Monday, April 30, 2012

Burning Bridges on Walpurgisnacht

It's a big bonfire night, Walpurgisnacht. Traditionally, bonfires burn and witches fly and the dark night clears the way for the bright May Day. How appropriate that it heralds the release of Burning Bridges: A Renegade Fiction Anthology.

A remarkable anthology of 15 stories by a bunch of writers who let their imaginations flow around the theme of burning bridges. You can get it for free at Smashwords, or you can get it for 99¢ at Amazon and 100% of authors' proceeds will be donated to Literacy for Incarcerated Teens, a non-profit organization using the written word to help those in need of a fresh start.

Special kudos must be given to Fiona for the fine cover, Heath for the editing & assembly, and Ben for formatting the ebooks. Well done! Be sure to drop by L Vera's blog to read interviews with the authors, too.

Featuring:

Dead Weight ~ Allan Leverone
The Beginning of the End ~ Paul D. Brazill
Unforgettable ~ Julia Madeleine
A Freeway on Earth ~ Heath Lowrance
Horse Clock ~ K.A. Laity
Disciple ~ Mark Cooper
Punishment/Lola ~ Darren Sant
Asylum ~ George S. Geisinger
No Turning Back ~ McDroll
The Importance of Blood ~ Edith M. Maxwell
The Last Injustice ~ Benjamin Sobieck
An Idea for Murder ~ Tace Baker
Safety First ~ Joshua J. Mark
Killing Deities ~ L. Vera
A Gift ~ B.R. Stateham


"Living well is the best revenge." -- George Herbert, Jacula Prudentum (1651)





Sunday, April 29, 2012

Six Sentence Sunday: It's a Curse, Round 2

Six Sentence Sunday has rolled around again. Drop by and see all the offerings at the Six Sunday blog. Today I offer another taste of "It's a Curse" because the eBook of Drunk on the Moon is already out and the print version arrives this week. And because I had such a hard time choosing just six sentences from the story. So here's another half dozen from when Roman Dalton, the werewolf PI, meets the woman he's supposed to be locating:


Jameson smiled, then looked thoughtful. "There's something odd about you."


"I missed the Paris fashions this year, so I'm out of season. Imagine my embarrassment."


"You're not what you seem."


"Neither are you."

In his blurb about the collection, Les Edgerton praised my dialogue in particular. Very kind words, indeed! You'll enjoy this anthology -- I guarantee it.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Publication: Drunk on the Moon eBook

Start spreading the news, as Francis would say. Drunk on the Moon is now available as an ebook -- print version will be available next week. Read it, review it, rate it! Releasing a book these days is like throwing a message in a bottle into the ocean. Let's hope the tide catches ours. A fabulous collection:

'Roman Dalton, your common or garden werewolf Private Eye, first howled for the people behind Dark Valentine Press over two years ago, and now he’s prowled back into their lair!'

The Drunk On the Moon stories:

Drunk On The Moon/ Before The Moon Falls - Paul D Brazill (UK/Poland)

The Darke Affair -Allan Leverone (USA)

It's A Curse -K A Laity (USA/Ireland)

Insatiable - B R Stateham (USA)

Fear The Night- Julia Madeleine (Canada)

Getting High On Daisy -Richard Godwin (UK)

Silver Tears - John Donald Carlucci (USA)

Blood & Alcohol - Frank Duffy (UK/Poland)

Back To Nature - Jason Michel (UK/France)

A Fire in the Blood -Katherine Tomlinson (USA)


OUT NOW FROM AMAZON

AMAZON UK

B&N

OmniLit

More next week when I'm not reliant on the mobile blogger interface.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Writer Wednesday: Interview

I am interviewed over at Luis Vera's blog about my story "Horse Clock" which will appear with all m'colleagues in BURNING BRIDGES, the free anthology out next week. A fine showcase of talents, BB has something for everyone in all kinds of genres. Luis will be featuring more of the folks this week, so drop by again. Darren Sant today!

You can find out a little more about the genesis of this odd little Hoban-esque tale in my interview. I had such fun opening the brain spigot to write it. I've been writing like mad lately, so more news to share soon.

More pictures uploaded as well: check the end of the Dundee album.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Tuesday's Overlooked A/V: Evil Roy Slade

As the mobile version of Blogger leaves a lot to be desired, this will be necessarily brief and devoid of video, which you can doubtless easily google (or find via the search engine of your choice).

