Frivolous Comma

Case File 2500198 Eve asked if I thought it was really the crown like everyone’s been saying—the fabled crown of Dolerissand, lost a thousand years ago. I told her they were just rumors...

Our November story is out by S.B. MacCreery - her debut short! It's an experimental format that hints at a world with secrets and histories. Check it out here: www.frivolouscomma.com/case-file-25...

#scifi #sff #scififantasy #fantasy #scifiwriters #sciencefiction #shortfiction

photo.by.unsplach: https://unsplash.com/photos/person-typing-on-red-typewriter-aSPbuSG4rpo

It's November folks which for many of us meant a writing challenge. @apthayer.bsky.social wrote about what NaNoWriMo did for him - take a look: www.frivolouscomma.com/the-writer-n...

#scifi #sff #scififantasy #fantasy #scifiwriters #sciencefiction #shortfiction #amwriting

Shout-out to @sarahthehof.bsky.social for the illustration! Always top shelf!

Three Card Caper by @nameshiv.bsky.social out now!

www.frivolouscomma.com/three-card-c...

#scifi #sff #scififantasy #fantasy #scifiwriters #sciencefiction #shortfiction

Stay tuned for this light-hearted mystery by @nameshiv.bsky.social coming out tomorrow!

#scifi #sff #scififantasy #fantasy #scifiwriters #sciencefiction #shortfiction

Take a look at a new personal essay by @yikesyaika.bsky.social on her relationship with haunted house/possession films. Out today:
www.frivolouscomma.com/a-body-haunted/

#personalessay #hauntedhouse #chronicillness #illness

A moodboard: the book in the center has a black cover with a skull inside a space helmet, and it's called Disgraced Return of the Kap's Needle. Other elements: an astronaut on a deserted planet; the interior of a spaceship with lights beaming on the ceiling; a glazed space helmet; a planet; a mask showing a creepy smile; a woman breathing inside a space helmet; a silhouette of an astronaut wearing a spacesuit; shining stars.

Myself, a white man in glasses with a beard wearing a t-shirt with a Stargate and a pyramid. I'm holding a book called Disgraced Return of the Kap's Needle showing a skull inside a space helmet. Behind me there's a bookshelf with several books.

A book cover: Disgraced Return of the Kap's Needle showing a skull inside a space helmet. It's written "Eligible as novella for SFF awards like (but also others)" and then the symbols of the awards: Nebula (a circle with a nebula on the background), Hugo (a rocketship), Locus (an astronaut on a gleaming background), BSFA Awards (just the words).

Awards Season is upon us! My novella Disgraced Return of the Kap’s Needle (19,500 words), a dark space opera set in a generation spaceship returning to Earth after a failed expedition, is eligible as Best Novella in the Nebulas, Hugos, Locus and for Best Shorter Fiction in the BSFA.

Are you looking for a cozy but emotional read to curl up with, this autumn? If so, this book exploring life after life and whatever comes next in a magical café may just be for you! Read Phoebe's review: www.frivolouscomma.com/review-under...

"What I wouldn’t give to just drive to the drug store and buy a bottle of Advil. But no, those days are long gone." In September's story Jeff Pepper paints an unsettling scenario and someone who may not be what they seem...read it now: www.frivolouscomma.com/mr-xings-sci...

#speculativefiction

On September 30th read what happens when a mysterious new teacher turns up at the prestigious Carnegie Prep with an ambitious project. #speculativefiction #speculativefictionwriter #scifi #scififantasy #litjournal #writingcommunity #litmag #literarymagazine #publishing

Your back to school speculative reading list is here. Click through to pick one (or all) based on vibes, or head to our website to read the reviews: www.frivolouscomma.com/frivolous-re...

In 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗼𝘅 @rachaelkjones.bsky.social gives us a tightly built world with a clever plot for us to sink our teeth into... read it at: www.frivolouscomma.com/train-hopper...

#speculativefiction #speculativefictionwriter #scifi #scififantasy #litjournal #writingcommunity #litmag

The Trans-Temporal line isn't your average train station. Here, trains don't bridge cities or states, but timelines. That makes things complicated for Detective Valentini when she is assigned to investigate an unusual death at the station. Read what happens on August 31st @rachaelkjones.bsky.social

Join us! Sign up to be a part of our community! www.frivolouscomma.com/signup/

#bookstagram #fantasy #scifi #darkfantasty #sciencefantasy #horror #psychologicalhorror #queerfiction #bipocauthors #speclit #fantasyscifi

Congrats to all Hugo Award Winner & Runners up! Especially: Marie Brennen @rachaelkjones.bsky.social @aijiang.bsky.social @angelaliu.bsky.social #Hugoawards #worldcon

If you haven’t booked a holiday yet, how about a trip into the depths of space? Read Phoebe's review of the graphic novel On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden (2018): www.frivolouscomma.com/review-on-a-...

