Thursday, December 31, 2009

A GARDEN OF BLACKRED ROSES

Bruce Brown (disenthralled #2) and Richard Godwin (disenthralled #3) have stories up at A Twist of Noir.

* * *

disenthralled/Special #3: "The Salvation Skits" will be up tomorrow. Fiction by Miss Alister. Photography by Sarah R. Bloom.

I have a lot to think about with dis. I'd like to have the ability to write proper notes/announcements for both the Specials and regular issues, as well as a separater* identity for each. I may set up a sister blog for one to remedy this.

The noir special continues to grow in my head. A dis Special? E-book? Joint with other mags? I'd like to get it sorted out in time for March.


_____



Now that I've begun to submit again, let's see if I can't keep better track this time (I won't)....

In the immediate future:

I'm going to have an untitled poem in Corporeal Flux (print), a vignette entitled "Roadies" at Metal Pulp Magazine, a poem entitled "Mountain" at Gloom Cupboard and a story entitled "Miss Morningside," also at Gloom Cupboard, under the name Rizzy Rodham.

_____


*Separater is not, in fact, a word, but should be.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

DISENTHRALLED #3

Holidays got you down?

Boot up for the blood puddle!

Read Issue #3 HERE.

And no splashing till everybody's in.

Monday, December 14, 2009

A LITTLE MORE LOVE

disenthralled/Issue #3 goes up tomorrow.

Alisa Rynay Haller, Robert Crisman, Lynn Kinsey, Miss Alister,Howie Good, Paul D. Brazill, Tom Leins, C.K. Black, Richard Godwin, Lena Vanelslander. Photography by Katie Stokes, XactoInTheBox and WonderfulUgly.

Your literary antidote to Christmas cheer.

[I've been obsessed with the song "A Little More Love," by Olivia Newton-John and looped it while preparing Issue #3.]

_____


I forgot to link the fall issue of GLOSSOLALIA FLASH, which contains three of my shorts, in the sidebar.

"The situation needed correcting, so I corrected it, sir."

Thank you, Mr Grady.

_____


Shoots and Vines is going to publish a mini-zine of my original poetry this month. Next week, I think. THE S.J. VALLEY AUTHORITY. S.J. is for San Jacinto, CA, which I destroy with a controlled flood in the title poem.

I'm also going to have an untitled poem in the next print issue of Lynn Alexander's CORPOREAL FLUX.

And some other stuff. Somewhere....

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

IT'S UP

disenthralled/Special #2: Poetry is at....

Have a lucid dream, on me.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

800 YEARS

disenthralled

SPECIAL ISSUE #2: Poetry is all but finished. Stunning. This came about because I was receiving some great poems, but either didn't have room in the current/upcoming regular issues or they didn't quite fit what I had assembled. The line-up includes Kristen Michelle Håvet (Special Issue #1), Salvatore Buttaci, Lynn Alexander, Howie Good, Carla Criscuolo and Robert Crisman. Photography by Anna Szczekutowicz. Here's a snippet from "To Kim," by Robert Crisman:

I hit those indifferent rocks down below
left shards of bone that the rats wouldn’t touch
I relearned to walk
through the Bonneville Salt Flats
It took me 800 years…


I know, man. I know. Robert's poem is the first I chose for the Special. He will also have a short story in Issue #3/December 15, 2009.

_______________________


I wrote and submitted a poem the other day to a fledgling magazine. The first thing I'd submitted in two months. Publishing disenthralled has been more satisfying than I imagined. I'm still writing every day (see "i carry your heart" at right), but have no interest in seeing my own work published at the moment.

_______________________


If you haven't been following Jodi MacArthur lately, you're missing out. Jodi is my favorite practicing horror writer. I really can't say enough....

Fiction Writer--Jodi MacArthur

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

DISENTHRALLED #2

It's up now. Go check it out....

Issue #2

Comments appreciated, as always.


