Sudden Fictions
"Sudden Fiction" is defined as flash fiction of between 750-1000 words that tells a complete story with a twist ending. Various artists share a new original prompt-based Sudden Fiction each week. R.B. Wood hosts the podcast.
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Episode 57: "Destination Anywhere" by Mary E. Hart
05/03/2024
Episode 57: "Destination Anywhere" by Mary E. Hart
Host: Mary E. Hart is the author of the haunted house novel, “Some Horrific Evening” and the 1980s themed horror tale, “Not Your Barbie Dino,” in the collection “Totally Tubular Terrors.” When she’s not creating memes about warehouse operations and writing about robots in her full-time job, or taking multiple pictures of magnolia trees, she is writing ideas for stories in far too many notebooks. You can learn more about her writing at .
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Episode 56: "The Mortal Gods of the Last Olympus" by Suzanne Madron
04/26/2024
Episode 56: "The Mortal Gods of the Last Olympus" by Suzanne Madron
Host: Suzanne Madron was born in New York City and has lived up and down the east coast. Currently, she resides in a house built over a Civil War battlefield in the wilds of Pennsylvania where she has been known to host some interesting Halloween parties. She has authored several novels and stories under various names including Suzi M, James Glass, and Xircon.
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Episode 55: "Rain in the Nightmarket" by Melissa Burkart
04/19/2024
Episode 55: "Rain in the Nightmarket" by Melissa Burkart
Host: Melissa Burkart currently lives in downeast Maine with her family and writes in the pauses of parenting two young kids. Her short stories have appeared in The Word Count podcast and the anthologies Fight Like a Girl and What Follows under M. J. King. You can occasionally find her at or Instagram @writinginterrupted.
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Episode 54: "Through a Quagmire of Doubt and Fog" by Huxley Ravenwood
04/12/2024
Episode 54: "Through a Quagmire of Doubt and Fog" by Huxley Ravenwood
Host: Huxley Ravenwood (she/they) is a queer, neurospicy author of eldritch and gothic horror from central Massachusetts. She also writes roleplaying game adventures and has edited several anthologies. In their other life, Huxley is a book historian and binder specializing in medieval works.
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Episode 53: "A Single Drop" by Naching T. Kassa
04/05/2024
Episode 53: "A Single Drop" by Naching T. Kassa
Host: Naching T. Kassa is a wife, mother, and writer. She’s created short stories, novellas, poems, and co-created three children. She resides in Eastern Washington State with her husband, Dan Kassa. Naching is a member of the Horror Writers Association, Mystery Writers of America, The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, and various Sherlock Holmes Scions. She is the Talent Relations Manager at Crystal Lake Entertainment and was a recipient of the 2022 HWA Diversity Grant.
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Episode 52: "She's Coming for Me, You Know" by J. Edwin Buja
03/29/2024
Episode 52: "She's Coming for Me, You Know" by J. Edwin Buja
Host: J. Edwin Buja has spent his life surrounded by books. He discovered early on that researching and writing hold the key to happiness. Who else would think scanning through decades of microfilm to index an old newspaper would be a dream job? For almost forty years, he has been married to the most wonderful woman on the planet. Although he lives in a small village somewhere in Canada, his heart and second home reside with his horror family in New England. His novels include The King of the Wood and The Consort. His next novel, Enough Time, will be released in 2025. He has also had more than a dozen short stories published. He is currently working on the final novel of The Wood, and another novel based on concerts he attended in Detroit in the 1970s.
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Episode 51: "The Mystery Girl of Doheny Boulevard" by Karl Dandenell
03/22/2024
Episode 51: "The Mystery Girl of Doheny Boulevard" by Karl Dandenell
Host: Karl Dandenell is a graduate of Viable Paradise and a Full Member of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association. He and his family, plus their cat overlords, live on an island near San Francisco famous for its Victorian architecture and low speed limits. His preferred drinks are strong black tea and single malt whiskey, generally without ice. Karl’s fiction and poetry have appeared in publications and podcasts in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. Follow his occasional posts and read more of his fiction at .
