This was a a really fun 100 words and under story to write using the prompt “punchline.”
Check it out:
https://stupefyingstories.blogspot.com/2024/06/punch-flavored-punch-by-yelena-crane.html
Let me know in the comments, would you drink the punch?
There is a special high from having a story accepted and published. That joy is doubled when a story gets reprinted, much less a zine like FFO!
Happy to present you with my story “In Search of Body” https://www.flashfictiononline.com/article/in-search-of-body/
What memories would you want to preserve, if you could?
My story, “The American Dream” will be available in the It Was All A Dream 2 anthology soon and I can’t wait for you all to read it. In the meantime, you can read this interview with me about the trope I used, my fears for the future, and future projects.
Check it out here: https://www.hungryshadowpress.com/news/crane-dream-2-interview
What tropes are you tired of seeing in media and which do you think need a revival?
I have a new, very short piece available to read. The challenge was to use the word hike and to write a compelling story in 75 words.
Let me know what you think of how I went about the prompt.
https://stupefyingstories.blogspot.com/2024/03/like-clockwork-by-yelena-crane.html
Courtesy of cgrats.com for the art
I have a new publication I am happy to share with you all. It’s my second publication in Nature Futures. Given the ongoing war in Ukraine, this piece is especially meaningful for me. It has gone through various title changes throughout the editing process starting off with “Where Have All the Gulags Gone” to “The Last Witness” to “Determined to Witness” and last to “Eyes on History.”
Importantly this flash isn’t all fictional. There was a nunnery that was turned into a gulag called the Sukhanovka, which is now a monastery.
I worry the horrific misery tourism I envision in my flash will come to fruition if we ever have use of this technology. I see it now with the movies people watch, the pricey excursions to see the Titanic, etc.
Free version available here: https://media.nature.com/original/magazine-assets/d41586-024-00338-8/d41586-024-00338-8.pdf
Read my story here and let me know what you think both of the flash and my author’s note:
This beautiful anthology Learning To Be Human will be available for purchase in the USA on February 13th here: https://www.flametreepublishing.com/learning-to-be-human-short-stories-isbn-9781804177792.html
In the meantime you can read about what inspired my story and other stories with similar themes I love here: https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/fantasy-gothic/learning-to-be-human-author-qa-story-inspirations
Also this is a great song to get you in the mood for my story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UVNT4wvIGY&list=RD8UVNT4wvIGY&start_radio=1
Would you love me if I was a worm/whale/lanternfly?
Say yes.
They came to find love but all they found was death until…
“Full of Sound and Fury” finally available for you to read. I dedicate this to all the spotted lantern flies I’ve killed in an effort to minimize the invasive species and also to my husband. I wouldn’t be able to write love if he didn’t show me how to live it.
https://www.heartlines-spec.com/full-of-sound-and-fury-by-yelena-crane/
Let me know in the comments what you think of my foray into romance.
https://www.heartlines-spec.com/full-of-sound-and-fury-by-yelena-crane/
I’ve been submitting to the Furious Fiction contests for 3 years now. I was once long-listed (for a short then published in FFM) but today my story went up on the shortlist and was actually showcased on the site!
It’s less than 500 words. Check it, and the winning stories, out here: https://www.writerscentre.com.au/blog/furious-fiction-december-2023-story-showcase/
Mine is the 12th story down. Let me know how you think I handled the prompt!
This is where my story “Full of Sound and Fury” can be found!
It will be free to read to everyone on Jan 16 and for now is free to read for subscribers here:
https://www.heartlines-spec.com/issue-3/
And here’s me with the issue. The artist drew the spotted lanternfly special for my story!
I have a story coming out Nov 30 in Heartlines Spec I can’t wait to share with you all. It’s a fantasy “epic” told in poetic prose about a pair of lovers rediscovering each other across lifetimes through song.