Short Stories

Before novels were invented, people had to read short stories. Of course, then they were just called stories, as longer-format stories had not yet been invented. Some of the short stories below appeared in my first two books, The Sum of Memory and Destination Okinawa. The others, well, who knows where they came from, but they’re here now, so you might as well read them.

Also, it should go without saying that these stories were written a long time ago, before I had learned pretty much anything about pretty much anything. They are included here as a warning to future writers.

Unpublished

From Destination Okinawa (2006)

Written between 2004 and 2006, I consider these stories my first efforts at finding my voice. If college had taught me anything, it was that people responded better when I was writing what I wanted to write–not what Professor Ghose in my Creative Writing class wanted me to write. At the same time, I wanted to be brash, honest, and provocative. I judge my success/failure differently with each passing year, but I remember this period as one of growth. Inklings of Vinestead. Glimpses of real issues. It's all there, waiting to be revealed.

From The Sum of Memory (2004)

It's easy to look back on my first stories and cringe, but what I really see is chaos, someone thrashing around in the dark, trying to make light out of nothing. There's an element of overeager edginess to some of these stories, a desire to shock or disgust. I see several dreams here and efforts to convey the emotions felt in them. There are some attempts at science fiction, but the spark is so dim as to be nothing at all. It's not all bad, though; this is where Vinestead International was born.

Note: Although they appeared in the printed version, some stories have been mercifully omitted from publication here. I also thought it would be odd to include the original The Sum of Memory story that was later rewritten into Xronixle.