Tales from the Raven

My short story, Bovine Aspirations, has been accepted at Bewildering Stories and is scheduled to appear in issue 262.
While I try to keep a very matter-of-fact and business-like attitude about this whole publishing thing, there’s no denying that I’m actually delighted.
Excuse me for a moment while I go do a happy dance.
 
Okay, I’m back, and ready [...]

Today was a class get together at Duke Gardens for the five-year-old, so afterwards we followed some friends over to a new-to-me ice cream/popcicle place, called Locopops.
Homey, kid-friendly, and chock full of flavors to tantalize the taste buds, this place was love at first sight.  After having my Chocolate Brownie locopop appropriated by my daughter (the child has good taste!) [...]

Don’t worry!  I didn’t just stumble into an inkwell of mis-placed time and age five or ten years–I’ve just updated my picture.
This one is still a year or two out of date, but at least it’s got me out of the teens look.
Or maybe it was twenties.  I swear, young people are looking younger every day. [...]

As the title indicates, I’ve had short stories on my mind of late.
On the one hand, they’re an excellent way to hone the craft of writing, develop the back history of a world, experiment with different styles and sub-genres, and get the author some name recognition in the field.
On the flip side, the market demands [...]

I’ve been doing some background research for my next story.  This will (hopefully) be my entry for the quarter of WOTF ending June 31st, and since the story is based loosely on a Chinese legend I’ve been finding out what I could about insects in China.
Got all that?  Anyway, I came across this article about [...]

I noticed last night that I’m approaching the three-hundred-posts mark, and this got me thinking.  Seeing as this blog is the closest thing I’ll ever have to an electronic child, perhaps a celebration of some kind would be in order.  It would be extra memorable if I could have an average of a post a day [...]

Have you ever noticed how lots of ‘futuristic earth’ sf stories and some fantasy stories have these long, and virtually indestructable, roads winding their way through them?  Left behind by a fallen civilization and reeking of mystery, tourists of fantasy-land and visitors from space are just grateful for the smooth traveling.
Well, the road just got bumpier.  [...]

I sent out two more stories today, and noted that this brings my total active submssions up to ten.  Not an earth-shattering record, but a new high for me.  Now if only I could get the other twenty or so stories waiting on my hard drive out the door before these start coming in!

Ryan stopped as he walked by the kitchen door.  Was that the smell of pizza?  He took two steps back, so he could see into the room.
In the middle of the table was a box of Meat Lovers pizza.  Kyle sat on the kitchen counter with a large wedge in his hand, while Todd was leaned over the table to get another [...]

Today has not been a great day, and I’ll give you a few hints as to why: I’m bruised, dazed, flubbery about the mouth, and the proud recipient of a crown of nothing.
Yep, I’ve been to the dentist!
But I came home and found a great link sitting in my in box, sent by a ferret friend.  [...]