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 JANUARY 31 - FEBRUARY 1
Guidelines:
Only fiction shared between January 25th - January 31st on Substack!
This post will be open from NOW until 9pm EST on Saturday, February 1st.
Self-promotion of your fiction is welcome!
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] Category: [Choose 1: 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.
Look for the next TiF Weekly issue on Monday, February 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.
The time to share fiction LOUDLY AND PROUDLY is now!
Extra: From the Stream of Consciousness POV Workshop run by Edith Boy (https://streamofconsciousnesspov.substack.com/). Written with the three-word prompt "Liminal Degloved and Parry". It's a story about a guest being too big for the party.
Extra: An unexpected connection to Amber’s past shakes her foundations. But with it comes the possibility of a new way forward with Morvinus. Will the lovers make it past the first trial?
Extra: This chapter 13 of the store's second part is about Awlin, a ghost that doesn't remember anything about his life before his death has began a Journey, after the Monastery in which he lived was raided. His companions and himself arrive at a village which some strange creatures in service of the evil Empress have burned to the ground, but there are survivors...
Extra: An atmospheric epistolary horror about a young architect in the 1790's south who is tasked with building an important bridge to connect the states to the Southwest Territory, who finds that progress has a terrible price. In part two, winter has ground the project to a halt, and a desperate Archie makes a desperate and ill-advised plea.
Note: Pt 2 picks up where we left off— Randy’s driven by desire and desperation to get his band off the ground; Lynda learns this is the Ruby Slipper ‘s last night; and Denny breaks up his band, the Mind Killers, looking for something more.
Extra: The asthmatic climate scientist Grace Evans is a rising academic star, determined to expose the methane-leaking cracks in gas wells while hiding the widening cracks in her own life.
Extra: A journey into nature becomes a path to self-transformation, where silence is not an absence, but a living force and the boundaries between human and animal blur.
Extra: Matteo is an archeologist researching the history of Incarprettamento, a type of ligature strangulation that may have its history in ritual human sacrifice. The haunting story unfolds for him, as he learns about thirteen year old Hstéhr.
Notes: This poem was written exclusively written after I didn't sleep for a whole night because right before I went to bed I got this great idea for a story, and I decided to stay up and write a bit so I could come back to finish it later. When I got to a decent stopping point it was almost 5 AM; I had to be at a class at 8 and I didn't trust myself to only sleep 3 hours, so I pushed on through. Hopefully I will have the story finished and ready in the next couple weeks, so look out for that if this interests you.
Extra: A door-to-door Tamagotchi salesperson quickly learns that her personality is the product. Themes include social anxiety, people-pleasing, 90s nostalgia and an exploration of personhood in the digital age.
Extra: Determined to save her dying mother, Ley must test her special abilities and become the best fighter in the Games of Station 2-14. Only she soon discovers that she’s not the only one with something to lose.
Extra: Victoria Morrows had served Count Mornay for years when a unexpected visit from a Witch of the Source brings new revelations and power. Can she forgive those who robbed her of who she once was? In the end, will she even be able to forgive herself?
Extra: Angela finds herself juggling Charlie the money man, Harriet the operations woman, Bob the penguin aficionado & mad scientist, and Quint the loan shark. All in an effort to take over the BabyFace empire.
Extra: Towering intellectuals reduced to bumbling idiots, literary speakeasies the target of terror bombings, and jazz musicians left to lament the avant-garde’s last gasp. Philly Giordano continues his investigation into the murder of the century.
Extra: We tend to admire people for who they are not. The men want Hailey and the women want Hailey out of the way. But Hailey isn’t who they think she is.
I don't know how you feel about me reading it out, but I've been doing it since before Substack introduced its own version of videos. I did it once, and two people responded saying they appreciated it because they had poor eyesight. But I also have the print version underneath. I'm wondering if it still qualifies?
Extra: The other kids caught lightning bugs in jars, but Mort never saw the appeal. They were all prisoners themselves, trapped within the walls of the city. Why imprison something so beautiful, so free?
Story Title: Moonlight & Roses
Writer: Maryellen Brady
Publication Name: Magical Musings with MeBrady
Genre: Cozy Fantasy
Category: short story
URL: https://open.substack.com/pub/mebrady/p/moonlight-and-roses?r=tox79&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Extra: This short story tells how a 16 year old Romana is welcomed into her lineage & became the carrier of her family magic.