EVIL ROY SLADE (1972) stars the incomparable John Astin as the title character, but also features a wild assortment of fine character actors like Mickey Rooney, Dom Deluise, Henry Gibson and of course Dick Shawn as the would-be pursuer of justice with the unfortunate name, Marshal Bing Bell.

The running joke with his name amused my family to no end when I was a kid. I have a thing for a good running joke. Astin of course holds everything together with his gleeful bad man in the old west. Family-friendly groaners and laughs galore. Fun stuff. Look for cameos from Penny Marshall, John Ritter and Ed Begley Jr.

As usual, see the round-up of offerings over at Todd's blog.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Six Sentence Sunday: Bill is Dead

Yes, it's that time again, Six Sentence Sunday. For this week I share another work you can read in full for nothing over at Pulp Metal Magazine, where you will find lots more for your noirish pleasures, including the omnipresent Mr B.

PMM loves stories inspired by songs; oddly enough, I tend to write a few stories that are inspired by songs especially -- wait for it! -- songs by The Fall.

So here's a little snippet from "Bill is Dead" which happens to be a real fave of mine. All dialogue: the difficulty in this kind of story is making the two voices distinct. In this case, they're also rather crude, as well as not being the sharpest tools in the box. Slightly based on true facts; Bill, it turns out, is having a bad day, exacerbated by a party lasting past 4am next door...

“Not because of the party?”

“At first, no. His wife, after threatening for twenty years, does a runner. Seems she met a new guy on line and they were running off to Budapest.”

“Budapest? Where the hell is that anyway?”


Flash fiction, so a quick read. Let me know what you think, let PMM know too. Lots of good writing there.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Coming Soon: Burning Bridges

You may remember the tale of a certain shady publisher. Writers are a resilient bunch, however. We know how to deal with adversity: write it, publish it, triumph over it. As the Hávamál teaches us:

Cattle die, kinsmen die,
You will die the same.
The one thing that never dies
Is your eternal fame.


For good or for ill, that is. Vikings knew what they were on about. So coming May 1st and free to the world is the anthology BURNING BRIDGES. Inside you'll find:


Julia Madeleine
K.A. Laity
Mark Cooper
Darren Sant
Allan Leverone
Paul D. Brazill
George S. Geisinger
McDroll
Edith M. Maxwell
Benjamin Sobieck
Tace Baker
Joshua J. Mark
L. Vera
B.R. Stateham
Heath Lowrance

And we will rock you, as they say. Because we know that George Herbert was right:

Living well is the best revenge.

And here's the soundtrack for it ;-)

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Alt-Fiction & Cake

Because what would Alt-Fiction be without a fantastic assortment of baked goods?

The fabulous Adele was hostess with the mostess *and* organiser supreme. Alasdair served faithfully as Brekkie czar and all-purpose mood elevator. Great to see Vick and Vince and Kat again as well as to meet new folks.

The Phoenix proved a great venue, mostly because of the winning combination of WiFi, food and drink that kept people from roaming far. The staff were unfailingly pleasant and helpful, which makes a huge difference. And unlike the Quad last year, they did not run out of beer.

They were warned about writers!

I had a panel on adaptations to different media with Dave Moody and Niki Valentine, then read in the flash fiction panel a story I had written that morning (The Rook). Played Trivial Pursuit in the cafe and chatted with folks. We had a terrific Italian dinner!

Sunday was my chat with Graham Joyce about the very dangerous fairy folk. Not sure I was entirely awake, but people said nice things after.

Theme of the weekend: Buffy's Once More with Feeling :-) thanks to everyone, especially Adele. Bursts of ideas as well as plans for next year!







Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Writer Wednesday: Reviews

PLAGUE TOWN
DANA FREDSTI

Ashley Parker makes a winning heroine: she's a bit older than her fellow students and while she's got the classic California co-ed looks, it's her intelligence and integrity that you'll remember. Fredsti's writing is always full of good humour and arch observations, but it's also chock full of action and really gruesome horror. The alternation in narrative between zombie hunters and zombie sufferers gives a chance to recognise the human price of the plague, something that doesn't come across in a lot of more depersonalised tales. At times the in-jokes come a little heavy, but the story cracks right along with both intense and grisly action, but also complicated interactions between characters you will root for. Looking forward to the sequels!

