Usually, I’m all over Short Story Month. Not this year, though, and I’m sorry about that. I’ve got a book coming out in the fall and I’m revising another book that will soon be shopped around to publishers (I hope), and I’ve been too busy.
But, a story of mine just appeared in a cool online magazine, Joyland. So that will have to be my contribution to the celebrations of short fiction: Cousin Barnaby is Dead. I hope you like it.
Good story! There is misdirection, but it stays true to character. I kept waiting for the narrator to take the time to fact check before jumping into action, and this created just the right dose of plot-propelling anxiety.