The 2024 July Short Story Challenge – Day by Day

Blogging is light right now, because I’m getting ready for Worldcon and I’m also doing the July Short Story Challenge again.

What is the July Short Story Challenge, you ask? Well, in July 2015, Dean Wesley Smith announced that he was planning to write a brand new short story every day during the month of July. The original post seems to be gone now, but the Wayback Machine has a copy here. At the time, several people announced that they would play along, so I decided to give it a try as well. And then I did it again the following year. And the next. And the next. If you want to read my post-mortems of the previous July short story challenges, here are the posts for 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Initially I was unsure whether I was going to do the challenge this year, because I caught some nasty cold/flu bug (not covid according to a test) in June, which knocked me out for a week, and was also busy with translation work, taxes and preparations for Worldcon in Glasgow. But then I decided to give it a try and see I could make it work. And since I wasn’t sure whether I would be able to do the challenge, I also held off posting the day by day post.

Initially, I committed to the challenge only for a week, but when the first week was over, I kept going. And now we’re already at the two week mark, so I might as well post the day by day overview.

In previous years, I’ve always done a post-mortem post about the July Short Story Challenge in August. In 2019, I also started keeping a running tally of all stories written to date right here on this blog to hold myself accountable. It worked well and so I did it again in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. I will do it again this year as well and will update this post with every new story. This tally will be very basic, listing just the date, title, word count, genre, series, if any, and maybe a one or two sentence summary/comment.

Most of these stories will become longer in editing. Many will eventually change their titles and some may never see the light of day at all.

If you want to follow along with the challenge, bookmark this post. And if you want to play along or cheer me on, feel free to do so in the comments.

And now, let’s take a look at the stories:

July 1, 2024: “So You Want to Be a Cozy Witch…”, cozy fantasy, 1069 words

Basically, this story is a summary of every witch cozy mystery series ever. The inspiration was compiling the end-of-the-month new release round-up for the Speculative Fiction Showcase and the Indie Crime Scene. One type of book I unfailingly have in the round-up every month are witch cozies. And having read so many blurbs for witch cozies, it’s hard not to notice that these series have a lot of similarities. So I set out to write a ultimate guide to every witch cozy series ever.

July 2, 2024: “Hansemann’s Bakery” (The Culinary Assassin), crime fiction, 1366 words

The world’s only gourmet hitperson goes to a bakery, buys a caraway breadstick and kills an abusive husband.

Yeah, it’s another Culinary Assassin story. I really need to collect these, since I have a bunch of them by now. The inspiration for this story was heading to a local bakery when they open at five AM and it was just getting light outside. And yes, the bakery is real.

July 3, 2024: “The Restaurant at the End of the World”, post-apocalyptic, 3182 words

Steve is fourteen, when the nukes fall. He survives inside an abandoned Cold War era bunker in the woods. When his supplies finally run out after four years, Steve is forced to leave his bunker in search of other survivors. But all he finds are burned out ruins, until he comes across an almost intact restaurant by a crossroads – and it’s owner, Ruth…

The inspiration for this story was this piece of concept art by Alariko. Steve is named for Steve Guttenberg, who was in The Day After, while Ruth is named for the closest thing to a protagonist that Threads has.

July 4, 2024: “Limbo”, crime fiction, 774 words

Sam is in prison, awaiting execution. But there is an unexpected delay…

The inspiration for this one was Punk Noir Magazine‘s flash fiction writing prompt “Limbo”. Of course, I missed the deadline to actually submit the story, but nonetheless, I suddenly had the idea of writing a story about someone in prison, awaiting execution.

July 5, 2024: “The Watcher on the Heath”, historical fiction, 1407 words

Millennia of history are told from the POV of a glacial erratic deposited on the heath.

The inspiration for this one was visiting a neolithic grave mound and assembly of glacial erratics in the village of Anderlingen.

July 6, 2024: “The Night The Thing Attacked Harbour Town”, cosmic horror, 1590 words

Prohibition era gangsters versus Cthulhu, ’nuff said.

The inspiration for this one were these three pieces of fantasy art by Richard Wright.

July 7, 2024: “Revenge of the Black Gargoyle”, pulp fiction, 2469 words

Thomas DeVane a.k.a. the vigilante the Black Gargoyle has finally found the man who murdered his parents, industrialist Atlas Snow. So DeVane infiltrates Snow’s skyscraper headquarters to take out the man himself.

