ONC 2026 entry, prompt 5. Every day at the exact same time your cat slips out of your home. One afternoon, curiosity gets the better of you, and you follow, only to discover it's living a secret life you never imagined. My take, cats save the world as a backdrop to a romcom.…
An earlier version made the ONC 2025 Long List. This is the longer, revised version for the Wattys. Scott an insecure idealistic young man gets his girlfriend Zelda new virtual reality goggles that control one's senses and thoughts. The complete immersion in the MMORPG adventure cannot be distinguished from reality and raises the question will their love survive virtual realities with dream lovers and none of the inhibitions of actual reality. An exploration of ideas on love, sexuality, reality and the impact of future mind-altering technologies. Hopefully thought provoking and entertaining.…
I read somewhere that when you stop believing in Santa Claus, you get underwear for Christmas. Well, I'm not going to give you just any underwear. I'm giving you my Christmas shorts. A collection of short Christmas stories. Some romances, some humor, and a lot of Christmas sentimentality.…
Just your typical love story. Boy finds girl attractive and interesting. Girl finds boy obnoxious and bothersome. Smart aleck spirit animal finds couple naïve and slow to catch on. Vision quest ensues with humorous antics, thrilling car chases, and romantic interludes. Boy goes to war. Girl becomes renown research scientist. Numerous unexpected twists. Yada, yada, yada. Fifteen years pass. They run into each other at Beyond Van Gogh exhibit, the beginning of many more starry, starry nights together? Maybe not all that typical. The narration by the Coyote is maybe not so typical. Laugh, cry, enjoy!…
Where in the secret to life the universe and everything is revealed. Who says entertaining writing has to have a story, or a plot? Why can't it be just a stream of consciousness, some interesting episodes from one's life, some regrets revisited, some apologies long overdue, some philosophical speculations and some plain nonsense to keep it entertaining?…
A comedy of errors with unexpected twists, convoluted mysteries, and a touch of romance. This is the fourth book in the "Sharing Afflictions" Trilogy, and also another addition to the "Joe's Bar and Grill" series. If you enjoyed the characters from either series, here is a chance to join them again and meet a few new ones. If you haven't read either series, this is an opportunity to meet them for the first time. In either case let's all meet at Joe's for one more adventure.…
Stories from another time and place to make you think, laugh, and possibly shed a tear. I know I did, but for me the stories are personal. This is for those who can appreciate the insanity of the world I was raised in. One should never judge the past by the standards of the present. Of course, that doesn't stop me from judging the present by the standards of the past. Age and a lifetime of hard-earned experience has earned me that privilege.…
A very short locked room mystery just for fun.…
More adventures of the gang at Joe's Bar and Grill.…
"Life is a comedy for those who think and a tragedy for those who feel." For those who observe, it is just entertainment. I hope these stories capture life well enough to be just that. So, come on in, enjoy the comradery and partake of the offerings of Joe's Bar.…
"Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road. Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go. So, make the best of this test, and don't ask why. It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time. It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right. I hope you had the time of your life." From "Good Riddance" by Green Day, Billie Joe ArmstrongThird book in the Sharing Afflictions trilogy.…
The door of the dungeon slammed behind us. I was the most terrified I have ever been and it wasn't because I was six thousand miles from my home, in a dungeon that would be the envy of the Marquis de Sade, with two killers and the insane sadomasochistic transvestite owner of the dungeon. The transvestite was actually on my side. The two killers were actually our prisoners. My fear was due to the fact Rogue was being held by a gang of ruthless white slavers and it was only a matter of hours before they would be completely beyond my reach and I might never see Rogue again. I had to make the killers tell me where she was! Sequel to Sharing Afflictions.…
A reckless rollicking romance? A mesmerizing multifaceted mystery? A curious comedy of cyber crime capers? These are all part of the tale of four twenty somethings' search for a reason for living even if they have to make one up. It is the story of the evolving relationships among this unlikely group as they deal with life threatening afflictions, and sort out romantic entanglements, while unraveling an assortment of adventure laden mysteries.…