Note: I wrote the following story for the Smarter Artist Pity Par-tay Flash Fiction Contest. It’s a silly story involving some of the people from the Smarter Artist Summit (April 26-27, 2017), and involving a mashup of an item chosen from each of two columns. Apologies in advance to everyone whose name appears… of course this is all a work of fiction, and you’re all awesome. Other than this Celeste person, who is entirely fictional. As is Elliott.
Fiction
Short story: Solid as a Rock
Looking for a short read?
My short story “Solid as a Rock” is available on Amazon now! It’s a lighthearted story of Luke, a homeless veteran, and what happens after his mentor dies unexpectedly.
Special note: This is your first introduction to Luke, but it’s not the last you’ll see of him. He’s going to be popping up in future novels, including a major role in book two of my upcoming time travel series.
I’d love for you to check it out. If you like it, let me know (and it would be wonderful if you post a review on Amazon!)
Hot Wells: in Real Life & in Fiction
Hot Wells is a San Antonio hotel that was built in the last 19th century and counted as its guests people such as Charlie Chaplin and Teddy Roosevelt.
Since that time the hotel experienced at least five different fires and now all that is left is the bath house, the hotel itself long gone. And even the bath house is now mostly a ruin, with walls that defy gravity and bricks piled everywhere. But despite its rundown appearance, it’s a magical place.
Building a Community of Writers in Austin
You can’t go more than about 10 feet in Austin without bumping into a writer. They call our city the “Live Music Capitol of the World” but in reality, I think we have more writers and authors than musicians these days.
Razors and incisors – a short bit of fiction
Tonight I attended a writing meetup at the Austin Zen Center.
After a brief meditation we all wrote for 25 minutes on a prompt. One of the participants unwrapped a small metal sculpture. It was an emaciated figure of man (in the style of the sculptor Giacometti as illustrated here), standing with a rat’s nest of wires jutting out from his head at acute angles, like a bunch of triangles. The sculpture made me think of disturbed thoughts or nightmares, and from that, I wrote the following:
Public Reading – and a Discount!
A public reading! Oh my!
On January 23, from 3-5pm at Malvern Books in Austin, TX, I’ll be one of three authors giving a public reading of my novel By Moonrise.
Joining me are Matt Herron, author of the sci-fi thriller The Auriga Project and Kate Baray, author of several urban fantasy novels including the Lost Library collection. We’ll each read selections from our books and talk a little about our journey to becoming indie authors, followed by a book signing and refreshments.