Spring 2026: My WIP as a living, organic creature.

Here in Denver, we didn't get much of a winter. Seems like we went straight from autumn to spring with an occasional snow flurry to break the warm-weather monotony. 

I was hoping that by now, I'd be pulling the wraps off my Work-In-Process. The original plan was to have the first draft completed by last December. Before starting the manuscript, I'd put together a rough chapter outline, a list of characters, and several subplots. Even early in the writing I realized that this was going to be a big, sprawling saga, and sure enough, when I typed THE END to the first draft, the completed work topped 109K words! 

I began trimming the chapters but in condensing scenes, or cutting them out completely, I had to ask: does the story still hold together? Have I introduced new plot holes? Are the characters asking the right questions given how the background narrative has changed? 

In wrestling with the revisions, what came to mind was that my WIP exists in two distinct planes. The first is the manuscript on my computer, the physical record of what I've committed to so far.  The second is the story in my mind, where I conceptualize modules of plot and narrative, seeing them as components that react to one another with lives of their own. Each has its function, which is to develop the story.  But change one detail and those edits can ripple backwards and forwards through the narrative. My job as the author is to manage the process in way that molds the story into something whole and plausible.

I came to regard my WIP as a living, organic creature. The first obvious image is that of me throwing a switch and cackling, It's alive! It's alive! as my misbegotten construction twitches to life.

 

However, I don't see my WIP that way. Not to stretch the metaphor too much, but I compare my story to the little lemon tree in my house. Slowly, with care, it grows. Ultimately, the results to the attention I apply to my work will be a tale that readers should enjoy: a captivating, satisfying crime novel of consequences gone very wrong. 

I hoped to conclude this post with an insightful quote comparing the writing process to nurturing a living creature but I couldn't find one. And since I don't think on those lofty levels, I couldn't put one together that didn't sound cheesy. As to developments in my WIP, stay tuned. 

 

Winter 2025: When the Universe Tried to Warn Me but I Refused to Listen

 

 

Happy Holidays. Wishing you all the best. 
Since you come to this site to catch up on my literary news, I’ll say that works are in progress and for now, those works remain in progress. 
And now to the sad part.

Last January on the blog Type M for Murder, I posted about the passing of Scout, my Shiba Inu. I added that we had adopted a rescue, a cream Shiba Inu named Dirk, and that he had come to us after suffering years of neglect in a puppy mill run by drug-dealing criminals. Long story short, Dirk has left us.

The day it happened, when I was getting dressed that morning, I began thinking about death. Since I’m a mystery writer, death is a staple plot device, so the subject wasn’t that unusual. What was unusual was that I was thinking about sudden death, in that, as we make plans for the day, for tomorrow, for our future, we never think about being here one moment, then gone the next. We might be struck down in a fatal accident, hit by a DUI, or the victim of a violent crime. 

Then when I was taking Dirk for his noontime walk, I began thinking about getting a cord and making a wrist tether attached to the leash in case Dirk jerked it out of my hand. As that’s never happened, I dismissed the idea.

That day I took Dirk on an especially long walk in the neighborhood, then brought him along to the credit union and a stroll through Olde Town Arvada, followed by a trip to Molly’s where Dirk got to ride in a shopping cart, which he always enjoyed.

 

That night I took him for our evening walk. For several months I’ve been taking him along the busy roads so he gets used to the commotion to realize it’s just noise and no threat. I was at the corner of 32nd and Federal, a place we’ve been to dozens and dozens of times. Then something spooked him and he jumped, jerking the leash from my hand. He was crouched in the street by the curb not five feet from me. I knew that if he ran, it would be straight into traffic, and he’d be killed. Cars honked and flashed their lights at him, and I approached, calling his name.

Then he bolted onto Federal. No doubt the racket and me lunging for him triggered a flashback to his early years of treachery and abuse. He ran full speed, looking over his shoulder at me, oblivious to what was in front of him. A pickup approached and the driver, to his credit, swerved to avoid Dirk but it did no good. Helpless, I watched the catastrophe.

When I scooped Dirk’s limp body into my arms he made no sound, no movement, and strangely, there was no blood. As I carried him, I hoped that he would shiver and wake up, but that didn’t happen. Once home, I wrapped him in a bedsheet and put him in my truck. I drove to a 24-hour animal hospital where his body was turned in for cremation.

