Nostalgia City Mysteries

New flash fiction

Quiet, editing in progress

Recently, blogger/writer Vanessa Shields ran an interview with me about flash fiction, where it came from, who writes it, etc.  After the interview, she asked if I would edit a mystery flash fiction of hers.

She sent me the flash fiction and we exchanged emails over a week working on the story.  It started out at 287 words and we pared it down a bit.  Visit Vanessa’s blog and see inside flash fiction editing.

Lawrence Block’s Hit Man

Next time, visit this space for a review of Lawrence Block’s,  Hit Man, a collection of short stories about John Keller, an unassuming guy who makes his living killing people.

And now for something completely different, here’s the latest, new flash fiction offering.

Monty Is a Thief

Seated in the subway, Monty eyes a wallet. It looks fat, but the guy’s clothes are threadbare, his expression disconsolate. Instead of entertaining pity, Monty focuses on the wallet. Stealing is what he does.

Later, he leafs through his take: driver’s license, money, ID cards, newspaper obituary. The young woman pictured in the obit has the same last name as the wallet’s owner. A folded VA letter says the recipient’s PTSD is responsible for his migraines and memory loss.

Monty pauses and glances at his victim’s address. Then he pockets the cash and dumps the wallet. Monty is a thief.

 

Hyperlink

Vanessa Shields’s Blog