As a writer for hire I have written marketing copy, fundraising letters, academic papers (I won’t go so far as to say scholarly), and newsletters. My ongoing struggle is the work I enjoy writing vs. what I can get paid for. Thus I shun retirement in order to maintain an income while I continue scribbling out my fanciful tales of fiction.
Published Stories
For a taste of my science fiction, several stories have appeared in small press anthologies. Two stories, Pyrat Rum and The Tenth Gold Piece, appeared in the Giant Tales anthologies published by Professor Limn Books. Others have appeared in the Visions series by Lillicat Publishers. All are available on Amazon.
Building a World Named Y’Kar
Three continents ruled by a once benevolent, now detached oligarchy, have a rich history with numerous parallels to the nations of Earth. A history which is now lost and largely forgotten. A resemblance to the time of medieval Barons is found on elite cities built above the clouds while the common classes pay homage to their “benefactors.”
Stories of Y’Kar include tales before and after the Great Crash, a period of intense activity on Pran, the system’s star. Days of severe bombardment from EMP bursts destroyed every bit of recorded data. On Y’Kar, every bit of art, culture and history had long before been reduced to electronic bits, including holograms of paintings, sculptures and recordings of musical and theatrical performances. All was lost.
The Mist Hotel
Somewhere in the woods near Port Townsend, Washington in the Pacific Northwest is a hotel that goes by the name The Ethery Inn. Search for it online and you will not find it. Call the Chamber of Commerce and they will tell you it does not exist. It is a place reserved for individuals approaching a crossroad; a paranormal setting in a quest for poetic irony.
Leprechauns of County Kerry
Under the mountain peaks running through County Kerry, Ireland, sits the town of DarBrandubh, home to a reclusive band of leprechauns. ‘Tis a bit of country where the wee folk who once tormented the humans of the region have turned inward.
Playscript
“Pursuit” is a full-length drama set at the time of Christ. The story is that of a Roman senator who was once an officer in the army. His order to assassinate every Jewish male under two years old shaped his later life as his peers looked on him with contempt. Now, thirty some years later, one of those children has somehow survived and is causing an uproar among the Jews.