Walter

Saturday, November 14, 2009

I CARRY YOUR HEART

I've started collecting my new, daily twitter serial at the url below....

i carry your heart

_____

disenthralled issue #2 goes up tomorrow. If you missed the debut, this is a literary journal I'm doing with photographer Paul Dutra. There's a link on the sidebar. Be sure to check out Special #1, as well.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

SHOOT, IF YOU MUST

I have a poem called "Walking the Halls" in Shoots and Vines #4, recalling one of the most important and unforgettable nights of my life:

SHOOTS & VINES #4


I also have a 100-word abomination, "John Denver's Head Ate My Grandmother," in MUST #7. You can read the collected material from MUST's #1-#7 here:

Collected MUST

_________

This weekend, I'm putting together disenthralled issue #2 and a rough draft of a straight-poetry special that may go up Dec 1, 2009.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

ARKANSAS/GLOSSOLALIA

disenthralled SPECIAL #1, now up, features the story "Arkansas" by Kristen Michelle Håvet, with photography by Paul Dutra. As always, comments appreciated....

Read SPECIAL ISSUE #1: Kristen Michelle Håvet

I finally started using my twitter account. Look for the blockbuster premiere-sized crowds, then head the opposite direction and ask the first person you'd rather not talk to how to find pitchbrite.



I also have some flash fiction in the new issue of Glossolalia. Check it out here:

GLOSSOLALIA FLASH

Saturday, October 31, 2009

DISENFACED

I started a disenthralled group at FB. News/updates. Q&A. Interaction with contributors. Open to everyone....

disenthralled wall

Sunday, October 25, 2009

IT'S EARLY AND I'M LATE AGAIN

Witching-hour dark. The first strong cup of coffee. Some kind of cheese from the back of the drawer. A hard green apple....

Issue #1 of disenthralled is now history. I was blown away by the material I received and more than a little overwhelmed by the public's reaction to the journal as a whole. This was not as controlled a venture as people might think. There was quite a bit of trust involved, last-minute scrambling. Pressure. God, I love pressure. When it finally did come, I wondered how it had even happened. A friend responded, "Hard work and electricity."

Shazam.

The submission window closed three days ago. I already have enough strong material for the next two issues. The number of subs was manageable, however; I only seemed to get things from people who were genuinely interested.

I'm putting the finishing touches on the first Special, which should go up November 1, 2009. Because the current format of disenthralled lends itself better to flash-length work, I've decided to present longer pieces, artistic and photographic albums in stand-alone editions. No firm schedule, but I could probably do it on the first of each month. Something to enjoy midway between the publication of regular issues.

This has been fun. Rewarding in so many ways. I really can't wait to see it where it leads.


Walter

_________


Special #1....Nov 1, 2009
Issue #2.....Nov 15, 2009

Friday, October 16, 2009

DISENTHRALLED

Yesterday, I launched my online journal disenthralled. Photography by Paul Dutra. Serial fiction by Quin Browne. Poetry by offbeatjim and Allie Dresser. Flash by Roberta Lawson. And a night out with Janelle Rene.

The journal came together quickly. Not too long ago, it was just a word that caught my attention in a nineteenth-century short story; then a blog address; then an idea about a near-dark magazine kicked around with friends.

Although the site is far from polished, the reception has been wonderful. It's nice to have so many visitors take the time to comment.

I may get a proper URL and change the format a little.

I have most of the written material for Issue #2. Issue #3, like the others, has already taken on a life/theme/atmosphere of its own.

I'll post updates here and at the main page of the site, which you can check out by clicking the link below:

disenthralled

Thursday, October 8, 2009

DROOLISH SHOULD BE A WORD

The achingly delicious DANSE MACABRE has a new direct mailing address:

dansemacabreonline@gmail.com

Apparently, they've been having trouble with Yahoo. I have, too--especially with attachments--which is why I've been nudging people over to my own gmail account. For now, you can still get me at the Y address listed on the sidebar. If I have to switch over for good, though, I'll post something here. And speaking of the luxuriantly creamy Danse Macabre....

