From my soon-to-be-released Short Stories for the Soul: “Anna’s Treasures” Seattle 1954 Anna Petrovna died in springtime. She had always wanted to die in winter because that’s when everything slept. Death was natural, and properly done, in winter. But the cancer metastasized like a trespasser over the borders of her wishes and took her three seasons early. This upset her. Sergei clutched her diary as he gazed at the old lithographic photo in the gray light that filtered through the rain-streaked window. By the date on the back, she would have been in her forties, and every inch of her…
From my soon-to-be-released Short Stories for the Soul: “In the Ring” I clenched my tired fists. Sweat soaked the leather inside the bulbous gloves, and I couldn’t remember when I’d last taken them off. High-intensity lights glared down from a broad ceiling. A square of three taut ropes surrounded me, a mat at my feet. Beyond that everything was gray. In front of me stood my opponent. I swung and struck him. A weak hit, but I forgave myself for that. Hits lose strength as they lose count. He did not strike back. He was a tricky one. He would…
I will soon release a book of short stories that I think you’ll love. Over the next ten weeks I’ll introduce the openings of each one. I’m curious to know what you think of them. “Far Encounter”—————————— A mud puddle can do so much. Sean McGregor sped his motorcycle down a narrow, rock-studded road through the Haitian countryside. Men stopped and stared, machetes hanging in their hands. Half-naked children lined up in front of mud huts and waved. Fruit-laden donkeys jittered at his engine’s roar and backed up, no matter what direction they faced. Endless bumps jarred Sean’s wrists…
