October 7, 2021

“The Place Where the Chiefs Meet,” by Frank Diamond

Editor’s Note: We are pleased to announce the return of Frank Diamond to the Café. His latest short story, presented here, is accompanied by the song “To Live Again” by singer/songwriter Camille Peruto, and a reading of the story by actress Maggie Peruto. The Place Where the Chiefs Meet I am 26 and it’s the night my father died. My mother insists that I had nothing to do with it. My siblings don’t play; they curse me over the phone. They’ll be in tomorrow. At one point, I slump at the kitchen table, crying and sick from withdrawal. Crystal tugs my arm: “Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!” I shake loose and run out. I should head to my apartment, but I don’t want to be alone. Dizzy’s not there. He’s heard about Antonio and decides to visit friends “in Jersey.” That’s…

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October 6, 2021

Independent Publishers of New England’s Virtual Conference

Posted by Mike Rochester in News

Dear Coffee Clubbers, The Fictional Café is excited to announce that the nonprofit publishing group Independent Publishers of New England (IPNE) will be holding their annual conference virtually this year, so anyone, anywhere can join! Several of your baristas are members of the group and our founder, Jack, will even be presenting himself! Please join us for 2 days of education and networking at the 10th Annual (virtual) Independent Publishers and Authors conference November 5-6. WHO SHOULD ATTEND? · Independent Publishers · Author Publishers (Self-Publishers) · Partners of Publishers; Industry Suppliers · Writers and Others Who Dream of Being Happily Published! The conference will feature some big names in the publishing industry, including keynote speakers Paige Allen, director of IngramSpark, Cevin Breyerman, CEO of Publisher’s Weekly, and Jane Friedman, indie publishing guru. We’ll have speakers…

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October 5, 2021

“Architeuthis Considers the Sapiens,” by Katy Scrogin

Posted by Mike Rochester in Writing

Architeuthis Considers the Sapiens Before, we could believe in their innocence when they’d only seen us dead, another limp tendril of sea-culled debris delivered to dry land in those in-between hours when it was understood that nothing happened or arrived outside the boundaries of their serene dreams They had eons to build legends upon our pale still limbs to fill their need for fable with splayed gray membranes growing stale and sacred on the sand But now their truth-seekers know the cold-tingling thrill of penetration into deep-dwelling realms      of untethered motion      volition the stinging grasp of unstoried life. What now, my unarmed soul, now that they know? * It wasn’t until 2006 that humans finally saw a living Architeuthis dux, or giant squid. Until that point, the dead specimens…

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October 1, 2021

Horror City Radio Presents Six Tales of Terror

Posted by Ruby Fink in Audio Arts

Welcome back Fictional Café listeners to our Halloween Horror Month!! We’ve got a lot of spooky stories meant to terrify and traumatize, starting with Horror City Radio, a collaboration podcast by various writers and actors. WARNING: Please remember, these stories ARE NOT for the faint of heart, or for those who are easily spooked or scared. Horror City Radio (formerly Horror.City) is a horror story podcast created with all original stories, characters, and content. This is not random creepypasta. These individual tales build up a world—a world with something terribly wrong inside. Darkness controls every corner of this city, and madness runs rampant. Follow along with reoccurring characters as their journeys interweave and piece together the terror that is . . . Horror City. Episode 1 Episode 1 featuring: “The Driver: Graveyard Shift” by Mike…

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September 30, 2021

Barbara Potter — Musician Photographer

Posted by Mike Rochester in Fine Art

Artist’s Statement: Photographed on a local lake front. I wanted to try a wide-angle lens before purchasing it. I rented a 14-24mm and it did not disappoint! It allowed me to get very close to my subject, so you hopefully feel like you are right there listening to them play like I did! Eight images were used from this session for the vinyl record album and cd cover insert but this image was not chosen by the record label. It was my favorite from the session. My client was taking a break when I noticed the two reflections in the mirrors and got this shot. This image was shot in my client’s den . . . a very small den, which made it extremely challenging. The original portrait was very colorful. Purple velvet jacket, burgundy chair and peach color…

