Thursday, June 1, 2023

New Release! Slipping Through


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I have stories out in a new anthology!

It's now available and I can pass on the news! It's called Slipping Through (click on the title to take you to Amazon) and it's all about passing through to other dimensions, the afterlife, or, well, who knows?

I have three entries in this anthology. One is a short story (Memory Lane) and the others are flash fiction (On the Flip Side & Wrapped in a Mystery). The other stories are from Miranda Kate (who put this all together), Michael Wombat, and Victoria Pearson. Here's the table of contents:

As you can see, there are a lot of stories here, so there's a good chance you'll find a few that strike your fancy. I don't have all my "Amazon Author page" stuff sorted out yet, but that will happen shortly...

If you want to see how this came about, you can read my previous Patreon post here.

Also, if you would like to see other stories and poems I've done, please check out this list!



© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Your Fingers Will Be Slipping Through The Pages


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And the pages they will be Slipping Through will be those of an anthology from Miranda Kate!

Yes, it's been a while, but I have a couple of—oh, wait, make that three*—stories coming out in print thanks to Miranda Kate who invited me (and a couple of other authors) to write something for her reworked anthology titled Slipping Through.

Miranda wanted to publish the main story from her Slipping Through collection as a separate book. That meant the remaining book would probably be too short. She asked if she could use a flash fiction I'd written some years ago as a "flip side" to a story she had written. I, of course, agreed. The story is called Flip Side. As you can see, I put a lot of effort into that title...

Anyway, Miranda also asked if I had anything else that might work. I thought I had a story started, but I couldn't find it. Maybe it had just been in my head and I'd never written it down. When I told her that, she asked if I could write something new. I found a few paragraphs of a tale I'd begun years ago...

"I might have a story that could work," I said as my palms began to sweat. "I can probably have something for you in a week." I paused. "Well, maybe ten days."

"Ten days is fine," she replied. "As long as I know something is coming."

Nine days and 5,000 words later, I handed in Memory Lane. It has romance, motorcycles, and a bit of unsettling horror. I was quite relieved when she said it was perfect for her anthology.

Perfect is a relative term, however. It wasn't much better than a first draft, so we emailed back and forth a bit about corrections and wording.

After nailing down the main story, Miranda asked if I had anything else that might work since the other authors had submitted a greater number of stories than I had. She wanted to be fair about it. I sent here a couple of flash fiction tales. I don't really do a lot of stories about inter-dimensional/time travel, so I didn't have much. This will teach me to have more finished stories on hand. She chose one of the flash stories, Wrapped in a Mystery, for inclusion in the anthology. That makes three!

So, my stories are now coming out and should be available in both print and Kindle versions June 1st! There are also stories from the prolific Michael Wombat and Victoria Pearson in addition to Miranda's works. With all the stories she's added, it should be quite a large book!

Here is the cover!


I'll provide a link once it's available.

* I had to update my original post when Miranda picked a third story!

Note: Miranda's original cover for Slipping Through was different. So, if you want to get the new edition, make sure it has this cover!


This post was first published on Patreon. You can see it by clicking this LINK.




© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Monday, May 1, 2023

Grand Finale: National Poetry Month


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National Poetry Month has come and gone, but my poems, for better or worse, are here to stay—on Simily. Well, until I get enough to shove into a book and publish. Then I'll pull out those worth the effort (probably only about a quarter of them are worth a second editing) and add them to the others that are waiting to be placed into print. They're all first-draft quality for now, but that's what you get when you do one per day for a month. 

Image of a old-fashioned quill pen and ink bottle.

I'll get back to finish this someday...

If you wish to read the poems I've done, an updated list follows. You do need a membership to Simily to read them, but a basic membership is free. All of these links will redirect you to the Simily sign-up/sign-in page unless you're already logged into Simily.



