avatarAlex Kilcannon

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Abstract

          <div><h3>The virus kept us inside. The news kept us entertained.</h3></div>
            <div><p>medium.com</p></div>
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            <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*30mOQxpJyec2ZTsJ0dNWdw.jpeg)"></div>
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      </a>
    </div><p id="0ed0">I was instantly intrigued when I spotted this title. I started reading and couldn’t stop. <a href="undefined">Terrye Turpin</a> is an incredible writer and proves that a kiss is more than just a kiss, it’s a story in itself.</p><div id="3526" class="link-block">
      <a href="https://psiloveyou.xyz/a-kiss-for-norma-jean-1a3f44f7838b">
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          <div>
            <h2>A Kiss for Norma Jean</h2>
            <div><h3>Fiction Friday</h3></div>
            <div><p>psiloveyou.xyz</p></div>
          </div>
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            <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*BcMHgXohIeqgZv6RNgp1lA.jpeg)"></div>
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      </a>
    </div><p id="0eee"><a href="undefined">Craig Brett</a> writes this science fiction piece in the present tense using third-person omniscient narrator (I think, correct me if I’m wrong). That’s a tricky task to do well but he pulls it off masterfully as the drama unfolds in <i>The Moon</i>.</p><div id="8387" class="link-block">
      <a href="https://readmedium.com/the-moon-2ca0313f751a">
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          <div>
            <h2>The Moon</h2>
            <div><h3>The nine black ovoids emerge from the dark side of the moon, flying low and fast out into the silent gray wasteland…</h3></div>
            <div><p>medium.com</p></div>
          </div>
          <div>
            <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*j3CEAimSI1mAFw1TTkbHuA.jpeg)"></div>
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      </a>
    </div><p id="7208">And whilst I’m on the subject of difficult to pull off narrative techniques, here’s <a href="undefined">Aggee</a>’s android story which successfully uses the second person point of view.</p><div id="0bd0" class="link-block">
      <a href="https://psiloveyou.xyz/sorry-youre-not-allowed-to-be-human-3ec6725aab28">
        <div>
          <div>
            <h2>Sorry, You’re Not Allowed to Be Human</h2>
            <div><h3>You blink for the first time in four hours.</h3></div>
            <div><p>psiloveyou.xyz</p></div>
          </div>
          <div>
            <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*KQqcT0jDDBwxHQM7.jpg)"></div>
          </div>
        </div>
      </a>
    </div><p id="99f4"><a href="undefined">Ravyne Hawke</a> is a multi-genre writer on Medium but her specialities are dark flash tales. Well worth checking out her profile and her personal p<a href="https://medium.com/the-rattling-bones">ublication</a> to discover more of her prose and poetry. Here’s one of my favourites.</p><div id="2292" class="link-block">
      <a href="https://readmedium.com/a-stormy-feast-4dc55529d9d8">
        <div>
          <div>
            <h2>A Stormy Feast</h2>
            <div><h3>Flash Fiction — Dark Tales Series</h3></div>
            <div><p>medium.com</p></div>
          </div>
          <div>
            <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*OzGLrW5HsailUKbVFaD5fw.jpeg)"></div>
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        </div>
      </a>
    </div><p id="430f"><a href="undefined">J.A. Taylor</a> is one of my favourite writers on Medium. He creates twisty tales in 500 words or less, which is no easy feat. Here’s his latest fantasy story.</p><div id="05f1" class="link-block">
      <a href="https://readmedium.com/fleet-of-the-dragon-throne-98890999a6fd">
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          <div>
            <h2>Fleet of the Dragon Throne</h2>
            <div><h3>The most powerful weapon saved everyone except himself</h3></div>
            <div><p>medium.com</p></div>
          </div>
          <div>
            <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*ZV-Fx7FFDh4kXPCS7m_CAQ.jpeg)"></div>
          </div>
        </div>
      </a>
    </div><p id="ae3b"><a href="undefined">Melissa Coffey</a> has written a deliciously descriptive flash fiction for a prompt by another Medium writer in the Neverending Poem Challenge on <a href="https://medium.com/share-the-love">Share the Love</a>.</p><div id="2c20" class="link-block">
      <a href="https://readmedium.com/hurdy-gurdy-love-4cbfe00bcfc3">
        <div>
          <div>
            <h2>Hurdy-Gurdy Love</h2>
            <div><h3>Roll up, roll up for another ride on the Carnival Prompt</h3></div>
            <div><p>medium.com</p></div>
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Options

