Dan Coglianese

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2022

Stories (20)

20 Stories

517 karma pts

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“A Man of His Word” by Dan Coglianese

Submitted to Contest #179

David sat in his silver Chevy Cruze in front of his best friend’s apartment building. As he scrolled through Kindle on his tablet, TJ approached the passenger side door. It was just past 10am on New Years Eve. TJ slid into the passenger seat with a groan. Shivering from the frigid air, he rubbed his hands together and said, “Where are we starting? Alcohol or decorations?” “Change of plans.” “Huh?” David looked down and said, “You won’t even believe my morning. Mai woke me up around 8. She was with her parents last night, having dinner. A...

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“Secret Santa: A Change of Plans” by Dan Coglianese

Submitted to Contest #178

Being invisible means nobody will notice when I’m gone. My absence will not pose a difference in anyone’s vision, because they didn’t see me in the first place. And since my dad passed away last summer, I have been invisible to everyone. I wasn’t planning on departing this mortal coil with any fanfare. Just a couple bottles of wine and a bottle of sleeping pills on Christmas day.                       I’ve worked at Tepple & Wein...

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“Buyer's Remorse” by Dan Coglianese

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #176

A good magician never reveals their secrets. But, today as I lie in my deathbed, I am prepared to tell you mine.             As a child, I took things more literally than most. My mother once asked me if the man in the moon stole a shoe I lost at a friend’s house. I peered at the full moon that night, searching for this unknown “man”. Never found him. When I was five years old, I heard my uncle tell my mother that it was “raining cats and dogs”. I wanted a puppy so bad that I ran ou...

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“Frank” by Dan Coglianese

Submitted to Contest #175

During my four years at college, I was in a fraternity. Delta Chi. Best group of goofballs I’ve ever known. We didn’t just party and watch sports. We actually had a somewhat positive impact on the community. There were committees made up of a few guys who oversaw whatever focus that particular committee had. Mine was Philanthropy. When I ran the Philanthropy committee, I got in touch with the community public library, which just happened to be right across the street from our small campus. One afternoon a week, and sometimes on Saturday mo...

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“Ms. Gruber” by Dan Coglianese

Submitted to Contest #173

Every Christmas Eve, my wife Tiffany, our kids, and I go to my parents’ house. They still live in my childhood home in Mechant Lake, Il. We live in Bloomington now, so it’s a good two hour drive in the best weather.                       A couple of hours after we arrived, and just before dinner, the doorbell rang. My mother stood up and said, “Oh, that must be Joe!”            ...

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Author bio

I'm an unpublished writer, but finishing a novel. I absolutely love writing stories that catch you by surprise, delight you, and maybe even scare you a little (or a lot). Hope to find an agent soon.

Shortlisted 2 stories ⭐️

Contest #184
The Light Dies if I Close My Eyes – read story
Contest #176
Buyer's Remorse – read story