The inspiration for this story was this piece of artwork by Christophe Vacher. It appealed because of the pulpy vibes and so I wrote a pulp vigilante story. Of course, I already have a pulp vigilante character in Richard Blakemore a.k.a. The Silencer, but he wouldn’t have worked for this story because of the revenge angle. So I created a new character who is somewhat inspired by Batman.

July 8, 2024: “The Whispering Stone”, time travel, 1102 words

In a small town about an hour inland from the North Sea there stands a stone stele that emits eerie whispers. The stele is very old and mentioned in the writings of Roman historians, Frakish missionaries and medieval chronists. Once recording equipment becomes available, scientists examine the stele and record the whispers and finally realise that they are message transmitted through time. And then they receive a terrifying warning…

The inspiration for this story is a sculpture in the city park of the town of Zeven named the Time Whisperer. I came across the sculpture during a stroll through the city park, though I can’t find any info about it online. The name intrigued me, so I wondered what if that sculpture really could transmit whispered through time. The story grew from there.

July 9, 2024:  “Meg’s First Day of School”, post-apocalyptic, 541 words

Meg lives in a mountain hut and today is her first day of school in the valley. But getting there requires crossing a field full of fallen mechas left over from the robot uprising…

The inspiration for this story was a piece of science fiction art of a little girl in a meadow full of fallen and overgrown robots. Unfortunately, I forgot to bookmark the artwork and I can’t find it right now. This is more of a vignette than a story, but I was tired.

July 10, 2024: “Fairy Doors”, fantasy, 1937 words

Fairy doors suddenly appear in the trunks of tree all over the neighbourhood of Shady Grove. The people believe it’s a prank or an art project, though no one ever comes forward to confess being responsible. Nonetheless, everybody is delighted. But then a cat goes missing and then other pets. And finally, children go missing…

The inspiration for this story was an article about fairy doors appearing in Brooklyn Heights. This story starts off quite cosily and then takes a turn into darkness…

July 11, 2024: “Home Story”, horror, 911 words

A TV journalist arrives at the country home of Secretary of the Interior Jeremiah Rice-Smythe. However, all is very much not as it seems…

The inspiration for this story was a news headline that the former British conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg would star in reality about himself and his family, which prompted plenty of jokes on Twitter about how Rees-Mogg was a vampire or some Lovecraftian entity. So I thought, what if he really was a vampire. What would happen to that TV team?

July 12, 2024: “King of the Raven”, horror, 572 words

Ravens are gatherine in the town of Fog Haven, watching and waiting for their king to arrive…

The inspiration for this story was this piece of horror art by Denis Loebner and the book and movie The Birds. Another quick flash piece, because I was tired.

July 13, 2024: “The Skull Mace”, dark fantasy, 697 words

The skull mace is a prized museum exhibit, a rare artefact of the Vilkor people who used the body parts of their slain enemies to fashion their weapons. But intern Kitty Chan questions whether it’s ethical to display a weapon made from a human skull. The skull, meanwhile, has ideas of its own…

The inspiration for this story was this drawing by Alexander Trufanov of a mace made from a skull, paired with a recent Twitter thread about museum exhibitions, warning labels and exhibits removed from display or not. Kitty Chan is also the name of the doomed museum intern from my story Paris Green.

July 14, 2o24: “Revenge Served Hot”, crime fiction, 428 words

The unnamed protagonist has had enough and decides to take revege on a greedy law firm. So the protagonist heads to the law firm’s office, a can of gasoline hidden in their briefcase…

The inspiration for this one was a report about an lethal arson attack on a club in Munich in 1984, which I had never heard of before. The real arsonists were far right fundamentalist Catholics intent on exterminating supposed “sinners”, but I changed the target and motivation of the arsonist.

This is the shortest story yet, but it didn’t any more space and I’m quite happy with how it came out.

July 15, 2024: “Indigo Deep”, cosmic horror, 606 words

Indigo Deep is a unique undersea luxury resort and its biggest attraction is the Deep Water Lounge, where you can watch deep sea lifeforms in their natural habitat through the large observation windows while enjoying a five course gourmet meal. The highpoint of the evening is when a Great Old One shows up outside the observation windows during the fourth course. However, the guests of Indigo Deep are about to find out that tonight, they are the last course on the menu…

This story was inspired by this piece of artwork by Denis Loebner. It’s very bare bones and will need fleshing out, but I rather like the idea.

