Coming Soon!
“Beatrix Dragon’s Bane”
Coming January 2027 to Sally Port Magazine
Seven year old Beatrix has one mission: Find her way home and slay the dragon who destroyed her life. But what happens when she meets a dragon who needs her help?
Now Available!
“Bruiser’s Breakout”
Published in Unidentified Funny Objects 10 – June 2026
Life as a lab rat was glorious … until the rats outlived their usefulness. Now the rat war saga is about to begin.
“The Last Quest of Corbin the Coward”
Cast of Wonders – May 2026 (Reprint)
Factor Four Magazine – June 2022 (First Publication)
Corbin never wanted to be the god’s favored champion. But one does not simply retire from that kind of job.
“The Breitenfeld Extraction”
1632 & Beyond Issue #17 – May 2026
Dominik and Hildegard go on an unexpected rescue mission while evading the hunter who is trying to assassinate them.
“To Catch a Foo Fighter”
Reprint – For Glory and Honor – February 2026
To catch a Foo Fighter, you need three things: Speed, Tech, and Bait. I’m the bait.
“A rattling good tale!“
-Tangent Online
“The Brezelgeist Romance”
1632 & Beyond Issue #15 – January 2026
Dominik wanted to learn spycraft from the best. He didn’t expect to fall for the spymaster training him.
“Fish Farts: A Love Story”
Murderfish by Wonderbird Press – December 2025
Magician’s apprentice Aksel knows his quest for bottled fish farts is a prank, but proving it could spell the end of the Fish King’s reign.
“Darjeeling & Demons”
Best Magical Realism Short Story of 2025 (Critters)
2025 Tangent Online Recommended Reading List Starred Recommendation
DreamForge Magazine – December 2025
Cora has been tormented by Hell’s minions for a year, ever since she punched Lucifer in the jaw. It ends today.
“A charming story! A fun but not superficial read.“
-Tangent Online
“The Abrabanel Rescue”
1632 and Beyond – Issue #14 – November 2025
Dominik failed the Abrabanels once already. He would find them and save them, even if it meant infiltrating a world of evil and inexplicable magic.
“A wonderful story by a writer new to 1632!“
-N. Burgeson (Amazon Review)
“The Unwilling Clockwork Goddess”
Published in Sally Port Magazine – October 2025
Caroline is a blacksmith, NOT a clockmaker. But tell that to the murderous gnomes who kidnapped her to fix their clockwork goddess.
“Long Live the Queen”
Published in Dog Save the King by Hemelein Press – February 2025
After failing to save the royal family from assassination, Sasha the android canid guardian must help young Casandra, the sole survivor, regain her throne. Problem is, Casandra never wanted to be queen.
“The Key to the Kingdom”
Published in Sally Port Magazine – January 2025
Jasper’s magic key should have made the job simple: key in, steal the crown, key out, get paid. Nobody was supposed to die.
“A Properly Spiced Gingerbread”
Best Magical Realism Short Story of 2022 (Critters)
Published in DreamForge Magazine – March 2022
Reprinted in Zoetic Press (print and audio) – February 2023
Reprinted in Cast of Wonders (print and audio) – December 2024 (Christmas Eve!)
Granny had warned that magic could kill, but Lucy hadn’t expected to die at the hands of a cookie…
“I’ll never look at gingerbread the same way again!“
-J. Moon
“To Catch a Foo Fighter”
Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Short Story of 2024 (Critters)
Best Positive Future Short Story of 2024 (Critters)
Published in DreamForge Magazine – June 2024
To catch a Foo Fighter, you need three things: Speed, Tech, and Bait. I’m the bait.
“A rattling good tale!“
-Tangent Online
“A wonderful piece in the finest tradition of Science Fiction.“
-Scot Noel, Editor DreamForge Magazine
“The Missing Music in Milo Piper’s Head”
On the 2024 Tangent Online Recommended Reading List
Published in Offshoots: Humanity Twigged by Third Flatiron – July 2024
Milo sacrificed everything to end the Rat War, even the music in his head. Can he trust the rats to put him back together again?
“The Rise and Fall of Frankie’s Patisserie”
Murderbugs by Wonderbird Press – April 2024
It was time to end the Bakery War. It was time for Danika to take Frankie down!
“Gladys Tuttle and The Iguana Incident”
Published in Here There Be Dragons! by Hiraeth Publishing – June 2024
Gladys caught her furnace repairman stuffing something red and wriggling into her old cat carrier. That was definitely not an iguana.
“Milo Piper’s Breakout Single That Ended the Rat War”
Published in Troubadours and Space Princesses by Hemelein Press – February 2024
The title says it all. Music, rats, war. Chicago will never be the same.