You can read their delectably scrumptious new issue here:

THE SEAMLESSLY FROSTED DANSE MACABRE XXVIII

__________


I'm going to have three pieces in the Fall 09 Issue of Glossolalia Flash. OPEN. RAY. MY SISTER IS A MOTHER. Due out this month. Honored to be a part of Glossolalia.


X's (for eyes) and O's,

Walter

Saturday, October 3, 2009

ALLIE, AMANDA AND CANDY

CANDY SANGRIA'S DIARY PAGE, by Allie Dresser, is up at Candy Sangria. The first CS story written by an outsider. Honored to have Allie contribute to the mythos....

CANDY SANGRIA's DIARY PAGE

___________


AMANDA 1-3 are up in Full of Crow's Fall Fiction Quarterly. Two poems and a brief narrative. The first written and last to appear of the "Amanda" series. A gorgeous site, definitely worth exploring....

FULL OF CROW

FULL OF CROW'S FALL FICTION QUARTERLY

AMANDA 1-3

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

FOUND IN THE STREET

I have some new poems up in Outsider Writer's collection, POETRY FOR THE LOST SOULS #2:

neo-crone
amanda nine-ten-one
jar-head
how to pose for a wreck


This is my first publication with OW, which I joined about a month ago (I kept running into Outsiders everywhere I turned, so I decided to check it out). Also my first time working with Lena Vanelslander. There's a lot to read here....

POETRY FOR THE LOST SOULS #2

_______


I've been writing realistic free verse over the past couple weeks, but not doing anything with it. Saturday, my first open day in a while, might have to be a long one of revision and submission (and taking breaks, of course, to watch hideous movies on the SyFy Channel). I think I may have finally written myself out of Mad Gothic Love Mode.

________


My own online journal of art and literature, disenthralled, is taking shape. Here's a peek. There's no content posted yet. That'll probably start going up October 15. This is not a Horror site, although much of what is posted will certainly be unsettling....

disenthralled


[The title of this blog post comes from a Patricia Highsmith novel.]

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Actual "Blog" Content Follows:

Lately, I've been putting together a modest online journal. It will feature writing in various formats, art, photography. Whatever catches my attention. If you've read my work, you know what I like; if not, congratulations on doing something more productive with your time. The submission window will be a single week from the posting of each issue. I've been getting help and material from some great people. Check back on October 15th....

______


As far as my own submissions go, this has been a cold two weeks in hell. Just kidding. I really don't get upset about it. I've tried to be a little more playful this month (still dark, of course, but joyful, too). The result? Last month, prior to doing this, I had ten out of seventeen pieces accepted. So far, this month? Zero. Zero out of....well, just Zero. Does this make me want to change my approach? No, because this is the mood I'm in. This is how I feel like writing at the moment. A lot of it has been SO strange, though, I haven't bothered to send it out.

I posted one piece of a series at 6S/Ning. A dark fantasy about a place where nothing lives and nothing much happens. The subjects aren't ghosts, but a brother and sister who are neither dead nor alive. Someone commented that it was sad, chilling, moody. Another, that I seemed to have had a lot fun writing it. Correct on both counts. I revelled in putting it together; but, when I wrote the final version of the main character's wish, I had tears in my eyes and had to get up from my chair. The problem--if it could even be considered a problem--appears to be that I'm writing for disparate readers at the same time, rather than focusing to achieve a single, desired effect. Cool. In a mass-schizophrenia kind of way.

______


RECOMMENDATION:

"Sometimes, We Choose," by Quin Browne. It doesn't need an introduction. Set aside a few minutes and then go here and start reading:

SOMETIMES, WE CHOOSE

Friday, September 11, 2009

PLASTIC and GLUE and WE and YOU

ABSENT CAUSE #2: DUALITY is available at Redguard's Shop on Etsy.

Description: bisexual bipolar body-conscious dead or alive dialectical doppelganger gendered identified mirrored radical schizophrenic vampires. Interviews, Fiction, Poetry Essays, Art, Comix, Photography and more, including my poem, A NIGHT IN. Go buy it. And check out his other mags while you're there....

