I’m thrilled to announce the publication of one of my short stories, An Evening Fire, in Black Sheep: Unique Tales of Terror and Wonder , available on Amazon. I’m very proud of An Evening Fire, a story providing a glimpse of what happens at the beginning of the end.
An Evening Fire is currently slated to be the first story in my upcoming book, After the Second Wave. Hope you enjoy!
I’m thrilled to announce that my short story, The Librarian of Truth, is featured in the latest issue of New Maps. This marks my second publication in New Maps, a quarterly journal showcasing short stories set in an age of limits.
I’m a longtime subscriber and fan of New Maps and appreciate the thoughtful, immersive fiction Nathanael curates. It’s an honor to have my work included.
The Librarian of Truth will also be part of my upcoming short story collection. It follows a librarian searching for answers at a Pennsylvania rest stop in the wake of the second wave. I hope you enjoy her journey!
I’m pleased to announce my second published story, “The Inspector’s Legacy” in New Maps. First in print! The Inspector’s Legacy was one of my initial story ideas. Not the first story I wrote (that was an unreadable story called “Two Birds”), but it prompted me to pursue writing.
Back in the pre-Covid days, I commuted to Manhattan by bus or ferry/subway. While sitting in traffic outside the Lincoln Tunnel, I pictured a member of the working class commuting to post-apocalyptic Manhattan while the elite lived in tall towers. The streets and subways flooded and only the service class used them.
My first job out of college was as a health inspector (actual title: sanitarian); our hero would be one too. I wanted this health inspector to be exceptional; either a quasi-superhero or a bumbling idiot (I chose the idiot). I also wanted to show part of the job; the inspections, the bureaucracy, the conversation amongst other inspectors and employees. A lot of that made the last cut, although I reduced the detail. Turns out most people found it boring. Who knew?
And the story evolved from there. Set in a wet, caste-system Manhattan, with bankers, government officials and a small army of workers providing food, water and power. Our hero, Peter (when I worked in the Health Department, two co-workers, mentors and friends were named Peter), runs into a moral issue he may or may not be equipped to handle.
I wrote it last spring and submitted for consideration to final edition of “Into the Ruins”. It didn’t make that cut, but it was accepted for the inaugural issue of New Maps, for which I am eternally grateful. New Maps doesn’t have an online presence for the actual work; if you want to read the Inspector’s Legacy or any of the other delightful stories, you can order them here.
