Toasted Cake 261! In which we sing. At 0600 hours, Aurora brews coffee, intensifies the lights to 800 lumens, and heats the ship to an optimal 70.2 degrees, all according to protocol. This story first appeared righthere in Fireside. Jenn Reese writes speculative fiction for readers of all ages. Her middle grade books include A Game of Fox & Squirre…

Toasted Cake 260! In which maybe we procrastinate? Just a little? Jen's final sociology paper was due tomorrow, so she was procrastinating. This story first appeared in Galaxy's Edge, and a slightly longer version is available to read on Curious Fictions. Effie Seiberg is a fantasy and science fiction writer. Her stories can be found in the "Women …

Toasted Cake 259! In which we skate the spell. I fell the first time I tried the spell. The magic broke, snapping a crack into the ice and getting me a three-day ban from the rink by the angry ex-almost-pro who drove the Zamboni. This story is original to Toasted Cake. Kristen Koopman is a graduate student, writer, and nerd. Her interests include b…

Toasted Cake 258! In which we arrange our features in a neutral expression. "I am experiencing an unpleasant digestive reaction to something I ingested this morning and my primary spousal relationship is suffering a breakdown which is causing me emotional distress." This story first appeared on Darusha's Patreon. M. Darusha Wehm is the Nebula Award…

Toasted Cake #257! In which we attempt the parallel parking maneuver. 360-degree camera coverage. Radar, inertial compass, GPS. Independent all-wheel drive, nanoceramic brakes. 5G, sat-phone, and UHF communications. Air bags everywhere. And the worst student driver in the history of the automobile. This story is original to Toasted Cake. Laurence R…

Toasted Cake 256! In which we ride. Araana picked a sticky seedpod off his coat and stepped out of the brambles, onto the surface of the wide and flat road left over by an empire long past. This story first appeared on Bogi's patreon. You can find Bogi at Bogi reads the world, dot com! Bogi is also bogiperson on a variety of social media. TC256-win…

Toasted Cake #255! In which we make breathable air. It wasn't a new idea. But as soon as mother said out loud "we should wrap the Moon"--so close, so dead, but with resources hidden under dust and rock--father and his scientists started figuring out how to do it. This story is original to Toasted Cake. Once a Silicon Valley software engineer, Curti…

Toasted Cake Podcast #254! In which we hold our breath. When we rounded everybody up for the register, Maude and Julie were sheepish. They only wanted this one thing, this battered white box of . . . craft parts? This story first appeared in Sabr Literary. Christi Nogle's short stories have been produced on podcasts such as PseudoPod, Escape Pod, T…

Toasted Cake Podcast #253! in which we try to raise fully functioning adults. Whether you are adopting by chance because you found the smoking crater on your property or whether you volunteered for the Zeptonian Childcare Service, congratulations and thank you! This story first appeared in Podcastle. David Steffen is a writer, publisher, editor, an…

Toasted Cake #252! In which we connect. When I got to Mario Reyes's dorm room, I heard him scuffling around, opening and closing drawers as if he had a girl coming over. This story first appeared in Factor Four Magazine. Katherine Quevedo was born and raised just outside of Portland, OR, where she works as an analysis manager and lives with her hus…

Toasted Cake #251! In which we get out the hard-boiled egg. This one November my mom went missing and me and Andy and his other friend Meg tried to fill in for her because my mom is the moon. This story is original to Toasted Cake. Megan Lee Beals is fostering mason bees in her modest city garden, sewing things which attempt to defy physics, and fo…

Toasted Cake #250! In which we celebrate. Tommy's sixth birthday was ruined due to a mix-up at the bakery. This story is original to Toasted Cake. Liam Hogan is an award winning short story writer, with stories in Best of British Science Fiction 2016, and Best of British Fantasy 2018 (NewCon Press). He's been published by Analog, Daily Science Fict…

Toasted Cake 249! In which we feed the printer. Everyone in the office called the supply room printer a "giant plastic sack of crap that deserved to rot in the underworld for all eternity." This story is original to Toasted Cake. Diane Callahan strives to capture her sliver of the universe through writing fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. As a devel…

Toasted Cake 248! In which we mend the tear in the fabric. You pieced it together decades ago; so far back that you don't remember not knowing. This story first appeared in Daily SF. José Pablo Iriarte is a Cuban-American writer, high school math teacher, and parent of two. Jose's fiction has been nominated for the Nebula Award and long-listed for …

Toasted Cake 247! In which we use the unicorn-mane thread. The day before my wedding, my dress is a pile of birch leaves. This story first appeared in Daily SF. Caroline M. Yoachim is a prolific author of short stories, appearing in Asimov's, Fantasy & Science Fiction, Uncanny, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Clarkesworld, and Lightspeed, among other plac…