ABSENT CAUSE #2

_____

I also updated the link to SMASH at Gloom Cupboard. They've split up Poetry Issue #105, so you have to click "read more" at the bottom of the entry. Not a big deal, but people are busy and this is quicker:

SMASH

Saturday, September 5, 2009

SMASH

SMASH, a poem, is up in Gloom Cupboard #105. Social Anxiety Disorder can be fun!

Read:
SMASH

* * *

Tales of the Supernatural, a poetry anthology containing my poem, GONE, is finished. Available to those behind the scenes at the moment; public in about a week.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

YOU CAN DANSE IF YOU WANT TO

Danse Macabre, a terrific online literary journal, has gone monthly, with new issues scheduled to appear on first Fridays. Readership and interest in the site have been growing exponentially. To counter that, I'm going to have a short story called THE PRESSURE SEEKERS published there in October or November. The what? Just hold still. And yes, there will be bruising....

DANSE MACABRE

_____


Outside writers and photographers are working on material for the Candy Sangria blog. All together, now: "Candy, Candy, Candy, I can't let you go!"

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

THE SONG THEY ARE SINGING

WHY NOT YOU AND I, a poem, is up at Thirteen Myna Birds. Part of a series that kept me from losing my mind this summer. Two others and a short narrative will appear in The Fall Fiction Quarterly at Full of Crow next month. One poem remains to be published or accepted (along with a traditional ghost story, which I may or may not submit anywhere). Thanks to Juliet at TMB for putting this up.

The profanity and graphic description are restrained, but the content is nonetheless disturbing.

Read:
WHY NOT YOU AND I


(The title comes from a short story collection by the late Karl Edward Wagner. Read him if you haven't.)

Saturday, August 29, 2009

WE LIVE ON IN THE FLESH OF OTHERS

BLOOD-BOUGHT SON has been added to the Candy Sangria website. This one originally appeared in Shoots & Vines Issue #3 (there's a link to S&V on the sidebar).

Read:
BLOOD-BOUGHT SON

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

GIVE (BUBBLE WRAP RE-MIX)

Two poems for women who fascinate me (one I've known for over half my life; the other, only a brief time, but she's made quite an impact).

BITCHCRAFT is up at Censored Poets. Written for Janelle Rene, co-founder of real-life group Bitchcraft. This site publishes work that ranges from quiet introspection to Live Nude Grand Guignol. My poem is not X-Rated (more like a WTF/PG), but please keep in mind that freedom of speech is the rule of the day here:

BITCHCRAFT


The other, SMASH, will appear in Issue #105 of Gloom Cupboard. No set date, but it should be up in a week or so.

Monday, August 24, 2009

SUNSHINE MAKES ME CRY

A couple things to add this week:

WALKING THE HALLS, a poem, will be in Shoots and Vines #4. Sometime in October, I think. This explores one of a half-dozen memories that have haunted me throughout my life. The experience was somewhat terrifying, on the surface, but also allowed me to glimpse the potential range of hope, love and tenderness in the human heart.

WHERE WE ARE NOT, a poem, will appear in the October issue of Full of Crow Poetry. A gorgeous site. Poetry that reminds you of why you wanted to write in the first place (what the hell am I doing there?). I'll have three pieces in their Fall Fiction Quarterly, out around the same time.

JOHN DENVER'S HEAD ATE MY GRANDMOTHER....It's okay, I'll give you a second to read that again....will be in a microzine called MUST #7, published by the Sphere, an online collective of writers, artists, photographers, etc. Not a poem. A short, ummm....Anyway, the editors at MUST are swamped, but it may come out in September.

Friday, August 21, 2009

BEETLE AND BARDS

What does it mean when you get nicer comments on rejection slips than you do on acceptance letters? I think the market for my work--not the silly bits I write for fun, but that which springs from my heart--is a tiny thing that scuttles when uncovered and often gets away before I can sink the pin. It's my choice to write what I want, not what is expected. If someone tells me he loved a piece or that it touched him deeply in some strange way, but that it isn't quite right for him, I've already accomplished what I set out to do.

