So many darlings. So many deaths.
In all seriousness, I finally whittled down my stack of short stories to be included in my upcoming collection, and I couldn’t have done it without the help of my ruthless beta readers.
Not only have I chosen the 13 tales, but also I’ve decided the order in which they will appear, an agonizing exercise in its own right!
Considering that the ideas for some of these stories stretch back more than a decade, it feels good to see publication on the horizon. Without further ado, here is what will appear in Ghost Mode & Other Strange Stories, slated for summer 2021—along with a little bit of history:
Ghost Mode
- Working title: “The Villain”
- Genre: science fiction
- Initial idea: 8/1/08
- First draft: 6/27/13
Excerpt from earliest notes:
Reality TV has evolved to the point where most people continually record (and broadcast) their day-to-day dealings; hoping to boost his hit count, one man hires Villain to add some excitement to his otherwise droll existence.
Fun fact:
The intro of this story earned the most votes in the “Choose Your Own Adventure” blog post I published several years ago.
Anthropology in Apogee
- Working title: “The Anthropologist”
- Genre: science fiction
- Initial idea: 3/6/13
- First draft: 10/13/20
Excerpt from earliest notes:
An anthropologist prepares for her voyage to a new world… Ever since the aliens were spotted by scouting drones, she has made the study of this planet her single-minded pursuit. She isn’t coupled, and her living relatives have long since departed to any number of colonies. To top it off, she is considered almost freakishly short by her own kind, which means she won’t tower quite so much over the aliens (of Earth) once she arrives.
Fun fact:
This is my first piece of fiction to feature aliens since I typed up a short story about an extraterrestrial with an unpronounceable name on an Apple II computer in fifth grade.
Gamechanger
- Working title: “Game Changer”
- Genre: YA fantasy
- Initial idea: 2/4/20
- First draft: 2/11/20
Excerpt from earliest notes:
Five leading characters seems too much for a short story, so it probably would be best not to include all members of Good Company. A prequel that includes Asher, Lorenzo, and Mak could work. I think it’s probably best to let Asher be the POV character, since he gets shortchanged on “screen time” in the book.
Fun fact:
This story can serve as an appetizer—a prequel to The Lost Tale of Sir Larpsalot—or a satisfying second course for those who have already read the book.
Flesh & Blood
- Working title: “Killers”
- Genre: thriller
- Initial idea: 4/16/17
- First draft: 10/20/20
Excerpt from earliest notes:
…a cabal of assassins find their numbers being thinned, and they don’t know why. It’s a smallish group, so when the first member goes missing—and is presumed dead—they have plenty of theories. Since his meetup was scheduled at a church, one member even jokes that maybe he found religion.
Fun fact:
I had this idea well before I ever read 100 Bullets, but finishing that series of graphic novels motivated me to finally write it.
Unparalleled
- Working title: “Unparalleled”
- Genre: science fiction
- Initial idea: 9/18/20
- First draft: 11/24/20
Excerpt from earliest notes:
REDACTED TO PREVENT SPOILERS
Fun fact:
The antagonist in this book is an homage to the leader of a criminal enterprise I came up with in the early ’90s, back when my earliest stories starred G.I. Joe and Cobra rip-offs.
Reputation
- Working title: “A Tall Tale of Altaerra”
- Genre: sword-and-sorcery fantasy
- Initial idea: 2/4/20
- First draft: 4/21/20
Excerpt from earliest notes:
A crazy Noel adventure (maybe the astonishing reason he ended up in Capricon) … I imagine there could be a lot of fun using expanded cast members and “midge logic” to show how and why Noel received a message from the gods to go to the island.
Fun fact:
While the point-of-view character in this story is mentioned only obliquely in The Renegade Chronicles, he nevertheless plays an important role in the future of Capricon.
Captive
- Working title: “Captive”
- Genre: sci-fi/suspense
- Initial idea: 11/12/15
- First draft: 11/17/20
Excerpt from earliest notes:
REDACTED TO PREVENT SPOILERS
Fun fact:
I really geeked out on researching recent history while writing this short, self-contained tale that could almost be categorized as dreampunk.
The Fix
- Working title: “Hearts and Minds”
- Genre: science fiction
- Initial idea: 3/27/18
- First draft: 6/12/18
Excerpt from earliest notes:
While I cannot remember the train of thought that deposited me at this destination, whatever the route, I ended up here: What if a psychotic person and a neurotic person fell in love?
Fun fact:
Nearly every beta reader has expressed interest in revisiting these characters, and every time I find myself wondering what I’ll write next, a novel about Nic and Bettie pops up as a serious contender.
The Lake Road
- Working title: “The Lake Road”
- Genre: paranormal
- Initial idea: 9/24/10
- First draft: 9/24/10
Excerpt from earliest notes:
NONE
Fun fact:
This author once commuted on this very stretch of highway. Whether the story was inspired by actual events remains unrevealed.
Suspect 814553
- Working title: “The Liar”
- Genre: science fiction
- Initial idea: 7/22/14
- First draft: 11/3/20
Excerpt from earliest notes:
Following the Information Age is an era where truth is fiercely governed. The Internet (or, rather, what it becomes) is the source of all truth, and those who wish to fight against the draconian regime hack into the archives and plant small (and often insignificant) fabrications. In this world, perhaps the greatest criminal of all is one who writes fiction.
Fun fact:
This might be the scariest thing I’ve ever written.
Drifters
- Working title: “Allison Meets Milton”
- Genre: dreampunk
- Initial idea: 8/23/12
- First draft: 9/16/12
Excerpt from earliest notes:
… writing a prequel scene would give me the chance—no, would force me—to make some concrete decisions about Project Valhalla, Milton, and Allison.
Fun fact:
For fans of The Soul Sleep Cycle, this fills in a few blanks in the series, but the story also serves as an introduction to “dream drifting” for the uninitiated.
The Monster & The Mirage
- Working title: “Mother Magus”
- Genre: sword-and-sorcery fantasy
- Initial idea: 6/13/10
- First draft: 7/7/11
Excerpt from earliest notes:
…the first magi to settle in the desert were self-exiled. (In some cases, their only other option would have been to be burned at the stake in their native lands.) Tired of being oppressed throughout the savage, men-ruled realms, a few brave souls decided to build their own civilization. In the years that followed, others flocked to their cause. However, in order to enter the hidden city, the newcomers had to give up all memories of their earlier life, thus ensuring the truth would never unravel the happy illusion (mirage?) upon which the peaceful society was founded.
Fun fact:
This was my first successful attempt at writing a sword-and-sorcery fantasy story set outside of Altaerra.
The End
- Working title: “The End”
- Genre: fantasy/sci-fi mashup
- Initial idea: 5/27/09
- First draft: 10/27/20
Excerpt from earliest notes:
REDACTED TO PREVENT SPOILERS
Fun fact:
Beta readers disagreed whether this story has a happy ending or a tragic one.
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