A Home for Novels and Short Stories

Stories Will Resume

 

Sunrise

My fans, there is no longer reason to fret for soon on this blog my stories will resume! Indeed, it’s time for the glorious return of James Kirst and his Short Story and Novel Blog!

Kidding. Actually, I just wanted to a quick post to announce that I hope to be more active on this blog shortly. I haven’t made a post in the last two years. Part of that was due to life concerns. I’m sure everyone understands. However, it is not as though I haven’t been writing at all during my absence. Quite the contrary. If you’d allow me to brag, I’ve been relatively prolific. This is another reason why I haven’t been very active here or on social media lately. I have been working on and now have new short stories, story snippets, and even chapters to share.

One of the first novels that I’ve written is a tale of love, broken dreams, adversity, and finding ways of progressing and moving forward. All of which is framed under the backdrop of boxing, specifically the biggest match of the protagonist Fergus Kelly’s career. As you might have inferred from the last two sentences, the story focuses more on the characters and their interactions than the pugilistic sport. It’s also a very grounded story and at times a bit gritty. Yet, it never becomes grim or dark. For a boxing tale, it is very optimistic and light. Perhaps it’s a little more realistic than the movie Rocky or my favorite boxing movie Diggstown but it is certainly more reminiscent of those films than something like The Fighter.

This upcoming novel is also bereft of supernatural elements. This might seem like a deviation from my previous works. I’d argue it is not for my stories always are more about social interactions, character growth, and the human experience than the mechanics of my supernatural worlds. That’s not to say the plots don’t matter. They most certainly do which is why I take so much care to eloquently craft them. The more grounded human struggles are just carefully interwoven into the tales. Besides, at the risk of spoiling too much, the novel is actually a stealth prequel for several novels that I hope will become part of a much larger series, all of which are set in the same supernatural world as my first two books

However, these tales will feature a new main character along with a diverse and eclectic supporting cast. They will be much more action-oriented and fantastic while still being somewhat grounded. Indeed, I hope this will be the start of what I call, “Stories of the supernatural variety to explain the mundane.”

Now, though, it’s time to get those stories either into the hands or onto the screens of my loyal readers and my fans. I’m starting that process now.  It’ll just be a matter of time before you start seeing new stories appear on this blog. Whether they be of the supernatural variety or star that aforementioned cast I’m only coyly referring to right now, well, I’m afraid you’ll have to continue keeping track of updates to find out more. Let’s just say that though I’m excited about my aforementioned paranormal works, I have a lot of stories I’m eager to share as well.

Don’t worry, too. The wait won’t be for much longer. I’m predicting within the next month or so at most before I start posting semi-regularly again. I just want to find the optimal time to post when I can get the most eyeballs on my stories. It’s a difficult thing because people live busy lives and I’m competing against literal millions for your time.

If I might brag one more time, though. I know what I write will be worth everyone’s time. My stories are enjoyable experience, entertaining, and perhaps even at times educational, along with a whole slew of words that have the equivalent definitions. Some of them might also begin with ‘e’.

If you haven’t already, please consider registering to my blog’s mailing list to remain up to date. Please also consider following me on the following social media:

https://twitter.com/writerjrk/

https://www.facebook.com/jameskirstauthor

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18534226.James_Kirst

Please provide feedback whenever possible as well. I love reading what my listeners have to say. I’d especially like to know what types of stories you like to read and what would be good times for me to make my posts.

If you’re interested in finding out about the novels I wrote, please click on the following links: Ghosts are Assholes, Magic Once Removed, and The Crumbling World. If you like any of the books, perhaps you’d be interested in just reading about my other assorted short stories instead. If you’d like to find out more about me, check out this page.

Anyway, thanks for reading this post! Hope to hear from you soon!

Welcome Page

 

Welcome Page Photo
James Kirst

Hello everyone! Welcome to my page! This is the welcome page for James Kirst’s Short Story and Novel page, aka James Kirst’s Short Story Emporium and Creativity Outlet. If you’re here, perhaps you’d be interested in finding out about the novels I wrote, Ghosts are Assholes, Magic Once Removed, and The Crumbling World. If you like any of the books, perhaps you’d be interested in just reading about my other assorted short stories instead. If you’d like to find out more about me, check out this page.

The goal of this site chiefly is to entertain. I like to think of my short stories like something you can read during your lunch break but leaves you with a bit of an emotional impact, whether it be laughter, tears, joy, or something in between.

