I’ve got a little story over at Revolution John today called “Lonesome Tonight.” It’s about pretending. And an Elvis impersonator. I wrote this piece many years ago because of a prompt in one of the writing groups on Zoetrope and I’m happy that’s it’s emerged from the depths of my hard drive to find a (perfect) home at RJ. Sheldon Lee Compton does a fantastic job over there if you’ve got some time to browse. Check out the book reviews–(I particularly love this one and cannot wait to read Andrea Kneeland’s book now!). They’re pretty cool. I like the mix and the style, and of course I always appreciate the tireless, thankless work of journal editors.
Postst by "thetara" — Page 18
7 Reasons to Marry another Writer

I began my stint as a columnist at the Washington Indepedent Review of Books last month. Art and I are sharing the column, trading off month to month to discuss all things short fiction, and some things not short fiction. For my first post, I decided to go all Buzzfeed on you all and do a top 7 list. My 7 Reasons to Marry a Writer can be found here, but here’s a teaser for you:
2. You can do nerdy literary things. Like name your child “Dashiell” and be giddy when strangers get the reference. Or have a literary-themed wedding with library-card invitations. Or read aloud all of the Sherlock Holmes stories, laminate your hardcovers with that plastic stuff libraries use, and nibble your pancakes into the shape of modernist novelists’ heads. (Okay, I’m making up the last one, although I’d like to see Art’s version of Virginia Woolf.)
The post was the most popular for the month of April, which pretty much guarantees I’ll never have another column that successful ever again.
Announcing Bystanders, a Collection of Short Fiction

I am thrilled to announce that my second collection of stories, and debut full-length collection, Bystanders, will be published by Santa Fe Writers Project in Spring 2016. I’m very excited to work with Andrew Gifford and his excellent team at SFWP on this book. SFWP and I go way back–in 2010, I won their grand literary prize and have seen how well they treat their writers and how much they care about the books they produce. It is really wonderful to get to be a part of that family.
Bystanders features 13 stories that explore the ripple effects of tragedy. The characters in Bystanders are on the edge of the darkness, but not immune to it. A woman becomes obsessed with the murderer of her coworker. An investigative reporter who loves to uncover scandal finds his own life unraveling. Eerie sights in a video baby monitor begin to haunt a new mother. The characters in these stories are not innocent bystanders, but in unexpected occurrences they find new meaning in the world around them.
From the vicious newspaper strike that rocks a small Pennsylvania community to an unpredictable road trip in the open desert of the West, Bystanders explores the ways in which terror and uncertainty can both consume and invigorate us, and uncover our strengths, hopes, and passions.
I’m looking forward to seeing this stories go out into the world! Thank you for your support. More information to come in the upcoming months.
Modern Manners Has Sold Out!

The first print run of Modern Manners for Your Inner Demons has sold out! The last batch of books will be available as part of the Conversations and Connections writing conference in Washington, D.C. on April 5, 2014.
In celebration, MMYID is currently available on Amazon for Kindle for only 99 cents until March 12!
Thank you much for your support of this book!
“The Monitor” Appears in April 2014 Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine

