Circling the Void published in Carmina Magazine on 9/16/23

My short story Circling the Void was published in Carmina Magazine on 9/16/23.

I am very excited about this. It’s an example of finding a way back to a story and revising and expanding.

I really started to work on this story, which I only had a kernel for one of Molotov Cocktail’s awesome contests. And then significantly expanded it after getting a close but no cigar from them. So it’s all about revision and persistence and finding the right home and Carmina Magazine’s mission inspired and encouraged me.

This story is also an example of songwriting and fiction coming together since the character Fancy first appeared in MAKAR’s song Fancy Hercules.

I delve into the inspiration and creation of this story in fuller detail in my author note at the end of my story.

http://carminamagazine.com/sept-2023.html

Good Dirt I published in Corvus Review July 2, 2023

Good Dirt I was published in Corvus Review Issue 20 Spring/Summer 2023 on July 2nd. My story starts on page 63.

July 2nd was also my mom’s birthday and this story is dedicated to her and hopefully has a little of her magic.

Good Dirt II appeared in Molotov Cocktail’s Flash Feast Contest, coming in fifth. II is a weird horror companion piece.

Good Dirt was inspired by my paternal grandmother declaring that my parents needed good dirt trucked in.

me and my mom looking alike, velour, baby

Bowery Gothic Reading of Mara (October 30, 2022) - video!

I read my short story Mara for the Bowery Gothic’s Halloween Reading at Von Bar on October 30, 2022.

Let’s go to the video tape! (many of you don’t even get that!)

Throughout my reading, I started to hunch over the mic. I only realized afterwards that the mic stand was falling and as I held onto it and my pages, I started to lean to one side! Ha!

The other contributors were so talented and I loved hearing their pieces. The final reading of the night was of Poe’s The Raven. That was such a funny and unique reading of well know piece. Loved it!

It was so awesome to get back into things, so thankful to have the opportunity.

Please check out Bowery Gothic and have a drink or two at Von Bar.

Mara published in Bowery Gothic

My piece Mara was published in Bowery Gothic on September 1st in their Summer Ghosts Edition VII.

This story was inspired by the original nightmare known as Mara and other names in Time Life’s The Enchanted World’s Night Creatures fable. These were books I inherited from my Welsh grandfather. He had such a wonderful odd library, inspiration galore.

Here is a recent article from Atlas Obscura:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/original-nightmare-demon-suffocation-night-terror

I enjoy telling stories from the perspective of the monsters and having the monsters win.

The Nightmare, Henry Fuseli, 1781. JOHN HENRY FUSELI

 Please check out the entire issue!

A little about Bowery Gothic

Inspired by a reading series at a haunted bar on the Bowery, Bowery Gothic is a literary journal seeking to publish the highest quality literature and art. We look for stories—both real and imagined—that exist in that liminal space: between the seen and unseen; between entertainment and fear. We are excited by work that stands at the threshold and looks into the unknown. We are excited by the sublimity of terror.

We are not interested in gore, violence, or perversion. Instead, send us literary work that transcends genre, that scares us and makes us think: Damn, that was fresh. We are drawn to literature that conjures up tales told by our favorite writers—from Henry James to Kelly Link; Shirley Jackson to Octavia E. Butler—stories that entice, amaze, terrify.

Morforwyn published in The Wild Hunt - Is it safe? Issue # 2

My flash fiction piece, Morforwyn, was published in The Wild Hunt - Is it safe? Issue # 2 on July 28, 2020.

Look at the fantastic art below. Have to ask the editor who the visual artist is.

morforwyn photo.jpg

The Wild Hunt posted on twitter the following sentiment which I think sums up my reason for writing this story.

wild hunt twitter.jpg

Mermaids are not usually thought of as dangerous. Nor is it in the universal folklore that humankind did terrible things to them but of course we did. (That’s if they existed).

I was especially inspired by this cryptozoology I came across about Welsh mermaids. (I am a quarter Welsh and would love someday to visit Wales but who knows now. Some mermaids started out as giants, they diminished as everything seems to do when encountering certain elements of humanity.

Source: https://wildhuntmag.com/theme/andrea-deang...

My short story, Nocnitsa, was published in The Molotov Cocktail today!

My short story Nocnitsa was published in The Molotov Cocktail in their Issue 10.1 today - April 9, 2019!

They called it a “vivid and compelling piece”!

Archived Copy

Inspiration - I don’t remember how I happened across this creature. It may have been while researching nightmares during a relentless insomnia bout. But I was struck by its physiology – an ethereal being composed of smoke and a screeching voice. It caused me to imagine a lower physical body of vapor and sounds, the opposite of a physical self. According to folklore, she could shape shift into a raven, but that sounded too generic to me. I had recently become fascinated with the Vampire Finch, a blood sucker, which seemed more fitting for the Nocnitsa. Then I began wondering what specific kind of rage would make one into such a creature. When your body and everyone else fails you. And out of all that came my story of Nocnitsa.

About
The Molotov Cocktail is an Portland-based electronic literary journal serving as a projectile for incendiary flash fiction of the dark and offbeat variety. We believe flash fiction should ignite on contact and engulf the page.

Check them out on Twitter too.

My short story, The World is Inside, was published in Timeless Tales' Snow Queen Issue

My short story, The World is Inside, was published in the wonderful Timeless Tales’ Snow Queen Issue on December 20, 2016. The whole issue revolves around The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen.

You can read the whole issue here –
https://simplebooklet.com/snowqueen

I went futuristic for this one. I enjoy pushing myself into new genres and short stories are some of the best ways to approach a new genre.
 

A little bit of how / why I approached this fairy tale the way I did -- 
What captured my interest in Andersen’s original tale was how insular Gerda and Kai’s life seemed before the Snow Queen took Kai away. I wanted to exaggerate and emphasize that isolation. For my way into a new twist on an old story, I usually begin with the physical architecture, a visual scaffolding allowing me to build a new narrative. I started to imagine where they lived as two ultra modern high-rises with their communal connecting space as a suspended garden house pod. I’ve always been fascinated by pedestrian bridges and with the idea that they could be retooled as a living space. The original tale is from Gerda’s point of view, so I wrote a story where Gerda was part of the problem and Kai’s need for escape was understandable and necessary.

About Timeless Tales: 

Timeless Tales is a digital magazine exclusively publishing retellings of fairy tales and classic myths since 2013. http://www.timelesstalesmagazine.com/

Be sure to follow them on Twitter  - https://twitter.com/timelesstales1
And like them on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TimelessTalesMagazine

My short story, Mary, was published in Niteblade ’s final issue # 33

My short story, Mary, was published in Niteblade’s final issue (# 33), a sad but awesome honor. This story is inspired by the folklore of Bloody Mary.

Direct link  –
https://payhip.com/b/80nd

Check out the creepy illustration by Marge Simon.

“Flesh is a poor defense against violence.”

“Flesh is a poor defense against violence.”

You can read the entire awesome issue, which is available for purchase in a bunch of handy-dandy formats here – 

http://niteblade.com/home/september-2015/

Thank you, Rhonda Parrish and Niteblade's terrific staff for your amazing curation and editing skills!

And thank you for reading!