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      </a>
    </div><p id="cead">I’ve just discovered <a href="undefined">Ian Murphy</a> through this piece here. Again, the title caught my eye and the story was intriguing.</p><div id="1cc6" class="link-block">
      <a href="https://readmedium.com/24-hour-ressurection-service-22321faa5d4">
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          <div>
            <h2>24 Hour Resurrection Service</h2>
            <div><h3>Please be on time for your appointment</h3></div>
            <div><p>medium.com</p></div>
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            <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*T5IaQIs1KAHVllEXRXWqmw.jpeg)"></div>
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      </a>
    </div><p id="0458"><a href="undefined">B. Shannon</a> has a few Sci-Fi shorts to his name. This was the first I read by him and remains one of my favourites.</p><div id="07d3" class="link-block">
      <a href="https://readmedium.com/the-wormhole-f2d7653933c6">
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          <div>
            <h2>The Wormhole</h2>
            <div><h3>This was too big to miss</h3></div>
            <div><p>medium.com</p></div>
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          <div>
            <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*03Yz89NQOE8MuBFhIZnSKA.jpeg)"></div>
          </div>
        </div>
      </a>
    </div><p id="c612"><a href="undefined">Jennifer Mittler-Lee</a> has created this fabulous tale of puzzle playing that goes wrong.</p><div id="5a10" class="link-block">
      <a href="https://readmedium.com/try-and-break-my-record-7d8949d0cfb7">
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          <div>
            <h2>Try and Break My Record</h2>
            <div><h3>The real game begins now.</h3></div>
            <div><p>medium.com</p></div>
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          <div>
            <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*sdmH2ys5ejp3lCaX)"></div>
          </div>
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      </a>
    </div><p id="61e3">I’ve only just discovered <a href="undefined">Franco Amati</a>’s fiction. He’s a fantastic speculative fiction writer and this story was fun and original.</p><div id="651d" class="link-block">
      <a href="https://readmedium.com/conjure-a-bud-f4b1eb4d5b82">
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          <div>
            <h2>Conjure a Bud</h2>
            <div><h3>Flash Fiction</h3></div>
            <div><p>medium.com</p></div>
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            <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*KhAHVNIdX26DGMaN)"></div>
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      </a>
    </div><p id="cceb"><a href="https://medium.com/fantasy-shorts">Fantasy Shorts</a> is running another themed writing prompt on Ancient Civilisations for July. Why not try your hand at a complete fantasy story in 500 words or less and submit it to the publication.</p><div id="0ff5" class="link-block">
      <a href="https://readmedium.com/july-writing-prompt-ancient-cultures-ca8cbae86a5f">
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          <div>
            <h2>July Writing Prompt: Ancient Cultures</h2>
            <div><h3>Write a fictional story in a historical setting</h3></div>
            <div><p>medium.com</p></div>
          </div>
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            <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*htb8VeNSm6KkwxBHaxkF4A.jpeg)"></div>
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      </a>
    </div><p id="7a87"><a href="https://medium.com/tempest-in-under-1000">Tempest in Under 1000</a> is running a flash fiction competition. There’s a cash prize and the entry rules are below. The submission close date is August 1st but it’s only 400 words so support them and submit something fab.</p><div id="decc" class="link-block">
      <a href="https://readmedium.com/announcing-tempests-first-writing-contest-405781a39c90">
        <div>
          <div>
            <h2>Announcing Tempest’s First Writing Contest</h2>
            <div><h3>Free to enter: submit, cross fingers, cash check</h3></div>
            <div><p>medium.com</p></div>
          </div>
          <div>
            <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*T0yv0_D-k-f1pnJZ7khlgw.jpeg)"></div>
          </div>
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      </a>
    </div><p id="d7b8">That’s about it from me this month. I need to go get writing again. What fiction plans do you have, Medium or otherwise, for August? I’d love to hear about them in the comments.</p><p id="f3af">Have a great rest of the month and keep writing so I have lots of new stories to discover for the next Fiction Finds post.</p></article></body>

Favourite Fiction Finds July 2020

Some of my favourite fiction discovered on Medium

Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

I’ve been a bit naff on Medium this past week or two so apologies if you’ve responded to me and I’ve not got back to you. I’m slowly catching up.

