Friday, May 20, 2016

New story in Black Static - My Sister, the Fairy Princess

Black Static is the sister magazine to Interzone, and I'm thrilled to have a story, 'My Sister, the Fairy Princess' in Issue 52.

I leave my rental out front, next to Mom’s old pickup. I don’t bother locking it, since the plan is to do this fast: get in, get it done, get away. I’m sure the house and whatever money Mom had will be going to Daisy, so it should be easy — sign any paperwork, maybe pick up some random piece of jewelry as a memento, and shoot back to the hotel. Then, after I’ve shown my face at the funeral, I can get back to forgetting this place exists. 

Daisy’s sitting on the tyre swing at the side of the house, gripping the rusted chains and leaning back so far her body is almost horizontal. Her long dark hair hangs down to the ground, the ends brushing through the sandy-colored soil. 

Out here, everything turns the color of sand in the end — a reminder that this land is still desert at heart, no matter how much people try to change it with irrigation systems and imported plants. Inch by inch and year by year, it reverts to its true nature. Maybe we all do.

Read the rest in Black Static Issue 52, from TTA Press, available now...

Monday, May 9, 2016

New Story at Daily Science Fiction

My little philosophical robot story, Best Friends Forever, is free to read now at Daily Science Fiction!

Best Friends Forever - SF - 790 words 

Suelita and I are friends. This is a fact. She tells me so, and I agree with her. Suelita's mother is called Ana. 

'That's nice, dear,' Ana says, when Suelita tells her we are friends. 'And I got arrested for murder, and the house is on fire,' Suelita continues. 

 Ana carries on tapping at her phone and says, 'Mm-hmm. That's nice, dear.'

 I am also supposed to agree with Ana, but it is sometimes difficult. Those things, were they to have happened, would not be nice.

Read the rest at Daily Science Fiction now...