Coming 2026
from Vine Leaves Press
Mean Higher High Water
A mystery story about finding something to live for in a world that is dying.
In 2050, Nia is an aging and acerbic Millennial with her sights set on revenge. But a grotesque discovery puts her on the path of discovering the true cost of survival.
Published Works
Standing Ovation
The last moments of hundreds of starship passengers, listed comprehensively in the always delightful Granfalloon.
Good Intentions
This story set in a near future Los Angeles went through many iterations before I figured out the twist. Isele Magazine has my heart for this one.
Dreams as Gigantic
An artist has an opportunity to go to space in this short story lovingly picked up by the fledgling Mollusk Literary Magazine.
The Island of Free Women
What happens when I read about the deluge of older women falling victim to internet love scams while watching a documentary about ocean plastics? This little strange story pops out. So grateful to The Fabulist for going on this tropical vacation with me in November.
It’s Coming From Upstairs
A passive-aggressive note from my downstairs neighbors in real life inspired this very short story that made it into the print version of In Parentheses Magazine (Vol. 6, Issue 4). As everyone who lives in an apartment knows—no one on earth is louder than your upstairs neighbors. But what are they doing up there to make all that racket?
Eat All the Politicians
This was a fun one. It occurred to me that perhaps the world’s vampires would take an interest in averting climate change once they realized that it was an existential threat to their preferred food source. Thrilled that The Opiate was as tickled by the idea as me.
Creeping Jenny: A Houseplant’s Tale
Sometimes houseplants just die. My investigation into why that might be took me to some weird places, resulting in this story that I’m delighted found a home at the brand new Thereafter Magazine.
“What Did They Do With the Other Horse, Alice?”
This tiny story is another prime example of a story being edited so much that it went from 1,000 words to 50 before it found a home at Molecule.
Relocation
In this story, that I’m so thrilled found a home in the June 2021 edition of Schlock! Webzine, I get more science fiction-y than ever before. Sci-fi is the genre of my heart, so this means a lot to me. A hunter with terrible allergies has a very unique job in the travel industry of the future.
Crowbar
This part-truth, part-fiction story of an impossible couch began as 800 words, but as I edited it, it shrank significantly, becoming 500, then 300 words long. Eventually, I cut it down to 50 words—which, incidentally, is the number of words that Blink-Ink caps their stories.
Don’t Be Afraid Of The Light
This story was inspired by a painting I did years ago of an angler fish. I wondered once what angler fish relationships are like when the tiny male attaches (literally) for life onto the belly of a female… and this story was born. Thanks to Revolution John for enthusiastic support of this piece!
Underfoot
This flash piece found a lovely home with the relatively new Bombfire Lit. I grew up in a beach town. The monsters that live beside the sea are mostly morose. They tug at people out of loneliness. “Come play,” they call out, unaware what obedience means.
FWD: Do Not Forward
Flash fiction is a wonderful challenge to make every single word count. Here, for Stinger Stories, I imagined a version of the future where humans have begun to conquer space—but corporate email is just as terrible as ever…
The Booby of Tehuantepec I Don’t Remember
Find this story on page 21 in the Shore, Sigil, Dumbwaiter issue of 3Elements Literary Review. What happens to a memory when the only person that was there isn’t controlling the narrative? This was an “outtake” chapter of my memoir that took on new life when I sent it to my father to read. He called me and reacted in real time to this story about him. I inserted his reactions. This story was nominated for The Pushcart Prize.
My dream of a green Cascadia paradise goes up in smoke
Appeared in The Seattle Times on September 28, 2018 as a “special opinion.” That’s right, my opinion is special. My original title was “Cascadia is Burning,” which I was sad to see jettisoned.
Takeoffs and Landings
This story was entirely written on a single flight from Denver to NYC. Monthly Fiction was a short-lived but great idea to pair short stories with illustrators. I‘m in love with the gorgeous drawings by the immensely talented Camilo Sandoval.