The Liar's League is a group of British actors who record themselves reading short stories at live, monthly events. I learned yesterday that my story, KICK HEAD KIMBERLY, is on a short list of works which have divided the judges. I absolutely love the idea of an actor reading something I wrote to a room full of people, with half of them clapping and the other half yelling Oh, come on....

Doesn't "Beetle and Bards" sound like a brand of wine cooler?

Monday, August 17, 2009

VOICE OF THE VOICELESS

VIOLENCE UNSILENCED

Testimonies/Q&A/Resources by and for women who have survived abuse. There is a permanent link on the sidebar under Online Reading List. A necessary and invaluable website.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

FIVE FOR FALL/BUFFALOE GALS

Crystal Folz of SHOOTS AND VINES is going to publish five new poems of mine as her November Minizine, which is mailed out and hand-distributed to bookstores, coffee shops, etc. This is an honor. I don't feel at home in too many places, but I do at S&V.

Crystal posts some great writing and photography at her online mag:

SHOOTS AND VINES


She's also working on a chapbook with Julie Buffaloe-Yoder, who will make you shout out loud. Go here and read:

SUPERMAN PART II

Then read it again.


Update on the Dark Crime Anthology: The deadline has been extended, which means not enough writers are interested or the stories they've received aren't quite doing it for them. Haven't heard anything yet....

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

TANGLED UP IN RED

I have a Candy Sangria story, BLOOD-BOUGHT SON, in the new issue of Shoots and Vines. You can read it online at:

Shoots and Vines Issue #3

Or order a print copy at:

Shoots and Vines online
($2 to cover S&H--this is a labor of love for publisher Crystal Folz)

Either way, read the Editor's Note and make sure you check out the rest of the mag.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

SEASON OF THE WITCHES

A new poem, THE WITCH, is going to appear in a book called The Silkworm Vol.4, and another, A NIGHT IN, will be in the next issue of Absent Cause Magazine. I'll post more info when they come out.

A NIGHT IN was written after reading a blog post by a writer I really enjoy (see Quin Browne's links in the Online Reading List). She riffed on three words as an exercise in flash fiction. I decided to give it a shot and came up with this tale of obsession, lost identity and homespun Lovecraftian magic. I don't know, either. Somebody take me out for a piece of pie....



Update on Full of Crow: Amanda 1-3 are going up in the Fall Fiction Quarterly at Full of Crow, October 1, 2009. Thought it was September for some reason.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

MODERN FOLK ANTI-HEROINE

JANEY APPLESEED (A mostly-true story) is up at the 6S Ning network and also over at Black. The commericial was for baby food.

B E L I E V E

Saturday, August 1, 2009

TWO FOR TODAY

EMOTIONHAUSEN, a poem, went up today at Danse Macabre XXVI/Stonewall.

EMOTIONHAUSEN

EIGHT, a vignette, is up at Issue #102 of Gloom Cupboard.

EIGHT

_____


This morning, I submitted a long, uncharactestically gruesome crime story to a "dark crime" anthology. I'm a big proponent of suggestion--coercing the reader to supply his own detail in a way that evokes the strongest and most personal reaction--but the crime scene in this one broke the Splat-O-Meter.

I also submitted a trio of flash pieces to Glossolalia, a great online magazine. This past winter, they printed "Liar," by Crystal Folz, which is the best thing I've read online this year. Go read it. Now...

LIAR by Crystal Folz

There's something else I'm forgetting to do. I just know it.

RECAP: JUNE - AUGUST 1, 2009

[Following is a list of work published or accepted this summer, with links to online pieces and titles of upcoming print material in the sidebar at right. It's been five years since I withdrew from the entertainment world. I'm up from underground, but only nibbling at the edge of the field--because that's where the really interesting stuff grows.]