Story Title: Tragedy Mill
Writer: Keith Long
Publication Name: Loser’s Fiction
Genre: Fantasy
Category: Short Story
URL: https://open.substack.com/pub/losersflashfiction/p/tragedy-mill?r=3517l8&utm_medium=ios
Story Title: Saturnal Cancer
Writer: M.P. Fitzgerald
Publication Name: Graphomania
Genre: Cosmic Horror
Category: Flash Fiction
URL: https://mpfitzgerald.substack.com/p/saturnal-cancer
Extra: From the Stream of Consciousness POV Workshop run by Edith Boy (https://streamofconsciousnesspov.substack.com/). Written with the three-word prompt "Liminal Degloved and Parry". It's a story about a guest being too big for the party.
Story Title: The Art of Darkness (Part 8)
Writer: MaKenna Grace
Publication Name: I’m Not Crazy, I Promise…
Genre: Romance/Mystery
Category: Serial
URL: https://makennagrace.substack.com/p/the-art-of-darkness-part-8?r=1vkyax
Extra: An unexpected connection to Amber’s past shakes her foundations. But with it comes the possibility of a new way forward with Morvinus. Will the lovers make it past the first trial?
Story Title: Self Examination
Writer: Mark Hannam
Publication Name: The Fictional Aether
Genre: Science Fiction
Category: Short story
URL: https://fictionalaether.substack.com/p/self-examination
Extra: My mathematics colleague sent me this from one of the 173 exams he just marked, but let's call it a "short story".
Writer: Mercedes De Santiago.
Publication Name: Mil y Una Historias.
Genre: high fantasy.
Category: Serial.
URL: https://algunashistorias.substack.com/p/chapter-2-13-the-village-on-fire
Extra: This chapter 13 of the store's second part is about Awlin, a ghost that doesn't remember anything about his life before his death has began a Journey, after the Monastery in which he lived was raided. His companions and himself arrive at a village which some strange creatures in service of the evil Empress have burned to the ground, but there are survivors...
Writer: Kathrine Elaine
Publication Name: Kathrine’s substack
Genre: Horror
Category: short story
URL: https://kathrineelaine.substack.com/p/graphomaniac?r=2rhgsy
Extra: ‘Graphomaniac’ is a heavy horror short story. Triggers ahead!
Pssst. Don’t forget to add your Story Title!
Story Title: Sleep, Dearie, Sleep
Writer: Jean Marie Bauhaus
Publication Name: Through a Glass, Darkly
Genre: Historical horror
Category: Short serial
URL: https://jeanmariebauhaus.substack.com/p/sleep-dearie-sleep-episode-two
Extra: An atmospheric epistolary horror about a young architect in the 1790's south who is tasked with building an important bridge to connect the states to the Southwest Territory, who finds that progress has a terrible price. In part two, winter has ground the project to a halt, and a desperate Archie makes a desperate and ill-advised plea.
Story Title: Wild Times at the Ruby Slipper (pt 2)
Writer: Chris DeWitt (Dork Mansion Dispatch)
Genre: Literary Fiction
Type: short serial
URL: https://open.substack.com/pub/dorkmansiondispatch/p/dispatch-20-wild-times-at-the-ruby?r=e4td0&utm_medium=ios
Note: Pt 2 picks up where we left off— Randy’s driven by desire and desperation to get his band off the ground; Lynda learns this is the Ruby Slipper ‘s last night; and Denny breaks up his band, the Mind Killers, looking for something more.
Story Title: Taking a Swing
Writer: Mary
Publication Name: Fiction and Also Cats
Genre: Fiction
Category: Micro Fiction
URL: https://open.substack.com/pub/marymortonwrites/p/taking-a-swing?r=2yd0v5&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Extra: Lucy stands up to the school bully. Today is the day she finally gets to play on the swings.
Story Title: FLUX, ch.2: Transport Phenomena
Writer: Julie Gabrielli
Publication Name: Homecoming
Genre: Literary
Category: Serial
URL: https://open.substack.com/pub/juliegabrielli/p/flux-chapter-2?r=4cg2x&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Extra: The asthmatic climate scientist Grace Evans is a rising academic star, determined to expose the methane-leaking cracks in gas wells while hiding the widening cracks in her own life.
Story: Management Class
Writer: Thomas Foydel
Publication Name: False Choices
Genre: Literary Fiction
Category: Short Story
URL: https://falsechoices.substack.com/p/management-class
Extra: A midwest snowstorm sheds some light on how we live
Story Title: Names
Writer: Bri Heron
Publication Name: Writing on a Whim
Genre: Thriller
Category: Short Serial
URL: https://briheron.substack.com/p/names-05b
Extra: A man meets another woman, Allie, and describes his encounter with her.
