Top in Fiction is the place where fiction lives, but it’s also the place where a community of fiction writers and readers come together every week to share in our mutual love (and respect) of fiction. Please read the guidelines as some things may have changed and check HERE for further explanation on these guides, if needed.
OPEN FEBRUARY 28 - MARCH 1
Guidelines:
Only fiction shared between February 22nd - February 28th on Substack!
This post will be open from NOW until 9pm EST on Saturday, March 1st.
Use the TEMPLATE FOR RECOMMENDATION below when submitting a story.
Submit NO MORE THAN 2 stories! This is a strict rule that will be enforced.
TEMPLATE FOR RECOMMENDATION
Copy/Paste in the Comments Section. Anyone who does not use the template will be passed over for selection.
Story Title: Writer: [Name on Substack] Publication Name: [Substack Name Ex.: Erica Drayton Writes] Genre: [Choose 1 ONLY] See List Here Category: [Choose 1: **Note**, Comic/Cartoon, Poetry, Micro/Flash Fiction, Short Story, Short Serial, or Serial] URL: [Must be a Substack URL] Extra: Tell us about your story in three sentences or less.
Tune in to the next TiF Weekly, Live! on Monday, March 3rd! You never know what new gems you’ll discover. All we ask in return is that you share Top In Fiction to your email list and Restack the post on Monday in Substack Notes.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!
Hi All, as of today, we are closing these weekly Friday emails and replacing them in the Substack Chat! From now on, all recommendations will be done within an online Form and the notifications for when this form will be open for accepting recommendations will happen in the Substack Chat section. We will also utilize Substack chat for other discussions/conversations and announcements that happen, such as before Lives.
We understand this transition may be jarring for some of you and I will explain in more detail the reason for this transition on Monday, March 3rd during the Weekly Live. If you have any questions or concerns, I am also making this announcement over on our first Substack Chat thread.
Thank you all for your patience while we all make it through this fairly seamless change.
Love reading fiction? Why not consider joining the TiF Team as a Genre Curator where you can help select the best that genre has to offer every week! Click the image below to fill out the application:
Extra: A careless cat sets off an absurd, brutal chain of events that send Kevon—our dirt-bag anti-hero—on a life-altering spiral with the help of Catalina, a woman as enigmatic as the chaos itself.
Extra: Placed on administrative leave following the [redacted] in his classroom, William first gets some good news, then news that threatens to unbalance his delicately balanced equilibrium. Upcoming: an eventful and important night. [Preorders for paperback now available on B&N and Amazon!]
Extra: A fucked up fairytale about a beauty influencer wracked with jealousy for the new kid on the block, S. White. A short story in 2 parts (part 2 drops March 1)
Extra: A flash fiction based on the other side of the coin of a true story. A tale following one girl as she navigates being unknown in life and death. (Please read TW in subtitle before reading).
Extra: An epic tale (12,000+ words) about a rich elderly gentleman who buys an island to make his retirement home. Meanwhile, another man meets a hitchhiker on a northbound trek.
Extra: A haunted FBI agent with an obsessive eye for patterns becomes convinced his neighbor is behind a series of disappearances. As the boundaries between watcher and watched dissolve, the true monster may not be who he thinks. This story examines deceptive social dynamics and how our perceptual filters determine who we see as innocent or guilty.
Since this is moving to substack chat I was wondering what do you go by in substack chat or if it's a paid feature on this because I do not seem to see your chat anywhere in my list of chat channels.
Ah, if you're looking for us in your "Chat" area of the Substack app but don't see us it's because we haven't sent a Chat yet. Once we send our first official Chat you should see it pop up. I think it will just pop up under the publication name of: Top in Fiction. You should see our first "test" notification on Monday and Wednesday to announce the Lives and then the official "Call for Recommendations" will go out on Friday, March 7th.
Extra: One man’s drunken life of regret takes a turn when he finds himself confronted by not just one, but multiple versions of his future self—each with their own reasons for wanting him dead.