August 1, 2009

EMOTIONHAUSEN, poem, at Danse Macabre's Stonewall Issue
EIGHT, flash fiction, at Gloom Cupboard


July 2009

MY MOTHER IS NOT MY MOM, flash fiction, at The Flash Fiction Offensive
BANK, flash, at Six Sentences
AMANDA 1-3, poetry and prose, to appear in the Fall Fiction Issue of Full of Crow
BLOOD-BOUGHT SON, short story, to appear in Shoots and Vines Magazine, due early August (print)
THIS HOUSE IS HAUNTED, poem, to appear in Issue #6 of The Stray Branch Literary Magazine (print)
GONE, poem, to appear in Deborah Simpson's Anthology of Supernatural Poetry (print)


June 2009

BADDERLANDS, short story, at A Twist of Noir
CANDY SANGRIA, flash, at Powder Burn Flash
LAST STOP, DULLSVILLE, short story, at A Twist of Noir

Thursday, July 30, 2009

MORE CANDY?

I'm going to have a new Candy Sangria story, BLOOD-BOUGHT SON, in the next print issue of Shoots and Vines. Should be out in a week or two. Shoots and Vines is published by Crystal Folz, whose own writing you can read here:

GYPSY RONDO at Yellow Mama.

If you're wondering who Candy Sangria is, there's a link on the sidebar under Other Online.

(Thanks again to J.D.C. for the inspiration.)

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

FULL FALL FICTION/FACEPUSH

Three related pieces I wrote, a brief narrative and two poems, are going to appear in Full of Crow's Fall Fiction Issue. AMANDA #1-3. Scheduled for September. I'm honored to be part of it and to work with the staff there, who are small press/online champions and terrific writers, as well.

These are the first things I wrote about the recent death of a local woman--a scene I drove up on moments after it had occurred. I am trained to deal with situations like this, but it was immediately apparent that I was too late to do anything for her. I have two more pieces submitted elsewhere and, though I worried I might actually dig myself into a deeper hole by re-living the experience, feel much better about what happened since I've gotten it out this way.

-----

I also have a new blog up where I'll be posting random comments on pop culture guaranteed to upset somebody.

BLACK BETWEEN THE FRAMES

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

EIGHT ON THE FIRST

I'm going to have a little something called EIGHT at Gloom Cupboard, August 1, 2009. A vignette, I suppose. A pair of knuckleheads standing in the rain would be a more accurate description.

On that day, I also will post a re-cap of what I've been up to this summer: from June, when I really got the itch to start publishing again, until the first of August, when I will have two new pieces online and information on upcoming work.

I spent the day searching out markets for a poem I wrote last night. There's a lot to consider, because I'd like to include it in a chapbook or collection later this year.

Monday, July 27, 2009

HARD-ASS HARDCOPY

Earlier this summer, I wrote a story called LAST STOP, DULLSVILLE that was based upon the photography of a friend. We've decided to publish it as a book, with the photos and story appearing together. Right now, it's little more than an idea, but I did get to check out a few mock pages today. I'm very excited about this. We aren't sure what form the actual book will take just yet. However or wherever it's released, I think we could probably get it out by the end of the year.

Yesterday, I finished a long crime story for submission to an upcoming anthology. Today, I revised and submitted a poem online--possibly the last dealing with the tragedy I witnessed in June.

Time for a very late breakfast....

Sunday, July 26, 2009

GONE, GIRL

Another new poem of mine, GONE, will be published soon in a trade paperback collection of supernatural poetry. More details when they become available.

This poem and a short story I recently submitted to a horror anthology are some of the darkest things I've ever written. I slipped from crime (which I already write very dark) to black-hearted fantasy without meaning to. Earlier this summer, I experienced something that shook me to my core. I've been trying to work through it by writing it out a little at a time. These two pieces aren't based upon that incident, but seem to have sprung from a deep reaction to it. I do have several things which deal directly with it written or submitted right now. It's a tricky game to play, but I think I may finally be getting it out of my system.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

AMERICAN GOTHIC SYNDROME

My poem, "this house is haunted", is going to appear in Issue #6 of The Stray Branch Literary Magazine, sometime next year. No firm date as of yet.