Story Title: The Quieting
Writer: Emma
Publication Name: The Midnight Quill
Genre: Magical Realism
Category: Short Story
URL: https://open.substack.com/pub/themidnightquillwrites/p/the-quieting?r=2w1yax&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Extra: A journey into nature becomes a path to self-transformation, where silence is not an absence, but a living force and the boundaries between human and animal blur.
Story Title: Kiss of the Viper
Writer: Ken Beyer
Publication Name: My personal Substack
Genre: Literary Fiction
Category: Short Story
URL: kbeyer.Substack.com
Extra: Tell us about your story in three sentences or less. Historical Fiction of Tales of the Louisiana Bayou
Story Title: The Day After
Writer: Daniel O'Donnell
Publication Name: Dans Deliberations
Genre: Literary Fiction
Category: Micro Fiction
URL: https://open.substack.com/pub/danielodonnell/p/the-day-after?r=2bfxud&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Extra: The aftermath of a storm and what's to come
Story Title: Incarprettamento
Writer: Melissa Smith
Publication Name: Melissa Smith
Genre: Folk Horror
Category: Short Story
URL: https://open.substack.com/pub/creativerebel222/p/incarprettamento?r=4len4i&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
Extra: Matteo is an archeologist researching the history of Incarprettamento, a type of ligature strangulation that may have its history in ritual human sacrifice. The haunting story unfolds for him, as he learns about thirteen year old Hstéhr.
Story Title: MOTHER
Writer: Keith Long
Publication Name: Loser’s Fiction
Genre: Stream of Conciousness
Category: Flash Fiction
URL: https://open.substack.com/pub/losersflashfiction/p/mother?r=3517l8&utm_medium=ios
Note: other genre tags, horror, literary fiction
Story Title: White Night and a Suicide Drill
Writer: John Calvin
Publication Name: Calvin's Cavern
Genre: free verse
Category: Poetry
URL: https://open.substack.com/pub/johnbcalvin/p/white-night-and-a-suicide-drill?r=2kb11f&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Notes: This poem was written exclusively written after I didn't sleep for a whole night because right before I went to bed I got this great idea for a story, and I decided to stay up and write a bit so I could come back to finish it later. When I got to a decent stopping point it was almost 5 AM; I had to be at a class at 8 and I didn't trust myself to only sleep 3 hours, so I pushed on through. Hopefully I will have the story finished and ready in the next couple weeks, so look out for that if this interests you.
Story Title: Tamagotchi'd
Writer: Gabby
Publication Name: Tinfoil Diaries
Genre: Literary
Category: Flash Fiction
URL: https://tinfoildiaries.substack.com/p/tamagotchid
Extra: A door-to-door Tamagotchi salesperson quickly learns that her personality is the product. Themes include social anxiety, people-pleasing, 90s nostalgia and an exploration of personhood in the digital age.
Story Title: One Last Ciggy
Writer: Rosie B
Publication Name: Rosie B
Genre: Literary
Category: Flash Fiction
URL: https://open.substack.com/pub/rosiebannerman/p/one-last-ciggy?r=27xjfl&utm_medium=ios
Extra: A clairvoyant predicts a tidal wave will wipe out a coastal town. It’s not going to happen, right?
Story Title: Éowyn
Writer: C J O’Hare
Publication Name: Between Two Lampposts
Genre: Free Verse
Category: Poetry
URL: https://cjohare.substack.com/p/eowyn
Extra: A poem about stormy weather (and stormy relationships)
Story Title: Station 2-14
Writer: Cameron Scott
Publication Name: Verse
Genre: Sci-fi
Category: Serial
URL: https://cameronscott.substack.com/p/station-2-14-chapter-one
Extra: Determined to save her dying mother, Ley must test her special abilities and become the best fighter in the Games of Station 2-14. Only she soon discovers that she’s not the only one with something to lose.
Story Title: The Diabolical Revenge of Victoria Morrows
Writer: Maya Westerly
Publication Name: Deviant Worlds
Genre: Fantasy
Category: Serial Part 1 of 8
URL: https://restlessquill21.substack.com/p/the-diabolical-revenge-of-victoria
Extra: Victoria Morrows had served Count Mornay for years when a unexpected visit from a Witch of the Source brings new revelations and power. Can she forgive those who robbed her of who she once was? In the end, will she even be able to forgive herself?