“So much fun!“
-Candice R. Lisle, Amazon Review
“The Measure of Alex”
Published in Solstitia: A Fans Fiction Magazine – June 2024
What’s the measure of a man? Alex is about to find out while discovering the aromatic reality of cleaning up after cows in space.
“Death and the Taxman”
Writers of the Future Winner (2nd Quarter 2022)
Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Short Story of 2023 (Critters)
The original short story published in the Best-Selling anthology Writers of the Future Volume 39 – May 2023
Reprinted in Story Unlikely – April 2024
Never trust a dying auditor…
The Grim Reaper, trapped in an IRS agent’s dying body, must regain his powers before he dies and faces Judgement for his original sin.
“Fantastic story! Cheeky characters and a rock solid ending!“
-Danny Hankner, Editor of Story Unlikely Magazine
“The Devil’s Foot Locker”
Published in Amazing Stories Magazine – October 2023
Published in Amazing Stories: Best of 2023 anthology
Phil could sell anything to anyone…except demons. Demons had little use for vacuums.
“What a great story. Loved it!! Fun, exciting, and terrific characters.”
-Award-Winning Author Elaine Midcoh
“Felix and the Flamingo”
Published in Murderbirds by Wonderbird Press – April 2023
Reprinted in Escape Pod Podcast – February 2024
Of all the birds to get quarantined with, why a flamingo? Flamingos were idiots…
“Continues the grand tradition of Pinkie and the Brain in the best way.“
-Valerie Valdez, Editor of Escape Pod Podcast
“Another Day on the Orbital Ranch”
Reprint – May 2024. First Printed in DreamForge Magazine
Filling a dead man’s shoes is hard on the best of days, and today is definitely not Paul’s best day.
“A great deal of humor…from a wisecracking AI to pure slapstick.“
-Tangent Online
“Hell’s Bureaucracy”
Reprint – April 2024. First Printed in Unidentified Funny Objects 9
Sam’s a master of surviving the modern workplace, but having a personally assigned demon will test even his bureaucratic prowess.
“A witty twist on the demonic haunting trope.”
-Tangent Online
“The Ghosts of Hart’s Gambit”
Published in There’s No Place anthology by Renaissance Press – Nov 2023
Human minds were never meant for an AI’s cybernetic life. They always broke.
“Where the Lost Things Are”
Published in the Best-Selling anthology Lost Atlantis Short Stories by Flame Tree Press – September 2023
Ever wonder where lost things go? Socks? Cell Phones? People? Prepare to find out…
“Writing Resilience”
Published in DreamForge Magazine – September 2023
Okay, this is an article, not a short story, but you should give it a read.
Writing is hard. We hear ‘no’ a LOT. Resilience is key. But can a writer write themselves a hero’s dose of resilience?
Can you?
“Inspires with a few choice words that will change your perspective!“
-Eric Stallsworth – Author
“The United Flamemakers of Ravalli”
Published in Rhapsody of the Spheres by Third Flatiron Anthologies – August 2023
Dragonkind must unionize against their oppressors! Flamemakers of Ravalli, UNITE!
“A humorous fantasy!“
-Tangent Online
“The Grim Reaper’s Game”
Published in Game On! by Zombies Need Brains – July 2023
Nobody likes dying, but when the Grim Reaper calls, you have no choice but to answer. Brenda Agonos refused to answer the call.
“Good fun” with “one revelation after another!“
–Amazing Stories Clubhouse Review
“Another Day on the Orbital Ranch”
Published in DreamForge Magazine – March 2023
Filling a dead man’s shoes is hard on the best of days, and today is definitely not Paul’s best day.
“A great deal of humor…from a wisecracking AI to pure slapstick.“
-Tangent Online
“Hell’s Bureaucracy”
Published in Unidentified Funny Objects 9 – November 2022
Reprinted in Dragon Gems (Spring 2024) – April 2024
Surviving the modern workplace can be hell. Having a personally assigned demon doesn’t help.
“A witty twist on the demonic haunting trope.”
-Tangent Online
“The Last Quest of Corbin the Coward”
Published in Factor Four Magazine – June 2022
Corbin never asked to be the gods’ favored champion…
“What a fun story!“
-D. Hamilton
“Reassessed Value”
On the 2022 Tangent Online Recommended Reading List
Published in After the Gold Rush by Third Flatiron Anthologies – July 2022
Liam wondered if tax assessors qualified as thieves. The law let him shoot thieves…
“Heartwarming” and “A good read.”
-Tangent Online