After much soul-searching, LongShortStories has decided to no longer offer a LongShortStories Short Story Contest twice a year.

First, the quality of the submissions just wasn’t there. After all, short story writing is an art form that has definite underlying rules and nearly all the submissions did not uphold them.

Secondly, the clearly-stated rules that we posted on this website were often ignored by those who simultaneously submitted their entries to other venues. We found through checking that their short story submission appeared on other Internet sites, including other contest sites.

Thirdy, one of the chief online sources of many of the submissions which we received just enacted a fee-based annual subscription program which effectively cut deeply into the submission pool.

Fourth, LongShortStories’ appeal for funding for our contest prize pot did not result in the needed cash infusion from our readership to assure the granting of prizes for quality work submitted.

SO, we have no winners to announce this last contest go-around but we are confident that they do exist out there in the ether. We hope to run into that award-winning talent somewhere, somehow, as we travel the short story galaxy.

In the meantime, LongShortStories continues to offer its appreciative international fan base some of the best short fiction anthologies and freestanding short stories via our Amazon digital marketing platform. You can access our Amazon ordering page(s) by clicking on each of the ebook covers on our Home Page of this website. We appreciate your support of our writing and we look forward to your supportive reviews.

Thank you and good luck to you all!

Wayne C. Long

Writer/Editor/Digital Publisher

www.LongShortStories.com

Where the Short Story LIVES!

It’s frustrating seeing a LongShortStories Contest entrant shoot themselves in the proverbial foot by not following our clearly-stated rules. Once again, we came up dry.

Some of the submissions were pretty good, but only one made the preliminary cut into the big leagues. And then that person’s entry had to be tossed out because they disqualified themselves.

The simple reason? Their story submission had already appeared on the Internet. (We always check). Our rules state that entries must be “ORIGINAL, UNPUBLISHED (in any media, including the Internet).” And our rules also state clearly: “No simultaneous submissions please.”

We can only hope that in the current Contest season (July-December, 2012) that all entrants take a few minutes to read and follow the simple rules so that someone deserving can win one of our very nice prizes.

Good luck to you all!

CONVERGENCE

I love that word. In Biology it means “the development of similarities in unrelated organisms living in the same environment.” Its root word is, of course, converge, meaning “to move or be directed toward each other or toward the same place, purpose, or result.”

Convergence was the theme in my first paying writing gig, a Christmas short story about two ham radio buddies. That story, titled “The Christmas Tree,” appeared in the December, 2004 issue of the international Amateur Radio magazine QST and so touched the readers that they enthusiastically voted for that story to win the magazine’s coveted QST Cover Plaque Award. The following December, 2005 I won it again for another Christmas short story titled “Jimmy’s Wish.” I was off and running on my professional writing career.

The unseen power of this convergence thing was really working for me and I pushed forward with my writing. More and more short stories started pouring from my mind onto the screen of my computer. I gave myself permission to bravely write what I never would have dreamed years ago.

As the archive of my short fiction pieces grew and grew, the idea of bringing those stories to the vast readership of the Internet seemed more and more necessary and appropriate for the times. After an entire year spent researching the viability of the short story marketplace in the Internet age, I determined that it was time to build a website to showcase and sell my work.

At first, I floated my dream with a few local companies who designed websites. They tried to turn my vision into their vision. They just didn’t get it and their prices reflected that.

So I ventured onto the Internet to find a website design and hosting partner that was like no other. One that put my needs ahead of theirs. One that didn’t talk down to me as I came up the learning curve of having a state-of-the-art Web presence.

After viewing hundreds of website design firms’ sample offerings, I made a long-distance call to one in Ohio. The owner’s name was Eugene Barnes.

Mr. Barnes did not immediately answer my call so I left a brief message outlining my creative vision for this website project. Within an hour he called me back. We immediately hit it off and Eugene promised to send me a proposal that would meet my creative and budgetary needs perfectly.

That forward-moving force, that convergence of old, was right there with me as I studied Eugene’s proposal and price quotation. My wife and I agreed that he was the one-in-a-million website guru that I had been looking for. I signed his contract and the rest, shall we say, is history.

