Proposed cover art for the Raconteur Press anthology “Moggie Noir 2.”
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Raconteur Press has just accepted my short story “The Haunted Detective’s Cat” for their upcoming anthology “Moggie Noir 2” (title and cover image subject to change).
The basic requirements are “crime noir” and “a cat.” A moggie or moggy is:
…an informal British term for a cat, especially one that does not have a pedigree or is otherwise unremarkable.
My story involves San Francisco Private Detective Marguerite “Margie” Potter set in the summer of 1948. Here’s a small sample:
Promotional art for the Raconteur Press anthology “The Super Generation.”
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Update: You can now buy The Super Generation on Amazon!
My short story “The Other Place” will be published in the Raconteur Press anthology “The Super Generation.”
Imagine there was a one-time cosmic event that gave certain people superpowers. The event was never repeated and the superpowered people couldn’t pass their abilities on to their children. Only these people in their generation would be the superheroes and villains.
That’s the challenge each author whose stories are within these pages faced. Here’s a small example of my tale:
PHOTO PROMPT © Ted Strutz
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“Sing a Song of Sixpence,
A bag full of Rye,
Four and twenty Naughty Boys,
Baked in a Pye.”
Delbert enjoyed working in the kitchen and pies were his specialty. The retired bibliographer took another sip of wine. It was an excellent Sauvignon Blanc, a bit pricy for a Napa vineyard, but tonight he was celebrating.
He would keep the first steak and kidney pie for himself (his mouth fairly watered in anticipation), but the others he would create before supplies ran out, would be anonymously gifted to the city detectives and FBI agents investigating his string of serial killings.
Cover art for the Alastair Reynolds novel “House of Suns.”
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I just finished Alastair Reynolds’ 2008 science fiction novel House of Suns. The book’s scope in time and space is vast, so it’s difficult to summarize let alone absorb.
Warning: Spoiler Alert!
Hundreds of thousands of years ago, a few individuals including one Abigail, decide the only practical way to explore the galaxy is to replicate themselves (almost) into a vast number of copies or “shatterlings.” Eventually, these shatterlings organize into Houses (such as the House of Moths and the House of Flowers) and inside the Houses family lines, such as the Gentian Line. This Line has emanated from Abigail, a person who was kept in childhood medically for decades before being allowed to become an adult and lead her family.
We get glimpses into Abigail’s early life up to her decision to create the shatterlings and to become one herself. These events parallel what occurs much, much later involving the shatterlings Campion and Purslane.
These two travel with each other albeit in their own spacecraft. Shatterlings, through a combination of relativistic speeds and stasis chambers, travel throughout the Milky Way and only have reunions with the other members of their Line once every “circuit” of the galaxy.
PHOTO PROMPT © Mr. Binks
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“You’re going to love this. Uncle Chun serves the best chicken with oyster sauce.” Mike and his wife had retired and left San Francisco years ago. Now he was helping his daughter Liz move into the City.
“Mikey.” The older man felt a hand on his shoulder and Chun’s voice sounded all too worried. “You and Liz come with me to the back. Hurry, please.”
The two men had known each other for a long time and Mike took Liz’s hand to follow him.
“Daddy, what…?”
They barely made it into the kitchen when the two rival gangs started shooting.
Cover art for the upcoming Blue Planet Pres anthology “Far Futures 3”
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I mentioned a few weeks ago that my science fiction short story “Confluence” will be appearing in a Blue Planet Press anthology. “Far Futures Three – An Anthology of Deep Space” is now available for pre-order at Amazon!
You can read my original announcement for further details including a short sample of my tale.
The book will become available for sale on October 8, 2024 but you can reserve a copy now. Then in October, it will download onto your Kindle device.
Movie poster for “Deadpool & Wolverine” (2024)
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Yesterday (as I write this) I went to see Deadpool and Wolverine (2024) in the theater with my teenage grandson. We had a blast.
Oh, if you haven’t seen the movie yet and want to be surprised, I do not promise a Spoiler free review.
The following is in a flashback while Wade is fighting
With his relationship with Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) on the rocks, Wade (Ryan Reynolds) attempts to join the Avengers around 2018 and interviews with “Happy” Hogan (Jon Favreau) not getting as far as “the big guy” (implying Tony Stark). Hogan turns him down because Wade is motivated by his own needs rather than the needs of others.
In the present day, we see him as a used car salesman alongside his endlessly optimistic “wingman” Peter (Rob Delaney). Wade sucks at that, too but it’s all he has. Wade still lives with Blind Al (Leslie Uggams) and taking his friend home, Peter lures Wade into his surprise birthday party (the guy’s a Merc and would be incredibly difficult to surprise).
PHOTO PROMPT © Jennifer Pendergast
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“We wouldn’t have this infestation if we didn’t make so many parks,” groused Mickey impatiently.
“What, Grandpa?” Fifteen-year-old Lydia stared out the passenger window.
“I said these damn geese are just like people. They’re always in the way, shit all over everything, and if one walks into traffic, all the rest follow.”
“Is it the Olympics or the elections?”
“Both,” he complained. “Everything.”
“You just don’t like change,” she countered with a sly smile.
“I don’t like stupidity and that’s what this is, all of it.”
“They’re almost across the street. “
“Ever taste goose pate?” Mick floored the accelerator.
PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
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“Spanish dancer in green cap. What the heck?” Al set the pen down on the greeting card and envelope trying to work out why Emmie liked this kind of art.
“Looks like some sort of mermaid stuck in the muddy Mississippi to me.” Then after a moment, “Oh, well.”
He picked up the pen and opened the card. After all, it was her birthday and getting her a card he knew she’d like was the least he could do.
Alastair wrote the expected greetings and added a few designs of his own. She’d appreciate the new circles for binding demons.
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