Severed Dreams (novel)

Summary: Six outcasts struggle to face their demons and work together in order to stop a galactic civil war.

Current Status:  Final rewrites.

9th Ward (short story)

Summary:  A hurricane victim tries to survive a supernatural collision of past and future New Orleans.

Published:  The Midnight Diner (April 2009).

City of Refuge (short story)

Summary:  A prophet accused of murder is transported across a post-apocalyptic America to a stronghold controlled by the Catholic Church.

Current Status:  Under review for the Nick Cave Anthology.

Communicating With The Dead (flash)

Summary: A husband tries to communicate with his wife after she’s been infected with a deadly toxin.

Current Status: Under review at Shock Totem.

Ghost in the Machine (short story)

Summary:  Supporters of a covert government mind control program get more than they bargained for when surveillance techniques are turned against them.

Current Status:  Under review at Apex Magazine and Weird Tales.

We Interrupt This Program (short story)

Summary:  A series of Election Day bombings force a cable news director to chose between his family and country.

Current Status: Under review at Shimmer.

Zombie Nation (short story)

Summary: A plague of self-interest and apathy threatens to bring the world to the brink of war as a virus spreads across Africa.

Current Status: Under review at Murky Depths.

Henry V (stage adaptation)

Summary: Shakespeare’s greatest war story adapted as an interactive play.

Current Status: Early Draft.

The third draft of Severed Dreams has finally emerged from the writing group (insert awe inspiring music here).  While the group was pouring over the novel, I brought in a few unconventional readers to give me an opinion on a very specific question.

The novel was always intended to be an adult venture, a kind of nostalgic space opera for grownups, but the nostalgia and the main character’s journey also lent themselves to a young adult storyline.  The novel had one foot in each market.

So, on the advice of a fellow writer, I decided to test the novel on a few YA readers.  Much to my surprise, it worked incredibly well for them.  So well, in fact, that I’ve decided to spend a few months positioning Severed Dreams for the much stronger YA science fiction market.

The change will push the final draft back a few months but it shouldn’t substantially change the plot.  The YA market has undergone a major transformation in recent years, and I think it’s ready for this kind of book.

Severed Dreams is headed back to the writing group for one last round of comments before a final polish. Hopefully, all the major issues have been ironed out at this point and we’re down to minor details. In about a month, I’ll start getting feedback on the third draft and I’ll know how close I am to a final version.