THE LANGUAGE OF DYING
SARAH PINBOROUGH

In this intense novella we see an already damaged family dealing with the impending death of their father. Our narrator is the beleaguered middle child and daddy's girl, who seems to be the rock holding everything together -- until the cracks in her façade begin to show. Interactions with her siblings bring out the comfort of that shared experience, but also the strains of their lives together. As her father's life ebbs, she drifts into remembering the very worst times in her life and a memory of something that may or may not have happened -- and something that waits outside the house. In his introduction, Graham Joyce calls it 'fractured realism' and it fits. A strong exploration of the dark spectre we must all find a way to deal with sooner or later.

SNAPSHOTS
PAUL D. BRAZILL

As indicated on the tin, twenty-one short sharp tales of crime, despair and bizarrely comic misadventures. Not so much the world of the rich and famous as of the spent and fumbling, observed through a bleary eye of cynicism gilded with a mordant sense of humour that will have you laughing even as you wince. If there's a fault here, it's that they read too quickly. It would be a treat to see Brazill tackle something lengthier.

[Apologies for the wonky formatting; the mobile Blogger app leaves a lot to be desired.]

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

London Fun

A few photos: the Hockney exhibit provides an interesting story. There I was on the last day, joining the 90 minute queue in the rain, when a fellow came up to me and offered me a free ticket for immediate entry. Luck o' the Irish rubbing off on me.

Bonus: I'm featured in the latest Dogcast.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Dundee Bound

I am away on a train today; proper write up of Alt-Fiction anon. In brief: Adele is hostess with mostess, Alasdair is Brekkie Master Supreme, everyone was nice, had a wonderful chat with Graham. And there was cake!

In the meantime, here's an appropriate song.

Friday, April 13, 2012

Publications: Bill is Dead & Chickens

Just a quick word on a couple of things. My sweary sweary story "Bill is Dead" appears in the latest issue of Pulp Metal Magazine. Yes, of course it's another Fall reference. Also my story "Chickens" will appear in Matt Hilton's ACTION anthology in May.

I seem to have turned to crime. May it serve me well.

In Leicester for Alt.Fiction; more anon. If you're on Facebook check out the pix which I can't seem to copy the link to at present.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Writer Wednesday: Postcard Fiction Contest



An inspiration I had: a contest to celebrate brevity in fiction. Write a story that fits on a postcard! Send it to me. I'll choose my favourite and give it a prize -- let's say $25. Entries open now until 15th May, 2012. All postcards I have received through that date will be in the running -- yes, from anyone anywhere in the world. My choice will be entirely capricious and not at all fair as it will be based on my own tastes. Yes, I'm sure the postcard itself could figure into my decision, so choose wisely. Stories remain your copyright, though you must allow me to post them here if I'm of a mind to do so (I will certainly post the winner). Winner to be announced within five days of the end of the contest. Failure to respond to my email indicating you are the winner within five days will lead to me choosing another winner. Anything else I need to clarify? Let me know.

How to do it:

1. Get a postcard.

2. Write a story on it.

3. Include your email address if you want a chance to win.

4. Send your postcard with sufficient stampage to:

Kate Laity c/o
Moore Institute/Institiúid de Móra
NUIG
University Road
Galway
Ireland

Please share the contest with all your writer and would-be-writer friends. Yes, I'm sure it will figure in my research somehow :-)

See our Facebook event page if you frequent those environs.

*This contest funded in part (though not authorised by) the Fulbright Foundation.

Monday, April 09, 2012

London Bound

Tate Britain
I'm writing this on Sunday to post Monday as I'll likely be in transit about this time; if all goes according to plan I ought to be on the Piccadilly Line heading to Russell Square and my swanky hotel. Hurrah for internet deals! Plans include seeing as many friends as I can, visiting my namesake at the Butterfly World Project on Tuesday, seeing Kaurismäki's new film Le Havre and the new Moomin Shop in Covent Garden, maybe catching the Hirst exhibit at the Tate Mod and definitely seeing the Wednesday matinee of The Ladykillers -- very excited about that.

News as I have time and wifi to pass it along: check Twitter. Alt-Fiction this weekend!

If you need entertaining, go listen to Elaine Stritch sing a very appropriate Noel Coward song.

Sunday, April 08, 2012

Six Sentence Sunday: It's a Curse

Howling out of Dark Valentine Press later this month, "It's a Curse" is one of the Roman Dalton stories in Drunk on the Moon, tales of the werewolf detective created by Paul D. Brazill. Mr B has lured me into the crime world much like a stranger with candy. I may be some time.

