Andrea’s flash fiction, Banshee, published by Jersey Devil Press

Andrea: I'm super excited to finally have a piece accepted by Jersey Devil Press.

My flash fiction, Banshee, was published in Issue #132 April 2026 on May 17, 2026.

The Editor’s Note on this issue strikes a chord with me. Laura Garrison says “This combination of unexpected proportions and angles infuses the space with a slight uncanniness, a sense of being someplace that is an imperfect imitation of reality.”

Folklore, Mythology and Horror tend to be the subjects I write about and try sometimes to apply to modern life. I visualize it as an Otherhere, some place (or places really) that is near our reality but not quite right and perhaps unsettling.

In this short piece, a banshee is a singer in an indie rock band. I mean what could be more fitting?

“Woman,” by Enrique Meseguer.

A little background on the evolution of my story, Banshee:

I’ve been submitting to Jersey Devil Press since 2013. I had submitted 6 other pieces before getting Banshee accepted there.

I have been submitting and working on Banshee since 2014 and have submitted it 15 times with the 15th time being the charm as well as multiple revisions. It's a flash fiction piece although it's on the shorter side, being under 500 words (487 words).

It used to be a much shorter piece hovering under 300 words for a long time as recently as May 2025. By submitting and re-reading, I found a way in to expand the protagonist's story. And this last revision was the one that succeeded.

I write this to let you know and remind myself to never give up. The road is long but the "finished" piece is worth it.

(I put "finished" in quotes because who knows if anything is ever truly finished. :)

Additional note:

With the acceleration of people using AI to write and obtain writing prizes, it is all the more pressing to support and read actual human created stories. It saddens (and perplexes) me that anyone would discard revising and even the creation of their stories, poems, etc. in favor of AI writing /revising something for them. What is the point of writing if you’re not the one doing it? Where is the joy of completion if you did not complete it? Weird.

I’m so thrilled to be in this issue with these amazing writers. The extraordinary cover art for this issue is “Woman,” by Enrique Meseguer.

Thank you Jersey Devil Press for accepting my little story.

Archive copy for posterity.

A giraffe person. :)

Andrea's flash fiction, Morforwyn, published in The Wild Hunt on July 28, 2020

Andrea’s flash fiction piece, Morforwyn, was published in The Wild Hunt - Is it safe? Issue # 2 on July 28, 2020.

Look at the fantastic art below. Have to ask the editor who the visual artist is.

The Wild Hunt posted on twitter the following sentiment which sums up Andrea’s reason for writing this story.

Background on this story

Andrea: Mermaids are not usually thought of as dangerous. Nor is it in the universal folklore that humankind did terrible things to them but of course we did. (That’s if they existed).

I was especially inspired by this cryptozoology I came across about Welsh mermaids. (I am a quarter Welsh and would love someday to visit Wales but who knows now. Some mermaids started out as giants, they diminished as everything seems to do when encountering certain elements of humanity.

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!

 Check out Molotov Cocktail on their twitter and Facebook profiles as well.

Both Mark’s and Andrea’s flash fiction pieces published in Molotov Cocktail’s Flash Legend Mega Issue

Both Mark’s and Andrea’s flash fiction pieces got into Molotov Cocktail’s Flash Legend Mega Issue beating out stories from the U.S., the U.K., Australia, Canada, Ireland, Italy, and New Zealand. The editors also commented that --

 “We also saw a Molotov first, with two people who apparently live at the same address each scoring a slot in the Top 10 (must be something in the water)."

 Once we saw that scrolling down on the contest winners announcement page, we hoped they were talking about us.

 And they were!

Mark’s story and first published piece below
La Puerta – No. 9 in the top ten (a suitable musical placement)
https://themolotovcocktail.com/vol-10/flash-legend/la-puerta/

Archived Copy

Andrea’s story
The Eyes – No. 4 in the top ten
https://themolotovcocktail.com/vol-10/flash-legend/the-eyes/

Archived Copy

Also, super exciting, both of our stories will be included in Molotov Cocktail’s Fifth Annual Prize Winners Anthology (details on that in late summer).

We’re looking forward to reading the entire issue.

About 
The Molotov Cocktail is a Portland-based electronic literary journal serving as a projectile for incendiary flash fiction of the dark and offbeat variety. We believe flash fiction should ignite on contact and engulf the page.

Check them out on Twitter too.

Andrea's short story, Nocnitsa, was published in The Molotov Cocktail 4/9/19!

Andrea’s short story Nocnitsa was published in The Molotov Cocktail in their Issue 10.1 on April 9, 2019!

They called it a “vivid and compelling piece”!

Archived Copy

Andrea on her inspiration - I don’t remember how I happened across this creature. It may have been while researching nightmares during a relentless insomnia bout. But I was struck by its physiology – an ethereal being composed of smoke and a screeching voice. It caused me to imagine a lower physical body of vapor and sounds, the opposite of a physical self. According to folklore, she could shape shift into a raven, but that sounded too generic to me. I had recently become fascinated with the Vampire Finch, a blood sucker, which seemed more fitting for the Nocnitsa. Then I began wondering what specific kind of rage would make one into such a creature. When your body and everyone else fails you. And out of all that came my story of Nocnitsa.

About
The Molotov Cocktail is an Portland-based electronic literary journal serving as a projectile for incendiary flash fiction of the dark and offbeat variety. We believe flash fiction should ignite on contact and engulf the page.

 Check them out on Twitter too.