An excerpt from SHADOW OF THE SUN
Lenora fixed her gaze above the treetops shrouding the San Fernando Valley. A wispy spirit drifted upward to its lunar guide in the sky. Lenora smiled. Years she’d spent studying the arcane, and it had worked. Lucas was dead, as some would call it. It wasn’t exactly the right way to say it, but it would suffice.
From THAT SCRAPER THINGY AT FANCY RESTAURANTS (Personal Essay):
Even though it cost more than my vasectomy, I knew the Disney castle restaurant wasn’t fancy. Yes, it had white tablecloths. Yes, it had candelabras. And the quality of the food was as exemplary as Jasmine’s midriff. I think I even saw some guys wearing tuxedos and bow ties. Yes, it had all of those things, but it wasn’t fancy. Know how I know? Because they didn’t use the scraper thingy.
An excerpt from SHADOW OF THE SUN
Ned sat like an old potato on his sofa, his wiry hair fraying like undone stitching on a leather glove. Life was tired and lonely. His thoughts drifted to his younger days, decades ago when things felt full and free, ‘before his juices dried up,’ as his friend Jack would say.
From THE HANDS OF ELLA DUJARDIN (Modern Fiction):
I propped the roach on the tray and peered into the deep wells of her eyes. A lovely labyrinth flowed through those tunnels, each turn taking you deeper into a thousand worlds, each birthing thousands more. I would never be able to explore that chaotic beauty to its end, but everything in me wanted to try.
Rows of pearls under muted lipstick shone against her chestnut skin.
An excerpt from SHADOW OF THE SUN
Your stomach rumbles, but all that’s at home is a 7-month-old bottle of Italian dressing in your fridge, an old lemon, and some vitamin powder your sister Sarah gave you before she died. You tried it once. Never again. But knowing it was the last thing you saw her touch, you just can’t throw it out.
“Nasty crap didn’t help her,” you whisper.
An excerpt from SHADOW OF THE SUN
Dinner with Ellie was like leaping naked into a hot spring on a cold winter day — terrifying and exhilarating all at once. She picked our old burger joint off of 2nd Avenue. Guess she was feeling nostalgic. She looked tired and worn, but in a lovely kind of way. Authenticity was attractive on her; not a look I’d really seen her wear before.
From THE CRESCENDO (Humor):
“She has an eating disorder.” For a second, Mindy’s face turned serious, but then her lips creased upward in a smile. “She ate dis order of cheese sticks, dis order of bacon, dis order of wings, and dis order of nuggets!”
Nate’s lips felt permanently curled. When he stopped shaking, he glanced at her. “You know her favorite machine at the gym?” Mindy raised an eyebrow. “It’s the one where she puts in quarters and snacks come out.”
Mindy’s face locked, and a line of slobber dribbled down her chin as she sniffed a laugh.
From MY GREAT GRANDMOTHER WAS A DIRT MAGE (Nonfiction):
Like my great grandmother, John descended from a lengthy line of farm folk who survived by learning how to read the signs of the heavens. I affectionately refer to them as “Dirt Mages.” Their wizard caps are John Deere hats, their tunics long-sleeved plaid shirts, their servants Massey Ferguson tractors, and their grimoire the Farmer’s Almanac.
An exerpt from SCI-FI SHORTS ANTHOLOGY VOLUME 1
Professor Kang’s smile stretched across the screen. Periodicals and bound dissertations lined the shelves behind him, making his office a lair of unkempt intelligence. “Hello, Jeff.”
Jeff frowned at the monitor. “Hello, Professor.” The last project was a disappointment. Though he’d been proud to create the first human-monkey chimera, ridiculous legal restrictions kept them from implanting the embryo. A petri dish made a poor womb.
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ABOUT
J.A. Taylor started believing he could write when he won the first short story contest he entered. Since then, he has authored and edited a variety of books and publications. Passionate about flash fiction, he is the co-creator of SciFiShorts.co where he helps emerging science fiction writers hone their craft, gain worldwide readership, and profit from their work.
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