Free Fiction Monday: By The Chimney, With Care
Punishments for elven crimes vary. So, when Rolf finds himself serving time as a toy on a mantel during the Christmas season, Rolf figures he got off easy. But when a lonely child asks him to deliver a message to Santa, he realizes his rehabilitation comes with a price—one he might not be prepared to pay. The masterful Kristine Kathryn Rusch puts her trademark twist on this heart-warming Christmas tale.
“By The Chimney, With Care” by USA Today bestselling writer Kristine Kathryn Rusch is free on this website for one week only. The story’s also available for $2.99 on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Omnilit, Smashwords, and in other ebookstores.
The free story will be available for one week only. If you missed this one, click on the links above. There’s another free story lurking somewhere around the site. Track the story down, read, and enjoy!
7 responses to “Free Fiction Monday: By The Chimney, With Care”
Leave a Reply
The Runabout in Asimov’s
The Runabout is part of my Diving series, but the story stands alone. If you want to sample the story before picking up the issue, click here for the excerpt.
Romance Galore!
I have a novelette, a short story, and an essay in this issue. Or rather Rusch has a novelette and an essay, and Kristine Grayson has a short story. Check it all out online for free or pick up a paper copy by clicking this link.
A New Uncollected Story
The latest Uncollected Anthology is out. For Spells Gone Awry, I’ve written another Abracadabra Inc. story. You can pick up “Disrupt Magic” as a standalone, or as part of the Collected Uncollected. Enjoy!
Little Green Men…Attack!
Some humor about aliens to lighten your mood. My story in this volume, “Little Green (Wo)men,” should make you chuckle. Click here for more information.
Galaxy-Spanning Stories!
Featuring my standalone Retrieval Artist short story, “The Impossibles.” Click here for more information.
Get Early Copies of the Thursday Business Blog and More!
Family Stories
Featuring my short story, “My Real Cousin Ruby.” Lots of great reading here. Click here for more information.
A New Kris Nelscott Short Story
My latest Kris Nelscott short story, “Still Life 1931” appears here, alongside some amazing names. This stunning collection, based on the work of Edward Hopper, is available in ebook, but I recommend the hardcover, just because it’s so pretty. The art is reproduced throughout. Here’s the Amazon link, but you can get the book anywhere.
Best Mystery Stories of The Year!
“The heroine of Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s ‘Christmas Eve at the Exit’ struggles to make the holiday meaningful for her 10-year-old daughter while the pair are on the run….There isn’t enough Xanax in anyone’s medicine cabinet to calm the jitters these 20 skillful stories will unleash on a worried world.” —Kirkus
The Year’s Best Novellas
I am honored to announce that Paula Guran chose my novella “Inhuman Garbage” as one of the best novellas of the year. To order some wonderful novellas, click on this sentence.
The Year’s Best Science Fiction
I am honored to announce that Gardner Dozois chose my novella “Inhuman Garbage” as one of the best science fiction stories of the year. To order the novella and some wonderful fiction, click on this sentence.
The Falls
The latest Diving novel. This one gives you background about sector bases, as well as a murder mystery. Enjoy! Find out more by clicking on this sentence.
Wonderful and surprising story. Perfect for the best of the season.
Thanks, Steven. 🙂
I’m sorry but I don’t have time to tell you how your story seemed to make Christmas feel a bit more like Christmas, or how the individual words disappeared as I floated along with Rolf, or how I believe that every self centered and quick to judge person(myself included) should be required to read this tale. No, I don’t have time to tell you about these things because I have to go to the doctor and have these strange sensations in my chest checked out. Feels like tiny strings tugging at my heart.
Thank you for this – and Merry Christmas!
Oh, thank you, Stephen. Your comment made me smile. 🙂 Happy holidays to you as well.
Awesome story! Thanks for sharing it!
Thanks, Will. 🙂
Aww. What a vulnerable little story. Thank you so much for sharing!