For by of The Faraday Room [Science Fiction]
”Oh my god, stop,” Alicia said. (First Line)

SHORT STORY

The Hide and Seek Champion of North America by of From the Files of Joe Cooper, P.I. [Mystery]
Just when I think, “Can this get any worse?” the truck I’m being hauled in stops, and a group of hands yanks me out of the bed like a bale of hay. (Any Line)

Familiar Boogeyman by of Love and Other Fictions [Literary Fiction]
It was always the second Friday when the boogeyman lurked. (Any Line)

Madge by of Ravings from the High Chaparral [Literary Fiction]
Some of the less generous people in town delight in saying that in her younger years she played goalie for the dart team. (Any Line)

Sorry, Princess by of Behind the Grin [Horror]
Pop I was right about what I told you about the thing that chased the cows, then us, then Jess. (Any Line)

The Mathematrix by of The Why & the Why Not [Horror]
“In two hours and fourteen minutes you will feel the urge to shit and the shit will weigh exactly two hundred and ten grams." (Any Line)

The Barn by of The Butchered Writers [Horror]
It was a muggy evening. (First Line)

Darryl the Magnificent by of SILVER CORD STORIES [Literary Fiction]
Vincent and Georgia Davis hated magic. (First line)

SERIAL

Those Who Knew Earth: Revolution, Part 1 by of Echoes of Earth [Science Fiction]
While the passengers of the first interplanetary ship slept, an AI copy of a young woman flitted about in their heads. (First Line)

Those Who Fight Monsters [Ch. 1] by of NN Reade [Speculative Fiction]
I cannot allow that… mistake, I suppose one could call it, to cast a dark cloud over the rest of my life. (Any Line)

Hey ya’ll,

Quick Note: Starting now, TiF Around Town announcements of upcoming events and important date-specific information has now been moved to The TiF Library. This will leave the email open for briefer and shorter and more personal messages, like the one you are about to read as I share my personal thoughts on the latest Substack “update.” TiF Around Town can now be found on the Issues page in a drop-down as shown below:

It’s been an interesting past week, to say the least. It all started when Substack decided to make an announcement about a partnership they are very excited about. If you’re unsure of what I’m talking about, you can read their announcement here:

The Substack Post

Against Claudefishing

It’s getting harder to tell what’s real on the internet…

Read more

a month ago · 5430 likes · 1061 comments · Chris Best

Long story short, and a pile-up of other reasons, I’ve decided to move my personal newsletter, Ink After Dark, to another home. You can read my rather lengthy Substack Note here:

As I stated, Top in Fiction is currently staying where it is. There is a core community here that cannot be denied and I see no reason why that should change (for now).

But I want to make a few things clear because on the surface their announcement should’ve been a welcome thing for me. I’ve been complaining how difficult I find sharing these Weekly recommendation emails with everyone because it’s getting harder and harder to discern whether or not AI has been used to write the fiction I promote. And I’ve already seen countless Notes from people I don’t know who are complaining that this new “feature” is marking their human-written work as 100% AI. Now, I’m not here to debate the efficacy of this program. But I’m also NOT, I repeat, NOT going to use it to “confirm” if AI has been used when deciding what stories will be featured in Top in Fiction.

There is this little thing called the honor system that I’m choosing (however naively) to stand behind and hope that anyone who submits their fiction for consideration hasn’t used AI. I simply cannot let a soulless thing dictate or direct my choices.

Now, if through other means it is determined that AI was used, the usual policy will apply that it will be taken down.

I just want those of you out there to know that I guarantee I will never use whatever tool comes up or is offered to validate you are who you say you are or that you’ve written what you say you’ve written.

Any program that is wrong even 1% of the time, especially when it comes to AI, is not a program I’m willing to use. But when it seems to be wrong 50% or more times? I mean…what are we doing here?

These are my two cents on the subject and I hope I don’t have to take up anymore of your valuable time in the future making statements like this again.

EXCLUSIVE FICTION COMING TO TOP IN FICTION THIS FALL

I’m currently working on getting everything underway to finally bring short-short fiction to the subscribers of Top in Fiction. For the past 3 years we’ve a sort of catalog of fiction. We present current fiction from various categories and across different genres. But now I want to share a short-short story that you can only read here on Top in Fiction and pay the writer for their work!

The Open Call email will go out on August 1st, just 11 days away and will be open for just two weeks. Keep in mind the rules and guidelines before submitting a story. There are two main and most important ones: The story cannot be previously posted elsewhere. That includes your own Substack, blog, other publication, or printed material. And the word count cap is 1,500. I will be using Google Docs to check the word count. This title is never included in the word count.

Hopefully any questions you might have will be answered in the August 1st email. Just make sure you have the TiF Notifications Section turned on in order to receive this email.

