Negative Reinforcement by Chuck Palahniuk

I seem to be running a spate of second person stories. The received wisdom is that you shouldn’t use it. Continue reading →

The Three Marked Pennies by Mary Elizabeth Counselman

I own a lot of books. I also own a lot of books I haven’t read yet. Whenever there are Continue reading →

Disappearing Act by Richard Matheson

The story opens with a diary, kept because the narrator feels he has to confess somewhere. In short, spare prose Continue reading →

The Tugging by Ramsey Campbell

One of the things Campbell excels at is capturing the atmosphere of a grotty run-down urban environment populated by grey Continue reading →

Portraits of his Children by George R.R. Martin

A standard piece of advice to new writers is that you shouldn’t write more than one novel, or a few Continue reading →

Notes from the Apocalypse by Stephen Graham Jones

Through the miracle of poor scheduling, here’s another zombie story that asks the reader what you would be willing to Continue reading →

Snatch Me Another by Mercurio D. Rivera

A venerable type of SF story is one that takes contemporary life, adds a single new invention or technology for Continue reading →

Professor Gottesman and the Indian Rhinoceros by Peter S. Beagle

A charming story is a difficult quality to articulate, as is the definition of ‘magical’ that leaves the reader feeling Continue reading →