Hot Off the Presses!

In 1930, John W. Campbell started a little magazine called Astounding. It went on to become the premier SF magazine with stories by Heinlein, Asimov, Clements, Pohl, and practically all the other big names. Renamed Analog in 1960, it continues to set standards today.

I am beyond thrilled to have a story in the July/August issue. “Clarity of Signal” is about research on an alien world, interpersonal communication, and ecosystem bioenergy. You can find it here.

Dead to Rights

Back in 2013, Edge Publishing put out a call for stories to go in the long-running Tesseracts series. The anthology asked for stories with a sense of Canada, where the setting itself was perhaps a character. I thought to myself, Edmonton Alberta, in the winter, in a graveyard–now THERE’S a challenging setting.

I added a character that doesn’t get much representation in speculative fiction — the second-generation Chinese immigrant caught between tradition and opportunity.

Plus I’ve always had an interest in the various platforms that education can take, from one-room schools to online classes.

And I had recently read a news article about recently-developed headstone software in Austria, using QR codes so the visitor’s cell phone could play a short biography of the deceased.

So I mixed all that together, took it all one step further and came up with “Graveyard Shift”.
Tesseracts 17 is available here in various formats.

The story has recently been produced as a podcast by The Overcast with pretty amazing production values.

However you choose to experience the story, I hope you enjoy it!

Optimism, FTW!

I’m pleased to have a story in the fourteenth* of Exile’s anthologies, CLI-FI: Canadian Tales of Climate Change.

As the editors say:
With the world facing the greatest global crisis of all time – climate change…These stories of Climate Fiction (Cli-fi) feature perspectives by culturally diverse Canadian writers of short fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and futurist works, and transcend traditional doomsday stories by inspiring us to overcome the bleak forecasted results of our current indifference.

I hope my story, “The Weight of the World”, serves to inspire. Together, it’s not late.

*You can find another of my stories in Exile’s twelfth anthology, Clockwork Canada.

Where’s the beef?

Back in 2015, I had the privilege of participating in Bonnie Stufflebeam’s Arts & Words Show in Fort Worth, Texas.

I wrote a story based on the awesome painting shown above by Maria Ruiz. Both story and painting are titled “Alambre”. The word means “wire” in Spanish and also refers to a grilled beef dish–the double meaning becomes clear when you read my story.

“Alambre” is now up at Every Day Fiction. You can read it for free, vote on it, make a comment, and browse lots of other terrific flash fiction. It’s almost as much fun as a barbeque!

It’s no mystery…

…that police procedurals are a popular subgenre.

I wanted to write one set in a skiffy universe, and, for fun, I made it a world where surveillance is so pervasive that it’s almost impossible to commit a crime unseen.

The result is “Hat and Stick”, now out at Evil Girlfriend Media’s Speculate!

It’s a Jungle Out There!

I’m really pleased to have a new story out in the YA podcast Cast of Wonders. Wonderfully narrated by Amy Sturgis, the dinosaurs really come to life.

…Wait, did I just say “dinosaurs”?

I did!

Listen to the podcast (or read the text) of “The Jungle Between” here.

Train of Thought

There’s no question that railroads, and the construction of them, have laid tracks throughout Canada’s cultural heritage.
When I wrote “Blanche’s Last Spike” I wanted to recreate the complex and brutal situations made famous by Pierre Berton’s book. I also wanted to put a unique spin on it, bringing to light the hardships suffered by many marginalized people of the time. It’s probably the most horrific story I’ve ever written.
Issue #27 of Neo-Opsis contains this tale of misery, deprivation, and triumph against evil. Full steam ahead!

Photo from The Canadian Encyclopedia archives