After a year of countless emails and samples going from Eugene’s Ohio design studio to my writing office in Wisconsin, together we hammered out a finished e-commerce website design that would beautifully represent my vision for my writing home.

I called it LongShortStories, a clever play on words, linking my last name with my creative writing purpose. It had that snap that I was hoping for, that catchiness that would serve me well as a unique writing brand.

June 1, 2007 was the official debut of the LongShortStories Web home, this creative collaboration between Eugene and I after all those months in the trenches, tweaking and fine-tuning it like a world-class race car. We held our breath and waited with schoolboy nervousness as the statistical data on readership started to trickle in. It was like giving birth or sending your kid off to their first day of kindergarten.

One of the unique features of the LongShortStories website was its state-of-the-art email subscription system which allowed readers from all over the globe to purchase via PayPal either 30 or 60 story subscriptions of my stories, delivered automatically for a nominal price to their email inboxes every twelve days like clockwork. The customers loved it as we had hoped they would. One of the short stories in the final collection of over 100 stories was one specially dedicated to Eugene, titled simply “Bugs,” my unique way of saying thank you for all his superb help in bringing this Little Engine That Could to the top of the creative mountain.

That was then.

This is now. June 2012 and that original LongShortStories website has undergone many changes, some subtle, some quite radical. All because of my desire to keep the content fresh and the creative mission of “BE what you wish to see!” moving forward toward the next big thing, that next convergence where writing and electronic technology merge.

My ongoing research was telling me that, as awesome as the subscription model for marketing my stories was, the marketplace was starting to feed its need for reading in a whole new way.

Enter the Kindle e-reader by Amazon.

It was a masterstroke of tech genius. A handheld device that stored thousands of downloadable digital ebooks. And for the short story writer like me, it offered the marvelous promise of multiple income streams and infinite shelf life for my growing collection of ebooks.

Eugene was right there on the cutting edge as we transformed the digital archive of my stories into a series of ebooks, starting with the groundbreaking 34-story Stories from the Edges. Eugene worked his graphic wizardry and produced the awesome cover of that first ebook collection that now is marketed globally by Amazon.com and Smashwords.com. and has earned many 5-star reviews. 

Since then he has created the covers for my two other ebook collections, Flash In The Hand and Eye Candy, and most recently the beautiful cover of my ’50s-era ham radio-themed short story, Slow Dancing.

I owe this creative genius a lot. He has been there through thick and thin. He has quietly withstood my occasional rants and he has also been right there to share in the limelight of a writing career that has been blessed in so many marvelous ways.

Eugene Barnes is my e-brother, my friend and my creative touchstone that never ceases to amaze. Thank you, Eugene, from the bottom of my heart.

For all of you out there who are searching for that perfect creative website solution, look no further than Eugene Barnes Website Design & Services. Here is that URL: http://www.eugenebarnes.com/.

I hope you all have enjoyed this 5th Anniversary celebration as much as I have. One thing is for sure. I couldn’t have done it alone. A writer is nothing without his dedicated readership. Thank you, one and all for believing in me, for purchasing my work, and most of all, thank you for your friendship.

Regards,

Wayne C. Long

Happy Father’s Day!

I hope you have been enjoying the Guest Blogger posts I have received during the first two weeks of our month-long 5th Anniversary celebration at LongShortStories.

This week’s Guest Blogger is my very good writer friend and younger e-brother, George Angus of Palmer, Alaska. George and I met a few years ago on the StumbleUpon social networking site and instantly hit it off.  This kilt-wearing bear of a man has a razor-sharp wit, a wonderful writing gift and a heart of pure gold. My wife and I had the unique pleasure of breaking some bread with George and his delightful (now) nine-year-old daughter, Maddy in Seward when we were vacationing there in mid-August, 2010.

Here then, in his own words, is George Angus:

Dear Mr. Long,

I am writing to you today in the spirit of celebratory congratulations. I know that you must be as astounded as I am that your five year anniversary has arrived for your thrilling web site, LongShortStories. For me, it seems as if we just discovered each other yesterday.

