Cover art for the anthology “Fantastic Schools Familiars”
First of all, I got cover credit, so I’m really happy. My short story “Dead Cat Fever” will be featured in the Wisecraft Publishing anthology “Fantastic Schools Familiars.” This is part of a much larger series in which I’m only sparingly represented. I promise you that my protagonist Daphne and her familiar Skinner aren’t nearly as cute and appealing that the pair on the cover, but they’ve been through a lot.
Cover art for “Dames, Derringers and Detectives: Moggie Noir”
My hardboiled detective story “Last Wish of a Dead Man” is now available in the Raconteur Press anthology Dames, Derringers and Detectives: Moggie Noir in paperback and Kindle formats.
The blurb at Amazon says:
In this iteration, Moggie Noir is more than a framework, it’s a mewed.
I feel it is safe to say that we are most inspired by the creative expressions of authors who view genre notes for story calls as a guideline, and who then proceed to stretch the idea like Coney Island saltwater taffy. In this way, we have not been disappointed. The trick is to tug at the theme but still have the recognizable touches that tell the reader this is a noir story rather than a slapstick comedy or big fish story.
So, in this taffy-pulling spirit, we bring you our third Moggie Noir salvo, “Dames, Derringers, and Detectives.” This gritty set of tails will have you rooting for the good guys, hissing at some bad cats, and maybe—just maybe—you’ll see how true love can win in the end.
The publisher said guest editor Rita Beeman adored my story, which is very nice to hear.
In late 1940s San Francisco, private detective Margie Potter has developed a unique reputation in the afterlife. She solves the murders of ghost, sometimes without realizing it. In her first story “The Haunted Detective” featured in The Trench Coat Chronicles, Margie goes up against hardened gangsters to solve the murder of her best friend which occurred years ago and almost ends up as a ghost herself.
Sphinx cat
This was the last place Jani wanted to be, in the middle of a mob outside some ancient…no, not just an ancient building, but a historical one. It used to be the Capitol of the old United States of America, but that was long ago. The nation fell like all of the other empires before it. The ideals of freedom, unity, and courage were consumed by greed, collectivism, and so-called inclusiveness.
She knew better, but only because it was in her history books.
“Come on, Lucifer. We’ve got to get out of here.”
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“Bubbe! Baby chickies!” The enthusiastic three-year-old girl let go of her grandmother’s hand and ran over to the heated glass enclosure. She pressed her palms and nose against it and then pulled back. “It’s hot, Bubbe.”
“It’s okay to look, but don’t scare them, Dani.” The sixty-year-old bent over and put her hand gently on the child’s shoulder.
“Look, a kitty-cat.” The toddler spun to her left when she spied the black feline out of the corner of her eye. Surprisingly, when she zipped over to the edge of the counter to pet it, the cat didn’t even flinch.
“Your cat is amazingly calm,” the grandparent said to the young cashier.
“Yes, and he needs a new home, unfortunately. The former owners had to move and couldn’t take Diablo with them.” The woman’s raven hair was as dark as the cat’s fur.
“Diablo?” The older woman quickly pulled her phone from her purse as her granddaughter continued to pet the cat. “Jim. It’s me. How would you like to give an abandoned cat a new home?”
I wrote this for week #42 of Flash Fiction for the Purposeful Practitioner. The idea is to use the image above as the prompt for crafting a piece of flash fiction no more than 200 words long. My word count is 176.
I admit that the photo didn’t immediately inspire a pulse-pounding, dynamic tale of action and adventure, but I remembered my wife telling me that she took our granddaughter to a local gardening and feed store the other day, and they did have a cat there needing a new home. On a separate occasion, I’ve visited another branch of the same store and saw chicks in a heated case, so I put the two events together.
And no, we didn’t adopt the cat. I made that part up.
To read other stories based on the prompt, visit InLinkz.com. As of this writing, I’m the first to contribute, so please consider adding your own wee tale.
Thanks.
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