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Episode 50 "Give Me Shelter" by Cindy O'Quinn
03/15/2024
Episode 50 "Give Me Shelter" by Cindy O'Quinn
Host: Cindy O’Quinn is a five-time Bram Stoker Award®-nominated writer. Author of “Lydia”, from the Shirley Jackson Award-winning anthology The Twisted Book of Shadows, “The Thing I Found Along a Dirt Patch Road”, “A Gathering on the Mountain”, “One and Done”, and “Quondam”. Her poetry has been nominated for the Elgin, Dwarf Star, and Rhysling Awards. She is an Appalachian writer from West Virginia. Cindy currently resides on the old Tessier Homestead in the woods of northern Maine. It’s the ideal backdrop for writing dark stories and poetry.
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Episode 49: "Darkling I Listen; and, For Many a Time" by Michael Ehart
03/08/2024
Episode 49: "Darkling I Listen; and, For Many a Time" by Michael Ehart
Host: Michael Ehart has been at various times all the expected things: laborer, seminary student, musician, shoe salesman, political consultant, teacher, diaper truck driver, stand-up comedian, and the least important guy with an office at a movie studio. He made his first sale to a magazine at age 15, which means he has been writing for over 50 years, with the aforementioned occasional breaks for gainful employment. He lives in the upper left hand corner of the United States with his wife and youngest daughter.
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Episode 48 "The Sea Woman" by Michael Burke
03/01/2024
Episode 48 "The Sea Woman" by Michael Burke
Host: Michael Burke is a lifelong fan of fantasy, science fiction, and horror, propelled into these realms at a tender age when he discovered his father's cache of pulp novels. A passion for comic books soon followed. In 2000, Michael co-founded the Eisner-award-winning comic and collectible store, Comicazi, in Somerville, MA. When not sorting the comic stacks at work, Michael can be found at home, releasing the hobgoblins of his mind into story form. He has been published in Whetstone:Amateur Magazine of Pulp Sword and Sorcery, The Horror Zine, Witch House, Northern Frights, ResAliens, and the 80s-themed anthology, Totally Tubular Terrors. Healsohas stories in Dan Brereton's Swordplay, Contact 2:Blood and Steel, Monster Fight at the O.K. Corral, and a weird western novella in Crystal Lake's Dark Tide series. A sword and sorcery collection, Fragments of a Greater Darkness, was recently released from Tule Fog Press.Michael lives outside of Boston, MA with his wife, more books than he can possibly read, and continues writing every chance he gets. His inner 11-year-old thinks middle age isn't all that bad.
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Episode 47: "Harry, the Ice Man" by Karl Dandenell
02/23/2024
Episode 47: "Harry, the Ice Man" by Karl Dandenell
Host: Karl Dandenell is a graduate of Viable Paradise and a Full Member of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association. He and his family, plus their cat overlords, live on an island near San Francisco famous for its Victorian architecture and low speed limits. His preferred drinks are strong black tea and single malt whiskey, generally without ice. Karl’s fiction and poetry have appeared in publications and podcasts in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. Follow his occasional posts and read more of his fiction at .
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Episode 46: "A Nice Bit of Ice" By Michael Ehart
02/16/2024
Episode 46: "A Nice Bit of Ice" By Michael Ehart
Host: Michael Ehart has been at various times all the expected things: laborer, seminary student, musician, shoe salesman, political consultant, teacher, diaper truck driver, stand-up comedian, and the least important guy with an office at a movie studio. He made his first sale to a magazine at age 15, which means he has been writing for over 50 years, with the aforementioned occasional breaks for gainful employment. He lives in the upper left hand corner of the United States with his wife and youngest daughter. NOTE" The Thumbnail photo is of Michael at the Savoy!
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Episode 45: "Arctic" by Mercedes M. Yardley
02/09/2024
Episode 45: "Arctic" by Mercedes M. Yardley
Host: Mercedes M. Yardley is a Bram Stoker and Stabby award-winning dark fantasist who wears poisonous flowers in her hair. She writes in a lush, lyrical style about current social issues and finding love and beauty in the darkness. She authored such works as Darling, Apocalyptic Montessa and Nuclear Lulu: A Tale of Atomic Love, Little Dead Red, and Love is a Crematorium. Mercedes lives and works in Las Vegas. You can find her at .
