Adrian Ward

A list of Adrian Ward's 2025 award eligible stories: Alien Girl On the Balcony, a 2000 word literary fiction story available in Windhover volume 59, All That I Am, A Failed Dream, a 275 word fantasy piece available on Apex's blog, and My Sincere Apologies For the Demon, an 1800 word fantasy piece available in Beneath Ceaseless Skies issue 443. Ward is also in his first year of eligibility for the Astounding award and other new writer awards. Thank you for your consideration!

Since the year's winding down, my 2025 award eligibility and the stories I had published:

Links and story info in the thread below, as well as on my site at adrianwardwrites.wordpress.com/work/

Thank you for your consideration!

Question for the lawyers
Does possession void copyright ownership
Like if Beethoven's spirit possessed me and wrote such a bangin sonata that his soul was finally able to move on from this earthly plane would the copyright be mine or his?
(Assume I have not been dead for 70 years)

Numismatic Archetypes in the Year of Five Regents by Louis Inglis Hall Clarkesworld Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine and Podcast.

fully into the self-loathing stage of awards season promo BUT this is a reminder that i wrote a sad story about coins in Clarkesworld last year and some people really liked it:

clarkesworldmagazine.com/hall_02_25/

Cutting a couple hundred words I'm fond of to improve a story is never gonna feel right, I'm afraid

Anyways, story is somewhat better now

Excited to say that my flash piece "As You Were" is out in Small Wonders today! It's a bit about grief and a bit about regret and a lot about the narrator eating their relatives.

It is very different from my other work, but please give it a chance nonetheless.

Currently ill, so typical year-end stuff will be delayed and you just get promoposting for now

But! Entering the new year, I'll have a piece out next month with Small Wonders!
It's called "As You Were". The issue is available to subscribers tomorrow, and the piece should be published mid-month!

The cover for Small Wonders issue 31. A person with long purple hair floats in space, their body curves to cup a solar system in their lap. The issue’s pieces are by Gwendolyn M. Hicks, Julia Rios, Wendy Nikel, Adrian Ward, Michelle Koubek, Guan Un, Eliza Dermendzhiyska, Eva Papasoulioto, and Katherine Quevedo. Art is by Anastasia Rzyhkova.

For Boxing Day, can we offer you a cover for Issue 31? Subscribe to get it on New Year’s Day! smallwonders.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy...

Glad to hear you enjoyed it!

If you're doing some year-end reading, please consider my cute little warlock letter exchange!

Excited to announce that I'll have a story out early next year!
This one is... very different from my work thus far. It was a bit of a difficult write for me, structurally and emotionally, but I'm hopeful that what I wanted to do with it comes through.

Beneath Ceaseless Skies - 2026 Awards-Eligible Stories from <i>BCS</i> by Scott H. Andrews For readers interested in nominating for awards, such as the Hugos or Nebulas, in 2026, here are the eligible stories from BCS in 2025 and which awards category they fit in. Thank you for your interes...

Reading for 2025? Here's all BCS stories from 2025, what length category they're in (Short Story, Novelette, etc), links, and links to our BCS Authors Elsewhere posts, so you can read our authors' work in other zines. Thank you for reading! #BCSof2025 www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/2025/12/07/2...

2026 Submission Schedule | Flash Fiction Online Get more from Flash Fiction Online on Patreon

FFO’s submission schedule for the first half of 2026 is posted to our Patreon page. I just want to get this out there so you can work us into your new year’s writing schedule. More details to come on all of these. Happy writing! ✍️
#writingcommunity #flashfiction
www.patreon.com/posts/2026-s...

Could just be me, but the link directs me to a "PAGE NOT FOUND" error

Get more from Beneath Ceaseless Skies on Patreon creating an online fantasy magazine & podcast

BCS Patreon has fallen below the monthly amount we need to pay our authors a pro rate and our First Readers a worthy honorarium ($125/mo). Sometimes folks need to lower or pause their support; we understand. But less than 1% of BCS readership donates or supports. www.patreon.com/beneath_ceas... 1/3

Had an idea for flash. It's absolutely, utterly insane and I am scared of it.
I will write it anyway.

