Melissa Flores Anderson is a writer of flash and long-form fiction, creative nonfiction and occasional poetry. She has been featured in more than 50 literary magazines, anthologies and reading series. Her first full-length short story collection ALL AND THEN NONE OF YOU, 21 stories and one novella, was published by Cowboy Jamboree Press on Sept. 2, 2025.

Take a road trip across California’s rural locales and well-known landmarks with a cast of misfits in “All and Then None of You,” the debut short story collection from writer Melissa Flores Anderson (author of A Body in Motion and Roadkill). From a run-down motel in Lake County to a fast food parking lot off I-5 north of Los Angeles to a stopover for Monarch butterflies on the California Coast, these stories showcase the beauty and isolation that inhabit the quiet corners of the state, and each story is filled with yearning, heartache and moments of discovery.

Advance Praise for “All and Then None of You”

“With Melissa Flores Anderson, we yearn for things we are sure we cannot have. While desire can be resolved, to yearn is to hope and ache at the beckon of the inapt wish. We grieve for what hasn’t happened and what we think cannot be. No one yearns quite like writers, except perhaps people who always wanted kids but never did, and single parents, okay, except maybe everyone, and also Lancelot. To yearn is to say “if only.” But what’s key is no one yearns for something in reach. I might desire a devil’s food cake but I don’t yearn for it. We yearn for things that are possible, but not probable. At a time when upper middle class white men, some of whom with PhDs, are desperately trying to claim the reins of working class literature, Melissa Flores Anderson gifts us a collection of universal yearns, hopes, and griefs of everyday working people.”

Christopher Stevenson, writer and librarian

“All and Then None of You captures the essence of life’s liminal moments. Melissa explores the landscapes of California and the tender nuances of human relationships—those fleeting, vulnerable exchanges that shape who we are. Her characters are vividly real: like the childhood friend you’ve lost touch with, the neighbor whose story you’ve yet to uncover, or the many iterations of yourself you revisit in old notebooks and letters and yellowing photos. Each tale delves into the universal questions of love, belonging, and whether we feel worthy of the affection we seek. What makes this collection even more immersive is its soundtrack. With each story, a QR code leads to a song that perfectly complements the mood, enhancing the reading experience. As I read, I couldn’t help but imagine this as the perfect companion for a California road trip—where music, stories, and the golden hills of the state meet. Warm, introspective, and rich with emotional depth, All and Then None of You is a celebration of the beauty found in small moments and the colorful characters who populate our lives.”

Amy Marques, editor of Duets and Duets+1 and author of Parts

“The stories in All and Then None of You are about people up and down California who are out of place in their own lives. She forces her characters, from the former baseball star who couldn’t afford college to the new mother pursued by a modern-day Lancelot,  to face the facts of a present that is far from what they had hoped it would be. In literary forms ranging from the conventional to the experimental, complete with the soundtrack of our generation, every story flashes a polished surface that gives way to depths of incredible precision and complexity—because that’s how our lives really are if we’re willing to look. Anderson looks much closer than might be safe for any of us, and still shows that there is still time for all of us to find our way.”

Alex Russell, finalist for the James Alan McPherson Prize for the Novel

“Don’t read this book at bedtime because you won’t be able to put it down. It is very hard not to binge read. Each story is long enough to be meaningful, and short enough to convince yourself that you can read “just one more.” I stayed up way too late many nights! These stories are about searching for acceptance in a superficial world. This is a universal theme that is meaningful to everyone, everywhere, but the way Flores Anderson writes about it makes this collection especially meaningful to women.” 

Pat Lopes Harris, writer and communications professional

---

Other Publications

Her first chapbook “A Body In Motion” was published with JAKE the Anti Literary Magazine in April 2025 and her co-authored novelette (written with François Bereaud) “Roadkill” was published by ELJ Editions in May 2025. She tries to publish or participate in at least one reading a month and has kept her streak up since October 2021.

Featured Pieces

“If the fruit has been picked at just the right moment, the skin will be smooth and shiny, the flesh sweet and warm. But too soon and the sun will not have sugared the fruit. Too late and the rot appears on the edges, infecting all the other bits connected in the bowl.” 

“Chill hours” in Claudine (Micro) Jan. 2026

“I told Lyle the first time we met I wasn’t a real California girl. Not when I never saw anything outside Vernalis. The middle of the state ain’t what people want to see, all dead grass hills and orchards. The only water we got is the river that oozes mud and fog so you can’t drive the stretch of Hwy. 132 without risking a life.”

“Winter on the Coast” in Anxiety Press’ Gritmas Anthology (short story) December 2025

“She dresses extra nice on those days, puts on jewelry and the dark eyeliner. She doesn’t dress up for him. And she comes home talking about that guy she works with who wears the fancy suits. Fucking Charles. Even his name is fancy.”

“Try One More” in Mythic Picnic’s Micro Mayhem Vol. 2 (Micro) November 2025

“The week you died, when I knew you were dying, the daffodils from last spring bloomed, white petals and egg-yolk centers. I forgot I planted them, just like I forgot the last time I heard from you.”

“February, 44” in Reckon Review (CNF) July 2025

Award-nominated Stories

“The Worst Memories” nominated by Raw Lit (CNF) for a 2026 Puchcart Prize (CNF)

“Take a Bite” nominated by National Flash Fiction Flood (Write In Prompt) for 2025 Best of the Net (Flash)

“Nesting Doll” accepted into the 2025 Best Small Fiction Anthology (TBD)

“Another Scandinavian” nominated by Latin@ Literatures for a 2023 Pushcart Prize (CNF) and 2025 Best of the Net (CNF)

“By the Numbers” nominated by Raw Lit for a 2024 Best of the Net (CNF)

“Curbing the Appetite” nominated by Icebreakers Lit for a 2024 Best of the Net (fiction) (co-written with Gavin Turner and Tiffany Storrs)

“Six Gun Fights” nominated by Variant Lit for a 2023 Best of the Net

Forthcoming Creative Work

“Schodinger’s Marriage” was accepted by the National Flash Flood June 2026

“Redemption Songs” was accepted by The Ice Colony/Lo-Fed Media