Science Fiction Writing by Matt Rouse
Starfarer’s Cafe (free!)
You can read this story online now.
The Longest Wait
23–34 minutes
Matt Rouse arrived at Starfarer’s Cafe earlier this week with the fantastical tale of an information thief and a robot – except this is no ordinary robot, and the information thief soon finds herself on no ordinary journey. Can a wayward thief ever find redemption when all she knows is a life of crime?
Interview with Matt Rouse
February 26, 2026
4–6 minutes
Starfarer’s Cafe recently sat down to talk with science fiction author Matt Rouse, whose short story The Longest Wait is among the first to appear in our digital magazine.
DRABBLE HARVEST 14
The Witch’s Broom
Welcome to a collection of 100-word tales of witches’ brooms. Our writers’ imaginations worked overtime on this one. Find out what really happens in the privacy of an automobile showroom. Learn the arcane secrets of the recorders of how to control contrary brooms.
TALES OF GALACTIC PEST CONTROL
EDITED BY DAVID GERROLD & TOM EASTON
Pests are eternal. But in the future, they’re weirder—and a whole lot harder to kill.
From rogue nanobots and alien infestations to genetically modified vermin and psychic parasites, Tales of Galactic Pest Control brings you a collection of smart, sharp, and surprising stories about the unsung heroes of the universe: exterminators.
In this anthology of original tales from a galaxy-spanning lineup of science fiction authors, you’ll meet bug-hunters on starships, data scrubbers fighting corrupted AIs, and janitors who clean up after cosmic catastrophes. Some fight for credits. Others for survival. A few may even side with the pests.
Witty, thrilling, and occasionally unsettling, these stories reveal that in the far future, pest control isn’t just a dirty job—it might be humanity’s last line of defense.
Lock the airlocks. Bring the spray. And remember: the little guys always bite hardest.
AGENDA ITEM B: Pest Control
by Matt Rouse
Sometimes the pest is matter of perspective. Read Agenda Item B: Pest Control in the Amazing Tales anthology.