Available exclusively online, The Rose & Thorn is published quarterly by Barbara Quinn and her completely volunteer staff. You can access the entire website free of charge, though donations are appreciated.

Each issue includes an eclectic collection of poetry, short fiction and essays. As always, here are some of the stories I've enjoyed reading:

"The View from the Back Seat" by Janelle Turgeon (Fall 2005)

This 500-word story is a very good example of flash fiction. Plus, it makes me smile, which is always a ... plus.

"Don't Blink" by Starbuck Beagley (Fall 2005)

Weighing in at about 5,000 words, Mr. Beagley's first published work is a classic horror tale — mysterious and gruesome.

"Souvenirs" by Tanya Powell Lane (Winter 2003)

Classified as a "romance" story, "Souvenirs" (~3,500 words) didn't fit into my preconception of the romance genre when I first read it; it seemed to me like a "regular" story, whatever that may be. (Well, what comes to your mind when you think of romance fiction? A Harlequin book, right? With a shirtless Lorenzo Lamas look-alike on the cover?)

As it turns out, the romance genre is much more inclusive. According to the Romance Writers of America, any piece of fiction with "a central love story and an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending" can be classified as "romance." (Based on that definition, you could classify "Lower Ornaments" as a romance tale ... but if you do, I'd prefer that you not mention it to me.)

"The Devil's Workshop" by Kathryn Y. Rose (Fall 2004)

While "The Devil's Workshop" is not a romance tale, it does mention lust. (~3,000 words)

"After Birth" by Adam Peichert (Summer 2005)

"After Birth" is Mr. Peichert's first published story. (~3,500 words)

"For Jesse" by Elizabeth Willse (Summer 2004)

"For Jesse" is not a short story; it's a short seven-line poem, and it's quite good. Plus, it makes me smile ...