"The Victor" - My story in "Not Our Kind"

The Kickstarter for the "Not Our Kind" anthology is in its home stretch, with only about four and a half days left as I write this post. It stands a bit over 60% funded at this point and since Kickstarter is all or nothing (a project either meets its funding goal and gets funded or does not meet it and gets nothing -- the backers are not charged anything either in that case), I'll be watching it closely over the next few days hoping for the best.

My story which is slated to be in the anthology is called "The Victor." I wrote the first draft of this story just a little less than a year ago, while I was in Philadelphia for the 2013 Philcon. The Liberty Hall Writers website has a weekly prompted writing contest for its members. The prompt that weekend showed fireworks in the sky over a road and my mind went to an image of a lone man walking on that road under those fireworks. He had won a battle, single combat, but the cost of that victory was something quite unusual and the rest of his life would never be the same.

When editor Nayad Monroe invited me to submit to the Not Our Kind anthology I knew right away that "The Victor" was the story I wanted to send for her consideration. I took the story through some revisions and sent it off, quite close to the last minute of her submission window for the invited authors. I was thrilled when she accepted the story for the anthology and I'm looking forward to hearing what readers think of the story.

But for that to happen, the Kickstarter needs to succeed. So if you're interested in reading my story as well as stories by the other Not Our Kind authors (Alex Bledsoe, Ekaterina Sedia, Lucy A. Snyder, Tim Waggoner, Damien Angelica Walters, and many others) then now is the time to stop by Kickstarter and back the project.

Recent News: Mid-October 2014

I've had two stories published in the past month:

• "Searching for a Dishonest Man" - This science fiction story was published at Every Day Fiction.
• "Too Smart" - Another science fiction story, this one published at Read Short Fiction.

I've also recently had two stories accepted for publication, both of which should be coming out in November. "Final Mission" will be appearing at T. Gene Davis's Speculative Blog and "Uplifting" will be in the November issue of Musa Publishing's short fiction magazine Penumbra. Both of these are also science fiction stories.

Finally, I have a fantasy short story in the forthcoming Alliteration Ink anthology "Not Our Kind: Tales of (Not) Belonging." That anthology is currently Kickstarting; I'll be writing more about the anthology and my story in a blog post before long.

"Learning Curve" is Live at Metro Moms

My science fiction short story "Learning Curve" is up on the Metro Moms website. I'm pleased to have placed a story at that site and am hoping that some people who haven't come across my other stories will read it there and possibly check out the rest of what I've written.

A Fatal Error Released on Amazon

It's been almost a year since I published "Write Every Day" and during that time I haven't released anything new for the Kindle. As of yesterday, that changed with the release of the first of my Chip Rawley baseball mysteries, "A Fatal Error." This is a novelette, just under 9000 words or about 30 pages if you prefer to think of lengths in those terms.

Chip Rawley is a former professional baseball player who never quite made it to the big leagues. Staying close to the game, he became a trusted confidant of Branson Waters, the owner of a major league team. In "A Fatal Error" Rawley investigates the death of Mark Feist, whose botched catch kept his team out of the World Series.

If you read "A Fatal Error", I hope that you enjoy it!

"An Alien Named Tim" Live at Nature

My science fiction short story "An Alien Named Tim" is live now at Nature. This is my second time appearing in Nature. I originally wrote this story for one of Liberty Hall's weekly flash fiction competitions; it's my first sale from the stories I've written there.

If you read "Private Memories" earlier this week and want something a bit lighter, this should fit the bill.

"Private Memories" is Today's Daily Science Fiction Email Story

Just a quick note to let folks know that if you get Daily Science Fiction's email stories, today's is my short story "Private Memories."

If you do not get the emailed stories, then you can still read my story a week from today when it goes live on the Daily Science Fiction website.

Also, as a heads-up, I'll have a (very, very different from "Private Memories") story in Nature this week: "An Alien Named Tim."

"Three Times a Killer" Available Free at Plan B Magazine

My crime story "Three Times a Killer" is live at Plan B Magazine and available to be read for free. This story features the same main character, South African criminal Lawrence Thomas, as my Amazon/Kindle eBook short story "Levels of Trust."

