October 2, 2017

It’s October Already? Some Really Big News!

It’s October Already? Some Really Big News!

Whoa, what happened to those lazy, crazy days of summer? Or “Indian Summer,” that Fall event that it’s politically incorrect to be called? They just flew by, and here we are, us New Englanders, bracing for a cold, snowy winter. But at least we still have a glimmer of hope for a colorful leaf-turning October and, of course, Halloween. So with those thoughts in mind, we plan to bring you some season-changing creativity month. We baristas are trying to select works we’ve received that link in on an October-y theme without resorting to outright horror, ghosts, spooks and trick-or-treating. We’ll get you something new each week in fiction, poetry, art, podcasts, and – NEW!- video. If you want to pumpkin-up your java before you sit down with our offerings, by all means do so! But……

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September 28, 2017

Inside an Amazon Bookstore: Rachael Allen, Our Intrepid Correspondent, Reports

Inside an Amazon Bookstore: Rachael Allen, Our Intrepid Correspondent, Reports

A Summer at Amazon Books by Rachael Allen You walk into a bookstore. Something is different, you think. You pay for a cold brew from Peet’s Coffee & Tea, located in the rear of the store, then walk around, assessing. Perhaps it’s the orientation of the books: they all face out, squared shoulders, as if presenting their best selves to a potential new owner. Perhaps it’s the black review cards tacked below each book, giving you booklover22’s opinion on why All the Light We Cannot See was so moving. Perhaps it’s the devices zone in the middle of the store. A couple pokes at a tablet, while a little boy dances to Ed Sheeran, whose music is now spouting from the voice-activated speaker, per his request. Perhaps, too, it’s your awareness of the store name…

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September 26, 2017

A Quartet of Poems about Coffee by Jake Aller

A Quartet of Poems about Coffee by Jake Aller

Editor’s Note: What could be better suited to the Fictional Café than some coffee poesies? Author Jake Cosmos Aller delivers four steaming, rich cups of his today. Pour yourself a cup and enjoy them! Ode to Coffee Mistress of sacred love Sacred Lady of desire You start my day Setting my heart on fire With your dark delicious brew And throughout the day Whenever the mean old blues come by You chase them away With your bittersweet ambrosia brew Every time I inhale your wicked brew I am filled with power, light, and love And everything is all right Jack It is all good If only for a few fleeting minutes I love you oh coffee goddess In all your magical forms In the dark coffee of the dawning day In the sizzling coffee in…

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September 25, 2017

Breaking News: The Fictional Cafe Anthology Contest Begins!

Breaking News: The Fictional Cafe Anthology Contest Begins!

Great news from Jason Brick, our Anthology Barista, who’s been working hand over fist to get this incredible Fictional Cafe Anthology Contest going for your favorite authors and artists. It begins tomorrow, Tuesday, Sept. 26! Here’s a brief intro, with more details tomorrow.  Greetings! At long last, the Fictional Café writing contest is launching! Here’s how it works. For the next month and a half, each weekday will feature a contest between two submissions: fiction, poetry, and art. When it a contestant’s day to compete, they will receive a link in an email. Contestants click that link and are taken to a website with their story and another contestant’s story. FC Coffee Club members, FC visitors and just about anybody else you can think of gets to vote for which work they like the best….

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September 20, 2017

Catching a Witch, A Novel by Heidi Eljarbo

Catching a Witch, A Novel by Heidi Eljarbo

Editor’s Note: We met up with Tom Corson-Knowles, founder of TCK Publishing, at the Willamette Writers Conference in Portland, Oregon, and got to talking about new fiction he’s been publishing. Tom recommended we share Heidi Eljarbo’s novel with our readers. After reading, we agreed. It’s a fascinating, well written look into the 17th century’s profound fear of women who were deemed witches. While American readers may only be familiar with the witch-hunting Salem, Massachusetts, is known for, this tale is set in Norway – demonstrating that Salem was hardly an isolated event. If you enjoy this prologue, you’ll want to head over to Amazon to get your own copy by clicking here. Catching a Witch Prologue Toomber’s Cottage, Rossby, Norway Summer 1658 I was not there the day the gravedigger injured his foot, but the…