The next days were especially gloomy. I collected dog dishes, put away the dog stroller, and removed the doggy blanket from the backseat of the car. I gathered his water bowls, his remaining food and treats, and his cage, which were donated to a rescue. For the first time since I’ve lived in this house, I could go in the backyard and not worry about dog poop. But I kept his Tigger, given to him at his foster home. 

My mind spun through what-ifs. Every morning I used to cup Dirk’s handsome fuzzy head and promise that I would do my best to make up for the neglect he had suffered before he had been rescued. The attention and care I was to give him would be my small part to offset all the rottenness in the world. But I felt like I failed him, that I had failed the good people at his foster home, that I had failed my friend who had suggested Dirk to us. Then I remembered my thoughts of sudden death and it was like God, or the universe, or cosmic conscience, whomever, had warned me, “Death is coming today,” and then later, “By making this tether, this is how you will save Dirk. But you refused to listen.”

These memories tortured me with guilt. When I shared this with a friend, she gave her interpretation about what had happened. She said that for weeks now, she worried that Dirk’s digestive problems were too similar to the symptoms Scout first suffered when he began his decline. Plus, Dirk had small tumors removed so who knew what health problems loomed in his near future? She explained that as horrific as the end was, it was quick, instantaneous. Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise in that Dirk would not endure the 18-month ordeal that had tormented Scout, not to mention sparing me very expensive vet bills. 

I’m sure all this is my rationalizing over what is unfathomable. I miss Dirk more than I thought I would. Perhaps the best way to ease the heartache are to mind these words: Grief is the price of love.

And: Be a hero. Make the world a better place by adopting a rescue dog.

Autumn 2025

 It's that time of the year when we surround ourselves with witches, ghosts, and goblins. 

 

While these tropes serve as Halloween decorations, they do tap into our acknowledgement of the supernatural, of forces beyond our physical world that influence our lives. Belief in the supernatural developed into a key trait that allowed us humans to survive, that trait being our ability to control our surroundings, or rather, to exploit our environment to sidestep uncertainty and bring about favorable outcomes. Our ancestors would track the weather, animal migration, the position of the stars in an attempt to predict when to plant, when to hunt. They would study phenomenon to establish patterns and from those, make predictions. This led to the linking of seemingly unrelated events, such as reading the stars or animal entrails to determine when to marry, build temples, or embark on military campaigns. While today we would regard such methods of decision-making as superstitions, we still act upon superstitions to ensure success and avoid bad luck. For example, changing course when a black cat crosses your path. The reason is that way back when, people regarded cats as semi-enchanted creatures for their ability to sneak around, and as the color black became associated with bad tidings, then encountering a black cat surely meant that misfortune was in your immediate future.

 While we scoff at superstitions as irrational, we will hold dear to us certain notions in an attempt to forestall bad luck. How many of us wear "lucky socks" to bring victory to a favorite team? Or consult astrology? Or carry a talisman like a special coin or wear a piece of jewelry? An object that should we forget to bring, its absence will surely bring bad luck. At the very least, we justify these superstitions by telling ourselves, "It couldn't hurt."

A superstition of mine is a variation of "not counting my chickens before they hatch." What I try not to do is jinx myself by jumping the gun. When I was in the military, I wouldn't buy any special badge until I completed the related course. While many of my fellow students in Airborne school bought their jump wings and related paraphernalia like t-shirts, caps, etc., as soon as they could, I held off getting any such merchandise until I graduated. I did this to keep my parachutes from malfunctioning during training.

A personal challenge is to balance this superstition against another supernatural force, which is to manifest success by stating your intentions. At what point do I declare to the world what I intend to accomplish without the fear of fate putting a stick in my spokes?

Which brings me to my current works in progress.  I am working on two ambitious projects, one is a historical non-fiction, the other a crime novel. With my local writing peers, I've shared details but to the greater world on the interwebs, I'm keeping mum until both projects are closer to completion. In other words, stay tuned.

Until then, here are links to my recent posts on Type M For Murder.

In July, I interviewed a neighbor who's an avid reader of mysteries. 

In August, a reflection on strange occurrences and the circumstances regarding my sister's new memoir.

