Editor’s Choice Awards: List of Exemplary Eclectic Fiction in Vol 17
Editor’s Choice Awards: List of Exemplary Eclectic Fiction in Vol 17
We are simply going to brand it EEF of FFJ. How’s that?!
While there is plenty of time for sending content to Pushcart Press, NY (NY), for this year’s nominees for their annual “best of small press” award called Pushcart Prize — we have a grand collection of fiction labelled “Vol 17” because of the sheer ‘volume’ of fiction we published in 2024. Hence, we wanted to put out an earlier than usual “best of 2025” because it will very soon break our hearts to narrow down to only six nominations as allowed by Pushcart.
https://www.freedomfiction.com/tag/vol-17
Also, we had to address the elephant on the Editor’s desk–the incredible levels of tardiness, delays and inconsistent response times, not corresponding to the publicly declared turnaround time for submissions to FreedomFiction.com
One thing pulls at the heart, the other scratches our soul with a guilty conscience.
Regarding Pushcart Prize nominees–they will be selected from within this longlist as well as from any fiction we pick from between now to end of October 2025. It is so tough to choose and then to know the real competition that is there in New York–this is more difficult to win than an Academy Award or a Grammy–because there are too many qualifying nominees and too many qualifying publishers.
So, we will highlight the love we have for a special few right here, while the rest remain dear to us, hence published on FFJ with the same zeal and promotions as any other fiction we pick.
Elephants! Well, the cat is out of the bag on that one. We are tardier than a bum on rum and rags. If FreedomFiction.com was a factory, we would need to work 100 hour shifts in 24 hours to deliver the promised results.
Facts were mentioned to most authors and artists we could reach out to:
- we continue to try and improve and respond to all
- circumstances and lifestyle is different for almost everyone everywhere in 2025
- humans err
- we do have day jobs, its silly and frustrating, but true
- we follow the policy of ‘no fiction left behind’–so we regularly run a sweep of the email system and fish out the astray and afloat submissions we had mistakenly missed reviewing. Then we make sure, they know what we believe about their work and why we were delayed in responding
- in rare cases, people have email systems that don’t receive our email due to firewall settings of their service provider (not their fault at all)
- then we also recommend to all, please send a query email if not receiving a response on time–this is mentioned in our Submissions page. Reach out to us by social media if you don’t have an alternate email address
We are all gung-ho here on fiction submissions that are pending review and anyways we are trapped indoors together with the onset of monsoon–so you can rest assured, we won’t shove that elephant under the carpet. Actually, the carpet belongs to the cat, so he won’t allow it either.
Not to dillydally around the bush, here is the lowdown on the high and mighty fiction of 2025….
EDITOR’S CHOICE (or why we love our publication) in random order of appearance
From 121 short stories in Vol 17, we have narrowed down upon the below 33 short stories that stayed with us, haunting our drawers and wine glasses. As you may also notice, the incredible Bill Tope has managed to get a spot on 3 different genres including his specialised expertise in romance genre. With 5 short stories among the 33 longlist of fiction being authored by Bill Tope, he has assured himself of a guaranteed place in this year’s Pushcart Prize nominations again (he was nominated last year as well).
Crime was awesome this past year (honestly, who else gets to say that publicly?) What is lacking? Good Science Fiction, Adventure and Literary Fiction! Enjoy this longlist and look forward to some more till October 2025 when we put out the 6 fiction to be shipped in hardcopy to Editor’s Desk of Pushcart Press at New York.
TOP ADVENTURE (3 shortlisted)
Trotsky’s Train by R. K. Olson
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2025/02/trotskys-train-by-r-k-olson/
A Thread Of Sky by Aidan Alberts
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2025/02/a-thread-of-sky-by-aidan-alberts/
Post-Apocalypse Prix Fixe by Emily Gennis
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2025/01/post-apocalypse-by-emily-gennis/
TOP LIFE BITES (4 literary fiction shortlisted)
The Fish Story by June Wolfman
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2025/04/the-fish-story-by-june-wolfman/
Tramps by Bill Tope
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2025/01/tramps-by-bill-tope/
12 Addled Men by Jon Wesick
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2024/10/addled-men-by-jon-wesick/
Disco Man by Michael James Tapscott
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2024/09/disco-man-by-michael-james-tapscott/
TOP PARANORMAL (4 shortlisted)
Farther Outfield by Bretton Cadigan
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2024/11/farther-outfield-by-bretton-cadigan/
The Wharfs by Evan O’Connor
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2024/10/the-wharfs-by-evan-oconnor/
It Eats Itself by Russ Bickerstaff
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2025/01/it-eats-itself-by-russ-bickerstaff/
The Night Shift by Callum Matthews
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2025/01/the-night-shift-by-callum-matthews/
TOP SCIENCE FICTION (only 2 shortlisted)
The Man on the Pier by Otis Johnson and A. Sidrabene
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2025/03/man-on-pier-by-otis-sidrabene/
Dopamine by H. Talichi
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2024/11/dopamine-by-h-talichi/
TOP CRIME (as many as 7 shortlisted–a crime spree)
A Signet Society by Grant Tracey
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2025/04/signet-society-by-grant-tracey/
The Old Brass Clock by Arthur Davis
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2025/03/old-brass-clock-by-arthur-davis/
Only The Best, Only For You by Kofi Nyameye
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2025/02/only-best-you-by-kofi-nyameye/
Soft Boy by T.J. Staneart
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2025/02/soft-boy-by-t-j-staneart/
First, Do No Harm by Chesley Richards
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2025/01/first-do-no-harm-by-chesley-richards/
Bag Lunch by James C. Clar
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2024/11/bag-lunch-by-james-c-clar/
The Cost For These Repairs by James Wendelken
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2024/09/cost-for-repairs-by-james-wendelken/
TOP ROMANCE (5 shortlisted)
That Girl, Sadie by Bill Tope
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2024/09/that-girl-sadie-by-bill-tope/
Prey by Bill Tope
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2025/01/prey-by-bill-tope/
April by Bill Tope
http://freedomfiction.com/2025/04/april-by-bill-tope/
Comic Sans by Michael Smith
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2024/10/comic-sans-by-michael-smith/
The Promise by Gary Earl Ross
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2025/01/the-promise-by-gary-earl-ross/
TOP FANTASY (5 shortlisted)
World Without End by Shelley K. Davenport
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2024/10/world-without-end-by-shelley-k-davenport/
The Silver Girl by Bill Tope
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2025/01/the-silver-girl-by-bill-tope/
Santa Claus is Coming to Town by Dale Patrick Smrekar
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2024/10/santa-claus-town-by-dale-patrick-smrekar/
Flamenco by Mehreen Ahmed
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2025/01/flamenco-by-mehreen-ahmed/
Innsiders by C.G. Brill
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2025/02/innsiders-by-c-g-brill/
TOP WILD STUFF (too crazy to be left out, 3 honorable mentions shortlisted)
Chucked by Knowcebo
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2024/09/chucked-by-knowcebo/
Expiration Date by Marc Frazier
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2025/03/expiration-date-by-marc-frazier/
A Hotel of This Caliber by Robert Duffy
https://www.freedomfiction.com/2025/02/hotel-of-caliber-by-robert-duffy
A Self Portrait — a typical day in the life of Dey at the Editor’s Desk
Where did the desk go?
Well, stay upbeat, stay connected, keep writing and keep the faith. We won’t let go and you can’t give up. Let us put ourselves on the map, pave our own path to success.
—Dey
The sane one at FreedomFiction.com
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