American Short Fiction

All Valentina ‘Valley’ Diallo wanted for Valentine’s Day was to celebrate with the two men in her life. Javel Marley and Nico Galley have been together with Valley for years and had never missed a day, but this year, her two men were away on business. Find out if Valley will be spending Valentine’s Day alone or if her men will find their way back to her before the day ends.

In his introduction, guest editor S. A. Cosby observes that writing short stories is “a special skill that combines brevity with wit and cleverness and the hint of the existential malaise that imbues crime fiction with its gravitas.” The stories in this collection overflow with gravitas in the most unexpected ways: a cryptic note left on a windshield, a murder for hire meets a game of Mouse Trap, a swipe right on a dating app goes horribly wrong.

Today’s fans of science fiction and fantasy have an appetite for stories that address a wide variety of voices, perspectives, and styles. There is an openness to experiment and pushing boundaries, combined with the classic desire to hear about spaceships and dragons, future technology and ancient magic, and the places where they intersect. With a diverse selection of stories chosen by series editor John Joseph Adams and Diana Gabaldon, The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2020 explores the ever-expanding and changing world of SFF today.

He’s young, rich, intelligent, tall and ready to settle down. I’m Louisiana thick, curvy, and I’d like to say fine because it fits, and I keep trying to talk myself out of love. And as fate would have it, I’m stuck in his home on Christmas Day. Being an assistant, to Destiny- the owner and lead decorator at Dobrielle's-has good and bad qualities. It's one of Louisiana's largest and most sought after design firms. And I'm leaning but eager for my opportunity to shine. I get big coins, but I’m still only my boss’s assistant. She gives me the job to decorate the office Christmas ...

In Kenya, when a young American man falls in love with the sophisticated daughter of an African chief, their marriage is strong. But tradition will soon put their union to the supreme test. Gripping and soulful, A Woman's Worth is a tale of cultural divisions, emotional wounds, and a love that struggles to transcend them.

From the award-winning author of Chemistry comes a sharp and poignant short story that follows a young medical student working in clinical research and grappling with the realities of a future in her chosen field.

It’s a New Jersey summer in 1967, and thirteen-year-old Ravi Ramanathan has the makings of a tennis prodigy. His surgeon father encourages his ambition, while his mother dreams of their only child following his father’s path. Surrounded by his parents’ love, Ravi chafes a bit at their daily routines and little traditions. Then one unexpected day, everything changes. Realizing how much he took for granted, Ravi must grow up overnight and find a new role in the life of his family.

In the nine expansive, searching stories of A Lucky Man, fathers and sons attempt to salvage relationships with friends and family members and confront mistakes made in the past.

The greatest short story writers strive to achieve a single, dramatic effect, a feature which the early masters of this genre perfected. Although the short story came from Europe, it was reborn in America and reached a pinnacle of superb form on these shores by the turn of the 20th century. In so many of our best writers, we hear echoes of a pioneer ethos that sustains the heart of a great literature. Here are 12 of America's best.

Zuri Baker is a plus beauty who hides behind the camera. At the age of thirty she has had only two sexual encounters. Tired of wasting her time and giving her body she throws herself into her work until… King “Killa” Carter is a boss who stays out they way and stacks his bread. He can have any woman he wants, but is very selective when it comes to women. One night out with his cousin he lays eyes on a very beautiful woman. He’s not called King for nothing. King gives Zuri more than she ever expected. Hot and steamy passion leaves them both speechless and wanting more.

Anthony Bourdain chases the fumigation truck in Bergen County, New Jersey. Dave Eggers tells it straight: Illinois is Number 1. Louise Erdrich loses her bikini top in North Dakota. Jonathan Franzen gets waylaid by New York's publicist...and personal attorney...and historian...and geologist. John Hodgman explains why there is no such thing as a "Massachusettsean."

Michelle Carter is ready for a new stage in her life. She is a resident at a prestigious Miami hospital, and her path to becoming a doctor has required many sacrifices, including a failed relationship. Though to be honest, her ex was a jerk, and now Michelle isn't looking for a new guy anyway. She's concentrating on fulfilling her dream of being a doctor, and nothing else matters. Except somehow, bad luck follows her, and she manages to get into huge trouble at the new job. Lex Makarov is a painfully handsome local billionaire, a son of a Russian oligarch and his only heir. He isn't used to...

Major Key Publishing presents a collection of four short phenomenal stories written by six extraordinary authors that will blow your mind. Each story is filled with a combination of bad boys, sex, drugs, lust, and love-- but not necessarily in that order. All is fair in love and war, and many of these characters are determined to fight until the end just to get their own version of a happily ever after.

Latasha Lee has always been extraordinary. The proud byproduct of her genius Botanist Mother Lola Lee, and her father, Commander Joseph Lee. However, she craved freedom within her chin-up and the shoulders-back world she lived in. Her idea ... to do something she'd never seen done before. Latasha wanted to pick her afro in space. Follow her wild ride with her group of friends to see if she can turn her dream into a reality.

With a diverse selection of stories chosen by series editor John Joseph Adams and guest editor Rebecca Roanhorse, The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2022 explores the ever-expanding and changing world of contemporary science fiction and fantasy.

Sapphire Wright has been dealt a bad hand. A week before Valentine’s, her fiancé kicks her out into the freezing cold. Two cold lonely nights she spends in front of Chandler’s Hotel. One night, her life changes in the blink of an eye. Lincoln ‘Linc’ Chandler stumbles upon Sapphire when he gets back in town from a business meeting. One look at the beautiful creation before him, and he knew he needed to help. In a short time, the two fall for each other. In this steamy, passion-filled tale, two souls will be snatched and connected. **Disclaimer** This is a short story!

New York Times Notable Book author Charles Yu wrote the best-selling novel How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe. In his stunning, often humorous, collection Sorry Please Thank You, Yu draws on pop culture and science to make incisive observations about society - and offer touching insight into the human condition. In two of Yu’s remarkable stories, he focuses on a big-box-store night-shift employee with girl trouble and a company that outsources grief for profit.

“Call me Miss B*tch. Yes, I screw married men, so what? I love my life. I worked damn hard to get to where I am. I’m a lawyer in a huge law firm and I pay my own bills, besides the ones they pay. Yes, I enjoy what I do and who I do.” Tracy is single and living her best life in California. Coming from a small town in South Carolina, it’s a welcomed change of scenery. It’s also an escape from her past. She is no longer the small town girl with a broken heart; she’s the corporate attorney with several players on her team. Rich, successful players at that. Though her life is ...

The moment I encounter the beautiful tour guide, it’s clear I'll stop at nothing until she’s mine. She’s a spitfire. Doesn’t hold her tongue for anyone, especially not me. Women fall hard for me. Not Kara. She wants nothing to do with me. Well, at least that’s what she keeps telling herself. A few of the men in the small town of Talkeetna want to be with Kara. Won’t happen. I’ll show Kara I’m the man for her.

A wonderful collection of stories that captures the spirit of Mexican culture and its peoples.