Hello readers!
I have a new short story out, which you can read for free at Factor Four Magazine!
When widowed ranch owner Mariah Parkhurst hears her cat yowling in the night, she expects trouble. But when she sees what, or rather who, her cat has run up on the shed roof, even she gets more than she bargained for in this short but sweet flash fiction story.
https://factorfourmag.com/the-widow-parkhurst-by-hugh-j-odonnell/
This is my second time published with Factor Four, and Richard Flores has been a delight to work with. Go check out the story, along with the three other great flash fiction pieces for November!
And thanks for reading!
New Story Announcement – The Widow Parkhurst in Factor Four Magazine!
November 16, 2025
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Appearance Announcement – Better Off Read
August 23, 2025
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Hello Readers!
I’ll be selling books next Saturday at the fourth annual Better Off Read Summer Book Festival in Lewiston, NY! This is a free, one-day event at Artpartk State Park from 11 AM to 6 PM! I’ll be in the vendor area, selling copies of The Mountain’s Shadow and The City: A Story in 140 Characters. There will also be a whole slew of other local artists and writers, a used book fair, food trucks, and more!
If you haven’t been there, you should also check out the numerous outdoor exhibits in the park along with the gorgeous hiking trails along the Niagara gorge!
You can find out more by visiting the festival website HERE. I hope to see you there, rain or shine, next Saturday!
The Way of the Buffalo: The Future of Everyday Drabbles
February 3, 2025
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Hello readers!
This certainly has been a start of the year, and we’re still in the thick of it. It’s hard to know what’s appropriate to do right now. Are the arts distractions? A necessary refuge? Something else entirely? Being a writer, particularly a writer on the current version of the internet, means having to make a devil’s bargain for getting your work out into the public. At some point, even if you’re giving it away for free, you have to trust someone else with your baby. This has been particularly true in the last couple of months for social media platforms.
I’ve already divested myself from Twitter when it became ‘X,’ and I never really got the hang of Tik-Tok. Up until last month I was publishing Everyday Drabbles on my website, and on a Facebook page. Facebook has very much been a pay-to-play environment for a while now, with constant invitations to ‘boost’ my posts for a fee. I wasn’t really reaching subscribers there, and had only kept it going for a few friends who preferred to view the stories on the platform.
With the drama over TikTok’s banning and tenuous return, along with Meta CEO Zuckerberg’s recent statements, I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching. And I’ve decided that I am leaving Facebook, at least as a creator. Meta platforms have signaled that they are not interested in open and free communications but have become an echo chamber of the worst voices on the political far right. They are neither safe nor are they valuable to me as a writer.
HughJODonnell.com and its mirror site, EverydayDrabbles.com will remain the home for Everyday Drabbles, and those posts will remain here every morning for free. I will also be continuing to post updates, announcement, podcast reposts, and reviews on this homepage.
But with Facebook gone, I have decided to relaunch my Patreon as a place where you will be able to view drabbles for free and also get them by email.
The Everyday Drabbles Patreon is already live. Posts go live every morning ET and signing up for the Free tier will also send them to your email. If you want to support the project starting at $1 or more you can get benefits such as behind-the-scenes and announcement posts, early access to posts, and even personalized drabbles in digital or deluxe print formats! $5 and $10 supporters will get access to ebook and print collections as they are released going forward as well.
Thank you for your support and I hope you continue to enjoy Everyday Drabbles.
Gratefully,
Hugh J. O’Donnell
The Way of the Buffalo – 09/15/2024
September 15, 2024
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Hello readers! It’s September 15th, so it is high time i got back in touch and let you know what is going on with me and my writing. If you are a regular reader to my blog, you’ll have noticed that August was The Dog Days of Podcasting, and I participated by publishing some of my favorite Everyday Drabbles in Audio. You can listen to them HERE. It was nice to work in very short audio again, and I was able to meet the challenge by publishing a new entry every day. I was a bit concerned that I wouldn’t make the goal. I’ve attempted this challenge, and it’s sister event, The Dog Days of Advent in December, in the past, and never managed to stay consistent with it. But despite a busy work schedule and a week-long staycation up at Lake Erie, I was able to produce a new short each day.
