This page lists all my short stories in alphabetical order with a brief
description of each one. Please check in often because I frequently update this page with new short stories.
Baby Brother
This is an experimental micro-short story with two voices, each going in a different direction
in time. It is both evocative and unsettling to follow. This story placed 10th out of over 7,700 entries in the Writer's
Digest short short story contest, and will be published on-line in June 2006.
Ertia
It takes a painful letter to make a married woman examine how much of her life has been
shaped by circumstance she chose not to control.
I forgot I wrote this in 1994. When my mother pulled it out for me, I thought, "Hmmm, not bad,"
so I retyped it (since I wrote it before I bought my first computer) and reworked it a little.
Keeping Up Appearances
When two mismatched couples vacation in Acupulco, who will make it home
alive?
A friend said, "Why don't you write a mystery?" So I did.
Life After Seth
Angie never got over Seth, even after she married Nick. A chance encounter at a bookstore gives Angie an opportunity
to consider her dreams.
The Magician
Meet George, who has perfected the art of disappearing.
Mermaid
Marnie does the worst possible thing in the morning, and the best possible thing
in the evening. In true mermaid fashion, she confronts letting go of grief and moving on to a new love at Weeki Wachii Springs.
This story was awarded an Honorable Mention in the Mainstream/Literary Short Story category of the 75th Annual Writer's
Digest Writing Competition. The contest attracted close to 19,000 entries.
Mother Love
If you can't trust your mother, who can you trust?
This story is based on an actual incident that has haunted me for years.
A Place Called Home
Mallory lived in the same house all her life, but it never felt like home. Once there
was nothing left to keep here there, she decided it was time to stop feeling homeless.
Shiny Pebbles
Trish takes a plane flight between dreams and reality.
Somewhere Between
Kit is stuck between a promise and wishing life were different. Some promises have
to be broken, eventually.
The idea for this story came from a comment a waitress made about meatloaf.
The Seven Deadly Sins
This short story is a satiric modern revamp of the Faust plays by Marlowe and Goethe
(and with apologies to both). Faust is visited by Mephistopheles, who offers him anything he wants in exchange for his soul.
However, before Faust can sign his soul away, Mephistopheles is required by law to give Faust a taste of what he is getting
himself into. And he has to bring along a lawyer for the disclaimers.
I can't claim responsibility for the idea (thanks to Charles for this one!), but I do take pride in
turning it into a very wicked, fun romp through morality, and lack thereof.
Writer's Block
After a dissolute celebration, Justin discovers he can actually SEE the impact
of words, with unsettling results.
