Tag: stories

‘No Splashing’ – A Short Story of Mine Published by Oyez Review

My short story “No Splashing” was recently published in Oyez Review, volume 44 (Spring 2017).  Visit their website for more information about getting your copy of the issue.  It’s not yet available for purchase at Amazon, but I’ll update this post when it is.

In the meantime, enjoy this excerpt from the story:

Jake wonders if the girls and guys are paired off into couples.  It seems everyone in high school is obsessed with finding someone to go steady with — a boyfriend to hang all over, a girlfriend to paw at when no one’s looking.  Jake can’t believe he’s on the cusp of such a strange new world, where going steady and driving and parties are everything — a place where full grown adulthood is the next step.  If he finds it challenging to fit in and act normal now, he can’t imagine how much harder it will be when he’s older.  It’s like there’s this set of rules he never got a chance to read.  Even when he figures out what he should be doing, it’s usually too late.  When he leaps into the deep end of the pool, nothing pleases him more than landing the perfect dive with little to no splash, which is the exact opposite from all the other boys who aren’t happy unless they’ve soaked innocent bystanders.

Again, visit Oyez Review for more information about getting your copy today!  Enjoy!

“Big Cat Head” – a short story of mine published in Sun Star Review

A short story of mine called “Big Cat Head” has been published in Sun Star Review (Volume 1, Issue #3).  The issue is free to read online, so go check it out!  Here’s a brief excerpt from the story:

While drying off in the bathroom, I heard the strangest noise coming from the living room.  I had just finished showering after one of my regular runs along Riverside Drive and froze in place, listening closely.  It wasn’t a single noise, actually.  A loud whooshing sound erupted first, like a large, extraordinary bird beating its wings against the sky.  Then, the creaking sound of springs, like someone taking a seat on my couch.  It’s an old piece of furniture that cries out as you settle into a comfortable position.  It’s not so much the sounds that were strange in and of themselves, though they were; it’s the fact that they existed at all.  No windows were open, ruling out a gust of wind as the source of the whooshing sound.  And who would be sitting on my couch?  I live alone and never have guests over.  The noises couldn’t have been coming from the television since I rarely turn it on.  I don’t even have cable.  Nothing came to mind that could explain the unexpected disturbance.

Read the full story here – and let me know what you think!

A Night of Fiction

Come out for a night of fiction at The Bureau of General Services – Queer Division with authors Gerard Anthony Cabrera, Brad Windhauser, and Cameron L. Mitchell (that’s me!).

The event takes place Saturday, December 3rd, 7pm-9pm – the venue is located at 208 West 13th Street, Room 210, New York, NY 10011 (inside The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center).

I’ll be reading a short story of mine called “Grow,” published by ImageOutWrite (vol. 5).  You can order your copy directly from their website or from Amazon.

I hope you’ll come out for what is sure to be an exciting literary event!  In the meantime, here’s a brief excerpt from “Grow,” the short story I’ll be reading:

With the garden full of vegetables he could still see, the potted flowers hanging over the porch with their sweet scent, the eggs hatching with chicks, the calves and pigs out in the pasture, and so many other things, his childhood had been marked by a series of transformations, big and small.  Sitting in the dark outside the botanical gardens, John wondered if he would ever change.  Could he grow into something else – someone different?

“A Day in the Park” – a short story published in Glitterwolf Magazine

My short story, “A Day in the Park,” was published in Glitterwolf Magazine‘s special Halloween edition in October 2015.  Check out their website to find out more about the magazine or to order a copy.  You can also purchase the issue over at Amazon.

Here is an excerpt from my story (“A Day in the Park”):

I think of my day in the park, the hunt for inspiration, and the hope that a story would find me.  It found me alright, but I wasn’t careful.  An involuntary twitch, a nervous tick – a sharp, startling noise in the distance and it was all over; the firefly crushed in my hand, its neon mush warm against my palm.  I open my hand and find the sticky mess remains, still warm.  I’ll hold it there until it cools down.  It shouldn’t be much longer now – as long as it takes a dead body to go cold.  The image of a child’s body lying on a path in the park flashes before my eyes.  The blood pools along the backside as the flesh turns rubbery and cold.

The loss of such a tiny light is hardly noticeable in a night full of other lights, flashing on and flashing off. 

I take my notes from the park and rip them into tiny pieces.  The paper snow settles on the floor all around me. 

Want to read more?  Order your copy today!

[Glitterwolf Magazine]        [Amazon]

“The Price You Pay” – a short story published in Glitterwolf Magazine

A short story of mine called “The Price You Pay” was published in Glitterwolf Magazine, Issue 6 (July 2014).  Check out their website for more information.  You can also order a copy on Amazon.

Here’s a brief excerpt from the story:

The smells are the worst.  Each morning, it’s not enough that I wake on the very edge of the bed, bleary-eyed from another restless night caused by his ungodly snoring, frustrated and cold as I try to pull just one sheet back from his greedy hands; no, I must also face the awful stench emanating from his crotch.  It’s subtle but always there, this sour smell that reminds me of curdled milk, lingering no matter how often he showers.  Anytime I catch a whiff of that foul odor, I nearly gag, vowing then and there never to have sex again, not with him or anyone else.  That odor makes the idea of even touching another human being repulsive.

He’s my husband, but I didn’t sign up for this.

[Order your copy on Amazon to read the full story.]

“Saving Ben Affleck” – a short story from 2006

Back in July 2006, The Blotter Magazine published a short story of mine called “Saving Ben Affleck.”  Below is a brief excerpt; click here for the full story (it’s a pdf of the full issue, so just scroll down to find my story):

I just saw Ben Affleck. Ok, well, he’s not really Ben Affleck, who I don’t find attractive at all. But let’s call this guy Ben Affleck. You see, when I met him, I let him know how much he resembled Mr. Affleck … but not in a bad way.

From then on, I’ve referred to him as Ben Affleck.

At times, I can’t remember his real name. If I happen to be with a friend and see him some where around campus, I might say, “Oh my god — there’s Ben Affleck.”

Then, I have to explain that, no, Matt Damon’s celebrity friend isn’t hanging out at our little university herein North Carolina – it’s his younger, more attractive doppelganger …

[full story]