I’m very excited that my story, “The Monitor” appears in the April 2014 issue of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. It is the very first story in the issue, and has an amazing illustration by Robin Hyzy to accompany it.
You can buy it now at newsstands and bookstores, so definitely check it out!
The story is kind of a break away from the stuff I usually write about. Although there is still a mildly depressed lonely woman questioning her relationship and her existence in general, there is also a supernatural element! Ghosts! A ghostly little boy appearing in a baby monitor, to be exact. It was a fun story to write, and I hope you enjoy reading it as well.
You can also check out a blog post I wrote about the story that is featured on Trace Evidence, the AHMM blog.
Enrico Accenti also did a mini review of my story and the stories from the rest of the issue on his Eerie Worlds blog.
Spooky times, spooky times.
The Next Big Thing
So I was asked recently by writer David Dean (whose wonderful stories my husband Art and I first became acquainted with in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine) to participate in The Next Big Thing. Which is basically a way to self-promote one’s book or other writing endeavors. So of course I said, “Sure,” because who doesn’t love a little self-promotion?
However, like David when he posted his blog, I find the idea of interviewing myself a little weird. So when answering these questions, I pretended that Daniel Craig was asking me. Because being interviewed by James Bond is way cooler than just me talking to myself in the mirror, right?
So you can imagine THAT when you read this “interview” below.
Ten Interview Questions for the Next Big Thing:
What is your working title of your book (or story)?
My your eyes are very very blue. Oh sorry. Yes, my book. Well, it’s not a working title anymore, since it was published in October! It’s called Modern Manners for Your Inner Demons and you should read it. Right. Now.
Where did the idea come from for the book?
One day I thought of the title, “The Etiquette of Adultery” and thought that would be a cool title for a story. I wrote it down on a sticky note and tucked it in my wallet and carried it around with me for awhile before finally deciding what to do with it. After I wrote that piece, I started thinking about other “etiquette” stories I could write about subversive things. It was around that time that I was also searching for a way to pull together a collection. So it was kind of the perfect storm.
The book is a collection of 10 stories that are plays on the Emily Post-type etiquette guides that you’ll find in book stores. Only they are WAY MORE FUN than your boring wedding etiquette guides. Instead of weddings, you get elopements. Instead of dinner party etiquette, you get obesity. And so on, so forth.
What genre does your book fall under?
I don’t know. General fiction? Literary fiction? Short stories about crazy topics?
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Well, ha ha, Daniel. Funny you should ask. One of the stories in the collection is “The Etiquette of Homicide” and I would LOVE for you to play that role. Beyond that, I don’t really care. Where can we sign you up?
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
It is a collection of “the darker side of etiquette—the way people conduct themselves in situations that Emily Post would never write about. You know, like conducting international espionage.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
It was published by Matter Press, a small independent press out of Philadelphia, and headed up by the wonderful Randall Brown.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I wrote the stories sporadically over a period of almost two years. I wrote the last story, “The Etiquette of Insomnia” just after my son was born. He inspired me when I was up feeding him at 3 a.m., we’ll say.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Tough question! I have a hard time comparing myself to other people. It’s like asking you who your favorite Bond girl is. Impossible, right? So I’m avoiding this. Let’s just say if you like odd, experimental-ish stories that are a bit funny, a bit sad, a bit playful and a bit crazy, you will probably like this book.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I actually have no idea where this book came from. I’m not particularly interested in etiquette, and I usually don’t write this experimentally. However, I had so much fun writing these stories that I just wanted to keep on going. I still think of other ideas that I could’ve included.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Haven’t you always wanted to know the best way to start a fire in an abandoned warehouse? Or how to masturbate in bed without waking up your wife? Or what to say at a dinner party with your parents and your married boyfriend? It’s ALL INSIDE, my friends.
Also, the wonderful cover image was designed by my dear friend Brandon Wicks, who was kind enough not to hang up on me when I called him about creating something in an obscene time limit. And agreed to work for bourbon. So I owe that eye-catching cover to him and to designer Lorrie Bennett. There is a special place in heaven waiting for these two.
And now I will pass the torch on to some very talented folks, who will be posting about their writing next week.
First up is Amber Sparks, who will be blogging about her newest collection, May We Shed These Human Bodies, which was just published in September by Curbside Splendor. Look for her on ambernoellesparks.com on Dec. 13.
Also, Bonnie ZoBell, whose fiction chapbook, THE WHACK-JOB GIRLS, is coming out by Monkey Puzzle Press, will chat about that collection on Dec. 14 on her blog West Coast Literary Doings.
And Clifford Garstang will blog at perpetualfolly.com on Dec. 11 about What the Zhang Boys Know, a novel-in-stories published by Press 53 earlier this year.
Last but certainly not least, we will hear from Ashley Inguanta about her collection The Way Home, which is coming out January 4th with Dancing Girl Press. She will be blogging on December 11 at ashleyinguanta.com.
Thanks once again to David Dean for being my “host.” Here’s his web site and blog, and you should buy his book here.
Modern Manners for Your Inner Demons is now available for preorder!