Extra: I have zero idea what genre of poetry this is. It's just poetry. It might be free verse if that means there isn't much structure to it, although there are rhymes and rhythms and cadences and all the rest of it. <shrug>
Extra: It starts with just a sneeze. But, as K pushes himself through his day, his “cold” grows into something much more dangerous: the power of loneliness made manifest.
Extra: A former kingpin, now living a legitimate life, is forced back into the violent world of street crime when a rival clan partners with the police to dismantle his empire.
Story Title: Scatter-Brains
Writer: P. Báez
Publication Name: Chrome Hearse Express
Genre: Literary Fiction
Category: Serial
URL: https://open.substack.com/pub/jpvbx/p/scatter-brains
Extra: A careless cat sets off an absurd, brutal chain of events that send Kevon—our dirt-bag anti-hero—on a life-altering spiral with the help of Catalina, a woman as enigmatic as the chaos itself.
Story Title: I'm Sorry I Asked
Writer: Preston Pairo
Publication Name: Press
Genre: Cli-Fi
Category: Short Story
URL: https://prestonpairo.substack.com/p/im-sorry-i-asked?r=3blr20
Extra: The planet is ticked off ... but not for the reasons you might think.
Story Title: A Small Doe
Writer: Zackary San Martin
Publication Name: The Literary Ledger
Genre: Prose Poem
Category: Poem
URL: https://zackarys.substack.com/p/a-small-doe?r=2ftl41
Extra: A vignette which contrasts mundanity with passion.
Story Title: Rings of Fire
Writer: Rachel Tribble
Publication Name: Of Turtles and Talkings Stones
Genre: Fantasy
Category: Short Serial
URL: https://racheltribble.substack.com/p/rings-of-fire
Extra: A reluctant call to duty ignites unspoken love and destiny as war looms beyond the veil of worlds.
Story Title: Episode 9: The Bunk
Writer: Chris Lynch
Publication Name: The Amazing Adventures of Tortoise & Gecko
Genre: Fantasy
Category: Serial
URL: https://tortoiseandgecko.substack.com/p/episode-9
Extra: Tortoise has regrets, and meets another shipmate.
Story Title: Shards of Love
Writer: Rolando Andrade
Publication Name: Outside the Therapy Room
Genre: Poetry
Category: Lyric
URL: https://rolandoandrade.substack.com/p/shards-of-love
Extra: A story of love and lovelessness
Story Title: Lucky Day
Writer: Rostislava Pankova-Karadjova
Publication Name: Airings
Genre: Fiction
Category: Short Story
URL: https://rostislava.substack.com/p/lucky-day?r=zcxsb
Extra: A modern tale about the maiden, the villain and the fool…
Story Title: Gregorian
Writer: Oscar Ruto Chemelil
Publication: Oscar Ruto
Genre: Literary fiction
Category: Short story
URL: https://open.substack.com/pub/oscarruto/p/gregorian?r=1of53q&utm_medium=ios
Extra: Yesterday’s hero is, ultimately, today’s scapegoat
Story Title: The Mirrors That Bled Fiction: Chapter 21 of DarkLight
Writer: Mark Jarret
Publication Name: DarkLight
Genre: Science Fiction
Category: Serial
URL: https://open.substack.com/pub/mjporter/p/21-mirror-running?r=1ujboa&utm_medium=ios
Extra: Ghosts from a future haunt a place where fiction bleeds from mirrors.
Story Title: Sleep, Dearie, Sleep: Conclusion
Writer: Jean Marie Bauhaus
Publication Name: Through a Glass, Darkly
Genre: Horror
Category: Short Serial
URL: https://jeanmariebauhaus.substack.com/p/sleep-dearie-sleep-conclusion
Extra: The gothic tale of ambition and human sacrifice comes to a tragic end.
