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The skeleton, wearing a long cloak and a wide-brimmed hat pulled low over his face, looked down at the list in his hand, checking his next appointment. He hopped into the driver’s seat of his coach and snapped the reins at the four onyx steeds in harness. The horses snorted, pawed at the ground, and

Missed the beginning? Part one. Part two. Part Three. I woke with a start. The sun was just rising. I hadn’t meant to fall asleep on the path. Struggling to stand, I wondered when my joints had become arthritic. No matter, I just needed to get the heck out of Dodge. Returning to the pier, I

Missed the beginning? Read part one here. Read part two here. The darkness consumed me as I crunched along the sand. The bobbing light of the lantern splashed across my path, revealing puddles of earth as I went. Without warning, the ground shot straight up into the air. After a moment, I realized it was

Missed part one? Read it here. As I walked toward the scent, it became unmistakable: it smelled like a beach. Maybe there’d be people there who would tell me what this place was. I picked up my pace. I realized someone from work should have noticed by then I wasn’t in the office. No one

It was a rare night I’d have to close at the store, but there I was, waiting in the cash office for cashiers to bring in their cash. “Something More” by Sugarland was playing on the iPod, and I was singing along. I stopped singing when I heard the tube system whirring to life. A

In the summer of 2011, I took the plunge. I would write a novel. Adhering to the classic “write what you know” advice, I wrote about my journey of quitting drinking. (I had been sober for a year at that point.) The tale would be inspired by my favorite book, Through the Looking Glass. Clocking in

Featured image via Tenor. I intended to write about how some of my favorite childhood fantasy books and movies touched my life and steered me down the path to become a writer. As I made my list, I realized that my memory is even worse than I joke about. I remember the books and movies

Featured image by Plush Design Studio. I’ve always been a writer, but now that I’m preparing to step into the realm of ‘published author,’ I thought I’d share some tools that got me here. This is just a partial list of resources for writers. I’m a self-help and webinar junkie, so I’ve used a LOT of

Originally Published here on kcotenti.com as a Living Story, April-May 2018. Thanks to Emily McDonald and Elizabeth Barron for their suggested story elements. The building shook as another quake ripped open the surrounding earth. The monitors lining the far end of the room flashed newscasts from cities around the country. People racing through the streets,

Originally Published on Short Fiction Break, August 2016. Jupita looked up from the console to take in the surreal view of the frozen planet in front of her. The last planet left in this star system, its orbit skirted the edge of the habitable zone. Japan and England had already claimed the two best planets

An A-Team and Through the Looking Glass crossover poem, written in 2011. “’Twas Billy with his purple coat andBogey the bear as he gyres.And Socky likes to lend a hand,And Little Squirt fights fires.” “Beware the jibber-jabber, fool!You ain’t got no invisible dog!Talkin’ to your sock ain’t cool,Man, your head is full of smog.” “You