Do you want to help me increase the number of fiction I can release exclusively on TiF from 4 a year to 6 a year? All we need is 3 more Yearly or 6 Monthly paid subscribers.

Upgrade to Paid

One more thing: The official name for this (cause everything needs a name in order to be real) will be announced on August 1st as well.

BE A PAID SUBSCRIBER TODAY

Paying for exclusive fiction short stories is coming. All made 100% possible by your continued support.

Upgrade to Paid

Paid Subscribers will get early access to TiF Short Stories, for a period of two weeks, after which time the story will then be made available to all subscribers.

- , Editor-in-Chief 😈

If you enjoyed any of these stories, please consider sharing this post everywhere:

Share

Top in Fiction is the place where fiction lives, but it’s also the place where a community of fiction writers and readers can come together every week to share in their mutual love (and respect) of fiction. Read the guidelines carefully:

• Only fiction shared between July 18 - July 24 on Substack!

• Any story shared BEFORE the dates listed above will be removed.

• This form will CLOSE in 2 hours from NOW.

• Share fiction you’ve read AND/OR fiction you’ve written. (Self-promotion of your fiction is welcome!)

• If self-promoting, submit NO MORE THAN 2 stories! This is a strict rule that will be enforced.

• Story must be Free-to-Read (No portion of it can be behind a paywall).

• Story must be written in English.

• We DO NOT accept stories written by AI. If we discover, at any time, that AI was used, the story will be removed. Pangram or any such program that claims to detect the use of AI will NOT be used when making our own independent and final decisions.

Fill out this form for consideration in our Weekly emails:

Submit a Story

This is your final warning.

Yes, I know it’s a full week before the official date of July 31st when we all should be scheduling our stories to GO LIVE on our respective Substacks. But, I know many of you have already written your story and have it properly scheduled. This is your time to share the link I need in order to include you in the official post that will be released to everyone on Friday, July 31st!

If you want to make sure you’re included in that email that will reach 2k+, fill out the submission form below. The most important question it will ask you is for your Post URL. But, before we get there, for those of us who may not have finished writing our story OR scheduled a post before, here is a really quick HOW TO guide:

SCHEDULE YOUR STORY

Click “Continue” Button (top right) → Scroll to bottom → Tick Scheduling box → Fill in the date and time (7/31/2026 10am EST)

The TiF Disruption post will be scheduled for 7/31 at 10:05am. You should receive a PING when it goes Live, letting you know your story is included on the post. I will not be adding anyone to the post after it goes Live but if there are any typographical mistakes I will make those.

FIND YOUR POST URL

Click “Settings” Button (bottom right) → Scroll down to SEO Options → Click drop down → Click “Copy link” button under Post URL

NOTE: Only click this once you have the URL the way you want it. If you plan on changing the URL, please be sure to do so before you fill out the form.

SUBMIT YOUR STORY

Click the link below to open a Google Form once you’re ready with the story written and scheduled! I can’t wait to tell everyone about it!

Submission Form

Morning all,

The message you’re about to read I wrote the same day as “THE announcement” that went out by Substack. However, since that day I’ve seen a few others that are more or less along the same lines; I’m leaving Substack but I don’t know where I’m going. Therefore, I want to make two important announcements of my own:

1. Wherever you go, effective TODAY, I will accept story URLs OUTSIDE of Substack. Top in Fiction goes where the storytellers are and if you aren’t here, then neither are we. I realize you may not have made your final decision yet, but when you do, know that TiF is here to continue our mission of sharing you and your work, wherever you decide to share it.

2. Top in Fiction has been working on it’s own site for writers (for us) tentatively called “TiF Studio” and its purpose is to combine the best, and most useful, parts of Substack, Scrivener, and a social media platform. I paused it in order to work on other TiF related projects. I may return to building TiF Studio and complete it before the end of 2026. Just know that I hear your frustrations, I share them, and I hope to build a place where we all can go and not be faced with the noise.

Now, onto the message I wrote 3 days ago:

In lieu of the usual notices I want to make a brief statement, specifically to those who submit their work for consideration in Top in Fiction. This is a snippet of a larger statement I’m including in the next Weekly Issue coming on Monday, July 27th:

Now, I’m not here to debate the efficacy of this program. But I’m also NOT, I repeat, NOT going to use it to “confirm” if AI has been used when deciding what stories will be featured in Top in Fiction.

There is this little thing called the honor system that I’m choosing (however naively) to stand behind and hope that anyone who submits their fiction for consideration hasn’t used AI. I simply cannot let a soulless thing dictate or direct my choices.

Now, if through other means it is determined that AI was used, the usual policy will apply that it will be taken down.