In September, how my morning fitness walk turned into an episode of getting judged.

 

Summer 2025

 This summer I had two author appearances of note. My friend (and fantastic writer himself) Mark Stevens invited me to the Mesa Verde Writer's Conference in Mancos, Colorado. It was an opportunity to pimp my books in a new venue and meet writers new to me. I gave a workshop on writing motivation, Demons and Angels, Why You Don't Write and Why You Do, and participated on a panel, Versatile Voices, about finding and presenting your voice across genres.

 

My fellow panelists, left to right: Jim Tritten (retired US Navy aviator), Lisa C Taylor (conference co-director), Catlyn Ladd (writes horror and the metaphysical), and Shannon Lawrence (fantasy author).

 

 

After returning from Mancos, I followed up on a invitation from the Regis University's Mile-High MFA in Creative Writing and the Center for the Study of War Experience for a veterans' reading and Q&A. From left: Ryan Charaba, Steven C. Dunn, and me. Zooming in: Khadijah Queen. Off camera: Jeff Curry. The other vets on the panel read from their non-fiction memoir, sharing pointed and poignant recollections from their military experience. I was, as usual, the outlier, since I've never written about my military service, and my observations are filtered though fiction. In my earlier work, I tended to go for absurdities and low-brow humor, but remember:

The deepest truths are found in fables. 

Coming soon: More fables as in a collection of my published short fiction and my crime novel. Stay tuned.

Spring 2025

 I won't hesitate to tell people that the secret to my success as a writer was joining Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, where for the first time I met published authors, who freely shared writing advice and the trials and tribulations of their journeys to publication. But key to that success was belonging to a critique group, but not just any group, but one that offered the necessary writing smarts with members pushing one another forward. I was fortunate to be invited into such a group by its moderator, the late Jameson Cole, who ran critique like boot camp. Strict rules. Leave your ego at the door. Reading assignments. Incisive questions about craft and story telling. Three in our group eventually got contracts with big NY houses. Jeanne C. Stein, Jeff Shelby, and me.

Over the years, people came and went. The group sat dormant for a while, then emerged from hibernation stronger than ever. The imbibing of specialty cocktails helped. When the pandemic hit, we like most everyone else, migrated to Zoom. But with so much of our lives on Zoom, critique lost its unique appeal and fell to the wayside. I focused on ghostwriting projects, and the work pace was such that I didn't have the opportunity to ask for critique. Besides, after more than a decade as a published writer and creative writing instructor, I was sure that I had a good enough handle putting words on paper that I thought my work didn't need another set of eyes besides mine and the client's. 

Late last year I had dinner with Samantha Cohoe and Angie Hodapp. Samantha's critique group had disbanded and she asked if Angie and I were willing to start one. Angie looked at me, Well? I hesitated, feeling not only that I didn't need a critique group, but it would represent yet another imposition into my time. But I couldn't back down. The next step was inviting members, which became a challenge. Many of our previous members had moved on, literally, having relocated to other states. Others were writing different genres or had pressing work demands. And others were no longer writing. Over the course of several weeks we found enough writers, scribes with years of writing and publishing experience, willing to meet on a regular schedule.

 For many months now I've been working on a WIP. I brought the opening chapter to critique, and what impressed me the most about that initial meeting, was how good I felt about the process. I not only enjoyed critiquing the other members' work, but getting feedback on mine. The comments help hone my prose and narrative to the point that I consider my critique group as a SECRET WEAPON.

 The sharp-eyed among you may notice that they're all women. At the moment, other than me, our men have had to bow out because of other commitments. So here you are, clockwise starting at top left, Angie Hodapp, Samantha Cohoe, Sue Duff, and Carolyn Kemp. Don't mess with them.

 

 

Winter 2025

I've got several irons in the writing fire, so stay tuned for news.

In the meantime, I want to share some of the books I've read recently. One of my teaching mantras is: "If you want to be a writer, then you'd better be a reader." Fortunately, as a writing instructor I found that my students were avid readers and well-versed in their genre. Mostly. Although I write fiction, I've always read non-fiction for inspiration and to better appreciate the world we live in.

