editorial by Camille Gooderham Campbell
From the Editors
Thank you for your patience with our delayed start this month. As some of you may know, Google stopped supporting the login system version used by our submissions database, locking out hundreds of authors and half our editorial team for about a week before the issue could be resolved.
These things always happen at the busiest times! On April 20th, Every Day Novels launched the serialization of Captain Bartholomew Quasar and the Space-Time Displacement Conundrum by Milo James Fowler. Check it out — the first five chapters are free to read on the site. We’ve had several Captain Quasar stories here at EDF, and the good captain has also popped up at other fine fiction joints around the internet. If you’re a fan, come on over.
For Readers
We’d really hoped for something cosmic, maybe some space opera, for May the 4th… but since nothing quite like that came our way this month, we give you “Liver Oil” by Van Zeller, which at least has some of the atmosphere of a certain cantina. You could also check out a classic EDF story from back in 2008, “The Only Difference Between Men and Boys” by Nicholas Ozment…
It was hard to choose something for Memorial Day, being a Monday. Not wanting to start a week with something too depressing, we chose “The Report” by Buddy Shay, as it has some humorous notes but also features the death of a serving officer. We have a couple of other stories this month that could have served well on the day, but they’re just too grim for a Monday; here’s a nod of recognition to “Flares” by Tim Hanson and “Black Water” by Matthew Lavin.
For Writers
We are very sorry to see Jim Harrington step down as managing editor of Flash Fiction Chronicles. He has given his time and energy over an amazing two years of leading and supporting FFC’s mission to help in the growth of quality flash fiction and lead discussion of the art and craft of flash fiction, fiction in general, and the issues of writing, marketing, and publishing today. As it was with founding editor Gay Degani, Jim cannot be replaced or substituted for, but we’re hoping to find a new volunteer (or team of volunteers) to step up and carry on FFC’s work (if you think this might be a good fit for you, contact us for an interview). Jim leaves us with a month of articles scheduled for May, so no lights are going out quite yet. In the meantime, please join me in thanking Jim for all the time and energy and care he gave to FFC over the past two years.
And now we move along to the stories we have for you this month…
May’s Table of Contents
May 4 | Van Zeller | Liver Oil |
May 5 | Walt Giersbach | Stella’s Chili |
May 6 | Kira Plummer | The Education of Jimmy Cooke |
May 7 | LB Thomas | Claws |
May 8 | Sara Roberts | Fixing Things |
May 9 | Jared Golub | Fire Water |
May 10 | Gustavo Bondoni | A Lot to Talk About |
May 11 | Andrea LoFiego | Breakfast |
May 12 | Hermine Robinson | Thrift Store Princess |
May 13 | D. Quentin Miller | Life Without Wishes |
May 14 | Nicholas Olson | Neat Piles |
May 15 | Matthew Lavin | Black Lake |
May 16 | Scott T. Harker | Dumb Debbie |
May 17 | Bernard Reed | At the Moment of the Giraffe |
May 18 | Aaron Emmel | Jacob Gayne, Vice President |
May 19 | Jessi Cole Jackson | Lady Cintron and the Bull |
May 20 | Steven L. Peck | Tales from Pleasant Grove |
May 21 | C.M. Gabbett | Her Number |
May 22 | Tim Hanson | Flares |
May 23 | Kristin Lea Berry | Goodbye, Mick |
May 24 | Georgene Smith Goodin | Unwrapped |
May 25 | Buddy Shay | The Report |
May 26 | M. E. Hopkins | Object Lessons |
May 27 | Sean Hill | The Baleful Tome |
May 28 | Justin Eells | Bonzo’s |
May 29 | Terry Ibele | Red |
May 30 | Clint Wastling | Monsieur Alphonse’s Garden |
May 31 | J. J. Roth | Barden Bernick, Living the Dream |