I’m pleased to announce that the May 2013 issue of Penumbra Magazine is out. They put together a fantastic ocean-themed issue. Included in the shimmering depths is my story “Uncommon Ally”. I’ll be sharing a TOC with authors such as Beth Cato, Lane Robins, Lindsey Duncan, Elizabeth Porter Birdsall, B. Morris Allen, and Helen Jackson. Also, there’s outstanding poetry in the issue courtesy of Wilda Morris, Rie Sheridan Rose, and John Deakins.

“Uncommon Ally” is sort of a Jaws-in-reverse piece. If you like sharks, or they interest you, give it a spin.

As always with Penumbra, the artwork is fantastic:

In other writing news, I’m working with my agent on edits for the novel. Hopefully it will be out the door soon.

My fantasy/horror tale “Lost Branch of the Silver” has been accepted for the October issue of Bards and Sages Quarterly.

This is probably one of the more Lovecraftian stories I have written. Lovecraft always did such an amazing job of body-snatching stories, and that influence is felt deeply in “Lost Branch of the Silver”.

Baird worked his way down the steep slope, going to all fours in order to reduce speed. The terrain was treacherous, and he was thankful for the numerous deadfalls and twisted trees which stopped his momentum. His father was right about one thing: Baird had never seen woods like these. It was as if each tree had been spun by brutal winds, each affected in its own space and set in ways that contradicted the other trees.

Those of you interested in psychedelic mushrooms, protests, and corrupt governments may want to give it a read. Also, the fine folks at Interstellar Fiction fired a few questions at me.

The sun seared them, launching cavalcades of crooked and staggering pagan monsters down its shards, unfurling and unloading the energy upon the turbulent city. Rin heard faint moaning and elongated pronunciations in the wind, as if urging him on. He blinked, stopping the hallucination, which wasted no time in starting again. Or so he thought.

It is with pleasure that I announce the sale of my short story “Uncommon Ally” to Penumbra Magazine. “Uncommon Ally” will appear in their May, 2013 Ocean issue. If you like your beaches post-apocalyptic and with a surf-carving dorsal fin, you may want to pick up a copy. According to Penumbra’s excellent editor, Celina Summers, competition for this was fierce. As fierce as a great white shark? Probably not. Celina also informed me this was Penumbra’s biggest issue yet. How fitting that the theme is a substance that covers 71% of the Earth’s surface.

The inspiration for this story came from finding shark teeth along the beaches of the east coast. Always fascinating for a young boy.

I’m very pleased with these last two acceptances. It’s been a rough winter-one of the roughest I can remember. Not to mention I started my winter in early October by camping in the Northern Rockies. I was eating off snowy picnic tables and boulders. But the weather isn’t exactly why things have been rough…more like sick or passing pets (Thor). Either way, we must forge ahead.

A few people have asked me for a photo of the office, and I suppose every writer should have an “I’m at work” photo, so here it is, beard and all. Thanks for reading, and here’s to a healthy, warm spring.

I’m pleased to announce that my short story “Krieger” has been accepted for the April 2013 issue of Interstellar Fiction Magazine. There’s lots of action in this one, a bit of psychedelia, and even a laser gun, so stay tuned….