Here's a little preview of the story which is up at Plan B:

I was sitting at a bar, drinking another Black Label, when the man came up to me. I should have known he was bad news, a fellow like that with his nice suit, in a low-rent bar like the one I was in that day. Maybe it was the beer, maybe it was that I was still basically a kid, only twenty years old, but I didn’t twig to it.

“I hear you’re looking for work, Lawrence,” he said, lowering himself gently onto the stool next to mine.

I took another swallow, cool-like, before answering. “If the pay’s right, sure.”

The suit nodded and pulled an envelope from his pocket. “I’ve got a problem, see. Girl trouble.”

He grinned at me like we understood each other. I would have just as soon punched that smarmy grin off his face, but I needed money and there wasn’t no use biting the hand. I grinned back at him.

And, for the heck of it, a little preview of "Levels of Trust."

"There's some stuff you should know before you go in there," Ian said, meeting me at the nondescript front door of the complex. I came inside, leaving the heat, stench and noise of the slum streets behind. My eyes were slow to adjust from the noontime sun to the comparative dark indoors.

"Hit me," I told him.

Ian had arranged things so he'd be the one letting me into the complex. I was on unfriendly ground, and any intelligence I could get would raise my odds of success.

"One, no weapons. If you're packing, turn it over to the guy at the door. They'll still pat you down, but this is gonna go a lot easier for you if they don't find anything when they do. Get me?" I nodded.

"Two." He pressed a button and waited briefly until he heard the click of a latch opening. We passed through a door. "Inside, the man you meet will appear to be in charge. But he won't be the person deciding what happens next."

"So who will be?"

Ian's mouth twitched. "I shouldn't answer that."

"You shouldn't be telling me what you've told me already, should you?"

"Just remember, everyone's got to answer to someone. Three, and this is most important, whatever answer you're given will be final. There's no appeal, no debate." He stopped me, put a hand on my arm. "You hear me?"

"Fine."

"No, Lawrence. Not 'fine.' I'm serious, do not try to get cute. You'll get a yes or a no. You say thank you. You leave." He caught my eye and repeated "You hear me?"

Me and Ian, we go back. Having bumped into him a few months ago, not long after I arrived in Johannesburg, had seemed like just a happy accident. With recent developments, that chance encounter might be a lifesaver. I'd saved Ian's ass a couple of times years back, now I was cashing in all that goodwill. So I didn't deck him for grabbing me.

But I still yanked my arm away hard.

"Small Creatures and Large" in IGMS #33

My fantasy story "Small Creatures and Large" is live at InterGalactic Medicine Show in their issue #33, released today. You can read a preview of the story here for free; reading the whole story requires a subscription to IGMS.

The subscriptions are $15 for six bi-monthly issues and with a subscription you will also have access to the complete back issues of IGMS, including my previous story with them, "The Flower of Memory" from issue #29.

The current issue also includes a very amusing story by Alex Shvartsman titled "Explaining Cthulhu to Grandma." (It's as funny as the title suggests it would be!) There's also a story titled "Thirteen Words" by J. Deery Wray whose "The Butcher of Londinium" was just announced as the winner of the InterGalactic Award based on a poll of IGMS readers.

So, I hope you'll check out the whole preview and maybe buy a subscription; I think it's worth the money. To whet your appetite, here's a preview of the preview, the first three paragraphs of "Small Creatures and Large."

Murzah thinks I don't know what he does at night when the rest of us are asleep. But I'm quiet and I've followed him before, gone to the dirty unused room in our orphanage that he sneaks to when the lights are out. I've watched him cobble together the bits and pieces of his creations. He thinks no one has seen the things he makes but I have and I love him for it.

He almost gets caught tonight going through the halls. An older boy, one of Mother Sharna's guards with his wisps of beard coming in, steps through a doorway which Murzah has just passed by. The guard will notice Murzah in just a moment. I run my fingernails along the wall to make a skittering sound, like a rat or some other vermin making its way through the night. The guard turns at the noise, looks my way. I am deep in the shadows and have crouched down small. He takes a step toward me. I hold my breath as he peers down the hall.

Finally, he shrugs and lets out a low whistle. Amirala, older than Murzah and I but younger by a couple of years than the guard, passes through the same door he had come out. He reaches out, strokes her cheek and runs his hand down her neck, her chest, to her waist. She smiles at him, leans in and kisses him, but she is looking my way and I see the smile is not in her eyes.