These years that we have known each other have meant a great deal to me. As you are well aware, writing is a solitary endeavor. And whilst most writers relish the quiet time of practicing the craft, it can be said that to know you have a friend in the trenches is all that is needed for a writer to produce that next paragraph, sentence and word. This support and friendship that we have given as gifts to each other provides me with the inspiration to write.

Most of us write because we feel we have a great story to tell. Visions of novels and New York book signings power our dreams when we lay our head on the pillow at night. Through the years, I have discovered that you do not have a single story to tell; you have many. These treasures that flow from your mind to the page continue to be a source of entertainment to myself and your readership. It takes a true master of the craft to develop scenes and characters in a short story setting and you, sir, are indeed a master.

I have seen you progress from stories on a web page to published e-editions of your stories for the masses. Through the process of making that happen, I have discovered levels of integrity and craftsmanship that to me were previously unknown. With each interaction, my respect for you as a writer and as a person has grown and I realize how fortunate I am that our paths have crossed.

As you enter your sixth year of short story brilliance, I want you to know how much this ride has pleased me as I am sure it has pleased other readers of your work. I have learned a great deal and what I have learned, I have taken to heart. I am pleased that I am able to “double-dip.” As I reader, I am allowed to be entertained and enthralled by LongShortStories. As a writer, I am able to glean writing wisdom through your style and methods. I am fortunate.

Finally, Wayne, I would not want to leave the impression that our relationship is one sided at all. Since we have known each other, your support of my writing at Tumblemoose has been no less than tremendous. Your comments on my posts about writing inspire a conversation between my readers. On more than one occasion, your comment was longer than the original post! This reveals to me true support for what I would accomplish as a writer. It is rare and it is a treat.

Again, congratulations on your anniversary. One day, I hope to sip lemonade on your porch under a setting sun, reflecting back on this five year anniversary that took place so many years ago. 

Your Friend Always,

 George Angus

Hi, everyone!

What a hot day today in Wisconsin! 90 degrees.

Today marks week two of the four-week celebration of LongShortStories’ 5th Anniversary. I hope you enjoyed John Beckman’s Guest Blogger post.

If John Beckman is my eldest e-brother then my next Guest Blogger would be my Vietnam-era e-brother. Those days were the best of times as well as the worst of times. Depending on how the war impacted your life, so was your reality.

So now it is my great pleasure to give you Jerry Guarino from Hayward, California. Jerry is one of the finest short story writers I have ever had the pleasure of meeting on the Internet. Since he has relatives out near me, I hope we can break some bread together soon and regale each other with short story craft.

Friends, I give you Jerry Guarino.

While browsing through new kindle eBooks, I saw “Eye Candy” by Wayne C. Long.  I read the preview and decided to read the book.  I am more likely to read short stories than novels, mostly because of time but also because that is my primary format.  Why short stories?  Well, I don’t think you need to write 300 pages to make an effective point about anything.  Since my stories are little slices of life, the short story is the right size.  It’s also consistent with my working style.  I’ve never told anyone this before, but this is my writing sequence:

1. Story idea
2. Title
3. First paragraph
4. Last paragraph
5. Middle
6. Edit

 There are two more elements in my writing, but I’ll keep those secret for now!  Most of my stories take 90 minutes, start to finish and every story I have written has been published by a magazine.

 Wayne’s short stories are visual, descriptive and remind me of days gone by.  I’m sure we were both raised with classic literature, as opposed to what kids read today.  We had this in common, two old men creating stories based on our life experience.  Not that our work is totally biographical; there are science fiction and other speculative tales in our work. 

 My new book, “40 Slices of Pizza” is an anthology of my best short stories. Although I have only been writing for less than two years, all my stories have appeared in magazines around the world (the United States, Canada, Australia and Great Britain).  Actually, I’m still trying to find my writing voice, that style and genre that will define my writing for the future.  People have called my stories quirky, unique and similar to the great writer William Sydney Porter (O. Henry).  Here are some reviews that describe my work better than I can.

