Tales & Tidbits #25: July 2026

“Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August.” — Jenny Han

There is nothing like a sunny July day to remind us of how wonderful life can be.

This is also the month for growing.

Growing up in Nebraska I can remember a common greeting on the street during summer being “Thigh-high by the Fourth of July.” It was the equivalent to saying “Have a good day.” While none of my parents or grandparents were farmers, all of my great-grandparents were Nebraska corn farmers and the phrase was a wish for a prosperous crop.

I can’t move on without saying that those of us on the west side of the Big Pond are celebrating 250 years of Independence. Whoo-Hoo!

But now, let’s get back to writing adventure stories!

AI Generated Image by Peter Schmidt from Pixabay

Let’s return to my Serial Story After The Last Day. The complete story is available **here**.

The Yellowstone supervolcano has blown, devastating the majority of North America. Transportation systems have failed. The threat of a volcanic winter lasting a hundred years looms.

Elijah and Payalee are trying to escape the supervolcano eruption and join their son Jonas in North Carolina.

The earth beneath Elijah’s truck would simply not stop moving. However, after a few minutes, he decided the Grim Reaper had not come to take them to heaven. He reached across the center console and held Payalee’s hand.

“It will be over soon,” he said, but it wasn’t. The ground heaved and rolled for a half-hour. He was reminded of riding one of those mechanical bulls in the bar. The motion never completely stopped, but it eventually subsided to a low tremble.

The Grumbles slowly exited the truck and surveyed the damage. Their pickup was wedged in a ditch, but Elijah was sure the 4-wheel drive would pull it out. On the highway, it was bedlam. Like some gigantic modern art piece, the concrete of the interstate was broken with huge chunks arranged at odd angles. The cars and trucks were tossed about like toys. People were screaming.

“You alright?” Payalee asked.

“Yes, and you?”

Payalee pressed her hands along her body. “I’m fine.”

“That had to be the big one. We’re less than three hundred miles from Yellowstone.” He knew they should do something to help the people on the interstate, but staying more than a few minutes would probably cost them their lives. “We’ve got to get out of here.” He didn’t add his thoughts about the ash cloud, which was surely speeding towards them.

Statistics

Let’s look at the statistics for the past month on the publication. As you can see, June took an uptick from May. Those who want to look at statistics from older months can look for those in previous newsletters.

• The publication currently has 1196 followers (previously 1272). I’ve no idea where our followers have gone. I can only presume Medium has been clearing-out dummy accounts.
• We had 544 Reads this month vs 502 last month. The odd blip of 378 views on June 6th was probably a Medium mistake.

Series which ended in the past month

In June, one series ended:

The Handyman Affair by S M Revolinski

When Detective Trevor Dixon began the investigating into the murder of erotic writer Helen Henderson, there were two suspects: her husband and the handyman. However, both had iron-clad alibis. And then, the details of her ribald, double life came into view.

The entire collection ca be found here:

[embed]List: The Handyman Affair | Curated by S M Revolinski | Medium The Handyman Affair · When Detective Trevor Dixon began the investigating into the murder of erotic writer Helen…medium.com

Series running on Serial Stories

We currently have the following series running on the magazine:

1. Power Struggle by Jason Tabrett
2. The Woman Who Wanted To Enjoy Sex by Kerrie Noor
3. Lady Jacqueline’s War by S M Revolinski
4. The Dark Side Of Planet Hy Man by Kerrie Noor
5. An American Youth by Glenn M Stewart
6. REGINA DELL INFERNO (QUEEN OF HELL) by Author Devileer Olakunle
7. The Cephalopods by Devoured Star
8. That Girl by Marc Stevens

New series on Serial Stories

You might have noticed a new story in the list above:

*That Girl* by Marc Stevens

A lovers-to-friends reverse-trope erotic adventure.

When erotica author Marc Stevens moves to Bayside, his life is thrown into high gear. A mysterious stranger, a secret sex club, and a chance encounter with the beautiful woman who lives just across the hallway from his new apartment all combine to take Marc’s new life down a steamy, erotic trail.

When Amy Wicklund accidentally locks her keys in her apartment, Marc comes to her aid and the two are drawn to each other. The wild night that follows leads to complications that the two have to sort out in the morning. She’s on the rebound. He’s not looking for anything permanent. Can the two forge a friends-with-benefits arrangement without any hang-ups?

Warning: 18+ Explicit sexual content.

S. M. Revolinski is the owner / editor of Serial Stories, writer of fact and fiction, sometimes erotic, and always about life. Likes to share, and treats everyone with the respect they deserve. Proudly part of The Cocktail Club.

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