Father’s Day is coming up in the United States. This month we feature a wistful story (“Five Times I Have Slept at Your Bedside” by Jared Adams) of a father who emulates this quote from William Shakespeare: “It is a wise father who knows his own child.” I sat and pondered on that quote for […]
When Irina says for the gazillionth time that she’s going to escape, we coax her away from the barred window. We smooth her hair and shush her, but we don’t touch the shiny laminate that coats her arms. We don’t know if Irina can feel anything underneath that brittle gloss like a nail-polish top coat. […]
When not writing the Brimstone Files, preparing for the debut of Mavericks of War, or teaching six classes at various schools, institutions, and search engines, I’m an improv actor. Which means in exchange for stage time, I perform completely improvised theater that is mostly comedic but often dramatic and weird to an audience of primarily […]
Goddamn, it was hot. Even in the shade, I was dripping with sweat, my mouth so dry it felt like I’d spent the last hour eating sand. However, some clients are so big you don’t hesitate. They want a face-to-face, you give them a face-to-face. You don’t even think about asking them to stop by […]
Jessica squeezed the keepsake box in her pocket for strength, then stepped through the dangling curtain of finger bone beads that served as a door. A strand caught on the harp case over her shoulder. She plucked it free and waited just inside the dim room while the clattering susurrus faded. Oil lamps burned fitfully, […]
We brought you home, driving far under the speed limit, turning oh-so-slow, your mother worrying over how your head lolled in the carseat. The world, inexplicably, was still full of Wendy’s and gas stations and billboards for Michelob Ultra, heedless of the monumental shift that had occurred at your birth. When we finally laid you […]