“Ghosts of Summer” Won the Apex Reader’s Choice Award for Best Original Fiction!!!
Publication: Apex Magazine, Issue 151
Date: October 7, 2025
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 1,015 words (Short Fiction)
Access: Free to read online
Awards/Honors:
–Reactor Magazine’s Must Read Short Speculative Fiction October 2025
–2026 British Science Fiction Association Awards–Longlist
–Locus Online Review by Paula Guran
–WINNER: Apex Reader’s Choice Awards (Original Fiction)
AAAHHH!!! I am so thrilled!!! Never did I imagine my little witchy story going this far and reaching so many people. This is my first award for my writing. It means so much to me that it was a reader’s choice as well because that’s why I write—so that my stories can reach readers and give them spots of joy in their lives.
I am so thankful to Apex Magazine for giving my story its home. I am also super grateful to my fellow Velmas (iykyk) for helping me shape this story with their feedback and encouragement.
And a huge congrats goes out as well to my co-winners Rukman Ragas (flash fiction) and Yorgos Cotronis (cover art), my TOC mates of Issue 151, and to all the authors and artists that made Apex 2025 such a fantastic year. I am deeply honored to be counted among such amazing artists and their work.
And, of course, to all the readers—your support and delight for this story means the world.
💖 Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! 💖
Hello!
I’m Catherine Tavares, speculative fiction author. My work has appeared on the Nebula Reading List, Reactor’s Must Reads, and Locus Online, and my short story “Ghosts of Summer” won the 2025 Apex Reader’s Choice Award for Best Original Fiction. You can find my stories in magazines such as The Dark, Nature Futures, Flash Point SF, Heartlines, and more. Learn more about me and stay up to date on my work by visiting my website and subscribing to this newsletter.