This is another story I can blame on The Fall, forsooth, by gad, verily! The opening owes as much also to Kingsley Amis, who set the bar high for hangover scenes in his classic of academic ambivalence, Lucky Jim. What can I say? I'm competitive.

I could feel my eyeballs roll in their sockets before I opened my lids: never a good sign. I steeled myself for the brutal fact of daylight, but the dawn was as grey as if it hadn't yet decided to get dressed. I reached for the crumpled pack of gaspers lying next to the bed. The object my groping fingers found puzzled me.


I opened one eye warily. It was a handkerchief, floral and trimmed in lace...

Poor Roman: things are going to get worse before they get better. Oh, wait -- no, they're just going to get worse. Hee.

Friday, April 06, 2012

Friday's Forgotten Books: Many Happy Returns

I am doing my taxes today which leaves little time for writing at present. I am somewhat abashed to find I spent over $6300 on travel last year. As luxuries go, that's one of the best.
I have Many Happy Returns: An Unofficial Guide to Your Income Tax Problems by Groucho Marx. I believe my brother Bertie bought it for me (either that or the lovely edition of Beds or quite possibly both). Alas, it's in storage in New York (having seen what it's going for, I hope it is in the good storage and not the outdoor place), so I won't be able to quote directly. Trust me, it's fun. As the man said,"Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana," so we can all say,"From the moment I picked your book up until I laid it down I was convulsed with laughter. Someday I intend reading it."



 
 
As always, see the round-up of recommendations at Patti's blog.

Wednesday, April 04, 2012

Writer Wednesday: Alessandra Bava

A couple bits of news before we get to La Bava: the fabulous Dana Fredsti will be stopping by the Girl's Guide to Surviving the Apocalypse on the 19th of this month with prizes (as if she wasn't a gift herself). Also I managed to miss the release of Dogcast #5 which features my piece "Words" right at the start of the podcast.

I'm delighted to welcome my friend, Alessandra Bava, poet and translator (who just revealed that she will be translating for Tom Stoppard next week, leaving me pea green with envy!). Alessandra was born in Rome in “the year of the barricades.” She holds an MA in American Literature and manages her own translation agency. In 2010 she had a cathartic encounter with SF poet laureate Jack Hirschman and she is currently writing his biography. Over 50 of her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in several journals and anthologies. Her first bilingual poetry chapbook, Guerrilla Blues, has just been published by Edizioni Ensemble. We appear side by side in the Occupy Wall Street Poetry Anthology (which is looking to publish in print, you can help).

Q: What do you write on? Computer, pad o' paper, battered Underwood? Give us a vivid picture.

I write on anything. From pieces of paper to pads to my laptop. I always carry pen and pad on me, but I have also learnt to use my cell phone in case of “emergency.” Muses can be frivolous! I do not have a writing desk, since I write wherever and whenever, even at work occasionally. Managing a translation agency is a great job because it is a great linguistic exercise. Translating from one language into another is a very creative process, as it forces you to recreate a text in your own language. It’s both frustrating and rewarding. It’s both heaven and hell, very much like writing at times.

Q: Do you listen to music while you write? Does it influence what you write?

Music inspires me in many different ways, but I seldom listen to music when I write. I hammer words and make enough interior noise as to require my listening abilities to be fully available. I follow my inner rhythm: writing to me is like singing – so I must concentrate on my own voice.


Q: Do you write in short bursts or carve out long periods of time to work? Is it a habit or a vice?

Poems usually come to me unasked, whether short or long. A word or a sentence pops into my head and usually turns into a poem, often as it is meant to be. I do very little editing. I so wish writing could be a habit, but I can’t afford to be a professional writer and devote 8 hours per day to writing. I am a vicious amateur.

Q: What writer would you most want to read your work? What would you want to hear them say?

I feel lucky for having had poets Jack Hirschman and Agneta Falk read my poems and appreciating them. Jack even wrote the introduction to Guerrilla Blues. What he said and wrote makes me happy in ways I find hard to express in words. I honestly look forward to receiving some critical feedback now. Too much praise won’t do me much good as a writer.

Q: On the days where the writing doesn't go so well, what other art or career do you fantasize about pursuing instead?

I so wish I could draw or paint or even play an instrument, but I can’t. If I lived in the 19th century I would be considered a very unaccomplished lady, I fear.


Q: What do you read? What do you re-read?

