Author Archives: ccharlesknight

Flash Fiction Story “The Price of Freedom” Awarded

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The flash fiction story, “The Price of Freedom,” was in the top 15 stories in its category and awarded an Honorable Mention in the NYC Midnight 250-Word Microfiction Competition. Congratulations to all the incredible authors who placed, received honorable mentions, and the many who stepped up to the challenge.

While the story did not win in Round 1, it was an incredible honor to be recognized at such a level among the stiff competition. Moreover, the three editor judges provided glowing feedback on the story and writing as shared below:

Judge 1: This piece is great. I feel like I’m in your narrator’s head. It’s got great plot, pacing, and a spontaneous stream of conscious style that captures the reader from the first sentence. The inner dialogue is so compelling. I feel that the last line carries a resonance and intensity that resound throughout the work. You’re quite gifted at succinct writing, and I love the kind of iceberg-quality to the story. The plot is implicit, and implied. Excellent!

Judge 2:  I like that this inner voice and dialogue voice sound so different. Making them near opposites, despite coming from one consistent person, made for a strong duality in this character, keeping us on the hook as we slowly learned the ways this person was becoming someone increasingly close to snapping after so many years.

Judge 3: The second-person point-of-view was handled with impressive narrative agility, toying with readers’ expectations in uniquely unnerving ways (e.g. “Fear, manipulation. Insidiousness.”) Also: the final stretch of the story being a vertiginous rapid-fire exchange of disembodied voices made for a bewitching read.

Thank you to the judges for taking the time to provide feedback to each author who submitted and for the incredible recognition of Honorable Mention in this massive national competition.

Short Story Published in Anthology

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New holiday-themed short story, “The Gift,” published as the lead story in Amaranth’s latest horror anthology, Das Gift.

From the publisher:

Step into the shadowed realm of “Das Gift,” where the holiday season’s cheer conceals a dark, malevolent heart. Twelve writers spin tales that blur the line between Yuletide joy and nightmares. Each story dissects the act of giving, revealing gifts that are far from innocent—vessels of the cursed and the grotesque. From the eerie silence of freshly fallen snow to the oppressive darkness of the longest nights, “Das Gift” leads you through a labyrinth of chilling almost memories. Here, the familiar becomes unsettling, and the benign morphs into the malignant. The spirit of Christmas is laid bare, a raw and bleeding thing capable of inspiring dread.
Enter if you dare, for once you’ve tasted the poisoned offerings of “Das Gift,” the
holidays will never feel the same again.


To Purchase eBook, Hardcover, or the Paperback, as well as story-themed merch:
https://amaranth-publications.myshopify.com/collections/das-gift-vibe-collection