You can order a copy of my book Modern Manners for Your Inner Demons at Matter Press right now. Be sure to check out their other titles as well from Kathy Fish, Jeff Landon, Carol Guess and Karen Dietrich.
OR, you can snag a copy of the book at my book launch at One More Page Books in Arlington, Va., on October 27 at 5 p.m. (happy hour time, people). The first 50 people to buy a book at the book launch will receive a limited edition “The Etiquette of the Happy Hour” story, which I have yet to write! But I will! I promise! And even if not, there will be cake and alcohol. And a reading!
In other news, here’s a random list of really great stuff I’ve read/seen recently (linked where possible):
“Like An Original Response” by Randall Brown, in American Short Fiction
The Stand by Stephen King
“Headless” by Casey Hannan, in matchbook
“The Eye” by Mike Meginnis, in The Nashville Review
The Forty-Four Stories about Our Forty-Four Presidents series edited by Amber Sparks, of which I have the John Tyler contribution. Especially check out Ben Loory’s story on James K. Polk.
And last but not least, Eddie Money’s Geico commercial.
Fall for the Book Starts This Week!

This week starts the annual Fall for the Book festival at George Mason University. Since my husband is the marketing director, I also am a Fall for the Book widow this week. Thankfully, my lovely mom is here to help out with Dash.
So, if you’re in the D.C. area, you should take a look at the web site and come to some of the events. I’ll be reading on Friday at 1:30 p.m. as part of the Washington Area Women Writers panel. Here are some of the other readings/panels I’m looking forward to:
Wednesday, Sept. 26
7:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Shirlington Branch Library 4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, VA
Kenn Budd, author of The Voluntourist: A Six-Country Tale of Love, Loss, Fatherhood, Fate, and Singing Bon Jovi in Bethlehem, reads from his book where he embarks on a quest to help others—from post-Katrina New Orleans to a special needs school in China, from climate change research in Ecuador to projects in Kenya, Costa Rica, and the West Bank.
Thursday, Sept. 27
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Sandy Spring Bank Tent George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA
Novelist Clifford Garstang and Short Story Writer Edward Belfar
3 p.m.
Mason Concert Hall
Three decades after the publication of The Color Purple, Alice Walker reflects on the novel’s lasting legacy and discusses her other writings and her social and political activism.
Friday, Sept. 28
5:30pm-7:00pm
Grand Tier III, Center for the Arts George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA
Neil Gaiman — whose works range from the cult DC Comics series Sandman to books including Coraline, Anansi Boys, and American Gods (Au Diable Vauvert) — accepts the 2012 Mason Award, presented to an author for making extraordinary contributions toward connecting literature with a wide reading public.
Saturday, Sept. 29
6 to 7:30 p.m.
Sherwood Center, Performance Hall B 3740 Old Lee Highway, Fairfax, VA 22030
Bestselling, award-winning mystery writer Laura Lippman debuts her latest novel, And When She Was Good, about a lobbyist and soccer mom who has a secret life in the world of high-price prostitution. Sponsored by the Fairfax Library Foundation.
Sunday, Sept. 30
6:30pm-8:00pm
Concert Hall, Center for the Arts George Mason University
Novelist Michael Chabon — whose works include the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, The Yiddish Policeman’s Union, and most recently, Telegraph Avenue — accepts the 2012 Fairfax Prize for literary achievement.
Ahhhh!! I have a book coming out!!!

I’m very very excited to announce that my short story collection, Modern Manners for Your Inner Demons, will be published by Matter Press in October.
I think this is the perfect place for this book. Randall Brown, founder of Matter Press, has been a huge supporter of my writing for many years now. I first met him when I was the writer-in-residence at SmokeLong, and his comments and critiques of my stories were always so spot-on and thoughtful. I am continually amazed at the excellent work he publishes at the Journal of Compressed Creative Arts as well. I am honored that he wants to publish my first collection of stories, and so excited for the outcome.
The collection is a series of 10 etiquette stories, which you can read more about here. I want to thank Art Taylor, Brandon Wicks, Steve Himmer, Laura Ellen Scott, Ellen Parker, Mike Czyzniejewski, Matt Bell, Joe Killiany and Dave Housley for all their early support and/or for publishing some of these stories.
Yee Haw! I’ll update with more details as I get them.
Issue 36 of SmokeLong Quarterly is live!
Issue 36 of SmokeLong Quarterly went up late last night. It’s a great issue this time, with work by Mary Hamilton and Pamela Painter and Sam Martone and Christopher Allen and a ton of other folks.
The cover art is by Tuyen Tran, a fantastic artist from New York.
Don’t forget to read the author interviews (link at the end of every story.) They are often my favorite part of every issue because they give me insight into what makes our writers tick and what the heck they were thinking when they wrote their amazing stories.
Read Issue 36 now!