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September 28, 2021

“The Templar Reprisals,” An Excerpt by James D. Best

Posted by Mike Rochester in Writing

Editor’s Note: James D. Best is a prolific author, perhaps best known for his Steve Dancy Westerns, which have sold over 100,000 copies. Jim’s tagline for the seven novels (and one short story collection) is “Honest Westerns. Full of Dishonest Characters.” But like many successful popular fiction authors such as Lee Child, Michael Connelly, Lisa Gardner and John Sandford (to name a few of my favorites), Jim has written some excellent works beyond the Dancy series: Deluge, The Shut Mouth Society, and now The Templar Reprisals. I’m a big fan of his work, not only because he’s a darned good writer but he also writes excellent, intriguing stories. He lives up a hundred percent to my favorite aphorism, “A good story, well told.” Herewith, the first four chapters of “Templar.” If you like what you…

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September 26, 2021

September Edition of “The Break from HOKAIC”

Posted by Mike Rochester in News

Jason’s Notes From the Lab… I’ve been gone for a few months, diving deep into the next stages of my publishing career. Most specifically I’ve been looking at companies to manage some advertising and publicity, so I can focus more on what I’m best at. There are dozens, probably hundreds of options and candidates. I won’t speak to any specific brands this time, but here are the most important things I’ve learned about this over the past months. Fiverr is good for graphic design, but bad for managing advertising. Fiverr pro is better, but expensive enough you can hire a local for the same money most of the time. Many publishing and advertising companies offer free webinars to gather leads. These webinars alone have enough information to up the game of most writers breaking into publicizing their own books. If you’re not spending…

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September 23, 2021

“Souls of Their Feet,” A Short Story by John E. Caulton

Posted by Mike Rochester in Writing

So as not to be overheard, I stoop a little and whisper into the youth’s ear, “What’s with the mucky feet again, eh? It’s all right depicting the hoi polloi in such a way, I suppose, but the Virgin? I mean, c’mon!” The youth, not feeling the need to lower his own voice, is not very forthcoming. Half smiling, half sneering, he curtly replies, “With respect sir, my master already explained it to you, on your last visit, if you remember.” Indeed, he had, and rather bluntly too. In fact, I almost wish I hadn’t asked at all, but I simply needed to know about the feet business. We all did. I change tack. “Has he forgiven me, yet?” I ask the youth. He answers, “For asking too many questions, maybe. But for the figurine,…

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September 21, 2021

“The Awakening of Artemis,” An Excerpt by John Calia

Posted by Mike Rochester in Writing

The missile hit just as she was activating her ground control station. Drone pilot Diana Gutierrez-Adams was about to fly her first combat mission when she was thrown across the room. Dizzy from the blow to her head, she stumbled to her feet. Points of light prickled in her eyes. The pain she should have felt was overcome by the rush of adrenaline. Looking around, she realized the east end of the building had collapsed, destroying several stations and likely killing the drone pilots. She swung around toward Gabrielle’s station. Like Diana, she had been thrown to the floor but, unlike Diana, she was unconscious. “Gabrielle!” she yelled as she took a step toward her friend. Her head spinning, she tripped forward breaking her fall with her elbows. She crawled across the room and knelt down next to…

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September 17, 2021

“Agonal Dreams,” A Post-Apocalyptic Audio Drama

Posted by Mike Rochester in Audio Arts

Who’s ready to get a head start on our Halloween fun with a little “Agonal Dreams” by Courtney Holloway? Due to the immense amount of submissions that we have received in the spirit of the spookiest holiday of the year, we will be kicking off our own Fictional Café celebration a little early. However, I should warn our listeners that due to the horror genre of this audio production, these are episodes not for the faint of heart, and should probably not be listened to if you have problems with EXPLICIT CONTENT and VIOLENCE. We are posting them in order to celebrate Halloween by sharing the scariest stories we can find. With that in mind, I would like to present : The Beginning of the End, a three-part series. The Beginning Of The End Three…

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