My fiction

I write short stories and flash fiction, and have some novels in the works.

Short stories

I publish my short stories on Vocal. Some of these are also collected in Saving the Scarlet Macaw and Other Stories (available in paperback or ebook).

Short lipogram story (no words with ‘i’)

You Had Me At 'Eyes'

Oh. My. God. What are those?

Short crime horror story – Winner Vocal+ challenge

I Was There

I know exactly what happened

Short dystopian story

An Intake of Breath

I have no choice but to accept what I can’t change

Short reimagined fairy tale

The Bears

Once upon a time there were three Bears…

Short horror story

With Child

The mirror showed a reflection that wasn’t my own.

Short dystopian story

The Last Window

The outside world was unknown to her, but she could see a glimpse of it through the window in his room.

Short fantasy story

Them

A child…a key…a lock

The Ash Man

The long plaintive wail of a train horn startles me awake.

Short horror story

Understand

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window.

Chapter 1 Fantasy novel

Black Sleep

There weren’t always dragons in the Valley.

Short story – Runner-Up Vocal+ challenge

Bowerbird

Dear Mum, I need to tell you some things.

Short horror story

Portent

Grandma always said that barn owls were a portent of death

I Am Sleep. Let Me Lull

Sleep on repeat.

Short story – Finalist Vocal+ Fiction Awards

Nightmare

“You know that never happened, right?”

The Graveyard of Dreams

Once she did this—if she did this—there would be no going back

Short story – 2nd place winner Vocal+ challenge

Saving the scarlet macaw

A message of healing and hope

Short horror story

Gravenwell Lake

Halloween spent in nature was a Buckley family tradition.

Blind date

Sometimes you have to make your own decisions

A moment in time

A frozen pond is as quiet as a moment in time.

A long drive home

Caroline must have done this drive at least 82,359 times before.

Everybody leaves

I always thought my brother was dead.

Sacrifice

Can an apocalypse be one person’s fault?

No regrets

The first time he saw it was three days after his official retirement.

Flash fiction

Nice Will Not Suffice

I watch him with sleepy eyes and wonder what happened to us.

It Should Be Me

It should be me up there.

Doug's Idea

Doug said he’d been doing it for months.

Maybe

“If you can’t fix it with duct tape, you’re not using enough duct tape.”

I don't hate you

I’m not packing my suitcase. I’m packing yours.

Small kindnesses

The old man shuffled into the food court.

Now and then

“I’ll start at the top,” I said.

Tim has to go

Sharing your body with a demon sucks.

10 times I won and 1 time I didn't

We were inseparable…until we weren’t.

Remember

That’s me on the porch of that old holiday rental.

Whatever I want

“Where were you yesterday?” How do I answer that?