At the end of August, I participated in my first author event for the year, tabling at the Better Off Read festival in Lewiston, NY. I sold copies of The Mountain’s Shadow and The City and gave out goodie bags with drabble samples and candy. The festival was held outdoors at Artpark, and though the weather was bad in the morning, it cleared up and the event was a success. I’m still trying to find my rhythm for local events, but this was a lot of fun and I will be doing more in the future. Inspired by the success of The festival and Dog Days of Podcasting, I’ve brought Everyday Drabbles out of hiatus and begun writing hundred-word stories again. You can catch up by following the link HERE.
It has been great fun returning to the schedule of writing and publishing a drabble every day. You can also read them on my Facebook page.
That is all the news I have for this week, but as the weather turns chilly I have a lot of work and news planned for the coming months. I plan on publishing these check-in newsletters about twice a month, so please stay tuned for a new one around the start of October.
Thanks for your support!
–Hugh
DDoP Everyday Drabbles #1: Introduction / Landing
August 1, 2024
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Hello!
Welcome to Day one of the Dog Days of Podcasting! This year I am performing some of my favorite Everyday Drabbles and discussing editing, tabling at the upcoming Better Off Read literary festival in Lewiston, NY, and whatever else strikes my fancy.
Today’s Drabble is “Landing.”
Music in today’s podcast are “Danse Macabre” and “Ghost Processional – Alternate” By Kevin Macleod.
The Way of the Buffalo – July 6, 2024
July 6, 2024
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Hello Readers!
It’s finally summer, so I hope you’re staying cool wherever you are! It has been a minute, but this is the (allegedly) weekly update of what I’ve been up to and what’s coming up.
News!
Safety Guidelines
My short poem Safety Guidelines was recently published in the poetry zine Dreams and Nightmares! The issue is a bit difficult to order, but click the link to find out more about the magazine.
Reviews!
Hugh Likes Comics: Zatanna: Bringing Down the House
I was snared by Mariko Tamaki and Javier Rodriguez’s new take on DC Comics’ magical heroine Zatanna, which puts a Noe-Noir spin on the character, starting her out as a Vegas stage performer haunted by trauma. This is the first issue of the story, and it’s a great jumping on point, with no canon knowledge necessary.
Hugh Likes Fiction: The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed
This dark fairytale novella is a short but brutal examination of the rules of power, how to bend them, and how they break you. A sort of inverted retelling of Hansel and Gretel, it’s the story of a woman sent into a magical forest to rescue the two young children of the Tyrant who conquered her village. Tense and thrilling.
Podcasting!
Nostalgia Pilots Episode 95: This Deathtrap Could’ve Been an Email
Episode 95 of Nostalgia Pilots is live! Jason, Jurd, Spence and Myself discuss Mobile Fighter G Gundam Episode 32 – “Dangerous Trap! Neros Gundam Strikes Back,” in which the Shuffle Alliance survive some half-assed assassination attempts while Wong and Master Asia continues to scheme. Also, Domon fights a transforming bird robot piloted by first episode antagonist Michelo Chariot.
Outro!
It’s the summer, and not too much is going on that I’m ready to talk about yet, but I can announce that I will be appearing at the Better Off Read Festival at Artpartk on August 31st! I’ll be selling books and other goodies, so please stop by and say hello!
My very short story collection, The Mountain’s Shadow, is still available from amazon or your preferred online book retailer.
Stay cool, and I’ll see you next week!
The Way of the Buffalo – February 17, 2024
February 17, 2024
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Hello Readers!
Welcome to The Way of the Buffalo, my new weekly roundup newsletter! If you are receiving this via email, it is because you’ve subscribed to my WordPress blog, and they have rolled out email integration. My plan going forward will be to continue blogging during the week, with a digest post on Saturdays with links to the individual posts. I’ll also be including announcements, links, and other thoughts here, with a bonus piece of flash fiction or a serialized story at the end.
Thanks for reading!
