Five Minutes features micro-memoirs, hundred-word pieces about five minutes in a life. I’m thrilled to share the wonderful news that my short story, ‘Cellophane Wrapped,’ about the controversy and conscience around eating meat, has been accepted by Five Minute Lit and will be published in February 2024.
Reading team comments included “kept me thinking after” and “witty, relevant, well-written.”
They have also invited me to be an editorial reader for future submissions in 2024. I will share the publication once it is published at Five Minute Lit. You can read some of their micro stories online and read Karen Zey’s useful article, The Art and Craft of Writing Micro.
This week I was invited to a book group to discussion about my latest book, Dead Drop, published by Linen Press in October. The Q&A session was interesting with lots of interesting questions from readers. A few people asked whether there would be a sequel. Several people said that they had explored more information about the paintings, or visited Vienna, after reading the book. Many shared that they loved the descriptions of the city, the changing seasons, the cafe culture and details about the art and artists, as well as the history.
Some readers asked how Leisl had managed her conscience while stealing priceless works of art and why she had a moral dilemma as the story unfolded. Others wanted to know about the transfer of art to and from galleries, and about my research and writing processes. Many people are unaware of the sheer volume of priceless art which remains missing from galleries. I discussed global art theft, as well as the Art Loss Register and the FBI Art Crime Team.
I also want to share some wonderful recent reviews from readers:
BARNES AND NOBLE –
Jomaghs
5 stars A descriptive masterpiece
“I usually speed read books and whizz through them in no time at all but this book was different. The descriptions were so detailed and captivating that I needed/wanted to take my time and savour every page. It’s beautiful and intriguing at the same time…Couldn’t put it down.”
AMAZON –
Andrea Barton
5.0 out of 5 stars A nail-biting thriller that makes you think Reviewed in Australia on June 19, 2023
“Dead Drop, by F.C. Malby, is a nail-biting thriller that makes you think. Liesl loves her solitary life as an art thief in Vienna, thriving on bursts of adrenaline from rehoming valuable artwork based on clandestine instructions from her illusive employer. But when one of her contacts ends up dead, she realises that she, too, may be in danger. Dead Drop demonstrates that even art thieves have morals, and I found myself questioning the ethics of art ownership.”
Shal Buy
5.0 out of 5 starsHighly recommend Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 May 2023
“A very enjoyable read, I quickly warmed to the main character, Liesl and her involvement in the main plot. Keen to unfold the mystery, didn’t put the book down until I had finished it!”
Light flickers through a chink in the window. Moths dance outside in the low evening light, try to find their way inside, the way children scramble to reach the popcorn. You think about how people try to find ways out of things and ways in, and about the constantly changing landscape of life.
Some scramble for the light, leaving at dawn, while others remain. You wonder who controls the opening and closing of windows, the turning of the leaves, the inner turmoil that drives some to make the decisions that they do. You try to fix them but some things are not fixable, not your
responsibility. Three moths have found their way in through the chink and are dancing around the table lamp. You wonder how many more will arrive and how many will stay. Remaining through troubled times, staying in the building, that’s the hard part. Some leave
when it gets too hot, others leave because they are uncomfortable in their own skin. You wait for the moths to leave near dawn, after they have settled in the warmth, then close the window and watch the sun appear, feel its warmth against flesh. And you know that if you travel lightly, allowing the sand to sift through your fingertips
the right ones will remain in first the morning light.
FC Malby is a contributor to Unthology 8 and Hearing Voices: The Litro Anthology of New Fiction. Her work is forthcoming in the Reflex Press Anthology, Vol. 5. Her poetry has been published in Spillwords Press, Sledgehammer Lit and Unpublishable Zine. Her social media handle is @fcmalby.
This is a brief post to share the exciting, and hot off the press, news that my second novel has just been picked up by a fantastic publisher, who I admire and respect. I am absolutely thrilled and look forward to sharing more details with you very soon! Watch this space…
F C MALBY 
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