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Episode 44: "The Goddess of the Last Frontier" by Cheryl Cantafio
02/02/2024
Episode 44: "The Goddess of the Last Frontier" by Cheryl Cantafio
Host: Cheryl Cantafio works in information technology, and is a podcast co-host (You Only Go Once (Y.O.G.O.)). Her book, My Stay with the Sisters: Poems, is her debut as an author and poet. She lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with her husband and two mischievous mini-dachshunds. Connect with her on Instagram: @cherylc.writer
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Episode 43: "Stemware" by Kenneth W. Cain
01/26/2024
Episode 43: "Stemware" by Kenneth W. Cain
Host: Kenneth W. Cain is an author of horror and dark fiction, and a Splatterpunk Award nominated freelance editor. He is also the publisher and editor-in-chief at Crystal Lake: Torrid Waters. Cain is an Active member of the HWA and a Full member of the SFWA. To date, he has had over one hundred short stories and thirteen novels/novellas, as well as a handful each of nonfiction pieces, books for children, and poems released by many great publishers such as Crystal Lake Publishing, JournalStone, and Cemetery Gates Media. He has also edited eight anthologies, with two more coming in 2023. Cain suffers from chronic pain, and as such, likes to keep busy. He lives in Chester County PA with his family and two furbabies, Butterbean and Bodhi. His full publishing history is available on his website at .
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Episode 42: "Sweet Champagne" by Belinda Brady
01/19/2024
Episode 42: "Sweet Champagne" by Belinda Brady
Host: A bookworm since childhood, Belinda is passionate about stories and has turned her hand to writing them, with several stories published in a variety of publications. Belinda lives in Australia with her family, two moody, yet oh so loveable, cats and two super cute miniature dachshunds who love annoying said cats and each other. Belinda adores all things spooky, music and travel.
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Episode 41: "Champagne and Paris Green" by Michael Ehart
01/12/2024
Episode 41: "Champagne and Paris Green" by Michael Ehart
Host: Michael Ehart has been at various times all the expected things: laborer, seminary student, musician, shoe salesman, political consultant, teacher, diaper truck driver, stand-up comedian, and the least important guy with an office at a movie studio. He made his first sale to a magazine at age 15, which means he has been writing for over 50 years, with the aforementioned occasional breaks for gainful employment. He lives in the upper left hand corner of the United States with his wife and youngest daughter.
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Episode 40: "The Last Year of Champagne" by Karl Dandenell
01/05/2024
Episode 40: "The Last Year of Champagne" by Karl Dandenell
Host: Karl Dandenell is a graduate of Viable Paradise and a Full Member of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association. He and his family, plus their cat overlords, live on an island near San Francisco famous for its Victorian architecture and low-speed limits. His preferred drinks are strong tea and single-malt whiskey, not champagne. Karl’s fiction and poetry have appeared in publications and podcasts in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. Follow his occasional posts and read more of his fiction at .
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Episode 39: "The Poltergeist of Fastini Crater" by Karl Dandenell
11/06/2023
Episode 39: "The Poltergeist of Fastini Crater" by Karl Dandenell
Host: Karl Dandenell is a graduate of Viable Paradise and a Full Member of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association. He and his family, plus their cat overlords, live on an island near San Francisco famous for its Victorian architecture and low speed limits. His preferred drinks are strong tea and single-malt whiskey. Karl’s fiction and poetry have appeared in publications and podcasts in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. Follow his occasional posts and read more of his fiction at .