Going through decades of harsh training to develop a third eye that can see the fourth dimension only to find "Euler was here" written on the wall

Awards Eligibility 2025 It’s my first awards season as a published author. Feels a bit odd, but I did have a pretty neat year, with three stories published! “All That I Am, A Failed Dream” and “My …

Obligatory award eligibility post:
adrianwardwrites.wordpress.com/2025/11/12/a...

Awards Eligibility 2025 It’s my first awards season as a published author. Feels a bit odd, but I did have a pretty neat year, with three stories published! “All That I Am, A Failed Dream” and “My …

Thank you for doing this! My list can be found here:
adrianwardwrites.wordpress.com/2025/11/12/a...

Glad to hear that you enjoyed it!

I'm also in my first year of eligibility for the Astounding Award and other new writer awards.

Thanks to everyone who reads!
I might have a thing or two out next year, we'll see. I'll keep working hard in the meantime.

A demonic hand emerges from a summoning circle to grab a glass of liquor

One warlock has been bounced from the warlock club, and he wants back in. The other is the unfortunate representative of the club who has to deal with his requests.

It's also available in audio!
www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/audio/bcs-35...

Beneath Ceaseless Skies - My Sincere Apologies For the Demon by Adrian Ward Regarding the banishing of Erimodius, you shall, I expect, be most pleased to hear that he has been returned to the Realm of Flame. With the aid of the Parthiet Warlock Gentlemen’s Circle, additional ...

And the big one: "My Sincere Apologies For the Demon" was published in Beneath Ceaseless Skies Issue 443! It's an 1,800 word fantasy piece that follows the correspondence between two warlocks.

www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/stories/my-s...

Pocket Hell Microfiction Contest - Second Place! - "All That I Am, A F In honor of Jason Sanford's upcoming novella, We Who Hunt Alexanders, out on July 22nd, we at Apex hosted a microfiction contest inviting you to describe your own blood-maw pocket hell. We got some am...

"All That I Am, A Failed Dream" placed 2cd in Apex Book Company's Pocket Hell microfiction contest and was published on their blog! It's a 275 word fantasy piece about an artist stuck in their personal hell.

www.apexbookcompany.com/blogs/frontp...

I'll let the opening introduce it:
“Girl-Next-Door wears shorts and a t-shirt with a faded logo on the front. She’s lying on a towel on her balcony, which wouldn’t be a big deal except that it’s January, and January in Worcester is freezing more often than it’s not.”

"Alien Girl On the Balcony" was published this spring in Windhover Volume 59. It's a 2,000 word literary fiction written from the perspective of a kid whose new neighbor isn't quite normal.

orgs.ncsu.edu/windhover/20...

A list of Adrian Ward's 2025 award eligible stories: Alien Girl On the Balcony, a 2000 word literary fiction story available in Windhover volume 59, All That I Am, A Failed Dream, a 275 word fantasy piece available on Apex's blog, and My Sincere Apologies For the Demon, an 1800 word fantasy piece available in Beneath Ceaseless Skies issue 443. Ward is also in his first year of eligibility for the Astounding award and other new writer awards. Thank you for your consideration!

Since the year's winding down, my 2025 award eligibility and the stories I had published:

Links and story info in the thread below, as well as on my site at adrianwardwrites.wordpress.com/work/

Thank you for your consideration!

Thank you! Glad to hear that you enjoyed it!

If you're looking for a way to wind down from the week, I hear my warlock letter exchange story in Beneath Ceaseless Skies is a fun one!

One of the things I enjoyed most about studying Victorian lit in college was how these people would read each other for filth in the most roundabout ways. And "My Sincere Apologies For the Demon" by @adrianwardwrites.bsky.social puts me exactly in that mindset. I LAUGHED so many times here. Read it!

Glad to hear that you enjoyed it!
For "My Sincere Apologies For the Demon", I wanted to capture that roundabout, just-barely-still-polite style of insult, streamlined a bit for modern audiences. I'm very happy to hear that it worked for you!