 Jerry Guarino’s Cafe Stories sends his readers on a merry chase through a wild array of micro/flash fiction–humor, satire, and pathos. He artfully captures gentle souls and slick cons, the high brows and their unsuspecting victims in characters that step from the page to engage the reader. Guarino finds the tiniest trait that creates zany folks the reader wants to protect or strangle. Often at the same time. Prepare for the surprise twist at the end. He gets you every time.

Myra H. McIlvain – Author of Legacy

Guarino’s style is simple and consistently powerful, his storytelling a triumph of art over artifice.

Ben Price – Editor at Zouch Magazine and Miscellany (Canada)

Jerry Guarino’s writing reminds me of the late, but great, Jose Saramago’s.  His structure is both unique and compelling, always leading the reader to places that they never see coming.  I applaud anyone who takes risks in their writing, and Jerry does just that.

Weeb Heinrich – Editor of Writing Raw

Jerry Guarino’s stories are a real treat for the reader.  Each story is well crafted with the natural elegance of a natural writer.  The Fringe Magazine has enjoyed his short stories and has had the pleasure of publishing these gems for the past year.

Scott Wilson – Editor of The Fringe Magazine (Australia)

40 Slices of Pizza is a short story reader’s culinary delight. Jerry Guarino’s 40 slice of life pieces are filled with delightful takes on people, places, and things that make America great. He infuses his stories with life’s delights: good food, great music, fine drink, and the emotional roller coaster of interpersonal relationships.  As a short story writer myself, I found his work honest and filled with delightful irony. He is a keen observer of the human condition, and a writer of obvious talent.  I look forward to reading more of his work. He is a master at mirroring to his readers all their foibles, their fantasies, and their forever quest to understand why the wheel of life turns as it does. 40 Slices of Pizza is short storytelling at its best!

Wayne C. Long – Author of Eye Candy, Flash in the Hand and Stories from the Edges

           My sincere thanks to Wayne for letting me guest blog on his site.  I hope you have read some of his stories and please check mine out when you get a chance (free preview samples on amazon.com and my website).

 Jerry Guarino

Contact information:

Website: http://cafestories.net

Email: jguarino.author@gmail.com

Twitter: @cafestories

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/JeGSbp

“40 Slices of Pizza” paperback and kindle eBook on Amazon: http://amzn.to/J3OeKq

Come on in, friends and make yourselves comfortable. I can’t believe it’s been five years and over 100 stories digitally published since the launch of this short story writing site. Some of you may know that it has been my dream to have a website home to showcase my work. Now, here it is, five years of state-of-the-art website form and function, all thanks to a creative genius from Ohio named Eugene Barnes.

We’ll be seeing some cool things happening here during the entire month of June. And first among them is a delightful Guest Blogger post from my good friend, short story writer and novelist, John Beckman of Stone Mountain, Georgia. Your comments are welcome.

I have two lovely sisters, one who lives in suburban Boston and one who lives 100 miles north of London, England. I love them both very much. But I have always dreamed about having a brother. A guy who would be a best friend, a confidant, and maybe even a mentor. But the stork never dropped one down our chimney. I had to make do with sisters

But then something wonderful happened! Through the magic of the Internet, I not only met many new folks from all over the globe but I was gifted with three new brothers, all superb writers. And a marvelously talented fourth brother, my amazing webmaster, Eugene Barnes. From none to four brothers in just five years. What a blessing.

So let me introduce you to my e-brother, John Beckman. He would be my eldest and very wise brother. A famous former southern TV weatherman, John Beckman and I share the marvelous technical hobby of Amateur Radio. He is a terrific short story writer and novelist and he has a wicked sense of humor. Please join me in wishing John a Happy Birthday on his special day, June 3. (I hope that semi-load of candles gets here in time).

So without further ado, let me say “Heeer’s Johnny!”

First let me congratulate Wayne Long on his fifth anniversary of Wayne’s LongShortStories. Here is a man who took a good idea (ebooks) and raised it to a new level. There is no denying that he is an innovative guy in addition to being a fine writer.