I just want those of you out there to know that I guarantee I will never use whatever tool comes up or is offered to validate you are who you say you are or that you’ve written what you say you’ve written.

Any program that is wrong even 1% of the time, especially when it comes to AI, is not a program I’m willing to use. But when it seems to be wrong 50% or more times? I mean…what are we doing here?

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to DM me or comment on the Note I will have already posted by the time you’ve read this, with the same snippet. Thank you for your continued support and as always, happy writing!

Top in Fiction is the place where fiction lives, but it’s also the place where a community of fiction writers and readers can come together every week to share in their mutual love (and respect) of fiction. Read the guidelines carefully:

• Only fiction shared between July 18 - July 24 on Substack!

• Any story shared OUTSIDE of the dates listed above will be removed.

• This form will CLOSE at 10pm EST on Sunday, July 26.

• Share fiction you’ve read AND/OR fiction you’ve written. (Self-promotion of your fiction is welcome!)

• If self-promoting, submit NO MORE THAN 2 stories! This is a strict rule that will be enforced.

• Story must be Free-to-Read (No portion of it can be behind a paywall).

• Story must be written in English.

• We DO NOT accept stories written by AI. If we discover, at any time, that AI was used, the story will be removed. Pangram or any such program that claims to detect the use of AI will NOT be used when making our own independent and final decisions.

Comments are turned OFF for all TiF Notification emails.

Fill out the online form for consideration in our Weekly emails:

The NEW Submission Form

You will receive another email 1 hour before the submission form closes on Sunday.

If you’re reading this on the Substack website or Substack App and you’re not yet subscribed, please consider doing so. It turns out that nearly 45% of our unique visitors aren’t subscribed! Crazy, right! That could be you! Don’t just be a unique visitor. Be a unique subscriber!

POETRY

Car Communion by of The Writer’s Journey [Free Verse]
I didn’t know the divine (First Line)

MICRO/FLASH FICTION

Bugsplat by by of The Strangeness Kit [Speculative Fiction]
Freddie knew that Harriet wasn’t truly distracted by the bugsplat callouts. (Any Line)

The Ride by of LEAVES [Horror]
"You ever been on a motorcycle, Ma'am?" (Any Line)

Through the Fold of the Prophet by of Robert Garron’s Substack [Science Fiction]
The atmospheric content seemed promising, strikingly similar to the climate of Earth. But there was a difference. (Any Line)

SHORT STORY

Buick in the Driveway by of Jason Beech Messy Business [Thriller]
“If you want it, take it.” (First Line)

Diendra by of The Radical Individualist [Literary Fiction]
Her eyes shifted to the left, and there was Kevin, looking back at her with a knowing smile. (Any Line)

The Curious and Extraordinary Case of the Reclusive Clockmaker by of J.M. Gooding [Mystery]
There exists, among otherwise sensible people, a curious conviction that remarkable inventors ought to be immediately recognizable. (First Line)

The Darkness In The Doorway by of J.’s Substack [Horror]
The only sign was the damage to the chicken wire wall next to the hutch door, which seemed chewed out from the inside, leaving David almost as confused as he was worried. (Any Line)

Nutbush City Limits by of The Môrdreigiau Chronicles [Fantasy]
I must provide the draig môr with a satisfying plot. (Any Line)

SERIAL

A Crow's Nest (The Errant Apprentice Book 2, Chapter 15) by of Everywhen [Fantasy]
Terry turned his back on the horrible thing. (Any Line)

Hey ya’ll,

Some teeny-tiny tweaks have been done to the TiF Library. I love it because it creates this amazing trifecta that Top in Fiction has now morphed into and, for now, I think we’re good:

Top in Fiction is the main hub and where we celebrate fiction that is being written and shared on a regular basis. So regular, in fact, that we release Weekly Issues, Monthly Recaps, and newly added Quarterly Reviews.

TiF Press is an opportunity for those who are writing and sharing fiction regularly to take their passion one step further, into publication. The mission for TiF Press is to publish at least 2 anthologies per calendar year and feature as many new voices in the writing scene as possible.

The TiF Library is just an easily searchable archive of previously featured and promoted fiction work since the inception of Top in Fiction back in the Summer of 2024. Aside from being the place where you can finally easily search through every Weekly Issue and Monthly Recap, it now includes the newly added Quarterly Reviews and our Annual Recap as well. So, when I say there is something for every reader no matter what you’re looking for, I mean it. There are thousands to choose from. Oh, and it also conveniently is where recommendations and self-promoted submissions can be done every single weekend from Friday to Sunday.

