Before I forget, this is the first of the month, so there’s a new Hot Flash (micro-mini-flash story) on my Hot Flashes page. Go read it. I’ll wait.

You know how I mash up the titles of stuff I’m recommending Friday, to make one goofy-ass mash-up title? What’s that you say: You don’t read my blog often enough to know my little ways? Fine, then.

ANYWAY, this title, which is from Daily Science Fiction because my Deal Me In deck turned up spades this week, sounds like one of those. It sounds like the author has a deck of flash cards or something, and turned up a handful and got this title, then wrote the story from the title.

And who cares if he did? The story is brilliant. I adore it.

What’s the title, you ask?

The Cloud Dragon Ate Red Balloons

by Tom Cardamone

Lyrical and muscular, this flash story is more vignette than narrative. It’s beautiful in its use of concrete language to explore the inner and exterior life of a fantastical creature. Don’t miss it!

Tom Cardamone’s queer speculative short story collection, Pumpkin Teeth, was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. He is the editor of The Lost Library: Gay Fiction Rediscovered, and author of the erotic fantasy novel, The Werewolves of Central Park. You can read more about him and his work at www.pumpkinteeth.net.