All of these short stories are compiled in the ebook compilation SURVIVAL TACTICS, available as a free download in ePub, MOBI, and PDF formats.
Off-Series | Series
Off-Series
Factory Reset (June 2019)
This was actually my first idea for The Verge, but ultimately I decided it was too cynical to fit the brief, as the problem technology solves here is essentially humanity itself. Cynicism notwithstanding, there are cute animals, and one act of defiance that changes everything for them.
Straight-up SF again. CW for two f-bombs and some ghoulish humor.
Overlay (February 2019) (Note: Link redirects to another site)
This one was written for The Verge. The charter was to write about how technology makes better worlds, which wasn’t easy for a cynic like me! But this was a topic close to my heart. If you like the short (or just prefer video), I also recommend the three minute animated adaptation. It’s slightly different, but they absolutely captured the heart of the piece.
Straight-up SF. I may not even have cursed in this one. No CW, for once!
Single Point of Failure (December 2018)
Once again, I seem to have gone off-genre. While this has a SF backdrop (it’s set on Mercury, and yes, actually, it’s theoretically possible to set up colonies there), it’s fundamentally a horror story.
As to what it’s about? Aging, I think. Maybe also marriage.
CW for graphic violence, suicidal ideation, and swearing.
Thinking Inside The Box (August 2018)
I had a dream one night that I was writing a short story with a character named Bunny. When I sat down to write the next day, this is what came out.
This is a straight-up what-if SF story. It’s also an ode to the importance of hope, especially when there’s no realistic reason to have any.
CW for violence, sexual violence, and swearing.
About Time (May 2018)
This is a bit of fluff I wrote when contemplating the origins of the poltergeist in our garage. It’s a wee little paranormal romance–not my usual genre, but it was a great deal of fun to write.
Friends Like These (2014)
I wrote this in one night, when I was sick to death of working on my novel. A friend of mine suggested writing something that had nothing whatsoever to do with the universe of my books. It came out almost exactly like this (yes, including the egregious overuse of semicolons).
It’s not SF or fantasy. It could perhaps be spec fic, sort of. It’s probably best classified as some sort of mystery, but it’s not a whodunit.
And yes, now that you mention it, there is a big rock behind my house.
Series
Govi (2015)
This was the original opening chapter for BREACH OF CONTAINMENT, part of about 40,000 words that got tossed in revisions. The scene is utterly unnecessary to the novel, but the incident it describes is referenced in Chapter 9, and I’ve always rather liked it.
You’ll note the date–this part of BREACH was written early. Some of the dynamic between Elena and Bear is still in the novel, so some of this will be redundant for those of you who’ve read it. And like the published first chapter of BREACH, it has mild spoilers for anyone who hasn’t read the earlier books.
