Asimov's Find in Deadwood

I never stop reading. When Crissy and I were in Deadwood recently, we stopped at an antique shop on the edge of town. In their musty basement I found a treasure trove. Not the vintage Weird Tales I often daydream about finding, but something more contemporary: someone's collection of 1980's and 1990's era Asimov's Science Fiction. I cherry-picked a few issues, looking for certain names I recognized. I'm not really a sciend fiction story at all, but I notice the editor always included a story or two that fit my description of weird or fantastic fiction. Among the best stories so far: tales by Tanith Lee and (the always unusual) Avram Davidson. My absolute favorite is "Jenny" by Melanie Tem. A high impact story about a rural family's escalating sorrow following the loss of a family member, it stayed with me long after I'd finished reading it. I'll definitely be looking for her name again.


And I'm sure the box is still there, if you want to grab a few issues for yourself.

Another Busy Week! New Links

HERE is a review from a reader in Georgia who enjoyed my short story collection and even compared my writing to that of Joe Hill! That makes my week!


If retired blue-collar sheriff Grant Bradley thinks he feels uncomfortable getting his hair cut in a fancy hair salon, wait until he finds out what happened to the customer who was there before him!

HERE is a direct link to my mystery, "Monday Mourning at the Curl Up and Dye". Now available to read for free at Over My Dead Body!

"It was an honor just to be nominated." We've all heard that before, but it's true. Although another deserving title (Shadow Show) won the Bram Stoker award for outstanding achievement in an anthology, I am proud that Slices of Flesh was also on the ballot. My story "How to Make A Monster" is included, along with several dozen other excellent flash fiction stories. The list of authors reads like a who's who of horror and I'm fairly certain I am the least-known of all contributors! HERE is a link to read reviews or order your own copy of Slices of Flesh.

I always want to remind potential readers of my debut collection, Bedtime Stories For Carrion Beetles. Nineteen stories of mystery, horror, supernatural suspense, and the weird West. There's even a sci-fi story that is being made into a short film by a local filmmaker, a steampunk mystery that landed me on the cover of Big Pulp, and a humorous short story that one editor said reminded him of Neil Gaiman! You can order a quality paperback or in Kindle format HERE

Just sold a very esoteric story based on a dream I had to Robin Wyatt Dunn at Chrome Baby. To quote the editor: "This is an astonishingly beautiful story I would be honored to publish." You don't hear that every day! (Well, I don't, at least.) Currently slated for their August online issue. More details and a link to follow.

Also upcoming: Coin Return in Woman's World, Coke Mule Deer in Diabolic Tales III, and Reynolds' Tale in Darker Edge of Desire. Thank you to the editors of all three publications for purchasing my work.

Several others under consideration, a couple of which are short-listed, and two new story ideas percolating in my brain. 2013 is shaping up to be an exciting year!

Five Exciting Links Today!

HERE is a link to a review I posted for Royce Prouty's novel Stoker's Manuscript. I gave it four stars and enjoyed it very much.

HERE is a review of Gunslingers and Ghost Stories. My story, "Ghost Soup" is included and mentioned positively in the review (which I did not write!)

HERE is a direct link to my debut short story collection, Bedtime Stories for Carrion Beetles. Nineteen tales of horror, mystery, supernatural suspense, and the weird West.

HERE is where my mystery "Monday Mourning at the Curl Up and Dye", will be posted very soon (some time this week, I believe). Just approved the final copy today. 'Sexting' leads to terrible consequences in a beauty salon in this short story.

HERE is where you can purchase Morpheus Tales: The Best Weird Fiction, Vol. 3. My story, "A Good Game", shows what happens when two kids use Haitian voodoo to spice up their downstairs playtime. It's nice to share a TOC with Eric S. Brown, Aaron Polson and the late Joseph D'Lacey, and a great group of international horror writers.

Hopefully readers will find something they like among today's blog selections.

Next time around, I'll recap my UPCOMING APPEARANCES and review the latest issue of Cemetery Dance.

Mini-Mystery Sold to Woman's World

A few days ago, one of my oldest trunk stories was rejected by a non-paying market. I really like the story, but I can't find an editor who agrees. So I had a moment where I thought to myself: "I can't even give my stories away!" Luckily, the feeling soon passed.

The next day, I received a letter from Johnene Granger, Fiction Editor of Woman's World. She offered to purchase a mini-mystery I wrote for her consideration. "Coin Return" is slated to appear in the July 25th issues of Woman's World. The story is 700 words. Purchase amount: $500. I carefully read the contract and signed it with a big grin.

The biggest difference between the stories? I wrote Coin Return in 2013. I wrote the story rejected by the non-paying market back in 2010, and revised it in 2011. I learn something new about writing every week. I like to think each new story is a little better than the last. Perhaps this recent achievement is proof that my writing is improving.

I am pleased to note that Woman's World's circulation is listed at 1.6 million. I missed with them three times. The fourth story sold. I have already written three more mini-mysteries for their consideration. I plan on writing one new submission every month. You can bet I'll let you know if I sell another one.

In other news, two other stories I've written have been short-listed by markets that I love. One is a highly-regarded horror magazine, the other is the newest anthology from my favorite small press. Sending positive thoughts for both stories, but in the meantime, I've completed three new stories in the last six weeks (a torrid pace for me) and have roughly outlined two more.

Onward!