Welcome to Deb’s Quill — a growing collection of free short stories you can read online.
Life moves fast, and finding time for fiction isn’t always easy. These short, contemporary stories are written for those in-between moments — a quick escape while you wait in line, sit in a doctor’s office, or enjoy a quiet break.
Each month, I publish a new, character-driven short story in Deb’s Quill, my free fiction newsletter. The following month, that story appears here so you can read it anytime.
You’ll find stories that are funny, tender, thoughtful, or bittersweet — always written to make you feel something.
You’re welcome to read them all here, but if you’d like the newest short story delivered straight to your inbox, you can subscribe to Deb’s Quill by tapping the link here.
Perfect fiction for when you’re short on time and craving a meaningful read.
Faceless
Only available in the March issue of Deb’s Quill
Faceless is a poignant short story about love, identity, and the devastation of losing something invisible. After a car accident leaves Kristina unable to recognize faces, even the man she loves becomes a stranger. Convinced she is no longer capable of marriage or motherhood, she pushes Alan away to spare him a life shaped by fear and uncertainty. When he refuses to let her retreat into isolation, Kristina must confront the hardest question of all: is love enough to face a future where nothing looks familiar?
Artificial Heart
From the February issue of Deb’s Quill
Artificial Heart is a short story about the profound grief of losing a life partner, and how, as the years pass, sorrow can quietly slip into self-pity and isolation. Sometimes, it takes the people who love us most to pull us back into the world of the living, and sometimes that help comes with an unexpected twist.
The Promise
From the January 2026 issue of Deb’s Quill
The Promise is a moving short story about love, aging, and the unbearable weight of keeping a vow. As Charlie watches his wife Gladys slowly slip into dementia, small forgotten moments grow into heartbreaking truths he can no longer ignore. When a long-buried letter reveals the promise he once made to her, Charlie is forced to confront an impossible choice between honoring her wishes and holding on to the woman he loves.
Read this story in 30 minutes
The Letter
From the December 2025 issue of Deb’s Quill
The Letter is a poignant tale about a forgotten message that resurfaces after thirty-five years, unraveling the misunderstanding that destroyed a marriage. When retired mailman Frank hand delivers the lost letter to Margaret, she learns that a cruel rumor, not betrayal, ended her life with John. As she reaches out for forgiveness, Margaret discovers that time has built walls truth alone cannot tear down, while a small act of kindness offers comfort when closure remains uncertain.
Read this story in 20 minutes
Across the Divide
From the November 2025 issue of Deb’s Quill
Across the Divide is a short story about a lifelong friendship shattered by a lie. When Pierre attends Jean-Luc’s funeral after years of estrangement, he reconnects with the family he once loved and discovers a final letter that offers understanding and closure.
Read this story in 20 minutes
A Bone-A-Fide Mystery
From the October 2025 issue of Deb’s Quill
A Bone-a-Fide Mystery is a cozy, ghost-light mystery about Maggie, a small-town woman who inherits her great-grandmother’s crumbling manor and discovers a talkative skeleton with unfinished business. As she helps Mortimer Marrow uncover the truth behind his death, Maggie finds herself caught between solving a mystery and forming an unexpected friendship she’s not ready to lose.
Read this story in 25 minutes.
A Line in Her Yearbook
From the September 2025 issue of Deb’s Quill
A Line in Her Yearbook is a poignant short story about first love, forgotten moments, and the questions that linger for decades. When bestselling novelist Claire meets a man at a book signing who once wrote I think I love you in her yearbook, a shared conversation uncovers long-buried truths and the quiet understanding that some “what ifs” are best left in the past.
Read this story in x minutes
Between Silence and Fire
From the August 2025 issue of Deb’s Quill
Between Silence and Fire is a quietly powerful short story about two neighbours drawn together in a city stirred by protest and change. As Nora rebuilds her life after divorce and Liam hides from a past he cannot release, their tentative connection deepens when activism close to home forces them to confront fear, courage, and the unexpected ways people heal one another.
Read this story in x minutes
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