Story Title: A ring for every finger
Writer: Rostislava Pankova-Karadjova
Publication Name: Airings
Genre: Fiction
Category: Short Story
URL: https://open.substack.com/pub/rostislava/p/a-ring-for-every-finger?r=zcxsb&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Extra: A tale with an ending that might look like a happy one, but isn't.
Story Title: Episode 5: Captain Polly
Writer: Chris Lynch
Publication Name: The Amazing Adventures of Tortoise & Gecko
Genre: Fantasy
Category: Serial
URL: https://tortoiseandgecko.substack.com/p/episode-5
Extra:
Tortoise & Gecko make a momentous decision.
Story Title: Baby Face
Writer: Jude Klinger
Publication Name: Camera Tenebris
Genre: Noir
Category: Serial, Part 2 of 2
URL: https://cameratenebris.substack.com/p/babyface
Extra: Angela finds herself juggling Charlie the money man, Harriet the operations woman, Bob the penguin aficionado & mad scientist, and Quint the loan shark. All in an effort to take over the BabyFace empire.
Story Title: Accidental Nightmares
Writer: James Kenwood
Publication Name: Grim Acres
Genre: Sci-Fi
Category: Short Story
URL: https://jameskenwood.substack.com/p/accidental-nightmares
Extra: First contact with an alien species... except it doesn't quite go as planned.
Story Title: Winding Ways
Writer: Maximilian P Siddell
Publication Name: A Stream of Counsciousness
Genre: Literary
Category: Poetry
Url: https://mpsiddell.substack.com/p/winding-ways
When you stand at the crossroads of destiny, which path will you take?
Story Title: “Who Killed Storytelling” (Part 3)
Writer: Michael Arturo
Publication Name: Michael Arturo
Genre: Meta-Fiction
Category: Short Serial
URL: https://michaelarturo.substack.com/p/who-killed-storytelling-part-3
Extra: Towering intellectuals reduced to bumbling idiots, literary speakeasies the target of terror bombings, and jazz musicians left to lament the avant-garde’s last gasp. Philly Giordano continues his investigation into the murder of the century.
Story Title: What's a Dragon? Chapter 30 - Particulars
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-30
Extra: Emilie finally gets to look in a mirror.
Story Title: Those harsh insistent winds of the west
Writer: A.P. Murphy
Publication Name: The Strangeness Kit
Genre: Horror
Category: Short Story
URL: https://thestrangenesskit.substack.com/p/those-harsh-insistent-winds-of-the
Extra: Dreamlike piece about a family in a storm
Story Title: Taxi Cab
Writer: Blace Alcock
Publication Name: Blace Alcock
Genre: Literary Fiction
Category: Short Story
URL: https://open.substack.com/pub/blacealcock/p/taxi-cab?r=3vpd6z&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
Extra: The rumination of a murderous Don Quixote type.
Story Title: Bad Places #4
Writer: Ken Flyingheart
Publication Name: Echoes from the Well
Genre: Horror
Category: short story
URL: https://kenflyingheart1.substack.com/p/bad-places-4
Extra: A man recalling his experience in a "bad place".
Story Title: Mother
Writer: E.K. MacPherson
Publication Name: Ether Nothings
Genre: Literary Fiction
Category: Micro/Flash Fiction
URL: https://ekmacpherson.substack.com/p/mother-microfiction
Extra: 100 words from a force of nature.
Story Title: Forbidden Teacher
Writer: Alexander Blaine
Publication Name: Dark Fiction Bodega
Genre: Psychedelic Literary
Category: Flash Fiction
URL: https://alexanderblaine.substack.com/p/forbidden-teacher
Extra: A frustrated youth takes an introspective mushroom trip atop Mt. Wilson.
Story Title: We Gather Here Today
Writer: Jennifer James
Publication Name: Adventure To A Quiet Place
Genre: Comedy
Category: Short Story
URL: https://adventuretoaquietplace.substack.com/p/we-gather-here-today
Extra: Three views of the same funeral from three very different people.
Story Title: Round and Round
Writer: Sharron Bassano
Publication Name: 🌿Leaves
Genre: Sci-fi
Category: 50-word story
URL: https://sharronbassano.substack.com/p/wild-fruit-e39
Life Cycle: Here we go again...
