Recently published stories:

• My First Cosplay  (published July 17, 2016)– How would aliens handle the ?dressing up? part of Hallowe?en?
• Forget Me Nots (published July 25, 2016) A countdown to the end

I?ve noticed that some writers like to keep tabs on how their year as a writer is going. I?ve never done that before, but the ones I see doing it are ones that seem more committed to writing, so I figured that was good company to keep. Here we go!

Short stories I?ve written so far in 2016 (1,500 – 4,500 words each):

• Death vs Taxes – why does the IRS want to meet the Grim Reaper?
• The Curator – a diligent zookeeper is trying to save a nearly extinct species, but both of his last two humans are male
• The Wind Wasn?t Right – Deep space accident investigation leads to a fry cook in Hong Kong
• Sylvester Down – A luxury yacht travelling out past the moon is attacked.
• Graceful Degradation – everything fades: songs, books, photos, memories?
• Zeus Beheld – So the Greek Gods went on a five year voyage around the galaxy, but didn?t understand time dilation, and return 3,400 years later.
• Dee for the Win – A young man tries too hard to be the best racer in his village.
• Plus I have opening lines or scenarios for 15 more.

New short stories on this site (100-word ‘drabbles’)

• The Devouring – a different kind of first contact (presented as a poem).
• Hail to the Chiefs – You might not want to be president.

I decided to self-publish Sylvester Down, The Wind Wasn?t Right, and The Curator on my own site for various reasons (I’m not happy with The Curator, so it might disappear). Zeus Beheld is a little too silly as written to show anyone anywhere. I?ve withdrawn Death vs Taxes from submission because I feel that it needs a re-write but I?m not sure yet what it needs. Graceful Degradation, The Devouring, Hail to the Chiefs, My First Cosplay, and Forget Me Nots have all joined last year?s stories The Maiden Voyage of Novyy Mir and Last Breath Day in the slush piles of various publishers.

I just wrote Dee for the Win this morning (4,000 words in one sitting, which is really good BTW), so it?ll percolate for a while, then I?ll take a second pass at it. I expect I?ll put it up on my site. It?s good to have some writing samples here.

Status on my Work in Progress (aka WiP, the novel, Tau Ceti). I?ve made major revisions to the first seven chapters, am tightening up the middle – adding a bit more beef there, too – it need a bit more danger. Generally happy with the first ten chapters, and the last six or seven. It?s the ten in the middle that are getting worked over now. But sometimes I have to wait to figure out what?s needed and how it impacts the rest of the story.