 

 

One book that's been on my TBR pile and I finally got around to reading was Truman Capote's classic, In Cold Blood, his telling of the horrific 1959 slaughter of the Clutter family in rural Kansas. As one who appreciates crime stories, I followed the account with keen interest, wondering how I might apply some of the details in my own work and how the police investigation lead to the arrest of the killers. In today's belief that forensics and DNA are the ultimate tools that decide a case, in actuality, what leads to the apprehension of suspects is motive, circumstance, and a tip off. In this case, motive was hard to determine as little was taken. Turns out the killers thought there was a safe full of cash, and finding none, to get rid of witnesses, proceeded with sadistic zeal shotgunning their four victims in the face. As with most serious crimes, the big break was a timely lead, in this case provided by a former cellmate of one of the killers, who recounted hearing how this exact crime would take place. Of equal fascination were the interrogations of the two suspects. Pop culture leads us to believe that police, especially back then, would bring out the rubber hoses and beat out a confession. Instead, the detectives interviewed the suspects separately and let them talk, eventually tripping over inconsistencies, and then ratting on each other.

What drew me to In the Garden of Beasts were that the author, Eric Larsen, is one of my favorite writers, having penned The Devil in the White City and Dead Wake, and the story covers a period of history that I especially enjoy studying, the years leading to World War Two. The narrative is told through William L. Dodd, the American ambassador to Germany. We learn about the personal machinations inside the US State Department, often driven by petty concerns, the Dodd family dynamics, how his very social daughter cultivated dalliances with social climbers of various nationalities to include a Gestapo officer and a Soviet spy, and how Hitler and the Nazis seized power through terror and murder. The city of Berlin is a character in itself: cosmopolitan, modern, splendid, and it pained me knowing that this remarkable place would be blasted to apocalyptic ruin.

In this country, one of the driving references in our culture is the American Revolution. Like most of you, I'm aware of the events in broad strokes and what hooked me to read this book was the title: Our First Civil War: Patriots and Loyalists in the American Revolution by H.W. Brands. Violent revolutions are in fact civil wars, pitting the new against the status quo. In our history, we see our revolution as a fight against the Redcoats when there was a large contingent of colonists who felt they would be better off as subjects of the British Crown. This narrative was primarily a character study, mostly about George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, although with plenty of other personalities given time on center stage. My takeaways: George Washington deserves his accolades as father of this country. The sacrifices of the Continental Army and the militias were brutally punishing. I can't imagine winter combat in the clothing of that period. What deepened this examination of history were the often overlooked contributions of Native Americans and the slaves pulled into the conflict.

During the year, I contribute a monthly post to the blog Type M for Murder. Most recently:

November 2024

December 2024

January 2025

Autumn 2024

The leaves are turning. The fragrance (or odor, depending) of pumpkin spice is the air. A lot of good things to share as we move into the fall. Harper Collins decided to reissue the audiobooks of the first three novels in my Felix Gomez series, plus gave them snazzy new covers. Qué chingon!

Click on the links to the audiobooks:

The Nymphos of Rocky Flats

X-Rated Bloodsuckers

The Undead Kama Sutra

Narration provided by Louisiana's own, the fabulous voice-over talent of André G Chapoy, who, incidentally, also read Rescue From Planet Pleasure and Steampunk Banditos.

Shoutout Colorado ran an interview of me where I share a little about my backstory as a writer. It wasn't all sunshine and chocolate. Give a read HERE.

The good folks at Shepherd.com, a great resource for finding both writers and readers, gave me the chance to offer my take on five best books discussing the category of my choice. The armchair historian in me decided on fiction that relates the truth in ways that are more compelling than non-fiction.

Summer 2024

After two years of effort, with thanks to my editorial staff and the CALMA Board of Directors, the Anthology Ramas y Raíces: The Best of CALMA is in the rearview. Being me, I kept worst-case-scenario-ing every step along the way. In the final days, I lost sleep worrying about books arriving with the pages completely screwed up, or in boxes that had been run over and left in the rain. However, both IngramSpark and KDP did a great job. The difference between the two: the colors of the covers from IS were deeper, richer. Their cost, about $5.60 a copy, vs KDP, about $4.80, but with faster delivery. The Lakewood United Methodist Church graciously offered a venue for our book launch, which was SRO. To justify that my belief in bad ju-ju was not unfounded, shortly before the event, the air conditioner conked out. Fortunately, we had a spell of cool weather, plus I set up fans throughout the gallery and ran around handing out bottles of chilled water. Such are the chores of the jefe editor.

