This weekend was a holiday for the U.S. but that’s not my excuse. Writers don’t get holidays…
fiction
Dispatch
They could not have predicted our return from the Beyond. A deep past they’d gathered only dim reflections of. Our purpose? To herald their greatness…
The Caretaker
An encounter in a remote campground leads to the unraveling of one man’s reality…
Could She Wear Their Skin
The station opened her eyes.
Machines whirred, the only sign of life in a still world. A beep filled the air like a delicate bell. It would sound again inside her for another summer, untended by her crew…
Writing Update – 2021 The Year of Short Stories
Picking through the rubble of 2020 has led many to reflect on their current situation, self included. For some, it meant leaving their job. Starting a new career. Exercising more mindfulness. A little quiet contemplation in a (hopefully) more serene environment…
Alter Ego
Jackie asked to dye her hair orange during the summer of seventh grade. Her father stared, mouth half-open, eyes seeing through her for what seemed like a long time. But he finally agreed with a silent nod…
Aurora
An unwitting test subject sheds their skin to become their true self. Meet Aurora, superhuman, Augment, but no hero…
Fat Man and Little Boy
Another one from my short story collection, Empty Quiver. The gritty superhero world of Crimson Son is dark here as I continue to critique our notions of heroism and examine the human shortcomings of those we bestow that name upon.
I often worry my work is misunderstood. That instead of asking people to critique the darker sides of society, they believe I’m celebrating it. Nuance seems to be a thing lost to humanity lately. As always, I’ll let you decide.
The ‘Cane Train
From my short story collection, Empty Quiver, based on my Crimson Son superhero universe. A word of warning – my comic book characters provide little escapism. They are dark products of war and conflict meant to offer a sobering look at ourselves and not a glimpse into a bright-eyed world of heroism. Reader (and listener) discretion is advised…
Change!
This story of mine was published earlier this year with The Junction, a Medium publication. It ended up getting very little exposure and was one of my last times to publish on that platform. Medium was an interesting experiment in the democratizing of publishing, for a while. Then, it seemed to become like every other algorithm-driven story platform where controversy, prolific posting, and glomming onto trends became the only means to achieve visibility. I’m terrible at all that. And as this story shows, following trends of any kind might not always be the best policy…
