Tag Archives: story

A Man Sans Soul

By Matt Mitchell | Published: November 9, 2009
Here’s a treat: the rights for this story were purchased by “The Mount Zion Review,” but the magazine folded within weeks of the release of the issue with my story in it. So, rather than try to sell it again, I’m going to publish it here, for all to enjoy. This is a story about a [...]
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A Scent of Rain

By Matt Mitchell | Published: November 2, 2009
“A Scent of Rain” was a featured story in Southern Fried Weirdness 2007: An Annual Anthology of Southern Speculative Fiction, a book which is no longer in print. But as of today this story can be read for free on my Scribd account. Here’s a teaser: Earl Harper is a farmer who’s lost faith in God, in love, [...]
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Down in the Cellar

By Matt Mitchell | Published: October 28, 2009
There once was a great horror rag on the Internet called Down in the Cellar. It was particularly great because it purchased one of the very first stories I ever had published. The story was called “The Ghost of Tom Johns.” But now that DITC is RIP, that story is floating in the pool of offal [...]
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Money Crazy by Matt Mitchell

By Matt Mitchell | Published: March 17, 2009
“What do you want to do?” she asked, lamplight flickering across her profile. He looked at her sideways, “Whatever you want. That’s what I’ll do. I can’t deny it any more.” They were surrounded by whippoorwills in a humid Alabama night, amongst a din of crickets and frogs, sitting on a blanket an arm’s length apart. [...]
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Infinity, a story by Matt Mitchell

By Matt Mitchell | Published: March 6, 2009
Standing in the swirling mist, among a thousand blackbirds in a cacophony of chirps and squeaks. Walking among them and watching as they peck the ground and hop busily. Focusing on a point in the mist where the swirls seem to emanate, my heart is pounding. The birds don’t take flight, they part as I walk through, [...]
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Would you flip the switch?

By Matt Mitchell | Published: December 4, 2008
Here’s a question I’m exploring with this series of books I’m writing. The answer to this question will come in book three. But let me set it up first, because it’s really a theme that stays with the entire series: Suppose a cataclysmic event occurs and the world is plunged into darkness. Electricity no longer [...]
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A Movable Feast

By Matt Mitchell | Published: December 4, 2008
I had a revelation yesterday that I wrote briefly about, but now I’m going to elaborate a bit more on it. It’s one of those things that creeps up on you, that you don’t realize it’s there until it’s bitten you on the throat and sucked out all your blood (but in a good way). [...]
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A Free Novella

By Matt Mitchell | Published: December 3, 2008
Following in the footsteps of fellow indie writer Ken McConnell, I’ve decided to self-publish a book. Not my novel, but one of my novellas. I’ve formatted the text to 5 1/2″ x 7″, because I do so love a compact little book I can fit in my pocket. This might be too big for a pocket, [...]
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Genre Bender

By Matt Mitchell | Published: November 14, 2008
I’m throwing my hat in with a few other pre-pro writers (AKA “wannabees”) over at the new groupblog Genre Bender. The blog will be all about the craft of writing, the frustrations of the amateur writer, with a sprinkle of commentary on specific genres. Sounds like fun, eh? Does to me, which is why I’m [...]
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The Unknown Story of the Day

By Matt Mitchell | Published: July 7, 2008
How many stories are there in a day? Every day, every one of us is a story. Some are boring, but some are fantastic. Every soul on Earth has its own story, set to the cadence of every heartbeat drumming up the words. The most frustrating thing is not knowing the stories of the lives [...]
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The Big Idea: Matt Mitchell

By Matt Mitchell | Published: July 1, 2008
I love the Big Idea series John Scalzi is doing. I like reading about the genesis of an idea, how it came to be written. If I had an opportunity to show John Scalzi my Big Idea–which I don’t, since the book is not published–I might tell him that my idea has a lot to [...]
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Vlad Kahn Application

By Matt Mitchell | Published: June 5, 2008
Recently (a corporation) decided to hire (a departmental manager) and sent out three questions to prospective hires. One of the questionaires fell into my hands, so I filled it out and returned it using the name Vlad Kahn. Would you hire me? Please list your top 3-5 strengths that will make you a strong candidate for this position. I [...]
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Irmth the Eleventh

By Matt Mitchell | Published: May 23, 2008
While I’m thinking about it, I’ve had dreams before that have ended up being incorporated into various stories I’ve written. For instance, one morning I woke up with a clear line in my head, which may not make any sense to you (it didn’t to my wife), but nevertheless I liked it and I thought [...]
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Ken McConnell

By Matt Mitchell | Published: May 23, 2008
Internet pal and fellow writer Ken McConnell’s debut story, “The Renoke,” is up at SpaceWesterns.com. It’s a nicely creepy story and it’s science fiction; you can’t get much better than that.
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ARRGGHH! [Query Writing]

By Matt Mitchell | Published: May 14, 2008
Queries suck. At least writing them does. The entire novel-writing process has never made me feel so futile as penning these two vexing paragraphs. I could fill this page with links to query-writing suggestions and formats and information I’ve read from various outlets all over the web, all of it very helpful in its own [...]
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