About AMERICAN GOTHIC SYNDROME (AGS):

It seems like every time I sit down to work on a story, lately, I end up writing a mad gothic love(?) poem instead. I'm not sure why. This trips up the fiction, but it's so much fun that I can't stop.

[It dawned upon me why this was happening. I addressed it in the July 26, 2009 entry. Trauma can do a number on your mood and memory, but art can do wonders for peace-of-mind.]

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

TRUE-LIFE HORROR, PARTS ONE AND TWO

I polished up a half-conscious FB post about my daughter and mailed it to Six Sentences. Fun site. Literary snack machine.

Read: BANK

[I lied in my last post. As soon as I'd logged off, I found a call for ghost stories. The anthology was put together to benefit the American Cancer Society. No closing date. I finished one that I'd been toying with and sent it, only to find that they had stopped taking subs already. Wish I could have been part of that. On the plus side, though, I now have a ghost story ready to submit.]

Saturday, July 18, 2009

AND BREATHE...

I'm going to have a new poem, EMOTIONHAUSEN, in the forthcoming "Stonewall" issue of Danse Macabre, scheduled to go up Aug 1. Danse Macabre is an online literary journal. I'll post a link as soon as it's published.

I took the day off from writing (except for a single paragraph I banged out to get an idea rolling). I've been so busy writing and submitting work lately that I needed to take a step back and get things in order.

I did, however, submit an unpublished short story to a small press magazine and a group of actors in the UK, who read them live at monthly events, then publish both written and audio versions online. What a terrific idea. That makes six submissions--some reprints for anthologies--in the past two days.

I have a crime story in my head that I'll probably write tomorrow.

If I can hold out that long....

Sunday, July 5, 2009

MOTHER

MY MOTHER IS NOT MY MOM is up at The Flash Fiction Offensive, online sister to Out of the Gutter Magazine.

We've been getting mail for the same woman since we moved into our current house--about 3 1/2 years now. Central VA has abandoned, rundown farmhouses all over the place. People build new houses and just let the old ones rot where they stand.

I love Marshmallow Fluff, by the way--especially as part of a Fluffernutter sandwich--but didn't think I could legally use that name.

Read it here:
MY MOTHER IS NOT MY MOM

Thursday, July 2, 2009

CANDY GIRL

CANDY SANGRIA went up at Powder Burn Flash yesterday. This started as a fake news story I wrote after skimming a friend's wall:

"Southern Belle's fall from grace through the nightmarish underworld of strip clubs, fruity drinks and rock-n-roll ends tragically with the discovery of her body in a pool of 'burnt red' liquid early this morning. Candy Sangria, as she was known to clientelle..."

Writing that made me want to flesh it out. The short story makes me want to do more. I have a poem, attributed to the late Candy Sangria, pending at another site.

THE SAD, SAD TALE OF CANDY SANGRIA

Monday, June 29, 2009

WELCOME

After a few hectic years of moving around the United States and taking care of business, I am now submitting work again. This site will contain regular updates on publication, works-in-progress and anything else that may be relevant. My first two short stories to go up, BADDERLANDS and LAST STOP, DULLSVILLE are at A Twist of Noir. I have some flash (1000 words or less) waiting to appear at another site and a second flash, short story and poem submitted elsewhere.

My Page at A TWIST OF NOIR.

I've recently begun work on a novel entitled HENRY SLOAN. I have a seventy-five page interview with the main character, conducted by a policeman from the novel, as well as related short fiction and notes that will be going into it. I officially banged out Chapter One today.

I'm willing to consider any work-for-hire project that my schedule allows. In addition to the work listed at right, I have also written or co-written short and feature-length screenplays, public service announcements, picture books, newspaper inserts, editorials and animation scripts.

I love to talk shop and am always glad to help behind-the-scenes in whatever way I can.

Thanks for stopping by.


Walter