EXCLUSIVE FICTION COMING TO TOP IN FICTION THIS FALL

I’m currently working on getting everything underway to finally bring short-short fiction to the subscribers of Top in Fiction. For the past 3 years we’ve a sort of catalog of fiction. We present current fiction from various categories and across different genres. But now I want to share a short-short story that you can only read here on Top in Fiction and pay the writer for their work!

The Open Call email will go out on August 1st, just 11 days away and will be open for just two weeks. Keep in mind the rules and guidelines before submitting a story. There are two main and most important ones: The story cannot be previously posted elsewhere. That includes your own Substack, blog, other publication, or printed material. And the word count cap is 1,500. I will be using Google Docs to check the word count. This title is never included in the word count.

Hopefully any questions you might have will be answered in the August 1st email. Just make sure you have the TiF Notifications Section turned on in order to receive this email.

Do you want to help me increase the number of fiction I can release exclusively on TiF from 4 a year to 6 a year? All we need is 3 more Yearly or 6 Monthly paid subscribers.

Upgrade to Paid

One more thing: The official name for this (cause everything needs a name in order to exist and be real) will be announced on August 1st as well.

JOIN THE HEATWAVE

We are just 5 days away from the submissions email going out. So, if you’re participating and NOT subscribed to Top in Fiction, get yourself subscribed ASAP! Just a reminder that while the submission form is open, you do still have time to fill it out and share your post URL. I will be collecting URLs until July 30th at 12pm EST. The reason I’m doing it this way is to give me enough time to include everyone in the email that will go out the following morning, July 31st at 10am EST. In order to in that email that will go to 2k+ on our email list, you MUST fill out the form. I won’t add someone to the post after it’s gone out. Click the image below to learn more!

BE A PAID SUBSCRIBER TODAY

Paying for exclusive fiction short stories is coming. All made 100% possible by your continued support.

Upgrade to Paid

Paid Subscribers will get early access to TiF Short Stories, for a period of two weeks, after which time the story will then be made available to all subscribers.

- , Editor-in-Chief 😈

If you enjoyed any of these stories, please consider sharing this post everywhere:

Share

Top in Fiction is the place where fiction lives, but it’s also the place where a community of fiction writers and readers can come together every week to share in their mutual love (and respect) of fiction. Read the guidelines carefully:

• Only fiction shared between July 11 - July 17 on Substack!

• Any story shared BEFORE the dates listed above will be removed.

• This form will CLOSE in 2 hours from NOW.

• Share fiction you’ve read AND/OR fiction you’ve written. (Self-promotion of your fiction is welcome!)

• If self-promoting, submit NO MORE THAN 2 stories! This is a strict rule that will be enforced.

• Story must be Free-to-Read (No portion of it can be behind a paywall).

• Story must be written in English.

• We DO NOT accept stories written by AI. If we discover, at any time, that AI was used, the story will be removed.

Fill out this form for consideration in our Weekly emails:

Submit a Story

This is your final warning.

WRITING EVENT(S)

Looking for a quick and easy writing event, open to all who want to write a short story? Most will be seasonal or based around a holiday or person. Here’s a running list of what’s available. Oh, and if you’re hosting a writing event like this and want us to list is here for you, hit me up in my DMs:

• Heatwave - The temperature is rising this Summer. How will you handle it? Any genre. 1,500 word count cap. Due by July 31st. But if you can’t stand the heat…

TiF PRESS PUBLICATIONS IN 2027

For anyone interested in getting their work published, there will be 3 opportunities for you to do so this year:

• A Deadly Game Event - Our Halloween themed event this year will be a bit different. We’re going to let the readers decide on the best story. [Opens 9/28. Closes 10/28.]

• “11” - A special event that I can’t tell you much about until late Summer.

• Secret Santa Plot Swap 2.0 - We’re back and as a bonus, all who take up the challenge and participate will be invited to be in the Volume II ebook. [Sign up begins the first week of November]

Top in Fiction is the place where fiction lives, but it’s also the place where a community of fiction writers and readers can come together every week to share in their mutual love (and respect) of fiction. Read the guidelines carefully:

• Only fiction shared between July 11 - July 17 on Substack!

• Any story shared OUTSIDE of the dates listed above will be removed.

• This form will CLOSE at 10pm EST on Sunday, July 19.

• Share fiction you’ve read AND/OR fiction you’ve written. (Self-promotion of your fiction is welcome!)

• If self-promoting, submit NO MORE THAN 2 stories! This is a strict rule that will be enforced.

• Story must be Free-to-Read (No portion of it can be behind a paywall).

• Story must be written in English.

• We DO NOT accept stories written by AI. If we discover, at any time, that AI was used, the story will be removed.

Comments are turned OFF for all TiF Notification emails.

Fill out the online form for consideration in our Weekly emails:

The NEW Submission Form

You will receive another email 1 hour before the submission form closes on Sunday.