Obviously, given the parenthesized portion of the title, this one is a nostalgia piece set in the late seventies. It incorporates many of my youthful memories of the local Elks Club, where my grandfather served as steward, and my father and uncle helped out some nights for extra money. I do recall there being some […]
long stories
“Wrestling Ambitions” at Fiction on the Web
My story “Wrestling Ambitions” appears in Fiction on the Web, 21 August 2026. This is my third appearance over at Fiction on the Web, my first since “Nora Naughton” in October 2024. They also published my story “The Weird Family,” which has much more in common with this one in terms of tone and character […]
“1954 Topps Ted Williams #1” at Rundelania
My story “1954 Topps Ted Williams #1” appears in Rundelania #19. I love my story, but I’ll admit, my title doesn’t thrill me. Still, if you’ve ever even dabbled with baseball cards, it should grab your attention. “1954 Topps Ted Williams #1” is set in the early-1990s world of baseball card shows, told from the […]
“Spin Cycle” at The Rye Whiskey Review
I recently made my second appearance over at The Rye Whiskey Review, aka “the Ezine dedicated to all things barroom.” Rye Whiskey is a very active site that typically publishes one to two dozen pieces per month, and they’ve been at it since 2018. It’s mostly bar/booze-themed poems, but also the occasional short story pops […]
“Obedience Training” in Spring Into SciFi: 2025 Edition
I always mention that “Obedience Training” is my dog story. It’s a weird one, sure, but how many of us haven’t wished something akin to my opening line at one time or another: It had been twelve years since they tinkered with genetics and upped the average age for dogs to fifty-six years. Okay, I’m […]
“Spin Cycle” at Lowlife Lit Press
I wrote this story that I really liked; I knew it was good writing, and I found it funny. I also knew it was loaded with filthy language, and comments on its first rejection warned me, women won’t like this story. I kind of thought, well, yeah, they definitely won’t like these characters, because the […]
