Tag: free story

Short Story – “Sacrifice”

On By Jeff PawlakLeave a comment

If you have a few minutes to spare, I’ve got a story that I think will leave you with a bit of a chill. I’m honestly not sure how to classify this one; it has elements of high fantasy in it, but it’s definitely too grim to quite fit into that category. Dark fantasy, perhaps? Maybe it crosses all the way into horror? If that’s the case, it includes some of my favorite horror elements; the paranormal, and a remote, primitive jungle setting.

This a quick read; the story finishes at around 3,200 words. Here’s to hoping it’s a creepy one for as long as it lasts you.

Continue reading “Short Story – “Sacrifice”” →

Short story – “The Rapids to Eternity”

On By Jeff PawlakLeave a comment

It’s been a week, so that means a new short story to debut here. This time we’re heading to Ancient Egypt for a sword and sorcery tale that went on to become one of my favorites of all the short stories that I’ve written. This setting and it’s main character were both used in an earlier story that I had published in a print anthology with Pulp Empire, a story titled “Fangs Beneath the Sand.”

I wrote both stories during a sword and sorcery kick that I was on years back while I was binge-reading Conan the Barbarian adventures by famed author Robert E. Howard. One of the most enjoyable parts of writing the two stories for me was the extensive research I did on Ancient Egyptian life and culture, which helped me better understand the world I was loosely basing my setting around. As you read this, you’ll come across several nods and influences from that ancient time period- a world of along ago that I’ve always been fascinated by.

Continue reading “Short story – “The Rapids to Eternity”” →

Short Story – “Rebound”

On By Jeff PawlakLeave a comment

Before I began writing my first novel, I spent a few years working on short stories so that I could improve my language and mechanics. I also did this because I wanted to get a few publishing credits to my name before I took a major work to an agent or publisher; I thought it was very important that I had some experience with publishing rather than just dive into the novel business with nothing on my resume, especially at a young age.

I had a bunch of stories eventually be published in both print and digital formats across a variety of small-print outlets, but I also had plenty that never found their way to the public. Some were outright rejected by the publishers I sent them to. A couple were accepted, but the publisher ceased operations before/after they were published (a very common occurrence in the independent writing scene). Some I wrote just for the heck of it, and never even tried to get published.

Continue reading “Short Story – “Rebound”” →