Until Eternity’s End: New Short Story Published

My husband is a true crime aficionado. Me? Not so much. The faces of the endless procession of murdered women and girls linger in my mind, though their names are far too numerous for me to remember. And so many of them meet their end at the hands of men known to them: not just the weird guy who lives a few doors down, but fathers, husbands, brothers, boyfriends — men who are supposed to love you, ending your one and only life forever. I have a hard time accepting this reality, and so this story came about. It’s surprisingly sweet considering the dark subject matter. That sounds weird, I know. But it’s…comforting? To me, anyway. Ah, check it out for yourself. And tell me what you think 🙂

‘Until Eternity’s End’ is featured in the Acorns section of Hollow Oak Press.

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A War-Torn Country: Latest Short Story

Well, this is nice. It’s the first day of 2026 and I already have a short story published.

A War-Torn Country features a young boy who ran away from his farm and family to seek glory and adventure, but who ends up narrowly escaping a battlefield massacre. Regrets, he has a few. Poor Rafer. Read on to keep him company in his misery.

The story is in Issue Ten of Pulp Asylum. Isn’t the accompanying illustration beautifully creepy?

Incidentally, Pulp Asylum also published my story, Birthright, in Issue Three.

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Alice Lives Here Forevermore: New Short Story Now Available

Alice has no friends, is not allowed outside, and doesn’t even go to school. Her mother won’t allow it.

Direct link to Alice Lives Here Forevemore.

Come meet poor little Alice, the protagonist of my latest short story, published in the October 2025 issue of Penumbric Speculative Fiction. This issue’s stories revolve around the intriguing theme of “Not What Things Seem.”

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New Short Story: Patience, With All Things

Me and my sisters were rough on our dolls when we were kids, and there were a lot of us — sisters, I mean. The dolls had all kinds of inappropriate adventures and ended up dismembered or dragged around by the hair, and, eventually, given outrageous punk rock hairstyles and makeup. One time I went over to a friend’s house to play with her barbie dolls. She was horrified when I immediately had Barbie performing naked gymnastics. I was, apparently, supposed to dress her up in pretty clothes and admire her. How very boring. I was never asked back.

My old friend would like my local museum, where the dolls in the massive collection are beautifully dressed and behind glass to admire, their glassy eyes staring into an interminably dull and safe existence.

The doll in my latest short story is named Patience, and she tries to live up to her name. She tries really, really hard. She’s based on my favorites from the local collection: the diorama dolls. They don’t look so bored, as if they’re living an actual life. But imagine having to stand there forever. Can you? Patience couldn’t.

Hope you enjoy the story.

Frost Zone Stories Book 2 is available in e-book and print.

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New Short Story with a Side of Tissues

I have a new short story available in Baptized by Fire, Issue 4 of Rainy Weather Days Literary magazine.

The Thinnest Winter is one of my sad ones. I wrote it during an endless winter in which I’d been severely ill. All I wanted was Spring, some warm sun on my face and a few hardy flowers popping through the soil. It felt like it would never come. And so this story was born. Don’t forget to grab a tissue before you read it.

It’s available on Amazon in e-book and Mixam in print.

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Birthright: New Short Story Published

A glorious Fall season has just ended in my part of the world and I’m celebrating the publication of a new short story.

‘Birthright,’ is a rather nightmarish combination of Science Fiction and Horror, that has its roots in 16th century Germany. I was a history major, you see, and I’ve long been fascinated by the extraordinary Munster rebellion. ‘Birthright’ is a futuristic reimagining of some of these events. It’s not a pretty story. Terrible things happen. But that’s par for the course in my short stories.

‘Birthright’ is available in Issue 3 of Pulp Asylum, edited by Billy Ramone.

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Gothic Horror Novella On Sale!

DOWN BY THE DARK WATER is currently on sale at Amazon for less than a buck or a quid 🙂

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK  |  Amazon CA |  Amazon AU

To-Read List: Goodreads

Jane Forsyth wants a new life—far, far away from her cold mother and recently-buried father. Working as personal assistant to a wealthy recluse seems ideal: fresh air, beautiful surroundings on a remote Scottish island, and time to recover from the trauma of nursing her abusive father. But when she arrives at gloomy, ghost-ridden Cardrossan House she finds a family even more dysfunctional than her own.

Her employer, Sebastian Holt-Manning, is drowning in whiskey, his wife has left him, and he treats his only child, Emilia, as if she doesn’t exist. It’s only her budding relationship with the lonely, mercurial teenager that convinces Jane to stay. The neglected Emilia requires a friend—and who better than Jane to mentor her through the hazards of a distant mother and a cruel father.

When Mrs. Holt-Manning’s body is discovered on the banks of the Black Loch, Jane becomes obsessed with the clues she believes point to murder. With Emilia leading her deeper into the shadowy secrets of the family and servants, Jane pursues the elusive facts. But even the strength she used to survive her parents may not be enough to save her from the terrible truths she discovers on the shores of the dark water.

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New Short Story Available!

My writing life continues, slowly and steadily (very slowly; somewhat steadily). My latest published short story is “A Prince of New England.” It’s a sad wee tale, probably best described as grit lit, with not a solitary drop of my usual spec fic.

It’s been published in Issue 4 of God’s Cruel Joke Literary Magazine, a publication dedicated to the “intersection of the profound and profane.” You can read Issue 4 for free online or purchase a print copy from Amazon.

I’d wish you happy reading, but…that’s not gonna happen. Unhappy reading, then. Enjoy 🙂

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Update and a New Story

It’s me again, the laziest blogger who ever blogged. Though in my defence I did have another horrendous health issue that knocked me off my game for a while. But here I am, back in the writer’s saddle as per frickin’ always, editing a novel, writing a novella, and subbing a bunch of short stories, one of which I managed to sell while trying not to keel over dead. Success, I believe.

My short story, “The Rarest of Species,” is available in Issue 13 of the science fiction and fantasy magazine, Wyldblood, and involves mysterious shenanigans on a desolate Scottish island. Print and e-version is available from the publisher, as well as Amazon.

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It’s Been a Minute…

Yeah, long time, no see. My excuses include: cancer, pandemic, and a job that almost killed me. Started writing again last year, just for fun, and recently started submitting again. So, I have a new short story for those who might be interested.

“Mothers’ Daughter” appears in Issue 4 of Dream of Shadows. It’s available on Amazon. $2.99 for the Kindle edition, $5.99 for the paperback edition, and free if you’re a member of Kindle Unlimited. It’s also available via Amazon UK.

This story is a revenge tale. And it’s dark. Oh so very, very dark. So be warned.

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