Friday, August 3, 2012

"Death Panel" free short story download August 12!

Just a few more days until my first short story is available for free through Queerteen Press!

I want to talk about the brief history of some other stories I have coming up later, too.  It's been really interesting for me to track the journey's of some of these.

"Cane and Able" will be released for 1.99 on 1-13-13.  I wrote this in 2009 and it received an Honorable Mention in the 78th Annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition.  I had only been back into serious writing for a year, and this award was a sign that I was on the right path, and that my writing might actually go somewhere behind my computer.  I will probably make a few minor edits, but for the most part it will remain intact.  Also, my dad was in the hospital when I found out about this.  I got to show him my award, but he never got to witness my first paying short publications, and won't get to hold my books in his hands.  I am glad he saw that I was doing something with my lifelong dream, though.

"Smoke Break" started out as a short story for the writing course I took through Long Ridge Writer's Group.  This was rejected by several editors, and by the comments I received on the last one, I think it's because the story is misunderstood.  I was told people wouldn't think the story is "funny", they wondered why my MC hates someone who he doesn't actually hate, and they asked if a manager would really turn a blind eye to an employee smoking weed in the parking lot.

Yes.

The story is about a bigot trying to convince his co-workers about the upcoming Race Wars, and is not supposed to be funny, but a reflection of some of the screwed up conspiracy theories I have actually heard people talk about in good ole Indiana!

Now "Death Panel" . . . this is a dystopia about a world in which the worst fears of of certain conservative groups come true.  Only 9 more days!