Recent sightings:

“Morning Glory,” (subscribe) Asimov’s Science Fiction, July/August 2023

READ my interview with Asimov’s HERE.

People can die from a lot of things, but they don’t die from pill bugs. Perl understood this and knew the truth of it. But her fear wasn’t about dying. It was about their ashen, hard-crackle shells splitting beneath her feet; it was about their feathery legs whispering over her skin. Roly-polies made them sound cute, but they weren’t; they were goddamn creepy.

“Words for the Dead,” (order) Spirits and Ghouls Anthology, Sept. 2023

Q&A with Flametree Publishing.

Conall leaned the muskets against a birch and eased his son to the ground. By the time they had reached the boulder field, the moon had taken the sky, its light a pale echo of the sun. Too dark for Conall to check the wound, he reached down and snugged the bandage at his son’s leg.

“The Sky Above Io,” (read) Utopia Science Fiction, April-May 2023

Mother. Starship pilot. Paths I took and paths I didn’t. Most people don’t want to know what might have been. Regret is bearable when it remains vague, but to really see the person you might have become, to walk the path you’d given up—well, that’s scary as hell. All the same, I needed to know.

“Disgruntled,” (read) MetaStellar, December 22, 2022

“Basically, your How-To articles are way too unpredictable. First, your advice killed my husband which, honestly, wasn’t entirely your fault. But then your suggestions resulted in the reanimation of his corpse, and that has led to major issues in our marriage! Okay. *deep breath* I probably need to start from the beginning.”

“Tight Lines,” (read) Factor Four Magazine, December 02, 2022

Fly fishing as a metaphor for first contact with an alien world. “The fly rolls back off the tip of the rod, wisping overhead.” The phrase used for the title, “tight lines,” is a salutation often passed between fishermen.

“Doves Fly in the Morning,” (subscribe) Analog, Nov/Dec 2022

“Engineering near-light speed travel felt a hell of a lot easier than saying goodbye. Banjoko leaned deeper into the service port, worked his fingers along the plasma harness as he checked each power cluster. Schematics, circuitry, ship protocol—these he understood; they felt comfortable and safe.” Read Tangent Review Here. SFRevu Here.

“Piano Lessons in the Dark,” (order) Etherea Magazine, Sept. 28, 2022

“The absolute best song for chasing away monsters is Für Elise. They can’t run away fast enough. And the quicker I play, the faster they run. Of course, I’ve gotten good at playing it; my fingers snap over the piano keys—E, D#, E, D#, E, B, D, C, B.”

“Studies in Alchemy,” (order) Wyldblood Magazine, July 20, 2022

Sephtis reached into a flower box thick with dark-red geraniums and plucked a flower that shouldn’t have been there—a single, white chrysanthemum. He weaved through the tables of the open café along the Hudson where small groups of people chatted over their lunches.

“Blue Line on a Winter’s Night,” (read) Factor Four Magazine, July 2022

The only people riding the Blue Line on a night this cold are people trying to stay alive. I almost didn’t make it onto the train before the doors closed, and I doubt I could’ve lasted till the next one arrived. Two coats and a scarf—that shit means nothing in this weather.

“The Settlement at Quelon Bay,” (read) Martian, July 01, 2022

Dad gave his life to see me safe, to get me to this pod headed for the orbiter. Safe from the feathery brutality of the Kohl with their ripping talons and hollow eyes. They arrived after us and wanted it all.

“Island of Dolls,” (listen) Ghostlore Anthology, Part 2–Hauntings, April 01, 2022, The Alternative Stories Podcast, edited by Lyndsey Croal

Fog drifted off the dark waters around Xochimilco. Fantasma de la tierra, they would say. Ghost of the earth. Bent trees tangled across the island like charcoal smudges scratched into the land.  It was said that lost souls lived in that wood, twisting the trunks and creaking the branches.