My short fantasy story “The Shipwreck of Andalus the Hero” has been published in the latest edition of Schlock Magazine. It’s only about 1,000 words long and you can read it free online.
This is the first story I’ve published that’s been illustrated, in the nice piece of art you can see above, by Thom Cuschieri. Thanks Thom!
Grub Street 
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November 2, 2013 at 3:20 am
sunrise089
Congrats on another placement!
The newer stories are definitely more literary but I also can’t help but notice they’re more sad too…
November 2, 2013 at 8:09 pm
Mitch
I’ve noticed that as well, actually (although this one is meant to be more of a black comedy). I’ve got another one being published in a mag called Postscripts to Darkness next year which has a bleak ending, another one I’m hunting around for markets for now which is post-apocalyptic, and two more still in draft stages which are also quite bleak and have sad endings.
I don’t know why. I’m a happy person. I think it’s because I what I enjoy most in short stories that I read – and thus try to emulate – are the hinted moments at something dark, to do with fear and terror (i.e. West Gate or The Cave) or have twist endings (i.e. The City.) (And for the record, my favourite short story ever, which combines both these things, is John Cheever’s The Swimmer.) I would love to write a raffish, bohemian comedy story set in contemporary Melbourne but I simply don’t have narrative ideas for that kind of thing.
I guess my lightest stories, despite also having a fair bit of literary angst as well, are the Black Swan ones, because it’s a bunch of guys cracking jokes on a freewheeling space adventure. I really should write some more of those.
November 4, 2013 at 8:34 pm
Axe-Wielding Alex
It has definitely humorous. I cracked up on the last line.
November 2, 2013 at 8:15 pm
Mitch
Although in my review of Best Australians Stories 2010 I noted that Australian fiction seems a bleak and depressing place so maybe it’s a national thing:
https://grubstreethack.wordpress.com/2011/05/06/book-review-the-best-australian-stories-2010/