I have read and re-read an impressive number of poetry collections in the course of the last 2 years, but I’m attacking fiction again. I’m currently reading DeLillo’s Cosmopolis and George Sand’s Letters.

Q: Where did the idea for Guerilla Blues come from? Do you have a surefire way of sparking inspiration?

I was looking for a publisher for an Anthology of Rome’s Revolutionary Poets Brigade (a group of 10 poets living or aspiring to live permanently in Rome inspired by Jack Hirschman’s RPB in San Francisco that include the undersigned and John Claude Smith as well). And, when I met Matteo (the publisher of Edizioni Ensemble) to talk to him about the project last December, I gave him some of my poems to read. He loved them and decided to make a real book out of them. This is how Guerrilla Blues was born. In other words, it was a collection of poems that I believed worked well together triggered by my idea of poetry as a means of “disobedience” to awaken consciences in our too often “sleeping” world.

 
SONS OF DISOBEDIENCE

Like Thoreau
      I believe that things
            don’t change, but that
               we can and must

change. With superb fury,
      we fight liminally,
          peripherally,
               deliberately.

The Armed Voice
     inspires us,
        unites us,
            re-unites us.

                  We garrison arsenals
                  of poetry and we fear
                  not to be taken to the
                  stocks: words, naked

                  craving flesh,
            bones, dripping
        lines, teeth sunk in
  bowels of sense
         
                     and dissent.
              Hands and hips
   drowned in truth’s
blood

                    ready to give birth
             to several leaves—ready
       to give birth to several
  sons—of DISOBEDIENCE.

Find Alessandra at her blog as well as on Facebook and Twitter. And get yourself a copy of Guerilla Blues: it's simply incendiary as the best poetry always is. Grazie!

Tuesday, April 03, 2012

Tuesday's Overlooked A/V: Beckett's Film

Beckett is funny: people seem to often overlook that fact. Productions of Waiting for Godot that get that fact tend to be much better than those with dour seriousness. You put his craggy mug up there and suddenly it's art with a capital Arrrr! Slapstick is a fundamental element of his work however, so no surprise that he worshipped Buster Keaton. Yes, Keaton by 1965 suffered the effects of his dissolution, but it suits the haggard bemusement of his character in this short film. Beckett himself referred to Film as "an interesting failure"; considering how many dull successes fill the theatres at present, that seems infinitely preferable.



Even newly anointed big-stuff-with-a-show-at-the-Tate-Mod Damien Hirst has done Beckett.

As always, check Sweet Freedom for the round up of other gems. If you watch this on t'Tube you'll see a bunch of other videos featuring both Beckett and Keaton; indulge yourself. Another great resource for arty indulgences, if you don't already know about it, is UbuWeb.

Monday, April 02, 2012

Flash Fiction Challenge: Zoo Story

Patti Abbott has challenged folks again on the topic of the zoo: here's mine with apologies to Edward Albee and William Shakespeare and Bruce Robinson as well. So there.
 
Zoo Story

"So, this is the place."

"This? Why?"

"I thought it would be dramatic."

"Dramatic? Why? Wolf howls make it dramatic?"

"Not exactly. That scene was filmed here."

"What scene?"

"From the movie, you know the one."

"No. You mean…no. Which one?"

"The funny one, with those two guys and the drinking and—it's very funny. You liked it."

"It's not coming to mind."

"But there's that scene where he quotes from Shakespeare."

"Who does?"

"Whatsisname…Grant."

"Cary Grant?"

"No, not Cary Grant. The other one."

"Hugh Grant?"

"No, whatsit—Richard! Richard A. Grant."

"Don't know him."

"You do! He was in that movie and in lots of other ones. Tall bloke, gaunt looking, theatrical. He was in the Spice Girls movie."

"What did he play?"

"I don't remember. Anyway that's not the point."

"What is the point?"

"He was giving that speech from Shakespeare, right here, by the wolves."

"What speech?"

"Oh, you know the one."

"Obviously I don't. 'Wherefore art thou, Romeo?'"

"No, not that one. The one with 'quintessence of dirt' in it. Oh, you know, it's a famous one. Macbeth maybe."

"No, not ringing any bells."

"About the nature of man…"

"All the world's a stage?"

"No, not that. Oh, you know it—I can't remember now. It was raining down and he was reciting it to the wolves."

"Why to the wolves?"

"Because they were there. His friend had gone."

