Editor’s Note: We’re pleased to bring you the opening chapter from Wayne Hammer’s sci-fi thriller Shifts. The novel weaves elements of genetics and espionage into a story about a man, Michael Duchesne, and the potentially world-changing implications of a DNA mutation secret he’s keeping. If this teaser chapter piques your interest, you can buy Shifts on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. * * * An elderly couple walked within a few feet of the boat slip. The woman slightly rotated her frail body and hunched her shoulders to keep the chilled morning air from leaking in over the collar of her oversized windbreaker. She paused for a moment and then left her husband’s side to stroll toward the edge of the dock. When she got to the railing, she leaned over to get a better look…
Fond Memories, Bright Futures – May Submissions
This month we reminisce about those times – some long ago, some close in our minds – that make us smile. May takes me back to my sister’s birthday and family get togethers. It takes me back to three generations of moms on Mothers Day – my grandmother, my mom and my sister. I don’t think I’ll ever buy so many flowers and Hallmark cards as I did then. We also look ahead at what’s to come. May is the month of college graduations and the beginning of a young person’s foray into “the real world.” As a former college employee, I loved seeing their bright, wide-eyed faces as they began their next stage of life. It also marks that turning point when the last breath of winter is extinguished and spring fully envelops us…
We Were Featured in Authors Publish Magazine!!
Good morning Café patrons! The great folks at Authors Publish magazine have written a review of our community of creative folks. You can read it here. Authors Publish is a FREE resource that connects writers to publishers, literary magazines, articles on writing craft and a litany of other resources. Please join us in thanking Caitlin Jans, Ella Peary and Jacob Jans by checking out their site and their Facebook page (they have great writing prompts there). So pour yourself a nice big mug of joe and take a look at what they have to offer. — Your Baristas
“Indecision: Choosing a Career in Writing” by Rachael Allen
[Photo: Manhattan. Which box do you choose?] I want to be a writer. Well, what do you want to write? Novels, short stories, articles? Academic papers, scripts, speeches, songs? English, Italian, Spanish, marketing materials, instructional manuals? I don’t know. Moreover, I don’t want to choose right now. And yet, in declaring a major, in finding summer jobs, in approaching the time when I will no longer have school to define myself by, it feels as though I have to choose—at least momentarily, to shroud that indecisiveness that jitters inside me. In part, my confusion seems to fulfill the generalizations of an English major and perhaps, moreover, a liberal arts student—you do not have a set career path, you will not make much money. Even if you do find that sweet spot of a job, they…
“Why We Write” An editorial by Lloyd Prentice
Why We Write Words flit in and out of our awareness like fish in shoals— many so drab we scarcely pay attention; others teach us or guide us, imbue memory and behavior like computer code. Some few— some few inspire us, change us in subtle and striking ways, play on our minds and emotions like a maestro on a concert grand. These words, by and large, are invisible to the eye. They slip through and resonate, indeed explode, at the deepest levels of our being. Words that matter are the product of disciplined study and practice— hard won. At best— an art. Words that matter are most often composed in solitude over lonely hours. Every serious writer I’d venture yearns to tame the ineffable, express the inexpressible with elegance and beauty. Writers of non-fiction weave…
Lew Holzman – Digital Art
Editor’s Note: When Lew Holzman emailed us with a few images for us to consider for the Fictional Café, we were instantly struck by the imagination and diversity that we saw in his work. Some are photographs overlaid with other images, creating a haunting effect, while others seem to be more like collages cut and pasted together electronically. We won’t peek too far behind the curtain, but hopefully you get a sense of the magic that Lew’s creative mind can perform with our modern technology. If you like what you see here, check out his personal page and his Fotographers group, where you will find other artists’ work as well. * * * Body “Walkin on Substrates” “The New City” “Plastic Surgery #2” “City at Night, Lumicta VII” “Bermuda Rectangles” …
Patrick Flynn’s Thinking Man’s Poetry
Angels, Pearls and Mannequins “Neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet…” Matthew 7:6 Each New Year I stop by family graves asking for ease, as if anything they could do would put me on track, and then I drive south: there, a half-moon, slightly less really, was a half-buck short of a dollar. I thought today would become warmer and make up the difference. There, I would hammock under heaven: arms stretched back behind my head, gazing at clouds moving across the face of a broken moon on a black Formica sky. When I needed truth you were honest: but there’s distance between us. Everyday you slip more new clothes over pearl-dusted mannequins in window displays. You may have forgotten I…
“Suburban Legends” by Joan Connor
THWAP. “Catsup,” Hershel yells. “Is that really too much to ask?” The plate smacks the wallpaper, the meatloaf sticking, the plate crashing to the floor. “Meshuggina,” Judith says. ‘Two year olds, I know two year olds more flexible.” Her chair shrieks like a leaf rake on a blackboard as she shoves backward and thumps out of the kitchen. “What? After all I do and do and do for you, catsup I don’t get,” he calls after the wife. “Had too much onion anyway. You call that meatloaf? Heartburn loaf.” He stares at the slab of meatloaf slithering down the foil paper. Foil paper, Judith put up foil paper. “What, you think this is Florida?’ She walked out on him when he asked; she’s getting expert at it, this walking out. Silver foil. Shlock. Got no…
April Submissions
It’s April. The human- and wild-life are coming out of hibernation, the trees are starting to stretch their limbs and baseball’s opening day is here. Those who believe in omens (and care to wager on them), take note of the photo above, taken in my backyard recently. The Cardinals and Blue Jays are two of the six teams that play on opening day. They also happen to be contenders to win their divisions and could possibly meet in the World Series in October. Do you believe in omens? How about urban legends? Well this month we’ve got a short story from Joan Connor entitled “Suburban Legends.” Whatever you’re thinking it’s about, you’re wrong. I’ll wager on that. Stick around and find out how Joan spins a yarn into a cautionary tale. Next, we have the…
New Contest! Design our Fictional Café Merch Logo!
Those of you who dropped by the cafe yesterday or earlier today may know we just wrapped up our 100th member contest. Well, we’re excited to announce some new Fictional Café swag on the way. But we need your help, Coffee Club members! We are looking for a fun, eye-catching logo design that we can use for our new FC stickers, mugs and other merch. Here are the contest specs: This contest is open only to Coffee Club members. If you’re reading this and are not yet a member, you can join here for free! All designs must include some play on the “café” theme (see featured image above for an example). Bonus points if you can incorporate “Fresh Java,” the name of our digest email, in the design. All designs must be a high-quality…