SHORT FICTION
Below are short stories and novellas I've written that are not tied to any of my series. Listed in order of publication (newest-->oldest).
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"Three-Headed Problem"
As the underworld’s top private investigator, Roy Stinson keeps busy handling cases of unauthorized torture, stolen souls, and general demonic mischief. But his day job takes a twist when he's hired to find Cerberus's stolen bone. Without his favorite treat, the hound won't stand guard at the infernal gates, and, well, all Hell will break loose if Roy doesn't find the thief and fast. Horror | Appearing in Weird Tales issue #386, "Occult Detective" | 2024 | ed. Jonathan Maberry | Weird Tales |
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"Brown 26"
In a world where escapism is more popular than ever, Parallax has become the world’s richest corporation by offering its customers a service that allows them to be someone else for a day by having their consciousness placed in a clone-android body called an anclone. This is a journey of one anclone named Brown 26 becoming self-aware and claiming her body as her own. Science Fiction | Appearing in Learning to Be Human | 2024 | ed. Gillian Whitaker | Flame Tree Press |
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"Heavy Metal Night at the Met"
Wave upon wave of malevolent robots have rampaged across New York City for a day. Only by superhuman feats have the heroes beaten them back and rescued the injured. Defying this terror, Bastet, co-founder of the Guild of Masked Crimefighters, attends a charity gala for the victims. Little does she know, Crosscircuit is about to unleash the deadliest of his metal minions. Will the exhausted superhero find a way to stop the robots before they finish off the traumatized city? Find out in the exciting finale of Mega-Mech-Apocalypse! Superhero Fantasy | Produced for Soundbooth Theater as part of the Mega-Mech-Apocalypse audio series | 2023 | Aethon Books |
"Golems of War"
We've been fighting a war without casualties for three hundred years. All that's about to change when a team of androne operators find themselves trapped within their artificial bodies 100 light years from Earth.
Science Fiction | Appearing in The Expanding Universe, Vol. 5 | 2019 | ed. Craig Martelle | LMBPN Publishing (OUT OF PRINT)
We've been fighting a war without casualties for three hundred years. All that's about to change when a team of androne operators find themselves trapped within their artificial bodies 100 light years from Earth.
Science Fiction | Appearing in The Expanding Universe, Vol. 5 | 2019 | ed. Craig Martelle | LMBPN Publishing (OUT OF PRINT)
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"Outpost 46: Deadwood"
A novella set in the apocalyptic world of Nicholas Sansbury Smith’s bestselling Extinction Cycle series, this is a tale of perseverance after the Hemorrhage Virus tramples the Earth. Fate makes alcoholic Lt. Jim Flathman the commanding officer of Outpost 46. For seven months, he holds the base, known as Deadwood, against hordes of infected, Variants, and later juveniles. Apocalyptic Science Fiction/Horror | Appearing in Missions from the Extinction Cycle, Vol. 2 | 2019 |Great Wave Ink |
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"The Fall of Fort Bragg"
A novella set in the apocalyptic world of Nicholas Sansbury Smith’s bestselling Extinction Cycle series. Sheila Horn has kept her daughters safe… until now. When her husband—and the rest of Delta Team Ghost—leave the base to take on a dangerous mission, she stays behind with their two young daughters. Fort Bragg is heavily defended and should be safe. But, when the Variants break through the base perimeter, Sheila, Tasha, and Jenny must make a run for their lives. Can they make it to the tunnels before the Variants reach them? Apocalyptic Science Fiction/Horror | Appearing in Missions from the Extinction Cycle, Vol. 1 | 2019 | Great Wave Ink |
"Bat Johnson, the Mad Mortician of Mars"
A tale of space colonization, alien invasions, and lactose intolerance. The Mars Bionet is a desolate place. Only the toughest survive there. Those who don’t end up on Bat’s table. When business suddenly picks up, he discovers that humans aren’t the only Martians, and the real ones are tiny, cute, and really ticked off. When no one believes his story, Bat alone must take on an alien army to save Mars and—hopefully—get a little peace and quiet.
Science Fiction | Appearing in Pew! Pew!, Vol. 1 | 2017 | ed. M. D. Cooper | The Wooden Pen Press (OUT OF PRINT)
A tale of space colonization, alien invasions, and lactose intolerance. The Mars Bionet is a desolate place. Only the toughest survive there. Those who don’t end up on Bat’s table. When business suddenly picks up, he discovers that humans aren’t the only Martians, and the real ones are tiny, cute, and really ticked off. When no one believes his story, Bat alone must take on an alien army to save Mars and—hopefully—get a little peace and quiet.
Science Fiction | Appearing in Pew! Pew!, Vol. 1 | 2017 | ed. M. D. Cooper | The Wooden Pen Press (OUT OF PRINT)
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"Envy's Revenge" (written as Berinn Rae)
In the final Great War, a chemical warfare accident decimated the world’s population. Facing the threat of extinction, women have become earth’s most precious commodity, a prize only kings can afford. Hiding in the shadowy bogs outside Mech City, Envy kills any man who comes near. Unburdened by guilt or remorse, it has been years since she felt anything other than hatred. That is, until the Hunter comes for her. A man with dark desires and darker secrets, he unleashes his own brand of seduction too strong to resist. And she wouldn’t dream of it. Science Fiction Romance | Appearing in Tales from the SFR Brigade, Vol. 1 | 2013 | SFR Brigade |
Envy’s Revenge is an unexpected mix of gritty, dark storytelling and a beautifully sweet romance that kept me guessing... I absolutely loved how this story played out, and the ending was unexpected and heartwarming. ~ C.E. Kilgore at Zhurrat Reviews