Andrea’s story Eye Maggot made it into Molotov Cocktail’s Flash Monster 2025 Contest Top 10!

November 13, 2025

Andrea: On Halloween I found out that my story Eye Maggot made it into Molotov Cocktail’s Flash Monster 2025 Contest Top 10! At No. 8.

The submission trenches are a strange and unpredictable place. I just wrote this story and was dragging heels on getting it done in time. When I pressed submit during their slacker special, I honestly had no confidence it would even make the short list never mind getting accepted. This just goes to show you that you never know. All I know is that I didn’t want to miss this contest deadline, that feeling of losing an opportunity usually eggs me on. Regardless of the outcome, I’m happy to have written a new story. So don’t let inspiration pass you by.

In conclusion, you can have a piece (like my ghost story Desmond) you’ve submitted and revised over and over again and it only gets accepted after 16 times and you can have a piece that is accepted on the first go.

Please read the entire issue. I love it you should too.

PS: It’s funny I often write about body horror but I can’t really watch it. I also can’t watch pretty mundane things like the spitting in the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s video or the gross eating in INXS’ The One Thing and especially can’t watch people gross eating in The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1 but I write about those things. Weird?

Andrea’s flash fiction piece, Detached, published in Molotov Cocktail on January 31, 2020

Andrea’s piece Detached was published in Molotov Cocktail on January 31, 2020 in Volume 10, Issue 12. What a way to start the new year!

Cover of Molotov’s Cocktail’s Issue 10.12

Andrea’s writing process on Detached:

I actually wrote this story and submitted it to Molotov’s Flash Monster 2019 contest but did not make it into their Top 10. But I did receive a "Close But No Cigar" shout-out on the site.

I never would have written this story without that contest. I always wanted to write about the penanggalan but Molotov gave me the push.

I discovered the penanggalan through D&D. Its illustration was always one of more grotesque ones. But it also haunted me. And then I found the Fiend Folio at my childhood home.

None of the origin stories I read completely satisfied me. I fixated on the fact that a penanggalan will remain unnaturally beautiful throughout her life.

I’ve always wondered what made a woman choose to become a penanggalan (and if it was a choice). I examined the physical price of beauty and the extremes some go to attain that irreproachable veneer.

Hope you enjoy!

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