July 16, 2024: “The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World”, cozy fantasy, 2140 words

Fifteen-year-old Fiete ran away to sea, because he wanted to get out of the confines of his hometown and he wanted adventure. He certainly found it, too, when the signed on aboard the Cockatrice, which is headed for the edge of the world and beyond.  Alas, the sea is treacherous so close to the edge of the world. The Cockatrice sinks and while Fiete survives, clinging to a barrel, he is pulled inexorably towards the waterfall at the edge of the world. But then he finds salvation in a lighthouse that sits at the very edge of the world…

The inspiration for this story was this piece of fantasy art by Denis Loebner. I really like how this story came out.

July 17, 2024: “The Tall Man of Misty Valley” (Hallowind Cove), cozy horror, 1448 words

One evening, electrician Bob O’Leary stumbles into The Croaking Foghorn, a harbourside pub in the fog-shrouded seaside town of Hallowind Cove, also known as harbour of the weird due to being a magnet for supernatural occurrences. Bob needs a drink and he has a story to tell, a story about his encounter with the Tall Man…

Yup, it’s another Hallowind Cove story and another tale told in a bar. The inspiration for this one were these two pieces of fantasy art by Denis Loebner.

July 18, 2024: “Headsman’s Cross”, historical fiction, 1459 words

Matthias von Zornhau is a travelling executioner in medieval Germany. He’s unhappy with the profession he was forced into and while taking a break on the shores of the Baltic Sea, he has an epiphany…

The inspiration for this story was this piece of artwork by Piotr Jab?o?ski called Headsman’s Cross. It looks like an executioner’s sword rammed into the ground, so the pommel and crossguard form a cross, while the sun comes up behind, so I wondered what might persuade an executioner to abandon the most importanht instrument of his job like this. I’m quite happy with how this story came out.

July 19, 2024: “The White Tree”, dark fantasy, 869 words

The Sorceress Lilaya goes on a pilgrimage to the mythical white tree to beg for a cure for the silver fever which has struck down her lover Oronis. But there is a price for the tree’s aid…

This inspiration for the story was this piece of fantasy artwork by Nele Diel. Considering how short the story is, this one gave me a lot of trouble.

July 20, 2024: “Dark Homecoming”, dark fantasy, 1070 words

Keragon was driven out of the mountain kingdom of Caridia when he was just a boy – for being born a bastard and dabbling in magic. Now, fifteen years later, he’s back, armed with powerful magic and thirsting for revenge. But things don’t go the way he thinks…

The inspiration for this story was this piece of fantasy artwork by Nele Diel.

July 21, 2024: “The Mystery of Gnumpet Rock”, Nordic noir weird, 1909 words

The famous painter Lars Ramsland goes missing on a nature painting trip in Northern Norway. Inspector Karin Sandvik of the Bergen Police is called in to find him. She does manage to track Ramsland to his last painting spot on a plateau opposite a curious jutting rock named Gnumpet Rock that is a connected to a local legend. But sometimes, there is no culprit who can be arrested and no explanation that makes sense in a rational world.

The inspiration for this story was this piece of fantasy artwork by Ørjan Ruttenborg Svendsen (who’s actually Swedish rather than Norwegian). I actually wrote another Noridc Noir Weird (hey, I coined a new genre) story for a previous July short story challenge, where the premise is basically Inspector Wallander meets aliens. Maybe this should be a collection eventually.

July 22, 2024: “The Ghostcatcher” (Jelka the Ghostcatcher) , sword and sorcery, 783 words

Jelka is a ghostcatcher, who prowls graveyards and other places of death by night to capture ghosts and sell them to alchemists, sorcerors, necromancers and anybody else who has need of a ghost in a jar.

This is another story inspired by a piece of fantasy art, namely this one by Lie Setiawan.

July 23, 2024:  “The Hand of Glory” (Jelka, the Ghostcatcher), sword and sorcery, 1071 words

Jelka the Ghostcatcher returns, this time to steal the hand of a hanged women and sell it to an alchemist to make a Hand of Glory.

The inspiration for this story was this piece of fantasy art by James-Christopher Fauvelle as well as coming across a reference to a Hand of Glory. And since I already had a character who supplies alchemists and sorcerers with hard to come by ingredients, I just reused Jelka, so I guess she’s a series character now.

July 24, 2024: “Clone No. 17 is Dead”, science fiction, 340 words

Colonel Dhansak reports to his superior General Madras that another member of their clone army has keeled over and died.

A very short flash piece today, but then I had a busy day. The inspiration for the story was this piece of science fiction art by Alex Pronin and its title.

