I’ve always looked at short stories as a way to have a bit of fun with my writing. In my day job, I write psychological thrillers. I’d written three novels before I ever tried my hand at short fiction. But when I did, I discovered an entirely new world.
I spent a great deal of time telling my peers I couldn’t write short stories. They kept pushing me, and pushing me, until I finally gave it a shot.
That story was “Prodigal Me.” I submitted it to Writer’s Digest and promptly forgot about it. You can imagine my surprise when I received an email from Chuck Sambuchino saying I’d won an honorable mention in their annual short fiction contest.
Perhaps I could write shorts after all.
Soon after, I attended my first writer’s conference, where I met a fabulous writer named Duane Swierczynski. I asked Duane about some short fiction markets, and he suggested I send a story to his friend Bryon Quertermous, who ran an e-zine called Demolition. I quickly wrote another story and submitted it. Bryon loved everything but the title, which we agreed to change to “X.” It was my first published piece.
My love of the short form grew from there. I began placing stories, writing for anthologies, the works. I grew to love the freedom and limitations of the form, and I still use it as a playground of sorts, a way to stretch my wings and explore genres I wouldn’t normally write in.
My short stories are little slices, vignettes. Crimes of the heart, the mind and the soul. The bits and pieces that fell from my mind while I was writing long-form novels, the ideas that didn’t have a place in my current work. Some are quite short, others bloomed into novellas.
With the advent of independent publishing, I decided to start my own house, Two Tales Press, in order to share these sweet little lies with you. I do hope you’ll enjoy them.
—J.T. Ellison
Nashville, 2015