Stories

Exodus    |    Almost Home    |    The Face of the Deep    |    An Expected Chill

---

“Exodus”

Published in November 2020 in the Vintage Worlds 2 anthology from Founders House Publishing, “Exodus” is an old solar system-style tale set on Mars. For those of you unaware, the old solar system is that shared world from the golden age of science fiction, where our friendly neighborhood planets—Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, and so on—sported, as often as not, breathable atmospheres and fun and fascinating flora and fauna. It was a world in which the non-Earth planets of our solar system where not lifeless rocks but instead vibrant, unique worlds chock full of aliens and adventures, and home to some of the better stories our SF authors of old could tell.

I joined that shared world for this story and spun out a tale I’m pretty proud of, featuring a single lonely human, Alinda, living and learning among the Dekari, a cultured race of hulking Martian beasts who communicate by touch and telepathy, build cities out of stone, and abide by elaborate religious beliefs. The story opens first in injury, then plunges into mystery, and ends in a series of revelations. I expect to explore this character and setting in the future, so prepare yourself with a thorough reading of “Exodus.” You can preview the story’s opening in my blog post here and you can ready the full 17,000 story, just shy of novella length, in Vintage Worlds 2, either through purchase at Amazon, by special order from your local bookstore, or by purchasing direct from Founders House Publishing.

---

“Almost Home”

Published in the Summer 2020 issue of Into the Ruins, this story unravels from an unexpected murder on a mid-twenty-first century ranch in eastern Washington. As the sudden violence threatens to tear apart the ranch’s small community, the ranch’s owner, Luce, struggles to hold it together while navigating the implications of her own relationship with the murderer. Set against the backdrop of a nation in the throes of a growing domestic insurgency and a plummeting standard of living, “Almost Home” explores the impacts of violence on individuals and communities while weaving together themes of hope and betrayal, and illuminating the thin threads that hold our lives together.

Want a preview? Visit this blog post for a bit more information on the story, as well as its opening scene.

“Almost Home” can be found in print by purchasing a copy of the Summer 2020 issue of Into the Ruins either at the Into the Ruins store, by special ordering at your favorite bookstore, or by purchase at Amazon. It may also be found in PDF format by purchasing the full digital edition of Into the Ruins: Summer 2020 at Payhip.

---

“The Face of the Deep“

Plunged into grief by the loss of his wife, James tends a small plot of land in a rural farming community while struggling to make sense of his life in the wake of his wife’s death. A series of strange occurrences sets his world into mystery as he works through memories of his wife, their relationship, and his own sense of failure. Run through with threads of suspense, magical realism, and the supernatural, “The Face of the Deep” provides readers with a tale of grief and the hauntings of a mysterious, unknown world.

“The Face of the Deep” is currently available in full free on this site, found here.

It is also available for purchase as a digital edition in PDF format for $1.49 at Payhip. Click here to purchase.

It was originally published in three installments on this site’s blog in Summer 2020:

Part One
Part Two
Part Three

---

“An Expected Chill”

Originally published in the Winter 2017 issue of Into the Ruins, this story set in a near-future Portland, Oregon ratchets up the tension as the main character, Linsey, struggles with a strained relationship and a city in upheaval, gripped by stirrings of civil violence and social unrest. Featuring speculation about how economic dysfunction and reduced energy availability might alter the social and economic landscape of a major West Coast city, I tapped into aspects of the current housing affordability crisis and tensions from the 2016 election to imagine a familiar but remade Portland. My favorite part of this story is the remaking of the Eastmoreland Golf Course into a shared farming enterprise. (It would give me no end of pleasure to see that prediction come to life some day!)

“An Expected Chill” is currently available for purchase as a digital edition in PDF format for $1.49 at Payhip. Click here to purchase. Please note that EPUB and MOBI versions will be added to that purchase page soon and, once added, will be made available for free download for all who have already purchased. Or, to receive notice when these version are available, please subscribe to my email list.

The story can also be found in print by purchasing a copy of the Winter 2017 issue of Into the Ruins, either at the Into the Ruins store, by special ordering at your favorite bookstore, or by purchase at Amazon. It may also be found in digital format by purchasing the full digital edition of Into the Ruins: Winter 2017 at Payhip.