New Year Short Stories
- Derek Power
- Dec 30, 2025
- 2 min read
So I've mulled this one over for a few months now.
As some folk may be aware, over on the podcast of Filthy Henry we would regularly put up short stories, or what we called 'Case Files', in between the seasons. This was so that we could keep putting out a little content here and there and also allowed me to write stories that would never make a full novel but worked nicely in a shorter format.
Plus we always have to get out a Christmas Case File - it is basically tradition now.
But these stories were ones that had never before seen the light of day. The only way a person would even know about them is if they listened to the podcast.
Something of a choice by design, but one I was always thinking about revisiting.
After a few years of short stories I've now gotten to the point that I could easily put out a book called 'Filthy Henry: The Case Files' - but why do that? Sure it might bring in a few sales, but I was thinking of a slightly different approach over this Christmas break.
What if I put the stories up here for folks to read - but with a little backstory added into them as well.
The plan, at least what I have in my head, is I will publish the stories here in a new little 'short story' section, along with a note on the backstory of the story. Why it was written?Was it one that Niall (the voice of the podcast - along with composer of it) as a fun little excercise? Did I take an idea Niall had and just ran with it?
If nothing else it might give people a piece of enjoyment as they see behind the veil of the writing process. How do things go from being an idea in the mad mind of mine to a fully fledged story?
It also harkens back to a comment made to me when I was in the middle of editing 'The Impossible Victim' all those years ago. How through the editing process, the plot changes and additions, there are versions of the book that exist in a sort of 'multiverse' - but only I will ever really see them. This has been an interesting thought, so while I am not going to show the multiple drafts of the stories I feel the origins of them might be interesting.
Let's see how we go.
First one coming next week...stay tuned.
I just finished reading these New Year short stories and they were really enjoyable some of them even made me reflect on my own goals and experiences from last year. I’m working on a writing assignment right now, and sometimes it’s hard to organize all my thoughts into a clear and engaging piece. That’s why I needed some Native Assignment Help figuring out how to put my ideas together and explain them well hasn’t always been easy. These stories gave me inspiration and helped me think about how to make my own writing more expressive, which definitely made my assignment feel more manageable.
I enjoyed the short stories in this New Year collection and how they captured fresh starts in fun ways. Last semester when I had a big project to finish I used affordable manuscript editing service because my draft was messy and I wanted it to make sense for readers. That helped me see mistakes I missed and made my work better. It reminds me that good support can make tough tasks feel easier and clear.
Reading these new year short stories made me smile because each tale had hope and fresh starts in simple moments like family dinners and snowy mornings. I remember last year when I was nervous about tests and I had to use online exam taking service to help me finish school work fast so I could enjoy the holidays with my cousins. Your stories reminded me that new beginnings can feel warm and simple.