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Episode 38: "All Lit Up in Black and White" by Wayne Fenlon & Cindy O'Quinn
10/27/2023
Episode 38: "All Lit Up in Black and White" by Wayne Fenlon & Cindy O'Quinn
Host: Wayne Fenlon is the Scottish author of the horror/thriller novel THE BLACK CABIN, and drabble collection (100 word stories) SCATTERED LITTLE PIECES. His stories have appeared online at , and alongside Bram Stoker Award nominees in the well-received horror anthology SOMETHING BAD HAPPENED edited by Jennifer Bernardini. If he's not reading, writing, and talking books, he's designing book covers or animating them. You can find him on: Twitter. Facebook. Instagram. TikTok Cindy O’Quinn is an Appalachian writer who grew up in the mountains of West Virginia. In 2016, Cindy and her family moved to the northern woods of Maine, where she continues to write horror stories and dark poetry. Her work has been published or is forthcoming in WERE TALES: A Shapeshifter Anthology Shotgun Honey Presents Vol 4: RECOIL, The Shirley Jackson Award Winning Anthology: The Twisted Book of Shadows, Shelved: Appalachian Resilience During Covid 19 Anthology, Attack From The ‘80S Anthology, The Bad Book Anthology, Chiral Mad 5, HWA Poetry Showcase Vol V, Space & Time Magazine, Weirdbook Magazine, Nothing’s Sacred Vol 4 & 5, Sanitarium Magazine, & others. Cindy is a four time Bram Stoker Award Final Nominee. Her poetry has been nominated for an Elgin, Rhysling, & Dwarf Star Awards. Member of HWA, NESW, NEHW, SFPA, Horror Writers of Maine, and Weird Poets Society. You can follow Cindy for updates on Facebook , Instagram/Threads cindy.oquinn, Bluesky @cindyoquinn.bsky.social, and Twitter .
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Episode 37: "Goldfish Island" by Nora Peevy
10/23/2023
Episode 37: "Goldfish Island" by Nora Peevy
Host: Nora B. Peevy is a cat trapped in a human’s body. Please send help or tuna. She toils away for JournalStone and Trepidatio Publishing as a submission reader, is a co-founder and editor for Alien Sun Press, a reviewer for Hellnotes, co-editor and art/writing contributor for Weird Fiction Quarterly, and has been published by Eighth Tower Press, The Wicked Library Podcast, Sudden Fictions Podcast and other places. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English with a Concentration in Creative Writing from Cardinal Stritch University and is a photographer for Getty Images. Usually, you can find her on Facebook asking for help to escape her human body or to get tuna. Tuna is nice. Cats like tuna. She also likes cat naps in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Episode 36: "The Sea of Trees" by Tim Waggoner
09/08/2023
Episode 36: "The Sea of Trees" by Tim Waggoner
Host: Tim Waggoner has published over fifty novels and seven collections of short stories. He’s a four-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award, a one-time winner of the Scribe Award, and he’s been a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award and the Splatterpunk Award. He’s the author of the acclaimed horror-writing guide Writing in the Dark, and he’s a full-time tenured professor who teaches creative writing and composition at Sinclair College in Dayton, Ohio. His papers are collected by the University of Pittsburgh's Horror Studies Program. Website: Blog: Facebook: Twitter: @timwaggoner
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Episode 35: "Come the Waters High" by Karl Dandenell
09/01/2023
Episode 35: "Come the Waters High" by Karl Dandenell
Host: Karl Dandenell is a graduate of Viable Paradise and a Full Member of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association. He and his family, plus their cat overlords, live on an island near San Francisco famous for its Victorian architecture and low speed limits. His preferred drinks are strong tea and single malt whiskey. Karl’s fiction and poetry have appeared in publications and podcasts in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. Follow his occasional posts and read more of his fiction at .
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Episode 34: "The Birthday Dinner" by Tom Deady
08/25/2023
Episode 34: "The Birthday Dinner" by Tom Deady
Host: Tom Deady's first novel, HAVEN, won the 2016 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. He has since published several novels, novellas, a short story collection, and the first book in his middle grade horror series. He has a master’s degree in English and Creative Writing and is a member of both the Horror Writers Association and the New England Horror Writers Association. You can find out more about Tom and his work at
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Episode 33: "Left at the Bus Stop" by Mary Hart
08/18/2023
Episode 33: "Left at the Bus Stop" by Mary Hart
Host: *Story TRIGGER WARNING: Abuse.* Mary E. Hart is the author of the haunted house novel, “Some Horrific Evening” and the 1980s themed horror tale, “Not Your Barbie Dino,” in the collection “Totally Tubular Terrors.” When she’s not writing about robot technology in her full-time job, or creating stuffed animal political debates with her son, she is writing down tales like this one and even Hallmark-like stories. You can learn more about her writing at .
