Photo by Philipp Berndt on Unsplash The precious jewels weighed heavy in Andy’s hand. Emeralds, rubies, diamonds. The corner of his mouth curled as he spilled them into his small sack. He took one last glance at the sleeping figure of King Henry VIII. Then he tip-toed out of the bed chambers and slipped through the door. “Did you get them?” His father, Drew, stood within the shadows. Andy nodded. “Thief!” A voice echoed against the stone walls. Drew jumped. “Time to go.” They

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash Quarantine Day 1: Deadly virus spreads. Entire country housebound 30 days. Military delivers staples, medical supplies weekly. No one allowed out, including medical personnel. Quarantine Day 7: Family bored. Elderly neighbor Mr. Wilson injured at home, military medical staff arrive, take him away. Quarantine Day 10: Mrs. Wilson says unknown when husband will return. Quarantine Day 14: No response from military regarding Mrs. Wilson’s inq

Simon looked around the doctor’s office. Blank, white walls. Plain, dark chairs. He gulped. “Do I have to do this?” His mom patted his hand. “You’ll be fine.” “But why do I gotta get it done? I’m not sick or anything.” “Sweetheart, we’ve talked about this. Science has advanced in recent years. There are things we just don’t need anymore. Like the appendix. You wouldn’t complain if they took that out, right? If it burst, it could be deadly.” “Yeah, but I like my body the way i

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash Hello Caffeinated Fiction friends! I’ve got some fun news to share but promised my newsletter subscribers that I’d share with them first. Interested in finding out the juicy details now? I’d love for you to sign up for my newsletter! I’ve got a couple special announcements, PLUS a giveaway ONLY for my newsletter subscribers! Woot! Click here to subscribe to all the fun. I promise not to crowd your inbox with emails! We’ve all got lives, after al

Photo by emma goes east on Unsplash Bones of Cobalt Blue by Cathy Hinkle (Stories of the Stars Flash Fiction Contest 3rd place winner) She landed with the practiced ease of centuries, blue talons gripping the cliff’s edge. Wind whistled through the granite crags, and small stones scrabbled beneath her feet. With a low growl, she dove from the cliff. Unfurling her wings, she soared high in the currents, where stars whispered of hope. Gliding down to the last of her hunting gro

Photo by Eidy Bambang-Sunaryo on Unsplash A Million Heartbeats by Maggie Graber (Stories of the Stars Flash Fiction Contest 2nd Place winner) I’m not an insomniac. I’m just lying awake at 2 am. I stare up at the dirty, white ceiling. There’s a crack that runs from one side to the middle, as if it will split open at any second causing the roof to crash down and kill me. What will it say on my gravestone? Here lies Venus Taylor, the girl that lived in a trashy apartment? Becaus

Photo by Ian Chen on Unsplash Starfinder’s Sacrifice by Sam Graber (Stories of the Stars Flash Fiction Contest 1st Place Winner) No one knows what the stars are. Only that they are far away, and they give us our power. And now they are winking out. “Danar?” Charis steps beside me and slips her hand in mine. Starlight gives a silver sheen to her ebony hair. If the stars die, I will never see her like this again. “Where is he?” Charis closes her eyes and points to the south. Th

Photo by Javier Allegue Barros on Unsplash All she wanted was a dance. Years she had waited for her chance to spin and glide. To be free. “Is it time yet?” she asked Percy. “Not yet. Soon, Cassie. Our time of rest will be over.” She sighed. How much longer? Percy reached out to her, to hold her. Yet she was still too far. As they had always been. Together but separate. Stuck in a timeless void. Cassie looked to the earth. “Soon, Perseus, we will dance together.” “Yes, Cassiop

“Blue One-Four-Seven, hold steady as I come back around.” “Copy that. Holding steady, Gold Five-Nine-Zero.” “Descending at a rate of ten-thousand—wait! Blue One, you’ve got a Glider on your tail! Bank right, now.” “Uh, negative, Gold Five. I don’t see it. I’m not seeing him!” “He’s there. Turn now, he’s got a lock on you!” “Banking right!” “He missed! Yes. Good flying, Blue One.” “I’m looping back so he can’t get a lock on me again.” “Better move fast. I count at least three

It’s been a whole month since I saw my people face-to-face. This conference–the only Christian Speculative Fiction Writers Conference of its kind–is definitely the highlight of my year. Last year I flew to Reno, this year it was St. Louis. I think it’s safe to say, this thing could be held in Tokyo and I’d be on the next flight out! When I hopped in my car to begin my drive, I broke down crying. I cried for the first half hour. Not just because I would miss my family (there’s

