Short Stories 366:89 — “There Will Be One Vacant Chair,” by Sarah Pinsker

I waffled a bit over this story, and I'm still not 100% sure this story and I will see eye-to-eye, but it was incredibly well written, and once again, the setting is nearly a character in and of itself. This particular story in Long Hidden: Speculative Fiction from the Margins of History takes place in …

Short Stories 366:88 — “Tinaca Jones,” by Matt Boren

Sometimes when I listen to audiobooks it's all about the plot. Othertimes, it's all about the performer, and this one was all about the performer. Retta performs the titular character in this Audible Original, Tinaca Jones, and holy flying crap did she sell it. The narrative set-up is pretty simple: Tinaca Jones has a plan. …

Short Stories 366:87 — “Survivor’s Guilt,” by Greg Herren

If you've heard me say it once, you've likely heard me say it a few dozen times, but in the hands of Greg Herren, New Orleans is often in and of itself a character, rather than a setting. I once heard him say that so much of what he writes could only happen in New …

Short Stories 366:86 — “Perfidity at the Felidae Isles,” by A.J. Fitzwater

Ever since I first bumped into the character of Cinrak the Dapper (which was in Scourge of the Seas of Time (and Space)), I needed more of the capybara pirate joy energy in my life. Luckily, A.J. Fitzwater is there for me, and can be there for you, too. The Voyages of Cinrak the Dapper …

Short Stories 366:85 — “Necessary Elvis,” by Jerry L. Wheeler

A few years ago, I had the good fortune to nab a copy of Strawberries and Other Erotic Fruits. It's no secret I adore Jerry L. Wheeler, who is both my editor and who has an ability to come up with the most unique themes for his erotica anthologies—be it trains, the circus, or diners—and …

Short Stories 366:84 — “Awaken,” by Anne Shade

The middle novella of three in Femme Tales (a trio of retellings of fairy tales through a Black queer women-loving-women contemporary lens), "Awaken" brings forth its 'Sleeping Beauty' charm with a softer, and even slightly magical trace than "Beast" did with 'Beauty and the Beast,' but that's neither a bad thing nor a complaint about …