I’m back at work post-lockdown and thoroughly enjoying it. I’d not appreciated my freelance work enough until I had it taken away from me for a few months. I have an amazing job and I know how lucky I am.

I’m currently recovering from a four-day expedition with a bunch of awesome teens along the Kennet and Avon canal in the south of England.

I have muscles on my muscles from opening the locks that control the flow of water up and down hills and from cycling and paddling alongside the participants. We had to make adaptations for the pesky virus for the expedition of course, but it didn’t spoil the fun.

I haven’t had a chance to write much myself on Medium but I have been reading some of your writings. Here’s July’s roundup of some of my favourite fiction on Medium.

I must stress this is only some of my favourites as the more I dig into this site the more amazing authors I find. I’m sorry that I can’t fit everyone into a monthly post like this but I hope you’ll take time to read some of the other writers listed here and show their work some love.

If you think I’m missing out on an awesome author, please let me know their Medium handle in the comments so I can find them.

Before we head to the fiction, if any of you are thinking of putting something together for Amazon Kindle, Martin Rushton — aka The Rude Poet — has created a guide based on his own experiences of setting up a book for KDP. If, like me, you’re a complete noob to the idea then you’ll find his guide helpful.

Charles Dickens serialised some of his most famous novels in literary journals. It’s a fine tradition and one that can benefit novelists for a whole host of reasons. Mark Starlin has written about his experiences of serialising his novel on Medium before self-publishing it on Amazon. He gives some practical advice and fascinating insights into the process here.

There are also two new Facebook groups specifically to support fiction writers Bill Adler’s Medium Fiction Writers and Steve B Howard’s Medium Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers which he posted details about here. I hope to see you over there, let’s keep uplifting Medium’s fiction community.

Onto the fic!

I love post-apocalyptic fic almost as much as I love discovering a new writer in the genre. Here’s Jack Woodyard’s Dogfood, a virus story with an epic twist that made me do a double-take at the end.

I was instantly intrigued when I spotted this title. I started reading and couldn’t stop. Terrye Turpin is an incredible writer and proves that a kiss is more than just a kiss, it’s a story in itself.

Craig Brett writes this science fiction piece in the present tense using third-person omniscient narrator (I think, correct me if I’m wrong). That’s a tricky task to do well but he pulls it off masterfully as the drama unfolds in The Moon.

And whilst I’m on the subject of difficult to pull off narrative techniques, here’s Aggee’s android story which successfully uses the second person point of view.

Ravyne Hawke is a multi-genre writer on Medium but her specialities are dark flash tales. Well worth checking out her profile and her personal publication to discover more of her prose and poetry. Here’s one of my favourites.

J.A. Taylor is one of my favourite writers on Medium. He creates twisty tales in 500 words or less, which is no easy feat. Here’s his latest fantasy story.

Melissa Coffey has written a deliciously descriptive flash fiction for a prompt by another Medium writer in the Neverending Poem Challenge on Share the Love.

I’ve just discovered Ian Murphy through this piece here. Again, the title caught my eye and the story was intriguing.

B. Shannon has a few Sci-Fi shorts to his name. This was the first I read by him and remains one of my favourites.

Jennifer Mittler-Lee has created this fabulous tale of puzzle playing that goes wrong.

I’ve only just discovered Franco Amati’s fiction. He’s a fantastic speculative fiction writer and this story was fun and original.

Fantasy Shorts is running another themed writing prompt on Ancient Civilisations for July. Why not try your hand at a complete fantasy story in 500 words or less and submit it to the publication.

Tempest in Under 1000 is running a flash fiction competition. There’s a cash prize and the entry rules are below. The submission close date is August 1st but it’s only 400 words so support them and submit something fab.

That’s about it from me this month. I need to go get writing again. What fiction plans do you have, Medium or otherwise, for August? I’d love to hear about them in the comments.

Have a great rest of the month and keep writing so I have lots of new stories to discover for the next Fiction Finds post.

Fiction
Short Story
Science Fiction
Fantasy
Writing
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