— R. J. Joseph on 'Rot'
Hollow moans drown the slap of water as mermaids thrash around the wharf. There’s even more today, maybe two hundred. I grit my teeth and knot The Ocean’s Treasure tighter to the bollard.
“Alright there?” The man who jumps from the gangplank claps a hand on my shoulder. “They’re sure riled up today.”
“You’ve brought more in,” I say, and reluctantly stand, the knot secure, just how my Pa taught me.
He squints at the writhing mass around the ship. Their bloated hands slap limp and useless against the barnacled hull. “They’re bloody annoying. Don’t they realise they can’t get back on land?”
Read the rest of the story for free: https://www.writingbattle.com/story/debrief/957f5f78-4a32-4a30-a46a-68a1a1f731c0?uploadedStory
March 2026 — 'When Mermaids Become Monsters' was the Winner of Writing Battle's Biopunk Genre in the Tempest Owl Battle
There are mermaids in the water. They were not always mermaids.
https://www.writingbattle.com/story/debrief/957f5f78-4a32-4a30-a46a-68a1a1f731c0?uploadedStory
March 2025 — Winner of Elegant Literature's Sinister Sanctuaries Magazine issue #42 for 'Rot'
What happens when coming home doesn't quite feel right?
Access Elegant Literature here: https://www.elegantliterature.com/magazine/
February 2025 — Published 'Stolen Melodies' in Elegant Literature's Loud Music and Darkness Magazine issue #41
A hungry music box seeks a girl who sings like summer.
Access Elegant Literature here: https://www.elegantliterature.com/magazine/
December 2024 — Published 'The Weeping Girl' in Elegant Literature's Fearsome Folklore Magazine issue #39
The Weeping Girl haunts the lake, but what other secrets are hidden beneath the surface?
Access Elegant Literature here: https://www.elegantliterature.com/magazine/
November 2024 — Honourable Mention for 'Mutualism' in Elegant Literature's Death Death Magazine issue #38
Death hunts the narrator in an eternal chase, but what can the narrator not remember?
July 2024 — Published 'The Intimacy of Hating You' in Elegant Literature's Mundane Magic Magazine issue #34
The line between hate and love is thin.
Access Elegant Literature here: https://www.elegantliterature.com/magazine/
June 2022 — Winner of the Barfoot and Thompson Young Author's Challenge High School Category for 'Best Day Ever' (retitled to 'Stormrider')
A storm. A girl. Windsurfing.
Access the pdf here: https://www.writersfestival.co.nz/Images/Assets/1485132/1/SPO00077-Young%20Authors%20Challenge%202022-A4%20E-Book%20(002).pdf
September 2022 — Published 'The Ocean's Treasure' in ToiToi Journal, Autumn 2021 issue; also published in Jillion 2
The ocean provides plenty of gifts for us all, but sometimes it likes to take too...
October 2019 — Published 'Fear Bites Hard' in the Write On Magazine, issue 53
Coral reefs can hide more than just pretty fish.