Gone Lumberjacking

Even if you're not a complete egomaniac with near term travel plans,  " A Narcissist's Guide to Catalina " still might have something for you.   And of course, if you are a complete egomaniac with bags packed and an island stay on the horizon, yes, there's a mirror on the back cover. And yes, you look fabulous.  Big thanks to everyone at The Tampa Review !

Read my short story " Outside of Cars " in Corium Magazine's Issue 19. I mean, if you want. Just so you know what you're getting yourself into, here's a bit of my correspondence with the editor. "Your story made me very uncomfortable, which means it made me feel something, which is what we look for at Corium. As long as it's well-written, of course! And your story is, so I am happy to publish it." Results will more than likely vary. Artwork by Robert Howell

decomP magazinE has published my short story "Melancholy Cure Prescription Strength". If you'd like to read it, click here .  If you'd like me to read it to you, click here and then click on the little play button near the title. It starts something like this... The screwdriver fails to disengage the airbag, so Anders drives through the old neighborhood to his childhood home and plows into the apple tree in the front yard. His teeth rattle like dice and draw blood, but his head throbs no more, no less from the impact. Fair warning: it's not a lullaby.

NANO's Volume 6 Number 1 features my latest piece of flash fiction, "Grandparents Heart Babysitting". Huge thanks to the editors - certainly for the inclusion, but also, and perhaps more importantly, for their attention to detail, their push to get every word just right. If you like things to read, short things, stories that move you and leave you wanting more, fictional flings, order your copy here .

As defined by Merriam-Webster , noir is crime fiction featuring hard-boiled cynical characters and bleak sleazy settings. Or, when in France (from Wiktionary ): Noir (adjective, masculine)   1. black in color            Ce chat est noir. (That cat is black.)   2. inebriated           Il est noir.* (He is drunk.)   3. of black ethnicity           Il est noir.* (He is black.) (*Not sure how to read the difference between examples two and three, but I'll leave that to the French to explain.) Earlier this year I wrote my first noir piece (see American definition). Black Heart Magazine was kind enough to publish it. Robert Howell was kind enough to create a cover. My thanks to you both.  Here's the first sentence: --> I followed the man who’d punctured a hole in my arm into the ...

Time's up! After months of what could be called working, Tom Vadakan & I are pleased to announce the launch of our web-comic series "Los Desperados". Please check it out and, by all means, if you like what you see, subscribe to it and share it with a friend. We've posted four pages to get things rolling. A new page will magically appear every Wednesday. If you're a first timer to the site, click on the image of the vintage trailer in the upper right-hand corner, and we'll promenade you to the start. www.losdesperadoscomics.com

My micro-story, "Warning", has surfaced on Monkeybicycle . I will leave you to wonder about its inspiration.

My flash fiction with the un-flash name has been published by Everyday Genius . cover by Robert Howell Notes/acknowledgements: Fictional apartment building located near non-fictional city dwelling of Charlie Walter and Christine Farren. Interior decor of Bethany's flat inspired by The Selby is in your place . Dorian's perspective on cats lifted wholesale from Matthew Barbato. (Thanks, Matthew. I know I should have asked first.) No one writes in a vacuum.... Between Green and Union On a Day That is Sunny All Day

The sale is over. But a good story never dies. Especially on the internet. To those who purchased the 3:2 issue of Echo Ink Review , you should know that I have always appreciated your rapier wit, your singular sense of integrity, your strong chin. Always. For those who didn't purchased the aforementioned literary magazine but are curious enough to spend  two minutes to get to the bottom of this "Bric-a-brac" thing, here's your chance. The editor of Echo Ink Review called it "Scandalous." What will you call it? cover art by Robert Howell Bric-a-Brac by Dan Lundin  She may be confused as one, but Audrey is not a kleptomaniac. While her urges are irresistible, the items she steals are never trivial and the theft is always obsessively well-planned out. She is not a thief either, not exactly. A better label would be theft addict, a criminal who steals not for profit but for social gain, one who rationalizes her illicit hobby with feeling...

This is a tease.  This is only a tease.  The comic will be here soon, promise. And well worth the wait. Character Design: Tom Vadakan Script: yours truly

Old short stories can offer a glimpse of past perspective, but they aren’t exactly diary entries. They’re more akin to tattoos, the best ones bookmarking the past with hints and suggestions. (No dog-eared pages here.) “Tell Me” was published in Robert Howell’s Nails some years ago. The second half of it is below. The first part you don’t get. Not on this site, anyway. The first part is like those certain below the belt tattoos; in order to set your eyes on it, you’ll need to get me drunk.     "Tell Me" Part 2 In the alley now. Going down St. Peter. Keeping her company, the sound of her boots,  clack-clap, clack-clap, clack-clap , a passing police siren echoing through the street, clack-clap, clack-clap, clack-clap , a rooftop gutter releasing its bowels, clack-clap, clack-clap, clack-clap, duel pissings from a man too drunk to see, one of urine, another streaming from a phobic subconscious set loose from its tethers by so much narcotic, clack-clap, clack-clap,...