publication

Allison

Happy Book Birthday to Green Light: A Gatsby Cycle!

I’m thrilled to announce that Green Light: A Gatsby Cycle, my hybrid chapbook written with Janet Dale, is out today!

Green Light: A Gatsby Cycle offers a striking reimagination of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, told as a collaborative chapbook of found poetry and flash fiction. Using only the first page of each chapter from the novel, Dale and Renner craft a fresh meditation on the classic story—one that explores a boy’s struggle to break free from the place that made him, questioning the very notion of the American Dream.


The authors create a seamless dialogue with Fitzgerald’s work, transforming familiar passages into something entirely new. Each flash fiction piece and poem reflects themes of ambition, yearning, and the pursuit of freedom, while offering a thoughtful exploration of the literary masterpiece.

You can buy a copy directly from me and get it delivered in a shiny green mailer along with a book cover postcard and sticker. 

In the meantime, add it as “Want to Read” on Goodreads and The StoryGraph, then share your thoughts when you’ve read it.

Allison

“In the End” published at Ink In Thirds

I’m thrilled to have a piece of flash fiction in the Spring Equinox, Spring/Summer 2025 – vol 6, i.1 issue of Ink In Thirds.

I wrote this piece in a Sarah Freligh workshop (surprise surprise!) in November 2023. It was a particularly windy week – I didn’t remember feeling wind like that before, unless it was during the typical Memphis in May tornado season.

I have been trying to find a home for it since, and am so happy to have it with Ink In Thirds… and even happier that it was published during another week of unseasonably wild winds.

You can take a peek at the issue online and grab a digital or print copy for yourself to read it all, along with the other amazing words and art in this issue.

Allison

NEWS! Green Light: A Gatsby Cycle

I’m excited to announce that my second fiction collection is coming out April 10th!

Does that date sound familiar? It might to literary nerds (me) and English majors (also me)—it’s the 100th Anniversary of The Great Gatsby! Since our upcoming book is inspired by that classic, it only seemed fitting to release it on that landmark publication date.

The book is now in public domain, so Janet Dale used the first page of each chapter to create found poetry (aka blackout poetry) and I used a sentence from the first page of each chapter to write an entirely new flash fiction piece.

We’ll share some more insight and glimpses behind-the-scenes in time, but we can’t wait for you to read the finished product in just six short weeks!

Allison

2024 Writing in Review

This has been a strange year for my writing… I’ve focused more on paid work, which is great for my bank account, but makes me feel really out of touch with the flash fiction community.

I still did some fun things, like writing during National Flash Fiction Day and taking part in the Ekphrastic Marathon. I wrote some books and outlines for major publishers, and that news will hopefully come out next year. I judged four contests for Flash Fiction Magazine and ghostwrote some books I’m really proud of, so I feel like I had a very creative year even if my submission spreadsheet isn’t reflecting that.

I only had 45 submissions this year, despite initially having a goal of submitting 5 pieces per month. I had 13 acceptances from those submissions. (I submitted 111 times in 2023, 134 in 2022, and 52 in 2021.)

I also only took one writing workshop (plus a few two-hour Zooms), while I used to take a lot more. I generate a lot of content during workshops because I thrive with the prompts and accountability, so I think that might be a big part of my lack of content this year.

I started writing reviews for MicroLit Almanac. Several were books I’d already read or wanted to read, but a few weren’t even on my radar, so I’m grateful I got the chance to read and review them, hopefully helping spread the word of these indie writers so they can get the attention they deserve.

In addition to the online stories and reviews you can read here, I had a flash fiction piece published in Stanchion’s Away from Home anthology and another in the Third Bullshit Lit Anthology.

I also launched my own writing services: Lightning Flash Writing

If you need help polishing your work (flash fiction, short stories, novels – I do it all!), getting your ideas on the page, or marketing yourself or your book, I’m here to help!

Related Posts:

2023 Writing in Review

2022 Writing in Review

2021 Writing in Review

Allison

“Ecclesiastes 10:19” in the Third Bullshit Lit Anthology

So this is now old news because I forgot to share it back in August, whoops!

I had a short story published in the Third Bullshit Lit Anthology: “Ecclesiastes 10:19.”

This is a piece I wrote in a Nancy Stohlman Pop Lit workshop and I submitted everywhere because I really wanted it out there. And now it is!

I feel like it’s especially fitting now, with the religious hypocrisy right in front of our faces… so ENJOY!

Allison

Published in Stanchion’s Away From Home Anthology

I’m thrilled to have a piece in the Away From Home anthology from Stanchion!

I wrote “Bonnie’s House” as a micro in a Sarah Freligh workshop – I know that’s not a surprise at this point, as most of my pieces that eventually get published start there! I loved the idea for this anthology because I’m obsessed with getting glimpses into other people’s houses, so I knew I didn’t want to miss my chance to explore that.

I can’t wait to read all the other amazing stories included in this anthology! It’s officially out on September 10th, but you can preorder the book here: Away From Home Anthology

Allison

Showcased in the Ekphrastic Marathon (Again!)

Last month I took part in the Ekphrastic Review‘s Ekphrastic Marathon for my second time! Last year was Lucky 8 and this year was Nine Lives. (Here’s my post about last year.)

As with before, I wrote several pieces based on amazing works of art. I really enjoy using art as writing prompts, so I look forward to this marathon every year.

I’m excited that my story inspired by “If only i hadn’t wished for what I thought i was missing” by Paraskevi Frasiola was featured in the Marathon Showcase!

Read it, and many other amazing pieces, here.

click the pic to read the full piece

Allison

National Flash Fiction Day Pubs

I had a great time writing and submitting to The Write-In on National Flash Fiction Day! I’m thrilled that 10/10 of my submissions were published! I’m sharing the links here, along with the prompts to give an idea of the guidelines/constraints.

Tidal: Write a flash about a rare weather or meteorological phenomenon.

Leave It All Behind: Write a flash in four sections, with each section having a heading ‘Air’, ‘Earth’, ‘Water’ and ‘Fire’, no more than 300 words!

And Now It’s Here: Write a flash in which someone encounters the end of the earth.

Wreckage: Write a micro flash of exactly 13 words.  Give it a title.

“People Also Ask”: Write a flash or micro in which every sentence includes at least one use of the word ‘why’.

Life Changing: Write a 50-word flash (or shorter) that starts and ends with the same sentence.

Not Simple: Find a FlashFlood story and choose five interesting words from it. Write a flash of no more than 100 words that uses all five of these words.

Fish on Vacation: Write a flash about someone who feels like a fish out of water…

The Grocery Gatsby: Write a flash using or referencing characters from fiction or poetry that was written at least 100 years ago. Set it in modern times.

Make Your Move: Write a flash in the form of a series of directions to somewhere.

(The featured post image showcases the badges I earned for the pieces I wrote and submitted.)