Will I always succeed in that goal? Hopefully, but odds are I won’t, so I’d love to hear from you to see what you think. I hope to add more topics and features onto this site in the future. My topics can range from anything such as my thoughts on certain tropes, entertainment today, the trials and tribulations of being a writer, who knows? I have so many stories to write that I feel that the sky is truly the limit.

My obligatory social media links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/writerjrk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/writerjrk/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18534226.James_Kirst

I have a lot of big and exciting plans for the future. I hope that you come along for the wild ride.

Thank you for visiting. I hope to see you again.

The Crumbling World Released Today!

 

The Crumbling World Cover
The Crumbling World Cover

I am proud to announce that my upcoming novel, The Crumbling World, is now available! The link is available here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B097V3B9P7 and the book page is available here: The Crumbling World.

This is a fantasy novel that starts out rather cliche but quickly turns surreal. It stars an eclectic cast of characters and I think our hero is the kind of protagonist that a reader may start out hating but will slowly grow to love as he evolves and grows. Even though the story takes place in a fantastic setting, I think it’s one of those sorts of tales that transcends time and place. This story could be set in a sci-fi environment or in a steampunk universe or in the height of the seafaring age or even the modern day. Certain details would have to be changed, of course, but I feel that the general story would be the same. One of my goals with The Crumbling World was to write a universal story that could withstand the test of time. A lofty goal, I know, and one that I cannot ever say that I’ve achieved but it should be at the very least enjoyable.

This is all to explain why I am very excited about this one. I really think The Crumbling World is the best work I’ve written thus far and an excellent pickup for both fans of the fantasy genre and everyone else. It’s a relatively quick read as well. Please give it up if you have a chance. I’d let to thank Karen Fuller at World Castle Publishing for her continued support and my parents as well. Without them, none of this would be possible. I’d like to thank everyone who’s ever picked up a copy of my book as well. You are the reason I write in the first place. Thank you to everyone.

To conclude, if you’d like to see read “short story”, please click the tag below or click on this(short story) link or this(genre and tags) link or this(story list) link. I would also urge you to share this story with others and comment below. Also, please check out my book page to see two other books I’ve written including CIBA finalist Magic Once Removed and my first tale Ghosts are Assholes by pressing here. Thank you one last time.

The Writer Jerk Podcast

The Writer Jerk Podcast Logo
The Writer Jerk Podcast Logo

Hey! Check out this test podcast episode I made called The Writer Jerk:

https://youtu.be/MV88HyYUK7Y

The basic theme of The Writer Jerk Podcast is any and all topics tangentially related to writing. Whether the medium is novels, short stories, movies, television shows, comic books, and even video games, if it has a story, I will want to talk about it. I’m planning to make this a mostly family-friendly show that has something for anyone that has even the smallest interest in writing.

Just to give you a bit of a preview, the next two episodes will be a brief discussion of my first two novels, Ghosts are Assholes and Magic Once Removed. There won’t be any spoilers, naturally, but it will provide a bit of an inside look. That is where a cohost could help as he or would be able to provide questions that I did not consider. Afterward, I plan to branch out into different topics including a discussion of witches and witchcraft and how they’ve been historically used in storytelling, an analysis of an essay, and how its lessons are applied to the critiques of fiction today, and a deep dive into a short story. There are a couple of movies I’d like to take a deeper look at as well along with a music video that I feel was deeply symbolic and worthy of further discussion.

I’m very curious about what everyone thinks of it, whether it be content, audio quality, whether you’d listen, or even think this is a good idea at all! Any feedback would be appreciated. Like I said in the episode, please feel to dm me if you want to be a cohost but even if you don’t, I’ll probably continue this because they are fun to make and are a good outlet for my thoughts. Thanks in advance!

Follow the writer jerk on twitter for updates and more! www.twitter.com/writerjerk

Magic Once Removed is Available Now

The kindle version of my paranormal love story combined with a buddy cop movie, AKA Lethal Weapon with witches, Magic Once Removed, is available now.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08B5JWQQV

Booksprout for reviews: https://booksprout.co/arc/39426/magic-once-removed

The paperback version should be available soon if it is not available already. Let me know if you want a signed copy and I’ll hook you up.

Thanks again to Karen Fuller and World Castle Publishing. Nothing left to say but:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDTwO0TlwOU

Hiatus

Hello all. I am taking a hiatus from short-story writing to work on what I hope to be a series of novels as well as the promotion of the two novels I have written and I am hoping to get a third novel in the publishing phase soon. I may post periodically here or there but it will probably be inconsistent and if I do post, the story will probably be very short.