Goodbye On A Rainy Day April 29, 2023

Rainy Daze April 28, 2023

Night Of The Full Moon April 27, 2023

Level Playing Field April 26, 2023

Forgotten Places April 25, 2023

A Yarn About A Cat April 24, 2023

Spinning Wheels April 23, 2023

Bad Delivery April 22, 2023


Butterfly Dinners April 20, 2023

Summer Fashionista April 19, 2023

Words In A Bottle April 18, 2023

Morning Fog April 17, 2023

Sweet Mystery Of Likes April 16, 2023

A Mid-April Night's Dream     April 15, 2023

There Is No Poem Today    April 14, 2023


It Is Almost Summer    April 12, 2023


What A Tree Is Not     April 10, 2023

Cat-O’-Nine Tales     April 9, 2023

There’s No Business Like Snow Business     April 8, 2023

Swamped     April 7, 2023

City Rain     April 6, 2023

Cherry Blossom Time     April 5, 2023

Morning Haiku     April 4, 2023

Wistful Thinking     April 4, 2023

The Moon Gate     April 2, 2023

2023 National Poetry Month Kickoff!     April 1, 2023


That's all for my 2023 National Poetry Month efforts! I know some of you are saying it's too much. You do, however, have eleven months to recover from my pun-infested titles and a few of my sillier efforts until I do this all over again next year!



© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Saturday, April 15, 2023

An Update To Neither Rhyme Nor Reason


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I had written a post here 5 days ago about my efforts on Simily to write a poem each day for National Poetry Month. It was an experiment to determine if Simily was worth the effort and to put out consistent content for potential readers. Sadly, I hadn't had much in the way of readers—until 2 days ago. That's when people started reading one particular post.




It was the April 8th post titled There's No Business Like Snow Business. I have no idea why, but it must have been highlighted by Simily or some member of Simily. In the last 3 days, it has received 111 views. There's nothing special about it. I mean, it's just a haiku. It's nice enough, but probably the last one I'd pick of my posts as a shining example of poetry.

I've had a few other posts viewed, too, but nothing like that one. I'm not sure what to make of it.

Anyway...

If you wish to read the poems I've done, an updated list follows. You do have to have a membership to Simily to read them, but a basic membership is free. All of these links will take you to the sign-up page unless you're already logged into Simily.

A Mid-April Night's Dream     April 15, 2023

There Is No Poem Today    April 14, 2023


It Is Almost Summer    April 12, 2023


What A Tree Is Not     April 10, 2023

Cat-O’-Nine Tales     April 9, 2023

There’s No Business Like Snow Business     April 8, 2023

Swamped     April 7, 2023

City Rain     April 6, 2023

Cherry Blossom Time     April 5, 2023

Morning Haiku     April 4, 2023

Wistful Thinking     April 4, 2023

The Moon Gate     April 2, 2023

2023 National Poetry Month Kickoff!     April 1, 2023


And so, the great experiment continues to continue!  


© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Monday, April 10, 2023

Neither Rhyme Nor Reason?


Just a reminder: It’s okay to leave comments!

If you're not into poetry, you might not know that April, in the United States, is National Poetry Month.

A few times in the past, I've done a poem per day for National Poetry Month. I did it here on Blogger some years ago. This year, I decided to try it on Simily in an effort to increase my content there and partly to see if Simily was a good platform on which to write.

Well, I'm ten days (and ten poems) in and I haven't had a single view. Not one.

I do realize that many of the poems I put out there are not of the highest quality. I'm doing this on the fly, so you can't expect the best. I don't have time to rewrite and edit much. And some are silly. Some rhyme. Some don't. I do think, however, a few of them are worthwhile.

I am wondering if it's Simily or my poetry...

If you wish to read the poems I've done, a list follows. You do have to have a membership to Simily to read them, but a basic membership is free. All of these links will take you to the sign-up page unless you're already logged into Simily.

What A Tree Is Not     April 10, 2023

Cat-O’-Nine Tales     April 9, 2023

There’s No Business Like Snow Business     April 8, 2023

Swamped     April 7, 2023

City Rain     April 6, 2023

Cherry Blossom Time     April 5, 2023

Morning Haiku     April 4, 2023

Wistful Thinking     April 4, 2023

The Moon Gate     April 2, 2023

2023 National Poetry Month Kickoff!     April 1, 2023


So, the great experiment continues. I don't know if posting this list here will get any reads as not many folks still read this blog. I guess I'll find out! 


© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Tuesday, April 4, 2023

What Am I Up To Now?


Just a reminder: It’s okay to leave comments!

It's been a while since I've posted here. But that doesn't mean I've been idle. Well, not completely.


I have been posting on other sites. Here's a list of what's available since my last post here in early February...

On Medium:
Note: A Worm and a Wet Place and Trouble Comes in Threes are the first two parts of a serial titled The Dark Scent of Rain. A third part is coming soon!

On Patreon:
On Simily:

So, you can see I have been doing a little writing!

