Ebooks

"Salvaging Scottwell"

Max woke up inside his kennel, unplugged his tail from the wall, and ran an automatic systems check. Recharging his battery had taken a half-hour longer than last month. He connected to the BigDog network so that he could send an error report about the battery. The automated reply told him that his error report had been filed, and a handler would contact him if any further action was required. The last handler contact recorded in Max's memory log was three years old. He limped to the door of the jailhouse. His right third leg had broken down two years ago. It had taken three weeks for his movement pattern to functionally reform, but he still limped. His speed was a fraction of his original specifications. His right second leg couldn't provide the same motive power. It had been designed for stability, not speed. He stepped out into Scottwell neighborhood to begin his patrol. His tail wagged once. Scottwell was more than just the neighborhood that he guarded; it was as much a part of him as his paws. When he kept himself and his neighborhood protected and well-maintained, he was a Good Boy. His tail drooped. He hadn't been a Good Boy for a long time. Read more on Amazon.

This story was first published in Jim Baen's Universe.

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Sky-Tinted Waters

Sky-Tinted Waters is an anthology of 20 tales from local Minnesotan speculative fiction authors, ranging from debut talents to established professionals. It includes my science fiction short story, "These Things Take Time."

"The coffee's weak," Mark said. It came out more accusatory than he'd intended, but Lily had become quite inconsiderate recently. On top of the smaller things, like making the coffee the wrong strength, she no longer asked about his day, complaining about her work problems instead. Of course, if she had asked about his day, he would have lied. She still believed he was working extra hours at the office. He didn't dare tell her about the project that was truly taking up his time. Read more on Amazon.

This story was first published in Emerald Tales.

Buy:
Smashwords (all ebook formats)
Amazon (Kindle)
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Stories Available to Read Online

After all the Others had gone, leaving the hillside strewn with trash, the People came out. Rocks shifted, rattling as if they were in a pan of boiling water. Stones rolled to a clear spot and began to rock back and forth like violently hatching eggs. Limbs extruded themselves, unfolding with the screech of nails on a chalkboard. They rose out of the hillside, from under trees or next to streams, from the very path that tourists had tread on earlier that day. Read more.

"Gone Huntin'," in The Washington Pastime (free to read)
This is a heartwarming literary story, a bit of a departure for me! I wrote this as a make-it-yourself Christmas present for a Wisconsin relative who hunts.

The man stamped his feet hard against the stoop when he stepped outside of his cabin. It was an hour yet before sunrise and cold enough that his breath frosted the air, hanging white against the dark of the trees. Even through the layered flannel shirts and down jacket he was wearing, he felt the bite of winter. Shouldering his rifle, thermos in hand, he walked through the woods to his stand. Birds' sleepy chirps fell silent when he walked by, twigs snapping under his boots. There was just enough light for him to make out the path. When he reached his stand and climbed up the ladder, he saw fresh claw-marks from the black bear that roamed in the area on one of the trees nearby. They shone white against the dark tree bark. He was glad for his rifle. Read more. Also available to purchase in print as part of The Washington Pastime Collections Anthology Vol. 1.

"Good Help is Hard to Find," in Bosley Gravel's Cavalcade of Terror (free to read)
Read or listen to my podcast of my super-short horror story, "Good Help is Hard to Find," to learn the secrets of successful marriage. Warning: graphic violence.

The man rising from his haunches shook his hands clean with an elegant, deadly grace, sending splatters of congealed blood to strike the wall and slowly ooze down. He wore leather gloves with shadows of old stains still obvious on them. Read more.

"A Phoenix By Any Other Name," in Short-Story.me (free to read)
A science fiction parable about the dangers of getting what you wish for, this is one of my earliest stories. It's also a quick read.

The tall, well-dressed customer smelled of wealth, power, and expensive cologne. Bruant, dealer in "Rare and Exotic Animals Imported from the Hinterworlds," knew who he was instantly. On the small, but exclusive, satellite Newfortun, Jahan Lupant III was the richest man anyone could name, though most looked uneasy and fell silent when asked how he made his fortune. Read more.

Stories Available to Purchase in Print

From Their Cradle to Your Grave includes my reprinted short story, "The Perfect Costume." This horror anthology is all about tales of terrifying tots, toddlers through teenagers. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but doesn't that sound like a great gift for the new parents in your life?

Marc likes vampires. A lot. One Halloween, he thinks he's found them. That's when everything starts to go bad.... Excerpt: This Halloween her son was ten--almost eleven--years old. She planned to make sure that Marc had a truly wonderful Halloween before he was too old to fully enjoy it. Although all the other years he had made do with a costume bought second-hand from Salvation Army, or from the half-price rack at Wal-Mart, this year she wanted to make him the perfect costume. This year, he would have a perfect Halloween. She was disappointed that Marc didn't want a Halloween party for his friends. She wasn't aware that he had no friends, that he sat in the classroom isolated from all the friendly conversation and joking that surrounded him, that during lunch he sat alone and read one of the vampire novels he had smuggled out of the library when his mother was looking the other way. She didn't approve of young children (as she thought of Marc) reading dark stories like that. When he was little, she read him only the sanitized Disney fairy tales. Marc didn't like them. He didn't like any fairy tales until he discovered an old version of the Brothers Grimm's fairy tales. He much preferred "Cinderella" when the evil stepsisters sawed off their toes and heels with a knife in an effort to fit into the glass slipper, when they were forced to dance in red-hot iron shoes at Cinderella's wedding. He laughed when he read "The Three Little Pigs" and found that the first two pigs didn't escape their substandard homes but got eaten by the big, bad wolf. He approved when the wolf got boiled to death by the last pig, instead of making friends with it. Although Marc thought "The Little Mermaid" was still a sissies' story, he liked it much better after he read the version where the mermaid felt like she was walking on sharp knives the whole time she was human, and where she died in the end. It felt right. His favorite fairy story of all was called "The Goosegirl," and he loved it because of its bloody, lyrical beauty. Read more in From Their Cradle to Your Grave.