"What was his friend's name? Maybe that will remind me."

"I can't remember his name. I'm not sure the friend ever gets named."

"In the whole movie? No one ever says, 'Hey whatsyername, answer that phone' or something like that?"

"No. I mean, I'm pretty sure. The film's from his point of view. They go see the uncle and he gives them the cottage and they go on holiday."

"Oh, yeah, I kind of remember that one."

"Anyway he has that speech—"

"He does? Or the other one?"

"The other one, all right. But he gives that speech at the end of the movie and his only audience is the wolves and it's very significant."

"Why?"

"Well, because he goes on to be a great actor and you can see it in that moment. It's the beginning of better things."

"Oh."

"So I thought it would be appropriate—"

"What's the speech again?"

"It's about man's place in the world, the sky above, the ground below and how grand it all is. Quintessence of dirt."

"What does that mean anyway?"

"Like the epitome of dirt, I guess."

"Wouldn't that be a bad thing though?"

"No, not really—I think you're missing the point. It's poetry like."

"But it must mean something. If you're the epitome of dirt, you're still dirt."

"But don't you see—I mean, it's Shakespeare. Poetry."

"Ironic, you mean?"

"Well, not necessarily ironic but poetic. What's the word? Metaphor."

"Metaphor? That's when you compare things?"

"Sort of."

"So, what? The wolves respond to metaphor? Oi, wolves! Metaphorse for me."

"You're thinking metamorphoses. That's changing."

"Evolving. What would wolves evolve into?"

"Don't change the subject."

"What was the subject? This stupid movie?"

"It's not the movie, it's the speech."

"What about it anyway? You can't even remember what Shakespeare it's from."

"The play isn't important."

"The play's the thing—isn't that Shakespeare too?"

"Probably. But what I was saying—"

"Every famous quote comes from Shakespeare, doesn't it? Why is that?"

"I don't know. But the speech—"

"All the world's a stage, the play's the thing, the face that launched a thousand ships…"

"Yeah, but what I wanted to say—"

"Are they all from Hamlet? No some must be from comedies. Wait, Hamlet—that's the one. It comes from there."

"What does?"

"Your speech."

"Right, that's it. I'm sure it is. And the reason I—"

"Lots of good ones come from that play—isn't it bad luck to say the name? 'Bare bodkin': we always had a giggle at that one in school."

"Look, I wanted to say—"

"And there's a joke about privates, too. Miss, we'd say, could you read that part again, we didn't understand it. Hilarious!"

"Never mind that. I was talking about—"

"Do you suppose writers do that on purpose? Put in jokes like that?"

"I don't know. I don't care."

"What was that?"

"What?"

"That little box you threw into the pen."

"Nothing."

"Look, that wolf is trying to eat it. What is it?"

"Nothing. Never mind. Let's go have a drink."

"You're funny today."

"Yeah. Maybe Shakespeare wrote me."

"Ha, that's funny. So what was that box?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

Sunday, April 01, 2012

Six Sentence Sunday: Revelation

Today's six come from a pivotal story in my life: not for its quality (though I find some things to enjoy even now) or because it was my first "official" publication (though it was) but because it brought me kind words from Clive Barker. His Lord of Illusions short story contest inspired me to write this story of a child preacher and the apocalypse that begins at Disneyland. I think Clive had been on some talk show mentioning how much the ride horrified him (as it does all right thinking people) and suddenly the idea was there.

I won the contest, which was cool; even better were the kind words in the letter he wrote me to tell me my story was full of "fluent style and poetic dialogue" and the big hug I got when I first met him and told him that I wrote that story. Clive is a swell guy: every time I see him, he seems to remember me (considering how most people seldom remember me, that's a lot). I have seen him greet the last fan in a very long line with the same enthusiasm he had for the first. It's a good life being an imagineer.

This story appears in full at the official American Clive Barker site.

Michael snapped open his folding-table by the exit of "It's A Small World," one of his favorite spots, despite the risk. The scissoring legs telescoped toward the pavement and locked with a pleasing thwack. Other children, some younger, eyed him surreptitiously, waiting for the show to begin before committing to the spectacle.

In a single practiced motion, he slipped the heavy book from the crook of his elbow to the slanted table-top where it opened at will. Not by my will, but by Thy will, Michael repeated silently with satisfaction. He shaded his eyes to scan the well-tanned pages.

Stop by the Six Sentence Sunday blog to discover new writers!