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September 8, 2017

Podcast: “The Ferryman” Part I

Podcast: “The Ferryman” Part I

Last month, Ruby Fink and I presented a 90–minute workshop on podcasting at the Willamette Writers Conference to keenly interested authors. Ruby heads Faux Fiction Audio, a podcast production company, and is my partner in podcasting my fiction. She’s also developing podcasts for other authors and publishers because podcasting, or audiobooks, is becoming a Pretty Big Deal in Media Land. Which is why I love finding podcasts for you to listen to each month. In my endless search for ever more interesting audio I came across “The Ferryman,” our offering this month. It’s one of the more bizarre listening experiences in the genre and I wish I could tell you more about it, but whoever  created it – and I suspect the name “Nic Antoine” is a nom de plume [a nom de mic??] – remains…

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September 3, 2017

“Princess Olivia” – A Short Story by Joy Son

“Princess Olivia” – A Short Story by Joy Son

Princess  Olivia by Joy Son Once upon a time there lived a lonely princess. She had a strong, wealthy king as a father but he paid little attention to his daughter and didn’t care if people starved in the village. In fact, he mostly only cared about money. Although Olivia’s father didn’t pay much attention to Olivia, he still loved her and cared for her. The one thing he was doing wrong was keeping Olivia away from the village that was once a happy place, full of laughter and singing. Olivia longed to go to the village and make sure the villagers were warm before the cold fell and winter moved in. Whenever Olivia tried to ask her dad a question, he would interrupt her right in the middle of a word. One Tuesday afternoon,…

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August 31, 2017

August Bonus Podcast: “King Solomon’s Mines” by H. Rider Haggard

August Bonus Podcast: “King Solomon’s Mines” by H. Rider Haggard

As we bid adieu to August and prepare to surrender to September, one last LibriVox audiobook to treat your ears, one of the great adventure stories of all time: King Solomon’s Mines by H. Rider Haggard. The notion of finding a long-lost treasure is a literary archetype which found itself reborn in the “Indiana Jones” movies, and it’s a powerful and captivating story – whether on page or screen. Sir Henry Rider Haggard [British; 1856-1925] was a major proponent of the “discovery of a lost world” genre, and is best known for King Solomon’s Mines and She, both of which have been made into movies several times. This LibriVox recording was done by a terrific narrator, John Nicholson. Here are the first 5 chapters. Be sure to visit LibriVox and download the entire novel.  

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August 25, 2017

Podcast: “A Princess of Mars”

Podcast: “A Princess of Mars”

Edgar Rice Burroughs {1975-1950] may be best known for creating Tarzan, King of the Apes, but his tales of John Carter on Mars [which he called Barsoom]  are, to my mind, more exciting. We meet John, a cowboy and Civil War vet, when he steps into a cave in Arizona and emerges on Mars. This is how the novel,  A Princess of Mars, the first John Carter story, begins and it packs a real wallop. [Spoiler alert: It was made into a pretty darned good 2012 movie, “John Carter,” starring Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins in the lead roles.] Here is a short, clever intro and the first five audio podcast chapters of “Edgar Rice Burroughs’ 1915 novel,”A Princess of Mars,” from LibriVox, where you can download the entire audiobook for free. It’s read exceedingly well by several…

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August 21, 2017

John Grey’s Poetry, Part Two

John Grey’s Poetry, Part Two

As promised last month, here are three more wonderful poems by our frequent contributor, John Grey. ALL IN ONE DAY We drove the ocean road, smothered in fog, could barely see the blue expanse, all our vision was in the hearing as it pounded the shore below.   But then that fog lifted. The day was all of a sudden warm and dazzling.   We stopped at a meadow, picked wildflowers, spotted a fawn with its mother, hiked a trail to a waterfall and rested in a cool oak grove.   We ate outdoors at a roadside restaurant. We saw a lone surfer testing his skill on medium-sized waves at some unnamed beach.   Clouds moved in and it began to rain. The wind picked up. My wipers beat like my heart had earlier.  …

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