2023 in Review

December 2023

I had 5 new stories published in 2023, one more than my previous best in 2021, and a welcome turnaround from the single story I managed to publish last year. I also had the first audio production of one of my stories (then another one followed!) and my first appearance in a themed anthology.

Rockhoppers (5992 words)

Published in StarShipSofa
Sci-fi illustration of characters in armor facing a large, multi-limbed creature in a misty landscape overlaid with the red and yellow StarShipSofa logo.

A girl on the cusp of adulthood unexpectedly loses her mother, and in dealing with her grief finds not only the love and security of found family but also the means to break their cycle of exploitation.

Taher & Laith (2497 words)

Published in Hidden Realms from Flame Tree Press
Cover of Gothic Fantasy: Hidden Realms Short Stories, featuring an intricate gold filigree border enclosing a purple text frame with a small arched doorway glowing at the bottom.

A young man tussles with the strictures of his cultural background on a journey of self-discovery and self-determination that takes him into the unexplored recesses of reality and his worldview.

The Diamond Noose (5934 words)

Published in Metaphorosis Magazine
Cover of Metaphorosis speculative fiction, May 2023, featuring a watercolor illustration of a wooden display cabinet filled with various items, including seashells, coral, medals, rolled scrolls, and a framed black-and-white sketch of a person reading by the sea.

A hardened detective walks the fine line between self-preservation and rebellion as she finds herself drawn ever closer to Earth's Neo-colonial masters when she faces the choice between standing up for her people and an offer she couldn't refuse.

Earl Grey & Some Glue (2961 words)

Published in Utopia Science Fiction
Cover of Utopia Science Fiction Magazine, June/July 2023, featuring a top-down photograph of broken white and blue ceramic shards scattered across a dark, marble-patterned tiled floor.

A man in the twilight of his life grapples with the changing world around him. Some changes he adopts and adapts to while others leave him wondering if the benefits of touted progress miss the mark on understanding what makes humans truly happy.

Redemption for the Unseen (3007 words)

Published in Translunar Travelers Lounge
Cover of Translunar Travelers Lounge, Issue Nine, August 2023, featuring an illustration of a figure standing on a wooden suspension bridge holding a torch aloft toward a large, glowing orange phoenix flying in the night sky.

Even in the sort of digital afterlife that had long promised the ultimate freedom from scarcity, everything comes at a price: friendship, attraction, and ultimately survival. The choices are endless but so are the perils.

If you'd like a copy of those not available online, please let me know and I'll be happy to provide it. I'm quite proud of this year's haul and if you found the time to read or vote for any of them, I'd be honored. Either way, I'd love to hear your thoughts, what you liked, what you didn't, via email or BlueSky.