July 25, 2024: “The Crypt of the Mourning Lady” (Jelka, the Ghostcatcher), sword and sorcery, 1394 words

Jelka the Ghostcatcher is hired to procure a specific ghost from a private cemetery and the tomb known as the crypt of the mourning lady…

Yup, it’s another Jelka story, the third to originate from this challenge. I guess there’ll be a collection eventually. The inspiration for this one was this piece of fantasy art by Erik Nykvist.

July 26, 2024: “Invasion Thwarted”, science fiction, 656 words

An alien invasion of Earth is thwarted, when the aliens decide to land in Antarctica, but are not at all prepared for cold and ice…

A short flash piece, because I had a busy day. This one was inspired by a piece of SFF art, depicting spaceships frozen in the ice, but I can’t find it now.

July 27, 2024: “The Valley of the Cosmonauts”, post-apocalpytic, 1367 words

Ruslan and Nazira work as couriers in Kazakhstan after a nuclear war. One day, they must cross the Valley of the Cosmonauts, a former rocket launch site littered with giant statues of cosmonauts…

This story was inspired by two pieces of evocative SFF art, namely this one and this one by Xiaoyu Wang. There isn’t much of a plot, it’s more of a mood piece, but I like how this one came out.

July 28, 2024: “The Gateway”, time travel, 1091 words

1241 AD: The Cistercian monk Brother Aloysius walks through the large gateway into the abbey church and emerges into a scene of pure hell and pandaemonium. Will his faith be enough to protext him?

2024 AD: Chief Inspector Katrin Nordholz and her assistant Inspector Nils Hatten investigate the mysterious death of a man dressed in a monk’s robe who stumbled into traffic and was run over outside a ruined abbey. But where did the mysterious monk come from, when no monk has been reported missing?

The inspiration for this story was Caspar David Friedrich’s famous (and lost) painting “Ruined abbey in the snow”. Friedrich’s painting depicts Eldena abbey near Greifswald, but even though I have visited Eldena abbey, what I had in mind was Hude abbey rather than Eldena. They’re both Cistercian ruins, though.

I really like the idea behind this one and may expand it.

July 29, 2024: “The Grove of Thorns”, folk horror, 716 words

The woodland known as the Grove of Thorns has been standing in the middle of the moors for as long as anybody can remember. And for just as long, the locals have avoided the grove and children have been warned never to go there. But warnings do not deter fourteen-year-old Aidan, who is determined to visit the Grove of Thorns one summer day…

This creepy little folk horror tale was inspired by this piece of horror artwork by Nikita Shushman. In general, I seem to be writing a lot of flash pieces this year, but then the past few days have been difficult with Worldcon less than a week away, SpiralCon and the workload generated by the Speculative Fiction Showcase link round-up near tripling due to all the news from San Diego Comic Con.

July 30, 2024: “The Bones in the Forest”, fantasy, 797 words

While chasing after an escaped goat, Mellyn finds the bones of a giant creature on a hilltop as well as a rusty sword still embedded in the ribcage. Her grandfather tells her the story of Morvoren, the last dragon, and of the knight who claimed to have slain him, but was cheated out of his just reward…

Another flash piece. Gearing up for Worldcon, I’ve been busy, so flash pieces are all I can manage right now. The inspiration was this piece of fantasy artwork by Jesper Andersen.

July 31, 2024: “Witch Queen of the Shadow Isle”, sword and sorcery, 2020 words

Aurya, captain in army of Avoria, leads her squad of amazon warriors against the stronghold of Vultra, the Witch Queen of the Shadow Isle. But Vultra is not what she seems and harbours a deadly secret. However, Aurya has a secret of her own…

A longer story to finish the challenge. The inspiration for this story was this stunning piece of fantasy artwork by Simon Eckert based on the 1980s Golden Girl toyline by Galoob. Golden Girl and the Guardians of the Gemstones was a She-Ra competitor that at least here in Germany actually hit shelves before She-Ra herself did. I actually have two of the figures in my collection and always liked them, though I remember very little of the backstory. Not that I think there was much backstory or a lot of serial numbers to file off.

This story is basically the Golden Girl version of the 2018 She-Ra reboot, where everybody is queer. I really like this one and think I will expand it eventually.

***

And that’s it for the 2024 July short story challenge. This one was hard at time, particularly towards the end, when I was busy with Worldcon preparations.

Lots of flash pieces this time around, but also some more substantial stories plus a new character in Jelka the Ghostcatcher and a handful of stories I really like.