The Boyertown Expression, a local publication, published my poem “The Wind” this morning. I’m sure you’re shocked it features a dog.
Ablution: A new short story on Abyss & Apex
Tonight, I stare into the fog and think of the men I prepared for war today, feeling nothing for their deaths. The young ones spoke only of glory of battle. The old ones saw no glory in killing, just duty. They all believe in a better life, a vision that I no longer share. I strapped both kinds of men on their steeds, buckled the leather harnesses that made the knights one with my dragons. I wished them honor, but saved my prayers for the dragons.
In the April 2021 issue of Abyss & Apex you will find Ablution, a short story I wrote a few years ago and finally found a home.
A Working Dog / What I Published in 2020
My ‘list of what I published this year” and my “most recent publication” list happen to be identical, so…
“A Working Dog”, published by Analog Science Fiction and Fact in the January/February 2021 issue (which came out in December 2020).
Megan had programmed the autonomous collective units to used bird flock dynamics. She’d intended to keep the rabbits from get- ting destroyed by coyotes or cats without in- juring whatever wildlife was in the area.
The rabbits danced. They weaved together in complex patterns, broke apart in two or three groups, came back together, and sepa- rated again. They flowed like a liquid.
Keith ran after them, following program- ming of his own.
A feral cat or a coyote would’ve quit when it got tired. They had the sense to know that burning too much energy on a failed kill left nothing for the next attempt.
Keith was not that kind of hunter.
Other stuff
If you’re more of the User Experience or Design wonk, you may be interested in my list of posts on The Interconnected, where I’ve published numerous articles on UX, Design, and being a human in the internet age.
Poems and short stories!
If you’re a fan of the short story “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, a poem of mine called The Strange Case has just been published in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: The classic tale and an anthology of twists, retellings, and sequels. The Kindle edition is $0.99 and the paperback is $10.99.
If you prefer science fiction tales of multiple universes, my short story “Three Minutes Ahead” is coming out very shortly in Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide Volume 6. This is one of my favorite stories because it’s based very loosely on true events and features a Jack Russell not too different from Chance.
You can preorder the Kindle version now or wait until the paperback comes out.
Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide Volume 6
Two years ago, my story “The Smell of Home,” about an old dog who turned out to be more than he seemed, was published in the 2018 Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide. Last year, my story “The Ground Shifted”, about a teen with a vestibular disorder discovering the source of her problems, was accepted for publication in the Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide Volume 5.
This year, “Three Minutes Ahead” about a young girl who gets premonitions of the future, can see into multiple universes, and lost her service dog, was accepted for publication in the Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide Volume 6.
The Young Explorers Adventure Guide series is middle-grade/young adult science fiction aimed to represent a diverse range of characters and situations. I’ve enjoyed writing for it, and as far as I know all the kids who’ve read it have enjoyed reading from it.
The kickstarter for this year’s volume launched recently and you can preorder/pledge for a copy now.
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(OMG that cover is gorgeous!)