My Writing Studio #Metra

I write in fits and spurts in a lot of different locations. I started writing as a way to better use my commute time on the train. As long as I can get a seat on the upper deck, I'm good. There's a golden ratio of arm space to lap space to be had and there's less of a chance of fighting body odor in addition to writers block up here.

Lately I've been using a laptop, but I've been known to use my Gen 1 iPad and Bluetooth keyboard too.

May have to raise my book prices to keep up with the fare increases though.

Guns, Gods and Robots - Content Update

It's been a busy January and February and editing down the first collection is nearing completion. My goal is to really strip this collection down to what I feel to be the best representation of my work over the past year. In doing so, I've ripped all flash fiction out of the collection. I'll keep those on the site. I'm also taking out the Bronze Shade and another ~1,000 word story as they're already available in public spaces.

So what made the cut?

• Numbers 16:32 - Farm horror novella
• A Foothold in the Orchard - crime short
• Popular Mechanics for Young Widows - lovingly remixed novella of a complicated gift given from a recently deceased husband.
• Sangrimal - short story about celebrating your birthday at a wild west era research outpost.
• Virtuous Cycle - sci-fi novella about troubleshooting technology in the 3rd world
• Fighting Weight - short story about the perils of draft dodging
• 3rd Flight - short story about marathoning through the wastelands

Still working through the cover and formatting. I'll share progress as it's made.

74 Degrees and Overcast @FlashFridayFic

After a couple weeks off editing I'm warming back up with some flash fiction. We had a prompt of a person in the rain and the request to highlight a fleeting moment.



74 Degrees and Overcast 

Melinda wanted to focus on all of the loved ones she would miss, or the memories she would lose, or the fact that she would never see her grandchildren again. When that didn't work, she tried to think about the accomplishments of mankind, the entire course of evolution, and the natural wonders of the world. She should have cared about these bigger things that about to vanish, but she could only think about her egg salad sandwich from lunch. She’d only wanted to savor her favorite meal one last time before the end of the world, and she’d run out of paprika.

She tried to make the sandwich without the spice, but one bite of the bland, blobular concoction made her gag. She punched the sandwich and headed outside with her umbrella. Melinda, at least needed see what she could of the asteroid before it obliterated the planet. The emergency signal recording continued to educate her that the object was the size of Texas. It’s didn't say they should seek cover. The voice was resigned to only repeat this solitary fact over and over again. She didn't mind that the world would ended on a rainy afternoon, but that sandwich was infuriating.