Photo by Enis Yavuz on Unsplash Hey friends! I know I’ve been silent over the past month. I decided to take a spontaneous vacation and focus on finishing the edits of my current WIP. The good news = I finished basic edits. The complicated news = I’ve added a few major changes that I’m still working on. New goal = to have a completed MS by July. *sigh* Why do these characters keep telling me things? Having said that, here’s an update on my submission goals for 2018! April: Sub

Photo by Kris Guico on Unsplash Saltwater slips from the ends of my hair as I surface. The ocean is warm, sunlight reflecting off the choppy waves. My arms and legs move in tandem while I circle and twist and soak in the essence of the sea. I squint at bright blue sky, a seagull busy overhead, calling to his friends in search of their next meal. I’ve drifted further out than planned, although the shore is still within a safe distance. A shout echoes from the beach but I ignor

Photo by Daniel Cheung on Unsplash Well, fellow CF friends, something is amiss. Yesterday it was Easter Sunday and today I woke up to find it’s almost halfway through the month! *blink, blink* It may have something to do with the fact that I spent a few days down in Florida and now my whole writing groove is thrown off. Eep! But, I’m back and (hopefully) will have meaningful things to post. *wink* So, head on over to AlmostAnAuthor to check out my latest fantasy/sci-fi post.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash How is it April already? Did I blink or was it just Christmas? Maybe time is moving so fast because I’ve been busy writing! Want to know what I’ve been up to? Read below for my update! Submissions for March: I submitted again to Chicken Soup for the Soul. My plan is to do at least one per month. They’ve got to accept one of my stories eventually, right? Fellowship of Fantasy released their anthology, Mythical Doorways, this month. To celebrat

Hey guys! I decided to enter another flash fiction contest this month. This one is held through the Fellowship of Fantasy website and features flash fiction stories in two categories: 16 and older, or 15 and under. (Guess which one I fall in? *blink, blink*) Voting is open through April 3. Click here to read my story, then scroll down for the voting link. My story is lucky number 13! Woo hoo!! Feel free to share on your social media and tell your friends! Thanks, guys! #fello

“Welcome to Nail-tique.” A young woman with half her head shaved, the other half with rainbow colored hair down to her waist, gave a smile of pointed green hued teeth. Sara fought a cringe. Style in the future wasn’t something she envied for her grandchildren. This was her first “jump.” Time travel had finally become affordable for the average middle-class citizen and she’d chosen to stick with visiting her hometown one hundred years down the road. Sure, the place was filled

Hello CF world! My latest fantasy/sci-fi blog post has gone live over at AlmostAnAuthor. *jumps up and down in excitement* This month isn’t necessarily about craft. Rather, my words are meant to be encouraging in this uncertain world of writing and publishing. It’s no secret that it’s becoming more difficult to get published in Christian publishing houses for fantasy and sci-fi writers. So here’s one way you can change your perspective and find success right now, while contin

“Mama, when will we get to meet Granny?” Benny sat a little higher in his booster seat in the back of the car. At eight, he could barely see her reflection in the rearview mirror. Susan bit her lip and concentrated on the traffic. “As soon as the UWG—the United World Government—finishes building the colony, sweetie.” She struggled to swallow. “What d’ya mean, Benny?” Six-year-old Lydia gave her brother a scowl. “We’re going to meet Granny right now.” “Nah. I don’t mean our vi

Happy February! Can you believe it’s almost Valentine’s Day? *blink blink* Twenty-eighteen is certainly in full swing! Which means another one of my posts over at AlmostAnAuthor has gone live. *skip and flip!* You can check it out here. How about you? How is your writing going so far this year? Do you have a solid plot for your WIP? What about you non-writers? Has anyone been able to keep their New Years Resolutions? Feel free to leave a comment below! ~Laura Photo by Joshua

Hey guys! It’s been too long since I’ve done one of these. And to be honest, I’ve read quite a few fantastic books lately. But this one is, by far, the one that stands out in the crowd. If you’re looking for a clean YA sci-fi story, then you’ve come to the right place! “The Evaporation of Sofi Snow” comes from Mary Weber, an amazing YA author with books published through Thomas Nelson/Harper Collins. You might know her from her “Storm Siren Trilogy,” which are equally as high