New story at Untied Shoelaces of the Mind

I have a Sci-Fi flash (912 words), 'An Object Lesson in Misanthropy' at Untied Shoelaces of the Mind today. This is both a paid sale and one of my favourite online zines, so I am well chuffed :-)

Review: Don't Cry

Don't Cry by Beverly Barton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I found this quite a breezy, light read -- as far as a story about a serial killer who poses his victims with toddler skeletons can be. The focus is more on the mystery than the romance, which suited me, since I didn't find the relationship particularly convincing or particularly interesting. I didn't take to Audrey much, and her 'Methinks the lady doth protest too much' sniping at JD frequently irritated me. I also found her instant (and unprofessional) bonding with his wayward daughter a bit implausible.

The plot wraps up nicely, and although there are some characterisation threads left hanging--the source of Wayne Sherrod's antipathy towards his daughter, for example--I imagine these are developed further in the sequel so it didn't bother me unduly.



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New stories at Infective Ink and Shotgun Honey

I have a couple of crime/murder stories up at two wonderful sites, today:

They Do Things Better in Albuquerque (1,559 words) at Infective Ink, and

Bring It On (383 words) at Shotgun Honey

Writing Stats - Feb 2012

Total new pieces written: 30 (13,276 words)

• Flashes under 500 words: 21
• Flashes over 500 words: 5
• Short stories: 4

Total submissions: 28

• New: 18
• Resubs: 10

Acceptances: 4

• Reparations by Linguistic Erosion - drama - 543 words
• Grandpa by Postcard Shorts - drama - 200 words
• Precious Things by MicroHorror - horror - 100 words
• Dear Ingrid by Twisted Dreams Magazine - horror - 1,000 words

Rejections: 12

Publications: 4

Reparations at Linguistic Erosion

Grandpa at Postcard Shorts

Precious Things at MicroHorror

The Fine Art of Fortune Telling (2011) in Orbital Hearts anthology

Pending responses: 16

Woo!