Story Title: The Cigarette Hotbox - Chapter 4
Writer: Zachary Clark
Publication Name: Foolish Words
Genre: Literary Fiction
Category: Short Serial
URL: https://zacharyaclark.substack.com/p/the-cigarette-hotbox-chapter-4?r=2stmma
Extra: A brief history of the family and it's gathering.
Story Title: The Cigarette Hotbox - Chapter 3
Writer: Zachary Clark
Publication Name: Foolish Words
Genre: Literary Fiction
Category: Short Serial
URL: https://zacharyaclark.substack.com/p/the-cigarette-hotbox-chapter-3?r=2stmma
Extra: As the night goes on, the drinks flow, and a few disagreements arise.
Story Title: The Divine Feminine as a Pap Smear
Writer: Gabby
Publication Name: Tinfoil Diaries
Genre: Creative Non-Fiction
Category: Micro-Story
URL: https://tinfoildiaries.substack.com/p/the-divine-feminine-as-a-pap-smear
Extra: A pap smear is abruptly interrupted by a painful flashback. Content Warnings: Sexual assault and gynecological descriptions.
Story Title: Dreaming Without Sleeping
Writer: MP Diaz
Publication Name: Only Slightly Unhinged
Genre: Spec-Fic
Category: Flash Fiction
URL: https://open.substack.com/pub/mapazdiaz/p/dreaming-without-sleeping?r=vgw2p&utm_medium=ios
Extra: A love story of sorts between a dead husband and his widow who now has an alter ego.
Story Title: Cammy
Writer: Cobol
Publication Name: Synopsys
Genre: Mythology
Category: Short fiction
URL: https://synopsys.substack.com/p/cammy
Extra: Continuation of the story Mac the god about a woman who struggles to develop a hypothesis.
Story Title: THE SHIELD OF LOCKSLEY
Writer: Ben Woestenburg
Substack: SCRIBBLER -- A PORTAL TO FICTION
Genre: Magical realism
Category: Serial fiction
URL: https://benwoestenburg.substack.com/p/the-shield-of-locksley-182?r=254e8w
A piece of a chapter in my ongoing serial about the "end days of Camelot."
Story Title: The Future Is Cancelled
Writer: P.K. Anthony
Publication Name: P.K. Anthony
Genre: Literary Fiction
Category: Short Story
URL: https://pkanthonypub.substack.com/p/the-future-is-cancelled?r=37581s
Extra: A new government mandate has Erstwhile Canoe extremely confused.
Story Title: Why Teach? - chapter 19
Writer: Peter Shull
Publication Name: lower midlist
Genre: serial fiction
Category: literary
URL: https://substack.com/home/post/p-155127239?source=queue
Extra: Placed on administrative leave following the [redacted] in his classroom, William first gets some good news, then news that threatens to unbalance his delicately balanced equilibrium. Upcoming: an eventful and important night. [Preorders for paperback now available on B&N and Amazon!]
Story Title: Dissonance; or, a Semi-True Screed
Writer: JLG Noga
Publication Name: Darkling
Genre: Lit-fic
Category: Short Story
URL: https://cantrainallthetime.substack.com/p/dissonance-or-a-semi-true-screed
Extra: A half-rant about a life of half-measures. May or may not be true depending on what you think should be.
Story Title: S. White
Writer: Nicole Winchester
Publication Name: Nicole Winchester Fiction
Genre: Spec Fic
Category: Short Story
URL: https://nicolewinchester.substack.com/p/s-white-part-1?utm_source=substack&utm_content=feed%3Arecommended%3Acopy_link
Extra: A fucked up fairytale about a beauty influencer wracked with jealousy for the new kid on the block, S. White. A short story in 2 parts (part 2 drops March 1)
Story Title: What's a Dragon? Chapter 34 - A Proper Visit
Writer: Dragon Writer Luc
Publication Name: The Dragons' Den
Genre: Fantasy
Category: Serial
URL: https://open.substack.com/pub/dragonwriterluc/p/whats-a-dragon-chapter-34
Extra: Emilie is finally allowed to visit the town that she so rudely barged into last time.