This Week in Reviews:
Since it was Valentine’s Day, this week’s reviews were romantic. I hope you had a good week, wether or not you were spending it with someone.
The Godzilla Valentine’s Day Special – Hugh Likes Comics
I’m only a casual fan of giant monsters, but this one-shot issue was a ton of fun.
A Market of Dreams and Destiny – Hugh Likes Fiction
This was one of my favorite novels from last year, and the narrator crushed it for the audiobook version.
This week’s fiction – “Captcha”
Click on all the images that contain crabs, the computer instructed. I stared at the collection of underwater creatures, choosing the images. My mouse hovered over the last decapod as I considered the features of the creature in the image. It looked like a crab. I clicked on it, and hit ‘submit.’
A dialog box cheerfully informed me that I had failed the security captcha, and that my login would be locked for the next hour. I sighed and closed my laptop. Not for the first time, I was a victim of carcinization.
The squat lobsters had gotten me again.
Want more flash fiction? Check out my collect, The Mountain’s Shadow!
Have a great week!
2024 (Re)Introduction Post!
January 4, 2024
Hello, readers!
It’s the start of another new year, and for some of you, the start of a new blog! I’m Hugh, and this is probably as good a spot as any to introduce, or re-introduce myself.
I’m Hugh, and I write, podcast, and like things. You may be reading this page on my WordPress-powered homepage at HughJODonnell.com. Or, you might be reading this from my newsletter via Buttondown. Returning readers may have noticed the switch from Substack. I’ve finally made the switch, due to Substack’s lack of principles becoming a bit too much for me to bear in good conscience, even for a free newsletter.
So what is it that I do here?
If you’re reading this as a part of my newsletter page, this is the home for announcements like this one and weekly short fiction. I’m currently posting the episodic short Fantasy series, “Tales of the Freelance Hunters.” Drop by every Saturday for a new installment as a trio of misfit adventures cut their way across the mysterious and magical island of Elanterra in a epic of Action, Romance, and the occasional block puzzle.
My blog page also features weekly content that doesn’t make the newsletter such as fiction, comics, and video game reviews and reposts of my weekly podcasts.
I’m the host and producer of Nostalgia Pilots, a 90’s mecha anime fan-cast. Myself and three friends dig deep into the action, cliches, and absurdity of one of our favorite genres, and discuss how well it’s held up. We’re currently working our way through the over-the-top Martial Arts Mecha of Mobile Fighter G Gundam, and you can subscribe directly at NostalgiaPilots.com!
The writing and podcasting I produce online are available for free, and I don’t plan on changing that any time soon. However, if you do want to put a couple of bucks in my jar and help me buy cat food, you can donate via Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/hughjodonnell
Thanks for reading, and see you soon with another story!
Ride for Roswell 2023 Announcement Post!
May 23, 2023
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Hello Friends!It’s spring, and I am once again bicycling to end cancer.The Ride for Roswell is one of the largest charity cycling events in the U.S. and raises funds and awareness for Roswell Park Cancer Hospital. Roswell Park Hospital has treated and helped so many people in their fights against cancer, including my Mom, my aunt, and my best friend.The Ride for Roswell is a cause that is a very close to my heart. Today is also a donation matching day, the last of the season! If I can get five donations today, they will be matched up to $100! So please, if you can, help me in my ride to end cancer!
Podcast Repost – Nutty Bites #242: Why We Love Short Fiction
May 18, 2023
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Friend of the show Hugh recently released a collection of drabbles, prompting Nutty and Tek to dive into, why we love short fiction.
You can now support Nutty Bites by donating to the Patreon campaign, through paypal or venmo () or through any other method. Patrons get the private RSS feed where you get shows before the main feed and you get special episodes like Nutty Bites after Dark and special bonus content; a thank you read on the podcast; and your promo or the promo of your choice played on the show (like in this episode).
Credits:
Recorded at NIMLAS Studios
Post Editing: Nuchtchas
Music Licensed from Jerden Cooke
Nutty Bites is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Contact/Feedback:
(347) NUTTY42 or (347) 688-8942
www.facebook.com/groups/nuttybites/
Hugh J. O'Donnell 