Journal
& Updates

Notes from the desk—updates, reflections, and insights into the creative process.

This is where ideas take shape before they become stories.

Book-cover-style artwork for The Crossroads Inn by Alicia Anspaugh featuring a mysterious inn at a glowing crossroads at dusk, magical atmosphere, vintage elegance, and hints of supernatural adventure and folklore.

The Crossroads Inn | A Supernatural Short Story by Alicia Anspaugh

A strange elevator ride, a wish for one more day, and a mysterious crossroads lead to unexpected consequences in this supernatural short story by Alicia Anspaugh.

aliciaspaintbrush

Jun 121 min read

Dark atmospheric writing desk with scattered manuscript pages, a glowing computer screen, coffee cup, and handwritten notes representing the submission of a speculative fiction story to a literary contest.

Alicia K. Anspaugh Submits “To Quell the Quiet” to the History Repeating Writing Challenge

Writer and artist Alicia K. Anspaugh submits her speculative fiction short story “To Quell the Quiet” to Glossy Planet Magazine’s May 2026 History Repeating writing challenge.

aliciaspaintbrush

May 151 min read

The Road to Hell | A Sci-Fi Horror Short Story About Good Intentions and Alien Invasion

A burned-out night-shift janitor tries to help a mysterious captive creature escape a secret underground lab, only to discover he has restarted an alien invasion delayed for sixty years. Read this dark sci-fi horror short story from Alicia’s Desk.

aliciaspaintbrush

May 131 min read

Submitted a new short story to Vocal’s “I Made It Worse” writing challenge.

This latest sci-fi horror piece, The Road to Hell, follows a tired night-shift janitor whose attempt to help a mysterious captive creature escape from a secret underground lab accidentally restarts an alien invasion that had been delayed for sixty years. This story was written for the challenge prompt: Write a confession about a situation where you tried to fix something and only made it worse. I had a lot of fun balancing dark humor, escalating consequences, and cosmic horro

aliciaspaintbrush

May 131 min read

Promotional image showing Alicia Anspaugh’s artwork display with overlay text announcing Outpost 37 and Fake News writing contest entries submitted to Demicon.

Demicon Writing Contest & Art Show | Outpost 37 and Fake News Story by Alicia Anspaugh

Two original short stories—Outpost 37 and a fake news-themed piece—submitted to the Demicon Writing Contest, exploring isolation, perception, and narrative.

aliciaspaintbrush

May 21 min read