Short Stories

I don’t know what it is about short stories, but somehow the form lends itself to the exploration of the depressing. I usually love happy endings, but when it comes to short stories, I can’t bring myself to write “happy” ones. Maybe it’s because I know I could never write an entire novel like Lord of the Flies or 1984, so my chance to write negative character arcs, macabre horror, and antagonist victories happens in short stories. Enjoy!

“The Tank”

Inspired by Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis,” this story (published under Kellie VanHorn) was the Judges’ Choice Runner-Up in the 2015 Write Michigan Short Story Contest (http://www.writemichigan.org/).

Write Michigan 2015 Anthology
Yes, Susan Dennard wrote the foreword, because she was the guest speaker AND I GOT TO MEET HER. Okay, fangirl moment is over now. Carry on.

An expanded version of “The Tank” is now available on Amazon, free for Kindle Unlimited.

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“The Secrets at the End of the Universe”

This short story, inspired by a dream, was published a few years ago on my blog in three posts. You can read it here: Part I, Part II, and Part III.