Roughly once a decade or so, I publish some new fiction. I’ve never been particularly comfortable writing fiction. As y’all know the essay is my thing.
My first published piece of fiction appeared in the 1980s when I was 13. My story "I, Defender" was part of a collection of junior high school writings called the Spring Forest Farrago.
My next prose fiction (several comic book stories were published during the intervening years) appeared in Electric Velocipede #5 (Fall 2003). The flash fiction "JohnCalvin" was actually written back in 1998. Of my countless short story attempts during the 90s, it was my only published work from that period.
"A Penny A Word," co-written with Paul O. Miles appeared in the Robert E. Howard celebration anthology Cross Plains Universe (2006). It was a Finalist for the 2007 WSFA Small Press Award.
Now as part of his ongoing column on New Pulp, Alan J. Porter is serializing our story "The Raven: Nameless Here For Evermore." Part of the not yet published Protectors anthology, the story introduces the pulp era title character.
| Quote: |
| “What the ______ !” Something dropped out of the sky, landing on the road just in front of the speeding car. Initially, Dutch thought it was some sort of wounded giant bird that must have fallen off a building. But when it rose, he saw that it was a man dressed all in black. A black scarf covered the lower half of his face, a black wide brimmed hat pulled low, and a flowing black cape attached to his shoulders. Dutch felt fear for perhaps the first time when he saw the piercing red eyes . They seemed to shine out from between the scarf and the hat.
But then the two Colt .45s pointed straight at his head and belching smoke caught his attention. The front wheel of the large Buick dug into the rain gutter, then buckled as it slammed into the curb. The big ungainly, overweight car started to tip over. Dutch Mandel helplessly watched the rapidly approaching fire hydrant that would soon spear through the driver’s side window and smash his head to a pulp. |
