Coming Attractions

With April winding down and May on the way, it's safe to say spring is here in full swing. And what better way to spend your breezy, sunny afternoons than with some free fiction?

Three of my short stories are scheduled to greet the masses in the next few weeks, so consider this your spring preview. Each of these stories is brand-spankin' new, never published before, and will be free to read online.

First up: "Captain Bartholomew Quasar and the Momentous First Date" will be available on the 30th thanks to the fine folks at Every Day Fiction. With the Captain Quasar novel coming out later this year, I thought it would be a good idea to write a few more flash-sized episodes to whet readers' appetites. This one features a favorite pose of the captain's, the Consummate Casanova, as he seeks to woo the attention of a reclusive alien princess.

Next will be "Thanks for the Memory," available either this Thursday or next, thanks to the scientific geniuses at Nature. I've mentioned before that Nature is all about "hard" science, so I really have no idea why they published "One Meal a Day" (though I'm very pleased they did). "Thanks for the Memory" takes place in an alternate history during a Great Depression you may recognize, but one that's very different from what you studied in school.

My third forthcoming tale is "Dahlia and the Ronin," available May 12 from another publication specializing in "hard" science, Perihelion SF. As with Nature, this is my second sale to Perihelion, and the editor had some nice things to say about it: "It's an exceptional story. Love the concept and dialog. So many good moments, like Brawnstone offering a dead, raw rabbit to Dahlia. This story begs to be illustrated." For those of you who've read "Dahlia's Feast," this story picks up right after those events. But folks who haven't read the first tale should be able to enjoy this one too.

And in other news, I received word from my editor at Musa Publishing that the sequel to Immaterial Evidence will be out in November. While Immaterial Evidence was more The Maltese Falcon meets Blade Runner, the sequel Yakuza Territory will be more Assault on Precinct 13 meets Die Hard with mandroids and a telepathic suprahuman. Sound good? It will be after three rounds of edits.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled programming...