Short Stories
“The Great Game,” a story about board games and glamorous new friendships and dark currents at work, will appear in Asimov’s Science Fiction in Fall 2026.
“Blow Dry,” a fun murder mystery told in a hair salon, appeared in Black Cat Weekly #224. The story is a tribute to Ring Lardner’s classic 1925 story, “Haircut,” on its 100th birthday.
“But Siriously Folks,” a story about a stand-up comedian who performs in outer space and has a life-changing experience, appeared in Little Old Lady Comedy.
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“The Girl in the Attic,” included in The Dark of the Woods: Fairy Tales for Modern Times
Edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
Back Page Books and Aladdin
Ava feels like Rapunzel, trapped in her attic, everything bottled up inside and no one to talk to. Will she ever be able to let her hair down?
“Silence,” included in You’re the Best!: Stories About Friendship
Selected by Belinda Hollyer
Kingfisher, London and Kingfisher, Boston
Sometimes you have to listen hard to hear what’s not being said.
“Snap, Crackle, Pop,” included in Shattered: Stories of Children and War
Edited by Jennifer Armstrong
Laurel Leaf
“In ‘Snap, Crackle, Pop,’ Lois Metzger writes about the Cold War during the McCarthy era…. These selections will make teens cry, will make them angry, but most of all they will make them think.” — School Library Journal
“Seashell Motel,” included in Working Days: Short Stories About Teenagers at Work
Edited by Anne Mazer
Persea Books
A girl lies about her age, changing it from 16 to 19, so she can work at a motel in Atlantic City—and discovers that what she’s done is far more complicated than flipping a single digit upside down.
“Some [of the stories], like Lois Metzger’s ‘Seashell Motel’ [are] destined to be read and read again.” — Booklist