#microfiction
a little story about out-nerding Death in a game of chess from my book Postcards From Impossible Worlds
“The Greenhouse,” a story about grief after the end of the world
This was March 2021’s story for subscribers who sign up for monthly stories printed on postcards & mailed around the world
If you want your heart randomly broken once a month, sign up here
a 30-second short story about creatively “misusing” language
Want more from voice guest Danielle C Ohi? Listen to her read from her forthcoming novel “The Lionhead Prince” here.
I snuck my pet theory about Roman mythology into my book: Pluto isn’t the god of the underworld. Pluto is just the god of
Where is the lie?
Sometimes grief and growth bloom from the same soil. Here’s “Soil,” a gorgeous guest story by James Mark Miller (aka A Small Fiction). You might also enjoy his guest story “Ravens.”
This is what I assume you mean when you say you want to roleplay…
“Clover Code
3-leaf: Deer food
4-leaf: Good luck
5-leaf: Extra coffee
6-leaf: You can see hidden stars
7-leaf: Double luck
8-leaf: The Suffering
9-leaf: Where are you getting these clovers?
10-leaf: You can stop seeing hidden stars
11-leaf: Immune to telepathy
12-leaf: Revolution”
-QuietPineTrees
I’ve written a song for the new Quiet Pine Trees book! I’ll share the lyrics to “The Time Traveler’s Lullaby” when we reach 50% funding, so if you’ve been waiting to contribute, now is the time!
“As we fled our dying planet with dogs in tow, other animals grew jealous of domestication. The last people to leave reported owls that were friendly and playful, bobcats standing guard over children, and teams of deer trying to pull plows. They all hoped we would save them, too.”
-QuietPineTrees
Apocalyptic fiction is inherently weird, but too many books and movies have turned it into something tame and predictable. For more of my bizarre takes on genres you thought you knew, pledge to support the Quiet Pine Trees book!
“Quillwood trees grew best in open fields, where wind and sun could dry their feathers of the fog and rain. In autumn, when their plumage turned metallic red, their winged seeds took to the sky. They sought out clearings and mountaintops where they could lay their wooden eggs.”
-QuietPineTrees
I share the secrets of dozens of weird and beautiful plants in my new book. There’s a whole chapter on nature, alongside topics like time travel and spooky stories. If you enjoy my odd style of storytelling, consider supporting the book!
“Time travelers didn’t stop aging, even if they only went back a few hours to alter some personal crisis. A stubborn traveler could lose years trying to fix one horrid day. If a fellow traveler heard the bad news and said, “you look awful,” it was a compliment to their dedication.”
-QuietPineTrees
The publisher Unbound is raising funds for the new Quiet Pine Trees book! The deadline is just a few weeks out, and if you miss it, you won’t be able to go back and change the past. We’re all stuck in the present, so please consider pledging!
“New seasons entered the blood like oxygen, their songs and ripening fruits filling our lungs and seeping into our bones. Autumn crept up from below, like a rising tide, and a desperate few fled to the sky, hoping to find lingering fragments of summer tucked between the clouds.”
-QuietPineTrees
The fundraiser for the new Quiet Pine Trees book does have an expiration date. If you want to support me as a new author, and help make modern media a little weirder, consider pledging today!
“Reality branched into endless possible timelines, but there was an original. A true universe did exist, and deep down, we were aware of it. Whenever we talked about the way things “should be,” it was in reference to that reality. Summer vacation lasted just a little longer there.”
-QuietPineTrees
You “should be” signed up to get monthly postcards, with exclusive microfictions written using my own typewriter! They’re one of the limited-time perks you can get as part of the fundraiser for the new Quiet Pine Trees book!
“We created zero-gravity zones on Earth for recreation, but reconsidered after learning their downsides. Plants grew tall and spindly with no need for structural support. Ants formed bridges through the air to reach our hidden food. Jumping spiders soon learned they could fly.”
-QuietPineTrees
I love writing microfiction, and Unbound is an unconventional publisher that accepts my own brand of weirdness. They can experiment on authors like me by crowdfunding the first run of new books. This is a dream of mine, so please, consider pledging.
“Coniferous University reminds students that Friday is the last day to change classes for the fall semester. After that, you will have to find versions of yourself from other timelines willing to trade places, and we cannot guarantee your return if we like them better than you.”
-QuietPineTrees
All the secrets of Coniferous University and its prestigious College of Time Travel, including an extensive course listing, are detailed in the new Quiet Pine Trees book! Pledge now to be the first to get it, assuming you use a traditional linear timeline.
“This has been a test of the Reality Alert System. If this had been a real emergency you would be advised to:
•Reset your compasses to ‘zero’
•Lock all books and maps in an airtight container
•Make sure everyone in your household is blindfolded
•Wait for The Singing to pass”
-QuietPineTrees
If you pledge to support the new Quiet Pine Trees book, you can get postcards with typewritten microfiction stories sent to your home every month. They are totally immune to reality-changing events, and wouldn’t need to be locked up!
“We found that planet already covered in infrastructure. Massive tubes of concrete stretched out above the rocky world, ancient and seamless, cool to the touch but without any entrance. We finally broke through, and discovered the endless tunnels of mushrooms and fireflies inside.”
-QuietPineTrees
You know what else is like cracking open the ageless home of a fungal utopia? Cracking open the new Quiet Pine Trees book! You’ll find all kinds of exclusive and wonderful micro-stories inside. Follow the link to sign up!
“In her pocket universe, nothing moved. There was no wind. There was no dust to fall. The sky was hers, a tiny infinity of uninterrupted darkness. The stars back home couldn’t see her being small and afraid. If they wept for the heroine she was meant to be, she couldn’t hear them.”
-QuietPineTrees
This is the sort of thing I write. If you want more, keep reading my Twitter feed. But if you want the good stuff, exclusive and lovingly crafted, pledge to support the Quiet Pine Trees book!
“This is my favorite tree. It wants you to know that autumn has started here in the Northern Hemisphere. Save your protestations about the autumnal equinox. My friend the tree knows when autumn has started, and wouldn’t lie to me about something so important. It is a good tree.”
-QuietPineTrees, Sept. 17, 2018
The secrets of this and other trees will be chronicled in my new book, spanning years of my tweets and new content so fresh and unexpected even the Trees didn’t see it coming! The fastest way to get the book is to pledge!
“With time, moths learned to avoid electric lights, and without prey, spiders moved on as well. The microbiome of outdoor lighting was taken over by larger animals. The fluorescent finch tapped directly into loose wiring for power, but had to be wary of the crafty conductor snake.”
-QuietPineTrees
I cover a lot of topics, but perhaps my stories are never quite what you’re looking for. By pledging to the Quiet Pine Trees book, you can get a custom microfiction story on any topic you want! Take a look!