At the book launch, Manuel "The King of Chicano Noir" Ramos, reads his short story.

Moving forward. I picked up another ghost-writing assignment. Perhaps the last for my writing career. I'm almost done with a short story for a humor-horror anthology on tropes. Working title: Writing Jingles for Genghis Khan. On my next post, I'll be far enough along in my big WIP, a mystery-crime novel, to share some info.

Spring 2024

If you're itching to dive into the world of Felix Gomez, vampire-detective, Iraq War veteran (supernatural noir at its best!), here's your chance. HarperCollins is offering books 1-5 free on Kindle Unlimited. But this offer is limited from now through June 30, 2024. Click on the titles and that'll take you straight to the deals.

                      Nymphos of Rocky Flats    X-Rated Bloodsuckers      Undead Kama Sutra

                                                 Jailbait Zombie           Werewolf Smackdown

In other news, I'm working on a couple of short stories. One is about a monster. The other, when tropes go wrong. Both should be fun, though in different ways.

Here's an update on the CALMA Anthology. We're in the final editing process and fingers crossed, by the end of April, I should have release date and news about the book launch.

 

Winter 2024

 Lot's going on. What's coming up shortly is my first-time trip to Superstars Writing Seminars in Colorado Springs. While I've attended many other writing conferences before, this one focuses on the business of writing, a topic many writers shy away from. 

"If I wanted to talk business, I'd be a business major, I just wanna write!" 

The truth is, while fate may shine on one-book wonders like Harper Lee or J D Salinger, the rest of us ink-stained mortals need to figure out how to earn a living. Even if you've been blessed with a hefty advance, eventually, the money runs out and paying the bills becomes a challenge. Many writers leverage what they've learned into teaching but the real champions, to me at least, are those who can keep cranking out the words and using them to put food on the table.

Superstars offers panels and classes on promotion, marketing, networking, and yes, how to be a better storyteller. The faculty includes heavy-hitters in the fantasy/science-fiction genres such as Kevin J Anderson, Rebecca Moesta, Jonathan Maberry, Gail Carriger, Jim Butcher, and Kevin Ikenberry, plus editors and literary agents. Since the theme is the business of writing, we'll be selling our books at the Bookstravagansa.

Previously, I had mentioned that I was the Jefe Editor for the inaugural anthology from CALMA, the Colorado Alliance of Latino Mentors and Authors, Ramas y Raices. The project is moving along. We're in the process of final edits to the Advanced Reading Copy and I'm pleased to share our bad-ass cover, designed by Kathryn Renta of Latchkey Artist. Book launch, Summer 2024. Stay tuned.

Autumn 2023

What I love about autumn is that it doesn't sneak up on you like spring or summer. You go out one morning and the brisk weather says, "Autumn is here! Put away your shorts and get your jacket and gloves." Denver's first real snowfall of the season carpeted the ground with leaves. 

I'm in the recently published horror anthology Midnight Roost from WordCrafter Press. My contribution "Immediate Intervention" looks at the consequences of people born in artificial wombs. Being a horror story, it doesn't end well for the central character.

The anthology Ramas y Raices: The Best of CALMA I'm editing for the Colorado Alliance of Latino Mentors and Authors is on track. We've just finished the copy-edits and are progressing into formatting, cover design, and final editing. Then we'll be sending copies out for review. Stay tuned.

Summer 2023

 Last year I was offered a great opportunity--to write short fiction for Stories of the Reconvergence, an anthology of science fiction tales and poetry. Preorder your copy here.

It was my first time penning something for a video game franchise, Random Games. The anthology's premise is the discovery of an ancient spaceship on Mars, which draws humanity into the Masson Zero, a vast network of instantaneous pathways that connects galaxies in the Unioverse. The stories add depth and backstory to both the characters and their worlds to supplement what's offered in the video game. 

Another anthology that featured a story of mine Denver Noir won a Colorado Book Award for Best Anthology, edited by the best selling author Cynthia Swanson. 