I’d like to ask while you wait to check out all of my short stories by pressing “short story” tag below or clicking this(short story) link or this(genre and tags) link or this(story list) link. I would also urge you to share this story with others and comment below. Please check out my books page as well by pressing hereMagic Once Removed will be available soon, so please check out the FAQ. Thank you for your patience and all the support you have given me throughout the year.

Short Story Saturday: Maiden on a Slab

 

Short Story Saturday: Maiden on a Slab - Photo by Pixabay on Pexels
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels

Hello everyone! As part of Short Story Saturday, I have posted another short story, this one entitled Maiden on a Slab. Please enjoy. Also, if you haven’t already checked out my FAQ on my upcoming book, Magic Once Removed, please check that out as well. Thanks again!

His torch represented many things. Illumination. Warmth. Comfort. It also represented a potential disaster of biblical proportions. The ancient parchment he held in his free hand was as dry as British wit and a single spark would cause it to go aflame which would leave the man lost, potentially for good. in that forgotten, dank, dark labyrinth. It did not help his psyche that there were times he had to hold the blistering orange flame perilously close to the map to see its intricacies and read its ancient inscriptions that detailed how to get by the perilous puzzles that loomed.

Continue reading “Short Story Saturday: Maiden on a Slab”

Short Story Saturday: Kamikaze

Short Story Saturday: Kamikaze - Photo by Alem Sánchez from Pexels
Photo by Alem Sánchez from Pexels

Hello everyone! As part of Short Story Saturday, I have posted another short story, this one entitled Kamikaze. Please enjoy. Sorry about the late post. Technically, I’ve posted the story on Saturday but I realize it is pretty late compared to when I typically publish my stories. Additionally, this one might be a little bit rough so please forgive any grammatical mistakes or missing words. Think of this as a rough draft.

Anyway, if you haven’t already checked out my FAQ on my upcoming book, Magic Once Removed, please check that out as well. Thanks again!

“They call it a kamikaze because it’s the drink they’d give the Japanese Zeros before they had to crash land into US aircraft carriers,” the bartender claimed as he plopped a trio of equal parts vodka, triple sec and lime juice concoction in front of the three coeds.

“Really?” the blonde asked.

The bartender waved dismissively. “Nah, just made it up.”

“It was believable though,” the brunette with freckles said. “Sure had me going.”

“You should always check the facts whenever someone says something that doesn’t sound right.”

Continue reading “Short Story Saturday: Kamikaze”

Short Story Saturday: Are You Happy

Short Story Saturday: Are You Happy - Photo by Pixabay from Pexels
Photo by Pixabay from Pexels

Hello everyone! As part of Short Story Saturday, I have posted another short story, this one entitled Are you Happy? Please enjoy. Also, if you haven’t already checked out my FAQ on my upcoming book, Magic Once Removed, please check that out as well. Thanks again!

“Are you happy?” It’s a question that is often asked by my parents.

They started doing so when I was a child. Always, they were concerned about my mental well-being. Inordinately so, in fact, for reasons I cannot quite comprehend. I’ve theorized that perhaps as ascetic individuals whose chief concerns were scientific pursuits, they find my interest in the written word to be a sign that my brain has been faultily wired. The fact that I gravitated toward macabre works such as those written by Poe and Lovecraft, as well as more modern authors such as Clive Barker and Steven King, likely only exasperated such notions. Surely, they believed, my obsession with horror held some deeper explanation.

Continue reading “Short Story Saturday: Are You Happy”

Short Story Saturday: Scarlett Hood

Short Story Saturday: Scarlett Hood - Photo by Just a Couple Photos from Pexels
Photo by Just a Couple Photos from Pexels

Hello everyone! As part of Short Story Saturday, I have posted another short story, this one entitled Scarlett Hood. Please enjoy. Also, if you haven’t already checked out my FAQ on my upcoming book, Magic Once Removed, please check that out as well. Thanks again!

Her flat jet-black boots disturbed the otherwise pristine dirt trail as she, Scarlett, traipsed through the woods. As she did, the gentle spring breeze blew off her red hood which revealed her short raven hair and blithe face. Her right arm was wrapped around the handle of a beige picnic basket.

Continue reading “Short Story Saturday: Scarlett Hood”

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