Oooh, buddy. 2021 was really good to me on the writing front. Even as the world fell apart and continued humanity’s long, sad slog to obliteration, I had my best writing-related year to date. I participated in Richard Thomas’s Contemporary Dark Fiction class where I developed a number of strong short story and flash fiction pieces. I did the same with Gwendolyn Kiste’s Monster Mash class through LitReactor. And I’m ending the year with Gemma Files’s “Write What You Fear” class.
I joined the Horror Writers Association at the Active member level and attended the virtual Stoker Con in May. I also attended the virtual NeCon in July. Both experiences were fantastic and allowed me to connect with fellow writers.
But the writing! In 2021, I have had 18 original pieces of flash–short story-length fiction published, 2 reprints, and 3 drabbles. I’ve sold or had accepted around 21 pieces of fiction in the calendar year. And those are the things I can talk about!
What follows is a breakdown of my published stories and other accomplishments for the year. Thanks for checking out my work!
January 2021
“A Few Cold Tall Ones,” horror/dark fantasy short story, Shiver: A Chilling Horror Anthology, edited and published by Nico Bell
On an ice-fishing expedition, a man comes face to face with frost giants straight from Norse mythology.
Buy it here.
“I Will Not Read Your Haunted Script,” weird/horror short story, Divination Hollow Reviews, 2nd Place in “Horror in Hollywood Contest”
A screenwriter alleged to have penned a “haunted screenplay” meets a would-be scribe who claims to have done the same thing.
Read it here.
February 2021
“Black Out,” body horror short story, Twisted Anatomy, Sci-Fi and Scary
At the end of a night of heavy drinking, a man wakes up on a city bus, vomiting up a mysterious black substance that threatens to cover him completely in impenetrable darkness.
Buy it here.
April 2021
“Melvin and the Murder Crayon,” crime/topical flash fiction, Pulp Modern Flash
Exploring the aftermath of a school shooting and its far-reaching impacts on school, family, and community.
Read it here.
“A Portrait of the Artist as an Angry God (in Landscape),” horror/weird short story, Boneyard Soup Magazine
When his dead father’s landscape painting seems to fight back against the monsters he’s adding to the background, a horror comic artist must confront his complex relationship with his father before the battle on the canvas gets out of hand.
Buy it here.
“There is No Bunk #7,” horror flash fiction, Shallow Waters Volume 7, Crystal Lake Publishing
A camp counselor is convinced that someone is killing off her fellow counselors and that it has something to do with the mysterious extra bunk she’s spotted around the campgrounds.
Buy it here.
May 2021
“The Farm,” supernatural horror short story, Sci-Fi and Scary
On a road trip gone wrong, a family takes a wrong turn and ends up at a mysterious farm with a lot of animals who seem…off. Could this be the farm animals get sent to when they die?
Read it here.
June 2021
“The Crack in the Ceiling,” horror flash fiction, Dose of Dread, Dread Stone Press
After a mysterious force covers the sky with a barrier, blocking humanity from the wonders of space, one town starts burning bodies against the ceiling to simulate stars.
Read it here.
July 2021
“Casual,” horror short story, Not One of Us #67
United by similar murderous interests, a couple of killers meet on a blind date.
Check it out here.
“Pre-Approved for Haunting,” supernatural horror short story, Boneyard Soup Magazine
A paranormal investigator recounts his experiences with a specific home that everyone thinks is haunted. But he knows it’s not…yet.
Buy it here.
September 2021
“The Other Half of the Battle,” horror /sci-fi short story, Episode 503, Tales to Terrify podcast
Three delinquent middle schoolers encounter strange, gaudily-dressed “soldiers,” offering life lessons and a recruitment offer for a conflict straight from a parallel reality.
Listen here.
October 2021
“The Mermaids of the Seaside Second-Run Cinema,” dark fantasy/horror flash fiction, Merfolk, Iron Faerie Publishing
A deep-sea diver returns to the summer beach town of her youth to explore its flooded ruins but finds something else waiting for her beneath the waves.
Buy it here.
“My Dad the Monster King,” fantasy/horror short story, Boneyard Soup Magazine
When a young girl discovers her father can see the corpse of a giant monster across their front lawn just like she can, the truth of who her father was (and is) gets revealed.
Buy it here.
"The Great Angel Deluge and How It (Nearly) Ruined My Special Day,” horror/weird novelette, Episode 508, Tales to Terrify podcast
When angels start falling and splattering on the ground on the eve of her wedding, one determined bride won’t let anything stop her from having a perfect day.
Listen here.
"Return to Voodoo Village,” supernatural horror short story, Diabolica Americana, edited and published by Keith Anthony Baird
A man returns to the site of a Memphis-based urban legend to figure out what happened there years before to him and his friends.
Buy it here.
“The Decimations of Corn-Silk Sally,” slasher horror flash fiction, Dose of Dread, Dread Stone Press
A Halloween-set slasher story told in ten interconnected drabble-length pieces.
Read it here.
“The Three Tails of the Poisoned Dart,” cosmic horror/rural crime short story, The Dire Circle, D&T Publishing
A sinister creature from the dark side of the zodiac preys on human failings and cruelty in finding its next victims.
Buy it here.
November 2021
“Woof,” short story, Humans are the Problem, Weird Little Worlds Press
A young boy thinks his dad’s got him the puppy he’s always wanted, but the dad thinks he’s found the solution to their town’s shortage of monsters to hunt.
Buy it here.
Drabbles
“The Four-Armed Man Kept Under the Steps,”Home, Ghost Orchid Press, February 2021
Buy it here.
“Reaching for the Stars,” Cosmos, Ghost Orchid Press, May 2021
Buy it here.
“A Rock ‘n’ Roll Elder God’s Big Comeback Show,” Rock Band, August 2021
Buy it here.
Reprints
“LIVE NUDE DEATH,” flash fiction, MetaStellar, July 2021 (originally published in Factor Four Magazine, April 2019)
Read it here.
“There is No Bunk #7,” flash fiction, Tales from Between, October 2021 (originally published in Shallow Waters Vol. 7, April 2021)
Read it here.
Accomplishments
Active Member, Horror Writers Association, January 2021
2nd Place in “Horror in Hollywood” Contest, Divination Hollow Reviews, January 2021
Attended Virtual Stoker-Con 2021, May 2021
Attended Virtual NeCon 2021, July 2021
2022
And there’s plenty on the horizon. More classes. More stories. A novella? (What???) And I’ll likely be shopping a short-story collection… Watch this space for more.