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"The Shell Box" in Silver Birch, Blood Moon edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling trade
paperback Silver Birch, Blood Moon is fifth in the series of original fairy tale anthologies that began with Snow White, Blood Red; it also contains stories from Neil Gaiman, Robin McKinley, Nancy Kress, and Patricia McKillip, among others. I tend to think that "The Shell Box" is my best work of short fiction to date. It's an original fairy tale that draws upon the tropes of traditional mermaid and selkie stories and intertwines them with modern themes in a lyrical style. It's also my most complex story to date, with multiple point-of-view characters and two distinct plot arcs and climactic revelations.
"And Make Death Proud to Take Us" in Alternate Tyrants edited by Mike Resnick demi-trade
paperback Few people know that Cleopatra was actually a very ugly woman who held her empire with brains rather than beauty. In 1993 I was asked to contribute a tale for Alternate Tyrants. I chose Cleopatra, and for three months before, during, and after a move from Austin to Seattle I immersed myself in Egyptian history and culture in order to do her justice.
"The Voice of Her Eyes" Neil Gaiman solicited a story from me for the anthology that eventually became The Sandman Book of Dreams. Between one confusion and another that story was not included in the final book, so I've put it on the web instead. * read the story *
"Riddle in Nine Syllables" in The Shimmering Door edited by Katharine Kerr trade
paperback This story deals with such controversial issues that the publisher tried to censor it from the anthology. (Fortunately this sinister plot was foiled by the book's fearless editor.) Bonus points (and a big plot clue) to anyone who recognizes the poem from which the title is taken ... * read an excerpt *
"Discovering Water" in Century #4 edited by Robert K. J. Killheffer (January/February 1996) This semi-autobiographical short story appeared in Century Magazine. I created the web presentation in Flash, with the idea that I'll be adding a soundtrack someday when I have time; for now there's just one audio clip, which you'll find if you poke around a bit. * read the story *
"How the Ant Made a Bargain" in Enchanted Forests edited by Katharine Kerr mass
market paperback "How the Ant Made a Bargain" is a pastiche of Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories. If you aren't familiar with these tales (or even if they're old favorites), you might enjoy reading Kipling's "How the Leopard Got His Spots." * read an excerpt *
"Of Silence and Slow Time" in Full Spectrum 5 edited by Jennifer Hershey, Tom Dupree, and Janna Silverstein trade
paperback mass
market paperback "Of Silence and Slow Time" appeared on the 1996 Preliminary Nebula Ballot. This novelette was the seed of my first novel (now in progress). * read an excerpt *
"Adjusting the Moon" in Writers of the Future, Volume IX edited by Dave Wolverton mass
market paperback My first short story won the Writers of the Future Grand Prize in 1993. Yes, I took six thousand dollars from Scientologists — wouldn't you? * read the story *
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