I may be an Australian writer, but my sales here in Australia are usually on the low side compared to other parts of the world. Which is why I was surprised when I logged on to Amazon.com.au this morning and saw the current rankings for A White Cross Beside a Lonely Road: Of course, Amazon rankings are transitory and mysterious, unlikely to stick unless sales are consistent and other things come together in the dark depths of Bezos’ sales portal. In fact, I’ve slipped down a spot in the time it’s taken to write this blog post because the last sale was a few hours back. Still, look, here I am at number 16 and in some pretty good company on the Australian sites’ ghost story rankings. The ranks may be mysterious and transitory, but here’s a good rule of thumb in writing: if you wake up one morning and your short story is sitting in between Bird Box and

A ten-hour drive, a relationship on the rocks, and a ghost waiting for company on a lonely stretch of road.  The last thing Alex wants is a trip home with his boyfriend in tow, but when Brendan insists on coming there’s nothing for it but a ten hour drive and the dread of what might happen when they reach their destination.  There is nothing about the idea of being trapped in car with his lover that Alex is looking forward too, but a haunted stretch of lonely road is about to make him question everything he knows about his relationship and his life.  A White Cross Beside A Lonely Road is the third short story in the Short Fiction Lab series from Brain Jar Press—home to stand-alone short story experiments in fantasy, science fiction, horror, and fabulist literature. This experiment has been filed under: ghost stories, outback fantasy, supernatural encounters, and Australian weirdness. The third Short Fiction Lab release is now