Best of all, I have a bit of a surprise coming—possibly before the end of this month. I can't say anything yet, but it involves a couple of my stories. More soon!


Photo credits for this post: Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash


© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Thursday, February 2, 2023

Straight Up


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This is a story based on the image prompt from Miranda Kate's Weekly Flash Fiction Challenge. You can see the prompt by clicking on the link. This is her intro from the challenge page:

This week's picture comes from Andy Poplar, who makes these incredible bottles, at Vinegar & Brown Paper - do have a look, there are loads of others, also household bottles. Brilliant idea. I can't find this pic on his site, but I suspect it used to be there as it dates back to 2017 (when it was first shared), and the page people link to is not found on his company site. I wonder if he sold this as a print as he does some of them. I love the colour contrast and the reflection in this one. 

I know Miranda states a limit of 750 words in her rules, but I've blown past that like a locomotive going downhill in an ice storm. Well, you get the idea. Somehow, I went up to 1,019 words, not including the title. So much for self control...
 
So, on to the story. I'm not sure how to describe it. Horror? Noir? Morality play? Anyway, it's called Straight Up.

 

Straight Up


The photo used in this post is by Vianney CAHEN on Unsplash. It is a photo of a drinking glass like you would find in a bar.



It wasn't a part of town I knew, but it's where I ended up after walking around in a daze half the night. All the thoughts swirling around inside my brain had me in a funk I couldn't shake. The streets were wet and I was cold. I figured a stiff drink wouldn't hurt at this point.

Maybe that's why I noticed the dim neon sign inside a grimy window on a one-way street. It flickered "Jude's Place" in a sickly orange glow. It didn't say it was a bar. I guess I assumed it was because that's what I wanted it to be. For whatever the reason, I went inside.

The decor wasn't much. The floor, the tables, even the walls were a dark, dirty brown. There was a man behind the bar and a woman at the far end chewing gum and wiping glasses. I didn't notice anyone else in the joint. I pulled up a stool and put my hat on the empty seat next to me. I was rubbing my face with my hands when I heard a voice.

"You're new here. What can I do for you?"

"Well, it's gotta be stronger than beer," I said, looking at the man in the apron. "I think I need the hard stuff straight up."

"It's good you don't want beer. We don't sell that here."

I was a bit puzzled by his answer. "You're running a bar and you don't have beer? How do stay in business."

"Sadly, business has never been better."

I didn’t say anything for a minute, unsure how to respond. "Then, what do you have?"

"Only the finest of liqueurs to wash away one's troubles and help clear the mind—and soul."

"I could use some of that—even if I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Allow me to show you," he said waving his hand towards the bottles on shelf behind. "So, what's your poison?"

I have to admit that his description put me ill at ease. But not as much as the labels on the bottles. My eyes scanned the names: Envy, Jealousy, Pettiness, Guilt, Ignorance, and Hate. Even in the dimly lit bar, I could see they were different. Envy and Jealousy were green, Pettiness was blue, Guilt black, Ignorance clear, and Hate red.

"Interesting hues," I remarked.

"I'll have to take your word for it," the bartender replied. "I'm colorblind."

"Sorry."

"No need," he said smiling. "My business works best that way." The man shrugged. "Anything strike your fancy? From the way you look, I think we should skip the mild stuff. How about a little Guilt? I imagine everyone would like to get rid of that."

I looked the barkeep in the eye. I don't know what possessed me to say, "Why not?"

He took the bottle from the shelf and filled a shot glass. It looked like he'd poured two fingers of the night sky into that thing. He pushed it towards me.

"You sure this stuff is safe?"

He took another glass and filled it. He downed it in a single gulp.

I raised the glass to my lips and took a sip. The flavor was odd; the liquid burned my mouth a little.

"All or nothing," he said.

It took me a couple of tries to get it down. I couldn't place the taste. It had a bitterness to it, but that quickly disappeared. I even have to say I felt a bit better. But the fog still lingered over me like a grey veil.

"How'd that do ya?"

"Not bad," I said. "Do you have anything stronger?"

He looked at me for a moment before speaking. "You don't seem like the hating kind." He turned towards the woman cleaning glasses. "Rita? Bring me that special bottle."

"Are you sure?" she replied, somehow never missing a beat with her gum.

"I think so." 

She took a deep breath, then said, "Comin' right up."

The bottle she handed him was filled with a cloudy, hazy liquid not unlike the fog in my brain. There was no real color to it.

