Tag: short-stories

Big Announcement!

I’ve started a publishing company!

I’ve gotten the initial legal paperwork done, so Defiant House Entertainment, LLC is a real thing now.

While I’ve got a lot to do on the back end to finish up details, I’m moving forward on a lot of things.

First, I’m announcing the first Defiant House Entertainment anthology:

Run for the Line — Anthology Call

Run for the Line brings together stories of antiheroes, operatives, and rule-benders on the move — chasing borders, escaping pursuit, or testing the limits of law, morality, and their own resolve. Inspired by the kinetic urgency of Christopher Cross’s “Ride Like the Wind” and Toby Keith’s “Bullets in the Gun,” this anthology is about motion, tension, and consequence.

The invaders are destroying everything in their path — but if you can make it to the border, you and your people might survive.
You’ve found your soulmate, but the king refuses to let a peasant claim his child.
You stood against a corrupt government, and now the only safety lies at the far edge of the galaxy.
You rescued the prince — getting him away from the empire will take cunning, speed, and more than a little skulduggery.

Stories may cross literal borders, such as national boundaries, planetary frontiers, or escape routes under fire — or metaphorical ones, including moral limits, personal thresholds, or lines society insists should not be crossed. Each story should center on capable protagonists who act decisively, willing to bend or break the rules when the stakes demand it.

Submission Guidelines

  • Word count: 4,000–12,000 words
  • Genre: Speculative fiction, including:
    • Science Fiction
    • Fantasy
    • Horror
    • Urban Fantasy
    • Supernatural Thriller
  • Tone: Action-driven, tense, morally complex
  • Characters: Skilled, proactive, and purposeful (no passive or purely reactive leads)
  • Stories are due by 31 August 2026

Formatting

  • Times New Roman
  • 12-point font
  • Use * * * * * for scene breaks

Submission Method

Email submissions to keith@keithhedger.com
Subject line: Run for the Line

So, if you have questions, email me at Keith@keithhedger.com (Still working on Defiant’s web presense) or ask me at the book signing at Burlington By The Book on January 24th!

Thanks to everyone at Henchman who helped me learn so much over the last few years!

Everything I Wish I’d Known When I Published My First Book

This is so accurate.

I’ll be hosting a panel on June 1st at Des Moines Con with this title. But I thought I’d sit down and share with you all some of the lessons I’ve learned and things I’m still working through as I develop as a writer, author, editor and understand the fiction business better.

First things first, I published my first story, Easy Jobs, on 13 December 2016. Since then, I’ve published three additional stories, contributed to four anthologies, and edited a military science fiction anthology (Tales of the E4 Mafia) with Henchman Press.

To say the least, I’ve learned a lot.

First, I have to sit my butt in a chair and put works in a document every day. Let me say that again: Work on new stories every day. I have a day job, a house, my wife, my daughter and her kids, and my fitness that all need my attention, but if I want to succeed as an author and writer, I have to create new stories every day.

Second, editors are your friend, even when they say things you don’t like. I’m an adult, and I know my writing isn’t perfect. But sometimes when Krystal, my editor, says somethings wrong, or a character doesn’t have a consistent voice, or I’ve got two characters who sound like the same person, it hurts a bit. What I remind myself of is that Krystal is helping me make the story the best it can be. That’s what we want, as writers. To provide our readers with the best story we can at the point we publish it.

Third, productivity is good, and publishing more is good. I’ve got a series of short stories and novellas on my storage that hasn’t been published anywhere. Some of it helps develop Burn and Bad Karma. Other parts develop the world Burn and Bad Karma live and operate in. One story was a response to a challenge from a romance writer to write a romance story.

Yes, I wrote a romance story. Two people, other than me, have seen Date Night.

What I’m going to do is combine those short stories into anthologies so I can get them in front of people who already like my stories. Because they deserve more stories they like, and I want to write more.

Fourth, marketing my stories is a critical piece of all this. If I can get my stories in front of people who want to read stories like mine, we all win. If the stories are good enough, those readers do two things. First, they become fans, and second, they share my stories with their friends. More people get to read more stories they like, I get to write more stories. Last, those fans might become friends of mine. And who doesn’t need more friends?

Alright, I hope that helps clarify where I’m at, what I’ve learned, and what I’m trying to do as I get better at writing, being an author and learning the fiction business.

Leave a comment about what questions you have for me, and what you want to see more of from me!

Spooky Season Is Here! How About a Little Cyberpunk Zombie Action?

As Halloween approaches, I thought I’d share some about how my story “A Simple Escort” got started and how I managed to write a cyberpunk horror story.

Shortly after I’d sold a ‘Santa Claus kicks ass’ story to JR Handley (https://jrhandley.com/) for his Slay Bells Ring anthology, JR reached out to me about the zombie anthology he was putting together, saying that ‘You write dark stories’. While I didn’t think my stories were that dark, even accounting for the cyberpunk and dystopian elements, I sat down and thought about it for a minute. Obviously, I had an idea 🙂

A Simple Escort combined three elements. The first was that Burn and Bad Karma would be involved in a classic cyberpunk data theft job. They would go into a corporate facility to get data on a biotech project for whoever their mysterious employer was. That required them to escort a hacker (Cat, who you may have met in California Chaos), and biotech expert to confirm and vet the data.

The second element was incorporating an ‘uncanny valley’ aspect. This is a term that describes how people react when they see something that is close to human but not quite right. If you’ve walked past a store front at night and seen a manakin in a window and your stomach tightened in a fear response, that’s the uncanny valley response. Because of their levels of implants, Bad Karma and Burn can cause that in unmodded people. I wanted to cause that response to Bad Karma.

For the final, third, element, I wanted Burn and Bad Karma to end up with a house pet, as part of their relationship developing. So, yes, there’s a cyberware implanted cat in the story. And, yes, the cat lives.

If you’re interested in my stories or good zombie stories, hit the link and check out Zombies! Patient Zero.