My other project is the anthology I'm editing for CALMA--Colorado Alliance of Latino Mentors and Authors. We're currently raising funds on our Go Fund Me and helping out will assure good karma. Expect your next plate of carne asada tacos to be especially delicious.

Spring 2023

If you haven't heard, during the pandemic I drew hundreds of daily cartoons that were collected in Cats in Quarantine,  A Cartoon Memoir of the COVID-19 Pandemic, published by Hex Publishers. When Josh Viola, the head guy at Hex, and I were deciding on the title, I mentioned that we should be specific about referring to the COVID-19 virus because God knows, we might get another pandemic!

Here's a sample cartoon that captured some of the anxiety I felt at the time.

Winter 2023

The year is off to a great start as 2022 ended with a fantastic launch of Cats In Quarantine.

And I've got more awesome news. I was invited to join the Unioverse.

Say what? Unioverse is an amazing venture of Hex Publishers teaming with Random Games, the same people responsible for the hugely popular video games such as Grand Theft Auto, Donkey Kong Country, The Walking Dead, Stars Wars...you get the picture. 

But Universe is more than a video game, it's an epic franchise encompassing games, dazzling artwork, comic books, anthologies, merchandise, and more. What makes Unioverse different is that it opens content to the public so that you can expand the Unioverse anyway you want and monetize it to your benefit. 

The concept for the Unioverse is that 150 years in the future, during the colonization of Mars, explorers discover an ancient alien spaceship. An analysis of the ship reveals a transporter device that can zap your consciousness across the universe into a system known as the Mass-O. 

Here, using the technology of that extinct civilization, intelligent species interact in ways that are good and not so much. After all, the best stories come from conflict and bad decisions. My contribution so far is a futuristic crime story in a forthcoming anthology that introduces various worlds and narratives. Stay tuned.

Summer 2022

 Here I am, right on time to catch the end of the season. 

I have a short story in Shadow Atlas (awesome cover, no?) which won the Colorado Book Award for Anthology. I think this was the sixth time an offering from Hex Publishers was in the running so the recognition was long overdue. 

Luther, Wyoming was also in the line up for Historical Fiction in the CBA and for Best Novel, Historical Fiction in the International Latino Book Awards, but as we say, in both cases, close but no cigar. 

Some of you might have known that during the pandemic, I sketched a daily cartoon called Cats In Quarantine that I shared on social media. I'm excited to announce that Hex Publishers will offer Cats In Quarantine: A Cartoon Memoir of the COVID-19 Pandemic received a Starred Review from Kirkus! Pub date of October 25, 2022. Pre-order your copies here. My cat cartoons were also picked up by Westword. Check it out.

Spring 2022

These last few months have kept me busy with the publication of three awesome anthologies, of which I'm proud to be in.

Shadow Atlas: Dark Landscapes of the Americas is the latest offering by Hex Publishers. It's a layered and especially imaginative approach to speculative fiction, being the suppressed journal of the Umbra Arca Society who sought to unearth the ancient history behind fables and myth in the Americas. Though the mood was horror, the included pieces range from short fiction to flash fiction to poetry, lavishly illustrated by Aaron Lovett. My story, "Xipe Totec," draws from the Aztec migration out of Aztlán and a particularly gruesome form of ritual sacrifice. 

Denver Noir brings together many neighborhoods that make up the Denver metroplex with stories that drop their protagonists off a cliff, much to the reader's delight. I described my story "El Armero" in my last posting here and it's a tale I'm especially proud of.

El Provenir ¡Ya: Citlalzazanilli Mexicatl! gives a decidedly sideways look at the future from a collection of literary cholas and vatos. Definitely first-rate what-if and what-might-be cuentos. Mine, "El Chivo," gives chilling glimpse into a disturbing future. Imagine Basic Uniform Income as benefitting The Animator.

