by Deanna Wadsworth Do you remember reading all those awesome short stories from your English books while you were in school? Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. And I’m not talking my naughty version…. though you should check it out, LOL! Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose. The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs, my all-time fave! Still haven’t figured how to make that one an erotica….. Then there is Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl, another awesome story as is The Ministers Black Veil by Nathanial Hawthorne.
Unless you are in middle school, the only place to find these stories is in anthologies written by famous authors or in The New Yorker. I sure don’t have a subscription for that.
But I do have a Kindle.
There are short stories readily available everywhere you turn in the digital publishing world. My own short story SECRET SANTA was a concept I had been thinking about for years, albeit without the Christmas theme. I didn’t really have a desire to make it a book, if you read it you will see why. So it was shelved in the corners of my mind. Just simmering. Because who would buy it anyway? It wasn’t like I was published with a big NYC publisher and they were going to put it in their anthologies. They would never consider my short story.
When I saw how many short stories and novellas were flying off the digital shelves I decided to write it for Decadent Publishing. And it just flowed. I wrote it in one afternoon. Edits took a bit longer, LOL, but here it is. A wonderfully erotic m/m with a fun twist at the end. No long plot, GMC, just a fun, quick, and satisfying read.
And would you look at that juicy cover? Yowzers!
All of this was possible because e-books are making short stories available to the public like newspapers and magazines of not so long ago used to do. I am convinced the fine art of writing a short story would have probably been lost if it were not for digital publishing. They have opened their virtual doors and brought back this way of storytelling to us in an unprecedented way.
There’s more!
If it weren’t for e-publishers like Decadent, The American Cancer Society would not be getting a generous donation for Relay for Life this month.
Do you know what my publisher does for R4L?
Each month Decadent Publishing features one story as a Read for a Cure book. This means that profits from that book will be donated to ‘The American Cancer Society's Relay for Life.’
How cool is that?
In December that book it SECRET SANTA - an m/m erotic short story by yours truly.
Not only will Decadent Publishing be fighting back against cancer but I will also be donating 50 cents per sale of SECRET SANTA to R4L during December.
My goal is to raise $500 for this great cause by New Year's Eve.
Won’t you please help us raise awareness by picking up your own copy of SECRET SANTA today? (buy link)
It’s One Naughty Read for One Nice Cause!
Now that I am done with my sales pitch, LOL, please post a comment below and tell me about your favorite short story!
For more information about joining TEAM DECADENT or Relay for Life check it out HERE
Stop by and say hi to me on Facebook
8 comments:
Hmmmm. Well, all of my favorite short stories are either by Edgar Allen Poe or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
If I had to pick one? I really like "The Cask of Amontillado" but they maybe because I adore the song from The Alan Parsons Group of the same name! ;-)
An erotic Monkey's Paw...I don't know, be careful what you wish for? You can do that!
Maybe it would be the Monkey's....er...this site doesn't have a content warning...nevermore!
Deanna~ I'm sure you know that you can download dozens and dozens of classics for free to your Kindle. I have a couple of anthologies like you've discussed here. And every day, there are free books from famous authors. You have to look at the Kindle bestsellers - the ones at the top are usually freebies, LOL. Hot cover, BTW.
I too love the Monkey's Paw.
You've inspired me to write a very short story. Here it is:
Stepping off the curb onto the road, she thought I'll never meet him. The car screeched to a halt. His quick thinking saved her life. Two months later his ring was on her finger.
I wish you the best success achieving your goal. Here's to reaching $1, 000 by December 3oth.
@ Val- I did know I could get classice free....I needed Legend SH when I was writing my m=naughty m/m version. And Fiona really nailed this cover, didn't she?
@ Sweater Curse- That story is REALLY short, LOL. And $1000?!?!?!? I hope you are right!!! Thanks!
As much as I love classics, I'm really liking a lot of contemporary authors.
And I'll give you $1000 if you put him in my stocking...
Boule de Suif by Guy de Maupassant and loads of stories by W. Somerset Maugham. But Lamb to the Slaughter was a great one!
Oh, and Dumb Martian by John Wyndham.
Gosh, you are reminding me to pick up more short stories. ;)
Can I get a Santa visit like Adam got? Huh, please, huh? Well, with some modifications!
Post a Comment