I am proud to announce that my flash fiction story “The Liar in the Cellar” was the 1st Runner Up in Mark Lawrence’s contest.

You can read the story for free on his website.

For those who don’t know, Mark Lawrence is a best-selling author who has recently focused on grimdark fantasy. His Broken Empire series is a favorite of fantasy readers who prefer a grittier, darker story.

Flash fiction is an extremely short form of fiction. In China the style is called a “smoke long” story, since it could be finished in the time it takes for a reader to smoke a cigarette.

Mark’s contest to build interest in his new novel The Liar’s Key asked contestants to write a story of no more that 300 words that used the words “liar” and “key”.

My story “The Liar in the Cellar” featured Werting, the main character in “The King Beneath the Waves” which was published in Grimdark Magazine (#3). [Pick up a copy of the magazine to support this new professional market for authors.]

I want to thank Mark publicly for encouraging and supporting new voices in fantasy, and I encourage folks to check out his books.