Our February Issue Jake Freivald

Welcome to February!
You may have noticed that we skipped the January issue. For a variety of reasons, that month has always been difficult for me to manage, and this year was the worst in a long time. Next year I’ll bake a double issue into December (Merry Christmas!) and have a planned skip in January.
This month is a great return, however. Our first story, “Banshee Lullabies” by Chazley Dotson, is a modern-day fantasy. It has a wonderful opening line: The night my daughter sings my death, I am sitting in the living room floor, sifting through old pictures. It gets better from there, too. Check it out.
Our second story, “Clock-In” by Vanessa Blakeslee, uses an interesting technique — it immediately puts you in someone’s situation, being instructed by the narrator, which leads to a very natural use of imperative and second-person, better than the vast majority of second-person we get. In fact, I only thought about its use of this unusual voice well after accepting it. So, on second thought, ignore the technique (since it’s easy to do) and just enjoy the story.
Our third story, “Repair” by Steven Mathes, is a darkish view of the not-too-distant future. I get the feeling one of my kids will be the subject of a similar situation someday.
Speaking of kids, our Classic Flash this month is from Anton Chekhov. Its title is “A Living Calendar,” and it’s possible that it speaks to me mostly because this is the way I keep track of my life: I had my oldest (now 16) while I was in the Marine Corps; we moved to New Jersey when my third (now 12) was still in utero; my brother was living with us the year before my youngest (almost 2) was born. (There are eight total. A friend has taken to say “I haven’t seen you in two or three Freivalds,” where one Freivald is an indeterminate amount of time between 18 months and two-and-a-half years.) Looking at a photo of Anton and his family, it wouldn’t surprise me if the conversation this story contains is mostly autobiographical.
This month also marks the second installment of Bruce Holland Rogers’s Technically Speaking column. This is the first of two parts describing “Naming the Baby,” or creating titles. This month he talks through the issues, and next month he’ll discuss nuts-and-bolts and give examples.
Thanks for joining us! We’ll see you in March!
Become a Patron! Check our our NEW Patron rewards!
FIREFLY
Receives weekly links to new stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content and interviews with the authors, and our undying love.
WILL-O-THE-WISP
Receives a free monthly download of our current issue, access to Ask Me Anything chats with the FFO staff, submission statistics, plus benefits from lower levels
SHOOTING STAR
Gain access to our monthly Mini-Critique sessions, the FFO Editorial Team slushpile wishlist , plus benefits from lower levels
AURORA
A chance to have your work discussed by the FFO editorial team, receive 365 Writing Prompts and our latest anthology, plus benefits from lower levels
LIGHTNING
Receive a monthly mini-critique from the FFO editorial team and request custom writing videos, plus benefits from lower levels
SUPERNOVA
Receive one flash fiction critique per month, mini-critique sessions, an opportunity to “sponsor-a-story,” plus all the benefits of lower levels!
Support Flash Fiction Online
Flash Fiction Online is a free online magazine that pays professional rates. So how do we make that happen? It’s due to the generosity of readers like you.
Here are some ways you can help:
Become a Patron.
Sign up to become a monthly donor and gain access to exclusive Patron rewards like manuscript critiques, insider submission statistics, the Editors’ Wishlist, free downloads of our current issue, and Ask Me Anything chats with the FFO staff. Read more…
Subscribe to FFO.
Never miss an issue! E-reader formats delivered to your inbox. Available from WeightlessBooks.com
Buy our issues & anthologies.
Each of our issues and anthologies are available in convenient e-reader formats (epub/mobi/pdf). Available from the Flash Fiction Online Store and WeightlessBooks.
Donate.
Consider a one-time gift that fits your budget.
Advertise with us.
Have a product, service, or website our readers might enjoy? Ad space available on the website and in our e-reader issues. Sponsored posts opportunities are also available. Learn more…
Spread the word.
Love one of our stories or articles? Share it with a friend!