"She Could Be Me" was one of my very first short stories published, back in 2010. Sadly, its original publisher, the e-zine Flashes in the Dark, no longer exists. But I'm delighted to announce that Bards And Sages Quarterly has rescued "She Could Be Me" from obscurity!

This issue of the magazine came out in April 2021 — yes, I'm behind in sharing publication news, AGAIN. You can pick up the e-book for $3 or the print version for $9 from Amazon here. I quite like Editor Julie Ann Dawson's short description of my story, in this collection of eight short stories in all:

A peculiar phone call from her husband is only the first in a strange series of events that upends a woman’s well-manicured life in "She Could Be Me."

I hope you'll pick up a copy of the April 2021 Bards And Sages Quarterly and give it a read! Our new kitty, Bemo, did. ;)

In March, I was delighted to appear on Story Hour, a weekly speculative fiction reading. Audiences can join the Zoom recording directly or they can watch live or in replays on Facebook. This is the second time I've read for Story Hour, and I have to say, it's great fun that a reading exists that so appreciates the short story form. I read two short stories, "She Could Be Me" and "Fresh Catch of the Day," during my half of the episode. At the time, they were upcoming publications (or re-publication, in the case of "She Could Be Me"), but as life has continued the untimely delay of my posting updates here, both have since come out!

I'll have posts very soon announcing where you can find the stories. In the meantime, enjoy my Story Hour reading! It takes place in the first half of the episode, and I was delighted to read with Edward Austin Hall, who reads in the second half of the hour. Do note that Edward's excerpts are on the graphic side of horror, should that be a concern for you. Mine are both fairly lightweight this time around, one Twilight Zonesque horror short and one low-fi fantasy tale.

Thanks so much to Daniel Marcus and Laura Blackwell, who host Story Hour, for the invite back!

Time for the next entry in my self-promotion series! She Could Be Me is a short story published by Flashes in the Dark back in May of 2010. And it's available online for free! It's a horror story with a Twilight Zone feel to it. Interested? Here are the first few lines:

“I’m delayed,” Tom said over the phone. Celia could barely hear him with the thunder on her end of the line and the airport loudspeaker playing an endless stream of announcements in Spanish, a language she didn’t understand, on his. The announcer’s voice sounded ethereal and discordant at the same time, like a slightly off-tune harp being plucked.

“I’ll be home tomorrow,” he continued. “Don’t get bent out of shape, okay?”

What was a strange thing to say. She never complained when Tom was delayed.

You can read the rest at Flashes in the Dark here. Perhaps these photos will help you with the atmosphere for enjoying She Could Be Me.

The walk toward Chez Mer:

Celia's drink at Chez Mer:

Yesterday, I had a flash fiction, horror story published at Flashes in the Dark, an ezine that puts up a new, short, horror story everyday. "She Could Be Me," my story, is a Twilight-Zone-esque piece about a woman having an off day. No blood or guts, just mental confusion.

Stop by, read it, leave a comment if you'd like!