"My city!"
"OK, go save it."
"NO! I'm the bad guy!"

Her villainy continues.

Though she also needs to go to the grocery store.

I guess today I'm channeling my own villain, Gaston, as I eat a bunch of dyed Easter Eggs before they go bad.

Today (or Yesterday) on my daughter's descent into villainy: She has decided to pretend to be the villainess (Anubia) and send her cat ghosts with heir hair ball attacks at me.

She could have been one of the magic girls who use gems to turn into cats/cat girls but she chose villainess and violence.

Some days are just organizing your own writing/submission spread sheets. Maybe this year I'll earn enough to have to file taxes on it.🤞

At this point I'm not trying to win, just trying to get words on the page. 😆

The dog was on my lap last night when I sat down to write. He's 55lbs. Not a lap dog.

And my daughter woke an hour and a half earlier this morninf than we usually get up.

Sat down to draft for Twisted Tournament but my cat has other plans.

@twistinthetale.bsky.social

Today on my daughter's dissent into villainy:

*Toy wand in hand, and trying to stop my husband from going anywhere and having him stay on the couch, playfully.*
"Bippity-boppity-boo! Make daddy dead!"

Congrats!

The Furthest Point A wandering ship, a flautist captain, and a sky that listens in this lyrical fantasy short story by Alethea Paul.

"No, I don’t know how The Apogee flies–makes about as much sense as its name–but I don’t suppose there’s much difference between floating on the sea and in the sky."

The Furthest Point by @aletheapaul.bsky.social

#FirstLineMondays

adventitious.net/stories/the-furthest-point-alethea-paul/

Today on my daughter's descent into villainy:

She is telling my husband that she must set traps in the woods to capture princesses so she can marry them.

😆

Congratulations!

New best record for me at @writingbattle.bsky.social

How did everyone else do?

How many rats does it take to make a lit mag? We're not sure, we're still counting all of us. But, you don't have to wait for this: Print issue #1 available for order!
Order at: ko-fi.com/ratbaglit/shop
#ratbaglit #literarymagazine #ratbag

Woo-hoo! Made it into the final showdown, just barely, over at Writing Battle.

Ghosted Town - 101 Words Tina hated home. Hated how her school still carried the textbooks with her father’s name. How her mom was never there. Always working. Hated that the only thing to do was use one of the six lanes at t...

A micro of mine was published on 101 words today.

101words.org/ghosted-town/

Today's story is "To The Potential Submitters of Quantum Spec Literary Magazine:" by Alethea Paul. @aletheapaul.bsky.social
#ratbag #ratbaglit #litmag #literarymagazine #micro #micros

ratbaglit.substack.com/p/to-the-pot...

Oh shit, that's me!

The Furthest Point A wandering ship, a flautist captain, and a sky that listens in this lyrical fantasy short story by Alethea Paul.

Gather 'round and hear the tale of The Apogee! It soars through the skies, but no one's quite sure how...

"The Furthest Point" by @aletheapaul.bsky.social is a thrilling flash piece with

✨ Aero-Nautical Fantasy
🎶 A rugged flautist cap'n
🌩️ Rough skies ahead

www.adventitious.net/stories/the-...

I totally read the second card in a radio broadcaster, transatlantic voice.

Painting of small boats struggling through rough, dark blue waves near rocky cliffs, with sailors bracing against the storm as a larger sailboat rides the swell in the distance beneath a cloudy sky.

Colorful vintage illustration of whimsical airships and flying machines drifting through the sky, including blimps and winged contraptions carrying passengers above clouds, with promotional text overlaid about a star-powered vessel called “The Apogee.”

I like the stormy vibe of this title card I made for @aletheapaul.bsky.social's flash, especially because it's a tonal 180 from the accompanying card. :)

Some 500-word stories have a lot of tonal complexity to capture! Thrills, chills, spills, etc.

I was scrolling. Saw this picture and almost reposted it to you. Then I realized it was you posting it. 😆

@weirdauntmadge.bsky.social I'm just staying... if Maren needs a pet.

"Paul's skill is inventiveness"

@adventitiouswords.bsky.social describes my writing and why they chose my story (and others) for their first issue.

Look for "The Furthest Point" already out on their Patreon.

Adventitious | Patreon An online magazine of short stories with long odds.

Is it "impatient" that we dropped the first issue 13 days early on Patreon or just whimsical?

www.patreon.com/c/Adventitio...

JANUARY 2026 ElmwoodBy Dirk Kortz Elmwood was the kind of neighborhood where the homeowners took their garden gnomes and lawn jockeys seriously. I was a renter and didn’t pay much attention to the lawn or garde…

"Singular Things" by me, is up on Brilliant Flash Fiction. brilliantflashfiction.com/2026/01/31/j...

One of the strangest things about the digital age is how I keep up with friends.

I have this one college roommate whom I now solely communicate with via videos of dancing birds and anything centaur related. Occasionally Bowser and Lorne Doones will also be mentioned.

Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio) YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen

I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.

Stay free

At what point do you give up on hearing back on a submission that promised a response?

On today's installment of my daughter's descent into villainry:

"Can we get some... ice crime?"