Melody Writes

Craft is unlike any other short story collection I have read. At times, it felt less like an anthology of tales, than a continuous narrative. This is because of “the writer”, an unnamed character at the centre of it all who happens upon the devil at a party in her twenties and sleeps with him. After their encounter, he periodically haunts her life, and she writes stories for the devil that purport to be about other people, but feel more like thinly veiled pieces of the writer’s life. Writing stories for the devil sounds dark, but this book is anything but. The devil in this story, is not the fire and brimstone monster torturing souls forever, nor is he a completely misunderstood angel, a victim of a vengeful god. This devil is more of an elusive idea, or phantom, guiding the writer through her life, and who may even be nothing more than a figment of the writer’s imagination. And although too much ambiguity can leave me frustrated, here it is welcome and fits the style of the book well....

On October 5, I announced my upcoming debut, Thin Slices, a collection of flash fiction horror. Today I'm excited to reveal the cover for Thin Slices.       Now available for pre-order on Amazon !    I love this cover. I think it's unnerving and perfect for my collection. I had been building this collection for a while but did not have a title. Then, I was browsing some pre-made covers by Ruth Anna Evans , and this one jumped out at me. As soon as I saw it, my title popped into my head.   I first met Ruth Anna Evans on Twitter/X. From there, I came to know her art and writing. I even interviewed her for The Horror Tree for the 2023 Women in Horror series. Ruth Anna Evans is a kind, friendly, talented person. She was very quick with the cover and, knowing I was a newbie, even pointed out a few things I was missing. Covers are only one of her talents. She is also a horror writer with many titles out. Her writing style is much more graphic than mine, so be p...

  For years, I have been writing, submitting, and publishing my flash fiction all over the place. I am thrilled to announce that I have compiled all of my dark flash fiction written to date into my debut collection, Thin Slices. Thin Slices, launching January 12, 2025, contains 92 dark tales, all less than 1000 words apiece, 15 of which are exclusive to this collection.  Now available for pre-order on Amazon !   Want a Sneak Peek? You can read some of my stories in my (now defunct) Monthly Microfiction section of my blog, but if you sign up for my newsletter (link below), you will receive a free story in the welcome email as well as one more story each month (end of October, November, December) until the launch date. With each story, I'll also offer behind-the-scenes information. The sneak peeks are exclusive to my free newsletter, but stay tuned to this space for various updates including a cover reveal coming later this month.   Calling all Reviewers! ARCs are n...