Story Title: Spume
Writer: A.P. Murphy
Publication Name: The Strangeness Kit
Genre: Sci Fi
Category: Flash Fiction
URL: https://thestrangenesskit.substack.com/p/spume
Extra: It's a time travel fable. So multiverse, quantum dimensions, yadda yadda. But beyond that is a human thing.
Story Title: "I Can Only Describe It Through Memory"
Writer: Nick Buchheit
Publication Name: This Nick Writes
Genre: Lit-Fic
Category: Flash Fiction
URL: https://substack.com/home/post/p-157576329?source=queue
Extra: An artsy one with some emotional baggage.
Story Title: Undercovers
Writer: Scott MacLeod
Publication Name: Son of Ugly
Genre: Mystery
Type: Flash Fiction
URL: https://open.substack.com/pub/sonofugly/p/undercovers?r=2sz29p&utm_medium=ios
Note: The Spy Who Loved Me (Apparently)
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Story Title: Ghost Like Me
Writer: Mina Howell
Publication Name: Mina Howell
Genre: Horror
Category: Flash Fiction
URL: https://substack.com/@minahowell/note/p-157814195?r=ta030
Extra: A flash fiction based on the other side of the coin of a true story. A tale following one girl as she navigates being unknown in life and death. (Please read TW in subtitle before reading).
Story Title: Labrador Isle
Writer: John Cardamone
Publication Name: Postcard Inkblot
Genre: Literary Fiction
Category: Short Story
URL: https://postcardinkblot.substack.com/p/labrador-isle
Extra: An epic tale (12,000+ words) about a rich elderly gentleman who buys an island to make his retirement home. Meanwhile, another man meets a hitchhiker on a northbound trek.
Title: Unspoken Rules
Writer: E.M.R
Publication: PineBox Readings
Genre: Horror/Romance
Category: Flash Fiction
URL: https://open.substack.com/pub/emarr14/p/unspoken-rules?r=4q1cpm&utm_medium=ios
Extra: A flash fiction about a witch unable to tangle with the vines of love.
Story Title: Dylan as Chalamet Revisited
Writer: Elie Lichtschein
Publication Name: hebrew Horror
Genre: Futurism / Fictional Movie Review
Category: Short Story
URL: https://hebrewhorror.substack.com/p/chalamet-as-dylan-revisited
Extra: Reviewing the 7 times Timothee Chalamet played Bob Dylan on the big screen from 2024–2062.
Story Title: Preserve
Writer: Blace Alcock
Publication Name: Blace Alcock
Genre: Poetry
Category: Blank Verse
URL: https://open.substack.com/pub/blacealcock/p/preserve?r=3vpd6z&utm_medium=ios
Extra: A Poem of loss written in the ornate stylings of Milton and the Baroque period.
Story Title: Confessions of a Voyeur pt 1
Writer: The Nocturnal Narrator
Publication Name: The Nocturnal Narrator
Genre: Spec Fic
Category: Short Serial
URL: https://nocturnalnarrator.substack.com/p/confessions-of-a-voyeur-pt-1?r=55v3vn
Extra: A haunted FBI agent with an obsessive eye for patterns becomes convinced his neighbor is behind a series of disappearances. As the boundaries between watcher and watched dissolve, the true monster may not be who he thinks. This story examines deceptive social dynamics and how our perceptual filters determine who we see as innocent or guilty.
Since this is moving to substack chat I was wondering what do you go by in substack chat or if it's a paid feature on this because I do not seem to see your chat anywhere in my list of chat channels.
Ah, if you're looking for us in your "Chat" area of the Substack app but don't see us it's because we haven't sent a Chat yet. Once we send our first official Chat you should see it pop up. I think it will just pop up under the publication name of: Top in Fiction. You should see our first "test" notification on Monday and Wednesday to announce the Lives and then the official "Call for Recommendations" will go out on Friday, March 7th.