There are, in my opinion only two types of short stories. There are “essays” and “sketches” and all sorts of open-ended writing that claims to be fiction in the short form but I don’t consider them to be legitimate. One kind of short story is what I call the “Poe” genre. This type story has the surprise ending – something happens at the finish that is entirely unexpected. I love these old thrillers! And Poe was the master of the art.

Then there are what I refer to as “Thinker Stories.” These are thoughtful pieces that leave you with the decision of how the story really ended. In other words, the story gives you enough clues and inferences that when you finish it you think, “Well, you know, it could have been….?” These are really the most difficult to write and Wayne Long is expert in this field.

In truth, the short story form is the most difficult type of writing and few are really good at it. In long fiction the author has space to wrap up loose ends and tidy up the “what ifs” in the story. Short stories rarely run more than a couple thousand words and in that constraint the author has the difficult job of giving you a satisfying and complete theme. In my own writing I have found that most of my short work has lain around in a drawer over a period of years with rewrite after rewrite in order to finally get the results I aspire to in limited space. What I am saying is: it takes a talented artist to turn out consistently good short fiction and Wayne has that ability, one that is to be envied.

I know Wayne is offering Amazon specials on his ebooks in celebration of his fifth anniversary and I want to get in on the fun. One of my books (the only collection of short stories I have compiled– there are fifteen in this collection) is on Amazon.com and I have made it FREE to download into any ebook reader (Kindle, iPad, Sony, etc.- Amazon has an app for almost all ereaders) for the period of June 3^rd through June 6^th. Any time during this period (the maximum Amazon will allow free promotions) Cloudy McCoy & Other Stories is FREE for you and anyone whom you think might enjoy short stories. If you like anything you read I would appreciate a short review on Amazon. Thanks to Wayne Long for allowing me into his fifth anniversary of LongShortStories. He is a good writer, a good person and most of all, my very good friend.

That’s right! My awesome new short story anthology Eye Candy is available in the Amazon Kindle Store for immediate download. Enjoy!

Here is that all-important link:

http://www.amazon.com/Eye-Candy-ebook/dp/B007GR25YO/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1334263401&sr=1-3

Set in late-50s heartland America, “Slow Dancing” is a Rock ‘n’ Roll tale of enduring teenage friendship, feuding families, and the finality of death. Through it all runs the amazing story of an orphan of the Holocaust and his meteoric rise to the top of the music entertainment business. If you appreciated Rebel Without A Cause, Stand By Me, and American Graffiti, you will definitely enjoy this classic from the prolific American short story writer, Wayne C. Long.

Here’s how to purchase this wonderful short story at Amazon.com in the Kindle Store:

http://www.amazon.com/Slow-Dancing-Short-Story-ebook/dp/B0071NIJUM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1328251674&sr=1-1

Sure wish we had better news about the submissions to our latest LongShortStories Short Story Contest. But, alas, there were no short story entrants that tripped our trigger this time.

We continue to see stories with major spelling problems and grammatical mistakes that any writer worth their salt should know are unacceptable in this highly-competitive field of fiction writing.

Another thing is that many aspiring writers do not know how to punctuate dialogue. There is a simple fix for this. It is to read some great examples of short fiction and see firsthand how those writers do it. It’s not rocket science.

We continue to see story themes that have been done a thousand times. Hey, we want something unique and never before seen!

May we suggest that you review just how to create stunning short stories at the usual places on the Internet. If you own an e-reader, maybe you could purchase and download one of my ebooks from the Kindle Store and see how the good stuff looks.

Maybe you could buy a vocabulary-building book like “30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary.” Short story writing is all about using power words.

And last, but by no means least, know that if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

We know that great and wonderfully talented short story writers are out there, honing their craft, editing and re-editing their manuscripts, and we ask that you send us something eye-popping and rare. We know you have it in you!

Just in time for Christmas! My new ebook “Flash In The Hand” is the perfect Kindle-stuffer for that special adult short story reader on your list. Twelve delicious Flash Fiction pieces (short stories under 1000 words each) just waiting for you to sample and then download at Smashwords.com: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/115764

What, no Kindle? No problem. Just download the FREE “Kindle for PC” app from the Internet and you will be able to read Kindle material just like Kindle owners do. Cool!