Now Available on Amazon.com for Kindle and in Paperback

I’m delighted to announce the launch of my latest book: “The Weight of Air: A Short Story,” and the accompanying giveaway of 50 copies of the Kindle Edition! Enter the Giveaway!

An early version of this story had been collecting dust in my desk drawer (my computer, really) for nearly two years. I liked the original story called “Murdering Time,” but couldn’t generate a lot of interest in it from literary journals. I realized it lacked something—I just wasn’t sure what.

Then, a few months ago, I received a number of emails from a Canadian publication, Broken Pencil Magazine, urging me to submit a story to their Indie Writers Deathmatch (yes, it really was a bloodbath). So I decided to pull out a creepy old sci-fi story I’d written a few years back but never published, and I revised it for the contest. Lo and behold the story, “Fogger,” was accepted as one of the 16 finalists in the Deathmatch, and went on to make it to the semi-finals. I was happy to receive a prize package from the magazine, but was even more excited to learn that they had decided to publish my story.

The experience inspired me to pull out more of my old stories that I’d previously given up on and refurbish them. I’m very happy I did. This new story, “The Weight of Air,” is twice as long as the original, and I finally figured out where the story was supposed to go. It’s amazing what a difference some time, distance, and a couple of additional years of writing experience make!

Once it was completed, I submitted “The Weight of Air” to a few literary journals. When I received a rejection, I was actually thrilled. I know it sounds strange, but the editor wrote to me that “there is much to admire in this story, but unfortunately it is not a good fit for [our journal].” She went on to say that it would probably do well with a journal looking to publish more commercial fiction. She also enclosed the comments of the reader reviewer at the journal, which were extremely complimentary. Among other things, the reader said it had a “Compelling plot that both anticipates and upends readers’ predictions/expectations,” and that it was a “delight to read.” That made me feel great!

Since delighting readers is really my major goal, I decided to publish the story myself! I hope you will check out The Weight of Air on Amazon. And, my advice is to all you writers out there: Don’t ever give up on your work, maybe that story or novel just needs a little tweaking. It’s worth taking a second look and a second leap!

Please enter the Weight of Air Launch Giveaway!