Thanks
Story Title: "Twenty-Something”
Writer: Michael Arturo
Publication Name: Michael Arturo
Genre: Speculative Fiction
Category: Short Story
URL: https://michaelarturo.substack.com/p/lions-head
Extra: One man’s drunken life of regret takes a turn when he finds himself confronted by not just one, but multiple versions of his future self—each with their own reasons for wanting him dead.
Story Title: A Restless Vacation
Writer: MaryMortonWrites
Publication Name: Fiction and Also Cats
Genre: Fiction
Category: Flash Fiction
URL: https://substack.com/@marymortonwrites/note/c-96311546
Extra: About how hard it is to sleep in an unusual couch or cot on vacation.
Story Title: Windows on the Vicolo San Marino
Writer: Sharron Bassano
Publication Name: 🌿LEAVES
Genre: Literary fiction
Category: Flash Fiction
URL: https://sharronbassano.substack.com/p/in-the-vicolo-san-marino
Extra: Romance, anyone? Anyone? Four minutes of l'amore in Naples...
Story Title: The Hollow in the Tree Writer: Irshaad
Publication Name: Frantic Writing Genre: Horror Category: Short story URL: https://open.substack.com/pub/unfinishedspeedwriting/p/the-hollow-in-the-tree?r=2qufyf&utm_medium=ios Extra: Was it a portal to adventure or something else entirely?
Story title: Kundalini Seven to Ten
Writer: Evelyn K. Brunswick
Publication name: In A Different Place
Genre: Free Verse
Category: Poetry
URL: https://inadifferentplace.substack.com/p/saturday-pomes-and-words-22022025?r=2s9hod
Extra: I have zero idea what genre of poetry this is. It's just poetry. It might be free verse if that means there isn't much structure to it, although there are rhymes and rhythms and cadences and all the rest of it. <shrug>
Story Title: Eight Minutes
Writer: Taro Bahar
Publication name: Taro Bahar
Genre: Science Fiction
Category: Short Story
URL: https://open.substack.com/pub/tarobahar/p/eight-minutes?r=j4b2b&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
Extra: A village elder deliberates her course of action after receiving world ending news.
Story Title: “A lost young man with enormous wings”
Writer: Ricardo José Romeu
Publication Name: Analog Stories
Genre: Literary Fiction
Category: Short Story
URL: rjromeu.substack.com/p/short-story-a-lost-young-man-with
Extra: It starts with just a sneeze. But, as K pushes himself through his day, his “cold” grows into something much more dangerous: the power of loneliness made manifest.
Story Title: Red
Writer: Nushrat Naima
Publication Name: Nushrat Naima
Genre: Thriller/Noir
Category: Short Story
URL: https://open.substack.com/pub/nushratnaima/p/red?utm_source=app-post-stats-page&r=5692ee&utm_medium=ios
Extra: A retelling of the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood
Story Title: The Price of Business
Writer: Jim Minns
Publication Name: Reality Dispatch
Genre: Mystery
Category: Short Story
URL: https://jimminns.substack.com/p/the-price-of-business
Extra: A former kingpin, now living a legitimate life, is forced back into the violent world of street crime when a rival clan partners with the police to dismantle his empire.
Story Title: Recollection
Writer: Jim Minns
Publication Name: Reality Dispatch
Genre: Mystery
Category: Short Story
URL: https://jimminns.substack.com/p/recollection
Extra: A reformed ex-convict’s new life unravels when she unknowingly serves coffee to the woman she once brutally wronged.
Story Title: Murmuration
Writer: C J O’Hare
Publication Name: Between Two Lampposts
Genre: Narrative
Category: Poetry
URL: https://cjohare.substack.com/p/murmuration
Extra: a narrative poem about growing older and feeling out of touch with reality