Embedded Files
FLASH FICTION (Stories Under 1,000 words)
If there are links to the stories, you can read them. For the ones without links, in the words of the esteemed 20th century philosophers Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam, “Que sera, que sera.”
“BLUE SAPPHIRE RING”
Bull (Georgia), December 2025
Teaser: At a pawnshop, a blue sapphire ring changes hands.
Blue Sapphire Ring | MrBullBull
“HAND AGAINST THE DOORJAMB”
A Thin Slice of Anxiety (Illinois), March 2025.
Teaser: Two high school seniors enjoying a private moment, get a jarring interruption.
Note: This story is not overly wholesome. For those of you who are easily offended, proceed with caution or perhaps choose not to proceed at all; you’ve been forewarned. As for the rest of you, throw caution to the wind and have at it.
Fiction: Hand Against the Doorjamb
"TYRELL'S HIGH SCHOOL YEARBOOK"
The Ravens Perch (New Jersey), June 2024.
Teaser: Tyrell Hayward feels uncomfortably edgy about his upcoming 10-year high school reunion.
TYRELL’S HIGH SCHOOL YEARBOOK BY PAUL GERMANO - The RavensPerch
“FOUR SEASONS”
Strands Lit Sphere (India), December 2023.
Honorable Mention in the 2023 Strands International Flash Fiction Competition #19
Teaser: With Winter, Summer, Spring and Fall as backdrops, this story peeks in on Andy Fitzgerald and Judy Bartolucci at different points in their life together.
“TENNESSEE WILLIAMS IN THE WIND”
The Ravens Perch (New Jersey) December 2023.
Teaser: On a windy day in February, high school seniors Stella Johansen and Luis Santiago have a memorable first date.
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS IN THE WIND BY PAUL GERMANO - The RavensPerch
“SEBASTIAN AWAKENS”
The Ulu Review (Hawaii), Issue #2, September 2023.
Teaser: A bartender, with sleepy green eyes, wakes up in his bedroom, hungover and content.
Sebastian Awakens, Paul Germano - The Ulu Review
SLOW MOTION CAMARO
Bright Flash Literary Review (California), February 2023 issue.
Teaser: True-blue friendship resonates when a freshly-waxed blue Camaro, with bank teller Dylan Rossi behind the wheel, pulls up to the curb to give his buddy Corey Mueller a lift to his job at the mini-mart.
Slow Motion Camaro | Bright Flash Literary Review
“FACULTY LOUNGE”
Word City Literary Journal (Canada), January 2023 issue.
Teaser: Romance, hostility and amusement are in the air for five teachers taking a break in their faculty lounge.
https://wordcitylit.ca/2023/01/23/faculty-lounge-fiction-by-paul-germano/
“CIRCLING THE BRONZE SCULPTURES”
The Fictional Café (Massachusetts), June 2022
Teaser: At an art gallery, two strangers playfully flirt from a distance as they maneuver their way amongst the oil paintings, watercolors and bronze sculptures, eventually meeting face to face.
https://fictionalcafe.com/circling-the-bronze-sculptures-by-paul-germano/
“SPRINGSTEEN IN THE DORM ROOM”
Bright Flash Literary Review (California), March 2022 issue.
Teaser: Two college students pass a blunt back and forth while listening to Springsteen. This isn’t now; this is then. It’s a time when music is listened to on CD players and phone booths can still be found on street corners. The Internet is still kind of new, Michael Jordan reigns supreme on the court and Jerry Seinfeld is the king of Must See TV. The Clintons are in the White House and all is well with the world.
SPRINGSTEEN IN THE DORM ROOM | Bright Flash Literary Review
“ERIE BOULEVARD”
Word City Literary Journal (Canada), November 2021 issue.
Teaser: Inside a Honda Civic that's traveling at a furious speed, Ed and Bonnie Pruitt face serious consequences resulting from their own reckless actions.
https://wordcitylit.ca/2021/11/21/erie-boulevard-fiction-by-paul-germano/
“ALL SHOOK UP” (Creative Nonfiction)
Word City Literary Journal (Canada), October 2021 issue.
Teaser: A group of friends react to the passing of Elvis Presley.
All Shook Up. Non-fiction by Paul Germano – WordCityLit
“DOROTHY, WENDY AND WHAT’S HIS NAME”
Sledgehammer Literary Journal (Channel Islands, United Kingdom), September 2021.
Teaser: A rust bucket Chevy pulls into a parking lot, fast and reckless, with a pimple-faced 17-year-old behind the wheel.
“BLUES BAR LAMENT”
Flash in a Flash (Oregon), Issue #158, April 13, 2021.
Teaser: In a bar that's filled with the blues, a blue-eyed man with stringy brown hair, is drinking alone and lost in his thoughts.
“COFFEE IN THE MOONLIGHT” (Anthology Reprint)
The Strong Stuff, the Best of The Fictional Café (Massachusetts), October 2019.
Note: Originally published in The Fictional Café (Massachusetts), August 2016.
The Fictional Café’s editors selected works from its first five years for inclusion in this anthology.
“SHAMELESS”
Foliate Oak Literary Magazine (Arkansas), October 2017 issue.
Published by the University of Arkansas at Monticello.
Teaser: While her parents argue about what color to paint the living room, Lily Nguyen is in her bedroom with the door shut and far more important things on her mind.
“COFFEE IN THE MOONLIGHT”
The Fictional Café (Massachusetts), August 2016.
Teaser: Two co-workers meet after work at his place for fun and a sweet touch of romance.
http://www.fictionalcafe.com/coffee-in-the-moonlight-paul-germano/
“NINE TIMES OUT OF TEN”
Journal of Microliterature (Missouri), April 2014.
Teaser: Jimmy is in the Ninth Grade, again.
“THREE FLIGHTS OF STAIRS, A BOTTLE OF RED WINE
AND PAUL KLEE ON THE WALL”
Fiction 365 (Undisclosed Location), November 2012.
Teaser: Yes, the elements mentioned in this story’s extremely long title, all come into play. Add to that, the intermingling scents of pot roast, potpourri and floral perfume; plus the emotional jazz of Diana Krall playing in the background to truly set the mood for these two characters.
“SWEET LAND OF LIBERTY”
Foliate Oak Literary Magazine (Arkansas), October 2012 issue.
Published by the University of Arkansas at Monticello.
Teaser: With his three older brothers as his audience, Davey takes center stage in the family room.
https://www.foliateoak.com/paul-germano.html
“SKIRTING THE ISSUE”
The Scruffy Dog Review (North Carolina), Winter 2010 issue.
Teaser: John shares a basement apartment with his sister Mary Jane and must face the reality that privacy is not always an option. Note: This is the second time these two characters have appear in one of Germano’s published short stories. Readers first met John and Mary Jane in “Bad News in a Red Sweater” published in Samiz Dada magazine in 2007. Germano has more stories on the drawing board featuring John and Mary Jane, so stay tuned.
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