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Episode 32: "A Close Family" by Kenneth W. Cain
08/11/2023
Episode 32: "A Close Family" by Kenneth W. Cain
Host: Kenneth W. Cain is an author of horror and dark fiction, and a Splatterpunk Award nominated freelance editor. He is also the publisher and editor-in-chief at Crystal Lake: Torrid Waters. Cain is an Active member of the HWA and a Full member of the SFWA. To date, he has had over one hundred short stories and thirteen novels/novellas, as well as a handful each of nonfiction pieces, books for children, and poems released by many great publishers such as Crystal Lake Publishing, JournalStone, and Cemetery Gates Media. He has also edited eight anthologies, with two more coming in 2023. Cain suffers from chronic pain, and as such, likes to keep busy. He lives in Chester County PA with his family and two furbabies, Butterbean and Bodhi. His full publishing history is available on his website at .
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Episode 31: "Red Oak Manor" by Wicker Stone
08/04/2023
Episode 31: "Red Oak Manor" by Wicker Stone
Host: Wicker Stone is an avid reader, writer, and also an artist. Recently, he just completed his newest novel titled 'Stench of Leaves'. He's worked as a freelance writer for the Morning Sentinel newspaper, covered the movie 'Thinner' for the magazine Cinefantastique, and some of his short stories can be found in NEHW's Wicked Weird and HWoM's Northern Frights Halloween and Love Issues. Wicker is currently working on a short story collection while revising an old novel titled, 'Dark Shade'.
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Episode 30: "Taxi" by R. B. Wood
07/28/2023
Episode 30: "Taxi" by R. B. Wood
Host: Former technologist and world traveler, storyteller R. B. Wood is an MFA graduate from Emerson College and a writer of speculative dark thrillers. Mr. Wood, via Crystal Lake Publishing, recently released his novel, Bayou Whispers, and is working on his next book, The Glue Factory. His shorter, weird stories have appeared in multiple anthologies and online magazines. R. B. Wood Around the web: | | |
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Episode 29: "My Coney Island Girl" by Sarah Walker
07/21/2023
Episode 29: "My Coney Island Girl" by Sarah Walker
Host: Sarah Walker is a writer, artist and anthropologist living in the Pacific Northwest and has been published by Audient Void, Lovecraft Ezine Press, Antimony and Old Lace, Oxygenman Books, Silent Motorist Media, Planet X Books, Eighth Tower Publishing, Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror, Shoggoth.net, Lovecraft Lunatic Asylum, Audient Void, and more. She recently illustrated, wrote, and helped to curate the folk horror book A Walk in a Darker Wood with editors Duane Pesice, Phil Breach and Gordon White along with the sequel, A Walk in a City of Shadows, edited by Sarah Walker, Gordon White, Jill Hand, Nora Peevy, and Phil Breach that came out in February 2023. She also has other work coming out in in late 2023 from Vastarien , Weird Fiction Quarterly, and Demagogue Press and she is currently working on readying her illustrated short story collection set for publication in 2024. Lastly, she is coediting a book of short stories celebrating the work of Gemma Files set to be published in summer of 2024 and she is hiding under your bed right now, but don’t let that bother you.
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Episode 28: "What I Did on Summer Vacation" by NorA B. Peevy
07/14/2023
Episode 28: "What I Did on Summer Vacation" by NorA B. Peevy
Host: Nora B. Peevy is a cat trapped in a human’s body. Please send help or tuna. She toils away for JournalStone and Trepidatio Publishing as a submissions reader, is a co-founder for Alien Sun Press, a reviewer for Hellnotes, co-editor for Weird Fiction Quarterly, and has been published by Eighth Tower Press, Weird Fiction Quarterly, Alien Sun Press, The Wicked Library Podcast, and other places. She has a Bachelor in English Degree with a Concentration in Creative Writing from Cardinal Stritch University. She is also a contributor for Getty Images. Usually, you can find her on Facebook asking for help escaping her human body or to get tuna. Tuna is nice. Cats like tuna. She also likes cat naps in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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