Toasted Cheese 24:1

Featured

The March 2024 issue of Toasted Cheese features poetry by Richard Dinges, Jr., Liz Dolan, James Croal Jackson, Connie Johnson, Theresa Stitt, and J.S. Watts.

TC 24:1 also includes the 24th Annual Dead of Winter Writing Contest winning stories by Steve Burford & Vivienne Moles.

At Candle-Ends, Shelley Carpenter reviews Perestroika: Eye for an Eye; Tooth for a Tooth by João Cerqueira.

The cover image is by Mark Bonica on Flickr, with additional photos by photographers around the world, all of whom have generously made their work available for use under Creative Commons licenses. Please click through and check out their photostreams.

Congratulations to all. Happy reading!

The 2024 Savage Mystery Writing Contest is CLOSED

The 2024 48-hour Savage Mystery Writing Contest is now open.

Entries must be received by 5 PM Eastern Time, Sunday, March 24, 2024.

Write a mystery involving a digitally manipulated image or video.

Word range: between 1900–2200 words.

  • Send entries to: savagemystery24@toasted-cheese.com
  • Your subject line must read: Savage Mystery Contest Entry
  • Paste your story directly into your email. No attachments please.

For complete rules:

February 2024
Daily Writing Prompts

A Pen In Each Hand

  1. Write about an off-by-one error.
  2. Use these five words: silicon, runic, nullification, brilliancy, piglet
  3. Write about a new friendship.
  4. Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
    1. Use the following five words: candle, romantic, offend, proposal, applied.
    2. Use the phrase, “About five inches (or 12 cm).”
    3. Write about figuring out what happened.
  5. Write about the first day of school.
  6. Start your story in the midst of an argument at a family gathering.
  7. Write about a blank that’s not filled in.
  8. Write about a character discovering a red flag.
  9. Coin a new word and use it in a story.
  10. Write about mastering a skill.
  11. Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
    1. Use the following five words: production, mutual, belief, value, canvas.
    2. Use the phrase, “I should use it more often.”
    3. Write about an event that has become an institution.
  12. Write about a house meeting.
  13. Write about meeting an animal in the dark.
  14. Start with this line: That’s a nice jacket.
  15. Write about using the wrong name for someone.
  16. Write about an unexpected result.
  17. Write about the first day off in a long while.
  18. Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
    1. Use the following five words: action, handicap, deserve, beard, plaster.
    2. Use the phrase, “I should probably …”
    3. Write about waiting for a delivery.
  19. Write about a nightmare that comes true.
  20. Start your story in the middle of an argument about belief vs. reality.
  21. Write about a scheduling conflict.
  22. Use these five words: ruin, toy, remind, deer, cemetery
  23. Write an apology.
  24. Start with this line: Good morning.
  25. Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
    1. Use the following five words: pension, dry, score, applied, queue.
    2. Use the phrase, “Were you part of …?”
    3. Write about a bad dream.
  26. Start your story at an airport during a busy holiday travel day.
  27. Write about a train passing in the night.
  28. Write about your biggest fear as a teenager.
  29. Write about an obscure set of rules.

Dead of Winter 2023 winners

Thank you for your patience with our delayed announcement of the winning stories in  our 2023 “Dead of Winter” short fiction contest, which are:

  • First place: “Jul” by Steve Burford
  • Second place: “Dark Revenge” by Vivienne Moles

These stories will appear in TCLJ 24.1, our Spring issue.

Our next contest is “The Savage Mystery Writing Contest,” which is a 48-hour contest for mystery stories.

Dead of Winter 2024 opens October 1; Toasted Cheese’s contest info is here.

January 2024
Daily Writing Prompts

A Pen In Each Hand

  1. Write about waiting for the dawn.
  2. Use these five words: reflect, shocking, substantial, light, enthusiastic
  3. Use the phrase, “How did this ever work?”
  4. Write about changing your opinion.
  5. Write about accidentally setting a fire.
  6. Start your story during the production of a live television episode.
  7. Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
    1. Use the following five words: publication, concession, sofa, orbit, wrong.
    2. Use the phrase, “What would you do with that if you had it?.”
    3. Write about dealing with disappointment.
  8. Start with this line: I thought I was a goner.
  9. Write about recovering from a busy week.
  10. Start your story with a character navigating a situation in which they don’t speak the language.
  11. Write a conversation with your character.
  12. Start with this line: What’s in the box?
  13. Write about a significant birthday.
  14. Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
    1. Use the following five words: dare, poor, coincidence, quality, strange.
    2. Fill in the blank: “That is why we_________.”
    3. Write about a computer system failure.
  15. Write about distractions from school work.
  16. Start your story with a scent triggering a memory.
  17. Write about shouting at the television.
  18. Start with this line: You already won.
  19. Write about trying to catch up with late work.
  20. Start your story at sunrise on a chilly autumn morning.
  21. Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
    1. Use the following five words: desire, fling, weakness, cabinet, frighten.
    2. Use the phrase, “I haven’t done that in a long time.”
    3. Write about stage fright.
  22. Write about working from home.
  23. Write about forgetting the day of the week.
  24. Start your story with a dog barking.
  25. Write about a flaw in plans.
  26. Start your story with your protagonist staying up all night.
  27. Use the phrase, “last person standing.”
  28. Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
    1. Use the following five words: attachment, provision, identification, broken, jest.
    2. Use the phrase, “not particularly useful.”
    3. Write about memories of a storm.
  29. Write about plan C.
  30. Set your story in a matriarchal society.
  31. Write about someone who doesn’t talk.

