2018 - James Kirst Short Story and Novel Blog

Short Story Saturday: Why You Never Celebrate in a Weird Bar

Posted on December 29, 2018September 3, 2020 by jkirst

Hello everyone! As part of Short Story Saturday, I have posted another short story, this one entitled Why You Never Celebrate in a Weird Bar. Please enjoy.

Waking up after a bender is never fun but I suppose you can get used to anything. Dealing with dry mouth and nausea became as much part of the morning routine as wiping the crud out of my eyes. That’s why I never bothered even trying to give my nightly routine of staying up late drinking at random dive bars. I gotta tell you, though, what happened last night is starting to make me reconsider especially since I’m starting to feel a throbbing pain from my chest. To think,it’s not even eight o’clock yet. Continue reading “Short Story Saturday: Why You Never Celebrate in a Weird Bar”

Short Story Saturday: Christmas Eve in Utqiagvik

Posted on December 22, 2018September 4, 2020 by jkirst

Hello everyone! As part of Short Story Saturday, I have posted another short story, this one entitled Christmas Eve in Utqiagvik. Please enjoy.

I’m sure for most diners having a stranger visit isn’t exactly breaking news. It’s an industry that thrives on that sort of thing. However, when you live in my neck of the woods, or should I say tundra, all you have regulars so an out of town visitor leaves an impression. Having said that, I think the visitor I got a few nights ago would leave an impression, even the busiest restaurants in New York.

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Short Story Saturday: Non Morieris in Somnis Memorias

Posted on December 15, 2018September 3, 2020 by jkirst

Hello everyone! As part of Short Story Saturday, I have posted another short story, this one entitled Non Morieris in Somnis Memorias. Please enjoy.

I’m walking through immaculate streets. Once vibrant and full of life, now sterile. The wind blows the leaves in front of me and serves as the town’s only occupants. The ticks of a large clock tower in the center of town reverberate against my brain with each passing step. It acts as a reminder of the inexorable nature of time. Its presence is inescapable.

I am exhausted. Not physically, mentally. Physical fatigue is impossible here.

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Short Story Saturday: Consumed With Guilt

Posted on December 8, 2018September 4, 2020 by jkirst

Hello everyone! As part of Short Story Saturday, I have posted another short story, this one entitled Consumed With Guilt. Please enjoy.

I never wanted to be a criminal. Oh mama, what would you think of your baby boy now? A cop car is parked outside my home right now. He’s been out there for nearly an hour. He’s waiting for me. He wants to give me a chance to confess. I will, but only after writing down my thoughts so I don’t get flustered when I make my statement in court. Public speaking makes me so nervous. If only I hadn’t lost my temper. If only I hadn’t done that terrible thing to that poor girl. She may have been rude to me. She may have ignored me. She may have taken something from me. But she didn’t deserve that. Nobody deserves what I did to her.

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50 Tastes and Flavors

Posted on December 7, 2018August 26, 2019 by jkirst

Hey everyone! I thought it’d be fun if I shared with you the only fan fiction I ever wrote, something I penned a few years ago. I think you’ll see that this was a “completely serious attempt” to write a “completely serious fan fiction”. The story is entitled 50 Tastes and Flavors.

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Short Story Saturday: A Lesson in Humility

Posted on December 1, 2018August 26, 2020 by jkirst

Hello everyone! As part of Short Story Saturday, I have posted another short story, this one entitled A Lesson in Humility. The original writing prompt is taken from https://www.writersdigest.com/prompts/antiquing-writing-prompt.

It was not a family reunion that should have ever happened. Did it defy the laws of God? Nature? Life itself? To think it none of this would have ever happened had I not been so covetous for fame. Such is the price to learn a lesson in humility.

I’m an author of very little renown. I doubt you’ve ever heard of but me you may be familiar with my grandfather. If you’re a fan of his works you’ll know who I mean. He is someone I think about constantly.

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Short Story Saturday: An Amusing Tale of Scriptwriting

Posted on November 24, 2018September 3, 2020 by jkirst

Hello everyone! As part of Short Story Saturday, I have posted another short story, this one entitled An Amusing Tale of Scriptwriting. It‘s quite a bit less sad than last week’s story but hopefully just as enjoyable. Original writing prompt taken from https://www.writersdigest.com/prompts/one-shot

The click of the pistol’s hammer woke me. A velvety voice lilts me out of my vision, “Give me a good catchphrase and I just may let you live.”

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A True Friend, Part of Short Story Saturday!

Posted on November 17, 2018August 25, 2020 by jkirst

Hello everyone! Introducing for the first time a new feature on my blog called Short Story Saturday! Every Saturday I will be posting a short story for your perusal. While some may be connected to other stories, they are going to be, for the most part, one-offs. I hope you enjoy them. The first one is entitled A True Friend.

I gradually awake from my unconscious slumber. I’m lying on my side in the cold, damp muddied dirt on this foreboding night struggling to breathe. My chest heaves up and down deliberately as I take deep, measured pants of the air, each gasp sending shockwaves of pain in my chest as if tiny little knives were stabbing my ribs. An oppressive cold seizes my shivering body. The trees that surround me with their limb-like branches that extend towards the heavens. Their giant, arboreal fingers shield even the most basic illumination further making it difficult for me to see.

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Ghosts are Assholes Launches Today!

Posted on November 12, 2018August 26, 2020 by jkirst

Happy to announce that my first book, Ghosts are Assholes, published by World Castle Publishing, LLC, is launched today on Amazon and other online sites in e-book and paperback form. Please see the main page for more details or click on the image above to get to the Amazon order page. If you enjoy the story, please feel free to submit a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or any other review site you can think of. Please subscribe to the blog for more updates and short stories in the future. I hope to write more novels in the future as well so please look out for that too.

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What I Learned In School Today

Posted on November 9, 2018August 25, 2020 by jkirst

As a bit of a supplement to my upcoming book, Ghosts are Assholes, here is another vignette into Vincent’s life that I hope you enjoy. It is entitled What I Learned In School Today.

“What’s the answer to number 2?” the young boy asked the dowdy ghost floating over his left shoulder. His voice was barely audible as he did not want to risk attracting the attention of his fourth-grade teacher sitting behind her desk.

“Vincent!” the apparition admonished, “Are you asking me to cheat?”

“Uh-huh!” the boy replied eagerly.

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