Asian Fantasy & Science Fiction
Today's Mythical Drabble by Gabriella Balcom is based on Japanese folktales of the river-dwelling kappa. Enjoy! Come Play Gabriella Balcom Nine-year-old Fumio heard splashing and ran toward the Mogami River. Glimpsing children playing in the water, he smiled. But his eyes widened when he neared them and saw their yellowish-blue skin. Although small, the beings... Continue Reading →
It's my pleasure to share a Japanese myth-inspired drabble today by Chris Bannor. Chris has 3 drabbles in Mythical Creatures of Asia, and also features in Southeast Asian Fantasy Drabbles. The Feast Chris Bannor They ran from the village, their feast of charcoal and embers complete. They danced in glee, the noisy basabasa of their... Continue Reading →
Our second drabble this week comes from the wonderful Carmen Indalecio! You'll find Carmen's work featured in the 3 published Insignia Drabbles anthologies, and also in our Castles & Kimono anthology. Please enjoy 'The Lung Vase'. The Lung Vase Carmen Indalecio Our most valuable possession was a vase, decorated with nine painted dragons. It has... Continue Reading →
Please welcome today's drabbler, Amrita Valan! Amrita has 3 drabbles in Mythical Creatures of Asia, and 3 in the upcoming Mythical Beings of Asia anthology. We also featured her recently in our Author Spotlight series. Check out her interview here. Timingila Terror of the Oceans Amrita Valan When the Timingila dreamt, the ocean waves were... Continue Reading →
Time for another round of Mythical Drabbles! Over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing more drabbles from our latest anthology, Mythical Creatures of Asia. Please enjoy today's dark fantasy drabble by Filipino writer, Ben Umayam. Steamy Blind Date Ben Umayam Nenita goes on a single’s cruise, blind date nightly. Blindly, she is swept up,... Continue Reading →
Today's Author Spotlight is presented by regular contributor and translator, Toshiya Kamei. I take great pleasure in introducing to you one of the brightest up-and-coming Japanese writers. Originally from Osaka, Yuki Fuwa later moved to Tokyo and studied Chinese literature at Waseda University. Her favorite writers include Shinichi Hoshi (1926-1998, a master of short shorts)... Continue Reading →
It's my pleasure to introduce a new Insignia Stories contributor, Amrita Valan. Amrita will have 3 drabbles featured in the upcoming Mythical Creatures of Asia anthology. She tells us all about herself and her writing interests in this 25-question interview. Enjoy! TWENTY-FIVE QUESTIONS Author Name/s: Amrita ValanYears active as a writer: I have written poems... Continue Reading →
Shawn M. Klimek is another master drabbler that I'm excited to finally feature in one of our anthologies. Please enjoy this Persian myth inspired drabble! Manticore Hide Shawn M. Klimek To win the king’s reward for a manticore’s hide, warriors Enshang and Zaveh hunted the man-eater for three days, but without success. As they were... Continue Reading →
Enjoy this moody drabble from Malaysian writer, Nick Tan! Who Sits Beneath the Unlit Lantern Nick Tan Qi Jin set the bowl of steaming noodles beneath the unlit lantern at her doorway. The landlord was coming up the street, banging at his tenants’ doors, collecting the rent she could no longer afford. She hurried inside... Continue Reading →
Today's Mythical Creatures of Asia drabble features the kapre, from Filipino mythology. Natasha Sinclair has three drabbles in this anthology, and is also a contributor from Insignia Drabbles #2. I personally love her dark fantasy stories! More drabbles from the Mythical Creatures of Asia anthology are now available online on this page. Beneath the Mangoes... Continue Reading →
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