December 2023
Daily Writing Prompts

A Pen In Each Hand

  1. Write about waiting for a slow computer.
  2. Write about designing a costume.
  3. Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
    1. Use the following five words: dependence, cold, clearance, line, leash.
    2. Use the phrase, “until it boils.”
    3. Write about being ignored.
  4. Start with this line: “Nothing to see here.”
  5. Use the phrase, “All day long.”
  6. Start with this line: “I got a text last night.”
  7. Write about too much solitude.
  8. Write about unraveling a mystery.
  9. Write about an annoying noise.
  10. Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
    1. Use the following five words: settle, dog, uniform, question, bake.
    2. Use the phrase, “you don’t need that.”
    3. Write about tending a house plant.
  11. Write about the life of a houseplant.
  12. Use these five words: opening, hardest, graphic, battery, reminder
  13. Write about a cute animal with sharp teeth.
  14. Use these five words: layers, early, conversation, embarrassed, kicks
  15. Write about visual hallucinations.
  16. Start with this line: “Which is better, though?”
  17. Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
    1. Use the following five words: consultation, highway, proclaim, discover, feeling.
    2. Use the phrase, “in the next chapter.”
    3. Write about finding an unread book on a shelf.
  18. Use these five words: book, wrap-up, clicked, island, diminished
  19. Write about unshared musical tastes.
  20. Start with this line: “It’s a nightmare.”
  21. Write about applying a motto to life.
  22. Use these five words: flesh, injunction, light, watched, other
  23. Use the phrase, “I’m not that smart.”
  24. Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
    1. Use the following five words: snack, south, appeal, bless, monkey.
    2. Use the phrase, “keep a civil tongue.”
    3. Write about giving mistaken information.
  25. Write about ignoring holiday disappointment.
  26. Use these five words: gaslighting, starts, onion, layoffs, sovereign
  27. Write details instead of grand ideas.
  28. Start with this line: “We just want to talk.”
  29. Write about an illegible to-do list entry.
  30. Start your story with a guest hosting gig.
  31. Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
    1. Use the following five words: upset, restaurant, heal, finish, direction.
    2. Use the phrase, “when you need it.”
    3. Write about missing something that should have been easy.

Toasted Cheese 23:4

The December 2023 issue of Toasted Cheese features poetry by Adrian Chafe, Mary E. Croy, Arvilla Fee, Jenny Hockey, Timothy Pilgrim, Judith Taylor, John Tustin & RM Yager and fiction by E.P. Lande & Louise McStravick.

TC 23:4 also includes the Fall 2023 Savage Science Fiction / Fantasy Writing Contest winning stories by Rosalyn Robilliard, Heidi Bragg, Monica Wenzel & Zaneeta Alam.

Candle-Ends is taking a break this issue but will return in the new year. If you’ve been previously published in Toasted Cheese and have a recently published or forthcoming book, let us know about it: reviews@toasted-cheese.com

The cover image is by Chris Pople on Flickr, with additional photos by photographers around the world, all of whom have generously made their work available for use under Creative Commons licenses. Please click through and check out their photostreams.

Congratulations to all. Happy reading!

November 2023
Daily Writing Prompts

A Pen In Each Hand

  1. Write about observing someone else’s holiday.
  2. Write about a backlash.
  3. Write about regretting unkindness.
  4. Start with this line: “Is this normal?”
  5. Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
    1. Use the following five words: engine, management, detective, brilliance, lazy.
    2. Use the phrase, “What did I miss?”
    3. Write about being being late with an assignment.
  6. Use these five words: watch, peace, charges, objectionable, skeletal
  7. Write about finishing an exam early.
  8. Start your story with a thorny question.
  9. Write about a confusing computer interface.
  10. Use these five words: commits, point, names, chaos, free
  11. Write about the eleventh hour.
  12. Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
    1. Use the following five words: friend, dance, world, evaluate, clerk.
    2. Use the phrase, “something borrowed.”
    3. Write about showing someone how to do something practical.
  13. Write about a magnifying glass.
  14. Use these five words: Thanksgiving, legislature, departure, trade, famous
  15. Write about duplicated effort.
  16. Write about buying a house.
  17. Write about something that went on too long.
  18. Start your story with your MC hitchhiking.
  19. Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
    1. Use the following five words: coach, bow, disappointment, priority, citizen.
    2. Use the phrase, “What is that?”
    3. Write about making an educated guess.
  20. Write about a body donated to science.
  21. Write about a morning without coffee.
  22. Start with this line: “Don’t be scared.”
  23. Write about an unexpected obituary.
  24. Write about a rogue wave.
  25. Write about solitude on a holiday.
  26. Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
    1. Use the following five words: blade, dry, pop, dignity, prey.
    2. Use the phrase, “Just a little longer.”
    3. Write about what might have happened if…
  27. Allude to unprintable secrets.
  28. Write about an unexpected bloom.
  29. Savor the moment of picking just the right word.
  30. Start your story with a guilty verdict.

Autumn 2023 Mollie Savage Memorial Science Fiction & Fantasy writing contest winners

We are happy  to announce the winners of the Autumn 2023 Mollie Savage Memorial Science Fiction & Fantasy  writing contest.
First place: Rosalyn Robilliard and her story “Between the Hush of Leaves.”
Second place: Heidi Bragg and her story “Sight Unseen.”
Third place was a tie between these two stories:
Monica Wenzel, “His Greatest Trick,” and
Zaneeta Alam, “The Promise you Never Kept.”

Congratulations to the winners!

–Broker and Boots