Short Story

On the run and out of work, Federation Navy deserter Cass takes the first job she can get: to liberate the notorious pirate Redbeard from the prison on Aresh Five—which doubles as a tourist attraction for the rich and adventurous.

Using a cover identity, Cass will have to infiltrate the prison with nothing but her wits, a master key disguised as a spork, and a furry, cat-like companion who’s pretty good in a fight.

Succeed, and she’ll earn the respect of the charismatic pirate leader Tone E Robbins, a man with deep pockets and plenty of other assignments to keep Cass busy. Fail, and she’ll become a permanent resident of Aresh Five prison herself… or worse, end up back in Federation hands, forced to have daily tea with her disgustingly polite and patriarchal commanding officer….

***Get this book FREE when you sign up for my email newsletter! Click here!***

More info →

Rostam Hobbs never told anyone about the dreams.

He'd been on track to make Chief Engineer of the New Horizon space station … before the dreaming interrupted his sleep patterns. Before the miscalculation that nearly froze the entire west residence wing into a block of ice. Before he’d been reassigned to a junk-bucket scout ship to get lost in some godforsaken corner of space.

Dreamers were supposed to have been identified and utilized by the time they hit puberty, and he’s well past that. Maybe they wouldn’t take him now, given his age, but he doesn’t dare chance being found out. Most people are blissfully unaware that Dreamers even exist. But he works in Engineering. He knows everything about Dreamers.

And on a ship this small on a mission this long, it’s getting harder and harder to hide …

---

J. R. Frontera proves in this tale of the future that a mind belonging to the glory days of the Twilight Zone still puts pen to page. This brilliantly written, very meaty science fiction thriller short will have you jumping out of your chair -- literally -- and when it's over, you'll be haunted by the results....

More info →

(NOTE: This book is no longer in print. You might be able to find a copy here or there on Amazon, though they are pretty pricey.)

The rules are simple enough. Write a complete story—either sci fi, fantasy, or paranormal. Make sure it has LGBT characters and/or an LGBT vibe. And do it all with just 300 words.

The stories in this volume run the gamut, from platypus shifters to alien slug monsters, from carnival horror stories to haunting stories of ships with souls. There are little jokes, big surprises, and future prognostications.

More info →

Queer Sci Fi's Annual Flash Fiction Contest challenges authors to write a complete LGBTQ speculative fiction micro-story on a specific theme. "Flight" leaves much for the authors to interpret—winged creatures, flight and space vehicles, or fleeing from dire circumstances.

More info →

This thoughtful, existentialist science fiction short is a vivid and intimate journey on an unavoidable subject. With lyrical prose, intricate descriptions, and a fascinating point of view, J. R. Frontera takes you on a deep dive into what it means to be a living member of the universe...

HAVING DIED, YOU REALIZE THE LIVING HAVE DEATH FIGURED ALL WRONG. Some think they are more right than others; some don't care if they are right at all. Some care enough about being right that they actually murder over it, which in hindsight is quite ironic—and it's just too bad those poor murdered souls can't come back to tell the rest what after-death is really like. But in the end, when it really counts, they are all still equally wrong.

It will be disorienting at first, especially to those with high expectations. There will be no fanfare of trumpets, no bright lights or tunnels. Unfortunately, there are no pearly gates, no golden streets or glass towers, no halos or wings or booming voices or angelic songs heralding your arrival into a grand paradise.

Instead, you will not know you are dead for some time ...

******
Inspired by a walk through a cemetery, this short story takes readers on an intriguing, poetic exploration of the after-death, examining our multiple origins as well as our various endings ... and everything that might happen in-between.

More info →

IM * PACT
(noun)

1) One object colliding with another
2) An impinging of something upon something else
3) An influence or effect on something or someone
4) The force of a new idea, concept, technology or ideology

Four definitions to inspire writers around the world, and an unlimited number of possible stories to tell. Here are 110 of our favorites.

A difficult choice to be made. An object hurtling recklessly through space. A new invention that will change the world. So many things can impact a life, a society, or a planet.

Impact features 300 word speculative fiction ficlets from across the queer spectrum from the minds of the writers of Queer Sci Fi.

Welcome to Impact.

More info →