✒ Editor’s Note
Welcome back, Talestack Readers!
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Happy New Year, Talestack Readers! 🎉
Welcome back to a whole new year of Substack fiction news!
I dunno about where you live, but here at Talestack HQ there’s still an overwhelming feeling of winter-ness, still craving cozy corners and a good pile of reads, especially as the January weather remains cold, foggy, rainy, and gray.
Less resolutions, more vibes. You know what I mean?
Thankfully, 2026 is off to a great and productive start here in the Substack fiction neighborhood, with a handful of new and finished projects to check out, some incoming published works to add to your wishlist, awards to celebrate, and community events to get hyped for!
If you do the work, Talestack News will be here to boost it. Let 2026 be the best year yet for Substack Fiction!
Happy reading, happy writing!
S.E. Reid Editor of Talestack News
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📣 Announcements!
Finished Projects:
Bridget Riley has just wrapped up her latest serial, The Scepter, a noir based on the biblical Book of Esther. Synopsis: “When nightclub singer Etta Cohen’s live-and-let-live existence in Depression-worn New York City is upended by the attentions of a powerful and notorious man, she finds a world of luxury, comfort, and deference unveiled before her. But as Etta moves deeper into this new world, the glitter fades, revealing a razor’s edge of lawlessness and danger that threatens not only Etta, but also the identity she thought she’d left behind forever.” Jump into Part One here!
Liz Zimmers just concluded her horror serial, The Intuition. Excerpt: “A misty rain turned the Viennese autumn to perfume. The golden canopy of lindens and maples along the Ringstrasse exhaled it. It clung to the hair and clothing of those hurrying to the cafes. Dusk came with it, and the lamplighters carrying flame from post to post, so that the gas lamps bled their soft light onto the blue evening in watercolor blooms. Lord William Dovedale pulled the brim of his hat low over his eyes and turned up the velvet collar of his black frock coat as he strode along the pavement to his hotel.” Jump into Part One here!
Jim J Wilsky just finished his fifteen-part crime serial, Loose. Excerpt: “They were on the fifth and top floor of the main building. Behind him, the floor to ceiling glass walls showed the never-ending Piney Woods of east Texas that completely surrounded the Barrow’s Psychiatric Institute. The doctor nodded at her absently, lost in his anxious thoughts about Tate Diller running loose. Coffman leaned across his desk and looked as if he wanted to say something more but stopped himself. At that moment, lightning over his left shoulder splintered and spidered in the darkening clouds above the woods. There was a heavy pause then a deep roll of thunder mumbled.”
New Projects:
Vince Wetzel has just launched a new project called The Piano Man Chronicles. From Vince: “This two-year anthology project will feature three-part short serials published every two weeks, all of which mention a fictional novel titled Piano Man. I am also collaborating with other authors to have them submit their own takes on a “Piano Man" story.” Check out the first installment here!
Lavinia Thompson has just started a new serial mystery/thriller novel called Diamond Gamble, the first book in the Beyond Cover series. From Lavinia: “It is a mystery thriller (and a spinoff from my crime fiction novel series, Beyond Dark) which follows two undercover agents, Emily Abbett and Dwayne MacMorris, as they navigate the Russian mob and their own corrupt agency.”
Awards:
Congratulations to Alex Scott, winner of the Science Fiction (Round 6) edition of the Lunar Awards’ 10th Season, along with Runner-up Keith Long and Honorable Mention Zachary Roush! Learn more about the winning stories and other cool details in this post from awards host Winston Malone and guest judge John Coon.
Milestones & Wins:
M. Cosmos Newstrom has just revealed the release date and cover for his debut cozy fantasy novel, A Light Home! Blurb: “Tired of a life spent as a thief, Owyn leaves his partner in crime and his old life behind him to build something of his own. An invention, a building, and something bigger than his past hide within the plans he brings to the capital city of Kudra. Owyn hopes to build a lighthouse, to be constructor and keeper. To be alone. However, his simple dream of creating something of his own doesn’t come that easy. Owyn’s lighthouse is hampered by bureaucracy, overzealous citizens, a sheriff on the hunt, and, worst of all: new friends who won’t leave him be. A hand-built tale with friends, fantasy, and a light shining home.”
Bri Heron is preparing to publish her first short story collection, The Silent House By The Sea, in early March! Check out this post for more details and a list of the included stories.
📝 Submissions Bulletin
Scoot is hosting a raffle centered around his weekly prompt initiative, Flash Fiction Friday! From Scoot: “This month is your last chance to enter the Flash Fiction Friday Offseason RaFFFle. Look through the prompts from 2025, publish a story to your Substack using any combination of the prompts, and be entered to win a 6-month paid comp to Gibberish! Every story shared in the Gibberish FFF Offseason subscriber chat will be a ticket in the raffle, so write as many stories as you like and stack the odds in your favor. Submissions will be closed and the drawing will take place February 1st! Happy writing, Fictioneers!”
🫱🏻🫲🏾 Connection Corner
Erica Drayton and the TiF Team are gearing up for a major Substack fiction event next week, and YOU are invited! The TiF Summit is 5-day marathon of fiction celebration, kicking off with the TiF Recap of 2025 on Thursday, January 15th, three full days of fiction writers reading their work LIVE, and concluding with the TiF State of the Union on Monday, January 19th. At last count there are 48 writers preparing to share their work at the Summit—that’s 48 opportunities to find new voices and savor beloved favorites! Check out this post for more details, and subscribe to Top In Fiction so you don’t miss a thing!
Got something you want us to publish? Have any questions, comments, or feedback? Send it all to:
talestack.editor@gmail.com
Thanks so much for the mention and excerpt S.E., really appreciate it. - Jim
Thanks for the mention. Love me some Talestack News!