Saturday, October 31, 2009
New Story for Hallowe'en at Beat to a Pulp
Over at the fantastic Beat to a Pulp website today, you can read an oddball little yarn of mine called "One Night Near Hangtown". Many thanks to David and Elaine for publishing it. I've been trying to write more short stories in recent months, and I'm also attempting to do some different things in them than I do in my novels. I think it's good for a writer to shake things up a little, and it's also fun. I have three or four more stories that will be appearing in print anthologies, but I think it'll be a while before any of them show up. I'd also like to write some more flash fiction. I published half a dozen or so of those a couple of years ago, one under my name and the others under a pseudonym, and thought it was great fun writing them. I haven't had any ideas lately that seemed to fit the format, though. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy "One Night Near Hangtown".
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18 comments:
Good story!
I just heard of Buck Jones for the first time this week. He was mentioned in the documentary that comes with the Murnau, Borzage And Fox DVD box set that came out recently.
Verification word: hebras
Bloody, bloody good story.
Great story, James. I put my comments over on the other site.
So now there's another story that I can say I was in on the genesis of.
I'll check it out.
Fabulous! Worlds collide.
I loved the story. Perfect for Halloween. Bravo.
Dear James, when a writer of your success and stature lends a hand to a small e-zine like BEAT to a PULP, you give heart to writers everywhere. You know them, you've been there. Writers putting all the energy and time they have to spare, into stories that may or may not get published. BEAT to a PULP is an attainable outlet for many writers but a question hangs in the air...will it do anything for them?
The answer is: yes, and you help to prove it Mr. Reasoner. Writers don't toil in vain among the e-zines, they can actually get noticed and develop their craft.
Thank you so much for generously donating your story, and giving hope to all of our dreams for success.
James,
Loved it.
Favorite stuffs:
*The "fish-out-of-water" setup, where Buck and Bela, at one point, are each "fish-out-of-water", each strangers in the other's world.
*The image of Bela in the outdoor, yodeling-type outfit, complete with feather in hat
*The appearance of the headless mexican ghost
Good stuff!
That's one mighty fun story, James. A gem.
You say you've written flash fiction under a pseudonym, but don't mention what that pseudonym is - that is so wrong!
And that one is a funny story, James!
Mucho fun, James. Looking forward to more short work from you.
Juri,
You reprinted the flash story that appeared under my name in one of your magazines, so you may have the only e-copy of it that still exists. The pseudonymous ones all appeared on a website that no longer exists and aren't archived anywhere, as far as I know. The files were all on a computer that was lost in the fire (along with part of a novel I was writing under the same pseudonym), so they may well be gone for good. I plan to use the pseudonym again, though, if I ever get around to it.
James, I'm pretty sure I sent you the text file of the story you mention - I think it was published first in Flashing in the Gutters.
And yes, I indeed used your story in my Isku magazine in translation, thanks muchly for it!
Juri,
You did indeed send me the file of that story. I thought you had, but when I looked for it on my computer yesterday, I couldn't find it. Today I did, though, so that's one flash fiction story I have. The others were published on Muzzle Flash, three or four of them, I think, and I had a few more written that I never got around to sending in. I may post the one I have here on the blog in the next day or two, for archival purposes if nothing else. Thank you for sending it to me.
I was already getting ready to send it to you again, James, but good to hear you found it.
I think this is the first time I hear of Muzzle Flash being closed. (Or then I'm just too slow-witted and coming down with Alzheimer's.) That's too bad.
Hey! I love the story and got the biggest kick when you mentioned Buck's wife Dell. My wife's name is Dell (just Dell, it's not short for anything) and she is always complaining she never gets to see it anywhere (except computer ads). I had to point it out to her.
Haave you ever read any of the Buck Parvin stories (Buck Parvin And The Movies) by Charles E. Van Loan? They very much remind me of your tale.
Van Loan wrote lots of early baseball tales, but Buck Parvin is still my favorite of his characters.
Sounds like need to do a forgotten books entry...
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