"These Things Take Time," in Sky-Tinted Waters (buy at Sam's Dot Publishing)
(Originally published in Emerald Tales)

Sky-Tinted Waters, an anthology of 20 tales from local Minnesotan speculative fiction authors ranging from debut talents to established professionals, is now available for purchase from award-winning small-press publisher Sam's Dot Publishing. My short story, "These Things Take Time," (previously published by Emerald Tales), is among the selected.

"The coffee's weak," Mark said. It came out more accusatory than he'd intended, but Lily had become quite inconsiderate recently. On top of the smaller things, like making the coffee the wrong strength, she no longer asked about his day, complaining about her work problems instead. Of course, if she had asked about his day, he would have lied. She still believed he was working extra hours at the office. He didn't dare tell her about the project that was truly taking up his time. Read more in Sky-Tinted Waters.

"Gone Huntin'," in The Washington Pastime Collections Anthology Vol. 1 (buy on Lulu)
(Originally published in The Washington Pastime online)

This is a heartwarming literary story, a bit of a departure for me! I wrote this as a make-it-yourself Christmas present for a Wisconsin relative who hunts.

The man stamped his feet hard against the stoop when he stepped outside of his cabin. It was an hour yet before sunrise and cold enough that his breath frosted the air, hanging white against the dark of the trees. Even through the layered flannel shirts and down jacket he was wearing, he felt the bite of winter. Shouldering his rifle, thermos in hand, he walked through the woods to his stand. Birds' sleepy chirps fell silent when he walked by, twigs snapping under his boots. There was just enough light for him to make out the path. When he reached his stand and climbed up the ladder, he saw fresh claw-marks from the black bear that roamed in the area on one of the trees nearby. They shone white against the dark tree bark. He was glad for his rifle. Read more in The Washington Pastime Collections Anthology Vol. 1.

"The Radiator Burped," in A Big Book of Strange, Weird, and Wonderful (buy on Amazon)
Ever wondered about the things that go "bump" in your apartment? This humorous horror story has the answer.

Eric chewed on his pencil as he re-wrote his ad. GPM seeks N/S housemate(s) for spacious two-bedroom . . . but he didn't want a pair of newlyweds. If he wanted cooing doves, he could have gotten them from his second-to-last boyfriend, the pet store owner. None of the respondents to his last ad had seemed quite right . . . in the head. "Hi! This is Eric. Please leave a message after the beep." "Beep. I have two cats, a ferret, and a bunny-rabbit. Is that okay if I putdown an extra deposit? The place sounds fine and so do you. You know, if you're lucky I might even bring a hamster." Read more.

Full Bibliography

Published short stories:
* "Ekaterina and the Firebird," in Tor.com, pub date forthcoming.
*"The Perfect Costume," (reprint) in From Their Cradle to Your Grave, January 2013 (buy on Amazon)
* "Salvaging Scottwell" (reprint), Kindle (buy) and Smashwords (buy) editions, December 30, 2012.
* "Warmth in the Cold Time," in The Again, September 2012 (free to read).
* "The Miracle Material," in Eulogies II: A Horror World Anthology, pub date forthcoming.
* "The Perfect Costume" (reprint), in Best New Vampire Tales (Vol. 2 or 3, TBD), pub date forthcoming.
* "These Things Take Time" (reprint), in Sky-Tinted Waters, May 2012. (buy)
* "Gone Huntin'" (reprint), in The Washington Pastime Collections Anthology Vol. 1, May 2, 2012.
*"The Radiator Burped" (reprint), in A Big Book of Strange, Weird, and Wonderful, April 1, 2012.
* "Gone Huntin'," in The Washington Pastime, February 12, 2012 (free to read).
* "Good Help is Hard to Find", in Bosley Gravel's Cavalcade of Terror, August 25, 2011 (free to read or listen to).
* "The Radiator Burped" (reprint), in Northern Lights (print anthology, click through to purchase), September 1st, 2010.
* "These Things Take Time," in Emerald Tales, Volume 2 Number 2, April 2010 (out of print).
* http://twitter.com/thaumatrope/statuses/8159537369, Thaumatrope, January 24, 2010 (free to read)
* "A Phoenix By Any Other Name," Short.Story.me!, December 12, 2009 (free to read)
* "Salvaging Scotwell," Baen's Universe, December 2009
* "Periwinkle Eyes," Art Times Magazine, March 2009
* "Blood for Oil" in the Fall 2006 issue of Allegory Magazine, formerly known as Peridot Books. Issue available as $2 PDF here.
* "Waiting" in the April 2003 issue of AlienSkin Magazine
* "The Perfect Costume" in the October/November 2003 issue of Dark Krypt

Published non-fiction:
* "The Nitty-Gritty of Copyright" in Writing-World, Issue 11:04, February 17, 2011 (free to read)

Audio readings:
* The Circus of Brass and Bone by Abra Staffin-Wiebe, an ongoing post-apocalyptic steampunk serial (free to read or listen to).
* "Black Swan, White Swan" by Eugie Foster, in PodCastle, November 11, 2011 (free to read or listen to).
* "Good Help is Hard to Find" by Abra Staffin-Wiebe, in Bosley Gravel's Cavalcade of Terror, August 25, 2011 (free to read or listen to).