"I am Sam"

Time for some long overdue self-promotion. Last month, a short story of mine was published in “Spinetingler Magazine.” The story in question is perhaps one of the strangest stories I’ve ever written (and that’s saying a lot!) entitled “I am Sam.”

I can’t afford to say too much about this story, as it involves a really great twist. In short, “I am Sam” follows a police investigator who finds himself investigating a murder he saw happen in his dreams. No, he’s not psychic, and the explanation for why he has the dream is the real twist to the story.

“Spinetingler” has really proven itself an outstanding online magazine. I had only just discovered it shortly before I submitted “I am Sam,” and the longer I’ve been following the magazine, the more impressed I’ve become with it. The quality of the writing in this magazine is just great. I consider “I am Sam” one of my best works, easily my best short story to date, and it’s definitely in good company with this magazine. Until finding “Spinetingler,” I don’t think I’ve ever really found an online magazine I took seriously, but the folks behind this magazine deserve a lot of credit. I think they’ve proven an online magazine can turn out some serious literature and create some real exposure for writers. Even better, the magazine is now available in print, which is really cool, so check it out… and buy a copy!



As you’ve probably noticed, my blogging has gotten horribly sparse of late. The James River Writers Conferencetook its toll last month, and this month it’s a determination to finish The Last VanDaryn, the book my wife and I are writing together, that’s forcing me to neglect my blog. We’re close to 68,000 words right now, and we can clearly feel the story’s momentum starting to infect us. I’ve written my share of books over the years, and I’ve learned the last third or quarter of the book usually becomes an obsessive thing for me. After all, this is where you always pull the threads together and the best twists to the story happen. If you (the writer) just let the story do it’s thing and have done your work right up to this point, it just comes together without a lot of work. The story starts to write itself.

Hopefully, come the end of next month, I’ll be able to tell the story of many late night writing sessions and a successfully finished book. From there, it’ll be time to market that book and start writing the next. This actually brings me full circle to the initial reason for my entry. See “I am Sam” finally in print is bittersweet, because I’ve been able to look forward to it being published. Now, I haven’t anything pending to go into print. I’ve no time for short stories, though. It’s time to finish this book.