"The Barber and the Count" at Beneath Ceaseless Skies

A quick pop-in to let everyone know that "The Barber and the Count" is available to be read for free on the Beneath Ceaseless Skies website. An audio version is also available on their site.

Also, I thought I'd mention that Tori MacAllister has some very nice things to say about my non-fiction eBook "Write Every Day." I've gotten a bit off the horse myself in terms of keeping to a daily writing routine; my intention is to work at improving at this going forward.

Publication Updates: Two Stories Released & Two Editing Projects

I've been remiss in my blogging lately, so I'm going to hit you all with a bunch of updates over the next few days. Tonight I'm going to cover various short fiction releases and related news.

First off, I've had two stories come out recently. My horror story "Welcome to Blackrock" is in the current issue of Black Treacle, a Canadian online publication. This is also the first time I've mentioned this particular story sale on my blog. I was pleased with the turnaround time from submission to publication with this new site.

Next, I've got a crime story "Three Times a Killer" in the first Plan B anthology. If you have read my self-published story "Levels of Trust", you might want to check out this one since it features the same main character, much earlier in his criminal career.

Short Story Sale: "Live from Arcona" to Azure Keep Quarterly

Earlier today I received word that my fantasy short story "Live from Arcona" has been accepted for publication by a new publication, Azure Keep Quarterly. It's slated to be in their first issue, release date not yet specified.

Two Short Story Sales & Two Anthology Releases

I got a double shot of good news a couple of days ago with short story sales to both Nature ("An Alien Named Tim") and InterGalactic Medicine Show ("Small Creatures and Large"). I'm looking forward to the release of both of these stories later this year.

Also, this month, two anthologies in which I have stories have been released.

First was the Sidekicks! anthology, edited by Sarah Hans and featuring, among others, Alex Bledsoe. My fantasy con-artist story "Learning the Game" appears in this anthology. There's also a print edition of this book and if you'd like a copy signed by me, hit me up on my contact form and we'll get it worked out.

Second is The California Cantata anthology, released by Kazka Press. My fantasy story "Counting it Up" was accepted for this anthology before I came on as editor of the monthly flash fiction contests for Kazka. So this may well end up being my last story released by the press, and I'm glad it's available for purchase now alongside stories by other writers such as Beth Cato.

"Getting By" is Live at Roar and Thunder

My dystopian science fiction short story "Getting By" is live today at Roar and Thunder.

"Martha watches out the window as she cleans the dishes. It’s half past moonset. Craig will be coming home soon.

She hears the young ones, the twins, arguing as they play in the back room. It’s the bickering kind of arguing, not the harsher kind that escalates into shoves and kicks. She lets it go, thinking of the times she and her sister Stacy fought as children. Thinking, too, that it’s been over a year since she and Stacy talked. Communicating between the colonies and home isn’t cheap.

Craig is coming down the path towards their homestead. His shoulders are hunched, his suit is coated in grime. But when he comes through the door, he has a smile for her."
(read the rest at Roar and Thunder)

There's a little interesting nugget of information relating to this story. It was the last story I wrote in 2011 and, very specifically, it was written on New Year's Eve. This fact may take on additional relevance after you have read the story.

Short Story Sale: "Private Memories" to Daily Science Fiction

I received word a couple of days ago that my short story "Private Memories" has sold to Daily Science Fiction. I am very pleased by this sale; it will be my second story to run with Daily Science Fiction and it represents my first pro-rate sale for 2013. I don't know yet when it will run, but most likely sometime in the May-June timeframe. I'll post the link here, as always, when the story is available.

First Sale of 2013: "Three Times a Killer" to Plan B Magazine

I got word today that my short story "Three Times a Killer" has been accepted for publication by Plan B Magazine. Plan B is a new crime/mystery semi-pro ezine. As I've discussed before, there's a real dearth of good markets for mystery short fiction and I hope to see Plan B have a long and healthy lifetime. I'm very pleased to have had a story selected for publication by them.

This story relates to another story of mine. The protagonist of both this and "Levels of Trust" is Lawrence Thomas; the two stories are set at very different points of the man's life. "Three Times a Killer" is from when Lawrence was just barely an adult while "Levels of Trust" is set when he is a widower with a young child. I like the character and suspect I'll write a few more stories about him over time.