Speaking of the future, what's next in line? Something truly exciting, another book. Title? Cats In Quarantine: A Cartoon Memoir of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Stay tuned.
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Winter 2022

My news this post is that I've got stories in two new anthologies. What the stories have in common besides their dark narratives is that they were both previously rejected by other venues. When "El Amero" was first passed over, I was bummed and conflicted over I should take it. That night I attended a reading by Stephen Graham Jones and he commented that he was in a blue mood because earlier that day he'd gotten a rejection on a submission. If someone as esteemed as him had been 86ed, then I shouldn't feel all that bad. A short time later, Cynthia Swanson asked if I had anything for her proposal to Akashic Books for Denver Noir. She said I'd have to set the story in a specific Denver neighborhood and I chose Globeville, an industrial barrio named after a smelter. Personally, it's the most noir place in Denver. Go visit if you don't believe me. Although my story takes place in the near future, the neighborhood descriptions aren't too far off. 

"El Chivo" had likewise been given the boot by someone else but I didn't feel as bad because that anthology never got off the ground. When the editors at Somos en escrito Literary Foundation Press contacted me for a submission about the future from the perspective of la raza for El Porvenir Ya, I had this story ready to go. With this narrative I got to amalgamate several ideas that had been percolating in my head for some time. The title, which means "The Goat," refers to the way my parents used to call my dad's paycheck. This was when government checks were printed on IBM punch cards. I also commented on future tech (always a challenge because tech moves so fast) and personal relationships in this Brave New World. But my story is mostly a reflection on Basic Uniform Income, that it's a trap to keep the lower class in poverty and where their best options are to do the ghastly bidding of the rich. So how is this different from now? Read my story and find out. 

Summer 2021

These past years I've had several short stories published, which throws me back to my first attempts at writing fiction. Thankfully those early stories remain forever disappeared, like Mafia snitches. This year I signed contracts for three short stories, all horror. The first was "Blucifer" for the StokerCon 2021 Souvenir Anthology, that I wrote about in my last post. The second story "Xipe Totec" was for Shadow Atlas: Dark Escapades of the Americas. Check out the awesome cover below. This tale draws upon Mexican fables that I heard as a kid. I also included a particularly gruesome account of human sacrifice as practiced by the Aztecs. Strange as how we file details in our memory to be repurposed later. The third story I'll explain in my next post. 

This year I had two books published, the Western novel Luther, Wyoming, and Broken Destiny, that I co-wrote with Mark Verwiel. As a WWII armchair historian, I've always wanted to write a novel about that war but never had a good story idea gel. Two such attempts are likewise buried and decomposing with my first short stories. Then as a ghostwriter, some of my clients proposed manuscripts about WWII and off I went. The other stories were about the Pacific, one of which was Forgotten Letters. However, Broken Destiny is not a novel, but a historical account of Sergeant William M. O'Loughlin, who perished when his airplane was shot down over Italy. The setting and events have links to A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller and Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (all three men served on B25s). Both Miller and O'Loughlin were tail gunners and bombed some of the same targets though they were posted to different units so probably never met. Heller served as a bombardier. In the book I mused that had O'Loughlin survived the war, perhaps he too might've penned a literary classic.

Winter 2021

 Lot's of writing going from 2020 to 2021. Here are two big projects that are close to going public.

At long last, here's my Western novel, Luther, Wyoming, that I co-authored with Tomas Alamilla. It's a gritty blend of Frontier drama and pulp fiction from Five Star Publishing. Because of Covid, the pub date has been delayed several times. Keep an eye out for mid-April. Stay tuned. 

In May, the anthology, Blucifer, for Hex Publishers, begins its rampage across the Colorado Front Range. I've got a work of horror short fiction and an interview with Silvia Moreno-Garcia, exclusive for the StockerCon 2021 Con. Sadly, because of Covid, the event will be virtual. Order your copy of Blucifer for the awesome cover alone. 

Spring 2020

We're all in lockdown! The Apocalypse in slow motion! If you stop by my Events page you'll see that my con appearances have all been cancelled. So far. Hopefully I'll manage at least one in the fall.

LitFest is still a go but has gone virtual. Check out their schedule and seminars.

As a bonus, I'm going to be interviewed by Nox Mente on Youtube Wednesday, 7pm April 15.
Drop by their Voces Nocte channel and listen to their previous guests. Very enlightening. I'll be discussing a whole bunch of stuff that I usually keep to myself: dreams, personal encounters with the supernatural, and my thoughts on spirituality, as it were. Should be fun.

In the meantime, I've been directing my thoughts about this lockdown and the virus into cartoon form, Cats In Quarantine. Follow the series on my Instagram page @real_adelantearts.