"This is Regret. It's the hardest thing I stock. I have to warn you—it'll burn deeper and longer than anything you've ever experienced. You really wanna go for this?"

By now, it was almost a challenge. I pushed my glass towards him.

I took the glass and threw it back. I swear it, felt like it went out the other side of my head. I slammed the glass down and grabbed the bar with both hands trying not to scream. I thought I was burning up from the inside. I wasn't sure what to do.

After what seemed an eternity, it was over. I took one of the bar napkins and wiped the sweat from my face. All I could muster was, "Jesus Christ!"

"A lot of folks react that way. But you did okay. How do you feel now?"

"I'm not going to wake up dead tomorrow, am I?" 

The man smiled. "That's above my pay grade."

I sat for a few minutes, just breathing. I remember feeling better. The fog was gone and my thoughts focused. 

"Whatever that was, it's what I needed. But I don't even want to know what's in there."

"No," he said shaking his head. "No, you don't"

"Anyway, what do I owe you?"

"'Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"You can leave a tip if it makes you feel better. That's what we're all about here."

I took out a twenty and dropped it in the jar. 

"Maybe I'll stop in again sometime."

"It's best if you don't have to," the man replied.

I had the feeling he was offering advice. So, I put on my hat and stepped outside. I had a clearer view of the world—and my life. Clear enough that I noticed the street wasn't a one-way and the sidewalks were dry. I wanted to turn around and see if that neon sign was still flickering in the window, but a voice somewhere inside told me it might be wise to just keep moving forward.






The photo used in this post is by Vianney CAHEN on Unsplash.

 
© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Sunday, January 8, 2023

Assimilating Simily


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If you've read my previous post, you know I've been trying to find traction among the various venues for publishing stories and poetry. One of these is Simily.

I have a story and a haiku out there at the moment. I'll be putting more there over the next few months and will do a big push during National Poetry Month (April). I've had a couple of reads, but no feedback yet. I'm really just starting out, so I can't expect a lot yet.

My non-public home page on Simily

Much of what I post there will have a format similar to what I've done on Medium. These are short stories and haiga-style haiku. I'll be borrowing a few of my old Blogger posts for content along with new (or reworked) material. The idea is to have a more consistent posting schedule (if time allows) which most folks say builds readership.

For longer stories, I need to continue to work on my Kindle Vella project and novella(s). 

It is interesting that many writers on Simily are doing serialized stories like one would post on Kindle Vella. I would think posting on Vella would get more reads, but Simily is certainly easier even if the formatting isn't so great.

The one thing missing from Simily is a "friends" link where people can read without subscribing (If there is a way to do this, please let me know!). This is a feature I've found useful on Medium. You can access most of my Medium posts free by going through a public page I've set up on Patreon.

So, I'm still learning about Simily. Eventually, I would like to limit the places I post, but I need to find out what works best first.

In case you're on Simily, here are the links to my stories (as of January 8, 2023):
That's all for now! Thanks for reading!


© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Wednesday, January 4, 2023

Happy New Year?


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I haven't had a lot of time for writing or art lately, but I'm hoping to get back in the swing of things for 2023. I've put out posts on Medium, Patreon (about Simily), and Simily looking to see if there is any interest and, if so, where. I'll try to be more active and consistent in posting until I can whittle things down to the more popular sites.

The Simily entry is a flash fiction horror story I borrowed from my blog with a few updates. So far, I can hear those crickets chirping away! I'm not sure how well Simily will work for stories with a lot of dialogue. The formatting isn't the best.

I did get to do a little work on a Kindle Vella story, but there's a lot to do on that before it's ready to publish.

I haven't done anything on Substack or the website. Now sure when/if that will happen...

I do have some news from other authors! Terri Deno has posted the first chapter of a new story on Wattpad. She had shown me the cover a long time ago, but hadn't had a story ready to go with it. Now you can begin reading Lola McAffrey's Great Disappearing Act today! Here's the blurb:

Lola McAffrey is in that sophomore limbo--she and her best friend Cori are no longer wide-eyed freshman, but they also aren't yet experiencing the privileges of being upperclassmen. When Lola comes up with a great idea for a social experiment to disappear, she risks everything--her friendships, her family stability, and maybe even chance at true love. Will it all be worth it in the end?



That's all I have for now!

Wait - I lied. I'm starting to collect books to give away at the Shore Leave convention in July. It should be quite a selection!

Okay, now I'm done!


© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved