In 2014 (one day from now, though this is not something that will actually be happening tomorrow, barring some kind of time travel trickery) I will be self-publishing my first short story collection. After looking over the collected stories I have written and weeding out those either not ready or not up to par I have settled on twenty for a collection that will be titled 10 Pairs of Shorts. Clever, eh? Here are the stories:
- At the Door
- Cervidae
- Hello?
- Learning to Die
- Lily Tries to Go Shopping
- Rainy Day
- Slice of Life
- Stop That Cow!
- The Broken Bridge
- The Cobalt Sensation
- The Chicago 8 vs. Armageddon
- The Chicago 8 vs. Time
- The Dream of the Buckford County Church
- The Lunch Gnome
- The Sometimes Island
- Dented World
- Regina and the Shortcut with Teeth
- The Box on the Bench
- The Bear (working title)
- Swimmers and Fog (working title)
This list is subject to change on my whim but I am fairly certain I will stick with this selection.
Here are some broad classifications:
- Drama (nothing spooky/supernatural): 2
- Superhero: 3
- Science fiction: 3
- Horror/weird: 12
You can see where my wheelhouse is. I love me some weird stories.
The twenty titles are in various states of completion, ranging from ready to go to “this is a neat idea”. The breakdown:
- Ready to go: 6
- Need revision: 9
- Unfinished: 3
- Unwritten: 2
It’s possible I may drop the two unwritten stories in exchange for others already completed, other entirely new stories or for nothing at all, with the collection re-titled 9 Pairs of Shorts as a result.
I don’t have a firm date for publication beyond 2014 but will post updates occasionally on my progress in getting there, with a big glitzy announcement when the happy day arrives and I start demanding all of my friends prove their friendship through purchasing as many copies of the collection as they can comfortably afford.