Story Title: Dance Your Desires
Writer: Joseph L Wiess
Publication Name: Crann Na Beatha
Genre: Fantasy
Category: Serial
URL: https://josephwiess.substack.com/p/dance-your-desires
Extra: Heather, Amelia, and Nell dance for Balgair. Each dance is unique, showing the day each girl met Balgair.
Story Title: The Curse of Shadow Valley
Writer: Bryan Russell
Publication Name: Bryan Russell
Genre: Horror
Category: Short Story
URL: https://open.substack.com/pub/bryanrussell1/p/the-curse-of-shadow-valley?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=11vroc
Extra: A widowed police officer is in pursuit of a supernatural creature.
Story Title: The Hive
Writer: S M Garratt
Publication Name: The Oort Cloud
Genre: Science Fiction
Category: Flash Fiction
URL: https://theoortcloud.substack.com/p/the-hive?r=4c2xuj
Extra: When your job pushes you to the limits and beyond, what will you do to get a good severance package?
Story Title: 13. Raiders in the night
Writer: A.M. Ward
Publication Name: Heaven and Earth: The Heshra Chronicles
Genre: Fantasy
Category: Serial
URL: https://byamward.substack.com/p/13?r=3rbt35
Extra: When strange creatures attack, Hal must fight to defend his family's farm.
Story Title: Witchwars Chapter 1
Writer: Tai An Zhou
Publication Name: Tomato of Justice
Genre: Fantasy
Category: Serial
URL: https://substack.com/home/post/p-155914682?source=queue&autoPlay=false
Extra: The first chapter of a book I have on Amazon.
Writer: C.S. Mee
Publication Name: The Deep
Genre: Literary Fiction
Category: Short Story
URL: https://open.substack.com/pub/csmee/p/leftover-blood-in-the-bath-water?r=3v8lws&utm_medium=ios
Extra: We tend to admire people for who they are not. The men want Hailey and the women want Hailey out of the way. But Hailey isn’t who they think she is.
Story Title: Ecclefoyle
Writer: Cobol
Publication Name: Synopsys
Genre: Literary Fiction
Category: Mythology
URL: https://open.substack.com/pub/synopsys/p/ecclefoyle?r=64ykk&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Story Title: Why Teach? - chapter 15
Writer: Peter Shull
Publication Name: lower midlist
Genre: Literary Fiction
Category: Serial Fiction
URL: https://pshull.substack.com/p/why-teach-chapter-15
Extra: The beginning of Part II of the novel: William returns to school after Christmas Break and discovers that his books are missing.
TITLE: THE EVIL THAT MEN DO
WRITER: BEN WOESTENBURG
SCRIBBLER -- A PORTAL TO FICTION
GENRE: LITERARY
CATEGORY: SHORT SERIAL (8 parts)
url: https://benwoestenburg.substack.com/p/throwback-thursday-24b?r=254e8w
TITLE: CINDERELLA & HER SISTERS
WRITER: BEN WOESTENBURG
SCRIBBLER -- A PORTAL TO FICTION
GENRE: HISTORICAL FICTION
CATEGORY: SHORT SERIAL
URL: https://benwoestenburg.substack.com/p/cinderella-and-her-sisters-11e?r=254e8w
I don't know how you feel about me reading it out, but I've been doing it since before Substack introduced its own version of videos. I did it once, and two people responded saying they appreciated it because they had poor eyesight. But I also have the print version underneath. I'm wondering if it still qualifies?
Story Title: Wisp
Writer: Josh Louis
Publication Name: Your Path to Publication
Genre: Fantasy
Category: Microfiction/Flash Fiction
URL: https://jlouiscreative.substack.com/p/wisp-microfiction-friday
Extra: The other kids caught lightning bugs in jars, but Mort never saw the appeal. They were all prisoners themselves, trapped within the walls of the city. Why imprison something so beautiful, so free?
Story Title: Between A Rock And A Dream Place
Writer: Mark Jarret
Publication Name: DarkLight
Genre: Science Fiction
Category: Serial
URL: https://open.substack.com/pub/mjporter/p/death-of-an-author?r=1ujboa&utm_medium=ios
Extra: Shoes considers the possibility she is trapped in a virtual projection, because how else could a child’s shadow hand cause a solar eclipse?
Story Title: Parasites
Writer: Sue Meredith Mann
Publication Name: On the Road to Jericho
Genre: Literary Fiction
Category: Serial
URL: https://ontheroadtojericho.substack.com/p/35-cairo-1996-parasites
Extra: Eleanor is keeping secrets again. As her condition worsens, Magda intervenes.