#bookreviews #speculativefiction #speculativefictionwriter #scifi #scififantasy #litjournal #litmag

Next stop, Talbot County, North Georgia, where the legend of Emily Burt leads us down a road rife with age-old superstitions, debunked myths (what silver bullets?), and a history of women's health.

www.frivolouscomma.com/the-wolfwoma...

#werewolf #feminist #travelguide #folklore #southernfolklore

In July's addition to our Shadows & Signals collection Craig builds horror and mystery slowly and leaves you unsettled with questions...

Read it now:

www.frivolouscomma.com/counting-chi...

#speculativefiction #speculativefictionwriter #litjournal #writingcommunity #litmag #literarymagazine

This month's mystery leans heavy on the horror. Read it Friday.

#speculativefiction #speculativefictionwriter #scifi #scififantasy #litjournal #submissions #writingcommunity #litmag #literarymagazine #writersofbluesky #publishing

Gathered In: Recovering evidence from the crime scene In this stage, authorized people enter the controlled crime scene, locate the evidence, and ensure none of it goes missing or is contaminated.

In many ways, the stories of Sherlock Holmes pioneered the collection of evidence to help solve crime... Unfortunately, his methods would not pass today’s rigorous standards for admissibility in court.


Read the fourth installment in our series Forensic Science in Fantasy Fiction now!

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙨 – Thomas Ha
Vibes: carnival, futuristic, dread, Goosebumps meets Bradbury

𝙎𝙠𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘽𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨 - Gary McMahon
Vibes: eerie, messy, otherworldly

𝘼𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙄𝙩 - Kristi DeMeester
Vibes: dark, religious trauma, reminiscent of the movie Longlegs but in vibes only, not plot


bit.ly/3UpecnM

"...first and foremost a fairytale book, inspired by the grim tale of ‘The Goose Girl’, yet also contains whimsy and emotional depth, elements of horror and regency romance, and a very strange horse."

Read Phoebe's review of 𝘼 𝙎𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝘾𝙖𝙡𝙡 by ‪@tkingfisher.com ‬

bit.ly/4lCWPvs

“The holy man was bringing healing water from the sacred mountain.” Claudio bends down to her height, hunching his broad shoulders to whisper to her. “Guess somebody killed him for it.” Read June's Speculative mystery by @scmillsbooks now!

www.frivolouscomma.com/all-gods-wor...

Don't waste your time searching for your next short read. Check out Emma's reviews and see if one of these stories catches your fancy.

www.frivolouscomma.com/frivolous-re...


#speculativefiction #scifi #scififantasy #litjournal #litmag #literarymagazine #review #reviews #shortstoryreview

Spotted a writer buddy in the wild! Love this one from the always-talented @scmillsbooks.bsky.social 💧

A monk is dead. Steps away from completing his task of bringing holy water to help heal the city. This Frances' best friend has been accused. Can she solve the mystery and free her friend? Read our latest speculative mystery on June 30th! @scmillsbooks

#speculativefiction #speculativefictionwriter

While the famous detective Sherlock Holmes used his photographic memory, rather than a camera, to document the crime scene, the next generation of fictional crime solvers took up photography. The third part in our Forensic Science in Fantasy Fiction series is out now: bit.ly/4lbbmhC

Catch up on the first two articles in VJ Knipe's four part series before the third installment is released on Friday!

www.frivolouscomma.com/tag/forensic-science-in-fantasy-fiction/

#truecrime #speculativefiction #speculativefictionwriter #scifi #scififantasy #litjournal #writingcommunity #litmag

We've already released 5 stories in our Signals & Shadows: Speculative Mysteries collection. How many have you read? Missed any? Read them here: www.frivolouscomma.com/tag/shadows-...

@joannerixon.bsky.social @rmsayan.bsky.social


#speculativefiction #writer #writingcommunity #fantasy #shortfanta

The book cover for the dragonfly gambit by A.D. Sui along with the seal for the nebula awards and the text “winner Best Novella.” All in front of a really beautiful photograph of a nebula.

So hype for @thesuiway and THE DRAGONFLY GAMBIT!

If you haven’t read it yet, use code NEBULAS2025 to pick it up for $1.99 until the end of the month.

www.neonhemlock.com/ebooks/drago...