NBS Special Report: Spinetingler Awards

Spinetingler Magazine announced its inaugural award nominees, including the following for Best Short Story On The Web:

The Leap by Charles Ardai - Hardluck Stories
Breaking in the New Guy by Stephen Blackmoore - Demolition
Amphetamine Logic by Nathan Cain - Thuglit
The Switch by Lyman Feero - Thuglit
Seven Days of Rain by Chris F. Holm - Demolition
Shared Losses by Gerri Leen - Shred of Evidence
The Living Dead by Amra Pajalic - Spinetingler
Convivum by Kelli Stanley - Hardluck Stories

Good luck to all.

Dream House by Christa M. Miller

Tammy and Lester have a new house. The only problem is that it needs to be cleaned up before they can move in. Oh, and the cleaning needs to be done at night...so that no one can see them coming and/or going. Oh, and what's that in the bathtub? Or on the bathroom ceiling? This story oozes with atmosphere (among other things). The amazing thing about it, however, is how far Tammy is willing to go in supporting Lester who happens to really need her at this juncture in their relationship... though there is every evidence that things have not always gone well between them. I think it is a hard thing to draw a character like Tammy and make them believeable, but Miller pulls it off.

At the end of the story, Tammy hits her limit with Lester and the house he has struggled to get for her, but how she snaps is something you should read to find out. Enjoy.

Absolution by M.G. Tarquini

Just finished reading MG Tarquini's short story Absolution at Spinetingler Magazine and was very much impressed. It is quite short and the plot is delicate so that I can't say too much about or you'll think "Oh, I know this story already and, therefore, don't need to read it," but you'd be quite wrong. The story is much more than the some of its plot points. I can say that like As I Lay Dying and "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall," it has the POV of an old woman, bedridden. Jen serves as a pivot point between generations, and I can only say that what she observes is devastating. Not a crime story, but certainly fits the title of this blog. Have a look for yourself.