Stories

I’m a multi-tasking kind of person, thanks to my software developer heritage, so I tend to work on multiple stories at the same time. The effect is like having a pipeline full of stories in different stages of progress. Now that stories have begun exiting this metaphorical pipeline, they’re heading for different destinations. I’ve put a few online for free, some are starting to be published in different venues and others are destined to be indie published.

Books

Find out about the books I’ve published, many of which are arranged into different Fantasy or SF series.

	The Jakarta Breach: In a future where technology is out of control, it takes a special kind of agent to protect the world from Zero Day terrorist threats. Pub: May 2023 — 102 pages An Inflection Point story			Bitter Days: Pageeda may be a young, homeless girl living on the streets of Cosaturi, but she’ll do whatever it takes to track down the brutes who kidnapped her older sister. Pub: Apr 2023 — 134 pages A Thousand Kingdoms story
	Clash By Night: It’s 2114 and a traveling exhibition of priceless artwork has gone missing in war-ravaged Brazil. Emily Dunkirk and her band of mercenaries and art historians have a bold plan to rescue the works. Pub: Dec 2021 — 204 pages An Inflection Point story			Road Trip: Rocco Fitch is a disabled, down-on-his-luck Marine vet who got tricked into buying a magical road. Somebody is going to be very sorry they messed with a Marine. Pub: Dec 2021 — 104 pages A Roadwerks story
	The Whispering Voice: Anna Brodie has a problem. She’s got to rob a bank, or a gang of criminals will kill her family. Desperately seeking a way out, she finds help…magical help…where she least expects it. Pub: Nov 2019 — 58 pages			An Unlikely Hero: Malcolm Jameson is planning to throw himself off a bridge when a passing bicyclist stops and hands him a magic book. Unsurprisingly, the book has a considerably different plan for Malcolm. And a bad attitude. Pub: Feb 2021 — 96 pages
	The Rooftop Game: Lydio Malik is the Royal Bodyguard for the infant Princess Analisa. Trapped by assassins, he finds a unique way to hold them off. Pub: Sep 2018 — 140 pages A Thousand Kingdoms story

Anthologies

Here’s a list of the noteworthy anthologies in which my short stories, novelettes, and novellas have appeared. You’ll also find some of the anthologies for which I’ve served as an editor.

	Solar Flare: Seventeen solarpunk stories from cutting edge writers. My contribution is “Dustbowl Detective,” about a futuristic train heist; it’s set in my Inflection Point universe. Pub: Aug 2023 — 280 pages			Fantastic Detectives: Stories about detectives in fantasy settings, from urban fantasies to exotic worlds. My short story is called “Jonelle Crosse,” set in my Thousand Kingdoms series. Pub: Mar 2023 — 440 pages
	The Forever Inn: Stories about a magic bar that randomly appears throughout the multiverse, staying just a few days before moving on. I have two stories in it, “On Fighting Evil” and “Hunting Expedition.” Pub: Oct, 2023 — 300 pages			Restless Spirits: Stories about ghosts and spirits. My story isn’t about ghosts per se; it’s called “Stone Spirits,” set in my Thousand Kingdoms series. Pub: Mar, 2022 — 249 pages
	Black Market: An anthology on the theme of black markets. My contribution is a short SF mystery novel called “Finders, Keepers,” about a detective tracking down a stolen clone before she’s sold on the black market. Pub: Dec 2020 — 371 pages			The Outsiders: An anthology of stories about outsiders, from mysterious strangers to the odd to the mad. My contribution is an unusual fantasy crime story called “Death Comes to Town,” a Thousand Kingdoms story. Pub: Dec 2019 — 350 pages
	Second Round: Stories about a magic bar that appears in different times and places, with Gilgamesh as the bartender. My story is “The Whispering Voice,” about a mother, a deadly problem and a forgotten god. Pub: Jun, 2018 — 300 pages See the full Cover Art			The Curator: Who is the Curator? How did the Curator end up dying in a high-tech cargo container filled with priceless works of art? My story is a military SF heist story called “Clash by Night.” Pub: Dec 2018 — 348 pages Character interviews: Emily Dunkirk and Carlitos Paiva.
	Fantastic Defenders: An anthology of five novelettes about heroes defending against fantastical threats. My story in this book is “The Rooftop Game,” a Thousand Kingdoms story. Pub: May 2017 — 350 pages			Tranquility and Other Myths: An anthology of seventeen short stories, including my own “Winter Roses, ” a short fantasy story from my Thousand Kingdoms story cycle. Pub: Apr 2017 — 269 pages
	Reliquary: An anthology on the theme of relics. My urban fantasy novelette, “Road Trip,” is included. Pub: Jan 2017 — 314 pages Check out the “interview” with Rocco Fitch, the hero of my story.

Free Stories

Enjoy a delightful variety of free offerings, from “On Fighting Evil,” which became the impetus for The Forever Inn anthology; to “The Match,” “Crossing the Chasm,” and “Winter Roses,” which are stories meant to be spoken out loud to an audience; and to “Bullets, Beer & Gear,” which is really a fun add-on to my Inflection Point series.

	On Fighting Evil: Rocco Fitch experiences the weirdest interview of his life in a mysterious inn that shouldn’t possibly exist…but does. A Forever Inn story. Pub: Dec 2016 – 6 pages			The Match: A man engages in an unusual high-stakes wager in order to support his family during the height of the Great Depression. Historical, based on a true story. Pub: Feb 2015 — 6 pages Learn more about Robert Hjort, the star of the story.
	Winter Roses: The young heir to the mountainous Cragenrath Kingdom thought he’d met the love of his life. Instead, he got a lesson in crime, betrayal, magic and revenge. A Thousand Kingdoms story. Pub: June 2015 — 5 pages			Crossing the Chasm: A mighty warrior on a treasure-seeking quest encounters an unexpected ordeal in which his physical skills, weapons and magical artifacts are useless. What, then, is a warrior to do? Pub: Jan 2015 — 5 pages
	Foreclosure: Little Johnny goes trick-or-treating. He’s not the only one. A Halloween story in just 101 words (counting the title). Pub: May 2017 — 101 words			Bullets, Beer & Gear: A free newsletter from Jo Jo’s Ironmongery, a top gun shop in 2114 (actually, it’s a gear compendium for the Inflection Point series). Pub: Aug 2021 — 1954 words