December 24, 2008

Punch Drunk will be appearing in Twisted Dreams.
Autumn on TX-12 will be appearing in Many Midnights.

The year is quickly winding down, but I still have a couple of goals I'd like to meet. The most important thing to me is finishing the novella I've been working on since August. It's 99% complete; now all that's left is to tweak the ending, which has been giving me fits. Second, I'd like to rewrite a story I wrote a couple of weeks ago. This one I feel has potential to be something really special.

Also, this might be the best time as any to talk about my goals for the coming new year. As anyone who has been following my so-far modest career will know, I've been puttsing around in the small press for nearly 5 years. I'd like to think that this coming year will be a break-out year for me, as I have some stories that I think might make a big impact. The challenge, of course, is finding time between work, school, and family responsibilities to get some things done. I just finished reading a biography on the band Nine Inch Nails, which focused a lot on the incredible amount of ambition Trent Reznor had, and his single-mindedness when it came to his work. It was definitely inspirational. So I'm going to try to focus more on my work in the coming year, to spend less time with things that don't pertain to my career, and more time with things that do. Easier said than done, I know, but it doesn't hurt to try.

November 23, 2008

I've been on something of a hiatus lately, with school, work, and family consuming most of my time. But with the semester winding down, work under control, and the kids locked inside their shiny new cages, I'm ready to resume my pursuit of world dominance.

As I've been idle for a while, the only thing new to report is the release of Chimeraworld 5, which includes my short story, Apple Pie & Glory Holes. It's a story that was under consideration at Red Scream when the publication went belly-up. "Apple Pie" is, without a doubt, one of my strangest, most hardcore stories to date. Order the antho and see for yourself:

http://www.lulu.com/content/4731778

September 27, 2008

My flash story, Marbles, will be appearing in the February 2009 issue of Twisted Dreams.

August 2, 2008

Lily's Grave is now up at http://www.killer-works.com/. Check it out, but be warned; even though it was written 4 years ago, it's still one of my most brutal stories to date.

I'm currently collaborating on a story with Mark Zirbel. For anyone who's been stuck in a closet for the past few years and doesn't recognize the name, Mark has stories all over the small press and recently received honorable mention in The Year's Best Fantasy & Horror for his story, "Bags." The tale we're cooking up is going to be a real doozy, too.

Okay, here's where I get to the bad news: My fan fiction story, Conan vs. Rosa Parks, was rejected by the folks at the Versus anthology. It placed well, even making it to the final round of selections, but competition was fierce and the empty slots were few. I've been invited to submit to next year's antho, so maybe I'll send them my back-up story, Galactus vs. Rosie O'Donnell.

July 19, 2008

Just got word that my short story, Lily's Grave, will be appearing in the August edition of Killer Works. This is one of my earlier stories, and in my opinion, one of my best. It's been making the rounds for a number of years now, collecting many a rejection letter along the way. I'm glad it's finally found a home.

I'm still waiting to hear back from the folks at Press 53 about my story, Conan vs. Rosa Parks. Their anthology, VERSUS, which pits iconic characters against one another, sounds like it's going to be something really special.

June 9, 2008

Defense Mechanisms will be appearing in AlienSkin.
Apple Pie & Glory Holes will be appearing in Chimeraworld 5.

Goal for the month: Apply ass to chair.

April 27, 2008

Fifth Grade Hustle will be appearing in Black Heart Magazine.
Yesterday's Assignment will be appearing in Necrotic Tissue.

Apple Pie & Glory Holes has been shortlisted for Chimeraworld 5.

March 23, 2008

Good and bad news this time around. First the good: My short story, Fear of Ovens, was accepted for a future issue of Cemetery Moon. (It will be retitled, Phobia, per the edior's request.)

Now for the bad news. UNTIL SOMEBODY LOSES AN EYE, which would have included my story, Boy Parts, will probably not be published. As anyone who reads my news section from time to time will already know, this kind of thing happens to me all the time. So just for fun I've decided to compile a list of the stories I've had accepted only to find out they would not be published due to the closing of the publication, change of editorial staff, or whatever. Here they are in no particular order:

The Last Captain-- was to be published in Seasons in the Night.
Hold the Ketchup-- Flash Fantastic.
The Executioner-- Red Scream.
Electric Love-- Red Scream.
Golfers-- Chainsaw Magazine.
Country Mike-- Grinderphallus.
Sisters-- Meat Grinder Press.
Sole Provider-- Shadowed Realms.
Defense Mechanisms-- Escaping Elsewhere.
Cauliflower-- On the Night Highways.
Boy Parts-- Until Somebody Lose an Eye.

That's the list so far, and I'm sure it will grow as this is the nature of the small press. On the bright side, some of these stories were eventually picked up by other publishers. Having said that, I've learned that it pays to keep plugging away, and that if a story is good enough it will eventually be published.

Two more stories making the rounds:

Decibels to Weird Tales.
Sisters to Slice.

And two more in the works: Sick John and Before and After the Rain.

February 11, 2008

The Last Captain will be appearing in The Best of Trail of Indiscretion.
Big Top Justice was accepted for OMG! The Book of Awesome Stuff.

As you can see, I still haven't given up on the small press. There are a lot of great people involved in this industry, and I enjoy what I'm doing too much to let the occassional bad experience get me down. So having said that, here's a list of stories currently making the rounds:

Sole Provider to Cemetery Dance
Lily's Grave to Down in the Cellar
Cauliflower to City Slab
Satisfaction to Black Ink Horror
Fear of Ovens to Cemetery Moon
Security to Doorways
Fifth Grade Hustle to Black Heart Magazine
Pollution to From the Asylum

More updates soon!

January 23, 2008

Sold my first poem, Mushrooms, to Aberrant Dreams. I've never been much of a poet, although I do enjoy reading other people's poetry.

January 20, 2008

It's been a while since I updated this thing, so here's a quick rundown of what's been happening (if anyone cares to hear about it).

For now, I'm done with short fiction. After struggling for nearly 4 years in the small press and making very little progress, I've decided it's time to take my work in a different direction. I have a few unfinished projects I'll be spending the year working on. The first is a memoir of my misadventures in the beverage industry. Most of you probably aren't aware that I've worked for all 3 major soda companies, and man do I have some crazy stories to tell. The book is tentatively titled POP PUSHERS: DISPOSABLE HEROES AT THE FRONTLINES OF THE COLA WARS. Pretty snazzy, eh?

Next on the list is USED ADDICTIONS, a comic book about a cigarette butt, an empty wine bottle and a used condom. I have the first three issues completed and several more in the works. As soon as all the copyright stuff is taken care of I'll be selling comics right here on my web site.

So that's it. There are a few other projects I'll be tackling later, including a middle readers book and a sci-fi novel, but for now these 2 projects will keep me busy.

As for fiction, I've had 2 of my previous acceptances dropped due to magazines going under. The editors didn't even have the decency to contact me, which is another reason I'm done with the small press. I've had this happen too many times and I'm tired of being dicked around by inconsiderate people.

I'll keep the site updated with my progress on both my projects. Thanks for reading.