I've been a bit less-than-industrious about having stories circulating the past few months which has led to a slowdown in sales. I've been trying to be better about that this month and I'm quite happy that it paid off with the sale of "Three Times a Killer."

I'll be sure to let everyone know as soon as it's available to read.

"Back to School" in Plasma Frequency Issue #4

When 2012 ended, I had quite a few stories which had sold but not yet seen publication. So far I haven't sold a story yet in 2013, but as a result of having those pending stories out there from 2012, I've had five short stories released so far in the first 35 days of this year. I'm not going to keep up that story-publication-a-week thing for long, but it's been fun to share while it's lasted.

Today, Plasma Frequency Magazine released their fourth issue and it includes my short story "Back to School." This was one of the first stories I wrote in 2011, when I got back into writing, and it was originally an attempt at sort of a Garrison Keillor vibe with zombie teachers. Yep. Zombie Teachers.

The story got edited a bit here and there along the way, and I don't know if much of the GK sensibility remains, but I'm fond of this little story and glad that it found a home. I hope that you enjoy reading it.

"Taking Chances" Out in Issue #5 of Kzine and Blog Semi-Hiatus

Within the last week or so, issue #5 of Kzine was released. Kzine is a tri-annual publication for the Kindle with science fiction, fantasy, and mystery short fiction originating from the United Kingdom. My mystery story "Taking Chances" is included in this issue along with stories by seven other authors including M. Bennardo.

Also, I'm in the process of trying to get caught up on a variety of things. So, for the month of February, I'll be blogging on an irregular schedule. Basically, if I have news, I'll blog about it. I'll blog mid-month about my February goal progress and I'll blog toward the end of the month to finalize February goals and start March goals. And if I have something I feel like saying, then I'll blog about that, too. But posting will probably be fairly infrequent this month.

I am keeping up with regularly writing and doing other legitimately writing-related work. I'm just trying to get everything properly balanced and it's not always as easy as it sounds.

Best of luck to everyone else working on writing or other goals during February!

ARCANE II and More of The Next Big Thing

Mondays and blogging just aren't working out this month. Apologies for the belated post.

Speaking of Monday posts, they're generally going to be goal-oriented but I really don't have a lot of goal-related news so I'm going to just present a few bits of news here and then skedaddle.

First off, This is apparently the month in which my stories appearing in horror anthologies get released. On the heels of last week's DEEP CUTS release comes the release this week of ARCANE II. In this volume (available for Kindle, Nook, and on Smashwords) my flash-length story "In the Paint" appears.

Also, related to my The Next Big Thing blog post from last week, here are two other writers' Next Big Thing posts. Both of them, as it turns out, are related to the upcoming release of another anthology in which I have a story, Sidekicks!

• Steven Saus writes about a novel project of his in his Next Big Thing post. He is the person behind Alliteration Ink, the publisher of Sidekicks!
• Alexis A. Hunter writes about her story "The Balance Between Us" in her post. Between when I tagged her last week and when she put her own post up, that story was acquired for inclusion in... Yep! Sidekicks!

Seeing as how I originally got into the Next Big Thing blog hop through Sarah Hans' post and she is the editor of Sidekicks! I am sensing a definite theme here.

"Awaiting the Captain's Ghost" in DEEP CUTS & Goal Updates

The horror anthology "Deep Cuts" is live now on Amazon.com. This book includes 19 short stories including my own Civil War-era tale "Awaiting the Captain's Ghost." I've been working occasionally on writing stories which are inspired to one degree or another by English and Scottish ballads such as those collected by Francis James Child. [SPOILER LINK WARNING: Clicking the link in the next sentence and reading about the related ballad will give hints as to where the story is going, in part.] "Awaiting the Captain's Ghost" explicitly references one such ballad, "The Knight's Ghost."

I'm very happy with how this story turned out and looking forward to reading the other stories in the collection. I hope that if you purchase this book (or if you already have it on its way via their Kickstarter effort from last year) that you enjoy the book and my story.

And now, for goal updates! Here's where things stand for January as a whole.

Story Sale: "Learning the Game" to Sidekicks!

A real quick note during my holiday hiatus. I'm pleased to announce that my short story "Learning the Game" has been accepted for Sidekicks!, an anthology of sidekick-themed stories edited by Sarah Hans for publisher Alliteration Ink. This book will be coming out in print and eBook in early 2013. I'll post more details as they become available.