“The Voices” was just a natural outgrowth of the voices that seem to come into my head (or out of it) all the time. They are not all as helpful as Billy Thompson’s, but they all have something to say. Here’s the Blurb Billy Thompson knows the voices are real, even if they are just … Continue reading
“Victimless” came from annoyance with the number of television programs I’d seen recently that try to paint convicted criminals who happen to have children as pitiful victims themselves. The push seems to be to stop punishing parents who are criminals because their innocent children will suffer (almost feels like an opportunity for these parents to … Continue reading
Peter looked up from the case at the woman who had just spoken. She had waist-length, reddish-blonde hair that she wore tied back in a braid. The hair framed a smooth face of indeterminate age; Peter had never been good at judging this, but there was something about her that made him feel she was older than she looked. Maybe she’d had surgery to smooth things over, but those intense green-blue eyes were also at once wise and youthful.
Her dress looked like it had been thrown together from a slew of diaphanous scarves, and as she turned and set her lunch bag on a shelf behind the counter, the colors seemed to change as the layers shifted back and forth over each other. It was interesting to watch – a bit too interesting, and Peter felt his face getting hot as he turned his attention back to the case.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t even realize you were there,” he said.
“Hmmm, I do not hear that often. I wonder if I’m losing my charm,” she said. Continue reading
To start off, I am participating in the Smashwords End of Year Sale, which runs today, December 17th, through January 1st. All of my collections, plus Swordsmaster, are available on Smashwords at 50% off!!! You can find Smashwords links to all my participating EBooks on my Current Promotions page. Now, to continue our regularly scheduled … Continue reading
With Christmas a little over two weeks off, it’s time to look at “Sleep with the Snowmen” again. Not all of us are angels, and there are reasons that Santa has a NAUGHTY list and a NICE one. Would Santa really just drop a couple of lumps of coal in a misbehaving boy’s stocking, or … Continue reading
We’re all familiar with the notion that sometimes the wrong people are in charge – through an accident of birth, or cronyism, or plain dumb luck people wind up in charge of underlings who are more qualified, leaving the underlings to question their masters’ intelligence. I thought to explore the idea with servant robots, but … Continue reading
*** My apologies. This episode of Fractured Fragment FRIDAY is being delivered late on SATURDAY because the writer FORGOT to schedule it’s release in advance. Oh, the humanity! I have some personal idiosyncrasies, one of which is a fairly frequent sensation while driving that I am about to be in a collision with a red-light … Continue reading
Halloween is almost here! This is the last time that Fractured Fragment Fridays will promote a story from my themed collection WEIRD, But not TOO Scary Tales (there’s a rather modern mummy in this on.) “Inheritance” came from a combination of grave-robbers, the artifacts AND servants buried in tombs, and a touch of being careful … Continue reading
As Halloween creeps up on us, all of October’s Fractured Fragment Fridays will promote stories from my themed collection WEIRD, But not TOO Scary Tales. “Breathing is Overrated” earned me my second of four Honorable Mentions in the Writers of the Future contest. It started when someone I know was having breathing problems, and the … Continue reading
Since we’re in the witching season, all of October’s Fractured Fragment Fridays will promote stories from my themed collection WEIRD, But not TOO Scary Tales. “Date Night” is a speculative fiction short story with a bit of paranormal romance for flavor. It’s also the third of my four stories that have earned an Honorable Mention … Continue reading
William Mangieri's Writing Page 